Bush Shows... Regret?

Posted by Ashish on 06.11.2008

Not everyday that George W. Bush expresses regret for something he did...

In an interview with The Times, George W. Bush says that he regrets some of the words he used because it helped establish his image as that of a guy who wanted to go to war.

Phrases such as "bring them on" or "dead or alive", he said, "indicated to people that I was, you know, not a man of peace". He said that he found it very painful "to put youngsters in harm's way". He added: "I try to meet with as many of the families as I can. And I have an obligation to comfort and console as best as I possibly can. I also have an obligation to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain."

Bush also got in a few light shots at Obama.

Asked if the US is ready for a black president, Mr Bush says: "I think the fact that the Democratic Party nominated Barack Obama is a statement about how far America has come.

"Having that all that, it's going to be important for the American people to figure out who can handle the task of the 21st Century. It's a challenging job."

The role of Bush in this election is going to be very interesting to watch. He seems like he wants to get involved. Part of that is probably his ego, and part of that is probably his campaigning instincts. Let's face it, Bush is a fantastic campaigner. It's why he won the election in 2004 even though the climate was very much against him. Bush also is still very liked among Evangelicals and other hardcore Republicans, the type who get out, volunteer, and work for campaigns. That's an area that helped Bush win in 2004 but that McCain is struggling badly in, especially against Obama who has an army of volunteers. But, of course, Bush also has huge disapproval ratings and the more he gets involved, the more he risks hurting John McCain among Independents and moderate Republicans. Decisions, decisions.