But the day after the voting, Senator Kerry decided not to question President Bush's win in Ohio. The final results showed that Mister Bush won about fifty-one percent of the popular vote nationwide. Mister Kerry won about forty-eight percent.

George W. Bush would serve four more years as president of the United States.

Bush’s second term included a military surge in Iraq, a storm that devastated New Orleans, and a housing market that had many American homes underwater – financially - with shaky mortgages. That will be our story next week.

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You can find our series online with transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and pictures at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember, inviting you to join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.