The former governor of Texas and the son of President George H.W. Bush, Bush Jr. became president following one of the closet races in American history.
That election badly split the country, and polarized opinion dominated his two terms.
The Bush presidency was largely dominated by the so-called “War on Terror,” which was initiated when Bush invaded Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.
He later invaded Iraq as well, for far more hazily-defined reasons.
The Iraq War in particular became increasingly unpopular as the years went on, as did the President’s efforts to limit civil liberties for security reasons.
Then the economy tanked in 2008, and Bush’s reputation as an awful president was pretty much solidified.
Naive and impulsive, but also instinctive and thoughtful, the best he can probably hope for at this point is that history will deem him a “complicated” president.