Re: Bush doing better than expected
If people's expectations were low to begin with, a good performance gets very good marks. Personally, I never thought he was as dumb as his press people let him appear. I do think he's less than articulate, but that's a talent not everyone needs.
If people had been expecting a Nobel Peace Prize and a Pulitzer from him, in addition to running the country, the marks would have been lower.
Not noticing any craw problems--
Mary Anne