Liberals have pumped up Truman's reputation. In point of fact, he was a second-rater with a background in corrupt machine politics. To give him credit, he seems to have dropped his criminal habits after he got into the White House, and for the most part he managed to appoint good advisers.
For that reason, I think Peggy's comparison is pretty silly on its face. But maybe she has the right idea nonetheless, because it's a perspective that liberals are likely to find attractive, especially the idea that Bush "rose to the occasion" after September 11, which lets them all off the hook for calling him stupid.
Truman mended his ways after getting into the White House. Bush mended his ways twenty years earlier.
As far as I know(and I grant you that's not very far) no credible charges were ever brought against him. You must understand the times in which he was in public office. At that time all politics were machine politics, You didn't get elected to dogcatcher without the backing of the machine.
I DO wonder how Harry(a life long yellowdog democrat) would feel about being compared to a republican?