US & World

WASHINGTON (CBS News) ― Coming into office eight years after the departure of his father from the White House, George Walker Bush served as president during two terms that saw the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, the rise and fall of several global financial institutions and the nationalization of the country's largest mortgage loan firms. Here is a look at some of the events which will form the historical legacy of America's 43rd president.

2001

Jan. 20, 2001 - Inauguration
George W. Bush is sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States. Two days later, in his first major policy action, he signs a memorandum blocking international groups from receiving U.S. funds if they "perform or actively promote" abortions.

Aug. 9, 2001
President Bush, in a nationally televised speech, announces a middle-ground decision on the controversial issue of stem cell research, saying he will approve federal funding only for research on stem cells already drawn from human embryos.

Sept. 11, 2001 - The Attacks
President Bush learns of the terror attacks on the U.S. while attending an education event in Florida. After returning to the White House, he tells a national TV audience the U.S. will make "no distinction" between the terrorists who committed the acts and the nations that harbored them.

Sept. 12, 2001
President Bush issues a proclamation honoring the victims of the previous day's terror attacks and sends Congress a request for emergency funding for recovery and response. He tours the damage at the Pentagon and, in a nationally televised address, calls the attacks, "acts of war."

Sept. 14, 2001
President Bush declares a national emergency and authorizes the call-up of 50,000 reservists for "homeland defense" and recovery missions. He attends a national prayer service in Washington and then travels to New York to visit with rescue workers and tour the World Trade Center disaster site.

Sept. 20, 2001
Bush tells Congress there are "struggles ahead and dangers to face" as the U.S. and its allies fight global terrorism. He demands the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden and members of his alleged terrorist network. He also announces a new Cabinet post to fortify homeland defense.

2002

Jan. 13, 2002
Bush briefly faints after choking on a pretzel while watching a football game at the White House residence. He scrapes his left cheek after falling onto the floor from a couch, but suffers no serious injuries.

June 6, 2002
In a major restructuring, Bush proposes creation of a new Cabinet office to oversee domestic security and appoints Tom Ridge as the first Director of Homeland Security. The announcement comes on the same day Congress begins public hearings on intelligence failures prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

2003

Jan. 24, 2003
Tom Ridge joins the Bush cabinet as the first Secretary of Homeland Security. The new department brings together 22 federal agencies and 170,000 employees in the largest government reshuffling in 50 years.

Jan. 28, 2003 - State of The Union
Bush vows in his State of the Union address to use the "full force and might of the U.S. military" if needed to disarm Saddam Hussein's Iraq. On the domestic front, the president calls for passage of his $674 billion economic plan and an overhaul of Medicare.

Feb. 1, 2003 - Columbia Deaths
In a televised address to the nation, President Bush mourns the seven astronauts killed on board the Space shuttle Columbia, saying "they had a high and noble purpose in life."

Feb. 5, 2003
As the administration presses its case against Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell presents the U.N. Security Council with what the White House calls "irrefutable evidence" that Saddam Hussein is hiding banned weapons and has ties to terror groups.

March 17, 2003 - Final Iraq Warning
After abandoning efforts at winning U.N. backing for military action against Iraq, President Bush warns Saddam Hussein, in a nationally televised address, that he has 48 hours to flee Iraq or face a U.S.-led invasion.

March 19, 2003 - Iraq War Begins
Announcing the onset of war, President Bush tells Americans that U.S. and coalition forces have launched military operations "to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger."

April 10, 2003
A day after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush tells Iraqi citizens, "Your nation will soon be free." The remarks, broadcast throughout Iraq by the U.S. military, are part of a campaign to convince Iraqis that the U.S. is not a hostile invasion force.

May 1, 2003 - Mission Accomplished
In a prime-time speech from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, President Bush declares the battle of Iraq has ended in victory. "Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free," he tells the U.S. military.

May 28, 2003
Bush signs the third-largest tax cut in U.S. history, giving $330 billion in tax breaks to families, businesses and investors, plus $20 billion in state aid. The package, which Democrats fought, is less than half the size of the one the president initially sought.

July 30, 2003
At a rare White House news conference, Bush defends the war in Iraq and, for the first time, takes personal responsibility for a discredited claim that Iraq sought nuclear material in Africa. He also casts aside calls to legalize gay marriage.

Aug. 15, 2003
President Bush calls the massive power outage that crippled the Northeast and Midwest a "wake-up call" to modernize the nation's electrical grid. "We've got an antiquated system," he says during a campaign swing through California.

Sept. 7, 2003
Amid growing criticism of his handling of Iraq, President Bush, in a televised address, says he'll ask Congress for $87 billion for military operations and reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq — the country he says is now the "central front" in the war against terror.

Sept. 30, 2003
The Justice Department opens a criminal investigation into who leaked the name of a CIA officer whose husband – a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq – challenged Bush's claims on Iraqi weapons programs. President Bush directs White House staff to cooperate fully.

Dec. 14, 2003
President Bush hails the capture of Saddam Hussein – seized in an underground hideout on a farm outside Tikrit – as the end of "a dark and painful era" in Iraq but cautions it probably will not end violence against U.S. troops.

2004

Jan. 20, 2004 - State of the Union
In his annual State of the Union address, Bush offers an optimistic view of the economy and defends his record on fighting terrorism. Unlike last year's speech, he avoids predictions about finding banned weapons in Iraq, but insists the U.S. mission there is just.

Feb. 24, 2004
President Bush announces he will back a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, saying he wants to stop activist judges from changing the definition of the "most enduring human institution."

April 8, 2004
In highly anticipated testimony on Capitol Hill, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice tells a federal commission that President Bush "understood the threat" of terrorism before the Sept. 11 attacks.

April 13, 2004
In his first prime-time press conference since before the war, President Bush vows the U.S. "will finish the work of the fallen" and usher in a new era of democracy in Iraq. He also says he's ready to send more U.S. troops to Iraq if necessary.

June 11, 2004
President Bush eulogizes Ronald Reagan as "an enduring symbol of our country" at a state funeral for the former president at Washington's National Cathedral.

Sept. 2, 2004
President Bush accepts the Republican nomination for a second term, telling delegates at the party's convention in New York, "We are on the path to the future – and we are not turning back."

Oct. 22, 2004
President Bush signs the most sweeping rewrite of corporate tax law in nearly two decades, showering $136 billion in new tax breaks on businesses, farmers and other groups.

Nov. 2, 2004
Amid heavy voter turnout, President Bush wins a second term with over 50 percent of the popular vote. A close vote in Ohio holds the final result until the morning, when John Kerry concedes. "We are entering a season of hope," Bush tells the nation.

2005

Jan. 20, 2005 - Inauguration
President Bush swears the oath of office for a second term as president of the United States, pledging to seek "freedom in all the world" as the surest path to peace in an era of terrorism across the globe.

Feb. 2, 2005
In the first State of the Union address of his second term, President Bush warns that Social Security "is headed toward bankruptcy" unless Congress acts to "strengthen and save" the program.

April 6, 2005
President Bush and first lady Laura Bush pay their respects to Pope John Paul II, viewing his remains at St. Peter's Basilica shortly after arriving in Rome for the pontiff's funeral.

July 7, 2005
President Bush warns Americans to be "extra vigilant" following the deadly bombings in London. "The war on terror goes on," he says from Scotland, where's he's attending the G-8 summit. "We will not yield to these people, we will not yield to the terrorists."

July 19, 2005
In his first opportunity to fill a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, President Bush nominates federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts Jr. to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Sept. 2, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina
Facing blistering criticism for his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, President Bush says "the results are not acceptable" and pledges to bolster relief efforts.

Sept. 5. 2005
Two days after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, President Bush nominates John Roberts to succeed him and calls on the Senate to confirm Roberts before the Supreme Court opens its fall term on Oct. 3.

Sept. 15, 2005
President Bush vows New Orleans "will rise again" in a prime-time speech from the city's famed French Quarter. He pledges the federal government will pay most of the costs of rebuilding the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast.

Oct. 31, 2005
Four days after the collapse of the Harriet Miers nomination, President Bush turns to veteran federal appeals court judge Samuel Alito as his new selection for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dec. 18, 2005
In his first Oval Office address since he announced the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, President Bush acknowledges mistakes but warns against a premature withdrawal of U.S. troops. "Not only can we win the war in Iraq," he says, "we are winning the war in Iraq."

Dec. 19, 2005
President Bush defends his secret authorization of a program to eavesdrop – without warrants – on international calls and e-mails of Americans with suspected terror ties. He tells a year-end news conference he will continue it as long as the nation faces a threat.

2006

Jan. 31, 2006 - State of the Union
President Bush lays out his election-year agenda in a State of the Union address focusing on soaring energy and health care costs and America's leadership in the world. "We have a serious problem. America is addicted to oil," he says.

April 6, 2006
Court documents from Lewis "Scooter" Libby's testimony before a grand jury indicate that President Bush, through Vice President Dick Cheney, authorized Libby to speak to reporters in July 2003 about a classified National Intelligence Estimate.

May 15, 2006
In a nationally televised address, President Bush presents a plan to station 6,000 National Guard troops at U.S. border with Mexico. Proposal also offers immigrants a legal route toward citizenship.

July 19, 2006
President Bush casts the first veto of his 5 1/2-year presidency, rejecting legislation to ease limits on federal funding for research on stem cells obtained from embryos. "This bill would support the taking of innocent human life of the hope of finding medical benefits for others. It crosses a moral boundary that our society needs to respect, so I vetoed it," Bush said.

The veto came a day after the Senate defied Bush and approved the legislation, 63-37, four votes short of the two-thirds margin needed to override.

2007

Jan 10, 2007 - The Troop Surge
In a nationally televised address, the president announces an additional 20,000 troops will be deployed to Baghdad to try to stem sectarian violence and that Iraq will take control of its forces and commit to a number of "benchmarks."

Jan. 23, 2007 - State of the Union
In his State of the Union Address, President Bush focuses on domestic issues, including reducing oil consumption and increasing access to health insurance. He also admits that the war in Iraq is not going as planned.

March 6, 2007
Lewis I. "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is found guilty of lying to FBI agents and to a grand jury in the investigation of who leaked the name of a covert CIA agent. The agent, Valerie Plame Wilson, is married to Joseph Wilson, who had questioned the administration's claim that Saddam Hussein was pursuing a nuclear weapons program by seeking to obtain uranium from Niger.

March 13, 2007
President Bush says he has confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales after Gonzales admits that the Justice Department made mistakes and exercised poor judgment in firing eight federal prosecutors in late 2006. Congress was investigating whether the dismissals were politically motivated and if the White House was involved.

May 1, 2007
Exercising his veto power for only the second time, President Bush vetoes the $124 billion spending bill passed by Congress for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill attempted to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. "Setting a deadline for withdrawal is setting a date for failure, and that would be irresponsible," Bush said.

May 7, 2007
Washington turned out adoring schoolchildren and ladies in hats for Queen Elizabeth II's visit. The White House, too, laid on special touches at President Bush's first-ever white-tie state dinner to honor America's closest ally and make the queen feel welcome.

Aug. 13, 2007
Karl Rove, the political mastermind behind President Bush's races for the White House and an adviser with unparalleled influence over the past 6 1/2 turbulent years, announced his resignation, ending a partnership stretching back more than three decades. It was a major loss for Bush as he headed into the twilight of his presidency, battered in the polls, facing a hostile Democratic Congress and waging an unpopular war. A half dozen other senior advisers have left in recent months.

Aug. 27, 2007
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, longtime friend and political ally of President Bush, announced his resignation. His departure ends a nasty, months-long standoff over his honesty and competence at the helm of the Justice Department.

Dec. 12, 2007
President Bush vetoed legislation that would have expanded government-provided health insurance for children, his second slap-down of the bipartisan effort in Congress to dramatically increase funding for the popular SCHIP program. It was Bush's seventh veto in seven years — all but one coming since Democrats took control of Congress in January. Bush vetoed the bill in private.

Jan. 24, 2008
The Bush administration and the House agree on a $150 billion economic stimulus package that gives tax rebates of $300-$600 to individuals earning up to $75,000 and to couples with incomes up to $150,000. Families will also be eligible for up to $300 in rebates for each child. Businesses were also given incentives in the form of expanded deductions. Democrats had sought, but did not get, an increase in food stamp aid and extended unemployment benefits.

Jan. 28, 2008 - State of the Union
Focusing on gnawing recession fears, President Bush went before Congress with his final State of the Union address, saying that Americans are troubled about their economic future and lawmakers should urgently approve a $150-billion rescue plan. Iraq, as always, was a main topic of his annual address. Education, Social Security and immigration were among several topics the president also discussed.

Aug. 7-11, 2008
President Bush visits China to attend the Olympic Games.

Oct. 3, 2008
With the economy on the brink of meltdown and elections looming, a reluctant Congress abruptly reversed course and approved a historic $700 billion government bailout of the battered financial industry on Friday. President Bush swiftly signed it.

Nov. 11, 2008 --
President Bush welcomes Democratic President-elect Barack Obama to the White House and promises a seamless transition.

Dec. 15, 2008 - The Show Throwing Incident
President George W. Bush visits Iraq under intense security and declares that a long, hard conflict is necessary to protect the United States and give Iraqis hope. "The war is not over," he said. In response, an Iraqi journalist removed both his shoes and threw them at the president, who avoided being struck as the attacker was wrestled to the ground by security and other reporters.

Jan. 19, 2009 --
In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush commutes the prison sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited fierce debate about illegal immigration.

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