Tragedy Strikes:
In January 2001, George W. Bush became the first son of a president to serve in the White House since John Quincy Adams. Less than eight months later, on September 11, terrorists hijacked American passenger airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, killing nearly 3,000 people. President Bush sent troops to Afghanistan to track down members of al Qaeda, the group responsible for the attacks, and to overthrow the regime that harbored them. In 2002, the Bush administration announced that the United States would act to prevent future terrorist attacks by countries holding chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. U.S. troops entered Iraq the following year. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003, but the weapons were never found. Fighting in Iraq continued to dominate Bush’s presidency after his reelection in 2004. He maintained that “the success of a free Iraq is critical to the security of the United States.”

Fast Facts
Party:	Republican
Date of Birth:	Saturday, July 06, 1946
Date of Death:
Vice President:	Richard B. Cheney
First Lady:	Laura Bush