Misplaced Pages

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131-600: Bridas Corporation is an Argentine independent oil and gas holding company based in Buenos Aires. Since March 2010 it is 50% owned by China National Offshore Oil Corporation . Bridas Corporation was founded by the Bulgheroni family in 1948, and grew to become the second-largest producer of fossil fuels in Argentina (after the state-owned YPF ), with production of over 78 million boe in 2004. Bridas has focused in

262-516: A simultaneous air and land attack on Iraq on March 20, 2003, in what the American media called " shock and awe ." With 145,000 soldiers, the ground force quickly overcame most Iraqi resistance, and thousands of Iraqi soldiers deserted. The U.S. captured the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on April 9, but Hussein escaped and went into hiding. While the U.S. and its allies quickly achieved military success,

393-654: A 58–42 vote in January 2006. In the years immediately after Roberts and Alito took office, the Roberts Court was generally more conservative than the preceding Rehnquist Court , largely because Alito tended to be more conservative than O'Connor had been. Bush also appointed 62 judges to the United States Courts of Appeals , 261 judges to the United States district courts , and 2 judges to

524-693: A jointly owned Pan American Energy Group. China National Offshore Oil Corporation The company is owned by the government of the People's Republic of China, and the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) assumes shareholder rights and obligations on the government's behalf. One subsidiary, CNOOC Limited , is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange ;

655-531: A judge, but who had worked as a corporate lawyer and White House staffer. Her nomination immediately faced opposition from conservatives (and liberals) who were wary of her unproven ideology and lack of judicial experience. After Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist informed Bush that Miers did not have the votes necessary to win confirmation, Miers withdrew from consideration. Bush then nominated Samuel Alito , who received strong support from conservatives but faced opposition from Democrats. Alito won confirmation in

786-413: A long-term BBB+ and A2, equivalent to China's government rating and the highest rating for a Chinese company. The exploration and production of oil and gas grew steadily in 2004. Output reached 36.48 million tons of oil equivalent , increasing 3.12 million tons (nine percent) over 2003. Domestic production was 24.72 million tons, an 11-percent increase from the previous year and higher than

917-820: A major economic disaster, and he established the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to buy toxic assets from financial institutions. At various points in his presidency, Bush was among both the most popular and unpopular presidents in U.S. history. He received the highest recorded approval ratings in the wake of the September 11 attacks, but also one of the lowest such ratings during the Iraq War and 2007–2008 financial crisis. Although public sentiment of Bush has improved since he left office, his presidency has generally been rated as below-average by scholars. The oldest son of George H. W. Bush ,

1048-529: A partial manual recount, but the United States Supreme Court effectively ordered an end to this process, on equal protection grounds, in the case of Bush v. Gore , leaving Bush with a victory in both the state and the election. Bush won the presidential election with 271 electoral votes compared to Gore's 266, though Gore narrowly won a plurality of the nationwide popular vote, receiving 543,895 more votes than Bush. Bush thus became

1179-558: A resolution called the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists , authorizing the president to use the military against those responsible for the attacks. On October 7, 2001, Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan . General Tommy Franks , the commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), drew up a four-phase invasion plan. In the first phase, the U.S. built up forces in

1310-464: A seafloor leak which lasted until June 7. This was followed by a second leak on June 17, which was contained within 48 hours. The leaks polluted a total of more than 840 square kilometers of clean water in Bohai Bay. Fifty-one percent of the oilfield is owned by CNOOC, and forty-nine percent owned by ConocoPhillips. The first leak was not made public until July 5, 2011. Another fire and oil spill

1441-566: A shift in U.S. public opinion towards support of the war, it failed to convince the French, Russians, or Germans. Contrary to the findings of Blix and ElBaradei, Bush asserted in a March 17 public address that there was "no doubt" that the Iraqi regime possessed weapons of mass destruction. Two days later, Bush authorized Operation Iraqi Freedom , and the Iraq War began on March 20, 2003. U.S.-led coalition forces, led by General Franks, launched

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1572-552: A spirited challenge that was supported by many moderates and foreign policy hawks . McCain's loss in the South Carolina primary effectively ended the 2000 Republican primaries , and Bush was officially nominated for president at the 2000 Republican National Convention . Bush selected former secretary of defense Dick Cheney as his running mate; though Cheney offered little electoral appeal and had health problems, Bush believed that Cheney's extensive experience would make him

1703-631: A strategic fit for the company. On July 20, 2005, Unocal announced that it had accepted an buyout offer from ChevronTexaco for $ 17.1 billion, which was submitted to Unocal stockholders on August 10. On August 2 CNOOC Limited announced that it had withdrawn its bid, citing political tensions in the United States. Despite a hands-off approach from the Bush administration , a group of Democrats and Republicans in Congress organized opposition to

1834-507: A struggle between the terrorists and the aircraft's passengers. The attacks had a profound effect on many Americans, who felt vulnerable to international attacks for the first time since the end of the Cold War . Appearing on national television on the night of the attacks, Bush promised to punish those who had aided the attacks, stating, "we will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." In

1965-413: A terrorist campaign against U.S. targets, orchestrating attacks such as the 1998 United States embassy bombings and the 2000 USS Cole bombing . During Bush's first months in office, U.S. intelligence organizations intercepted communications indicating that al-Qaeda was planning another attack on the United States, but foreign policy officials were unprepared for a major attack on the United States. Bush

2096-491: A trail of abuses and environmental contamination on Ramree Island that outraged locals attacked their facilities". CNOOC's actions in Burma have been compared to that of communist officials in rural China, where entrepreneurs desiring development opposed by local residents steamroll their opposition. The Shwe gas project has been linked with land confiscation and human-rights abuses. CNOOC has been accused of participating in

2227-540: A valuable governing partner. With Democratic President Bill Clinton term-limited, the Democrats nominated Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee for president and Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut for vice president. Bush's campaign emphasized their own candidate's character in contrast with that of Clinton, who had been embroiled in the Lewinsky scandal . Bush held a substantial lead in several polls taken after

2358-897: Is taking place since April 6, 2021, with workers missing. On July 11, 2011, an explosion occurred at the Huizhou refinery in the Daya Bay Economic and Technical Development zone in Guangdong . The refinery is 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant . In December 2020, the United States Department of Defense named CNOOC as a company "owned or controlled" by the People's Liberation Army and thereby prohibited from receiving any American investment. In response to

2489-416: The 2000 presidential election , in which he lost the popular vote to Gore by 543,895 votes. Four years later, in the 2004 presidential election , he narrowly defeated Democrat nominee John Kerry , to win re-election and winning both the popular and the electoral college vote. Bush served two terms and was succeeded by Democrat Barack Obama , who won the 2008 presidential election . He is the eldest son of

2620-537: The Bill Clinton administration , and with the Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan 's support, Bush argued that the best use of the surplus was to lower taxes. By the time Bush took office, reduced economic growth had led to less robust federal budgetary projections, but Bush maintained that tax cuts were necessary to boost economic growth. After Treasury secretary Paul O'Neill expressed concerns over

2751-519: The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act , stating that he thought the law would improve the financing system for elections but was "far from perfect." The law placed several limits on political donations and expenditures, and closed loopholes on contribution limits on donations to political candidates by banning the use of so-called "soft money." Portions of the law restricting independent expenditures would later be struck down by

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2882-486: The Chinese State Council . In August 2023, CNOOC and Petrobras agreed on strategic cooperation in the areas of oil refining and chemical engineering, engineering and oil services, green and low-carbon energy , and crude oil trading. This will be in addition to the existing Brazilian assets of CNOOC — 7.34% of the shares in an integrated development project, the deepwater Buzios field , and 9.65% of

3013-619: The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 , which included many of the president's proposals, but the bill did not pass the House of Representatives. After Democrats took control of Congress in the 2006 mid-term elections, Bush worked with Ted Kennedy to re-introduce the bill as the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 . The bill received intense criticism from many conservatives, who had become more skeptical of immigration reform, and it failed to pass

3144-922: The Enron scandal, Bush signed the Sarbanes–Oxley Act into law. The act expanded reporting requirements for public companies Shortly after the start of his second term, Bush signed the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 , which had been a priority of his administration and part of his broader goal of instituting tort reform . The act was designed to remove most class action lawsuits from state courts to federal courts, which were regarded as less sympathetic to plaintiffs in class action suits. Bush endorsed civil rights and appointed blacks, women and gays to high positions. The premier cabinet position, Secretary of State, went to Colin Powell (2001–2005),

3275-674: The Iraqi insurgency opposed to the continuing U.S. presence. Fearing the further deterioration of Iraq's security situation, General John Abizaid ordered the end of the planned drawdown of soldiers, leaving over 130,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The U.S. captured Hussein on December 13, 2003, but the occupation force continued to suffer casualties. Between the start of the invasion and the end of 2003, 580 U.S. soldiers died, with two thirds of those casualties occurring after Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech. After 2003, more and more Iraqis began to see

3406-469: The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 , which cut taxes by another $ 350 billion over 10 years. That law also lowered the capital gains tax and taxes on dividends . Collectively, the Bush tax cuts reduced federal individual tax rates to their lowest level since World War II , and government revenue as a share of gross domestic product declined from 20.9% in 2000 to 16.3% in 2004. Most of

3537-1037: The Kyoto Protocol , the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty , and the International Criminal Court . Terrorism had emerged as an important national security issue in the Clinton administration, and it became one of the dominant issues of the Bush administration. In the late 1980s, Osama bin Laden had established al-Qaeda , a militant Sunni Islamist multi-national organization that sought to overthrow Western-backed governments in Saudi Arabia , Jordan , Egypt , and Pakistan . In response to Saudi Arabia's decision to begin hosting U.S. soldiers in 1991, al-Qaeda had begun

3668-693: The No Child Left Behind Act , a major education bill. He also pushed for socially conservative efforts, such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and faith-based welfare initiatives . Also in 2003, he signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act , which created Medicare Part D . During his second term, Bush reached multiple free trade agreements and successfully nominated John Roberts and Samuel Alito to

3799-553: The OMB under Gerald Ford , was appointed secretary of the treasury, while former Missouri senator John Ashcroft was appointed attorney general. As Bush had little foreign policy experience, his appointments would serve an important role in shaping U.S. foreign policy during his tenure. Several of his initial top foreign policy appointees had served in his father's administration ; Vice President Cheney had been secretary of defense, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice had served on

3930-699: The Philippines . In September 2018, it also signed a memorandum of understanding with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on the production of biofuel . In 2019, CNOOC was awarded the Theoretical Technology and Major Discoveries of Deep Large-scale Condensate Gas Field Exploration in the Bohai Bay Basin by the National Award for Science and Technology Progress, a state-level science and technology award established by

4061-602: The Supreme Court . He sought major changes to Social Security and immigration laws, but both efforts failed. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continued, and in 2007 he launched a surge of troops in Iraq . The Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina and the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy came under attack, with a drop in his approval ratings. A global meltdown in financial markets dominated his last days in office as policymakers looked to avert

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4192-577: The Truman administration , Bush decided to use his newfound political capital to fundamentally change U.S. foreign policy. He became increasingly focused on the possibility of a hostile country providing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) to terrorist organizations. During his early 2002 State of the Union Address , Bush set forth what has become known as the Bush Doctrine , which held that

4323-528: The U.S. Intelligence Community and expanded the government's domestic authority to conduct surveillance of suspected terrorists. The Patriot Act also authorized the use of roving wiretaps on suspected terrorists and expanded the government's authority to conduct surveillance of suspected " lone wolf " terrorists. Bush also secretly authorized the National Security Agency to conduct warrantless surveillance of communications in and out of

4454-664: The United States Court of International Trade . Among them were two future Supreme Court associate justices: Neil Gorsuch to a seat on the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in 2006, and Brett Kavanaugh to the Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit in 2006. Bush's promise to cut taxes was the centerpiece of his 2000 presidential campaign, and upon taking office, he made tax cuts his first major legislative priority. A budget surplus had developed during

4585-574: The United States Supreme Court . Cheney and White House Counsel Harriet Miers selected two widely respected conservatives, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals judge John Roberts and Fourth Circuit judge Michael Luttig , as the two finalists. In June 2005, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor unexpectedly announced that she would retire from the court, and Bush nominated Roberts for her position the following month. After Rehnquist died in September, Bush briefly considered elevating Associate Justice Antonin Scalia to

4716-756: The Wushi oil field off Zhanjiang , a region yet unprospected with rich oil reserves. CNOOC brought LNG to China with its Dapeng LNG Terminal in Guangdong, which received its first shipment (from the NWS LNG project in Australia) in July 2006. As of 2023, 2% of CNOOC's reserves are located in Africa and 5% of CNOOC's daily production comes from Africa. In Uganda, CNOOC has partnered with Total and Tullow Oil to develop

4847-535: The persecution of Falun Gong by collaborating with the Chinese Communist Party to send Falun Gong CNOOC employees to labour camps and mind-control facilities, reducing their pay and preventing them from receiving benefits (or regular wages) unless they renounce their beliefs. On June 4, 2011, the U.S. company ConocoPhillips , operating in the Penglai 19-3 oilfield, caused an oil spill from

4978-630: The reconciliation , which in turn necessitated that the tax cuts would phase out in 2011 barring further legislative action. After the tax bill was passed, Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party and began caucusing with the Democrats, giving them control of the Senate. After Republicans re-took control of the Senate during the 2002 mid-term elections, Bush proposed further tax cuts. With little support among Democrats, Congress passed

5109-400: The scientific consensus on climate change . Bush stated that he believed global warming is real and a serious problem, although he asserted that there existed a "debate over whether it's man-made or naturally caused". The Bush administration's stance on global warming remained controversial in the scientific and environmental communities. Critics alleged that the administration misinformed

5240-609: The $ 700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to buy toxic assets . The House rejected TARP in a 228–205 vote; although support and opposition crossed party lines, only about one-third of the Republican caucus supported the bill. After the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 778 points on the day of the House vote, the House and Senate both passed TARP. Bush later extended TARP loans to U.S. automobile companies, which faced their own crisis due to

5371-468: The 1980s, a mixture of Democrats and Republicans defied Speaker Dennis Hastert and passed a campaign finance reform bill. The House approved the bill with a 240–189 vote, while the bill passed the Senate in a 60–40 vote, the bare minimum required to overcome the filibuster. Throughout the congressional battle on the bill, Bush declined to take a strong position. However, in March 2002, Bush signed into law

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5502-756: The 2000 election convinced many Republicans, including Congressman John Boehner of Ohio, to accept an education reform bill that increased federal funding. Seeking to craft a bipartisan bill, Bush courted Democratic senator Ted Kennedy , a leading liberal senator who served as the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, and Pensions . Bush favored extensive testing to ensure that schools met uniform standards for skills such as reading and math. Bush hoped that testing would make schools more accountable for their performances and provide parents with more information in choosing which schools to send their children. Kennedy shared Bush's concern for

5633-427: The 2000 election, Bush established a stable of advisers, including supply-side economics advocate Lawrence B. Lindsey and foreign policy expert Condoleezza Rice . With a financial team led by Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman , Bush built up a commanding financial advantage over other prospective Republican candidates. Though several prominent Republicans declined to challenge Bush, Arizona senator John McCain launched

5764-473: The 41st president of the United States, George W. Bush emerged as a presidential contender in his own right with his victory in the 1994 Texas gubernatorial election . After winning re-election by a decisive margin in the 1998 Texas gubernatorial election , Bush became the widely acknowledged front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination in the 2000 presidential election . In the years preceding

5895-520: The 41st president, George H. W. Bush . A decisive event reshaping Bush's administration was the September 11, 2001 event. In its aftermath, Congress created the United States Department of Homeland Security and Bush declared a global war on terrorism . He ordered an invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to overthrow the Taliban , destroy al-Qaeda , and capture Osama bin Laden . He also signed

6026-510: The Ba'ath Party merely as a career move. Bremer's second major order disbanded the Iraqi military and police services, leaving over 600,000 Iraqi soldiers and government employees without jobs. Bremer also insisted that the CPA remain in control of Iraq until the country held elections, reversing an earlier plan to set up a transition government led by Iraqis. These decisions contributed to the beginning of

6157-592: The Bush administration arranged passage of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 . Falling home prices started threatening the financial viability of many institutions, leaving Bear Stearns , a prominent U.S.-based investment bank, on the brink of failure in March 2008. Recognizing the growing threat of a financial crisis, Bush allowed Treasury secretary Paulson to arrange for another bank, JPMorgan Chase , to take over most Bear Stearn's assets. Out of concern that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac might also fail,

6288-423: The Bush administration put both institutions into conservatorship . Shortly afterwards, the administration learned that Lehman Brothers was on the verge of bankruptcy, but the administration ultimately declined to intervene on behalf of Lehman Brothers. Paulson hoped that the financial industry had shored itself up after the failure of Bear Stearns and that the failure of Lehman Brothers would not strongly impact

6419-554: The Bush tax cuts were later made permanent by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 , though that act rolled back the tax cuts on top earners. Contrary to the rhetoric of the Bush administration and Republicans, the budget deficit increased, leaving many to believe the tax cuts were at fault. Statements by President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney , and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist that these tax cuts effectively "paid for themselves" were disputed by

6550-646: The CBPP, the U.S. Treasury Department and the CBO. Aside from tax cuts, Bush's other major policy initiative upon taking office was education reform. Bush had a strong personal interest in reforming education, especially regarding the education of low-income and minority groups. He often derided the "soft bigotry of low expectations" for allowing low-income and minority groups to fall behind. Although many conservatives were reluctant to increase federal involvement in education, Bush's success in campaigning on education reform in

6681-663: The CNOOC Limited bid. They argued that with $ 13 billion of CNOOC Limited's bid for Unocal coming from the Chinese government, the offer was not a free market transaction. American corporations were prohibited from purchasing assets in China, and it was also argued that foreign, communist ownership of oil assets might be a regional and economic-security risk; Unocal had sensitive deep-sea exploration and drilling technology. The Economist and other sources tried to discredit

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6812-485: The Chinese government to increase its oversight of Chinese companies, to avoid future risks to Sino-American relations. CNOOC Limited faces challenges in the domestic market. Its rivals, CNPC and Sinopec, have been permitted to conduct offshore exploration once monopolized by CNOOC Limited. In accordance with the commitment by the Chinese government to join the World Trade Organization , the oil market will be opened to non-Chinese companies (such as ExxonMobil and BP ) by

6943-510: The Fujian LNG project. CNOOC tried to acquire 12.5 percent of Australia's Gorgon field to ensure supply to the Shanghai and Zhejiang LNG projects, but the parties could not agree on a price. According to SASAC , in December 2008 CNOOC made a light oil and gas discovery in the 100-million-ton class at its Jinzhou 25-1 field in Bohai Bay . In May 2009, the company announced plans for a $ 4.38 billion coal-based natural-gas project in Shanxi . In 2010, CNOOC began to auction oil blocks in

7074-470: The Guangdong and Fujian LNG projects and imported 3.5 million tons per annum (MPTA) and 2.6 MPTA of LNG, respectively, from Australia's North Western Shelf (NWS) and Indonesia's Tangguh fields (operated by BP). LNG projects in Zhejiang and Shanghai began construction, and CNOOC signed HOAs for LNG cooperation with Liaoning, Tianjin, Hebei, Hainan and Jiangsu. CNOOC has completed its preliminary strategic natural-gas deployment in southern coastal areas up to

7205-422: The Gulf War; after the war, it had submitted to WMD inspections conducted by the United Nations Special Commission until 1998, when Hussein demanded that all UN inspectors leave Iraq. The administration believed that, by 2001, Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction, and could possibly provide those weapons to terrorists. Some within the administration also believed that Iraq shared some responsibility for

7336-414: The Lake Albert basin deposit, where CNOCC is also the operator. A CNOCC subsidiary owns part of multiple enterprises in Nigeria, and stakes in enterprises in Senegal, Republic of Congo, Algeria, and Gabon. Also as of 2023, CNOCC has planned a liquified natural gas plant in Mozambique. CNOCC has a contract to buy much of the liquid natural to be produced at the plant. In October 2004, contract-sharing

7467-535: The Nanhai Refinery Project, a joint venture between CNOOC and Royal Dutch Shell and the largest joint venture ever in China (with an annual capacity of 12 million tons). CNOOC had an integrated industrial portfolio as it expanded into refining. Shell built a $ 4.3 billion JV ethylene plant, but announced in 2007 that it would not build a $ 2.4 billion refinery. CNOOC Limited's share price rose by 37 percent in 2004, and its market capitalization reached RMB181.68 billion. CNOOC Engineering's share price on

7598-401: The National Security Council, and deputy secretaries Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Armitage had also served in important roles. Secretary of State Colin Powell had served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the first president Bush. Bush had long admired Powell, and the former general was Bush's first choice for the position. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld , who had served in

7729-454: The Northern Alliance began its offensive on October 19. The capital of Kabul was captured on November 13, and Hamid Karzai was inaugurated as the new president of Afghanistan. However, the senior leadership of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, including bin Laden, avoided capture. Karzai would remain in power for the duration of Bush's presidency, but his effective control was limited to the area around Kabul, as various warlords took control of much of

7860-401: The Senate. After years of financial deregulation accelerating under the Bush administration, banks lent subprime mortgages to more and more home buyers, causing a housing bubble . Many of these banks also invested in credit default swaps and derivatives that were essentially bets on the soundness of these loans. In response to declining housing prices and fears of an impending recession,

7991-408: The September 11 attacks, and hoped that the fall of Hussein's regime would help spread democracy in the Middle East, deter the recruitment of terrorists, and increase the security of Israel . In the days following the September 11 attacks, hawks in the Bush administration such as Wolfowitz argued for immediate military action against Iraq, but the issue was temporarily set aside in favor of planning

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8122-588: The Shanghai Stock Exchange rose by 66.11 percent, and the market capitalization of China Oilfield Services reached RMB10.1 billion. At the end of 2004 market capitalization of the three subsidiaries had approached RMB200 billion, 3.3 times their net assets. The company continued its operations in oil and gas exploration and development, exploitation of overseas resources, development of midstream and downstream business and modernization in 2005 with its goal an integrated, modern, competitive and profitable energy company by 2008. Under ex-CEO Wei Liucheng (who

8253-444: The South America Southern Cone and Central Asia. Its activities includes four principal areas of operations: Bridas began expanding into the Central Asian energy sector in 1987, and secured its first large-scale contract (gas exploration rights in Turkmenistan ), in 1992. Between 1995 and 1997, CEO Carlos Bulgheroni was personally involved in negotiations between Bridas and the governments of Pakistan and Turkmenistan, as well as

8384-418: The Supreme Court in the 2010 case of Citizens United v. FEC . After the passage of the Bush tax cuts and the No Child Left Behind Act, Bush turned his domestic focus to healthcare. He sought to expand Medicare so it would also cover the cost of prescription drugs , a program that became known as Medicare Part D . Many congressional Democrats opposed the bill because it did not allow Medicare to negotiate

8515-526: The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline project, which continued to be hampered by the ongoing war in the Central Asian nation. In 1997, Bridas and Amoco (now BP ) established a joint venture named Pan American Energy. The stake of BP is 60% and the stake of Bridas is 40%. On November 28, 2010, it was announced that Bridas would acquire the BP's stake for $ 7.06 billion in cash. In 2011 the deal was cancelled. In September 2017, BP and Bridas agreed to merge their interests in Pan American Energy and Axion Energy to form

8646-462: The U.S. as an occupying force. The fierce fighting of the First Battle of Fallujah alienated many in Iraq, while cleric Muqtada al-Sadr encouraged Shia Muslims to oppose the CPA. Sunni and Shia insurgents engaged in a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the United States, blunting the technological and organizational advantages of the U.S. military. While fighting in Iraq continued, Americans increasingly came to disapprove of Bush's handling of

8777-484: The United States had launched the Gulf War against Iraq after the latter invaded Kuwait . Though the U.S. forced Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait, it left Saddam Hussein 's administration in place, partly to serve as a counterweight to Iran . After the war, the Project for the New American Century , consisting of influential neoconservatives like Paul Wolfowitz and Cheney, advocated for the overthrow of Hussein. Iraq had developed biological and chemical weapons prior to

8908-406: The United States was the world's lone superpower , it could act unilaterally if necessary. At the same time, Bush sought to enact the less interventionist foreign policy he had promised during the 2000 campaign. Though the first several months of his presidency focused on domestic issues, the Bush administration pulled the U.S. out of several existing or proposed multilateral agreements, including

9039-486: The United States would implement a policy of preemptive military strikes against nations known to be harboring or aiding a terrorist organization hostile to the United States. Bush outlined what he called the " Axis of Evil ," consisting of three nations that, he argued, posed the greatest threat to world peace due to their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and potential to aid terrorists. The axis consisted of Iraq , North Korea and Iran . Bush also began emphasizing

9170-401: The United States. McCain's 2000 presidential campaign brought the issue of campaign finance reform to the fore of public consciousness in 2001. McCain and Russ Feingold pushed a bipartisan campaign finance bill in the Senate, while Chris Shays (R-CT) and Marty Meehan (D-MA) led the effort of passing it in the House. In just the second successful use of the discharge petition since

9301-444: The White House in the wake of the Dubai Ports World controversy and several botched White House initiatives, and he was replaced by Joshua Bolten. Bolten stripped Rove of some of his responsibilities and convinced Henry Paulson , the head of Goldman Sachs , to replace Snow as secretary of the treasury. After the 2006 elections, Rumsfeld was replaced by former CIA director Robert Gates . The personnel shake-ups left Rice as one of

9432-572: The Yangtze River. In these projects, CNOOC is responsible for constructing LNG receiving terminals and trunk lines for gas transmission and gas-fired power plants . In April 2004, the Ministry of Commerce authorized CNOOC-SINOPEC United International Trading to import crude oil; CNPC, Sinopec, Sinochem and Zhuhai Zhenrong had been the only companies importing crude. In July the NDRC approved

9563-405: The administration decided to overthrow Afghanistan 's conservative Taliban government, which harbored the leaders of al-Qaeda. Powell took the lead in assembling allied nations in a coalition that would launch attacks on multiple fronts. The Bush administration focused especially on courting Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf , who agreed to join the coalition. On September 14, Congress passed

9694-645: The average national growth rate of three percent. The annual output in Bohai Bay exceeded 10 million tons of oil equivalent for the first time, making it the second offshore area producing over 10 million tons (after the Eastern South Sea) and an energy-production base in northern China. CNOOC has established CNOOC Gas and Power, which focuses on gas distribution and power generation. CNOOC has become China's dominant producer of liquefied natural gas . The company signed all mid- and downstream contracts for

9825-526: The city of New Orleans after the failure of that city's levees . Over eighteen hundred people died in the hurricane, and Bush was widely criticized for his slow response to the disaster. Stung by the public response, Bush removed Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael D. Brown from office and stated publicly that "Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government." After Hurricane Katrina, Bush's approval rating fell below 40 percent, where it would remain for

9956-517: The company continued doing business in Russia. For this reason Ukraine listed CNOOC as an International Sponsor of War . In June 2005, a CNOOC Group company (NYSE and Hong Kong-listed public company CNOOC limited) made an $ 18.5 billion cash offer for American oil company Unocal Corporation , topping an earlier bid by ChevronTexaco . Unocal's oil interests in Central Asia were considered

10087-549: The company generated revenue of RMB70.92 billion, a net profit of RMB 24.22 billion and RMB 12.09 billion in taxes (up 32 percent, 62 percent and 80 percent, respectively, from the previous year). By the end of 2004 total and net assets had reached RMB153.26 billion and 83.06 billion, a 28- and 21-percent increase from the beginning of the year. The company is fifth and twelfth in gross profits and total assets of state-owned enterprises in China. Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service assigned CNOOC

10218-480: The controversial Patriot Act in order to authorize surveillance of suspected terrorists. In 2003, Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq , alleging that the Saddam Hussein regime possessed weapons of mass destruction . Intense criticism came when neither WMD stockpiles nor evidence of an operational relationship with al-Qaeda were found. Before 9/11, Bush had pushed through a $ 1.3 trillion tax cut program and

10349-475: The court battle of Terri Schiavo , a comatose Florida woman who ultimately died. In March 2001, the Bush administration announced that it would not implement the Kyoto Protocol , an international treaty signed in 1997 that required nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The administration argued that ratifying the treaty would unduly restrict U.S. growth while failing to adequately limit emissions from developing nations. The administration questioned

10480-508: The decisions of the Bush administration, particularly the launching of the Iraq War, Powell resigned following the 2004 elections. He was replaced by Rice, while then-deputy national security adviser Stephen Hadley took Rice's former position. Most of Bush's top staffers stayed on after the 2004 election, although Spellings joined the Cabinet as secretary of education and Gonzales replaced Ashcroft as attorney general. In early 2006, Card left

10611-506: The economy, but news of the failure caused stock prices to tumble and froze credit. Fearing a total financial collapse, Paulson and the Federal Reserve took control of American International Group (AIG), another major financial institution that teetered on the brink of failure. Hoping to shore up the other banks, Bush and Paulson proposed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 , which would create

10742-508: The education of impoverished children, but he strongly opposed the president's proposed school vouchers , which would allow parents to use federal funding to pay for private schools. Both men cooperated to pass the No Child Left Behind Act , which dropped the concept of school vouchers but included Bush's idea of nationwide testing. Both houses of Congress registered overwhelming approval for the bill's final version, which Bush signed into law in January 2002. However, Kennedy would later criticize

10873-633: The end of 2006. CNOOC Limited's smaller domestic competitors have been trying to break the monopoly of the three major NOCs in the industry. In conjunction with 2009 failed deal between Aluminum Corporation of China and mining giant Rio Tinto , CNOOC's failed UNOCAL deal was perceived in China as part of a coordinated effort in the West to hinder China's economic growth. Adding 61 percent to Nexen's July 20, 2012 stock price, on July 23 CNOOC agreed to buy Nexen for $ 15.1 billion (China's largest foreign deal). The Canadian government's Investment Canada Act

11004-497: The executive order, in February 2021, NYSE commenced the process of delisting CNOOC. George W. Bush administration George W. Bush 's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas , took office following his narrow electoral college victory over Democratic incumbent vice president Al Gore in

11135-611: The face of unified opposition, Republicans abandoned Bush's Social Security proposal in mid-2005. Hurricane Katrina , one of the largest and most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the United States, ravaged several states along the Gulf of Mexico in August 2005. On a working vacation at his ranch in Texas, Bush initially allowed state and local authorities to respond to the natural disaster. The hurricane made landfall on August 29, devastating

11266-545: The fears of critics that this would dissolve the traditional separation of church and state in the United States . To further this commitment, he created the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to assist faith-based service organizations. In 2003, Bush signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act , which banned intact dilation and extraction , an abortion procedure. Early in his administration, President Bush became personally interested in

11397-460: The final debate in October, but the unearthing of Bush's 1976 DUI arrest appeared to sap his campaign's momentum. By the end of election night, Florida emerged as the key state in the election, as whichever candidate won the state would win the presidency. Bush held an extremely narrow lead in the vote by the end of election night, triggering an automatic recount . The Florida Supreme Court ordered

11528-615: The first Black appointee at that high a level. He was followed by Condoleezza Rice (2005–2009), the first Black woman. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (2005–2007) was and remains in 2024 the highest appointed Hispanic in the history of American government. In addition Bush appointed the first senior officials who were publicly gay. However he campaigned against quotas, and warned that affirmative action that involved quotas were unacceptable. He deliberately selected minorities known as opponents of affirmative action for key civil rights positions. Thus in 2001 Bush nominated Linda Chavez to be

11659-433: The first Latina in the cabinet as Secretary of Labor. She had to withdraw when it was reported that a decade earlier she had hired an illegal immigrant. Upon taking office, Bush had little experience with foreign policy, and his decisions were guided by his advisers. Bush embraced the views of Cheney and other neoconservatives , who de-emphasized the importance of multilateralism ; neoconservatives believed that because

11790-624: The first director of the newly created department. The department was charged with overseeing immigration, border control, customs, and the newly established Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which focused on airport security . Though the FBI and CIA remained independent agencies, the DHS was assigned jurisdiction over the Coast Guard , the Immigration and Naturalization Service (which

11921-554: The first of many challenges the U.S. would face in keeping the peace in Iraq. Bush appointed Paul Bremer to lead the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), which was charged with overseeing the transition to self-government in Iraq. In his first major order, Bremer announced a policy of de-Ba'athification , which denied government and military jobs to members of Hussein's Ba'ath Party . This policy angered many of Iraq's Sunnis , many of whom had joined

12052-411: The following days, Bush urged the public to renounce hate crimes and discrimination against Muslim-Americans and Arab-Americans . He also declared a " War on Terror ", instituting new domestic and foreign policies in an effort to prevent future terrorist attacks. As Bush's top foreign policy advisers were in agreement that merely launching strikes against al-Qaeda bases would not stop future attacks,

12183-610: The fourth person to win the presidency while losing the popular vote . In the concurrent congressional elections , Republicans retained a narrow majority in the House of Representatives , but lost five seats in the Senate , leaving the partisan balance in the Senate at fifty Republicans and fifty Democrats. Rejecting the idea of a powerful White House chief of staff , Bush had high-level officials report directly to him rather than Chief of Staff Andrew Card . Vice President Cheney emerged as

12314-457: The government again run deficits. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 won the support of congressional Republicans and a minority of congressional Democrats, and Bush signed it into law in June 2001. The act lowered the top income tax rate from 39 percent to 35 percent, and it also reduced the estate tax . The narrow Republican majority in the Senate necessitated the use of

12445-585: The implementation of the act, arguing that Bush had promised greater federal funding for education. Shortly after the September 11 attacks , Bush announced the creation of the Office of Homeland Security and appointed former governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge its director. After Congress passed the Homeland Security Act to create the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Ridge became

12576-423: The importance of spreading democracy worldwide, stating in 2005 that "the survival of liberty in our land depends on the success of liberty in other land." Pursuant to this newly interventionist policy, the Bush administration boosted foreign aid and increased defense expenditures. Defense spending rose from $ 304 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $ 616 billion in fiscal year 2008. During the presidency of his father ,

12707-511: The invasion of Afghanistan. Beginning in September 2002, the Bush administration mounted a campaign designed to win popular and congressional support for the invasion of Iraq. In October 2002, Congress approved the Iraq Resolution , authorizing the use of force against Iraq. While congressional Republicans almost unanimously supported the measure, congressional Democrats were split in roughly equal numbers between support and opposition to

12838-466: The invasion was strongly criticized by many countries ; UN secretary-general Kofi Annan argued that the invasion was a violation of international law and the U.N. Charter . On May 1, 2003, Bush delivered the " Mission Accomplished speech ," in which he declared the end of "major combat operations" in Iraq. Despite the failure to find evidence of an ongoing WMD program or an operational relationship between Hussein and al-Qaeda , Bush declared that

12969-560: The issue of stem cell research. The Clinton administration had issued guidelines allowing the federal funding of research utilizing stem cells, and Bush decided to study the situation's ethics before issuing his own executive order on the issue. Evangelical religious groups argued that the research was immoral as it destroyed human embryos , while various advocacy groups touted the potential scientific advances afforded by stem cell research. In August 2001, Bush issued an executive order banning federal funding for research on new stem cell lines;

13100-492: The latter supplying the former with liquefied natural gas. On June 5, 2018, CNOOC Gas and Power Group Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), China's largest LNG importer and terminal operator, has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Philippine fuel retailer Phoenix Petroleum to study, plan, and develop a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal project in

13231-639: The most powerful individual in the White House aside from Bush himself. Bush brought to the White House several individuals who had worked under him in Texas, including Senior Counselor Karen Hughes , Senior Adviser Karl Rove, legal counsel Alberto Gonzales , and Staff Secretary Harriet Miers . Other important White House staff appointees included Margaret Spellings as a domestic policy adviser, Michael Gerson as chief speechwriter, and Joshua Bolten and Joe Hagin as White House deputy chiefs of staff. Paul H. O'Neill , who had served as deputy director of

13362-412: The most prominent individuals in the administration, and she played a strong role in directing Bush's second term foreign policy. Gonzales and Rove both left in 2007 after controversy regarding the dismissal of U.S. attorneys, and Gonzales was replaced by Michael Mukasey , a former federal judge. After the 2004 election, many expected that the aging Chief Justice William Rehnquist would step down from

13493-560: The need for regime change, and the latter three countries each possessed veto power on the United Nations Security Council . At the behest of British prime minister Tony Blair , who supported Bush but hoped for more international cooperation, Bush dispatched Powell to the U.N. to make the case to the Security Council that Iraq maintained an active WMD program. Though Powell's presentation preceded

13624-493: The order allowed research on existing stem cell lines to continue. In July 2006, Bush used his first presidential veto on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act , which would have expanded federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. A similar bill was passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate early in mid-2007 as part of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's 100-Hour Plan , but

13755-596: The other, China Oilfield Services , is listed on the Hong Kong and New York Stock Exchanges . In the 2020 Forbes Global 2000 , CNOOC was ranked as the 126th largest public company in the world. In 2023, the company's seat in Forbes Global 2000 was 85. When the State Council implemented the regulation of the people's petroleum resources in cooperation with foreign enterprises on January 30, 1982, CNOOC

13886-417: The position of chief justice, but instead chose to nominate Roberts for the position. Roberts won confirmation from the Senate in a 78–22 vote, with all Republicans and a narrow majority of Democrats voting to confirm Roberts. To replace O'Connor, the Bush administration wanted to find a female nominee, but was unsatisfied with the conventional options available. Bush settled on Miers, who had never served as

14017-497: The prices of drugs, while many conservative Republicans opposed the expansion of the government's involvement in healthcare. Assisted by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Senate majority leader Bill Frist , Bush overcame strong opposition and won passage of his Medicare bill. In December 2003, Bush signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act , the largest expansion of Medicare since

14148-467: The program's creation in 1965. After winning re-election in 2004, Bush made the partial privatization of Social Security his top domestic priority. He proposed restructuring the program so that citizens could invest some of the money they paid in payroll taxes , which fund the Social Security program. The president argued that Social Security faced an imminent funding crisis and that reform

14279-669: The public and did not do enough to reduce carbon emissions and deter global warming. On January 6, 2009, President Bush designated the world's largest protected marine area. The Pacific Ocean habitat includes the Mariana Trench and the waters and corals surrounding three uninhabited islands in the Northern Mariana Islands , Rose Atoll in American Samoa, and seven islands along the equator. In July 2002, following several accounting scandals such as

14410-550: The resolution. Bowing to domestic and foreign pressure, Bush sought to win the approval of the United Nations before launching an attack on Iraq. Led by Powell, the administration won the November 2002 passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 , which called on Iraq to dismantle its WMD program. Meanwhile, senior administration officials became increasingly convinced that Iraq did indeed possess WMDs and

14541-422: The rest of his tenure in office. Although he concentrated on other domestic policies during his first term, Bush supported immigration reform throughout his administration. In May 2006, he proposed a five-point plan that would increase border security , establish a guest worker program , and create a path to citizenship for the twelve million illegal immigrants living in the United States. The Senate passed

14672-516: The rest of the country. While the Karzai's government struggled to control the countryside, the Taliban regrouped in neighboring Pakistan. As Bush left office, he considered sending additional troops to bolster Afghanistan against the Taliban, but decided to leave the issue for the next administration. After the September 11 attacks, Bush's approval ratings increased tremendously. Inspired in part by

14803-641: The ruling Taliban faction in Afghanistan , to build the Trans-Afghanistan Gas Pipeline . These negotiations were in competition with those undertaken by Unocal , and although an agreement with Unocal-led corporation CentGas was reached, the deal was forfeited in January 1998 in favor of one with Bridas. Instability in Afghanistan delayed construction of the pipeline. In 2006, Bulgheroni indicated interest in Bridas' involvement with

14934-516: The same position during the Ford administration , rounded out the key figures in the national security team. Rumsfeld and Cheney, who had served together in the Ford administration, emerged as the leading foreign policy figures during Bush's first term. O'Neill, who opposed the Iraq War and feared that the Bush tax cuts would lead to deficits, was replaced by John W. Snow in February 2003. Frustrated by

15065-404: The security threat, and CNOOC was willing to undergo a US security review. Congressional delays and calls for inquiry deterred the CNOOC Limited bid. The company was advised by Goldman Sachs . CNOOC Limited had a reputation for acting independently of the Chinese government, and had not notified government officials before bidding for UNOCAL. The political backlash in the United States caused

15196-956: The shares in the development of the Mero oil field. In May 2023, CNOOC reported that a demonstration project of a deep-sea floating wind farm «Haiyou Guanlan», located near the Wenchang oil fields in the west of the South China Sea , 136 kilometers from the shore and 120 meters deep, fed electricity into the grid. With an installed capacity of 7.25 MW, the platform can produce up to 22 million kWh of electricity. This could save almost 10 million cubic metres of natural gas and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 22,000 tons per year. CNOOC operates in six business sectors: exploration and development of oil and gas; technical services; logistic; chemical and fertilizer production; natural gas and power generation, and financial services and insurance. In 2004,

15327-619: The surrounding area and inserted CIA and special forces operatives who linked up with the Northern Alliance , an Afghan resistance group opposed to the Taliban. The second phase consisted of a major air campaign against Taliban and al-Qaeda targets, while the third phase involved the defeat of the remaining Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. The fourth and final phase consisted of the stabilization of Afghanistan, which Franks projected would take three to five years. The war in Afghanistan began on October 7 with several air and missile strikes, and

15458-399: The tax cut's size and the possibility of future deficits, Vice President Cheney took charge of writing the bill, which the administration proposed to Congress in March 2001. Bush initially sought a $ 1.6 trillion tax cut over a ten-year period, but ultimately settled for a $ 1.35 trillion tax cut. The administration rejected the idea of "triggers" that would phase out the tax reductions should

15589-414: The toppling of Hussein "removed an ally of al-Qaeda" and ended the threat that Iraq would supply weapons of mass destruction to terrorist organizations. Believing that only a minimal residual American force would be required after the success of the invasion, Bush and Franks planned for a drawdown to 30,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by August 2003. Meanwhile, Iraqis began looting their own capital, presenting one of

15720-592: The weak economy. Though TARP helped end the financial crisis, it did not prevent the onset of the Great Recession , which would continue after Bush left office. On his first day in office, President Bush reinstated the Mexico City policy , thereby blocking federal aid to foreign groups that offered assistance to women in obtaining abortions . Days later, he announced his commitment to channeling more federal aid to faith-based service organizations, despite

15851-616: Was briefed on al-Qaeda's activities, but focused on other foreign policy issues during his first months in office. On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airliners and flew two of them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City , destroying both 110-story skyscrapers. A third plane crashed into Pentagon , and a fourth plane was brought down in Pennsylvania following

15982-757: Was divided into three agencies), the United States Customs Service (which was also divided into separate agencies), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency . The Homeland Security Act represented the most significant departmental reorganization since the National Security Act of 1947 . On October 26, 2001, Bush signed into law the Patriot Act . Passed on the president's request, the act permitted increased sharing of intelligence among

16113-470: Was incorporated and authorized to assume overall responsibility for the exploitation of oil and gas resources of offshore China in cooperation with foreign partners, which ensured monopoly status for CNOOC in offshore oil and natural gas. With its headquarters in Beijing, CNOOC registered with capital of RMB 94.9 billion and has more than 98,750 employees. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

16244-414: Was involved in a clash with Burmese workers who threw stones at the company offices. Ten workers from Kyaukphyu were detained and questioned by authorities after a dispute with CNOOC over low wages, long hours, reported underpayment and the mistreatment of inhabitants. In 2008, CNOOC was accused of abuses of human rights in Burma . Arakan Oil Watch stated in a report that the company "left behind such

16375-470: Was likely to furnish those WMDs to al-Qaeda; CIA Director George Tenet assured Bush that it was a "slam dunk" that Iraq possessed a stockpile of WMDs. After a U.N. weapons inspections team led by Hans Blix , as well as another team led by Mohamed ElBaradei , failed to find evidence of an ongoing Iraqi WMD program, Bush's proposed regime change in Iraq faced mounting international opposition. Germany, China, France, and Russia all expressed skepticism about

16506-571: Was necessary to ensure its continuing solvency. Bush expected a difficult congressional battle over his proposal, but, as he put it, "I've got political capital, and I intend to spend it." Groups like the AARP strongly opposed the plan, as did moderate Democrats like Max Baucus , who had supported the Bush tax cuts. Ultimately, Bush failed to win the backing of a single congressional Democrat for his plan, and even moderate Republicans like Olympia Snowe and Lincoln Chafee refused to back privatization. In

16637-505: Was negotiated in Burma by Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, China Huanqiu Contracting and Engineering Corporation and CNOOC's Singaporean joint-venture partner, Golden Aaron . Golden Aaron is run by Cecilia Ng, wife of Steven Law ; Law is the son of Lo Hsing Han , known as the "godfather of heroin ". In 2008, the US Treasury intimated that CNOOC cooperates with a company run by a family known for heroin trafficking. In 2007, CNOOC

16768-634: Was promoted to the governor of Hainan province in October 2003) and chairman and chief executive Fu Chengyu (傅成玉), CNOOC undertook a number of mergers and acquisitions. It acquired five blocks in Indonesia from Spanish oil company Repsol in 2002, becoming its largest offshore operator. In 2003, it bought 5.3 percent of the NWS, ensuring supplies for the Guangdong LNG project; that year, it also acquired 12.5 percent of Tangguh to ensure supply to

16899-606: Was staunchly opposed to euthanasia and supported Attorney General John Ashcroft's ultimately unsuccessful suit against the Oregon Death with Dignity Act . However, while he was governor of Texas , Bush had signed a law giving hospitals the authority to remove life support from terminally ill patients against the wishes of spouses or parents, if the doctors deemed it as medically appropriate. This perceived inconsistency in policy became an issue in 2005, when Bush signed controversial legislation to initiate federal intervention in

17030-527: Was used to determine if the sale was a "net benefit" to Canada. In addition to Canadian authorities, the acquisition had to be approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States . On 7 December the sale was approved by the Canadian government, and on February 12, 2013, it was approved by U.S. regulators. In June 2014, CNOOC agreed a deal with BP worth around $ 20 billion that would see

17161-617: Was vetoed by Bush. After the Supreme Court struck down a state sodomy law in the 2003 case of Lawrence v. Texas , conservatives began pushing for the Federal Marriage Amendment , which would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Bush endorsed this proposal and made it part of his campaign during the 2004 and 2006 election cycles. However, President Bush did break from his party in his tolerance of civil unions for homosexual couples. Bush

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