Bush family is making a comeback: in bronze and in person

On Thursday, George W. Bush Presidential Center – home to the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and the George W. Bush Institute – is to be dedicated in Dallas, Texas. The ceremonial event has not only brought to memory the past events of his largely unsuccessful presidency, but also gave rise to new speculations on the future of one of the most influential dynasties in the U.S. modern history. The prospects of George W.'s younger brother Jeb running for (if not winning) presidency in 2016 now seem more than real.

For more than four years that have passed since George W. Bush left office, his presidency has been looked at largely through critical eyes. In fact, most of the electoral flops suffered by the Grand Old Party in 2008 and 2012 can be ascribed to George W.'s legacy.

Now it looks that the world was not so eager to change its foundations, and Brarack Obama in many ways has turned into a replica of the president whom he himself repeatedly accused of putting two wars "on a credit card", leading the country away "from our values" and "crashing the economy". The two wars have been augmented by an open aggression against Libya and at least two pending wars against Syria and Iran. The state of economy is no better (to put it mildly) than it was during George W. Bush's tenure. As for the values, after publicly endorsing same-sex marriages, Obama should probably totally forget the very word "value".

And the new movement of the pendulum has already become visible. A new poll, published in a couple of days ago by The Washington Post, shows that Bush is re-emerging "with a better public image than when he left Washington more than four years ago". He's getting more popular with every passing year. If at the end of his second term, his approval rating among all adults was 33 per cent positive / 66 per cent negative, now it is almost fifty-fifty – at 47 per cent positive / 50 per cent negative, and equals that of the current president.

It is probably too early to predict the course of the 2016 campaign (less so the outcome of it). But one useful advice is already here – the new slogan for whoever runs from whichever party may be "The Change We Should Not Have Believed In".