Downtown Crawford, Texas
Five months after Speaker Pelosi’s comment, a CNN television/Opinion Research survey found that just only 24 per cent of respondents believe Mr. Bush is doing a good job, against 76 per cent who said that he was doing a poor job.
Bush’s disapproval rating is the highest disapproval rating for a US president since Harry Truman’s 67 per cent in January 1952. The poll of adult Americans was taken November 6-9.
The poll, which has a plus or minus three percentage points sampling error, came as the President Bush prepares to vacate the Executive Mansion and move to his farm in Crawford, Texas.
During an interview with CNN’s Heidi Collins, a reflective President Bush suggested Tuesday that he regrets some of his more blunt statements on the war on terrorism over the last eight years and said he wishes he had not spoken in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner only a month after U.S. troops in Iraq were deployed.
Bush told CNN’s Heidi Collins when asked to reflect on his regrets over his two terms as president, "I regret saying some things I shouldn’t have said," "Like ‘dead or alive’ and ‘bring ‘em on.’ My wife reminded me that, hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say."
Heidi Collins’ interview with President Bush was held aboard the USS Intrepid in New York, after he addressed a Veterans Day ceremony.
Shortly after the attacks of September 11, the president said of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden: "I want justice. There’s an old poster out West that said, ‘Wanted, dead or alive."
Bush was also criticized in 2003 for his answer addressing insurgents in Iraq.
"There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring ‘em on," he said then.
On Tuesday, the president also referenced the moment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, during which he declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq.
"They had a sign that said ‘Mission Accomplished.’ It was a sign aimed at the sailors on the ship, but it conveyed a broader knowledge. To some it said, well, Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over, when I didn’t think that. But nonetheless, it conveyed the wrong message."
The president, whose legacy is sure to be hotly debated for decades, said there also is much he is proud of.
"I am proud to be the commander in chief of people who are so selfless and so courageous that they would volunteer to serve our country in a time of war," he said. "I’m proud when I see people feed the hungry. I’m proud when I’m in Africa and see volunteers helping those citizens dying of HIV/AIDS."
In the wide-ranging interview, the president also discussed his Monday meeting with President-elect Barack Obama and said he consulted former President Clinton before his meeting with the future commander in chief.
"I remember the conversation I had with my predecessor Bill Clinton," Bush said. As a matter of fact, I called him yesterday and said, ‘Bill, I’m getting ready to meet with the new president, and I remember how gracious you were to me. I hope I can be as gracious to President-elect Obama as you were to me.’"
Bush described the atmosphere in his Oval Office meeting with Obama as relaxed and said he offered the future president advice on the transition process. Bush also said Obama was specifically interested in how his two young daughters would adjust to life in the White House.
"It was interesting to watch him go upstairs," Bush said. "He wanted to see where his little girls were going to sleep. Clearly, this guy is going to bring a sense of family to the White House, and I hope Laura and I did the same thing. But I believe he will, and I know his girls are on his mind and he wants to make sure that first and foremost, he is a good dad. And I think that’s going to be an important part of his presidency."
Bush said he plans to return to Texas after he leaves office January 20 and "may write a book" but otherwise has few plans. "No doubt I’m heading straight home. I miss Texas; I love Texas; I’ve got a lot of friends in Texas.
"I’ll probably get back and take a deep breath," he said. Bush said he has begun to think about an outline for the book.
"I want people to know what it was like to make some of the decisions I had to make," he said. "In other words, what was the moment like? And I’ve had one of those presidencies where I’ve had to make some tough calls, and I want people to know the truth about what it was like sitting in the Oval Office."
It is sad that President Bush only regrets are his blunt statements on the war on terrorism over the last eight years. The soon-to-be former president does need some serious time at his ranch in Crawford to reflect on his series of failures.
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