I think Dems speak well of GWB both because (1) he was objectively preferable to liberals who care about good government, and (2) it's useful as a partisan to u

I think Dems speak well of GWB both because (1) he was objectively preferable to liberals who care about good government, and (2) it's useful as a partisan to use GWB against Republicans. Obviously 1 is a valid reason and 2 isn't, but I think both are at play.