President George W. Bush liberated 50 million people and brought victory to Iraq.
Iraqi school children, sporting new backpacks given out by coalition forces, pose for their picture on Oct. 9, 2008, in Al Haay, Iraq. The event was part of Al Haay Day, which encompassed a medical evaluation, Iraqi press conference, school book distribution and Joint Security Station site assessment, all of which helped to establish coalition presence in Al Haay. (Photo by Tech Sgt. Jeremy Caskey- MNF-Iraq)
Bush made this possible by bringing victory to Iraq.
President Bush said he refused to bail out Republicans by retreating from Iraq with the Democrats.
The president also said in his interview this morning that, “When I get back home and look in the mirror, I will be proud of what I see.”
FOX News reported:
President Bush says he refused to “bail out my political party” by withdrawing troops “during the darkest days of Iraq,” a decision now lauded by his father in an unprecedented joint interview of both presidents by Brit Hume on “FOX News Sunday.”
“During the darkest days of Iraq, people came to me and said, ‘You’re creating incredible political difficulties for us,'” the current president said as his term draws to a close. “And I said, ‘Oh, really? What do you suggest I do?’ And some suggested retreat, pull out of Iraq.
“But I had faith that freedom exists in people’s souls and therefore, if given a chance, democracy and Iraqi-style democracy could survive and work,” the president said. “I didn’t compromise that principle for the sake of trying to, you know, bail out my political party.”
The president’s father, former President George H.W. Bush, became emotional when assessing his son’s tenure.
“You can make a tough decision and stay with it,” he told his son before turning to Hume in the White House Diplomatic Room. “And he’s been tested unlike any other president with 9/11. So he passed the test.”
He said political invective has “gotten worse” since his days in the White House, adding: “It’s offensive, very offensive.”
The younger Bush agreed. “The biggest disappointment in the political process, that’s been this kind of bitterness by a few people to the point where they don’t want to have a logical discussion or a civil discussion about policy,” he said. “They just want to tear you down.”
But with the war in Iraq nearly won after years of setbacks, the younger Bush exudes serenity as he wraps up his two terms in the White House. “I’m better than fine — I am proud of the accomplishments of this administration,” he said. “I know I gave it my all for eight years, and I did not sell my soul for the sake of popularity. And so when I get back home and look in the mirror, I will be proud of what I see.”
