Every four years, one person is given the responsibility of running a nation. They are elected by the people to serve them to the best of their ability and to provide the citizens of the United States of America with the best quality of life and to represent their country on the world stage. The two most recent of these have both been heavily criticized on just how successful they were at doing so, George W. Bush, being one of the most well-known Presidents, with his "War on Terror", and the current President, Barack Obama, a historic President by virtue of his race. Both were chosen to represent the people of the United States and have been entrusted with the duty of regulating and creating both domestic and international policy. But which of the two has been more successful? By observing facets of both their domestic and international policies, such as their economic, healthcare, and foreign policies (international relations, defense) it will be evident which President has better represented his people and better served the interests of his country. .
Often seen as one of the most important indicators of a successful President is the ability to control and stimulate growth within the economy. Shortly after his inauguration President Bush, looked towards setting in place policies that would implement tax-cuts to benefit the people; policies that would begin the rebuild of the declining labor market, and that would lead the country into a $5.6 trillion surplus over the next ten years. (Longman p.245). Bush faced much opposition in congress and began to hold rallies across the U.S. to gather support for his economic plan. (Greenstein p.314). This plan was to begin with a $1.35 trillion tax cut program, making it one of the largest tax cuts in U.S. history, Bush argued that the unspent government funds should be returned to the people, as the surplus is not the money of the government but that it belongs to the people.