George W. Bush is the most unpopular living U.S. president, claims survey



George W. Bush has been named as the least popular living U.S. president, according to a survey released yesterday.

The 64-year-old Republican nicknamed Dubya, who took America to war against terrorism, and under whose watch the financial downfall occurred, was labelled the most unpopular living leader of the last 50 years in the U.S. by respected pollsters Gallup.

The 43rd president, Mr Bush - son of former president George H. W. Bush - was infamous for his gaffes at high-profile events and was regularly aped during his eight years in charge of America.

Most unpopular: George W. Bush, who was U.S. president from 2001 to 2009 had an approval rating of only 47 per cent

His election, in 2000, was contentious, too, after he defeated Democratic rival Al Gore by a slim margin, with the votes having to be re-counted.

And after the September 11 attacks in his first year in office Mr Bush waged War on Terrorism, ordered an assault on Afghanistan that year and marched into Iraq in 2003.

And in 2004 he was re-elected after another narrow victory, this time over John Kerry, and during his second term in the White House the Texas man's popularity plummeted.

Gaffes: President Bush made a fool out of himself on a number of occasions. He famously tried to exit out of the wrong door at a 2005 conference in Beijing (left) and winked at the Queen in 2007 (right)



Most popular: John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, had an approval rating of 85 per cent in the Gallup poll

He was roundly criticised for his slow reaction to dealing with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans five years ago. With $90billion to pay in damages and 1,836 dead, it was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.

During his penultimate year in charge, Mr Bush, in December 2007, took the country into its longest post-World War II recession.



GALLUP RESULTS IN FULL

John F. Kennedy, who was president from 1961 to 1963, had the top approval rating of all the U.S. leaders of the past 50 years with 85 per cent

Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989, was second with 74 per cent

Bill Clinton, 1993-2001, is the highest rated living ex-president with 69 per cent

George H. W. Bush, 1989-1993, was next with 64 per cent

Gerald Ford, 1974-77, earned 61 per cent

Jimmy Carter, 1977-81, gained an approval rating of 52 per cent

Lyndon Johnson, 1963-69, had only a 49 per cent approval rating



George W. Bush, 2001-2009, ended second last with 47 per cent



Richard Nixon, 1969-74, was least popular with only 26 per cent



According to Gallup's 2010 poll of the most popular U.S. president of the last 50 years, John F. Kennedy, murdered in 1963, was top of the list with a 85 per cent approval rating.

Next came former actor Ronald Reagan with 74 per cent and Bill Clinton, Mr Bush's predecessor, who is the most popular living ex-president with 69 per cent, despite being caught up in a sex scandal.



George H. W. Bush, who Mr Clinton defeated in the 1992 election, was next with 64 per cent approval while behind him were Gerald Ford (61 per cent) and Jimmy Carter (52 per cent).

At the other end of the table, the man who prolonged American's war in Vietnam and was embroiled in the Watergate Scandal, Richard Nixon, was deemed the least popular president in the past half century with only 26 per cent approval.

Next came Mr Bush with 47 per cent and third most unpopular was Lyndon Johnson (49 per cent), who took the reins from Mr Kennedy following his assassination.

The Gallup poll on former president approval is taken once every four years and despite the recent release of his new book, Decision Points, Mr Bush has some way to go before convincing America he was a good leader.

The memories of the previous eight years have not been erased in the past two, when Barack Obama took charge of the country.



Mr Bush, who lives in Dallas, Texas, will forever be linked with the war in Iraq, the collapsed economy, and his tardy response in helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina.