Gaffes¹: 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 winked² at the Queen in 2007 (right)" src="http://www.enread.com/upimg/allimg/101214/4_101214013742_1.jpg" width="250" height="280" />
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)

The 64-year-old Republican nicknamed Dubya, who took America to war against terrorism, and under whose watch the financial downfall（垮台，衰败） occurred, was labelled the most unpopular living leader of the last 50 years in the US by respected pollsters（民意测验专家） Gallup.

The 43rd president, Mr Bush - son of former president George H. W. Bush - was infamous³ for his gaffes（过失，失礼） at high-profile events and was regularly aped（模仿） during his eight years in charge of America.

His election, in 2000, was contentious⁴（有异议的） , too, after he defeated Democratic rival Al Gore⁵ by a slim margin⁶, 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 plummeted⁷（垂直落下） .

He was roundly criticised for his slow reaction to dealing⁸ with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated⁹ New Orleans five years ago. With $90billion to pay in damages and 1,836 dead, it was the costliest¹⁰ hurricane in US history.

During his penultimate（倒数第二的） year in charge, Mr Bush, in December 2007, took the country into its longest post-World War II recession.

According to Gallup's 2010 poll of the most popular US 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 predecessor¹¹, 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 Ford¹² (61 percent) and Jimmy Carter (52 percent).

At the other end of the table, the man who prolonged（延长） American's war in Vietnam and was embroiled¹³ in（卷入） 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 percent and third most unpopular was Lyndon Johnson (49 per cent), who took the reins¹⁴（支配，掌握） from Mr Kennedy following his assassination¹⁵.