George W. Bush

About

George W. Bush is an American politician who served as the Governor of Texas and the 43rd President of the United States. The Bush presidency is widely remembered by the tragedy of 9/11 terrorist attacks and its consequent American military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the controversial counter-terrorism measures ranging from the PATRIOT Act and the Terrorist Surveillance Program to enhanced interrogation techniques and detainment of foreign citizens.

History

Early Career

Following the path of his father George H. Bush who served as the 41st President of the United States, George W. Bush ran for a seat in the House of Representatives from Texas’s 19th congressional district in 1978, albeit unsuccessfully. After nearly a decade of serving as an executive in the oil business, Bush moved to Washington D.C. in 1988 to work on his father’s Republican presidential campaign as a campaign adviser. He ran for the 1994 Texas gubernatorial election and won with 53.5% of total votes against Democrat incumbent Ann Richards’ 45.9%. In 1998, Bush became the first governor in Texas history to be elected to two consecutive four-year terms.

U.S. Presidential Campaign

In June 1999, Bush announced his candidacy for President of the United States while serving as the incumbent governor of Texas. Throughout his primary campaign, Bush portrayed himself as a compassionate conservative with a centrist-Republican platform and by 2000, the race had centered on Bush and Arizona’s Republican senator John McCain. After being formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention, Bush continued to campaign across the country and eventually won the general election in 29 states, including Florida, against the incumbent Democrat vice president Al Gore. [incomplete] [researching]

Highlights

Mission Accomplished

Mission Accomplished is a catchphrase that stems from the infamous banner sign displayed in the background during former President George W. Bush’s 2003 speech onboard USS Abraham Lincoln, where he announced the end of major military combats in Iraq. Already facing global anti-war protests and unstopping insurgency, photographs of President Bush delivering his speech in front of the banner soon became a target of online parodies and symbol of public skepticism towards the Bush administration’s handling of the war.

Internets

Internets is the erroneous pluralization of the word “Internet” popularized by Bush during his 2004 election campaign. While the word internet may be pluralized in rare occasions in the context of joining together many smaller intranets, it became the target of many jokes and parodies on the web, similar to the former Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens series of tubes gaffe. The term can be also used intentionally to signify that the speaker has limited knowledge about computers and technology.

You Forgot Poland

“You forgot Poland” is a popular catchphrase adopted by George W. Bush’s detractors to poke fun at his tactless rebuttal during the first debate of US Presidential elections in 2004. Since the rise of Bushism and related jokes in the mid-2000s, “You forgot Poland” has become one of the most recognizable quotes uttered by the former US president. See also: Polandball.

One Finger Victory Salute

One Finger Victory Salute is a video clip of Bush playfully flipping off the camera while getting ready for a local television appearance. The never-aired footage was uploaded to YouTube on March 5th, 2006.

Iraqi Shoe Toss

Iraqi Shoe Toss is an exploitableGIF of Iraqi Journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi throwing shoes at then-President Bush during his surprise visit to Iraq on December 14th, 2008. The image itself is usually altered by changing the object thrown or cutting to another scene entirely for comedic effect.

Miss Me Yet?

In February 2010, a mysterious billboard of Bush smirking and waving along with the caption “miss me yet?” appeared along route I-35 near Wyoming, Minnesota. Perceived by many as an expression of dissatisfaction concerning the performance of incumbent president Barack Obama, both the image and the phrase inspired many parodies online.

Reputation

“George Bush Doesn’t Care About Black People”

“George Bush Doesn’t Care About Black People” was a controversial quote uttered by rapper Kanye West during his appearance on the Concert for Hurricane Relief, a celebrity-driven benefit for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, in which he accused the then-President George W. Bush of lacking sympathy for the African American communities affected by the disaster in New Orleans.

Search Interest

External References