小布什獲評美國最不受歡迎在世總統大綱

George W. Bush has been named as the least popular living US president, according to a survey released yesterday.

The 64-year-old Republican nicknamed Dubya, who took America to war against terrorism, and under whose watch the financial downfall occurred, was labelled the most unpopular living leader of the last 50 years in the US by respected pollsters Gallup.

The 43rd president, Mr Bush - son of former president George H. W. Bush - was infamous for his gaffes at high-profile events and was regularly aped during his eight years in charge of America.

His election, in 2000, was contentious, too, after he defeated Democratic rival Al Gore by a slim margin, with the votes having to be re-counted.

And after the September 11 attacks in his first year in office Mr Bush waged War on Terrorism, ordered an assault on Afghanistan that year and marched into Iraq in 2003.

And in 2004 he was re-elected after another narrow victory, this time over John Kerry, and during his second term in the White House the Texas man's popularity plummeted.

He was roundly criticised for his slow reaction to dealing with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans five years ago. With $90billion to pay in damages and 1,836 dead, it was the costliest hurricane in US history.

During his penultimate year in charge, Mr Bush, in December 2007, took the country into its longest post-World War II recession.

According to Gallup's 2010 poll of the most popular US president of the last 50 years, John F. Kennedy, murdered in 1963, was top of the list with a 85 per cent approval rating.

Next came former actor Ronald Reagan with 74 per cent and Bill Clinton, Mr Bush's predecessor, who is the most popular living ex-president with 69 per cent, despite being caught up in a sex scandal.

George H. W. Bush, who Mr Clinton defeated in the 1992 election, was next with 64 per cent approval while behind him were Gerald Ford (61 percent) and Jimmy Carter (52 percent).

At the other end of the table, the man who prolonged American's war in Vietnam and was embroiled in the Watergate Scandal, Richard Nixon, was deemed the least popular president in the past half century with only 26 per cent approval.

Next came Mr Bush with 47 percent and third most unpopular was Lyndon Johnson (49 per cent), who took the reins from Mr Kennedy following his assassination.

據昨日公佈的最新調查，美國前總統小布什獲評最不受歡迎的在世美國總統。

64歲的共和黨人布什被暱稱爲Dubya（譯者注：布什姓名中W的諧稱，此暱稱用於嘲諷小布什的德克薩斯口音。因爲小布什經常將W發音爲“dubya”））。頗具公信力的美國民意調查機構蓋洛普公佈的民調結果顯示，小布什被視爲近50年來最不受歡迎的在世美國總統。小布什在任期間曾發動反恐戰爭，在他任期內還爆發了金融危機。

美國第43屆總統、前總統老布什之子小布什因重大場合的失態而臭名遠揚，在執政8年間，他的醜態經常被人模仿。

在2000年的大選中，他以微弱優勢擊敗民主黨對手阿爾·戈爾，選舉委員會不得不重新計票。這一選舉結果頗受爭議。

小布什入主白宮的第一年就發生了9•11事件，他隨後發動了反恐戰爭，並於同年發動阿富汗戰爭，2003年又發動了伊拉克戰爭。

2004年的總統大選中，小布什擊敗對手約翰•克里，再次以微弱優勢勝出。在白宮的第二任期內，這位德州牛仔的支持率開始急劇下降。

小布什還因爲處理卡特里娜颶風反應遲緩飽受批評，發生在5年前的這場颶風使新奧爾良蒙受巨大損失，導致1836人遇難，損失達900億美元，是美國曆史上造成損失最大的颶風。

在布什任期的倒數第二年，也就是2007年12月，美國陷入二戰以來最嚴重的經濟衰退。

根據蓋洛普公佈的調查，1963年遇害的約翰•F•肯尼迪被評爲過去50年間最受歡迎的美國總統，支持率高達85%。

排在第二位的是演員出身的羅納德•里根，支持率爲74%。小布什的前任比爾•克林頓儘管曾身陷性醜聞，但仍獲評最受歡迎的在世總統，支持率爲69%。

在1992年大選中敗給克林頓的前總統老布什緊隨其後，支持率爲64%，隨後分別爲傑拉爾德•福特（支持率61%），和吉米•卡特（支持率52%）。

曾將美國拖入越戰泥潭、並身陷水門醜聞的前總統理查德•尼克松在榜單中墊底，被評爲過去50年間最不受歡迎的美國總統，支持率僅爲26%。

其後分別爲小布什（支持率47%）以及林登•約翰遜（支持率49%）。約翰遜在肯尼迪遇刺後就任美國總統。

Vocabulary:

gaffe: a social blunder; faux pas（出醜，失態）

penultimate: next to the last（倒數第二的）

embroil: to bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife（捲入，牽連）