George W. Bush’s presidency was shocked early in its term by the unimagined terrorist act on September 11, 2001. Mr. Bush, who tended to lead with his gut, reacted by taking the fight to Afghanistan to root out Islamic extremists, led by the still elusive Osama bin Laden. Then he went to Iraq to take out the regime of Saddam Hussein, falsely claiming connections to those who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks.
President Obama has dealt with a number of shocks in his first year in office, including the meltdown of the economy, the massacre at Fort Hood and ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
