Twitter
Advertisement

Intelligence failure in Iraq 'biggest regret': Bush

George W Bush has admitted that he was "unprepared for war" when he joined Oval office and said his "biggest regret" during his eight year tenure was the "intelligence failure" on Iraq.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

NEW YORK: Outgoing US President George W Bush has admitted that he was "unprepared for war" when he joined Oval office and said his "biggest regret" during his
eight year tenure was the "intelligence failure" on Iraq.

"I think, I was unprepared for war," Bush told ABC News in first of his farewell interviews that he plans to give to various media outlets.

"I didn't campaign and say, 'Please vote for me, I'll be able to handle an attack,'" he said. "In other words, I didn't anticipate war. Presidents -- one of the things about
the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen."

Bush, who has been a stalwart defender of the war in Iraq and maintaining US troop presence there, said a lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein.
 

"It wasn't just people in my administration. A lot of members in Congress, prior to my arrival in Washington, D.C., during the debate on Iraq, a lot of leaders of nations around the world were all looking at the same intelligence. I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess," Bush said, looking back at eight years of his presidency.
 

Despite failed intelligence and accusations of mismanaging the war, Bush said his decision not to prematurely withdraw troops from Iraq was grounded in his values.

"I listened to a lot of voices, but ultimately, I listened to this voice: I'm not going to let your son die in vain," he told ABCNews. "I believe we can win. I'm going to do
what it takes to win in Iraq."

More than 4,200 US troops have died in Iraq since Bush launched the war after a campaign focused on the charge -- later proved false -- that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Speaking about his role as his role as the "comforter-in-chief," Bush told ABCNews that the president ends up carrying a lot of people's grief in his soul.
 

"One of the things about the presidency is you deal with a lot of tragedy -- whether it be hurricanes, or tornadoes, or fires or death -- and you spend time being the comforter-in-chief," Bush said. "But the idea of being able to serve a nation you love is -- has been joyful. In other words, my spirits have never been down. I have been sad, but the spirits are up."

Bush underscored his reliance on his values to guide him through tough moments.
]

Bush said that he regrets that he was unable to change the partisan tone in Washington -- one that permeated his presidency.
 

"I didn't go into this naively; I knew it would be tough," he said. "But I also knew that the president has the responsibility to try to elevate the tone. And, frankly, it just didn't work, much as I'd like to have it work."

"9/11 unified the country, and that was a moment where Washington decided to work together," he said. "I think one of the big disappointments of the presidency has been the fact that the tone in Washington got worse, not better."

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement