GOP candidates avoid George W. Bush's legacy of budget deficits and 2 wars

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George W. Bush only left White House three years ago
But no GOP candidates have blamed him for troubles
Bush had approval rating of 34% when leaving office

By Mark Duell
Updated: 11:23 EST, 3 January 2012

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He was the last member of the Republican party to hold office in the White House - but it seems none of the new candidates want to talk about him.

George W. Bush, the two-term U.S. President who finished just three years ago, has hardly been mentioned on the GOP campaign trail so far.

No contenders have embraced a legacy of huge budget deficits, two wars and record low approval ratings - or blame him for America’s troubles.

Not remembered: George W. Bush, a two-term President who finished just three years ago, has hardly been mentioned on the GOP campaign trail so far

The seven contenders often criticise Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama - but only fleeting references have been made to President Bush.

However his name was brought up by a voter in a question to Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who is often critical of U.S. military engagements abroad.

‘We've had, in the past, a couple of presidents from Texas that said they weren't interested in wars - like George W. Bush,’ the voter said.

‘My question is - how can we trust another Texan?’

Analyst Jack Pitney said Republicans 'talk a lot about losing their way during the last decade' and are 'talking about the Bush years'.

‘For Republicans, the Bush administration has become the "yadda yadda yadda" period of American history,’ the political science professor added.

Targets: The seven contenders often criticise Ronald Reagan, right, and Barack Obama, left - but only fleeting references have been made to President Bush

When the eight-year Bush presidency does surface it's often a point of criticism, with a former Pennsylvania senator coming in with an attack.

'For Republicans, the Bush administration has become the "yadda yadda yadda" period of American history'

Jack Pitney

Candidate Rick Santorum told CNN on Sunday that he regretted voting for the No Child Left Behind education law Bush championed.

The former president himself has been all but invisible since leaving office in 2009 with a Gallup approval rating of just 34 per cent.

Bill Clinton had a 66 per cent approval rating in 2001 when he stepped down after two terms marred by a sex scandal and impeachment.

The presidential contest has been dominated by concerns over the weak economy, government spending and the $15trillion federal debt.

But Republicans controlled Congress for six of the eight years President Bush was in power, clearing the way for many of his policies to be enacted.

Contender: Rick Santorum told CNN on Sunday that he regretted voting for the No Child Left Behind education law George W. Bush championed

President Obama's policies, including the federal stimulus programme and car industry bailout, have swollen the deficit and deepened the debt.

'I think Bush has made America a safer nation and better nation and I'm proud of it. But politics isn't about what's fair, it's about winning'

Ari Fleischer

He often falls back on complaints about the bad situation he inherited when seeking to defend his own economic performance.

But while he may often like to blame the Bush years, GOP presidential contenders seem just as eager to pretend those years never happened.

‘Sad to say, they're looking at polling data that indicates they're better off not bringing him into the campaign,’ ex-Bush spin doctor Ari Fleischer said.

‘I think President Bush has made America a safer nation and better nation and I'm proud of it. But politics isn't about what's fair - it's about winning.’

WHAT IS THE LEGACY OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH?

Taking office in 2001 with a balanced federal budget and a surplus, he pushed through sweeping tax cuts that were not offset by spending cuts.

Unpopular: George W. Bush left office with an approval rating of 34 per cent

The tax cuts have cost about $1.8trillion and were set to expire after 10 years, but President Obama allowed them to remain in place temporarily.

That was in exchange for a jobless benefits extension and a payroll tax cut.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 were never budgeted and have cost taxpayers $1.4trillion so far.

Bush signed legislation in 2003 enacting a prescription drug benefit as part of Medicare, projected to cost as much as $1.2trillion over 10 years.

The Troubled Asset Relief Program, the bank bailout programme widely loathed by many conservatives, was another Bush-era program.

Congress authorised nearly $700billion in response to the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers and the subsequent financial crisis in autumn 2008.