George W. Bush vs. George Washington

Although both of these presidents share the same first name, the choices, problems and decisions they made while in office differed entirely from one another:

George W Bush:

Economic Policy:

“The role of government is not to create wealth; the role of our government is to create an environment in which the entrepreneur can flourish, in which minds can expand, in which technologies can reach new frontiers.” – President George W. Bush, May 2001
In the State of the Union Address, Bush proposed an initiative to aid the need for a new use of energy and technology by proposing an increased funding for renewable energy resources such as ethanol, nuclear power, clean coal technologies, and hydrogen power. Bush did this by presenting the American Competitiveness Initiative. This act aids the ever-rising competitive nature of the USA economy, with funds for finding new and advanced technology, and greater education for the American students. He would begin the process by creating a goal for the next ten years; the US will reduce the use of nonrenewable energy by 20% by using Ethanol instead of oil or gasoline. Bush, through this quote, seemed to want to get America to believe that the point of government was not to make themselves wealthy, but to better the future of the citizens so that they can become better citizens themselves.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060418-8.html


Foreign Policy:

“America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people.” – George W Bush
Perhaps one of the biggest choices that had to be made in the history of the United States was the foreign policy choice in which to go to war with the Middle East for 2001 terrorist attacks and how to deal with the seemingly impossible; capturing the monstrous perpetrators. Bush warned the Taliban giving them an ultimatum that if they did not bring forth Osama Bin Laden, we would invade Afghanistan and overthrow the Taliban regime. Obviously, their refusing to do so led to the invasion of Afghanistan by bombing their cities. Most presidents have not had to lead the country through war, so the pressure on George W Bush was extremely rough. Even though much of his term(s) in office have been disputed, he should be at least given some credit for leading us through this tough foreign policy decision and for making a little progress so far. Through the above quote, it shows Bush’s determination to get revenge on the people that attacked us; we should do what ever means necessary to secure the safety of the citizens of the US.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2004/bush/war.html

George Washington:

Economic Policy:

“Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” – George Washington
He was able to settle conflicts during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791. An excise was put on Whiskey and the farmers residing in the west of the US decided it was unfair to be taxed on something so greatly used and fought back harassing taxing agents, and creating chaos in towns. The news got to George Washington when he was presented with the knowledge that the federal marshal’s house had been burned down and he’d been attacked. He decided to send a group of 13,000 men from the militia to suppress the upheaval in the aggravated towns. This was the first use of the Militia Law of 1792. Most importantly it was the first test of power of the new American government to show the citizens of the US who was in control. The above quote shows that Washington backed his army one hundred percent, using it as a force to show the citizens of the US as well as foreign countries that the US government is a power and will protect itself and its people no matter what. Even in an economical decision, the militia had to be used. The excise on whiskey would stay even if the citizens didn’t like it; the government had to show it wouldn’t “flip-flop” on topics as important as this.
http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/whiskey/

Foreign Policy:

“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”
The relationship between England and America was falling apart. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay are the key negotiators when it came to establishing a friendship (that lasted over a decade even in the midst of another war) with Britain using the Jay Treaty. This solved many issues that were left over from the Revolutionary war. The treaty increased trade between the two countries and made a point to avoid warring. It also resolved the left over financial issues from the war between both countries. For the American side, the treaty required the removal of the British from the Northwest Territory. The Americans were also given the right to trade certain British goods with India and the Caribbean territory. This ability to negotiate with Britain showed other foreign countries and Americans themselves that they were powerful and competent enough to resolve their problems peacefully and effectively. Like the above quote, a government is powerful when it is “fear” and when it is “feared” it is listened to, the British were realizing even more so that listening to the US government and compromising with them was a necessity to keep from fighting. George Washington, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton who created and supported the Jay treaty demonstrated this to the rest of America.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/nr/14318.htm

The above information were two foreign policy topics and two economical decisions the Presidents made. It is clear that both presidential terms were vastly different from each other. The one similarity that can be drawn from both presidents were that they had military experience previous and/or during their term in office. Commander-in-chief George Washington led the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War before his presidency. George Bush served in the Air National Guard before his presidency. Although the amount of experience each man had serving the country differed greatly (Bush was in the inactive Air Force Reserves and George Washington had a much larger experience by being the First Commander-in-Chief and took part in several battles and wars).
Unfortunately these are the only real similarities that can be drawn from both presidents seeing as Washington is considered by most scholars one of “the greatest US presidents” - www.timesonline.co.uk and Bush’s presidency approval ratings are literally the lowest in history.