Posted on 04/22/2013 6:32:25 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
George W. Bush: ‘No need to defend myself’ By Jonathan Easley - 04/22/13 07:51 AM ET
Former President George W. Bush said he feels “no need to defend himself” over the high-profile decisions that marked his two terms in office, saying he will leave those judgments to history.
“There's no need to defend myself,” Bush said in an interview with USA Today. “I did what I did and ultimately history will judge.”
Bush, along with President Obama and former Presidents Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter, will be on hand to open the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on Thursday.
Bush described the center as “a place to lay out the facts” behind his major policy decisions, including the decision to go to invade Iraq after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, not as a place that will explain or defend the actual policies.
Visitors to the library will be able to assess “the decisions that I had to make and the recommendations I received” at a “decision points theater,” according to Bush. In addition to the Iraq war and troop surge, the theater will focus on his handling of the 2008 financial collapse and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
In an interview conducted before last Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings, Bush said terrorism should still be a primary concern for the federal government.
“It's apparent that time is quickly dimming our memories,” Bush said of 9/11. “Evil exists still in the form of people who murder innocent people to advance a point of view.”
“The lessons of 9/11 are as profound today as they were then,” he added.
Bush has taken up painting in his private time – a fact that became known after a hacker exposed some of his private emails. The former president said it helps to keep him “mellow,” and that he’s content in his new life outside of public view.
“I'm happy to be out of the limelight. I truly am,” he said. “My life is obviously much simpler than it was in the past, but in many ways the simplicity creates contentment.”
“Some people get confused about my desire not to have the klieg lights shining on me, but eight years is plenty to be in the lights,” he said.
In an interview last week, the former president also expressed hopes that his brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) would run for president.
Asked if the nation was “ready for another Bush” in the Oval Office, he responded “That’s for Je to figure out.”
“I would hope that people would judge, if Jeb were to run, on his merits and his track record,” said Bush, adding “I hope he will run.”
His brother Jeb Bush has said he would weigh a 2016 GOP presidential bid and is seen as a prime contender for the nomination.
In before the anti-Bush postings.
He and his dad are cursed with terminal naivete regarding the intentions and capabilities of their enemies - foreign and domestic.
No more Bushes.
W wasn’t all that bad, but he was no Conservative. He had a lot to deal with — the tech bubble, 9/11, two wars and the rise of a virulent Left (Pelosi, etc.). I wish it had all gone better, but looking at what we have today, I do miss him.
The next Republican Pres candidate will be one who is willing to defend himself. After Bush that is a key trait everyone should be looking for.
“No need to defend myself.”
And that is one of the reasons why, after 8 years of not responding to attacks from the left, that we got that piece of cr@p zero as potus.
Interesting take for him it was he was not important, the job was.
The current occupant it’s all aobut him, the job is not important.
Insane, that we would consider another Bush. Every woman in the family has now come out solidly in favor of Obamacare, and most of Obama’s positions. They dislike TEA and Sarah intensely. W and his crew tried as hard as they could to give us GOPe Senator Dewhurst instead of Senator Cruz.
And we also mustn’t forget to thank him for creating the TSA, and the growing menace called “Homeland Security”. The Agency with the manpower of the USMC, twice it’s budget, and a creepy nazi sounding name.
Facing facts, he was no friend of the constitution despite his “aw shucks” persona.
He may not defend himself — But he was man enough to defend one of secret service agents in Chile...Remember this;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX3aaWlUmpc
There is “NO WAY” odumbo would have ever been able to sprout the testicular fortitude to do what “W” did. I miss have any American Patriot in the white house.
Great minds think alike. You beat me by 50 seconds. Lol.
W wasn’t all that bad, but he was no Conservative. He had a lot to deal with — the tech bubble, 9/11, two wars and the rise of a virulent Left (Pelosi, etc.). I wish it had all gone better, but looking at what we have today, I do miss him.?
Agreed, but in fairness, the tech bubble went boom during the Rapists last year in office.
What an ass. His failure to defend himself during his administration left the playing field for the left, and thu ran with it.
Not to engage in politics itself is a political decision, and his humility is actually disguised arrogance. By not defending his policies he is leaving the field to his opponents. This is justifiable only if he believes that the policy decisions he took are about George Bush the man, and unimportant to the future of the nation. If he believes that we are in the wrong path, then he is doing immense damage to our nation by remaining silent.
On another thread I read about Calvin Coolidge and how he was the last successful conservative Republican until Ronald Reagan. Well, okay, but if he abandoned his job after a single term and left the Presidency to big government progressive Herbert Hoover, who in turn was demonized by Franklin Roosevelt, then what did he accomplish by leading us into battle and abandoning his post?
Without George Bush’s refusal to defend policies that are good for the nation we got Barack Obama. Now Bush washes his hands of any responsibility for the takedown of our nation. Disgraceful.
Dude...you and I on the same page!
Oh yes there is!
YOU ARE MY HERO today! I've been saying since about 2001 that this whole new tone and failure to respond was NOT humility, it is the opposite - ARROGANCE. And it is. You need to see post 7 also. WELL DONE.
I continue to wish him well...and am very grateful that he was President during and after 9/11.
I hope it visit his library someday.
True; I merely meant that the economic repercussions of the situation that began under Clinton was something that Bush had to deal with.
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