While President George W Bush enjoyed a record-high 90 per cent approval rating in the wake of the tragic 9/11 attack in 2001, his support dropped to just 25 per cent by October 2008. This was due to the eventual unpopularity of the Iraq war, but mostly, due to the 2008 financial crisis. Illinois Senator Barack Obama narrowly defeated former First Lady Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, then handily won the 2008 election to become the first black President in US history.