Grace+H.

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Grace Houpt Mr. Sherman Civics 19 December 2011 A Comparison of George W. Bush and Barack Obama First of all, the foreign affairs of Bush and Obama can be compared and contrasted. First, Bush was elected as the forty-third president of the United States. One of the main foreign affairs Bush had to address was Afghanistan. After the attack which caused the collapse of the twin towers on September 11, 2001, Bush addressed the Taliban requiring them to turn in all Al Qaeda members and free any unjust prisoners. Due to these issues, the war in Afghanistan started on October 7, 2001. Next, Bush invaded Iraq with the hopes of replacing the Baathist regime with a democracy, while he also supported the pursuit of Saddam Hussein. On the other hand, Obama, the forty-fourth president of the United States also had to address foreign affairs. Due to inheriting two wars, Obama had to address military issues. He promised that he would withdraw American troops from the Middle East as soon as possible. Secondly, he had hopes of creating good relationships with other countries, which is why he signed a treaty regarding nuclear arms reduction called New START with the president of Russia, Dmitri Medvedev. Overall the foreign policies of these two presidents regarded some similar issues, while still offering individual ideas. Secondly, the domestic affairs of Bush and Obama can be paralleled and analyzed. Firstly, Bush had inherited a recession which had started in years prior to his presidency. In order to address this issue, he believed the steps to be taken would regard tax cuts. He was asking for a one point six billion dollar tax cut during the time he was president. Another domestic issue he spoke of was regarding education. No Child Left Behind was instituted in order to set standards for schools across the nation and improve the educational process. When Obama became president, he endorsed the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which had been created by Bush. It was an initiative taken in order to attempt to save banks. Later, Obama also addressed the issue of health care. He wanted to institute a major reform of the health care system. Obama’s health care ideas turned out to be controversial causing split ideas among the people of the United States. Therefore the steps Bush and Obama each took to address domestic issues differed, while still trying to maintain what was best for the United States. Lastly, a comparison of Bush and Obama can be established by their family lives. George W. Bush is the son of George H.W. Bush, a former president and a Navy veteran, and a loving mother, Barbara Bush. Later, George W. Bush married Laura Welch, and with her he had twin daughters which were named Barbara and Jenna. Together they create a strong and supportive family. Barack Obama was born in Hawaii to a black man and a white woman. His family members are very diverse, and he has a half-Indonesian sister, and a Chinese brother-in-law and niece. Obama’s immediate family consists of his wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia Ann and Sasha. They are a very close family just as the Bush family has been. Through their foreign affairs, domestic affairs, and their family lives, George W. Bush and Barack Obama can be compared. Each president has a unique personality and individual ideals concerning issues both within and out of our country. Both Bush and Obama were placed into power during economic and foreign strife. Bush entered the presidency during a recession, while Obama entered during economic trouble and in the middle of two wars. The situations they were placed into affected their decisions regarding various issues. Although presidents can be compared and contrasted, the president remains as being the figurehead for our country and is very influential throughout not only our nation, but the entire world.