I was never a huge fan of either Bush presidency. Both men, Bush 41 and Bush 43, were decent and honorable men. Both had some core conservative principles. But both were definitely not standard-bearers of true conservatism the way that Reagan or Goldwater were. Both had some significant lapses in stewardship and conservative consistency. I had a lot of issues with Bush 43 as president (from the national debt, to Harriet Myers) even as I realized any Democrat alternative would be far worse. Nevertheless, Bush did do some good things and he was certainly far better than his successor.
In that regard, his popularity has been rehabilitating over time to the point that his approval ratings have climbed to the point where they are on par with the current president's. Granted that is no longer a high bar but it says something about him as much as it says about president Obama.
Recently George W. Bush's presidential library was opened and all the living former presidents and the current president attend, as is custom. Rather than provide a full retrospect - it's still too early for that - here is Bush's speech from that gathering. It's a nice reminder of his decency.
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