United States President George W. Bush has given an exclusive interview to British newspaper called “The Times.” Bush weighs in on his legacy.
In an interview with the British newspaper called “The Times,” current United States President George W. Bush has weighed in on the legacy of his presidency. In that regard, Bush said that he had many regrets about many things ranging from Iraq to Iran. Bush said that he had felt troubled about just about everything.
He had given admittance that the country was misunderstood under his presidency. Bush said: “
I think that in retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric.”
Bush did not come across as a peaceful person in the world's eyes because of his rhetoric. He admitted that the rhetoric made people think he treated this as a game of “Cowboys and Indians.” Bush admitted his rhetoric gave the world the impression he wanted to go to war with Iraq. During the presidency of his father, George H. W. Bush, Saddam Hussein did try an assassination attempt on him during his trip to the Middle East.
He admitted that his method did not make himself look like a person of peace. Bush acknowledged he was familiar with such phrases like “bring them on,” “dead or alive,” and so forth. The main thing that caused Bush pain was putting youngsters in harm’s way. This could give the implication of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In that respect, Bush said: “I try to meet with as many of the families as I can. And I have an obligation to comfort and console as best as I possibly can. I also have an obligation to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain.”
This could put Bush under attack by anti-war advocates. Also, critics could perceive this as hypocrisy due to the incident of Cindy Sheehan camping outside of Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush has been criticized for not taking the time to meet with Sheehan while he postponed his vacation to address some political issues in another state.
With Iran being the next hot issue in the U.S. Presidential race between presumed Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and presumed GOP nominee Senator John McCain of Arizona, Bush said his successor will have the legacy of international diplomacy in that matter. Obama and McCain have different views on the Iran issue.
Bush is concerned that Obama might hurt the united front against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
He is also trying to secure a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. But, it is highly unlikely that the agreement will be reached anytime this year because of Jerusalem. Obama made a speech in front of the AIPAC that brought forth backlash from the Palestinian Authority and the militant group called Hamas a few days ago. McCain said Hamas wants Obama as U.S. President.
In regards to Iraq, Bush wants his successor to keep troops in the country as well as in Afghanistan. However, Bush expressed optimism with caution with the decline of violence in the country. Bush said that he found Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai as a man of honesty.
In regards to international trade, Bush gave Obama a warning: He warned Obama that his promises have already caused alarm around the world.
There were a lot of things on Bush’s mind. The environment was one of them. Bush said that such protocols like the Kyoto Protocol would only be workable if countries such as China and India were included.
Bush had also given praise to both Obama and McCain. He admired McCain’s independence and Obama’s progress of being a viable black candidate.
Overall, Bush said that his successor will have to tackle this challenging task.
