2 post rack

Good thing President Obama fled overseas after the disastrous Democratic outcomes in the midterm election.

He wouldn't want to see Tuesday's new poll numbers.

Gallup just announced that Americans' favorable opinions of George W. Bush have risen. This comes as the Obama presidency ages, and now their favorable views of the Republican nearly match their feelings about the Democrat.

Gallup now finds that 44% of Americans have a favorable view of the 43rd president, up about 10%, or four points since the end of his second term in January 2009. Obviously, the former chief executive no longer has a job approval rating.

According to the authoritative RealClearPolitics average of polls, 45.4% of Americans now approve of Obama's job performance, while 49.6% disapprove, compared with 53% Bush disapproval. Obama's approval is down from the 70% range at his inauguration.

Additionally, the same RCP compilation finds 63.8% of Americans feel the country is on the wrong track under the current president, while 31.2% feel it's on the right track.

During his 22 months in office, Obama and his VP, Joe Biden, have sought to blame much of the country's lingering problems, including jobs, on eight years of failed you-know-whats by you-know-who from Texas.

The controversial Bush is emerging from the same period of relative seclusion to promote his new book, "Decision Points," which has surprisingly become an instant best-seller with long lines forming to buy the book on Tuesday's publication day (See photo above).

In recent interviews, Bush says the presidency is difficult enough and he has no intention of criticizing his successor.

Ticket readers had an advance look here at Bush's conversation Tuesday night with the Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity (6 PST, 9 EST). The former Texas governor says he enjoys his post-White House life and is at peace with the many controversial decisions he made and describes in the memoir.

Though improved in recent months, Bush's current approval is barely half of his highest approval, which was 87% in late 2001, just one point below the highest Gallup has ever found among public figures. (Tiger Woods' and Colin Powell's 88%.)

That approval carried over to 2002 when Bush joined Franklin Roosevelt as the only two presidents whose parties gained seats in their first midterm elections. A week ago Obama and his Democrats lost a half-dozen Senate seats and five dozen House seats, the most in a half-century.

 When Gallup first began polling on Bush in early 1999, his favorable rating stood at 69%. After the contentious Florida vote recount of late 2000, it was at 67%.

At this point in Bill Clinton's post-presidential period, his rating was slightly higher than Bush's, 47%.

Related Item:

George W. Bush makes surprise visit to U.S. troops

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photos, from top: Bush signs a copy of 'Decision Points' (credit: Matt Nager / Bloomberg News); long lines form to buy his memoir outside a Dallas bookstore (Tom Pennington / Getty Images).

Epic is the only word to describe this coupon genius who bought $1658.53 of stuff from Walgreens for only $19.99. It took 6 hours to check out the over 100 transactions necessary to complete the purchase. Why did the manager gladly let him do this?

Because the guy, who calls himself "The Coupon Prof," is going to donate all the items to a local charity.

Ok, enough with gooshy, how did he pull it off? The scheme hinges on something called "Register Rewards" which dispense from the Catalina device at the Walgreens register. They give you money off just about anything in the store, except for the item that generated the coupon. Each week there are different items at Walgreens that will give out Register Rewards, you just have to check the local circular.

By combining a manufacturer's for $1 Crest toothpaste that generated a $10 off Register Rewards that was then used to buy another item that generated Register Rewards, and then that was used to buy another item that gave out Register Rewards, and so on, cycling through 10 different products in a daisy-chain of savings, he was able to rack up the impressive shopping spree for little cost.

(One caveat with Register Rewards is that they only work on one transaction. So if the deal is a box of cereal that's normally $4 for $1, and you buy 5, only 1 of them will be discounted. So to max your savings, you would need to use five separate coupons in 5 transactions).

Here's the breakdown:

Transaction A

Crest Toothpaste $2.99

Oral B Toothbrush $2.25

Scunci Hairbands $1.99

Colgate Toothpaste $2.99

Campbells Soup $0.59

Candy Cane Pen $0.20

Total: $11.01

- $1 Crest Coupon

-$10 Register Rewards from Trans. B

= $0.01 out-of-pocket cost

Transaction B

Robitussin to Go $2.49

Old Spice Body Spray $3.99

Secret Body Spray $3.49

Canned Oranges $0.39

Total $10.36

- $10.25 RR (Trans. A)

= $0.11 out-of-pocket cost

And this is his final tally of plunder

55 Old Spice Body Sprays for a total of $3.99. That's $3.99 for 55.

75 Oral B Toothbrushes ($2.25)

88 Crest Toothpastes ($2.99)

17 Olay Body Washes ($3.49)

24 Degree Deodorant ($0.99)

51 Colgate Toothpastes ($2.99)

55 Secret Body Sprays ($3.49)

22 Nivea Shaving Creams ($2.99)

87 Campbells Soups ($0.59)

41 Scotch Bubble Mailers ($0.39)

4 ThermaCare Heat Wraps ($2.49)

15 Advil ($0.99)

24 Canned Oranges ($0.39)

53 Hair Bands ($1.99)

76 Robitussin ($2.49)

46 Candy Cane Pens ($0.20)

"Best day so far in the life of the Coupon Ninja," he writes. Yes, the key word there is "so far..." - can't wait to see what he gets up to next!

How the Epic Purchase was constructed.... [The Coupon Prof] (Thanks to Josiah!)

Post-Thanksgiving Super Ninja at Walgreens! [The Coupon Prof]

RELATED

Walgreens: Register Rewards Guide [Mommys Ideas Book]