George W. Bush Says He’s ‘Comfortable’ With His Controversial Legacy
Former President George W. Bush says that he’s “comfortable” with his legacy, particularly his role in the controversial Iraq War.
Bush has stayed out of the public eye since his presidency ended in 2008, but reflected on his legacy in an interview with the Dallas Morning News published Sunday. Looking back, Bush says that he feels he made the right decisions throughout his tenure, particularly regarding the Iraq War.
“I’m confident the decisions were made the right way,” he said. “It’s easy to forget what life was like when the decision was made.”
Bush will soon step back into the limelight for the opening ceremony of his presidential library next week in Dallas. President Obama will be in attendance, along with every other living former president. Regarding the library, which honors his presidential legacy, Bush said that he is at peace with his leadership choices.
“I’m comfortable with what I did,” Bush said. “I’m comfortable with who I am.”
George Bush’s legacy as president has been back in the headlines recently after the 10th anniversary of the Iraq invasion was held weeks ago. Also, the story of one Iraq veteran has gone viral in recent weeks, shining a light on the darkness surrounding the legacy of the Iraq War.
Tomas Young, an Iraq War veteran paralyzed in combat, wrote an open letter to Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney, criticizing them for “cowardice.” After returning home, he became a strong voice of opposition to the Iraq War, but his condition has deteriorated so dramatically recently that he plans to commit suicide by starving himself to death.
Along with Young’s story, a recently-published Harvard study attempted to measure the human cost of Bush’s legacy, taking into consideration continued medical costs for wounded veterans. The estimated cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined was $4-6 trillion.
What do you think of George W. Bush? Will history be kind to him, or should he be a little less “comfortable” with his legacy?
