You can look at it this way, too.
No matter how well the economy recovers, TB and his allies will never admit it, or give Democratic policies the credit. There will either claim 1) There was no recession in the first place, it was all a media plot, or, 2) it was bound to get better anyway because of the natural business cycle, or 3) things still haven't gotten better because their taxes are too high.
You have to be sympathetic to them, though. The Rep position is a much tougher one to defend. If the economy does recover, the Dems can always take the credit; if it doesn't, they can still blame it all on Bush and people will believe them.