A NUMBING winter wind buffeted the White House on January 20, 2001, as George W Bush was sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States.

The temperature was as low as expectations as he made the transition from Governor of Texas to the world's most powerful man.

Never before in the history of America had a President taken office in such a doleful atmosphere.

As Republican candidate in an uninspiring campaign he was condemned as intellectually challenged, only there by birthright rather than ability because it was Buggins' turn in his family's political dynasty.

Victory in the presidential election was hardly sweet. He lost the popular vote in an election result which hinged precariously on the "chads" of Florida.

He was destined to be the lamest of lame duck Presidents, politically one-dimensional, and uninterested in matters concerning the wider world.

In the first nine months of his presidency, he lived up to his reputation. At home he was roundly criticised for being far too far to the right, ignoring the closeness of his election win. Overseas he was condemned for his defiant unilateralism on missile defence and Kyoto.

This was a presidency going nowhere, inflicting a political hangover on the United States which was as severe as the Jack Daniels induced hangover he inflicted on himself on his 40th birthday in 1986.

A morning-after the birthday night-before challenge from his wife Laura caused him to re-appraise his private life and put him on the wagon. The challenge on the morning of September 11, 2001, caused him to re-appraise his political outlook at home and abroad.

On that morning George W Bush came into his own, for the first time stepping out of the shadows cast by his public perception.

Suddenly he strode the American and international stage with an assurance that both re-assured and astounded a global audience shaken to the core by the most heinous act of terrorism ever witnessed.

According to those close to him, he was the calmest person around during the chaos of that fateful morning. His folksy homespun Texas vocabulary, which previously prompted winces of acute embarrassment, now seemed strangely appropriate and comforting.

In the US his description of Osama bin Laden, for example, as wanted dead or alive and his promise to smoke out al Qaida were seen as plain speaking.

He had captured the hearts and minds of the great American public. The same public who had despatched him to the White House with so much reluctance and apathy.

Within the space of a matter of months he had gone from being only the third President in history to lose the popular vote and still be elected, to a President with unprecedented approval ratings of 85 to 90 per cent.

By and large he is still riding on the crest of that populist wave. He has gone into war against the Taliban, and come out of it with his reputation still intact. Backing for him in the run-up to hostilities in Iraq has remained remarkably solid. The President will be hoping he comes out of the war and the peace with his popularity intact, barely 18 months away from the next presidential election.

He remains mindful of his father's downfall. He, too, led the US to victory against Iraq, yet still was unable to win a second term in the White House.

This is the opportunity for the President to make his own mark on history, distinctive from that of his father.

He intends to accomplish two things his father failed to do. Firstly, to see off Saddam Hussein, and secondly to win a second term of office.

With the scale of military might amassed in the Gulf and the disarray of the Democrats at home, few people will bet against Bush Jnr outdoing Bush Snr.