The presidency of George W. Bush has been described as one long disaster. How far do you think this verdict is justified?

George Walker Bush was an American politician and businessman who was elected as the 43rd president of the U.S. from 2001 to 2009. He formulated a strong policy for the domestic agenda. But after the attack on the World Trade Centre, the position of his administration declined. The U.S. faced a long term recession period in 2007. That is why his presidency is often described as one long disaster.

Policies

• He increased federal government spending that eventually.
• Unemployment rose from 4.2% in 2001 to 6.3% in 2003 and later reduced to 4.5% in 2007.
• He set up multiple targets for Education and public health like increasing the fund allocation for the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.
• He took the administrative initiatives of the No Child Left Behind Act.
• He signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).
• He took several environmental initiatives to control the problem of climate change and global warming.
• He used his veto power for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.
• During the presidency of Bush, the U.S. had a stronger economic and political relationship with Mexico.
• He visited India to discuss the matter of nuclear energy, counter-terrorism, and later an agreement was signed that was known as India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement.

Criticism

• He was mainly criticized internationally for the foreign policy of his administration.
• In December 2007, the U.S. encountered a prolonged post-World War II recession, which is known as the “Great Recession”.
• He was criticized for his handling of Hurricane Katrina.
• During his tenure the 9/11 attack took place.

Comment

Though some phases of his presidential tenure faced a lot of administrative problems and economic breakdown but his presidency was not a total failure. It could be considered as a combination of partly developmental and partly a disastrous administration.

Topics: GS-IV: Ethics and Human Interface