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Gov. Chris Christie is shown with former President George W. Bush and Medal of Honor recipient Sgt, First Class Leroy Petry at a 2011 Jets game at MetLife Stadium.

(U.S. Army)

CHICAGO — Gov. Chris Christie says former President George W. Bush is "grossly underappreciated" and an example of how Republicans can win back the Oval Office.

“He’s our last successful politician. Let’s start with that,” Christie told an audience of 1,600 at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday.

Bush in 2001 nominated Christie as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, where Christie would make his name busting corrupt public officials, using it as a springboard to his successful 2009 run for governor.

Christie had been a major fundraiser for Bush and a lawyer for his 2000 campaign. Bush knew Christie well enough to nickname him “Big Boy.”

“Every Republican took for granted George W. Bush while he was there. The guy won two national elections. How easy has that looked the last eight years?” Christie said. “He was, first, an outstanding political candidate. And I think he was grossly underappreciated by his own country and his own party as a politician.”

Although Bush finished his second term with low poll numbers, Christie said Americans are starting to warm to him — and not only because of the passage of time.

“He understood the politics of relationships, and understood how to bring people together and spend time on it, both in Texas and as president” Christie said.

Christie, however, did not campaign with Bush in his own race for governor. Christie declared less than two weeks before Bush left office. Democrats frequently attacked Christie during the race for his ties to the former president, who was unpopular both nationally and in New Jersey.

Christie also took a swipe at President Obama in comparing the two men’s rhetoric.

“No one ever had to wonder about where the president stood on issues, whether they were domestic or foreign. George Bush had points of view that he expressed rather plainly,” Christie said. “I think there’s a time when the country now looks at that and says ‘hey, that’s interesting.”

But when Christie was asked who the greatest Republican was of the last 100 years, Bush did not make his cut.

“If you’re going strictly for the past century it would be Reagan,” he said.

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