PRESIDENT GEORGE Bush has made a passionate defence of his record in the White House, claiming that the United States retained the respect of most of the world beyond “elite” figures in some European countries.
In his final press conference before leaving office next Tuesday, the president was at times humorous and sentimental, but the dominant note was defiance.
“Presidents can try to avoid hard decisions and therefore avoid controversy. That’s just not my nature. I’m the kind of person that, you know, is willing to take on hard tasks, and in times of war people get emotional; I understand that,” he said.
“I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged. It may be damaged amongst some of the elite, but people still understand America stands for freedom, that America is a country that provides such great hope.”
Mr Bush said the US remained popular throughout Africa and Asia and pointed out that many European governments supported the invasion of Iraq, but he acknowledged that the Guantánamo Bay detention centre was “controversial” among America’s allies.
“In certain quarters in Europe, you can be popular by blaming every Middle Eastern problem on Israel. Or you can be popular by joining the International Criminal Court. I guess I could have been popular by accepting Kyoto – which I felt was a flawed treaty, and proposed something different and more constructive.”
The president admitted he had made mistakes, notably the decision to hang a Mission Accomplished banner on an aircraft carrier early in the Iraq war and he described the conduct of US guards at Abu Ghraib as “a huge disappointment”. He said he had “thought long and hard” about his response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but defended the federal response to the disaster.
“Don’t tell me the federal response was slow when there was 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed. I remember going to see those helicopter drivers, coast guard drivers, to thank them for their courageous efforts to rescue people off roofs,” he said.
Describing president-elect Barack Obama as “a very smart and engaging person”, Mr Bush said his successor would be confronted immediately with the challenge of protecting the US .
“The most urgent threat that he’ll have to deal with, and other presidents after him will have to deal with, is an attack on our homeland. You know, I wish I could report that’s not the case, but there’s still an enemy out there that would like to inflict damage on America,” he said.
The incoming administration’s foreign policy will come under the spotlight today when Hillary Clinton faces the Senate foreign relations committee for a confirmation hearing on her nomination as secretary of state.
Mrs Clinton could face questions over potential conflicts of interest due to former president Bill Clinton’s international philanthropic work, but Democrats are confident she will be confirmed without difficulty.
Mr Obama’s inauguration committee yesterday moved to mollify supporters who were angered by his choice of anti-gay evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his swearing-in, announcing that Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire, would speak at the opening event of the inauguration weekend.
Rev Robinson will deliver the invocation at an event on Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial, which the president-elect plans to attend.