He is the best president since Nixon.
I liked Reagan alot more than Bush.
Bush had a chance to be a great president. He missed the opportunity.
Here are some thoughts as to why Bush's presidency will ultimately be regarded as a failure.
After 9/11, Bush totally failed to identify Islam as the enemy. Instead, the American people were told 'Islam is a religion of peace, hijacked by a few radicals'. Bush was simply too scared to speak the truth about Islam and chose instead to launch a 'war on terror'. This is akin to launching a 'war on blitzkreig' in the sense that we're at war with a tactic employed by the enemy instead of the Nazi ideology that spawns the blitzkreig or terror. Bush really missed the boat on this one and it is perhaps his greatest failing.
Bush's energy policy has been an abject failure. 8 years of his administration and veritably no progress at all on this front. Little or no development of alternative energy sources, and we're more dependent than ever on the Saudi scumbags. Watching Jorge Wahabi schmoozing and holding hands with his Saudi buddies was enough to make any sane American want to puke. So, another total failure by Bush in perhaps the most important area of national security.
Another area Bush was a complete failure in was securing the border and doing something about the millions of illegal aliens already here. So, his immigration policy is another strike against him.
Bush failed to limit spending. This administration has been spending like a drunken sailor.
Bush's endorsement of a 'Palestinian' state, the roadmap, support for his 'good friend' Machmoud Abbas, failure to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem as promised, refusal to pardon Pollard, and general butt-kissing of the Arabs was horrendous. In fairness to Bush, his refusal to deal with Arafat was a marked improvement over his predecessor, but certainly nothing to write home about. He also did not continuously pressure Israel to commit suicide compared to previous administrations, but couldn't truly be called a great friend of Israel.
All in all, Bush's presidency should be regarded as one of missed opportunity and mostly a failure. But if you think Jorge Wahabi was bad, you'll be crying for the 'good old days' if Osama Hussein gets in.