Bush's Nixonian-lite Exit Press Conference

Still-President Bush, with just about a week left in his eight year reign of errors and omissions, described his last press conference that lasted for about 47 minutes as "the ultimate exit interview" responded to a number of questions from the press corps. Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times summarized Mr. Bush's offerings that gave a defiant slant to his often contentious opinions regarding his presidency. Bush was quick to reject any blame for having caused world opinion to believe that he caused America's “moral standing" to have "been damaged” during his presidency. He assumed the role of a wise, elder statesman to issue a warning to President-elect Obama that the many economic difficulties America faces today should remain secondary to the conflict against “an enemy that would like to attack America and Americans again.” Bush showed the American people a range of complex emotions that Stolberg remarked on: "Looking back over the long arc of his turbulent presidency, Mr. Bush was by turns impassioned and defiant, reflective and light-hearted, even as he conceded that some things “didn’t go according to plan.” He confessed a litany of mistakes, refused to talk about pardons, cautioned the Republican Party to be inclusive and wondered aloud what it would feel like to make coffee for his wife, Laura, at their ranch in Crawford, Tex., on the morning after Mr. Obama takes his place." Bush even attempted to show a brighter side when Stolberg reported that: "He showed flashes of the humor that helped elect him, as when he said — without offering specifics — that he intended to get busy quickly after leaving office. I just can’t envision myself, you know, with a big straw hat and Hawaiian shirt, sitting on some beach,” the president said, adding, “particularly since I quit drinking.” Stolberg was most taken by what she described as: "the most striking moment ..., by far, was Mr. Bush’s rousing defense of his record on fighting terrorism. With human rights advocates accusing his White House of condoning torture and demanding an inquiry into its counterterrorism tactics, the departing president used his platform to admonish reporters, and by extension, his successor and the nation, not to forget the lessons of Sept. 11, 2001, and the climate of fear in which his policies were forged." Bush became impassioned and issued a rebuke to his critics when he said: “All these debates will matter not if there is another attack on the homeland,” he said, his voice rising as he leaned over the lectern for effect. You remember what it was like right after September the 11th around here?” he demanded, adding: “People were saying, ‘How come they didn’t see it? How come they didn’t connect the dots?’ Do you remember what the environment was like in Washington? I do.” On the subject of pardons; Bush refused to cooperate with the press's inquiry according to Stolberg: "Mr. Bush would not address the possibility, widely debated in legal and political circles, that he might issue so-called pre-emptive pardons to counterterrorism agents or administration officials who could face criminal prosecution for a range of activities, including harsh interrogation techniques like waterboarding or the firing of United States attorneys." Bush quickly ended that lie of questioning by remarking: “I won’t be discussing pardons here.” Stolberg explained that: "It was the only question he refused to answer." Returning to a more reflective mood; Stolberg reported that: "Mr. Bush said he was not certain why he had become so divisive. “I don’t know why they get angry,” he replied to a question about those who disagreed with his policies so vehemently that it became personal. “I don’t know why they get hostile.” Stolberg added that Bush: "had learned not to pay attention." On looking to his departure from office and his return to his new residence in Dallas, Stolberg reported that Mr. Bush said of his success as president: “I don’t see how I can get back home in Texas and look in the mirror and be proud of what I see, if I allowed the loud voices, the loud critics to prevent me from doing what I thought was necessary to protect this country.” In assessing Mr. Bush's term, Stolberg commented that: "It has been nearly eight years since Mr. Bush arrived in Washington vowing to be “a uniter, not a divider,” with the idea that his presidency would focus on domestic issues like education, Social Security and immigration reform." Stolberg continued: "He leaves behind two unfinished wars and an economy in turmoil, and the wear and tear of the office shows. At 62, he is grayer and a bit more wrinkled now. Yet Mr. Bush said that he had “never felt isolated” during his time in office, and dismissed the idea of the presidency as a burden. Then Bush revealed a dark and stunning admission: “Even in the darkest moments of Iraq,” the president said, he and his staff found that there were times “when we could be light-hearted and support each other.” Stolberg reported that Bush returned to a topic he has often spoken of lately when he remarked: "that he believes history will be the judge of his presidency, and while he said so again on Monday, he did deliver his own assessment. Four years ago, he was asked if he had made any mistakes during his presidency, and struggled to come up with an answer, a moment that came to define him as unwilling to engage in critical self-analysis." Bush admitted: “Clearly, putting a ‘Mission Accomplished’ on an aircraft carrier was a mistake,” Mr. Bush began, referring to the banner displayed during his shipboard speech in May 2003 declaring that major combat operations in Iraq had ended. “It sent the wrong message,” he said, adding, “Obviously, some of my rhetoric has been a mistake.” Mr. Bush said he had “thought long and hard” about Hurricane Katrina, which had become an iconic low point of his years in office. But he did not say what might have been done differently." Bush made news according to Stolberg when: "He also said, "for the first time, that he believed he should have pressed immigration reform — he had come to office calling it his first priority — instead of calling for an overhaul of Social Security after the 2004 election." Assuming the role of a party strategist; Stolberg added that Bush: "predicted Republicans would make a comeback but said he was “concerned that in the wake of the defeat that the temptation will be to look inward.” Stolberg said that: "Looking ahead, Mr. Bush has said he intends to write a book and to work on his library and public policy institute at Southern Methodist University in Dallas." Near the end of the press conference, Bush remarked that he no longer had any plans to make news, Bush seemed to slip into a Nixonian-lite styled persona that seemed to paraphrase Nixon's claim 'You won't have Nixon to kick around any more, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.' Mr Bush explained that: “When I get out of here, I’m getting off the stage,.. I’ve had my time in the klieg lights.” A circumstance that might depend on whether he faces a future that could demand testimony for having committed illegal acts and war crimes while in office.