Through heavy-handed diplomacy and ignorance of the world, he had alienated the international coalition so painstakingly put together by his father to fight the Gulf war and sustained by Bill Clinton.Tuesday’s cataclysm gives George W Bush’s presidency a new start, in a new world. The line between friends and enemies is suddenly clear; the gulf between home and abroad has closed. In one of several televised speeches this week, he told Americans with rare directness and conviction: “Our battle will take time and resolve, and make no mistake, we will prevail.”One of the earliest and most enduring themes of Mr Bush’s presidential campaign was his claim to be a leader. That claim derived from his five years and re-election as Governor of Texas, from his five years as manager of the Texas Rangers, and last, but not least, from an inherited sense of his destiny He now has the chance of a lifetime to prove that claim.

Life StoryBorn: George Walker Bush, 6 July 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut. Brought up in Midland and Houston, Texas.Family: Father, George Herbert Walker Bush, former president of the US; mother, Barbara Bush (n?Pierce). Three brothers, including Jeb (governor of Florida), and one sister.Married: Laura Welch Bush, a former librarian in 1977. Twin girls, Barbara and Jenna, b 1981.Education: Andover School, 1964; Yale University, BA 1968; Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, 1975.Military career: F-102 fighter pilot, Texas Air National Guard, 1968-73.Business career: Oil and gas business in Midland, Texas, 1975; energy industry, late 1980s; purchased with partners the Texas Rangers baseball team, 1989; managing general partner of the Rangers, 1989-94.Political career: Unsuccessful candidate for Congress, 1978; Senior adviser to George Bush for president campaign, 1988; Governor of Texas, Jan 1985-2000; 43rd President of the United States after defeating Democrat candidate Al Gore.Personal Life: Religious awakening at the time of his 40th birthday in 1986.Publications: A Charge to Keep (written with Karen Hughes) ­ a political autobiography.He says: “Make no mistake about it, my resolve is steady and strong about winning this war that has been declared on America.”They say: “The fact is, he’s never had to really work or fight for anything in his whole life.” Molly Ivins, Bush’s biographer.”You’ve been a terrific leader and we’re taking direction from you, and we’re following.

A special edition of the BBC’s Question Time programme to debate the terrorist attacks provoked a barrage of complaints after many audience members expressed strongly anti-American views. A special edition of the BBC’s Question Time programme to debate the terrorist attacks provoked a barrage of complaints after many audience members expressed strongly anti-American views.
Almost 500 viewers telephoned the corporation to protest that Thursday night’s live programme was unfair and insensitive after the former US ambassador Philip Lader was left close to tears.The comments were prompted by a question asking whether the attacks in America represented a failure of US foreign policy “with millions of people around the world despising the American nation”.An audience, with a large Muslim representation, exchanged heated views with panellists Sir Paddy Ashdown, Tam Dalyell MP, Mr Lader and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, a col-umnist for The Independent.A senior BBC executive admitted the programme “went awry”. A BBC spokesman said: “The right issues were discussed and a broad range of opinions were aired – many supporting the USA. We did not set out to cause offence but we recognise some viewers were taken aback by the programme and regret any offence caused.”Mr Lader had to fight back tears when he was shouted down as he attempted to express his grief and sadness over the attack.Many of the 5.6 million viewers felt that there had been an imbalance in the audience, with a disproportionate number of people from an anti-American perspective.Hundreds of viewers rang the BBC to complain that the corporation was insensitive to broadcast such a programme so soon after the disaster.Question Time, which is presented by David Dimbleby, prides itself on hand-picking its audience to try to ensure a fair political balance.* The French ambassador to Israel was fending off a barrage of criticism yesterday for suggesting it was wrong to compare the atrocities inflicted on the United States with Palestinian assaults on Israel.Within hours of the tragedy, Israeli officials drew comparisons between the attack and their own predicament; Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, reportedly described Yasser Arafat as “our bin Laden”. The French ambassador, Jacques Huntzinger, said it was “completely irresponsible” to compare them because the context was different Jewish groups demanded an apology.. The Government’s hopes of reaching a target for raising primary school standards have suffered a serious setback, figures released yesterday show.