From The Washington Times:
President Bush, in his final public remarks to close out a tumultuous presidency, asked his many critics to judge him on his ability to prevent a repeat of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and on his self-proclaimed purity of motive, while hailing his successor’s inauguration as a “moment of hope.”
“Tonight, I am filled with gratitude. I thank the American people for the trust you have given me,” Mr. Bush said, speaking from the White House East Room to a live television audience and a group of more than 200 that included Vice President Dick Cheney, such current and former administration officials as Joshua B. Bolten, Henry M. Paulson Jr. and Michael Gerson, and such elected officials as Bob and Elizabeth Dole.
The president’s farewell speech looked back on his eight years in office – which he dubbed a “period of consequence, a time set apart” – and attempted to explain all of his most contentious decisions through the prism of the Sept. 11terrorist attacks.
“As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11. But I never did,” he said.
He said though there is “legitimate debate” about such actions as the invasion of Iraq, the detentions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the warrantless surveillance of phone calls and harsh interrogation techniques some call torture, “there can be little debate about the results.”
“America has gone more than seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil,” he said. [Read More]
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