Bush’s mettle tested in freshman year

President Bush's first year in office has been filled with domestic and international challenges

By Joel Hochmuth
CNN

(CNN) – President John F. Kennedy once wrote that, "Great crises produce great men, and great deeds of courage." History will be the final judge, but for now, that quote seems to describe the presidency of George W. Bush.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, even harsh critics have found the president’s leadership worth commending.

"A lot of people I’ve been speaking to of late were very concerned about whether the president was going to be up to the task," said Representative Gary Ackerman, D-New York.

RESOURCES Year in review: The biggest stories of 2001

"He seemed a bit tentative and unsure of himself. He’s shaken all that off … he’s gotten up there. He’s the kind of guy none of us would be afraid to be in the foxhole with," Ackerman continued.

Bush’s mettle was tested by the September 11 assault in ways few American presidents have been challenged. Perhaps the defining moment of his presidency thus far was his address to the joint session of Congress nine days after the attacks.

EXTRA INFORMATION September 11: The White House reacts

"Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies; justice will be done," said Bush, as he laid out America’s response to the terrorists.

His rallying speech was met with bipartisan praise.

"I think the president rose to the occasion. He pulled us together … he talked about unity, and he did so with a passion and a real strength that this country was looking for," said Senator Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota.

George and Laura Bush dance at his inaugural celebration.

But not everyone was as complimentary of Bush last January when he was sworn in as president.

Many democrats were still fuming over a bitterly contested election that was ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The resulting schism between the two parties almost derailed Bush’s first major test in office. His nomination of staunch conservative John Ashcroft for attorney general narrowly passed the Senate after a bruising battle.

Just months into the administration’s young tenure, it found itself searching for a cause that would energize both Capitol Hill and the American public. Soon, the floundering economy took center stage, and Bush won approval from Congress for a $1.35 trillion tax cut.

In April, Bush was confronted with his first international crisis when a United States Navy patrol aircraft, on a "routine surveillance" mission over the South China Sea, was involved in a collision with a Chinese fighter plane. The U.S. plane, with 24 crewmembers aboard, made an emergency landing on the southern Chinese island of Hainan without permission. The Chinese pilot was killed in the collision, and China and the United States blamed the incident on each other.

After more than a week of terse negotiations between Washington and Beijing, a chartered aircraft carrying the American crew members out of China lifted off on April 12. It was a diplomatic solution to a potentially huge international crisis.

Domestic challenges

In August of this year, Bush was forced to make a difficult decision regarding the use of human stem cells for scientific research. Scientists and advocacy groups view embryonic stem cell research as perhaps the best hope for finding cures for debilitating diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Opponents find the research troubling if human embryos are destroyed to harvest the cells.

Bush agreed to allow federal funding of research using existing stem cell lines, but he stopped short of allowing federal funding for research using stem cells derived from frozen embryos, about 100,000 of which exist at fertility labs across the country. His moderate approach to this ethical issue won the president accolades from both sides of the debate.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice urged President George W. Bush not to call Chinese President Jiang Zemin to settle the spy plane affair.

At the same time, however, the nation’s jobless rate hit 4.9 percent, the highest level in four years.

"I want the American people to know we’re deeply concerned about the unemployment rates … and we intend to do something about it," Bush said.

Whether President Bush would have inspired the nation over that issue alone we will never know.

Four days after making that statement, terrorists struck New York and Washington D.C., and a shaken nation had a more compelling reason to rally behind its leader.