From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Public image of George W. Bush
Public image of George W. Bush
Background
At the beginning of his first term, Bush’s reputation suf-
fered due to his narrow victory in Florida and the atten-
dant controversy surrounding his electoral college victo-
ry, which included accusations of vote suppression and
tampering. While routinely criticized by Democrats, Bush
also was sometimes criticized by Republicans. A number
of American celebrities and sports and media personali-
CBS News/New York Times Bush public opinion polling by ties engaged in heated criticism of Bush.
Gallup/USA Today from February 2001 to December 2007. Blue Bush was also subject to criticism in the international
denotes "approve", red "disapprove", and green "unsure". community for his foreign policy. He was, at times, tar-
Large increases in approval followed the September 11 attacks, geted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization cam-
the beginning of the 2003 Iraq War, and the capture of Saddam paigns. Street protests sometimes occurred during Bush’s
Hussein. diplomatic visits to other countries. His policies were the
subject of heated criticism in the 2002 elections in Ger-
Bush,
George W. Bush the 43rd President of the United many[8] and the 2006 elections in Canada.[9]
States, has elicited a variety of public perceptions regard-
ing his policies, personality, and performance as a head
of state. In the U.S. and elsewhere, journalists, polling or-
Support among conservatives
ganizations, and others have documented the expression Bush has enjoyed strong support among Republicans and
of an evolving array of opinions of President Bush. Time Americans holding conservative views, and for the 2004
magazine named George W. Bush as its Person of the Year election, 95-98% of the Republican electorate approved
for 2000[1] and 2004,[2] citing him as the most influential of and voted for Bush, a figure exceeding the approval of
person during these two years. According to Time, the Ronald Reagan. This support waned, however, due most-
distinction goes to the person who, for good or ill, has ly to Republicans’ growing frustration with Bush on the
most affected the course of the year; it is therefore not issues of spending and illegal immigration. Some Repub-
necessarily an honor or a reward. licans even began criticizing Bush on his policies in Iraq,
The approval ratings of George W. Bush have, at dif- Iran, and the Palestinian territories.[10]
ferent points in time, run the gamut from high to all-
time record low. Bush began his presidency with ratings
near 50%.[3] In the time of national crisis following the
Personal image
September 11 attacks, polls showed approval ratings of
greater than 85%, peaking in one October 2001 poll at
Country image
92%,[3] and a steady 80–90% approval for about four Raised in West Texas, Bush’s accent, vacations on his
months after the attacks.[4] Afterward, his ratings steadi- Texas ranch, and penchant for country metaphors con-
ly declined as the economy suffered and the Iraq War ini- tribute to his folksy, American cowboy image.[11][12] "I
tiated by his administration continued. By early 2006, his think people look at him and think John Wayne," says
average rating was near 40%, and in July 2008, a poll indi- Piers Morgan, editor of the British Daily Mirror.[13] It has
cated a near all-time low of 22%. Upon leaving office the been suggested that Bush’s accent was a deliberate and
final poll recorded his approval rating as 19%, a record active choice, as a way of distinguishing himself from
low for any U.S. President.[3][5][6] Northeastern intellectuals and anchoring himself to his
In an August 2008 poll, likely voters were asked the Texas roots.[14] Both supporters and detractors have
question "Will History rate George W. Bush as the worst pointed to his country persona as reasons for their sup-
President ever?" 41% responded "yes", 9% were unsure, port or criticism.[12]
and 50% said "no".[7]
Vision
In contrast to his father, George H.W. Bush, who was per-
ceived as having troubles with an overarching unifying
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Public image of George W. Bush
theme, Bush embraced larger visions and was seen as a Bush began his presidency with approval ratings near
man of larger ideas and associated huge risks.[15] 50%.[28] Following the September 11 attacks, Bush held
approval ratings of greater than 85%, among the highest
Intellectual capacity for any President. Since then, his approval ratings and
Bush’s intellectual capacities were satirized by the me- approval of his handling of domestic, economic, and for-
dia[16] and other politicians[17] leading to speculation eign policy issues steadily declined, and despite consis-
about his IQ. A report claiming Bush had the lowest IQ of tent efforts to do so, President Bush and his Administra-
any American President of the last 50 years circulated in tion were unable to rally public support for the last three
2001, was later revealed to be a spoof.[18][19] years, with each year seeing a steady decline in the Ad-
Though no official "IQ" test score for Bush has been ministration’s support level to the point of Bush even-
found, the score he received on his SAT during his final tually dropping to a 19% approval rating and 77% disap-
year of prep school at the exclusive Phillips Academy in proval rating, both records for a sitting president. [29]
Andover, Massachusetts is known. He scored 1206, which In 2002, Bush had the highest approval rating of any
has been correlated to an I.Q. of 120. The score that Bush president during a midterm congressional election since
received on his qualifying test for the military suggests Dwight D. Eisenhower. In an unusual deviation from the
that his IQ was in the mid 120’s, placing him in the 95th historical trend of midterm elections, the Republican
percentile of the population for intelligence.[20] An arti- Party regained control of the Senate and added to its
cle published in the journal Political Psychology, estimat- majority in the House of Representatives. Typically, the
ed Bush’s IQ at 125.[21] The same study estimated the IQ President’s party loses congressional seats in the
of Bush’s predecessor Bill Clinton at 149.[18] The study’s midterm elections; 2002 marked only the third midterm
director noted that "Bush may be ’much smarter’ than election since the Civil War that the party in control of
the findings imply". A lecturer in American politics at the White House gained seats in both houses of Congress
Warwick University said: “A major part of [Bush’s] public (others were 1902 and 1934).
persona, to some extent, I think deliberately, is that he In 2003, Bush’s approval spiked upward at the time
is not an intellectual. But he went to Yale, he has had of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in February. The
an exclusive upbringing and he is by no means a upward trend continued through the invasion of Iraq in
dimwit.”[22][23][24] March. By late 2003, when presidential opponents began
Bush’s detractors tended to focus on various linguis- their campaigns in earnest, his approval numbers were in
tic errors made by him during his public speeches, (collo- the low to middle 50s. Most polls tied the decline to grow-
quially known as Bushisms).[25] His mispronunciation of ing concern over the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq and a
certain words was ridiculed in the media and in popular slow recovery from the 2001 recession. Polls of May 2004
culture. Even as early as the 2000 presidential debates, it showed anywhere from a 53%[30] to a 46% approval rat-
was the subject of a Saturday Night Live sketch (see Strate- ing.[31]
gery).[26] Perhaps his most famous nonstandard pronun- In April 2006, the president’s approval continued to
ciation is that of "nucular" instead of "nuclear", although decline. Four states continue to maintain a positive ap-
he is not the only American president to have done this, proval rating: Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Nebraska. His
and Merriam-Webster Online considers this an accept- disapproval rating in traditionally red states had risen,
able, alternative pronunciation.[27] with higher than 60% of voters disapproving in Ohio,
Florida, Arkansas, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Vir-
ginia, Missouri, and Iowa. Even in his conservative-spun
Domestic perception of Bush homestate of Texas, disapproval reached 51 percent. His
disapproval rating in several American states had
reached an all time high, with more than 70% disapprov-
ing in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, Vermont,
and New York. His highest approval rating stood at 55%
in Utah, and his lowest, 24%, in Rhode Island.[32]
In polls conducted between August 7 and August 16,
2006, Bush’s average approval rating was 37.0%, and his
average disapproval rating was 57.3%.[33]
A poll taken in mid September 2006 indicated that
48 percent of Americans believed the war with Iraq has
made the U.S. less safe, while 41 percent believed the war
Bush approval rating from 2001 to 2006. Notable spikes in his has made the U.S. safer from terrorism.[34] Another poll
approval rating followed the September 11 attacks, the begin- shows that a majority of Americans, by a margin of 61 to
ning of the 2003 Iraq conflict, and the capture of Saddam Hus- 35 percent, believe that the United States is not better off
sein. because of Bush’s policies.[35]
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Public image of George W. Bush
At the conclusion of 2006, an AP-AOL News telephone Bush twice, in late 2001 and early 2002, stated that be-
poll of 1,004 adults found President George W. Bush to be fore entering the classroom he had seen on a television
both the "top villain" and "top hero" of the year.[36] Bush set the first plane hit the World Trade Center, and that he
was followed in the "villain" poll by Osama bin Laden, had assumed it was an accident.[44][45] This was impossi-
who took in 8 percent to Bush’s 25 percent; Saddam Hus- ble, as no televised footage of the first plane crashing into
sein (6 percent); and Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (5 the tower was broadcast until the afternoon of that day.
percent). In the hero poll, Bush’s 13 percent was followed The White House explained his remarks as "a mistaken
by: Soldiers/troops in Iraq (6 percent), Jesus Christ (3 recollection".[46]
percent), Barack Obama (3 percent), and Oprah Winfrey
(3 percent).[37] Domestic policy
Polls conducted after Bush’s troop surge strategy was Domestic criticism of Bush has waxed and waned
announced in January 2007 showed his approval rating throughout his administration. Before 9/11, Bush was re-
had dropped to approximately 32%. viled by the bulk of the American left, mostly for his role
On February 13, 2008, an average of major polls indi- in the controversial 2000 election, and for his No Child
cated that Bush’s approval rating stood at 33.3%.[33] The Left Behind education program.[47] The next major do-
same average showed, for polls issued during the period mestic item which Bush faced significant opposition to
from September 5 to September 16, 2008, that Bush’s ap- was his program of tax cuts, codified in the Economic
proval rating was 31.9%, and his disapproval rating was Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the
64.8%.[33] Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003.
A poll by Rasmussen Reports on December 10, 2005 Both acts ultimately passed, but calls for their repeal last-
asked, "Should President Bush be impeached and re- ed until the end of the 2004 campaign. Democratic candi-
moved from office?" 32% said "yes," and 58% said date Howard Dean in particular called for a repeal of the
"no."[38] Earlier polls asked conditional versions of the part of the tax cuts which affected the wealthiest Ameri-
impeachment question. For example, Zogby Internation- cans in order to fund public health care programs and re-
al on November 2, 2005 asked whether respondents duce the federal deficit.[48]
agreed with the statement, "If President Bush did not After Bush was re-elected, he made Social Security re-
tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with form a top priority. He proposed options to permit Amer-
Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable icans to divert a portion of their Social Security tax (FICA)
through impeachment." Americans agreed with this, 53% into secured investments, creating a "nest egg" that he
to 42%.[39] A poll by Newsweek on October 19, 2006 re- claimed would enjoy steady growth. This led Democrats
vealed that 51% of respondents believed that the im- to label the program a "privatization" of Social Securi-
peachment of George W. Bush should be a priority.[40] An ty. Bush embarked on a 60-day tour to shore up pub-
August 2008 poll found that 41% of Americans thought lic support for the plan, attacking the political reaction
that George W. Bush is the worst President in United against reforms. Ultimately, Congressional Republicans
States history, while 50% disagreed.[7] could not reach a consensus on the plan, and the Democ-
Bush’s critics have questioned his leadership skills re- rats were unanimously opposed.[49] Bush was left with-
garding some events. One occasion was on the moment of out any political will to pass his reforms. The issue was
the September 11 World Trade Center attacks: after being dropped, and the status quo maintained.[50]
told by Chief of Staff Andrew Card that the U.S. was "un- Bush has been increasingly forced to defend his ac-
der attack", Bush continued with a reading lesson with tions on many fronts and has been unable to generate
elementary school children for seven minutes.[41][42] De- widespread support in the nation as a whole.[51] After
mocratic 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry cited the Democratic Party regained control of both houses of
Bush’s lack of swift action, calling into question the in- Congress in the 2006 midterm elections, MSNBC reported
cumbent’s leadership capabilities, and concluding: that "The war in Iraq, scandals in Congress and declining
"Americans want to know that the person they choose as support for Bush and Republicans on Capitol Hill defined
president has all the skills and ability, all of the mental the battle for House and Senate control".[52]
toughness, all of the gut instinct necessary to be a strong Calling Bush "The Mother of All Big Spenders", the
commander in chief."[43] The 9/11 Commission later re- libertarian think-tank Cato Institute writes that "Sadly,
leased a summary of Bush’s closed-door testimony, the Bush administration has consistently sacrificed
which stated that Bush’s "instinct was to project calm, sound policy to the god of political expediency".[53] Ca-
not to have the country see an excited reaction at a mo- to’s Chris Edwards said, "When he gives speeches now,
ment of crisis". It went on to say "The President felt he you hear him bashing the Democrats on overspending.
should project strength and calm until he could better It sounds ridiculous, because we know he’s a big
understand what was happening."[42] This situation was spender."[54] "After running up $3 trillion in new debt -
featured prominently in Michael Moore’s 2004 documen- including more than half a trillion dollars for what some
tary Fahrenheit 9/11.
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Public image of George W. Bush
have called his flawed Iraq policy - some people find few days’ funding would be enough to provide health in-
it astounding that the president is once again lecturing surance for US children who were not covered," he said.
Congress about fiscal responsibility and fiscal priorities," The relaxed regulation under the Bush presidency
stated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev).[55] are regarded to have been a major contributing factor
Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve for to the subprime mortgage crisis, and there are fears that
18 years, serving under six Presidents and who describes the United States and the world economy could slide into
himself as "a lifelong Libertarian Republican", writes in another Great Depression.[61][62]
his book The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World A Harper’s magazine column by Linda Bilmes, a lec-
that Bush and the congressional Republicans "swapped turer in Public Finance at Harvard’s Kennedy School of
principle for power". "Little value was placed on rigorous Government, and Joseph Stiglitz titled "The $10 trillion
economic policy debate or the weighing of long-term hangover: Paying the price for eight years of Bush", "es-
consequences". timate that the cost of undoing the Bush administration’s
Greenspan, again promoting his book, also says "I am economic choices, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowl- to the collapse of the financial system, soaring debt and
edge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about new commitments to interest payments and Medicare,
oil"[56] and "getting Saddam out of there was very im- all add up to over $10 trillion".[63][64] See also National
portant, but had nothing to do with weapons of mass de- Debt Graph: Bush Sets 50-Year Record. The National debt
struction, it had to do with oil."[57][58] With regards to the from George Washington to the beginning of Ronald Rea-
costs of the war in Iraq, the nonpartisan Congressional gan’s term totaled about one trillion dollars.
Budget Office estimates that it will come to between one The controversial dismissal of seven U.S. attorneys
and one and a half trillion dollars by 2010. by the Bush administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ)
in 2006, and their replacement by interim appointees,
Those costs — both to sustain the current mission led critics to argue that the administration had under-
in Iraq and to pay longer-term ’hidden’ expenses mined both the integrity of the Department of Justice and
like troop healthcare and replacement equipment the non-partisan tradition of U.S. Attorneys.[65][66][67][68]
— are far more than US officials advertised when Others likened the event to Watergate, referring to it
Congress gave President Bush the authority to as Gonzales-gate,[69] and members of Congress from both
launch the invasion in March 2003. At the time, parties called for the resignation of Attorney General Al-
the White House and then-defense secretary Don- berto Gonzales.[70]
ald Rumsfeld predicted a quick, decisive victory
and counted on Iraqi oil revenues to pay for the Response to Hurricane Katrina
war. And when Lawrence Lindsey, one of Bush’s top Main article: Criticism of government response to Hurri-
budget advisers, estimated in 2003 that the entire cane Katrina
undertaking could cost as much as $200 billion, he Bush came under more criticism when Hurricane Katrina
was fired ... McGovern said he is worried about the slammed into the Gulf Coast region during the early
long-term financial impact of the war, adding that hours of August 29, 2005. In the wake of the hurricane,
his primary concern is that the United States is bor- two levees protecting New Orleans from Lake Pontchar-
rowing money to pay for it. Some leading econo- train collapsed, leading to widespread flooding. In the af-
mists have predicted that, depending on how long termath of this disaster, thousands of city residents, un-
troops remain in Iraq, the endeavor could reach able to evacuate prior to the hurricane, became strand-
several trillion dollars as a result of more ’hidden’ ed with little or no relief for several days, resulting in
costs —including recruiting expenses to replenish lawless and unsanitary conditions in some areas. Blame
the ranks and the lifelong benefits the government for inadequate disaster response was partially attributed
pays to veterans. ’It is being paid for on the national to state and local authorities, but public outcry in the
credit card,’ McGovern said. ’It is being put on the disaster’s early hours was largely directed at the Bush
backs of our kids and grandkids. That is indefensi- administration, mainly the Federal Emergency Manage-
ble.[59] ment Agency (FEMA)[71] and the Department of Home-
land Security[72] alleging weak crisis management and
In fact, according to the former World Bank vice-presi- coordination. In fact a Canadian search-and-rescue team
dent, Joseph Stiglitz, when factors like medical and wel- actually made it to a New Orleans suburb five days before
fare costs of US military servicemen are added in, the U.S. aid arrived.[73]
cost to date is closer to $3.3 trillion.[60] However, contin- Others have identified political conservatism as the
ues Stiglitz, "Three trillion is a very conservative num- overriding cause of problems in the way the disaster was
ber, the true costs are likely to be much larger than that... handled.[74] These critics argue that the alleged unreadi-
The money being spent on the war each week would be ness of the United States National Guard, negligence of
enough to wipe out illiteracy around the world ... Just a federal authorities, and haplessness of officials such as
4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Public image of George W. Bush
Michael Brown did not represent incompetence on the George W. Bush has also been criticized by the Union
part of the federal authorities, but were instead natural of Concerned Scientists, representing over 20 Nobel Lau-
and deliberate consequences of the conservative philos- reates, who accuse him of failing to acknowledge basic
ophy embraced by the Bush administration, especially science on environmental issues. The group says that
"sink or swim" policies to force reductions in govern- the Bush administration has engaged in intentional sup-
ment expenditure and privatize key government respon- pression and distortion of facts regarding the environ-
sibilities such as disaster preparedness,[75] [76] both of ment.[82][83]
which resulted in the systematic dismantling of FEMA by In the waning days of his administration, Bush sought
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.[77] rule changes which would negatively impact a wide
Criticism led to the resignation of FEMA director range of environmental issues.[84]
Michael Brown, and eventually, Bush himself accepted
personal responsibility for what he deemed "serious George Bush is behaving like a furious defaulter
problems in the federal government’s response" in a whose home is about to be repossessed. Smashing
September 15, 2005 press conference. Several politicians the porcelain, ripping the doors off their hinges,
called for either congressional or independent investiga- he is determined that there will be nothing worth
tions, claiming that the Executive Branch cannot satis- owning by the time the bastards kick him out. His
factorily investigate itself.[78][79][80] midnight regulations, opening America’s wilder-
ness to logging and mining, trashing pollution con-
Environment trols, tearing up conservation laws, will do almost
Bush has been criticized by national and international as much damage in the last 60 days of his presiden-
environmental groups for his administration’s rollbacks cy as he achieved in the foregoing 3,000. His back-
of environmental protections going back more than ers - among them the nastiest pollutocrats in Amer-
three decades. These are in areas ranging from the En- ica - are calling in their favours. But this last binge
dangered Species Act and the Clean Air and Clean Water of vandalism is also the Bush presidency reduced to
Acts to climate change. For a comprehensive (to date of its essentials. Destruction is not an accidental prod-
the report) list see the National Resources defense Coun- uct of its ideology. Destruction is the ideology. Neo-
cil’s report The Bush Record, NRDC’s comprehensive ac- conservatism is power expressed by showing that
count of the Bush administration’s environmental poli- you can reduce any part of the world to rubble.[85]
cies from 2001 through 2005. More up-to-date informa-
tion can be found on the U.S. Senate website. According Economic Policies
to MSNBC: Moral and ethical questions have been raised over the
billions of dollars Bush has requested for the Iraq war,[86]
After four years in office, the George W. Bush ad- which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has
ministration has compiled an environmental said ensures that less money is made available to help
record that is taking our nation in a new and dan- children and the poor in the United States.[87] Critics
gerous direction. Last year alone, Bush adminis- have accused him of stinginess toward poor children
tration agencies made more than 150 actions that with regards to health care in a time when it is increas-
weakened our environmental laws. Over the course ingly unaffordable.[87][88] Another example is Bush’s ef-
of the first term, this administration led the most fort to cut food stamps for the poor. In 2005, Bush called
thorough and destructive campaign against Amer- for "billions of dollars in cuts that will touch people on
ica’s environmental safeguards in the past 40 food stamps and farmers on price supports, children un-
years.[81] der Medicaid and adults in public housing."[89] While
passed by the Republican Congress, initially the "White
In Texas Chainsaw Management (2007) Robert F. Kennedy, House proposed the restriction".[90]
Jr. argues that "The verdict on George W. Bush as the na-
tion’s environmental steward has already been written in Foreign policy and national security
stone. No president has mounted a more sustained and
deliberate assault on the nation’s environment. No pres- War on Terror
ident has acted with more solicitude toward polluting
“ No official moral leadership emerged to chal- ”
industries. Assaulting the environment across a broad
lenge Americans to think constructively about
front, the Bush administration has promoted and imple-
our place in the world, to redefine civic commit-
mented more than 400 measures that eviscerate 30 years
ment and public responsibility. There was no
of environmental policy." Kennedy has also written a
man in a wheelchair in the White House urging
book Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His
on us a reassessment of American strength and
Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our
weakness. What we had was a chest beater in a
Democracy. See also the website BushGreenWatch.
5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Public image of George W. Bush
borrowed flight suit, instructing us to max out use of Extraordinary rendition, where individuals are
our credit cards for the cause.[91] sent to other countries where torture can easily occur
without any form of oversight. Bush defends this practice
Bush received criticism for publicly using phrases like on the basis that:[114][115]
"bring it on" and "wanted dead or alive," both regarding
terrorists.[92] Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., called Bush’s [...] the United States government has an obligation
language "irresponsible and inciteful". "I am shaking my to protect the American people. It’s in our country’s
head in disbelief," Lautenberg said. "When I served in the interests to find those who would do harm to us and
Army in Europe during World War II, I never heard any get them out of harm’s way. And we will do so with-
military commander — let alone the commander in chief in the law, and we will do so in honoring our com-
— invite enemies to attack U.S. troops."[93] The Iraqi Re- mitment not to torture people. And we expect the
sistance group known as the "Islamic Jihad Army" put countries where we send somebody to, not to tor-
out a video that stated "George W. Bush, you have asked ture, as well. But you bet, when we find somebody
us to ’bring it on.’ And so help me, [we will] like you never who might do harm to the American people, we will
expected. Do you have another challenge?"[94][95] Bush detain them and ask others from their country of
apologized for these comments in 2006.[96] origin to detain them. It makes sense. The Ameri-
can people expect us to do that.
Iraq
Main article: Opposition to the Iraq War A Pentagon memo lists many interrogation techniques
Bush has taken a significant amount of criticism for his which were requested and approved during Bush’s pres-
decision to invade Iraq in March 2003 and his handling idency on the basis that "The current guidelines for in-
of the situation afterwards. As Bush organized the effort, terrogation procedures at GTMO limit the ability of inter-
made the case, and ordered the invasion himself, he has rogators to counter advanced resistance".[116] The Bush
borne the brunt of the criticism for the undeclared administration’s connection to these controversial inter-
war.[97] A Newsweek poll taken in June 2007 showed a rogation techniques has been one of the main considera-
record 73% of respondents disapproving of Bush’s han- tions in the movement to impeach George W. Bush.
dling of the war in Iraq.[98] These controversial enhanced interrogation tech-
niques have in several cases become military poli-
Enhanced Interrogation Techniques Contro- cy[116][117] and in response to Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse
versy controversy Germany had looked into seeking to charge
Main articles: Guantánamo Bay detainment camp and Rumsfeld and two others with warcrimes.[118]
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Another point of discussion has been whether the en- Foreign Aid
hanced interrogation techniques in the Abu Ghraib Under the Bush administration, more aid has been given
prison and the Guantánamo Bay detainment camp con- to Africa than any other US president or world leader
stitutes torture or not. Although a CNN/USA Today/ in history, with a total of $15 billion dollars spent to
Gallup poll "found that sizable majorities of Americans fight AIDS and poverty as well as diplomatic assistance
disagree with tactics ranging from leaving prisoners between warring peoples and other humanitarian ef-
naked and chained in uncomfortable positions for hours, forts.Yet, it has to be noted that this was in nominal
to trying to make a prisoner think he was being terms. In real terms, he actually lowered the percent of
drowned.[99] G.D.P given as aid to foreign countries.[119]}} [120]}}
Bush has stated that "We do not torture."[100] Yet,
many people and governments[101][102][103] and non-gov-
ernmental organizations disagree and have staged sever-
Foreign perception of Bush
al protests.[104][105][106][107] These sentiments are partly Opinions of Bush from outside the U.S. are less than fa-
a result of the Pentagon’s suggestion that the president vorable. For example, a global sampling in 2005 of 21 na-
can decide whether normal strictures on torture still ap- tions found that 58% of those sampled believed that the
ply if it outweighs the security of the nation,[108] and president’s reelection would have a negative impact on
because the Bush administration has repeatedly acted their peace and security; only 26% believed it would have
against attempts to restrict controversial interrogation a positive one.[121]
techniques,[109] including signing statements by Bush to In 18 of the 21 countries surveyed around the world,
exclude himself from the laws created by the Detainee a majority of respondents were found to hold an unfa-
Treatment Act of 2005 as well as vetoing legislation that vorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they
would have made waterboarding and other coercive in- judged his administration as "negative" for world securi-
terrogation methods illegal.[110] Furthermore, some ty.[121][122]
[111][112][113] are concerned by the Bush Administration’s
6
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Public image of George W. Bush
A mural of President Bush in West Belfast, Northern Ireland, in
April 2006, depicting the local population’s perception of his
foreign policy and relationship with the British government
Photo by Patrick McAleer
Bush fares slightly better in Italy, where just over half
of the population has a negative view, but much worse
in other countries. “Three-quarters of those in Spain and
more than 80% in France and Germany had a negative
view of President Bush’s role in world affairs."[122] In
Turkey, 72% of those polled said that Bush’s reelection
made them “feel worse about Americans".[121] In Novem-
ber 2006, a survey taken in Great Britain, Mexico, and
Canada showed that they believe Bush is more dangerous
than North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Iranian Presi-
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and President
dent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[123]
Bush in 2001
Islamic Countries
In Islamic countries, opinion of Bush is even less favor-
able. In Islamic countries, Bush’s unfavorable ratings are
particularly high, often over 90%.[124] In Jordan, for ex-
ample, Bush’s favorable rating is only nine percent. [125]
Favorable opinion
Bush enjoys somewhat more favorable views among the
populations of some allied states. In one multi-nation
poll after Bush’s 2004 reelection, the only three coun-
tries(out of 21 that were polled) in which a majority or
plurality see Bush’s return to office as positive for peace
President Bush and French President Jacques Chirac during the and security in the world are the Philippines (63%), India
27th G8 summit on July 21, 2001. (62%), and Poland (44%). [121] In one poll of 10 countries,
Israel was the only country where the population had a
net favorable opinion, with 62 percent favoring Bush.[125]
In specific countries
The United Kingdom’s Daily Mirror newspaper ran the fol-
lowing headline the day of Bush’s reelection: “How Can
Surveys of historians
59,054,087 People Be So Dumb?”, underlining Bush’s un- Main article: Historical rankings of United States Presi-
popularity in some sections of the British press. Among dents
the population of Britain, two-thirds of the population Since 2006, surveys of professional historians have given
holds a dim view of Bush, a figure that is duplicated in the Bush presidency low marks. A 2006 Siena College poll
Canada. of 744 professors reported the following results:[126]
7
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Public image of George W. Bush
• "George W. Bush has just finished five years as ibly low popularity around the time of the film’s re-
President. If today were the last day of his lease.[134][135]
presidency, how would you rank him? The responses
were: Great: 2%; Near Great: 5%; Average: 11%; Below
Average: 24%; Failure: 58%."
Post-presidential image
• "In your judgment, do you think he has a realistic
chance of improving his rating? Two-thirds (67%) Miss Me Yet? billboard
responded no; less than a quarter (23%) responded In February 2010 a roadside billboard appeared featuring
yes; and 10% chose no opinion or not applicable." an image of George W. Bush and a caption with the words
Thomas Kelly, professor emeritus of American studies at "MISS ME YET?". The billboard initially was spotted on
Siena College, said: "President Bush would seem to have Interstate 35 in Wyoming, Minnesota but soon other bill-
small hope for high marks from the current generation boards like it popped up around the country.[136][137] It
of practicing historians and political scientists. In this was first considered to be an internet hoax, but has been
case, current public opinion polls actually seem to cut confirmed as a real advertisement.[138] The Billboard has
the President more slack than the experts do." Dr. Dou- led to other Bush-themed merchandise with the catch-
glas Lonnstrom, Siena College professor of statistics and phrase "Miss Me Yet?" from agencies such as
director of the Siena Research Institute, stated: "In our CafePress,[139] and the image plus the related caption has
2002 presidential rating, with a group of experts compa- become an internet meme.
rable to this current poll, President Bush ranked 23rd of The billboard was mentioned on Rush Limbaugh’s
42 presidents. That was shortly after 9/11. Clearly, the talk radio show as some callers mentioned the billboard
professors do not think things have gone well for him in did exist.[140] It was later discovered to have been created
the past few years. These are the experts that teach col- and sponsored by an anonymous source who wanted to
lege students today and will write the history of this era remain that way as per the billboard owner Schubert
tomorrow."[126] & Hoey Outdoor Advertising.[138] According to the bill-
In 2008, the History News Network conducted an un- board owner, the sign was purchased by a group of small
scientific poll among 109 professional historians. That business owners located in the seven-county metropoli-
poll found that, among those professional historians, 98% tan area.[141] Later, Mike Rivard, one of the six business
believe that the George W. Bush presidency is a failure, owners from Minnesota, came forward and told Fox
and that 61% believe it to be the worst in history.[127] News that one of the reasons why they did it was they
Another poll done in 2009 by C-SPAN among 65 profes- thought it was a hilarious message, and the image they
sional historians ranks Bush 36 of 42 former presi- used was found online.[142]
dents.[128]
A 2010 Siena College poll of 238 Presidential scholars Polls showing Americans Preferred Bush
found that Bush was ranked 39th out of 43, with poor rat- to Obama
ings in handling of the economy, communication, ability
Seeming to back up the sentiment of the "Miss Me Yet?"
to compromise, foreign policy accomplishments and in-
billboards, a poll taken 21 months into Obama’s presiden-
telligence.[129]
cy by Democratic pollster Doug Schoen showed 48 per-
cent of respondents saying Bush was a better president
Notable critical works about than Obama has been, with only 43 percent believing that
Barack Obama was a better president. [143]
Bush
Effect of Decision Points memoir
Fahrenheit 9/11 Journalists from several media sources opined that the
In 2004, Michael Moore released his documentary publication of Bush’s memoir Decision Points in November
Fahrenheit 9/11, which went on to become the highest 2010 was intended to or would have the effect of improv-
grossing political documentary of all time.[130] The film ing his post presidential image.[144]
is critical of Bush and the War on Terrorism. Christopher
Hitchens and Ed Koch have criticized Fahrenheit 9/11 as
dishonest and inaccurate.[131][132] See also
• Bushism
W. • Fictionalized portrayals of George W. Bush
In 2008, Oliver Stone directed a biopic about Bush enti- • Historical rankings of United States Presidents
tled W., featuring Josh Brolin in the title role.[133] W. was
appraised as a surprisingly even handed and restrained
treatment of Bush and his policies, given Bush’s incred-
8
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Public image of George W. Bush
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