Reuters. Bush praised by Obama at library dedication

US President Barack Obama and three fellow former U.S. presidents basked George W. Bush in praise on Thursday at a ceremony dedicating Bush's library.

Bush, a Republican, had historically low popularity ratings for a U.S. president - about 33 percent - when he left office.

Although most Americans give him credit him for his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, many opposed his decision to go to war against Iraq on what turned out to be a false claim that Saddam Hussein's regime was stockpiling biological and chemical weapons.

Many Americans were also strongly against Bush’s enhanced interrogation directives and the prison at Guantanamo Bay Cuba. Something Obama had promised to close.

By the end of Bush's term, a once-vibrant economy was collapsing, fueling an image of an administration gone awry.