George Bush Essay Research Paper George W

George Bush Essay, Research Paper

George W. Bush

Politics have been the family business for more than one family in the United States. The familiar family of several generations is the Kennedy family who remains in the political spotlight for fifty-three years and running. As Elizabeth Dole attempts to gain the Republican nomination for the 2000 presidential race she hopes to continue the forty-nine year Dole family streak. Coming close to twenty-five years in politics Bill Clinton prepares to turn the scepter over to Hillary Clinton as she prepares for a possible seat in the United States Senate. Perhaps the most interesting dynasties are those carried on by father-son teams. Both John Adams and John Quincy Adams were United States Presidents. It also appears as though former President George Bush may be able to watch one of his two Governor sons take the presidential oath in the near future. His namesake child, the current governor of Texas, has recently announced his bid for the Republican nomination on the 2000 ballot. However, even if he makes it past the primaries it will take more than a brand name to win this election. According to the June 21, 1999 issue of Newsweek 65% of voters they polled still knew nothing or little of George W. Bush.

When looking at a possible future President of the United Sates of America it is not uncommon to start with their past and work forward to see their progress and failures. George W. Bush attended a preparatory school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Like many young men he was interested in sports and he selected to the men s basketball team at Phillips Academy. Envied by his peers the young man was chosen to be part of a team that was exclusive to the best. However young George sat on the bench that year and only played one game. The next year he opted not to try out for football and instead became the head cheerleader. He made many friends at this elite school considered to be the toughest in the country at that time. He successfully finished and the following year attended Yale.

During George s time at Yale he barely seemed to notice his father had been elected to Congress (1966). George, W as many refer to him, was not interested in any of the political organizations at the University. George W. Bush seemed to be more concerned with social matters than political matters. He knew stories about most people that would pass him by on the campus and was a fan of his school s sports teams. In the late 1960 s he joined a fraternity of Delta Kappa Epsilon, a fraternity for sportsmen and those who loved to watch them. They were called Dekes. This brings about a controversy that Bush himself may have been involved in overseeing harmful hazing rituals such as branding. Both Bush and other members of the fraternity have denied these rumors. Most members say the branding was a scare tactic that never actually happened. What did happen. A close friend of Bush s at the time stated, there was a lot of watching sports, girls, and beer drinking (Duffy). This is also where Bush had his first encounter with the law. Bush stated, We had a little too much Christmas cheer and for some reason we really thought we needed that wreath (Duffy). George and some of the other members of the Dekes were charged with theft as a misdemeanor and the misdemeanor was later dropped. During Bush s junior year at Yale he surprised his family by announcing his engagement to a young woman from Rice University named Cathryn Wolfman. They engagement did not last long after George decided that he was too young to settle down. While attending a Princeton, Yale s rival, versus Yale football game in which Yale won, George encountered his second encounter with the law. As friends were leaving the game they turned around to see young George standing in the middle of the goal posts as he and his friends tore them down on the Princeton field. The mayor of Princeton, New Jersey told the young men as punishment to leave Princeton and never return and he has not to this day.

After graduating Yale George moved to Houston to live at the ritzy Ch teaux Dijon, a popular place for late baby bloomers to live in the 1970 s. Not only was he changing girlfriends rapidly he was also changing jobs frequently. When he joined the Air National Guard in Texas he was criticized by many that he was allowed to override the long waiting list. The young man denied receiving any special favors from the Guard because of his father s status. George worked in for an agriculture company at this time and then left calling the work dull and boring. He then worked for a group that mentored young minority athletes but also left that job not being fulfilled. After applying for University of Texas Law School and being denied he applied to Harvard School of Business. George W. Bush graduated from Harvard with his Masters in Business in 1975.

After Harvard George returned to Midland, Texas where he grew up. There he thought that he would try his hand at the oil business. He had no experience in this field yet he insisted on jumping into to it without working his way up the ranks. At the same time he started the oil firm he married a young lady by the mane of Laura Welch, a quiet librarian. Laura and her new husband spent much of their honeymoon on the campaign trail. In Midland George thought that he might run for Congress and in the 1977 race he went up against