George W. Bush Says He Doesn't Feel the Need to Defend Himself

Reason

Former President George W. Bush has said that he doesn't need to defend his record (some highlights: PATRIOT Act, No Child Left Behind, War in Iraq, Medicare Part D). Bush made the comments only a few days before the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, which he has described as a place to "lay out the facts," something that some might argue should have been done earlier. 

From The Hill:

Former President George W. Bush said he feels "no need to defend himself" over the high-profile decisions that marked his two terms in office, saying he will leave those judgments to history.

"There's no need to defend myself," Bush said in an interview with USA Today. "I did what I did and ultimately history will judge."

Follow this story and more at Reason 24/7.

Spice up your blog or Website with Reason 24/7 news and Reason articles. You can get the widgets here.

If you have a story that would be of interest to Reason's readers please let us know by emailing the 24/7 crew at [e-mail], or tweet us stories at @reason247.

Comments

[Lord Humungus]

You know who else said history will be the judge?

[Bam!]

Your 8th grade history teacher?

[Almanian!]

Hosni Mubarek?

[Agammamon]

Well he's kinda right - after 5 years of his successor his presidency isn't looking so bad.

[Tony]

That is a ludicrous statement that can be borne only of rank partisanship and not factual reality.

[Agammamon]

Really? What's Obama done that is praiseworthy? Hell, what's he done that is not simply stepping up the pace of his predecessor's programs?

[Pro Libertate]

Obama's the best thing to ever happen to Bush, who was a shitty president that history will forget.

[sam the man]

Bush is like Herbert Hoover that way, and Obama thinks he's the black FDR

[Bee Tagger]

I will give Bush credit for generally being classy in retirement.

[Bam!]

Being invisible isn't the same as being classy. He's, at best, not a dick.

[wingnutx]

Again, wait until he's compared to his successor.

Post-presidency Obama is going to be a spectacle.

[Bam!]

You actually make a really good point.

[Almanian!]

Agree completely.

Also - I blame Bush.

[darius404]

"And in keeping with this, I am dismissing my Secret Service agents."

[The Late P Brooks]

[The Late P Brooks]

The fuck?

after 5 years of his successor his presidency isn't looking so bad.

It's like he never went away!

[Brendan]

I'll take this answer over the kind of equivocating, inaccurate, non sequitur laden, gaffe infused drivel I am almost certain would come from Obama in a similar situation.

I'm also 99.98% positive that the media would never put Obama in a position where he might have to generate such an answer.

[History]

George W. Bush, you're a complete failure.

[[e-mail]]

I'm also 99.98% positive that the media would never put Obama in a position where he might have to generate such an answer.

[[e-mail]]

Sorry for my poor use of quotes on the above...the rest of the post *should* have said:

The media doesn't ask Obama to justify his continuation and/or expansion of the most loathsome byproducts of the Bush presidency now--why would they do it *after* he leaves office?

[Gilbert Martin]

At least Bush demonstrates the trait of mostly staying out of politics after he left office.

He hasn't run around constantly criticizing his successor and constantly interjecting himself into every issue going on today.

Unlike the former Democratic presidents, Carter and Clinton who constantly do just that.

[Tony]

"At least" is right.

[Gladstone]

I imagine history will treat Bush like Hoover: as a libertarian radical. This is done in order to protect his successor from the fact the he continued his predecessor's horrible policies. We've already seen attacks on Dubya's nonexistent "deregulation." And certainly drones would not have tolerated under Bush.

[16th amendment]

It's amazing that Bush gets no love from the left for his doubling the number of people on food stamps, introducing the EBT debit card, increasing federal education spending by 53%, starting Medicare Part D which is a help to seniors (how the left talks of the elderly and the vulnerable), providing money to Africa to fight AIDS (more than any other president), etc. Liberals should be kissing, no making out, with the very ground hie walks on. He also toppled a dictator who was not good to his people. As I'm a libertarian, my reasons to dislike him are precisely the things liberals ought to like about him -- all that social spending. As for the war, I did like it and attended some anti-war protests in SF, but my reason is that it just costs too much and accomplishes little, and increases government power. That reason is a little different from the left, which sees the US as an imperial power throwing its weight around, blood for oil, hurting poor innocent countries who just want to live peacefully in the world, etc.