George W. Bush Recovering from Heart Procedure

Former president is expected to be released on Wednesday

George W. Bush is recovering from a heart procedure, a spokesperson told the Associated Press.

A stent was inserted to clear up blockage in one of the former president's arteries at a Dallas-area hospital near where he lives. Spokesman Freddy Ford told the AP that Bush should be allowed to leave the hospital on Wednesday.

The former president left office with low approval ratings — his popularity weighed down by his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the financial crisis.

However, his image has undergone something of a rehabilitation in recent years. Gallup reported last month that for the first time in eight years, more people view Bush positively than negatively, with 49 percent of those surveyed reporting they had a favorable impression of the Republican president and 46 percent saying they viewed him unfavorably. 

His approval rating hovered at 40 percent when he left office in 2009.

Since that time, he has largely shunned the national stage with two exceptions, the 2010 publication of his memoir "Decision Points" and the April opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Texas.

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