Accidental Blogger

Yesterday I had the opportunity to catch George W. Bush's final press conference on C-Span. Bush was at his amiable best, displaying the full gamut of predictable emotions we have come to expect from him.  Alternately loopy, jokey, nostalgic and defensive, he reflected on his about-to-expire presidency and upcoming retirement. He expressed confidence that history will show him up in a kinder glow than the harsh glare of the klieg lights of the present has done. All said and done, it was a fun interview – a bit comical and mostly clueless to the end.  (the full transcript here)

Here are some nuggets:

On his record: "I think it's a good, strong record. You know, presidents can try to avoid hard decisions and therefore avoid controversy. That's just not my nature."

On whether America's image has suffered under his leadership: "I disagree with this assessment that, you know, that people view America in a dim light. It may be damaged amongst some of the elite. But people still understand America stands for freedom."

On the disgrace at Abu Ghraib: "I don't know if you want to call those mistakes or not, but they were — things didn't go according to plan, let's put it that way."

On his cocky and premature declaration of victory in Iraq: "Clearly, putting `Mission Accomplished' on an aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message."

With Gaza up in flames, on his administration's peace efforts in the mideast: "It's been a long time since they've had peace in the Middle East. The challenge, of course, has been to lay out the conditions so that a peaceful state can emerge. … Will this ever happen? I think it will. And I know we've advanced the process."

On the election of Barack Obama: "President-elect Obama's election does speak volumes about how far this country has come."

On the burdens of the presidency: "I believe the phrase 'burdens of the office' is overstated. You know, it's kind of like, `Why me? Oh, the burdens, you know. Why did the financial collapse have to happen on my watch?' It's just pathetic, isn't it, self-pity? And I don't believe that President-electObama will be full of self-pity."

On how he will handle retirement: "I'm a Type A personality. I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach. I wake up in Crawford on Tuesday morning — I mean, Wednesday morning, and I suspect I'll make Laura coffee and, you know, go get it for her."

Ah, but these are just George Bush's own mellow words. The picture tells a different story.