In polls of historians and political scientists, Bush is generally ranked as an average president. As other presidents have done, Bush issued a series of pardons during his last days in office. As other presidents have done, Bush issued a series of pardons during his last days in office. On December 24, 1992, he granted executive clemency to six former government employees implicated in the Iran–Contra affair of the late 1980s, most prominently former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.