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Bush's Economy Worst in Generations

Slowest growth since Truman.

Bush often invites comparisons with President Truman, but this isn't exactly what he had in mind. According to a report in The Washington Post, Bush "has presided over the weakest eight-year span for the U.S. economy in decades," with slower GDP growth than under any president since Truman. In addition, the number of jobs increased by just 2 percent—the worst showing of any administration since the government began tracking the data seven decades ago. Overall, a survey of economists and analysis of economic data in The Washington Post finds Bush—the first president to hold an MBA—to be the worst economic leader the country has seen in generations. "For a group that claims it wants to be judged by history, there is no evidence on the economic policy front that that was the view," former Bush staffer Douglas Holtz-Eakin was quoted as saying. Not surprisingly, "the president's current aides say they are proud of their economic record."