GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT - George W. Bush was sworn in as our 43rd President on January 20, 2001 after a contested election against the Democratic candidate, Vice President Al Gore. Ultimately, the election was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court which stopped a recount of the votes in Florida. In his first year in office, Bush was confronted with the tragedy of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center towers in New York and against the Pentagon in the Washington, D.C. area. In response to these terrorist attacks, President Bush declared a war on terror and ordered the invasion of Afghanistan and later of Iraq. With popular support as a war-time President and a conservative shift in the mood of the country, Bush was re-elected to a second term of office four years later. In his second term, however, Bush faced increasingly low rankings in the public opinion polls as support for the war in Iraq diminished and the economy worsened. At the end of his two terms as President, Bush had one of the lowest public opinion poll rankings of any President since such polls have been conducted as the financial and banking system in the country went into a melt-down as a result of a collapse of the housing market, and as mortgage-backed securities increasingly became illiquid. President Bush was the second President to be elected that was the son of a previous President, with his father George H.W. Bush having been the 41st President of the United States. The only other President that was the son of a previous President was John Quincy Adams. As an outgoing President, Bush made a commitment to make the transition of his successor, Barack Obama, the easiest of any President-Elect.

INAUGURATION OF GEORGE WASHINGTON AS OUR FIRST PRESIDENT - Above are both a painting of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart as well as an illustration from Columbian Magazine dated May 1789 of the triumphal arch erected at Gray's Ferry to greet Washington as he approached the city of Philadelphia on his way to New York for his inaguration as the first President of the United States. A reception was held for Washington in Philadelphia on April 20, 1789. As described in the Columbian Magazine, the railings of the bridge at Gray's Ferry were decorated with laurels interwoven with cedar, while a 20 foot high arch was erected at each end of the bridge made of laurels and other evergreens. Eleven flags were planted at the north side of the bridge representing the eleven states that had ratified the Constitution. About noon the illustrious Washington appeared, to be greet by the cheers and acclamations of an immense crowd. After being saluted by a discharge of cannons, Washington was escorted into Philadelphia by a troop of soldiers and prominent citizens of the city. Washington was subsequently inaugurated on April 30, 1789 on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City. He set the precedent of taking the oath of office with his hand on a Bible, and adding the words "so help me god" after the official oath. That evening there was fireworks to celebrate his inauguration, while an inaugural ball was held on May 7, 1789. As with his initial election as President, Washington was unanimously re-elected for a second term as President. His second inaugural speech on March 4, 1793 was the shortest given by any President, consisting of only 135 words. Washington set a precedent for future Presidents, with the exception of Franklin Roosevelt, by serving only two terms as President and then stepping down and returning to life as a citizen. Washington quote: ". . it is yet to be decided, whether the Revolution is ultimately to be considered a blessing or a curse: a blessing or a curse, not to the present age alone, for with our fate will the destiny of unborn Millions be involved."

GEORGE WASHINGTON, OUR NATION'S FIRST PRESIDENT - George Washington defined the American Presidency more than any other President for the simple reason that when he assumed office, there was no model to follow. As such, he had to establish the precedents that all other Presidents have since followed. He also defined our public values as to the integrity, leadership and respect for the U.S. Constitution that we expect our U.S. Presidents to follow. Prior to his election as President, George Washington had been the indispensable man to bring about the convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution and had served as the convention's President. Prior to that, George Washington had been the indispensable man to lead the Continenal Army in defeating the British, who at that time were the greatest military power in the world. Because of the dedication and leadership of Washington, the thirteen colonies were able to do what had never been done successfully before - which was to lead a successful revolution of the people against a colonial power. Prior to the American Revolution, George Washington had co-authored with George Mason the Fairfax County Resolves, which was the first clear articulation of the rights of the American colonists to rebel and establish their own government if their natural rights were violated. He then attended both the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress. At the latter, he was selected to be Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army before there even was a Continental Army, and a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed. When one talks about how the founding fathers risked their lives, liberties and property for the cause of the American Revolution, George Washington along with such other Patriot leaders as Samuel Adams, John Adams, and John Hancock was among the first to risk all for the American Revolution.