President George W. Bush, nearing the end of his final term in office, says he most wants to be remembered as someone who came to Washington and didn’t lose his values.
Someone who didn’t sell his soul to the political process.
Somebody who liberated 50 million people and helped achieve peace.
So he told his sister, Dorothy Bush Koch, in an interview for StoryCorps, the national oral history initiative. An excerpt of the interview aired on National Public Radio on Thanksgiving Day and the White House released excerpts on Friday. The entire interview will be archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
“I would like to be a person remembered as a person who, first and foremost, did not sell his soul in order to accommodate the political process,” Bush said in the interview. “I came to Washington with a set of values, and I’m leaving with the same set of values. And I darn sure wasn’t going to sacrifice those values.”
“I’d like to be a president (known) as somebody who liberated 50 million people and helped achieve peace; that focused on individuals rather than process; that rallied people to serve their neighbor,” the president added.
He mentions his HIV/AIDS and malaria initiatives in Africa, and the Medicare prescription drug benefit as two programs he is proud of.
Asked about his “No Child Left Behind” education law, Bush called it one of the “significant achievements of my administration.”
“We said loud and clear to educators, parents, and children that we expect the best for every child, that we believe every child can learn, and that in return for federal money we expect there to be an accountability system in place to determine whether every child is learning to read, write and add and subtract,” Bush said.
Bush hands over power to President-elect Barack Obama on Jan. 20, 2009.
As he heads into the final weeks of his presidency, Bush’s job approval ratings remain low. Only about 26 percent approve of his performance, while some 70 percent disapprove.
Bush’s decision to take the United States to war in Iraq is widely unpopular. A Quinnipiac University poll in early November found that 58 percent disagreed with decision.
For more Reuters political news, click here.
Photo credit: Reuters/Ho New (Bush talks by phone to troops in remote locations on Thanksgiving); Reuters/Jason Reed (Bush pardons national Thanksgiving turkey, Pumpkin)
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Wow
Is this satire, or is he this truly dilusional?
Values of letting the religious right run the country?
If this was found on The Onion, I’d laugh and say they did a great gag… but ….
- Posted by MitchSo many things to say, so little space, so I think I will just say…
- Posted by steveSo long, George…don’t let the door hit you on the a** on the way out.
You gotta be kidding right? Liberated 50 million people? He is the worst villian on this planet since Adolf Hitler. His mislead America into going to war and in the process destroying and sacrificing countless lives. For those who have not read this book, please read Vincent Bugliosi’s book on Bush titled “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder” …it will certainly open your eyes.
- Posted by ClementThis is a joke, yes? What another wonderful example of how far Bush’s head is located up his own butt. Unfortunately for the world, it looks like Bush’s presidency will live in our memories forever. He will be remembered as a foolish, self-centered, greedy brat (and I’m assuming those are the values he refers to). The world will remember him as a disaster and his legacy will be the downfall of the American empire. Thanks, Bush. XOXO, Canada!
- Posted by CanadaIt wqill require at least 50 years before politicians aand historians will recognize the magnificent work that Bush did to preserve our ver existance in the face of the 21st century plague:terrorism and religius opression.The world is facing an unprecedent danger created by maniacs that have no qualms to kill innocent people for the sake of their derranged ideals.Thank you Mr.Bush.
- Posted by isaac GielchinskyI would guess he will be remembered as the unelected war criminal who murdered countless people in his lust for oil and power…
Just a guess.
- Posted by Watchful FoxI wonder how President Bush would respond to the many news reports that his Presidency will go now in history as the worst this country has ever had.
He believes he did not lose his values, then again no body he knew died in Iraq or Afghanistan. The man has been and is a hopeless failure as a leader, while Dick Cheney and Haliburton squandered American funds for the war.
- Posted by Dale MooreBush will be the greatest president of all time. You will all agree in about 5 years.
- Posted by Justin ThomasI suspect that all people have an image of themselves and feel this is “me.” But in reality, others, outside observers have an image of us too. And the image isn’t always what we think it might be. It is the disillusionment of self, a false impression of who we are that people carry into the world perhaps as a self protective mechanism. Mr. Bush has a terrible legacy, and he did sell out to the very rich of this country. Iraq is not liberated, and the world is in greater chaos instead of less. There is no peace and the forces of the world are scrambling for wars they know are coming. But this is the self deception of man, “Surely, I am not the person they say I am?” Yes, you are, and yes this is your legacy. But in fairness, you had one of the toughest jobs in the world, and perhaps I could have done no better.
- Posted by barrett haysi think he will be remembered as the worst preisdent, libirator what a joke
- Posted by PAMThis Bush will be remembered for being the WORST president and administration of the United States in history and why the world today is in such terrible shape. Bush’s ideology is fatally flawed, inhumane and simply wrong for the human family. The fact that Bush is in total denial over the problems they have created says much about who this failure really is.
- Posted by rupunzelDear Mr. GW Bush,
- Posted by edieYour legacy is that of being the worst President ever in the history of the USA with the lowest approval rating. You have done the world much harm and responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and 5,000 American soldiers dead and 50,000 wounded, many severely. And you pretend to call yourself the “liberator” of the Iraqi people? From the very beginning you were delusional and you remain so. If it wasn’t so sad that the whole world had to suffer for your ineptness and stupidity you would be the laughing stock of the world.
Too bad you didn’t stay in Texas cutting brush.
An American
Bush will be known for being one of the most dishonest and foolish men that ever occupied the office of the president. He is an embarrassment to all Americans.
- Posted by Matt MillerHow about the President that advanced torture, secret prisons and breaking the Constitution?
- Posted by MissyIt takes a interview done by his SISTER to have something positive published about him. Ha!
- Posted by Rachel ThomasLet’s remember him and put him in prison where he and his fellow criminals belong.
- Posted by Brad ErlweinOMG!!! the man is delusional. He says he didn’t sell his soul when he took office because he had no soul to sell. Disgusting
- Posted by susanIf this country dispensed any justice at all, this worm of a man would be serving a life sentence for war crimes. As it is, he remains as consistently delusional today as he was eight years ago. He may fantasize that he’ll be remembered as a “liberator”, when, in fact, he’ll go down in history as the worst president the US has ever elected, whose major “successes” include instituting barbarism, torture, and coersion as our diplomatic tools of choice, and completely diminishing any moral authority we once enjoyed as a nation. His reliance on a henchman like Cheney to run his government and trample the liberties of his countryman is another important legacy that will linger long after Bush is rotting in the barren earth of Crawford, Texas. “Good riddance”, rather than “rest in peace”, should be engraved on his tombstone.
- Posted by James JonesYou’ve got to be kidding!
- Posted by David ChamberlainLooks like we have two turkeys in the picture. Bush wants to be remembered….. but most of us just want to forget him!
- Posted by Karolyn