Bush heatedly defends his presidency
By turns wistful, aggressive and joking in his final news conference, Bush covered a huge range of topics in summing up his eight years in the White House the latest in a recent string of efforts to have his say before historians have theirs. Then the White House said he would do it again Thursday night in a final address to the nation.
Reaching back to his first day in office, he recalled walking into the White House and having "a moment" when he felt all the responsibilities of the job landing on his shoulders. Barack Obama will feel that next week, he said, his tone gently understanding.
Indeed, he was full of supportive words for Obama the nation's first black president and talked of being deeply affected while watching people say on television that they never thought they would see such a day, many with "tears streaming down their cheeks when they said it."
"President-elect Obama's election does speak volumes about how far this country has come when it comes to racial relations," Bush said, seeming almost awe-struck.
Asked one last time by reporters about the major controversies of his presidency, Bush had a ready answer for each:
• On the dismal economy he leaves behind for Obama, Bush said, "I inherited a recession, I'm ending on a recession. In the meantime, there were 52 months of uninterrupted job growth." The 2001 recession began in March, two months into his presidency, but economists agree the seeds were sown long before.
Recent comments
It's amazing that anyone would want to even be president anymore....
Tim | Jan. 18, 2009 at 12:07 a.m.
Good stuff. Man, if Al Franken was half that funny, he'd still be on...
Top 10 | Jan. 17, 2009 at 10:48 p.m.
With all the money the Bushs have and with their political influence...
Rich | Jan. 17, 2009 at 5:01 p.m.
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