Cannon Fodder

Pity George W. Bush, if you will. He is the only living ex-president to have an approval rating below fifty percent. Pretty far below. Like forty-three percent. His dad sits at fifty-nine percent, while Jimmy Carter keeps his spot just above the line at fifty-four. Bill Clinton shines at sixty-six percent, perhaps because he continues to show up from time to time to keep things interesting. It could be that George the Elder's willingness to hang with Slick Willie may be part of the reason why he continues to poll so high. Jimmy Carter builds houses for people who need them.
Which leaves George W. out in the cold. He may be the focus for all things evil and bad, at least on the Republican side of things. The next few months will no doubt bring about discussion of the greatest hits of Bush the younger: Two wars, weapons of mass destruction, tax cuts that won't go away. And didn't he invent the recession? I suppose we could blame him for Dick Cheney, and by extension Sarah Palin.
Maybe legacies just take a little longer to become more viable, like cheese or wine. Currently he's got a tub full of sour milk and a vat filled with sour grapes. In a few years we might be able to look back with some fondness on that brush-cutting, aircraft carrier-landing straight shooter who stood up to terrorists in our time of crisis. But not right now. Sorry George.