The Bush philosophy: resolute, no matter what; in his second term, President Bush will read a nation increasingly divided over both foreign policy and domestic issues.

• Author: Stevenson, Richard W.
• Position: National

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students better understand President Bush's character and some of his goals for a second term.

CRITICAL THINKING/DISCUSSION: The article says Bush chose "resolve" as the characteristic to apply to himself. "I am a very determined person," he said.

Are determination and resolve vital traits in a President? Remind students that critics say Bush views the world as black and white, right and wrong.

ANALYSIS: Ask students to discuss Bush's foreign-policy and domestic goals and promises in these areas:

* War in Iraq: Critics accuse Bush of acting largely alone in launching the war against Iraq. Ask students why critics might disagree with the President's war strategy.

* Social Security: Bush would like younger people to divert part of the taxes they pay to Social Security to invest on their own. His argument is that private investment has a good chance of earning more than Social Security would give them.

Would students feel more comfortable with a guaranteed Social Security payment that might be smaller than a private account or a private investment that might pay more?

* Lawsuits: Bush is concerned about what he views as frivolous lawsuits. He wants to install a cap on the amount of money for which people can sue doctors or businesses in cases of personal injury. What are the pros and cons of limiting how much people can sue for?

* Math and Science: Bush favors tougher math and science requirements for high school students.

Ask: Should government mandate tougher academic requirements? What are the pros and cons of standardized, tougher requirements?

DISCUSSION QUESTION

* Which of President Bush's goals and promises discussed in the campaign do you regard as most important?

FAST FACTS: When off duty, President Bush enjoys reading, jogging, fishing, and watching baseball games.

WEB WATCH: www.democrats.org provides political news from the Democratic perspective, www.rnc.org provides political news from the Republican perspective.

A recurring theme of George W. Bush's 2004,campaign was his faith in what he calls the transformational power of liberty"--his belief that the long-term task for the United States is to at least plant the seeds of democracy in the Middle East and throughout those regions of the world that could otherwise breed poverty, anger, and pools of terrorists.

When Bush takes the oath of office again on January 20, it is the pursuit of that goal and its primary prerequisite--bringing stability to...