The easiest way to summarize a president’s political position is to examine their actions. George W. Bush had a number of political positions in the realms of economy, civil liberties, foreign policy and social policy.
One economic policy that Bush is most famous for is his generous tax cuts. He believed this would help the economy at large when in reality it accounted for more than 50% of the deficit increase from 2000-2006. Bush supported nuclear power and expanding domestic drilling. His goal was to decrease dependence on foreign oil and increase the option of alternative fuel consumption. As far as free-market capitalism, Bush stated, “Our aim should not be more government. It should be smarter government.”
Bush’s civil liberty policies stood mostly on anti-terrorism and surveying domestic issues through various information-gathering methods. In late 2001, after the September 11 attacks, the Presidential Military Order gave Bush the authority to detain and question suspects who had a connection with terrorism as an unlawful combatant. This power turned into the ability to detain people indefinitely without a charge filed against them, without a court hearing, and without the right to a lawyer. He also supported the banning of flag burning and supported the regulation of gun control.
The easiest category of political positions to discern from Bush’s administration was his foreign policy. After all, with his demanded involvement in the Middle East with the War of Terrorism, he was clearly a force not to be reckoned with. Even before the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bush charged the Iraqi government of possessing weapons of mass destruction. This posed a strong threat to US security, so he took measures to expose the presence of these weapons. He was never successful. After September 11, 2001, Bush created the Department of Homeland Security in order to defend the country more effectively.
The social policy of President Bush included a few controversial positions. Bush’s strong anti-abortion standing resulted in the passing of legislature like the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. He also supported the notification of parents when minor girls desired to have an abortion. For the death penalty, Bush was a strong supporter. When he was governor of Texas, he permitted 152 executions to occur. He did a great deal environmentally in an effort to clean the world’s air. The Clear Skies Act of 2003 was an amendment to the Clean Air Act that was enforced during the Bush administration.
