The mood was almost jubilant in the 747 carrying former President George W. Bush back to Texas on Tuesday with family members, politicos and former presidential pooches Barney and Miss Beasley along for the ride.

U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, a close friend of Bush, was with Bush when he flew out of the nation's capital just a few hours after the end of a presidency some say was marked by mistakes and growing unpopularity.

That probably was not the opinion of the intimate group on the plane with Bush.

"The president was in a very good mood," said Conaway, R-Midland and San Angelo's congressman. "You could obviously tell that the weight of the office had lifted and he was feeling great."

Bush, said Conaway, was chatting, joking, swapping stories and having a great time with old friends, former First Lady Laura Bush and their daughter Jenna Bush.

The former president was accompanied by other formers, including ex-advisor Karl Rove, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, ex-Commerce Secretary Don Evans, and Clay Johnson, formerly with the Office of Management and Budget.

Johnson was with Bush during his six years as governor and then for his eight years at the White House.

Bush doesn't drink anymore, and no champagne corks were popping. Conaway said he perhaps did see a bottle of beer or two.

"Everybody was in a good mood," he said. "They felt like they'd run an eight-year race and run it well, finished strong."

After the inauguration, Bush left the capital by helicopter and went to Andrews Air Force Base in nearby Maryland, Conaway said.

Both Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney spoke in front of about 2,000 former staff members, family members, and strong, loyal supporters who were there to send him off, Conaway said.

Then a group boarded the 747 and took off for Midland, perhaps sometime after 2 p.m., Conaway said.

The atmosphere aboard the plane was something like a high school reunion, he said.

"When you get back together, you talk about all the fun things that happened and the silly things that went on, and the stuff that made you laugh," Conaway said.

He declined to provide details about the conversations, saying it wasn't his place since he was simply an observer.

During Tuesday's inauguration, boos from the crowd accompanied Bush's entrance onto the Capitol platform.

The boos were in bad taste and bad form, Conaway said.

Bush did not comment about them, and Conaway doesn't think he heard them because Bush was talking and shaking hands after making his entrance.

The boos could be heard only faintly from where Conaway sat on the Capitol platform, he said.

But they are a sign of another opinion - maybe not popular in Texas - about Bush.

About halfway through Bush's second term in office, an informal survey by the George Mason University's History News Network showed that 81 percent of about 400 historians responding thought Bush's presidency was a failure, Millsaps College historian Robert S. McElvaine wrote in an article for the History News Network Web site.

"Indeed, Bush puts Nixon into a more favorable light," wrote one historian responding to the poll. "He has trashed the image and the reputation of the United States throughout the world; he has offended many of our previously close allies; he has burdened future generations with incredible debt."

Conaway said the first round of historians who evaluate Bush's presidency won't be objective.

But later analysis from those not caught up in the events will be objective, Conaway said.

Historians will ultimately reflect favorably on Bush's "great leadership" during eight very turbulent years, Conaway said.

"I am proud of him," Conaway said. "He and his team did eight years of an incredibly difficult job. I think he brought honor to the office, the way he personally conducted himself."

In Midland, Bush told a crowd of about 30,000 that he was decisive, and the country has been kept safe in more than seven years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Conaway said.

"I think the president's very comfortable with his presidency," Conaway said. "He thought he did what he believed was right."

The crowd Tuesday was 10,000 people stronger than the one in Midland that saw Bush off to the White House eight years ago, Conaway said.

The congressman and Certified Public Accountant worked for Bush's oil company in Midland.

"For me personally, it was a wonderful experience to spend that time with my friend and to get to talk in a lot more casual, relaxed environment," Conaway said.

"No press on the plane, obviously."