HISTORY WILL CATCH UP TO HIM:

Miss him? Bush's reputation might be ready for a rebound (Steven Thomma, 4/29/10, McClatchy Newspapers)

Most notably, the war in Iraq may not turn out to be the political albatross it was while he was in office.

While problems persist there — and the weapons of mass destruction that Bush cited in ordering the invasion never were found — democracy does appear to be taking hold, the U.S. is on track to withdraw combat troops by August and even Democratic Vice President Joe Biden now calls the war in Iraq a success.

"I am very optimistic about Iraq," Biden said recently. "You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government."