How Barack Obama is doing all he can to avoid becoming George W. Bush

President Obama delivers his penultimate State of the Union address on Tuesday -- a speech that is expected to set the course for his work with the newly GOP-controlled Congress over his final two years in office.

And unavoidably, talk will turn to Obama's legacy and where he stands. (Already, New York Magazine has run a feature asking 53 historians what Obama must do to cement his legacy.)

While Obama has certainly been battered over his six years, he can at least say this: He's in considerably better shape than his predecessor, George W. Bush, heading into the home stretch.



While Obama's and Bush's numbers rivaled each other for the better part of the middle of their presidencies -- complete with hard-fought reelection races -- Obama in recent months has differentiated himself from the tail end of the Bush years, keeping his approval rating steadily above 40 percent.