William "The Great Communicator" Clinton

This is interesting (if the chart is too small to read, click on the "expand" icon that appears in the lower right corner). It's a comparison of the approval ratings for the Presidents since Carter over their respective terms.

Look at how closely the tracks of Clinton and Reagan coincide. Reagan started off with a jump, while Clinton staggered a bit, but through most of their terms, the two were roughly equal. Of course, at the end of their terms, each President was faced with a scandal (Reagan: illegally arming foreign killers, Clinton: adultery). At that time, Clinton's respective approval ratings are higher than Reagans. I think it's about time we start lobbying to put Clinton's face on the dime. Or maybe on Mount Rushmore.

Also, look what happened to Bush II on September 11th. Not surprisingly, it's the most dramatic jump on the whole chart, with the most dramatic downslide afterwards. Otherwise, his track is similar to that of his father. And dad's war was actually popular.
HAT TIP: Atrios