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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Sadly, as \”Sailingwindward\” suggests, Bush will be remembered for all the worst reasons. While he may not be Jesus, he\’s certainly not Satan. Most of America could care less about learning the truth. It wasn\’t the Democrats on recorded TV taking money from Fannie/Freddie, pushing the CRA down banks\’ throats that killed the economy, it was Bush. It wasn\’t the Democrats blocking drilling for our own oil, or thieves in OPEC, or supply and demand that increased gas prices, it was Bush. It wasn\’t the Democrats failing America with the mortgage crisis that caused job losses, somehow it was Bush and each year he was in office was terrible, though the facts say it\’s only been bad since Democrats took control of Congress. It wasn\’t the terrorists who\’ve killed thousands of Iraqi\’s, it was Bush. Of course, Clinton didn\’t oversee a recession, Clinton didn\’t oversee a similar stock market bubble that lead to a financial collapse, and Clinton didn\’t push banks to lend to people that didn\’t pay their bills. Search the liberal newspaper, The New York Times, for an article on Fannie Mae in 1999 that even predicted the bailout!
Someone needs to step up and turn the Democratic Party away from the welfare-state self destruction, or step into the Republican Party with a little charisma! America voted for a continuation of bad policies, but we have yet to see the Republicans step up and do something about their rival party\’s utter failures!
- Posted by JeremyI never voted for Bush (i vote lib because I disagree with his social policies) but instead of the Hooray Henry I expected -and being brainwashed by reuters et al - I found a man who was brave enough to withstand terrorists, backstabbing opportunistic members of Congress and most of all, a bunch of thankless, whiny and spoiled Americans who will NEVER know the real meaning of suffering is - unless they give up their satellite tvs, then whooaa are they.
Just remember…they thought the same of Truman and Lincoln.
- Posted by RachelPresident Bush is a good man. He wasn’t perfect President, but, like he said, he led the country according to his values, and he never wavered.
- Posted by DFPIt’s absolutely terrible the way many people talk so hatefully about the President.
He led the country during a very difficult time, and he should be praised for his efforts.
History will remember Bush for the utter failure that he is. FAIL. The people who voted twice for this idiot owe the rest of the world an apology for what they have put us through.
- Posted by JimWell, I’ve finally learned what a compassionat conservitave is. While I’m glad Pres. Bush was at the helm when Sept. 11 happened, and dear Lord what a catastrophe it was. I’ve come to the conculsion that most Americans are lazy. You’ve got the President whom you want with Obama, wait and see. Palin 2012!
- Posted by Alex MartinezWhat a sad deluded pile of incompetence.
- Posted by ErnestPayneLook, I thought from the start that the war was a mistake. A BIG mistake. But, then again, I really don’t know all the facts. And neither do you. Let’s see if St. Obama pulls the troops out as quickly as he promised. Maybe once he knows the facts, things will change. In fact, I am already quite convinced that they will. We’ll all see, soon enough.
- Posted by Howard[...] “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. 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.” [...]
- Posted by Hot Air » Blog Archive » Quote of the dayI hate to say it but I actually backed this guy early on. However he isn’t the worst President. Clinton with his fornication in the Oval office takes the lead. Bush second. I will however make a prediction. The worst President of all history, the one to declare the Constitution null and void, the one to take us from a free market system into socialism and eventual tyranny will be Obama. With the recent terrorist attacks and questions as to Obamas allegiance we may be worse off. Only time will tell. All I can allude to is my youth, when the world was for the most part, safe, secure and fun…. Now it generally just sucks. Welcome to the 3rd world.
- Posted by Erskine ZimbalistI’m sure the millions of people who lost their jobs will remember him, and the people who watched all their money blow away in the stock market will remember, and every citizen who now watched his or her tax dollars given away to the wealthiest on Wall Street while they lost their jobs, savings and homes, and the family members of the Iraqis that were slaughtered will also remember him, and while the oil companies where making record profits and people had to pay $5.00 for a gallon of gas will remember him, all of us that watched our health insurance increase by 78% will also remember him, exactly how should history remember G.W. Bush, I have really tried to think of anything positive about Bush and can’t come up with anything
- Posted by SailingwindwardAmen, barrett hays. your comment was quite lucid and poignant, and I thank you for being one of the few people writing on the internet who has a grasp of language and grammar. And yes, Bush is decidedly delusional. His legacy will be that of complete failure to accomplish anything positive for this country or the world. He is a shameful embarrassment to all Americans.
- Posted by Zak LeeWell he might be remembered as liberater of Iraqies. But within this country, a person especially who has lost the job, would rather remember as the person whos failed adminstration took away his job.
- Posted by Temp workerI believe that George Bush will be remembered for supporting the exploitation of the American people by energy and financial industry giants. He was elected to serve the American people, and he chose not to do it.
- Posted by Katie Bee…it is my sincere hope that my kids, ages 6, 2 & 1, will never have to live through another age of such disastrous American leadership. If nothing else, I can take comfort in the fact that they won’t remember any of it.
- Posted by Matt FriarJust how big a bead of opium is he smoking? In what alternate universe is he a builder and restorer? He’s got a niche in history between President Grant And Herbert Hoover.
- Posted by Gill AvilaBush was an awful president, just like any Democrat or Republican would be. They take in their bribes (campaign contributions) and listen to their henchman (lobbyists) and then act with the biases accordingly. We’ll never again have a good president or Congress because our country is no longer run by slimeball bureaucrats. It’s worse, we have slimeball billionaires using the slimeball bureaucrats as puppets.
- Posted by Michaelthe president for being the biggest warmonger & for destroying the world economy
- Posted by petePresident Bush will be remembered as the best President in modern times after President Ronald Reagan. President Reagan like President Bush made this Country the best and it I salute the President as he departs. Thanks President Bush
- Posted by Jesus TorresI give him a + on 75%.
- Posted by Jim AndersonI give him a minus - on the two border patrolmen, border security, nafta and the nafta highway also the north american union. Had I known he had these things in mind I’d never have voted for him. Another vote - george, do’nt let the door hit you in the A@# on the way out!!!!!!!!!!!
the closest he is going to get is being remembered for liberating 50 million jobs…
- Posted by andreas