George W. Bush: A brief summary of career and policy

After winning the governorship of Texas in 1998, George W. Bush held his position through playing to conservative constituents with strong anti-crime, anti-drug, and capital punishment policies. Texas during Bush's administration saw more executions than any other state.

In 2000, Bush ran for President of the United States against then-current Vice President Al Gore. The campaign was lackluster, marked by an extremely low voter turnout and very little difference between candidates. After a controversial deciding electoral college vote, cast by Florida (governed by Bush's brother Jeb), George W. Bush began his term as President of the United States.

His first term as of 2003 was marked by mixed environmental policy, opening the oil reserves in Alaska for drilling while taking a positive stand towards alternative fuels, and of course by a defining foreign policy after the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11th, 2001.

He is characteristically pro-religion, pro-security and anti-abortion. Criticized early in his presidency and earlier in his governorship as a poor public speaker prone to inventing words, his speaking demonstrated marked improvement through three years in office, although he no longer takes questions after speaking. His policy is aggressively supportive of American military involvement overseas and pays little heed to outside influence such as the United Nations.