After four years of silent obscurity, former President George W. Bush will return the national spotlight Today for the inauguration of his presidential library in Dallas, Texas.
When Bush left office back in 2009, he was the politician that everyone in America loved to hate. His approval ratings were in the tank at 33 percent — the lowest of any outgoing president since Richard Nixon — and just 24 percent of Americans approved of the way he had handled the economic collapse.
On the eve of Bush's political comeback tour, however, the American people appear to have largely forgiven and forgotten their issues with Dubya. According to a new Washington Post ABC poll, a full 47 percent of Americans approve of Bush's eight years in office — a seven-year high for the much-maligned former President.
While those marks still aren't stellar, Bush appears to be having a new moment in the American imagination. From his enigmatic shower paintings to his low-key grandfatherly pride, the 43rd President has shown off his softer, folksier side since leaving office, reminding everyone why they liked him in the first place — and even miss him a little bit now.
The time he spanked Misty May-Treanor.
And when he kissed Oprah.
Or anyone else, for that matter.
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