Public perception of George W. Bush

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George W. Bush, the President of the United States of America, has been perceived in interesting ways by the public, both at home and abroad. Time magazine named George W. Bush as its Person of the Year for 2000<ref>Person of the Year President George W. Bush American Revolutionary. TIME Magazine (2004). Retrieved on 2006-09-09.</ref> and 2004,<ref>And the Winner Finally Is...… George W. Bush. TIME Magazine (2000). Retrieved on 2006-09-09.</ref> hailing him as the most influential person during these two years. Bush began his presidency with approval ratings near 50%.<ref name=ApprovalRatingsOverTime>Roper Center (2006). Job Performance Ratings for President Bush. Retrieved on 2006-09-09.</ref> In the time of national crisis following the September 11 attacks, Bush enjoyed approval ratings of greater than 85%, maintaining 80–90% approval for four months after the attacks. Since then, his approval ratings and approval of handling of domestic and foreign policy issues have steadily dropped. Polls conducted in early 2006 showed an average of around 40% for Bush, up slightly from the previous September, but still historically low from a President coming off of his State of the Union Address, which generally provides a boost. As of November 5, 2006, an average of major polls indicated that Bush's approval rating stood at 39.0%.<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/</ref>

At the beginning of his first term, Bush was regarded by some as lacking legitimacy due to his narrow victory in Florida and the attendant controversy surrounding his electoral college victory, which included accusations of vote suppression and tampering. Bush has also been accused of squandering opportunities for uniting Americans across party lines. While routinely criticized by Democrats, Bush has also divided Republicans, American celebrities, and sports and media personalities, many of whom have engaged in heated criticism of Bush. Activist and filmmaker Michael Moore's 2004 movie Fahrenheit 9/11 accused Bush of using public sentiments following 9/11 for political purposes and lying about the cause for war in Iraq. Bush has also been subject to criticism in the international community: he has been targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization campaigns, and criticized for his foreign policy. Bush's policies were also the subject of heated criticism in the 2002 elections in Germany<ref>M. Overhaus, S. Schieder (2002). "Die außenpolitischen Positionen der Parteien im Bundestagswahlkampf 2002". Politik im Netz.</ref> and the 2006 elections in Canada.<ref>CBC News. "Was the American ambassador meddling in a Canadian election?", CBC.ca Reality Check Team, 2005-12-14. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.</ref> Bush has been openly condemned by centrist, liberal and leftist politicians such as Gerhard Schröder, Jean Chrétien, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Romano Prodi, Paul Martin, and Hugo Chavez. Diplomatic visits made by Bush have been characterized by protests, sometimes of a significant scale.

Bush has enjoyed strong support among Republicans and Americans holding conservative and pro-military views, and for the 2004 elections, 95-98% of the Republican electorate approved of and voted for Bush, a figure exceeding the approval of Ronald Reagan. This support has waned, however, due mostly to Republicans' growing frustration with Bush on the issues of spending and illegal immigration. Some Republicans have even begun criticizing Bush on his policies in Iraq, Iran and the Palestinian territories.<ref>Associated Press (2006-02-15). Republicans criticize Rice over Bush Mideast policy. Retrieved on 2006-09-09.</ref> Bush has also enjoyed strong personal and working relationships with foreign leaders such as Tony Blair, John Howard, Junichiro Koizumi, Angela Merkel, Stephen Harper, and Ehud Olmert, as well as good rapport with Vladimir Putin and Vicente Fox. Here, tensions have arisen, such as the cooling of the relationship between Bush and Putin.<ref name=LeeryofPutin>Condon, George E. Jr. (2006-07-21). Bush, White House now leary of Putin as Russian turns back on democracy. San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-09-09.</ref> Privately, Bush has expressed regret at the effusiveness he displayed after his first meeting with Putin. "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy...I was able to get a sense of his soul."<ref name=LeeryofPutin />

From time to time, Bush's intellectual capacities have been questioned by the media<ref>Baker, Peter (2006-08-20). Pundits Renounce The President. Washtington Post. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.</ref> and other politicians<ref>Walters, Simon (2006-08-19). Blair 'feels betrayed by Bush on Lebanon'. Daily Mail. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.</ref> leading to speculation about his IQ, of which no official record is known.<ref>Bush gets bad rap on intelligence. St. Cloud Times Online (January 14 2001). Retrieved on 2006-10-09.</ref>

Detractors tend to cite the various linguistic errors made by Bush during his public speeches (colloquially known as Bushisms).<ref>Jacob Weisberg (November 4 2000). Bush, in his own words. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2006-10-09.</ref> Bush's habit of mispronouncing words has received much ridicule in the media and in popular culture. Even as early as the 2000 presidential debates, this was the subject of a Saturday Night Live sketch (see Strategery).<ref>Dana Milbank (April 22 2001). Serious 'Strategery' As Rove Launches Elaborate Political Effort, Some See a Nascent Clintonian 'War Room'. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2006-10-09.</ref> Perhaps his most famous mispronunciation is that of "nucular" instead of "nuclear". It should be noted, however, that he is not the only American president to have done this, and that Merriam-Webster Online considers this an acceptable pronunciation (though adding a footnote defending its inclusion).<ref>Geoffrey Nunberg (October 2 2002). Going Nucular. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2006-10-09.</ref>

Image:Bush belfast.jpg In 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world, a majority of respondents were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as "negative" for world security.<ref> In 18 of 21 Countries Polled, Most See Bush’s Reelection as Negative for World Security. BBC World Service and Program on International Policy Attitudes ([2004]). Retrieved on 2006-09-24.</ref><ref> Polls: World Not Pleased With Bush. Associated Press (March 4, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-09-24.</ref> A poll taken in mid September of 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 has made the U.S. safer from terrorism.<ref> Iraq. USA Today Gallup poll (September, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-24.</ref> Another poll shows that a majority of Americans, by a margin of 61 to 35 percent, believe that the United States is not better off because of Bush's policies.<ref> President Bush and the Bush Administration. Los Angeles Times Bloomberg L.P. (September, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-24.</ref> Another poll conducted in Britain placed Bush at the second biggest "threat to the world peace" right after Bin Laden, and topped North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il.<ref>British believe Bush is more dangerous than Kim Jong-il</ref> According to poll taken in November of 2006, Finns just as British believe that Bush is second biggest "threat to the world peace" right after Bin Laden. Kim Jong-Il came 3rd in poll and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Nasrallah share 4th position.<ref>He uhkaavat maailman turvallisuutta (They threat the world peace). Iltalehti (2006-11-11). Retrieved on 2006-11-11.</ref>

Some people, such as Benjamin Ferencz, a chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials, hold the view that Bush should be tried for war crimes along with Saddam Hussein for starting "aggressive" wars. They argue that the US-led invasion was a war of aggression, and therefore under the Nuremberg Principles it constitutes the supreme international crime from which all other war crimes follow.<ref>Glantz, Aaron (2006-08-25). Bush and Saddam Should Both Stand Trial, Says Nuremberg Prosecutor. OneWorld. Retrieved on 2006-09-09.</ref>

Other experts have also regarded the Bush Administration's decision to invade Iraq as the supreme international crime, a crime against the peace: "There was no authorization from the U.N. Security Council ... and that made it a crime against the peace," said Francis Boyle, professor of international law, who also said the U.S. Army's field manual required such authorization for an offensive war. However, historians point out that every permanent member of the U.N. Security Council has undertaken at least one war without the council's permission or endorsement, and no such authorization came from the U.N. in other U.S. led wars and/or interventions such as Vietnam, Haiti, Kosovo, Panama or Grenada, or for that matter President Jimmy Carter's attempt to rescue American hostages during the Iran Hostage Crisis.<ref>[1]</ref><ref>Bernton, Hal (2006-08-18). Iraq war bashed at hearing for soldier who wouldn't go. The Seattle Times. Retrieved on 2006-09-09.</ref>

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