Bush: proud of his integrity: Fox News

Dubya Opens Up
Fri Dec 19, 1:38 pm ET

President George W. Bush is leaving with one of the lowest approval ratings in the history of numbers. During his final months on the job, the controversial commander-in-chief has given several interviews that have revealed how he views his legacy. Here are some highlights...

Soul not for sale
One of the president's most interesting sound bites came during his interview with FOX News. He said: "I didn't compromise my soul to be a popular guy." The quote is an acknowledgment that the president is well aware that he's about as popular as taxes and chicken pox. Bush went on to say that he would have liked to have been more popular, but he's proud that he didn't sacrifice his integrity.

And that includes Detroit's bailout
During President Bush's recent speech on the auto industry rescue package he mentioned that under normal circumstances, he would have allowed the car companies to fall into bankruptcy. Fortunately for Detroit, President Bush does not feel these are "normal circumstances." The speech says a lot about the President's belief in the free market, but also speaks to his understanding that nobody wants to buy a car from a bankrupt company. He doesn't have that Harvard MBA for nothing, folks.

From Pennsylvania Avenue to Daria Place
In a little over a month, the president and his wife, Laura, will leave the White House and move to Dallas, Texas. The address is classified for obvious reasons (the president does not look kindly on people who order a dozen pizzas to his house), but blogs claim that the $2.1 million crib is on a cul-de-sac called Daria Place. Mrs. Bush has said that she's looking forward to moving into the new 8,5000 square feet home. Pretty big, but not compared to the White House's 55,000 square feet.

What Bush regrets
During a rather candid interview several weeks ago, folks heard something truly surprising from the president—an admission that he was wrong. Bush said that his "biggest regret" was that he and his team got the intelligence wrong in Iraq. As the Washington Post puts it, "The self-criticism is notable for a president who has long resisted looking back at his time in the White House and once was unable to provide an example of a mistake he had made in office."

Dubya's take on the media
One might be tempted to assume that a president with very low approval ratings would blame it all on the media. Not so. In a recent interview with Steve Scully of C-SPAN, the president said he had no complaints about how he's been treated by the media. Said Bush: "I'm not one of these guys that say, oh, man, everybody misunderstood me because of the media."

What he'll be thinking on his last day
Anyone who has ever changed jobs knows that the mix of emotions can be quite strong. It's no different for presidents. Chief among Bush's thoughts before entering what he jokingly referred to as "forced retirement" will be well wishes for President-elect Barack Obama. Said Mr. Bush: "I'll be wishing President-elect Obama all the best, genuinely be wishing him all the best."

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