Guide Note

In an exclusive interview with the British newspaper, the London Times, President George W. Bush expressed regrets about his legacy and image. He said he regretted his image as "a guy really anxious for war." He blamed the reputation on his sometimes harsh rhetoric regarding the war in Iraq. The interview was conducted on Air Force One on June 10, 2008.

Fast Facts

1. Date published: June 11, 2008
2. Interview by The Times reporters Tom Baldwin and Gerard Baker
3. Article titled "President Bush regrets his legacy as man who wanted war"
4. Said focus for his last six months in office was to "“leave behind a series of structures that makes it easier for the next president”."¹

In the interview Bush explained that he was troubled about the divisions over the war in Iraq. He said, "I think that in retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric."¹ In the run-up to the Iraq War, he used phrases like "bring them on" and "dead or alive" in reference to the people who had attacked the U.S. Bush explained those words "indicated to people that I was, you know, not a man of peace."