President Bush...Is he evil or just clueless?

George Walker Bush (; born July 6, 1946) served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being sworn in as President on January 20, 2001. Bush is the eldest son of the 41st U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush. After graduating from Yale University in 1968, and Harvard Business School in 1975, Bush worked in his family's oil businesses. He married Laura Welch in 1977 and unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives shortly thereafter. He later co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team before defeating Ann Richards to become Governor of Texas in 1994. In a close and controversial election, Bush was elected President in 2000 as the Republican candidate, receiving a majority of the electoral votes, but losing the popular vote to then Vice President Al Gore.

Eight months into Bush's first term as president, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred, and Bush announced a global War on Terrorism, ordered an invasion of Afghanistan that same year and an invasion of Iraq in 2003. In addition to national security issues, Bush promoted policies on the economy, health care, education, and social security reform. He signed into law broad tax cuts, the No Child Left Behind Act and Medicare prescription drug benefits for seniors. His tenure saw a national debate on immigration and social security.;

Bush successfully ran for re-election against Democratic Senator John Kerry in 2004, garnering 50.7% of the popular vote to his opponent's 48.3%. After his re-election, Bush received increasingly heated criticism from some sources. In 2005, the Bush Administration dealt with widespread criticism over its handling of Hurricane Katrina. In December 2007, the United States entered the longest post-World War II recession, and his administration took more direct control of the economy, enacting multiple economic stimulus packages. Though Bush was a popular president for much of his first term, his popularity declined sharply in his second term.

After leaving office, Bush returned to Texas. He is currently a public speaker and is authoring a book about his presidency.

Richard Bruce "Dick" CheneyAlthough his family name is usually CHAY-nee in the media and public-at-large, the Vice President himself and his family pronounce it CHEE-nee. See Cheney Holds News Briefing with Republican House Leaders, Aired on CNN December 5, 2000 (born January 30, 1941) served as the 46th Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the administration of George W. Bush.

Cheney was raised in Casper, Wyoming. He began his political career as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger, eventually working his way into the White House during the Ford administration, where he served as White House Chief of Staff. In 1978, Cheney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming; he was reelected five times, eventually becoming House Minority Whip. Cheney was selected to be the Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, holding the position for the majority of Bush's term. During this time, Cheney oversaw the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, among other actions.

Out of office during the Clinton presidency, Cheney was chairman and CEO of Halliburton Company from 1995 to 2000.

Cheney joined the presidential campaign of George W. Bush in 2000, who selected him as his running mate. After becoming Vice President, Cheney remained a very public and influential figure.

The Iraq War, also known as the Second Persian Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or Operation Iraqi Freedom,US Office of Personnel Management is an ongoing[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/19/iraq-war-years-later-success-victory/ Fox News: Iraq War 6 Years Later: Success But No 'Victory']Las Vegas Sun: Biden visits Iraq, as bombs highlight ongoing war military campaign which began on March 20, 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a multinational force led by troops from the United States and the United Kingdom.

Prior to the war, the governments of the U.S. and the UK claimed that Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) posed an imminent threat to their security and that of their coalition allies.Center for American Progress (January 29, 2004) [http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/kfiles/b24970.html "In Their Own Words: Iraq's 'Imminent' Threat"] americanprogress.orgSenator Bill Nelson (January 28, 2004) [http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2004_cr/s012804b.html "New Information on Iraq's Possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction",] Congressional RecordBlair, A. (March 5, 2002) "PM statement on Iraq following UN Security Council resolution" Number 10 Downing Street United Nations weapons inspectors found no evidence of WMD, giving support to earlier criticism of poor intelligence on the subject.Hersh, Seymour M. (May 5, 2003). Selective Intelligence, New Yorker.U.S. Senate Intelligence Community (June 2008): "Two Bipartisan Reports Detail Administration Misstatements on Prewar Iraq Intelligence, and Inappropriate Intelligence Activities by Pentagon Policy Office".There is a fundamental difference between relying on incorrect intelligence and deliberately painting a picture to the American people that you know is not fully accurate. - Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV After the invasion, the U.S.-led Iraq Survey Group concluded that Iraq had ended its WMD programs in 1991 and had no active programs at the time of the invasion, but that they intended to resume production if the Iraq sanctions were lifted. Although some degraded remnants of misplaced or abandoned chemical weapons from before 1991 were found, they were not the weapons for which the coalition invaded.Shrader, K. (June 22, 2006) "New Intel Report Reignites Iraq Arms Fight" Associated Press Some U.S. officials also accused Saddam Hussein of harboring and supporting Al-Qaeda, but no evidence of any collaborative relationship was ever found.Woods, K.M. and Lacey, J. (2008) "Saddam and Terrorism: Emerging Insights from Captured Iraqi Documents," vol. 1 Institute for Defense Analyses IDA Paper P-4287, pp. ES-1Kerr, R.J., et al. (29 July 2004) "Intelligence and Analysis on Iraq: Issues for the Intelligence Community," MORI Doc. ID 1245667 (Langley, VA: Central Intelligence Agency) Other reasons for the invasion stated by U.S. officials included Iraq's financial support for the families of Palestinian suicide bombers,CNN (September 12, 2002) "White House spells out case against Iraq", "the White House released a report early Thursday, listing some of the principal accusations against Iraq and its leader.... Iraq is also accused of sheltering two Palestinian terrorist organizations, and it lists Saddam's decision in 2002 to increase from $10,000 to $25,000 the bounty paid to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers." Iraqi government human rights abuses,Wolfowitz, P. (May 30, 2003) and an effort on the part of the coalition forces to spread democracy in the country and region."President Discusses the Future of Iraq" The White House, February 26, 2003 Some officials said Iraq's oil reserves were a factor in the decision to invade,CBS (January 11, 2004) "Bush Sought ?Way' To Invade Iraq?" 60 MinutesU.S. Commerce Dept. (March 2001) "Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts" (obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request)Shih, G. and Montes, S. (October 15, 2007) "Roundtable debates energy issues" Stanford DailyBloomberg: U.S., U.K. Waged War on Iraq Because of Oil, Blair Adviser Says but other officials denied this.Gates denies Iraq war about oil[http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/jan/15/foreignpolicy.uk Blair: Iraq oil claim is 'conspiracy theory']

The invasion of Iraq led to an occupation and the eventual capture of Saddam Hussein, who was later executed by the Iraqi Government. Violence against coalition forces and among various sectarian groups soon led to asymmetric warfare with the Iraqi insurgency, strife between many Sunni and Shia Iraqi groups, and al-Qaeda operations in Iraq. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 2 Feb 2007, see "four wars" remark The number of Iraqis killed through 2007 ranges from "a conservative cautious minimum" of more than 85,000 civilianshttp://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/Iraq Body Count: IBC in Context to a survey estimate of more than 1,000,000 citizens. UNHCR estimates the war uprooted 4.7 million Iraqis through April 2008 (about 16% of the population of Iraq), two million of whom had fled to neighbouring countries UNHCR - Iraq: Latest return survey shows few intending to go home soon. Published April 29, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2008 fleeing a humanitarian situation that the Red Cross described in March 2008 as "among the most critical in the world".Iraq: No let-up in the humanitarian crisis In June 2008, U.S. defense officials claimed security and economic indicators began to show signs of improvement in what they hailed as significant and fragile gains."US Department of Defense (June 2008): Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq In August 2008, Iraq was fifth on the Failed States Index.Foreign Policy: The Failed States Index 2008

Member nations of the Coalition withdrew their forces as public opinion favoring troop withdrawals increased and as Iraqi forces began to take responsibility for security.[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/02/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Britain.php Britain's Brown visits officials, troops in Iraq.] International Herald Tribune, October 2, 2007.Italy plans Iraq troop pull-out BBC March 15, 2005 In late 2008, the U.S. and Iraqi governments approved a Status of Forces Agreement effective through January 1, 2012.Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq The Iraqi Parliament also ratified a Strategic Framework Agreement with the U.S.,http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/SE_SFA.pdf Strategic Framework Agreement (pdf bitmap) aimed at ensuring international cooperation in constitutional rights, threat deterrence, education,English Language Teaching and Learning Program (US State Dept.) energy development, and other areas.Karadsheh, J. (November 27, 2008) [http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/27/iraq.main/ "Iraq parliament OKs pact on U.S. troops' future"] CNN In late February 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama announced an 18-month withdrawal window for "combat forces", leaving behind 30,000 to 50,000 troops "to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to provide intelligence and surveillance". General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, said he believes all U.S. troops will be out of the country by the end of 2011,CNN: General: U.S. should be out of Iraq by late 2011 while British forces ended combat operations on April 30, 2009. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said he supports the accelerated pullout of U.S. forces.FoxNews: Iraq Welcomes Faster U.S. Withdrawal Reports

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (), often abbreviated in print as NCLB and sometimes shortened in pronunciation to "nicklebee","In an world, if Nicklebee ideology dictated how things were, everyone across all demographics and in all nations would have easy access to a good education.", in a letter from the President of nicklebee.org "The Federal Government's No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB ? dubbed 'nicklebee')", is a United States Act of Congress that was originally proposed by President George W. Bush immediately after taking office.http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/factsheet.html The bill, co-sponsored by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who shepherded the bill through the Senate, was passed by congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. The law reauthorized a number of federal programs aiming to improve the performance of U.S. primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts, and schools, as well as providing parents more flexibility in choosing which schools their children will attend. Additionally, it promoted an increased focus on reading and reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The Act, introduced as HR 1 during the 107th Congress,

was passed in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2001, United States Senate on June 14, 2001Senate roll call vote and signed into law on January 8, 2002.

NCLB is the latest federal legislation that enacts the theories of standards-based education reform, which is based on the belief that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals can improve individual outcomes in education. The Act requires states to develop assessments in basic skills to be given to all students in certain grades, if those states are to receive federal funding for schools. The Act does not assert a national achievement standard; standards are set by each individual state. The Act requires that the schools distribute personal information of every student enrolled to military recruiters and institutions of higher education, unless the student opts out.Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Section on Military recruitment (PDF - English). Retrieved 6/7/07.

Since enactment, Congress increased federal funding of education, from $42.2 billion in 2001 to $54.4 billion in 2007. No Child Left Behind received a 40.4% increase from $17.4 billion in 2001 to $24.4 billion. The funding for reading quadrupled from $286 million in 2001 to $1.2 billion. U.S. Department of Education. Releases", 2006-02-06. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.