As the nation celebrates the inauguration of its 44th president, it’s never too early to look back at no. 43. President Bush went from having all-time high popularity ratings shortly after 9/11 to all-time lows as he leaves office. Only time will tell if he will be perceived as a great leader or as one of the worst presidents in American history.

“I think Bush hopes he is like Harry Truman, a president who left office as unpopular as Bush, but who is now celebrated by both parties as a strong president,” said Matthew Streb, associate professor of political science. “I’m not sure that history will be as kind to Bush as it has been to Truman, but only time will tell.”

The following are some of the major issues Bush faced over the last eight years:

The Iraq War: “It is clear that Bush staked his legacy on Iraq,” Streb said. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and shortly after, gave his infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln, something that Bush recently acknowledged was a mistake.

The war on terror: Though his methods, including warrantless wiretapping, torture and detainees being held without habeas corpus rights, have been criticized, the U.S. has not had a terrorist attack on its soil since 9/11. “I guess it’s a success,” said political science professor Barbara Burrell. “I don’t know enough to say it’s because of good leadership or good policies,” she said as to why the country has avoided an attack. “I don’t believe in torture.”

The environment: Bush has always stood in opposition to the Kyoto Protocol — a global warming treaty — and has been criticized for his attitude toward climate change. “I think he did a very poor job,” Burrell said, adding that he could have focused more on renewable sources of energy and working toward energy independence.

Hurricane Katrina: Bush defended his response to the hurricane, which has been categorized as too slow and inadequate, up to his final press conference. “I think he could have acted faster. And he could have done more to help the people,” junior economics major Steve Morgan said.

The economy: While the U.S. is in recession, it has been debated how much of it is Bush’s fault. “I don’t think he handled it well,” junior sociology major Ana Cuevas said of the economy. “People wouldn’t be losing their jobs. We wouldn’t be suffering” had he handled it better, she said. “I’m not sure I would say it’s his fault,” Burrell said. “We put too much emphasis on the president in solving our economic problems.”

Education: In the No Child Left Behind Act, Bush “implemented a policy he believed in and said he was going to” implement, Burrell said. Though there have been problems with the law, it “seems to have been a success,” she said.