Quote of the Day:

"I believe that God has planted in every heart the desire to live in freedom." - George W. Bush

"Leadership to me means duty, honor, country. It means character, and it means listening from time to time." - George W. Bush

Day 19 VoCaBulary:

• nominate
• rural
• urban
• election
• liberal
• conservative
• constituent
• charisma

George W. Bush:

eorge Bush is most famous for being president during the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and ordering the invasion of Afghanistan as retaliation. The United States also invaded Iraq and overthrew the dictator Saddam Hussein in the Second Gulf War while Bush was president.

George's father is President George H.W. Bush. He is the second son of a president to become president, the other being John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams.

George grew up in Texas with his five brothers and sisters. He was the oldest and helped to comfort his mother, Barbara, when his sister, Robin, died of leukemia. George liked sports and his favorite was baseball. He went to high school in Massachusetts and then Yale for college where he majored in history. Later, in 1975, he earned an MBA from Harvard. During the Vietnam War George served in the Air Force National Guard where he was an F-102 fighter pilot. 

After earning his MBA, George returned to Texas where he entered the energy business. He also worked on his father's presidential campaign and became part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. He loved baseball and enjoyed being involved with the team. 

In 1994 George decided to follow in his father's footsteps and enter politics. He ran for the governor of Texas and won. He became a very popular governor and easily won reelection to a second term in 1998. He decided to take his popularity and run for president in 2000. 

Bush ran against Bill Clinton's Vice President, Al Gore. The election was one of the closest in history. It came down to the state of Florida. Votes were counted and recounted. Finally, Bush ended up winning the state by only a few hundred votes. 

Despite the unpopularity of the Iraq War, Bush was elected to a second term in 2004. Unemployment began to improve dropping down to 5% by the end of 2006. However, in 2007, Bush lost the support of Congress as the Democrats won a strong majority. Unemployment began to rise and his popularity reached an all-time low by the time he left office. 

Discovering Elections:

Does the presidential candidate with the most votes win?

Once a president is selected, how does he or she take office as president? What is this called and when does it happen?

What oath does the new president of the United States take when beginning a term in office? Copy the oath. 

What are the voting requirementes in your state? When is the registration deadline for the next election?

When does the Electoral College vote, and how many votes does it take for the candidate to become president of the United States? Who counts the votes, and when are they counted? What happens if neither candidate receives an absolute majority of the electoral votes? 

Once a president is elected, how does he take office? When and how does this usually happen?

To become president of the United States, he must take the Oath of Office. Who administers this oath?