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President George W. Bush has simultaneously been the topic of mass popular praise and contemptuous criticism. Certain critics, however, have seized upon a recent dip in the president's approval rating like hyenas pouncing upon a fallen lion.

Historically, Americans have supported their president at exorbitant levels in a time of crisis. This is usually done out of a perceived need for national unity rather than as a reward for achievement or success. This was evident after the terrorist attacks in September of 2001 when G.W. Bush attained a 90 percent rating, the highest approval rating for a U.S. president ever recorded by the Gallup Organizations polling group's more than six decades of surveying. The previous record of 89 percent belonged to his father, former President H.W. Bush, at the end of the 1991 Gulf War.

Other than the Bush father and son duo, (the only other father/son presidents were John Adams and John Quincy Adams) only three presidents have seen approval ratings in the 80-plus percent range. The Gallup Organization started measuring chief executive job ratings during Franklin Roosevelt's second term in 1938.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, FDR reached a documented approval summit of 84 percent. Harry S. Truman's approval rating topped out at 87 percent during the final days of World War II. John F. Kennedy's popularity was measured in the low and mid 70s for most of his first two years as president. JFK's 83 percent pinnacle came after the Bay of Pigs disaster.

However, past polls reveal a sharp range of popularity ups and downs. While credible polls can be indicative of public perception, for one to negatively judge the full measure of a presidency based upon a decrease in approval ratings is a mistake. Will G.W. Bush be remembered as a "great" president? History will be that judge.

Some contend that Bush's previous business experience in the late 70s to mid 80s in the oil industry is the sole purpose for the war in Iraq, and a contributing factor to his personal low approval rating of 39 percent. This claim is utterly preposterous. U.S. policy had been to remove Saddam Hussein from power since the enactment of the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act, passed under former President Clinton.

It was known as early as 1988 that Hussein had used poison gas against Iran and against the Kurds in his own country. The many mass graves that have been uncovered by soldiers presently serving in Iraq demonstrate the mind of a deranged mass murderer in the throes of power. One out of eight Iraqis had friends or relatives brutally murdered or maimed at the hands of Hussein.

I believe these facts more adequately justify the need for conflict with Saddam than the fact that Bush had prior experience in the oil industry. If one were to follow that logic, then President Bush also has previous experience in another extremely lucrative field. In professional sports, he served as the managing general partner of baseball's Texas Rangers. So, I suppose that it's inevitable that we wage war against the Dominican Republic?

Crackpot conspiracy theories that G.W. Bush ousted Hussein for the personal motive of garnering revenge for the botched assassination attempt in Kuwait of his father have come to light. This assertion is petty in lieu of the deplorable human rights record of Hussein, and the assassination attempt pales in comparison to Saddam's previous attacks on other Middle East nations. These include his repeated attempts to acquire nuclear armaments, his refusal to comply with U.N. weapons inspectors for over a decade, his suspected ties with terrorists groups, and his documented use of chemical and biological weapons.

I think there was a significant amount of circumstantial evidence to warrant Hussein's forced removal that had absolutely nothing to do with the assassination attempt on former President Bush.

The federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina has also been cited as probable cause for Bush's drop in public approval ratings. President Bush once said, "Encouraging responsibility is not a search for scapegoats, it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings deeper fulfillment."

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Bush admirably accepted the brunt of responsibility that was not primarily his to bear. There were breakdowns in local and state governments that directly affected federal aid.

Bush also once said that, "America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected." It is a travesty if public opinion of the president has been swayed due to the shortcomings of others.

For those who would say that there has been nothing to come out of Bush's mouth worth respecting or applauding, chew on this. "Use power to help people. For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people," Bush said.

Millions of Afghanis have elected a president, and voted in the first parliamentary elections since 1969. Little girls can now attend school there. In the face of insurgents, who have repeatedly used a variety of appalling tactics, including suicide bombings, cowardly videotaped executions of international aid workers and contractors, millions of Iraqis have now voted on a constitution. Saddam Hussein will stand trial for his unspeakable horrors. All thanks to Bush.

This is a mere sampling of Bush's accomplishments. The man has done much at home and abroad that deserves commending.

Although it is, at times, undeniably hilarious, only those who receive the majority of their news from Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" could believe this president has done nothing of value. Bush has been repeatedly criticized for his oratory skills. I'll choose integrity over eloquence any day.

I don't know how history will judge Bush, but a 39 percent approval rating is more representative of a fickle public than of a deficiency in this administration.

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