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States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.

State of the Union Address, January 29, 2002

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Legacy

George W. Bush won the presidency in an extremely controversial race against the Democratic candidate Al Gore. In fact, at the end of the day on November 7, 2000, the votes were so close that no winner could be declared. A recount of Florida’s hotly contested votes ended after the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 on December 13 to stop the count. In the end Gore had won the popular vote, but Bush had won the Electoral College, making Bush the president.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Bush had promised to cut taxes. Upon taking office, he quickly ushered through a series of significant tax cuts and tax breaks. The measure exempted millions of Americans from paying any taxes, created a new lower bracket for the working poor, and also lowered the top three brackets. Bush also worked successfully to gain bipartisan support of comprehensive education reforms via the No Child Left Behind Act. Though many remain skeptical about the long-term effects of No Child Left Behind, the legislation broke new ground by introducing accountability measures to ensure continued improvements in reading and math proficiency.