I think you give him far far too much credit. The little shit simply did what he was told and had no idea why. Obama is exactly the same. I would feel comfortable betting that neither Obama nor Bush II made any decisions whatsoever. None. Zippo. Nada. Ever. It's a really stupid job in that context. I don't know why anyone would want the job under those circumstances. I understand Ron Paul wanting the job because he will be the boss.
No. He is, in comparison to Obama, as I predicted he would be before Obama got elected. Obama's only worse because he came after Bush. When the path is a downward spiral, it's a given that the successor would be worse.