Texans welcome Bush back

MIDLAND, Texas — Former President George W. Bush went home Tuesday, a move that pleased both a crowd that showed up to welcome him and a nation that polls show was happy to see him go.

In Midland, Bush backers whooped and hollered their support. In Washington and New York, Bush detractors sang the derisive "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye."

Despite his critics, most Utahns still like the former president, a new poll shows. In a just-completed survey, pollster Dan Jones & Associates found 58 percent of Utahns "strongly" or "somewhat" approve of the job Bush did. Forty-one percent disapprove of Bush, the Deseret News/KSL-TV poll shows.

Bush has always been popular in Utah, one of the last strongholds for the controversial president.

While 58 percent stand with Bush, only 19 percent "strongly" approve of his job performance. Thirty-nine percent "somewhat" approve, Jones found.

Not surprisingly, 86 percent of Republicans approve of the job Bush did, 79 percent of Democrats disapprove, while 56 percent of political independent Utahns disapprove of the former president.

In the same poll, only 41 approve of the job Congress is doing, while 52 percent disapprove. Congress is controlled by Democrats.

Over the years, polls for the newspaper and TV station have shown Bush's popularity high in Utah — varying at times but never below 50 percent.

For Bush, Tuesday was a day to trade chilly Washington for warm West Texas, where thousands gathered for a country-music-and-high-school-band rally in his former hometown's downtown.

"I am grateful and I am thankful," Bush told the cheering crowd, many waving oversized W signs. "I am grateful that you all came out to welcome us home. And I am thankful that I had the honor of being president of the United States for eight years."

Bush said Tuesday was "a great day for America and a good man took the oath of office and we all offer our prayers for his success."

"And it was also a great day for the Bush family. We are back in the state of Texas and we are here to stay," he said.

"When I get home tonight and look in the mirror I'm not going to regret what I see," Bush said, "except maybe some gray hair."

From Midland, Bush and wife Laura flew to their Crawford ranch.

Gov. Rick Perry told the Midland crowd Bush would be happy to be "getting out of that cold part of the world," and added he was not talking only about the weather. Perry praised Bush as "one of the great presidents in American history."

The Midland crowd cheered Bush when he told them "I never took an opinion poll to tell me what to think. And I'm coming home with my head held high and a sense of accomplishment."