History UsefulNotes / GeorgeWBush

* In ''The Master of Disguise'', Pistachio Disguisey disguises himself as Bush. "People around here call me Dubya! HOO-YAHH!!!"

** Appears in the episode "Bush Comes to Dinner", where Stan wins a contest to have dinner with him. Hayley tries to destroy Bush's reputation by getting him OffTheWagon, but when he comes to her defense after Stan calls her a lost cause she changes her mind, remarking "At least he's better than Cheney." The portrayal is surprisingly sympathetic, having him be depressed over the fact that so many people hate him and wondering if he should just quit, before Stan's contest-winning speech gives him the heart to stay the course.

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': In the episode "The Perils of Polling", Hank and his family attend a rally for Bush during the 2000 elections. Hank is initially thrilled when Bush approaches him, but after Bush's handshake turns out to be limp, it leaves Hank aghast and having second thoughts about voting for Bush.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/george-bush-picture-47-739467.jpg]]

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency, especially in matters of domestic achievements. If his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities, not to mention that Bush's initiatives regarding national security, defense, and the fight against terrorism (with the Department of Homeland Security being a creation of his administration) have been widely praised and have somehow served as a long-term benefit. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the ''most'' controversial US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney, UsefulNotes/DonaldRumsfeld, and the rest of the neocons being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in recent years; however, despite this, he remains a highly polarizing figure in American politics, even among Republicans. It has reached the point where within the GOP itself, opinions about him are divided: Republicans from the neoconservative wing continue to praise him, while those from the populist/[[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Trumpist]] wing vehemently repudiate him, considering him an elitist out of touch with the reality of the average American.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency, especially in matters of domestic achievements. If his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities, not to mention that Bush's initiatives regarding national security, defense, and the fight against terrorism (with the Department of Homeland Security being a creation of his administration) have been widely praised and have somehow served as a long-term benefit. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the ''most'' controversial US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney, UsefulNotes/DonaldRumsfeld, and the rest of the neocons being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in recent years; however, despite this, he remains a highly polarizing figure in American politics, even among Republicans. It has reached the point where within the GOP itself, opinions about him are divided: Republicans from the neoconservative wing continue to praise him, while those from the populist, isolationist, and Trumpist wing vehemently repudiate him, considering him an elitist out of touch with the reality of the average American.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency, especially in matters of domestic achievements. If his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities, not to mention that Bush's initiatives regarding national security, defense, and the fight against terrorism (with the Department of Homeland Security being a creation of his administration) have been widely praised and have somehow served as a long-term benefit. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the ''most'' controversial US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney, UsefulNotes/DonaldRumsfeld, and the rest of the neocons being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in recent years, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him a little more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even bigger HateSink for the Democrats. Unfortunately, despite the favorable light he has received in recent years, Bush remains a ''highly'' polarizing figure in American politics, even among Republicans. It has reached the point where within the GOP itself, opinions about him are divided: Republicans from the neoconservative wing continue to praise him; while Republicans from the populist, isolationist, and Trumpist wing vehemently repudiate him, considering him an elitist out of touch with the reality of the average American.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency, especially in matter of domestic archievements. If his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities, not to mention that Bush's initiatives regarding national security, defense, and the fight against terrorism (with the Department of Homeland Security being a creation of his administration) have been widely praised and have somehow served as a long-term benefit. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the ''most'' controversial US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney, UsefulNotes/DonaldRumsfeld, and the rest of the neocons being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in recent years, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him a little more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even bigger HateSink for the Democrats. Unfortunately, despite the favorable light he has received in recent years, Bush remains a ''highly'' polarizing figure in American politics, even among Republicans. It has reached the point where within the GOP itself, opinions about him are divided: Republicans from the neoconservative wing continue to praise him; while Republicans from the populist, isolationist, and Trumpist wing vehemently repudiate him, considering him an elitist out of touch with the reality of the average American.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities, not to mention that Bush's initiatives regarding national security, defense, and the fight against terrorism (with the Department of Homeland Security being a creation of his administration) have been widely praised and have somehow served as a long-term benefit. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the ''most'' controversial US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney, UsefulNotes/DonaldRumsfeld, and the rest of the neocons being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in recent years, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him a little more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even bigger HateSink for the Democrats. Unfortunately, despite the favorable light he has received in recent years, Bush remains a ''highly'' polarizing figure in American politics, even among Republicans. It has reached the point where within the GOP itself, opinions about him are divided: Republicans from the neoconservative wing continue to praise him; while Republicans from the populist, isolationist, and Trumpist wing vehemently repudiate him, considering him an elitist out of touch with the reality of the average American.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities, not to mention that Bush's initiatives regarding national security, defense, and the fight against terrorism (with the Department of Homeland Security being a creation of his administration) have been widely praised and have somehow served as a long-term benefit. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the ''most'' controversial US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney, UsefulNotes/DonaldRumsfeld, and the rest of the neocons being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Unfortunately, despite the favorable light he has received in recent years, Bush remains a ''highly'' polarizing figure in American politics, even among Republicans. It has reached the point where within the GOP itself, opinions about him are divided: Republicans from the neoconservative wing continue to praise him; while Republicans from the populist, isolationist, and Trumpist wing vehemently repudiate him, considering him an elitist out of touch with the reality of the average American.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney, UsefulNotes/DonaldRumsfeld, and the rest of the neocons being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Unfortunately, despite the favorable light he has received in recent years, Bush remains a ''highly'' controversial and polarizing figure in American politics, even among Republicans. It has reached the point where within the GOP itself, opinions about him are divided: Republicans from the neoconservative and hawkish wing continue to praise him; while Republicans from the populist, isolationist, and Trumpist wing vehemently repudiate him, considering him an elitist out of touch with the reality of the average American.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney and UsefulNotes/DonaldRumsfeld being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Unfortunately, despite the favorable light he has received in recent years, Bush remains a ''highly'' controversial and polarizing figure in American politics, even among Republicans. It has reached the point where within the GOP itself, opinions about him are divided: Republicans from the neoconservative and hawkish wing continue to praise him; while Republicans from the populist, isolationist, and Trumpist wing vehemently repudiate him, considering him an elitist out of touch with the reality of the average American.

A brief policy overview: He was president during the September 11 terrorist attacks, ordered the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan and achieved his highest recorded approval ratings in the aftermath; decided to invade and occupy Iraq on grounds that proved dubious at best, the length and cost of the occupation resulted in historic low approval ratings as his second term drew to a close; invested in AIDS awareness programs in Africa and the fledgling science of nanotechnology; signed the US out of the Kyoto accords; promoted the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem No Child Left Behind Act]]; signed the PATRIOT Act into law; oversaw tax cuts (mostly) for the rich at the beginning of his term and bailouts[[note]]And yes, "bailout" is the technical term.[[/note]] for the big banks toward the end of it.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney and the rest of his associates being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Unfortunately, despite the favorable light he has received in recent years, Bush remains a ''highly'' controversial and polarizing figure in American politics, even among Republicans. It has reached the point where within the GOP itself, opinions about him are divided: Republicans from the neoconservative and hawkish wing continue to praise him; while Republicans from the populist, isolationist, and Trumpist wing vehemently repudiate him, considering him an elitist out of touch with the reality of the average American.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney and the rest of his associates being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Bush himself has expressed this opinion, stating that Trump has helped make his presidency look better in hindsight. Unfortunately, his criticism of Trump has (somewhat ironically) led a lot of Republicans to throw him under the bus and declare him a RINO ("Republican In Name Only").[[note]]Not that Republicans tended to look back on his time in the White House with much fondness even before Trump arrived on the scene, with many of them blaming the backlash to his presidency and especially his handling of the War on Terror for significantly weakening the American conservative movement for the better part of a decade, and for killing off a short-lived resurgence of cultural and social conservatism that took place in the early 2000s.[[/note]]

* ''Film/{{Transformers}} (2007)'': Although his face wasn't seen, he was portrayed lying down in his bed on Air Force One asking a stewardess for Ding Dongs. A character at one point notes that the whole incident could decide his presidency. Which means in movieland, George W. Bush [[strike:brought us the Autobots]] ate snack cakes while the Decepticons attacked.

He got elected by a very narrow margin, losing the popular vote and winning by a margin of 271-266 in the Electoral College, leaving him as only the fourth person to be elected president despite not securing the highest number of votes, and was the first to do so since UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison in 1888 (112 years prior). The election came down to the state of Florida, with Bush winning the state, and thereby the presidency by just ''537 votes'', leading to a massive legal quagmire over demands for recounts -- not least because the Governor of Florida at the time just so happened to be Bush's brother, Jeb -- that left the presidential transition in doubt until very late in the day, when the Supreme Court ruled in Bush's favor.[[note]]Contrary to what is often remembered, and for all the controversy that was involved, Bush's victory wasn't considered a true upset at the time, as polling in the months leading up to the election had been relatively consistent in predicting Bush would win. It was actually ''Gore'' who did better than predicted, by winning the popular vote -- and for as ridiculously close as the result in Florida was, four of Gore's states were won by margins of less than 7,000 votes; had Gore not won those states it would have produced a result uncannily close to what would unfold in UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump's 2016 victory, with Bush narrowly losing the popular vote, but decisively winning (by 301-236) in the Electoral College.[[/note]] He won his second election, this time against UsefulNotes/JohnKerry, more traditionally with far less controversy in what is to date the only time a Republican has won the popular vote since his father in 1988. There were still several disputes over voter fraud and disenfranchisement, particularly in the decisive state of Ohio -- though given that Bush won the state by about 118,000 votes, most people, including Kerry himself, were quick to agree that any irregularities almost certainly wouldn't have changed the result.

He got elected by a very narrow margin (leaving him as only the fourth person to be elected president despite not securing the highest number of votes) and was the first to do so since UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison in 1888 (112 years prior), complete with controversy and demands for recounts; he won his second election more traditionally with far less controversy in what is to date the only time a Republican has won the popular vote since his father in 1988 (although there were several disputes over voter fraud/voter disenfranchisement). A brief policy overview: He was president during the September 11 terrorist attacks, ordered the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan and achieved his highest recorded approval ratings in the aftermath; decided to invade and occupy Iraq on grounds that proved dubious at best, the length and cost of the occupation resulted in historic low approval ratings as his second term drew to a close; invested in AIDS awareness programs in Africa and the fledgling science of nanotechnology; signed the US out of the Kyoto accords; promoted the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem No Child Left Behind Act]]; signed the PATRIOT Act into law; oversaw tax cuts (mostly) for the rich at the beginning of his term and bailouts[[note]]And yes, "bailout" is the technical term.[[/note]] for the big banks toward the end of it.

** He also appears (after a fashion) in "Stan of Arabia" pulling a BigDamnHeroes and saving the Smiths from being stoned to death by an angry mob, but it turned out to be AllJustADream, as well as the pilot where God calls him and tells him to quit mentioning his name in his speeches (followed by answering a call from Cheney with "Yes, sir?").

* ''WesternAnimation/LilBush'' (featuring [[Series/TheWildThornberrys Flea]] as [[TheUnintelligible Lil' Dick Cheney!]])

** Indeed, Matt and Trey said they were "tired" of everybody else portraying him as a buffoon, so they opted to make him a ReasonableAuthorityFigure instead. The first few times he appeared, he was voiced by and looked like the actor who played him in ''Series/ThatsMyBush'', which was also produced by Trey and Matt (his [[DropInCharacter neighbor]] even made a brief cameo). He was eventually given a new, closer-to-real-life appearance later on. (And the episode focusing on the 2008 election, "About Last Night", had him [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse completely absent]]; they originally planned to have him take the fall for the theft of the Hope Diamond a la ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', but they dropped that as they felt that Bush jokes were overdone.)

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', though often political in nature, is well known for almost never attacking politicians directly (or at the very least portraying them as just as bufoonish as all the other adults on the show). Bush and his cabinet were revealed in one episode to be eminently crafty, as ''they'' were the ones who created the [[UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories 9/11 Truth movement]] -- they wanted people to think that the government was all-seeing and all-powerful rather than inept. In other words, 9/11 wasn't a U.S. government conspiracy, but the 9/11 conspiracy theory ''was.''

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney and the rest of his associates being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Bush himself has expressed this opinion, stating that Trump has helped make his presidency look better in hindsight. Unfortunately, his criticism of Trump has (somewhat ironically) led a lot of republicans to throw him under the bus and declare him a RINO ("Republican In Name Only").

* Bush goes up against [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs an Allosaurus]] in the [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/comic.php?current=402&theme=6&dir=next5 2004 Presidential election]] in ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic''. (The Allosaurus wins.)

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney and the rest of his associates being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Bush himself has expressed this opinion, stating that Trump has helped make his presidency look better in hindsight.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney and the rest of his associates being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Bush himself has expressed this opinion, stating that Trump has helped him look better in hindsight.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney and the rest of his associates being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Bush himself has expressed this opinion, stating that Trump helps make him look better in hindsight.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney and the rest of his associates being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president. Public perception of Bush improved notably in the late 2010s, which has been interpreted as his former opponents starting to view him more favorably now that UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump was proving to be an even more polarizing President and an even bigger HateSink for the left. Bush himself has expressed the opinion, stating that for his former opponents Trump makes him look good in comparison.

Much like UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, his foreign policy decisions tend to cast a long shadow over the rest of his presidency. Unlike Johnson, however, Bush lacked any strong track record of domestic achievements he could point to -- if his administration's remembered for anything on that front, it's usually its notoriously diffident handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (best embodied by an incident in 2005 where Music/KanyeWest blurted out "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon to the visible shock of everyone else on-set, which Bush called the worst moment of his entire political career) -- leaving overall opinions on his presidency ''extremely'' negative at the time of his leaving office and still mixed bordering on negative today. The years since he left office have seen his reputation recover just a little, however, with some now crediting him for his handling of the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and recognizing that many of the era's more controversial policies (including the aforementioned PATRIOT Act) were passed by the Republican-controlled congress, often by bipartisan, veto-proof majorities. The 2008 financial crash also happened late enough in his presidency that he managed to avoid having it define him in the same way that TheGreatDepression did to UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover, though it certainly hasn't helped his reputation any. All things said and done, most consider Bush the worst US president since UsefulNotes/RichardNixon; however, the exact nature of his legacy remains a matter of debate. To some, he was a buffoonish oaf who had no clue what he was doing. To others, he was a violent warmonger who was eager to act aggressively against the Middle East and Muslim Americans.[[note]]On the latter point, there's no doubt that the ''perception'' of this led to Muslim Americans more-or-less permanently aligning themselves with the Democrats after a long period during which non-Black Muslims tended to be Republicans.[[/note]] To a third crowd, he was simply a meek puppet leader, with UsefulNotes/DickCheney and the rest of his associates being the ones actually pulling the strings. The latter characterization is seeing increased popularity among historians as time goes on,[[note]]To the extent they're reliable, memoirs and other inside accounts of Bush's administration suggest that this was largely the case for Bush's first term, i.e. the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. In the second term, Bush grew more assertive and frequently overruled Cheney's suggestions, especially when Cheney pushed for military strikes against Syria's WMD program and a tougher stance against Russia.[[/note]] though the general public is more split on what exactly to make of the former president.