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Key Moments from the Presidency of George W. Bush
In a historic address to the nation and joint session of Congress on Sept. 20, 2001, President Bush pledges to defend America's freedom against the fear of terrorism. "The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain," President Bush said during his speech at the U.S. Capitol. "Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them."
After being sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush shares his first private moments in the Oval Office with his father, former President George H. W. Bush, Jan. 20, 2001. After departing Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Neb., President George W. Bush confers with Vice President Dick Cheney from Air Force One during his flight to Andrews Air Force Base Sept. 11, 2001.
Standing on top of a crumpled fire truck with retired New York City firefighter Bob Beckwith, President George W. Bush rallies firefighters and rescue workers during an impromptu speech at the site of the collapsed World Trade Center towers Sept. 14, 2001. "I can hear you," President Bush said. "The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." In a historic address to the nation and joint session of Congress on Sept. 20, 2001, President Bush pledges to defend America's freedom against the fear of terrorism. "The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain," President Bush said during his speech at the U.S. Capitol. "Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them."
President George W. Bush welcomes then-Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority Hamid Karzai to the Oval Office Jan. 28, 2002. Followed closely by his dog Spot, President George W. Bush walks alone on the South Lawn March 19, 2004. In an address to the nation that evening, President Bush announced the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
President George W. Bush leaves for a secret mission to visit troops in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 26, 2003. President Bush is accompanied by Communications Director Dan Bartlett, far left, and Chief of Staff Andrew Card. President George W. Bush runs with U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Michael McNaughton of Denham Springs, La., on the South Lawn of the White House Wednesday, April 14, 2004. The two met January 17, 2003 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where SSgt. McNaughton was recovering from wounds sustained in Iraq. The President then wished SSgt. McNaughton a speedy recovery so that they might run together in the future.
President George W. Bush bows at the casket of former President Ronald Reagan after giving an eulogy at the funeral service for President Ronald Reagan at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., June 11, 2004. Standing at his desk in the Oval Office, President George W. Bush receives a phone call from Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in which the senator conceded defeat in the 2004 presidential election Nov. 3, 2004.

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In a historic address to the nation and joint session of Congress on Sept. 20, 2001, President Bush pledges to defend America's freedom against the fear of terrorism. "The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain," President Bush said during his speech at the U.S. Capitol. "Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them."