George W. Bush: On Texas, the fog of war and Vaclav Havel

President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush sat down with The Dallas Morning News' Lori Stahl, Todd Gillman and William McKenzie on Thursday for a 75-minute interview on their plans for the Bush presidential library and institute at Southern Methodist University and a look back at the last eight years.

Here is an edited version of the Oval Office conversation, where each talked in a relaxed manner about Texas, Washington and their life ahead. Full Story »

Posted by Fabrice Florin

See All Reviews »

Review

Marsha Iverson
2.8
by Marsha Iverson - Jan. 12, 2009

This is an interview transcript, with questions by three Dallas Morning News staffers and President Bush. It is enlightening for the opportunity to read their questions and his answers.

It is challenging to refrain from irreverent comment. Barring that, my primary sense is deep sorrow that this is a summation of the insights gained by a soon-to-depart President of the United States after eight years in office.

Stahl: You had some firsthand knowledge about the presidency before you became president. Is it what it seems from the outside, or is it different when it’s – Bush: It’s impossible to know what it’s like until you actually walk in this Oval Office for the first time. I can’t describe it to you, except there is a sense of responsibility that becomes like a blanket. I have never felt the so-called burdens of the office. But I have always felt a sense of responsibility. And that’s what’s going to be the significant change when I first wake up in Texas on the 21st. I won’t have this – during the depths of the darkest days of the war, every day I knew how many lives were lost and – I won’t over-dramatize it, but it affects you. And you just can’t share what that means to anybody accurately.

Bush: I’m responsible. It ultimately rests right here. And heck, yeah, if we capture somebody who may have knowledge about whether or not there’s going to be attack on America, we better have legal techniques in place to find out what that person knows. And if you’re sitting in this chair, you want to know. And if you don’t try to find out within what was told me to be legal, then you’ve been an irresponsible president. Imagine what happens if an attack this guy knows about takes place on our homeland, and you could have stopped it.

See All Reviews »

Marsha's Rating

Overall
2.8

Average
from 10 answers
Quality
2.7
Insight
3.0
Style
3.0
Context
2.0
Popularity
3.5
Recommendation
4.0
Credibility
3.0
More How our ratings work »