What does George W. Bush actually do?

He wanted to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and gave the order 20 years ago to attack the regime of dictator Saddam Hussein. George W. Bush is one of the most controversial American presidents in history. With the attack on Iraq, he led the Americans in two wars during his tenure – after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Bush ended his campaign against Iraq with a speech on the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. “Mission accomplished,” he said.

But she wasn’t. Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction and the US coalition’s war in Iraq was in violation of international law. The war years of Bush Jr have plunged the world and especially the Middle East into chaos and cost the US a great deal of international confidence. A shadow that still falls on his presidency today.

But what is George W. Bush doing today? After his term in office he presents himself in the US as the voice of reason. But he still seems at odds with the Iraq War.

fight against alcohol

George W. Bush is now 76 years old, making him the oldest living US president after Jimmy Carter. His predecessor, Bill Clinton, is a month younger than Bush Jr. In August 2013, he had heart surgery and a stent was placed.

After leaving office in 2010, Bush first cleared up the past before his presidency. A year after Barack Obama took office, Bush admitted to having a drinking problem. “I doubt I would be standing here if I hadn’t stopped drinking whiskey, beer and wine,” Bush said in an interview with ABC News. At the age of 40 he gave up drinking and joined the Midlands First United Methodist Church. “One night I was drinking too much, so I decided to quit.” He has since described himself as a devout Christian.

But Bush would also have used harder drugs. Scandal biographer Kitty Kelley wrote that he snorted cocaine at Camp David while his father George Bush was president. George W. Bush has never responded to the allegations.

George W. Bush wrestles with his responsibility for the war

The 43rd U.S. president largely withdrew from the public eye after the end of his term. “Since we left the White House, I’ve calmed down a bit in public. Eight years in the spotlight was a lot. Laura (Editor’s note: his wife) and I are very happy with life after that,” said Bush Jr. . during a speech in 2016.

“We spend a lot of time on our farm, where we became tree farmers. I’ve written books. It surprised a lot of people who thought I couldn’t read, let alone write.”

George W. Bush also took up a new hobby: he started painting. He also published five books, including his memoirs and a portrait of his father. For his book “Portraits of Courage” he portrayed former soldiers who were wounded in the war.

Bush never spoke of his responsibility for the invasion of Iraq

The war in Iraq did not seem to let go of him even after his term of office. Only in September 2022 did he criticize Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine and get stuck. The Russian invasion was “one man’s decision to launch a totally unwarranted and brutal invasion of Iraq,” Bush Jr. said. at an event. “I mean Ukraine.”

Bush Jr. spoke of his responsibility for the US invasion of Iraq. but never in public. It was only with the American presidency of Donald Trump that he managed to boost his reputation again.

Bush Jr opposed Trump and supported the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of George Floyd in 2020. In early 2021, he also promoted the corona vaccination together with Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. After hurricanes “Harvey”, “Irma” and “Maria”, he participated in a benefit concert for the victims in Texas in 2017 with his father and the other four ex-presidents.

George W. Bush leads a retired life after his presidency, but he still tries to make a statement every now and then. Then when it seems important to him.