GIBSON: As you leave, what do you think the country's feeling is about George W. Bush?
BUSH: I don't know. I hope they feel that this is a guy that came, didn't sell his soul for politics, had to make some tough decisions, and did so in a principled way.
MRS. BUSH: I think they think he's somebody that kept them safe for eight years. And I think -- and I hear that all the time, people thanking me, telling me to thank him.
BUSH: I'll be frank with you. I don't spend a lot of time really worrying about short-term history. I guess I don't worry about long-term history, either, since I'm not going to be around to read it -- (laughter) -- but, look, in this job you just do what you can. The thing that's important for me is to get home and look in that mirror and say, I did not compromise my principles. And I didn't. I made tough calls. And some presidencies have got a lot of tough decisions to make --
GIBSON: Was there a time when you thought, if I do this I will be compromising my principles --
BUSH: Yes.
GIBSON: -- some decision where you really thought that that was at issue?
BUSH: Yes.
GIBSON: What?
BUSH: The pullout of Iraq. It would have compromised the principle that when you put kids into harm's way, you go in to win. And it was a tough call, particularly, since a lot of people were advising for me to get out of Iraq, or pull back in Iraq, or -- and rather than listen to -- I mean, I listened to a lot of voices, but ultimately, I listened to this voice: I'm not going to let your son die in vain; I believe we can win; I'm going to do what it takes to win in Iraq.
GIBSON: You've always said there's no do-overs as President. If you had one?
BUSH: I don't know -- the biggest regret of all the presidency has to have been the intelligence failure in Iraq. A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein. It wasn't just people in my administration; a lot of members in Congress, prior to my arrival in Washington D.C., during the debate on Iraq, a lot of leaders of nations around the world were all looking at the same intelligence. And, you know, that's not a do-over, but I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess.
GIBSON: If the intelligence had been right, would there have been an Iraq war?
BUSH: Yes, because Saddam Hussein was unwilling to let the inspectors go in to determine whether or not the U.N. resolutions were being upheld. In other words, if he had had weapons of mass destruction, would there have been a war? Absolutely.
GIBSON: No, if you had known he didn't.
BUSH: Oh, I see what you're saying. You know, that's an interesting question. That is a do-over that I can't do. It's hard for me to speculate.
GIBSON: Greatest accomplishment? The one thing you're proudest of?
BUSH: I keep recognizing we're in a war against ideological thugs and keeping America safe.
GIBSON: How about you? Greatest feeling of accomplishment as First Lady?
MRS. BUSH: Well, for him, one great feeling of accomplishment of his that I appreciate is the liberation of Afghanistan, and the fact that girls are in school in Afghanistan, and women can walk on the streets without a male escort. And it's still tough there, and we read about it every day. But I've met a lot of women from Afghanistan, both on my visits there, and women who come through the United States studying to be teachers, or working with judges, the women judges, or the parliamentarians that come through, and that's a -- I think that's a huge accomplishment. It's life-changing for the women who live there.
GIBSON: Was there one moment --
BUSH: May I talk about her accomplishment, please?
GIBSON: Sure, sure.
BUSH: I think her greatest accomplishment is that she was able to lift the spirits of a lot of people, whether it be activists in Burma, women in Afghanistan, teachers in America -- that she came and seized the moment, and has been a fabulous First Lady.
MRS. BUSH: Thank you.
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