Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to George W. Bush

A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving George W. Bush.

George W. Bush served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Prior to his presidency, he was the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. As president, he launched the War on Terror in response to the September 11 attacks, leading to military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Domestically, he enacted education reform legislation known as No Child Left Behind, as well as tax cuts and reforms to Medicare. His presidency was marked by significant events including Hurricane Katrina and the financial crisis of 2008.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

September 4, 1976: Arrest for Driving Under the Influence

On September 4, 1976, George W. Bush was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in Kennebunkport, Maine.

June 10, 2000: Jesus Day in Texas

On June 10, 2000, George W. Bush proclaimed it to be Jesus Day in Texas, urging all Texans to serve those in need.

2000: Victory in the Presidential Election

In 2000, George W. Bush won the presidential election against Al Gore after a contested Electoral College win.

February 7, 2001: Shooting near the White House

On February 7, 2001, Robert W. Pickett fired shots from a Taurus .38 Special revolver outside the White House. He was apprehended by a Secret Service agent and charged. He eventually pleaded guilty to firearms violations and assaulting a federal officer, receiving a three-year sentence at the Federal Medical Center, Rochester, followed by three years of probation.

September 11, 2001: September 11 Terrorist Attacks

On September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks reshaped the Bush administration, leading to the war on terror and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

2001: Opposition to Kyoto Protocol

In 2001, George W. Bush stated his opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, citing that the treaty exempted 80 percent of the world's population and would have cost tens of billions of dollars per year.

November 2002: UN Weapons Inspectors in Iraq

In November 2002, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, but were advised by the U.S. to depart the country four days prior to the U.S. invasion.

2003: Initiation of President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and Invasion of Iraq

In 2003, George W. Bush initiated the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and ordered the invasion of Iraq.

2004: Deterioration of the situation in Iraq

From 2004 until 2007, the situation in Iraq deteriorated further, with some observers arguing that there was a full-scale civil war in Iraq.

2004: CIA Director Resignation and Reorganization

In 2004, following the resignation of CIA director George Tenet, Bush nominated Porter Goss to lead the agency. The White House directed Goss to remove officers deemed disloyal, leading to the firing or resignation of many senior CIA agents. The CIA faced accusations of leaking classified information to influence the 2004 election.

May 10, 2005: Hand grenade thrown at President Bush during speech

On May 10, 2005, while President Bush was giving a speech in Freedom Square, Vladimir Arutyunian threw a live Soviet-made RGD-5 hand grenade toward the podium. The grenade landed in the crowd about 61 feet from the podium but did not detonate because it was wrapped tightly in a red tartan handkerchief.

June 2005: Release of Air National Guard Records

In June 2005, the Department of Defense released all the records of George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard service.

July 2005: Arutyunian arrested for grenade attack

In July 2005, Vladimir Arutyunian was arrested for throwing a live grenade at President Bush on May 10, 2005. During the arrest, Arutyunian killed an Interior Ministry agent.

January 2006: Arutyunian convicted and sentenced to life

In January 2006, Vladimir Arutyunian was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for throwing a live grenade at President Bush on May 10, 2005, and for killing an Interior Ministry agent during his arrest in July 2005.

August 2006: NSA Surveillance Program Ruled Unconstitutional

In August 2006, a U.S. district court judge ruled that the NSA electronic surveillance program was unconstitutional.

October 9, 2006: North Korea Nuclear Test

On October 9, 2006, North Korea detonated a nuclear device, complicating Bush's foreign policy.

October 17, 2006: Military Commissions Act Signed

On October 17, 2006, President Bush signed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 into law, allowing the U.S. government to prosecute unlawful enemy combatants by military commission.

2006: National Intelligence Estimate concludes Iraq War became "cause célèbre for jihadists"

In 2006, a National Intelligence Estimate concluded that the Iraq War had become the "cause célèbre for jihadists".

2006: Unfavorable Opinion of Bush in Most Countries Surveyed

In 2006, most respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of President Bush, judging his administration as negative for world security.

2006: Democratic Party Regains Control of Congress

In 2006, the Democratic Party regained control of Congress in the midterm elections. Polls that same year showed an average of 37 percent approval ratings for Bush.

2006: Iraq Study Group Report

In 2006, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, led by James Baker, issued a report concluding that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating".

January 2007: Troop Surge in Iraq

In January 2007, George W. Bush launched a surge of troops in Iraq.

January 17, 2007: End of Surveillance Program

On January 17, 2007, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales informed U.S. Senate leaders that the President's Surveillance Program would not be reauthorized.

March 2007: Bush Most Disliked World Leader in Arab Nations

A March 2007 survey of public opinion in six Arab nations conducted by Zogby International and the University of Maryland found that President Bush was the most disliked world leader.

July 6, 2007: Surveillance Program Ruling Vacated

On July 6, 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit vacated the ruling that the NSA electronic surveillance program was unconstitutional.

November 2007: Treasury Department Freezes Assets

In November 2007, the Treasury Department froze the assets of two Lebanese and two Syrians, accusing them of activities to "undermine the legitimate political process in Lebanon".

2007: Financial Crisis and Low Approval Ratings

During 2007, George W. Bush faced one of the lowest approval ratings during the financial crisis.

2007: Deterioration of the situation in Iraq

From 2004 until 2007, the situation in Iraq deteriorated further, with some observers arguing that there was a full-scale civil war in Iraq.

2007: Veto of State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Legislation

In 2007, President Bush vetoed State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) legislation, which was added by the Democrats onto a war funding bill and passed by Congress. Bush viewed the legislation as a move toward socialized health care.

February 2008: Torching of the U.S. embassy in Belgrade

The Bush administration's support for Kosovo's declaration of independence troubled U.S. relations with Serbia, leading to the torching of the U.S. embassy in Belgrade in February 2008.

March 8, 2008: Veto of Intelligence Oversight Bill

On March 8, 2008, President Bush vetoed H.R. 2082, a bill that would have expanded congressional oversight over the intelligence community and banned the use of waterboarding.

March 10, 2008: Congress files lawsuit to enforce subpoenas

On March 10, 2008, the Congress filed a federal lawsuit to enforce their issued subpoenas in regards to whether the Justice Department and the White House were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage.

April 2008: Disapproval Ratings Reach Record High

In April 2008, President Bush's disapproval ratings reached the highest ever recorded for any president in the 70-year history of the Gallup poll, with 69 percent of those polled disapproving of his job performance.

June 9, 2008: Impeachment Articles Introduced

On June 9, 2008, Representative Dennis Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush on the floor of the House of Representatives, focusing on the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy, the justification for the war in Iraq, and alleged violations of the Geneva Conventions.

July 31, 2008: Court rules Bush advisers not immune from subpoenas

On July 31, 2008, a United States district court judge ruled that George W. Bush's top advisers were not immune from Congressional subpoenas regarding whether the Justice Department and the White House were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage.

December 14, 2008: Shoe-throwing incident in Baghdad

On December 14, 2008, during a press conference in Baghdad, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at President Bush. Bush was unharmed, but White House press secretary Dana Perino was bruised. Al-Zaidi was sentenced to a year in prison.

December 2008: Shoe-Throwing Incident in Iraq

During President Bush's last visit to Iraq in December 2008, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at him during a press conference.

2008: Criticism related to the Financial Crisis

Critics often point to Bush's handling of the 2008 financial crisis, as proof that he was unfit to be president.

2008: Financial Crisis Deepens

In 2008, the financial crisis deepened, further impacting George W. Bush's presidency.

2008: Approval Ratings Remain at Record Lows Before Election

In polls conducted in the fall just before the 2008 election, President Bush's approval ratings remained at record lows, ranging from 19 to 20 percent, while his disapproval ratings ranged from 67 percent to as high as 75 percent.

January 2009: Bush's favorability rating after leaving office

In January 2009, a Gallup poll noted that Bush's favorability ratings in public opinion surveys had begun to rise a year after he had left office. His rating was at 40 percent in January 2009.

March 2009: Bush's favorability rating in March 2009

In March 2009, Bush's favorability rating was at 35 percent.

March 2010: Report on False Pretenses

In March 2010, the Center for Public Integrity released a report stating that President Bush's administration had made more than 900 false pretenses in a two-year period about the alleged threat of Iraq against the United States.

June 22, 2010: Bush Comments on North Korea

On June 22, 2010, President Bush commented on the suffering of the people of North Korea due to communism and the leader's focus on personal luxuries and nuclear weapons programs.

July 2010: Bush's favorability rating rises to 45 percent

By July 2010, Bush's favorability rating had risen to 45 percent, a period during which he had remained largely out of the news.

November 9, 2010: Release of 'Decision Points' memoir

On November 9, 2010, George W. Bush released his memoirs, "Decision Points". He discussed his presidency, highlighting his biggest accomplishment as keeping the country safe and his greatest failure as the inability to secure the passage of Social Security reform. He also defended his administration's enhanced interrogation techniques.

Decision Points

Check it on Amazon

2010: Justice Department concludes political considerations in attorney firings

In 2010, the Justice Department investigator concluded that though political considerations did play a part in as many as four of the attorney firings, the firings were "inappropriately political" but not criminal.

2011: Disagreement with Obama's Troop Withdrawal

In 2011, George W. Bush vocally disagreed with President Obama's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, calling it a "strategic blunder".

February 2012: Gallup poll on Bush's presidential rating

In February 2012, a Gallup poll indicated that Americans still rated George W. Bush among the worst presidents, although their views had become more positive in the three years since he left office.

April 2013: Bush's highest approval rating since December 2005

In April 2013, Bush's approval rating stood at 47 percent approval and 50 percent disapproval in a poll jointly conducted for The Washington Post and ABC, his highest approval rating since December 2005. Bush had achieved notable gains among seniors, non-college whites, and moderate and conservative Democrats since leaving office, although majorities disapproved of his handling of the economy (53 percent) and the Iraq War (57 percent).

June 2013: Bush's ratings become more positive than negative

In June 2013, a Gallup poll marked the first time where Bush's ratings have been more positive than negative, with 49 percent viewing him favorably compared to 46 percent unfavorably.

June 12, 2015: Comments on ISIS and Troop Levels

In an interview published on June 12, 2015, by Israel Hayom magazine, George W. Bush stated that "boots on the ground" would be necessary to defeat ISIS. He also reflected on his own decision to send additional troops to Iraq to defeat Al Qaeda.

2015: Reference point for CNN poll in 2018

A CNN poll in 2018 found that 61% of respondents held a favorable view of Bush, an increase of nine points from 2015.

2016: Support for Jeb Bush and Concerns About the Republican Party

During the early stages of the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, George W. Bush campaigned for his brother Jeb Bush. After Donald Trump won the party's nomination, Bush refused to endorse Trump and did not attend the party's convention. Bush privately expressed concern that he would be the last Republican president and left his presidential ballot blank instead of voting for Trump.

January 20, 2017: Attendance at Trump's Inauguration and Post-Ceremony Comments

On January 20, 2017, George W. Bush and his wife attended Donald Trump's first inauguration. Images of Bush struggling to put on a rain poncho during the ceremony became an internet meme. While leaving the event, Bush allegedly described the ceremony, and Trump's inaugural address in particular, as "some weird shit".

2017: Improved public image in 2017

In 2017, Bush's public image saw greater improvement, with a YouGov survey showing 51 percent of favorability from Democrats.

2018: Favorable view increase in 2018

In 2018, a CNN poll found that 61 percent of respondents held a favorable view of Bush, an increase of nine points from 2015.

June 1, 2020: Statement on the Murder of George Floyd

On June 1, 2020, George W. Bush released a statement addressing the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent nationwide reaction and protests, where he and former first lady Laura Bush "are anguished by the brutal suffocation of George Floyd and disturbed by the injustice and fear that suffocate our country".

January 6, 2021: Condemnation of the U.S. Capitol Attack

On January 6, 2021, following the U.S. Capitol attack, George W. Bush denounced the violence and attack alongside the three other living former presidents. Bush stated that "this is how election results are disputed in a banana republic, not our democratic republic", and that "it is a sickening and heartbreaking sight".

July 14, 2021: Reaffirmation of Opposition to Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan

During an interview with Deutsche Welle on July 14, 2021, George W. Bush reaffirmed his opposition to President Biden's withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, calling the plan "a mistake".