The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room » Bush, In European Farewell, Regrets Misinterpretations And Stresses Multilaterism


		KEY BLOGS What they are saying today Drudge Report Drudge banners: "IOU" and links to this LA Times story on the budget crisis in California. And the U.S. says North Korea does not appear to be readying a missile launch in this Bloomberg story is also highlighed on Drudge. ... READ MORE Huffington Post The Huffington Post banners: "Obama's first major military operation underway in Afghanistan" and links to this AP story. Unemployment to hit a 9.6 percent, a 26 year high, according to this AP report, highlighted on the HuffPo. And Jesse Berney ... READ MORE HotAir The Obama administration doesn't see the contradiction between calling for free elections in Honduras and staying out of the election in Iran, writes Allahpundit. And veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas went "nuclear" on the White House for controlling the ... READ MORE DailyKos Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) wants to president but "she couldn't even get her own campaign's scheduling staff to give her enough time to run," writes Jed Lewison. And South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) recent confessions have set off ... READ MORE Townhall South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) Republican enemies hope he stays in office, writes Matt Lewis. And, drawing on examples from other countries, Carol Platt Liebau writes what ObamaCare "really means." READ MORE OpenLeft Advancing the debate over torture is always going to be difficult, writes Daniel de Groot. And Mike Lux takes a look at the fight over a new Pecora commission. READ MORE RedState The press is "finally" calling out the Obama administration for controlling the press, writes Paint it Red. And Moe Lane takes a detailed look at the 2010 election and the ages of several Democratic committee chair people. READ MORE MyDD Mitt Romney appears to be urging Republicans to stand up to President Obama, writes Charles Lemos. And Lemos also writes that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) must think the Associated Press is a "licensed therapist." READ MORE Powerline Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) appeared to open the door to the Obama administration making more demands Israel in the peace process while in the country, writes Paul. And new polling shows that support for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is ... READ MORE Matthew Yglesias The entire committee system in Congress "leaves a lot to be desired," writes Matthew Yglesias. And Yglesias also points out a general thought among the punditry right now: Congress is asserting its dominance in setting and controlling the agenda, not ... READ MORE CLICK FOR MORE SUMMARIES

	• MORNING READ • MIDDAY BLOG ROUNDUP • DAY'S END ROUND-UP

You need Flash Player 8 (or higher) and JavaScript enabled to view this content CLICK FOR MORE HILLTUBE

Morning Read | Midday Blog Roundup | Day's End Roundup

June 12, 2008

Bush, In European Farewell, Regrets Misinterpretations And Stresses Multilaterism

@ 12:09 pm by Walter Alarkon

President Bush, in his European farewell tour, is voicing regret for making statements about his foreign policy that he believes were misinterpreted.

Bush was asked to name the positive and negative aspects about his eight years as president in an interview on French television Thursday.

"Well, you know, I think that people will say he's a decisive person who took action when necessary to protect his country and to address the problems of the world," he said. "Bad points are probably sometimes my rhetoric was a little — was misunderstood. I mean, I can remember saying, you know, 'Dead or alive,' which sent — it sent signals that could be easily misinterpreted."

When Bush was later asked by France 3 TV's Christian Malar whether he thought that the United States would still be a superpower 10 years from now, Bush stressed the need for maintaining strong relations with China, Russia and India.

"I would rather define us as a very influential nation that is willing to work with others to achieve common objectives," Bush said. "You mentioned those three nations, and my approach has been to have strong bilateral relations with all three. We've got strong bilateral relations with China, even though we differ on issues. I've had strong bilateral relations with Russia, a lot of it having to do with my personal relationship with Vladimir Putin. We've had our differences, but nevertheless, we found a lot of common ground to work together on, including Iran. And in India, I've changed the relationship between India and the United States in a way that we're partners as opposed to, you know, being antagonistic."

He continued: "And therefore, if the United States is active diplomatically in maintaining good bilateral relations with these countries, I think we'll still be in a position to use our influence for the common good. And these relationships don't have to be antagonistic. They can be — I've worked hard to get to know these leaders individually so that we can be able to discuss matters, delicate matters, in open and honest ways, without rupturing relations. And I hope it serves as a go-by for future Presidents, that you can have disagreements, but you don't have to have this kind of zero-sum attitude about life."

Archived under: Administration, Foreign Policy, Lawmaker News, News
Tags: Europe, George W. Bush

6 Comments »

The Hill welcomes comment from anyone and will almost always post it whether it is favorable or critical, as long as it is substantive and advances debate.

"… my approach has been to have strong bilateral relations with all three. We've got strong bilateral relations with China, even though we differ on issues. I've had strong bilateral relations with Russia, a lot of it having to do with my personal relationship with Vladimir Putin."

Prezzy learned a new word! Good boy.

Now bilaterally go to bed, Georgie.

Comment by Ralph — June 12, 2008 @ 4:21 pm
[...] Poor Mr. 28%, deluded to the end. [...]

Pingback by Midday open thread | Bloggers For Change — June 12, 2008 @ 4:30 pm
It will be interesting to see whether Bush disappears into a closed community of the super rich or tries Carter- and Dole-like, to create a positive legacy after leaving office.

Watching Bush trying to polish his own bedirtied backside could have some real entertainment value. But seeing him arrested by a former bilateral buddy and tried at the Hague would be down right fun.

Comment by Marnie — June 12, 2008 @ 6:25 pm
[...] Poor Mr. 28%, deluded to the end. [...]

Pingback by Midday open thread | President-Obama.com — June 12, 2008 @ 6:36 pm
I don't want to enter into an argument about the second comment above, but I believe that should read "poor Mr. 25%…."

Comment by Green Eagle — June 12, 2008 @ 8:02 pm
[...] Poor Mr. 28%, deluded to the end. [...]

Pingback by Midday open thread · Real Clear Politcs — June 13, 2008 @ 4:06 am

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Blogroll

June 12, 2008

Bush, In European Farewell, Regrets Misinterpretations And Stresses Multilaterism

6 Comments »

Leave a comment