43rd President · 2001–2009 · Republican
George W. Bush
Rallied the country after 9/11, then launched the Iraq War, the worst foreign policy decision in modern American history, and ended in financial collapse.
OverallC-GPA 1.52
The grades
- SovereigntyDid they put American interests first and keep decisions in American hands?C
- HemisphereDid they guard the Americas against rival powers and threats?C
- RestraintDid they keep the country out of wars of choice that weakened it?F
- StatecraftDid they use diplomacy, force and alliances skillfully, on American terms?D
- Industry and tradeDid they protect and build American industry?C-
- Working AmericansDid ordinary working families do better because of them?C-
- BuildingDid they build things that lasted and push the frontier forward?C
- NationDid they strengthen a shared American identity and the Union?C
- CompetenceWere they capable, honest and effective in office?D+
On the axes
MarketEconomyPopulist
Free tradeTradeProtectionist
RestraintForeign policyInterventionist
CosmopolitanNationNational
Dark dot: George W. Bush. Red mark: the Monroe Society. Ideological closeness to the Society: 43%.