In a wide-ranging interview, the First Family reflects on the past eight years of the presidency, including 9/11 and the war on terror.
They also discussed what awaits President-elect Barack Obama and his family when he takes office on January 20. The following is an edited version of the interview.
Larry King: Are you going to miss it, Laura?
Laura Bush: I am going to miss it. I'm going to miss this beautiful house and all the people that work here. We're going to miss the people especially.
King: Are you anxious to go, Mr. President?
George Bush: I don't know if it's the right word. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to feel like on January 21. I've been, you know, I've had security briefings -- intelligence briefings nearly every morning for the last eight years. I'll wake up and not have a briefing and realize the responsibility is not on my shoulders anymore.
King: Are there ambivalent feelings?
George Bush: No. I don't think you can be ambivalent. I've been looking forward to the inauguration of Barack Obama. I'll have a front row seat in what is an historic moment for the country.
King: Do you like him?
George Bush: Yes, I do like him, and you'd like him, too.
King: But he was so critical of you. Do you take that personally or you don't?
Laura Bush: I did.
King: Were you angry at it?
Laura Bush: Yes, sort of. George didn't even really know about it because he didn't watch it that much, I don't think.
George Bush: When you make big decisions and tough calls, you're going to get criticized. During the course of this presidency, of course, I've been disappointed at times by the silly name-calling that goes on in Washington.
It's really not necessary that it happened. But I've done my best, though, to make sure I didn't bring the presidency down to that level.
King: How do you feel personally when you see the ratings and the polls that have you at 25, 30 percent?
George Bush: I don't give a darn. I feel the same way as when they had me at 90-plus.
King: Do you ever get the feeling -- and everyone has some doubts about some things -- that, you know, if I was wrong, if Iraq was wrong, then (the troops) died in vain and I sent them?
George Bush: I don't think Iraq was wrong.
King: No, but do you ever have a moment of feeling where it was wrong?
George Bush: I was worried Iraq was going to fail, not Iraq was wrong. That's why I put 30,000 troops in when a lot of people were saying, "Get out." The surges worked. A young democracy in the heart of the Middle East has taken hold, and, obviously, there's more work to be done.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/...ush/index.html
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