| Most US Presidents end up governing from the middle because basically the mainstream of citizens are not either way far right or way far left. Clinton would have preferred a more socialist goverment, but a Republican Congress forced him to move towards the middle.
George Bush, contrary to what people want to believe, is very much a centerist. His views are fairly mainstream and that is why his popularity remained so high, until the recent bout of Democratic primaries.
The Democrats hate him so much, that they are blinded to the fact that he's not nearly as conservative as his Dad was and far less conservative than Ronald Reagan.
But I think socialism rules Europe and Bush and Clinton do differ on how far government should go in controlling its citizens. It's not surprising that Europeans and their leaders are more comfortable with a Democratic President. |