(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Adults in the United States are critical of the performance of a former president, according to a poll by CBS News and the New York Times. 70 per cent of respondents disapprove of the way George W. Bush handled his job while in office.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Adults in the United States are critical of the performance of a former president, according to a poll by CBS News and the New York Times. 70 per cent of respondents disapprove of the way George W. Bush handled his job while in office.
Bush—a Republican—served two presidential terms, from January 2001 to January 2009. His tenure was marked by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which led to the start of the war on terrorism against al-Qaeda fighters and members of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan; and the invasion of Iraq to topple the government of Saddam Hussein in March 2003.
Since 2007, defaults on so-called subprime mortgages—credit given to high-risk borrowers—in the U.S. caused volatility in domestic and global financial markets and ultimately pushed the U.S. economy into a recession. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. The crisis has affected the global financial and credit systems, and triggered layoffs in companies around the world.
Last year, the federal government—then under the leadership of U.S. president George W. Bush—took control of mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Other financial institutions—including Bear Stearns, Merril Lynch, Lehman Brothers, American International Group (AIG), IndyMac Bancorp and Washington Mutual—have been sold, placed under bankruptcy protection, or received emergency loans from the Federal Reserve.
In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2008, Democratic nominee Barack Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. Obama became the first African American president in U.S. history when he took over from Bush on Jan. 20.
In March, Bush discussed his views on the current White House dweller, saying, "I want the president to succeed. I love my country a lot more than I love politics. (…) I’m not going to spend my time criticizing [Obama]. There are plenty of critics in the arena. He deserves my silence."
Polling Data
Looking back, do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush handled his job as president?
|
Approve |
23% |
|
Disapprove |
70% |
|
Unsure |
7% |
Source: CBS News / New York Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 973 American adults, conducted from Apr. 22 to Apr. 26, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
