Bush Defends Focus on Iraq
Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush share the stage in Toronto.
May 29, 2009 -- In one of his first public appearances since leaving office, former president George W. Bush defended his administration's focus on Iraq despite criticism that more attention should have been paid to the situation in Afghanistan during his tenure.
"I don't buy the premise that our attention was diverted" by Iraq, Bush said. "I think it's false. Matter of fact, I know it's false. I was there."
Bush made the comments in Toronto while sharing the stage with another ex-president, Bill Clinton, for a discussion on global and domestic challenges facing the United States and Canada. It's the first time the 42nd and 43rd presidents of the United States have ever shared a stage at such a forum.
As for Clinton, he said, "We should have let Hans Blix finish, and we should have concentrated on Afghanistan."
Blix, a former Swedish diplomat, served as the United Nations' chief weapons inspector and was tasked with searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Clinton said of the current situation in Afghanistan and its troubled neighbor Pakistan, "I still think it's an enterprise that can be salvaged."
"We need to hang in there with these good people," Bush said, because it's "in the national interest, it's in the world's interest."
Bush and Clinton did not sell out the auditorium of the cavernous Metro Toronto Convention Center, but the star power of the pair sold about 6,000 seats ranging in price between $229 and $2,500 each.
Thursday night in Detroit, Bush reflected on his presidency in a speech to the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan, defending the harsh interrogation of the terrorist who masterminded the 9/11 attacks.
"I made a decision within the law to get information, so I can say, 'I've done what it takes to do my duty to protect the American people,'" Bush said. "I can tell you, the information gained saved lives."
But in contrast to former Vice President Dick Cheney's recent criticisms of the Obama administration's national security and economic programs, Bush laid down a disclaimer for his comments: "Anything I say is not to be critical of my successor."
Noting his appreciation that his predecessor, Clinton, held his tongue, Bush added, "He was respectful -- can't say that for everyone."
"If you don't agree with someone, you can say it without dissing them," Clinton agreed.
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