Illustration by Josh Hagler

With the terrorist attacks, the slumping economy and everything in between, George W. Bush has had more on his plate the first 13 months of his presidency than most presidents have had in a full term.

He's handled the country and himself well thus far and won more approval in a short amount of time than even his biggest supporters could have expected.

With that in mind, here's my breakdown of the president's job performance to date:

The war on terrorism:

Mission accomplished in Afghanistan for the most part. The Taliban were expecting a long, drawn-out ground war, but what they got was an unmatchable aerial assault. While the dust was still settling, our troops discovered 40 al-Qaida biological weapons facilities.

Unjustifiable war?

Still, Bush made it clear from the get-go that this would be a long, drawn-out process with the ultimate goal of eliminating terrorist cells around the world. Iraq, Iran and North Korea have been put on notice. Sure, the "axis of evil" statement was a bit hokey, but it gets the point across: Anyone associated with terrorism is in America's crosshairs.

Failing to capture Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar to date is my only criticism of Bush here.

The economy:

Though Bush has been ridiculously criticized by Congressional Democrats as the cause of the current recession, the "Bush economy" isn't even five months old. The present fiscal year began October 1, 2001.

Regardless, economic indicators seem to suggest the downturn may be over. From Reuters last Thursday: "The U.S. economy might already be out of recession, and its recovery could be much stronger than expected, a private research firm said on Thursday, as its economic forecasting gauge rose for the fourth consecutive month in January."

After getting most of the tax cut he wanted and aggressively pushing an economic stimulus bill with even more tax relief, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Education:

I applaud the president for coming up with some new strategies for improving the public school system, like setting money aside for specific functions such as personal tutoring and reading programs. He has also outlined explicit goals, like expecting every child to be able to read by the third grade.

But Bush should know that an 11 percent spending increase from one year to the next is way too much and won't solve anything that hasn't been solved by the already over-inflated federal education budget.

Bush's "No Child Left Behind" bill was approved by House Democrats, 198-6. If that doesn't spell "overspending," I don't know what does.

The environment:

Bush wisely rejected the Kyoto Protocol, which would have crippled America's economy beyond repair. The environmental policy he presented last week will keep corporations in check while not restricting job growth. And the White House's energy policy relies on the fact that we can increase production and conservation at the same time. The president has displayed a good deal of environmental common sense to this point.

I do, however, take issue with Bush's comments on the necessity of preventing global warming, which I'm convinced is as large a concern as being invaded by Canada.

Social issues:

His heart - and for the most part, his policies - have been in the right place. Funding for faith-based organizations, unwed pregnant women and pro-marriage programs are all generally good ideas.

But I think a better way to curtail single-parent households would be to spend less rather than more. The 1996 Welfare Reform Act has reduced one-parent families by nearly 7 percent. With that in mind, I think that eliminating the so-called "marriage penalty" tax would do more to encourage marriage than increased government spending.

Character:

He's not Bill Clinton. Enough said?

All right, how about this recent Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll: 82 percent thought George and Laura Bush would have a happier Valentine's Day than Bill and Hillary.

Bush overcame his alcohol addiction and has been sober for more than 15 years. He hasn't been caught with an intern yet. And most importantly, he hung up the phone when Enron called.

Overall:

Overall, the president gets a solid B from me.

Outstanding in his post-Sept. 11 response. Good but not great otherwise.