Sixty percent of Americans questioned in a CNN-Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday morning say they approve of how George H.W. Bush handled his job as president, and 64 percent give a thumbs up to former President Carter.

ON THE eve of his electoral defeat in 1980, Jimmy Carter's approval rating hovered around 30%. In late 1992, George Bush Sr saw his approval ratings drop down to the mid-30s. His son, of course, has been called the most unpopular president of all time . But as George W Bush hosts the three living ex-presidents and the president-elect today, he can take some heart in the latest poll from CNN

The approval rating for the younger Mr Bush stood at 27% in late December, according to CNN. But some on the right foresee a similar turnaround, though the president they often look to as an example is Harry Truman. For example, yesterday Ishmael Jones said, "If democracy takes root in Iraq and spreads in the region, I think [Mr Bush] will be viewed by history as a visionary."

That is obviously a very optimistic hypothetical. But if the events set in motion by Mr Bush do eventually result in sustained positive change for the Middle East, it will be interesting to see what becomes of the president's legacy. Will historians give him credit for being a visionary, or will they argue, as George Packer has, that a democratic Middle East is merely "the salvaging of a tragedy, not the fulfillment of a vision"?

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