Bush’s Final Curtain Call
EmailABC News’ Jennifer Duck reports: President Bush made his final public appearance before inauguration day with a farewell address to the nation highlighting and defending his past eight years as commander in chief.
"There have been good days and tough days," the president said. "But every day I have been inspired by the greatness of our country and uplifted by the goodness of our people."
Seemingly content with his two terms, he got through the speech with a smile and less emotion than witnessed in other farewell addresses, such as the tears seen when he addressed his staff on the South Lawn in November and even the emotional looks he had earlier in the day as he said goodbye to staff at the State Department.
"I have been blessed to represent this Nation we love," he said in the final minute of his thirteen minute speech. "And I will always be honored to carry a title that means more to me than any other: citizen of the United States of America."
He spoke of the future and gave well wishes to President-elect Barack Obama who will take over the Oval Office on Tuesday.
"Standing on the steps of the Capitol will be a man whose history reflects the enduring promise of our land," President Bush said. "This is a moment of hope and pride for our whole Nation. And I join all Americans in offering best wishes to President-elect Obama, his wife Michelle, and their two beautiful girls."
The president also spoke of setbacks saying in general there were a few things we would’ve "done differently" if he had the chance .
"Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks. There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind," he said. "You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."
Rather than hurrying from the podium as he tends to do after big speeches, the 43rd president lingered for just a few seconds taking it all in and smiling at the live audience before him.
He strolled off on the red carpet laid out in the East Room of the White House as the big brown oak doors were closed by his two members of his staff. Then, unexpectedly the doors reopened and the president appeared for a proper curtain call.
He came out smiling and waving, giving hugs and kisses. At one point his twin daughters Jenna and Barbara engulfed their dad in a big hug.
He left the room with a confident stride and didn’t look back as he turned toward the residence of the White House.
CPAC: Romney Struggles to Convince Voters 
Obama Backs Off Birth Control Battle?
God bless you President Bush! You kept us safe!
You remained a man of integrity in spite of a hateful media and radical left-wing.
This Independent says Mahalo, and I believe history will treat you well!
Posted by: aware2u | January 15, 2009, 10:01 pm 10:01 pm
I have PEBO fatigue! His grin plus his equivocating, obfuscating, manipulative rhetoric is annoying beyond belief!
Roll on 2012! :)
Posted by: aware2u | January 15, 2009, 10:04 pm 10:04 pm
Dow 10,578 when George Bush was inaugurated and it is at 8,212 today. He has 4 days to go, though.
Posted by: doug | January 15, 2009, 10:31 pm 10:31 pm
Thank you Mr. President, I love you and you will be missed badly. Thank you for keeping me safe and so the nation.
Best Wishes
Posted by: anju | January 15, 2009, 10:44 pm 10:44 pm
Bush Legacy. Thanks God, he is gone and hopefully forgotten. Good riddance.
Just one point he deliberately left his farewell speech or his “achievement” i.e he has wittingly created an Islamic revolutionary leader Osama bin Laden. His ineptness, his inaction, silence to the plights of the suffering Palestanians and his unperturbation on the continuous savages criminal acts against humanity by Zionist Israeli left unchecked by him- not even restrained words to his Israelis.
On his final year of presidency he began to realize the need to work out a Middle East solution through his another 3-stooges partner Tony Blair (the other stooge is Howard). May be just to cover up his pathetic policy towards Islamic nations and performing his famous act of inexacitude.
Posted by: wirazuioi | January 15, 2009, 11:16 pm 11:16 pm
Aware2u is not quite aware enough. Did he/she forget that 9/11 happened on Bush’s watch, with some argument to be made that he ignored early warnings? His single accomplishment since then may be that there have been no more attacks on US soil but more US troops have died in Bush’s war of choice than all the people killed on 9/11. And don’t say “you kept us safe” to the people of Iraq. He has created more terrorists around the globe than there ever were before he came to office, making it that much more likely to have attacks in the future. And of course, the “aware2u’s” of the world will be quick to blame the new president, who is left to clean up Bush’s mess.
Posted by: perumal11 | January 15, 2009, 11:19 pm 11:19 pm
Thank God for your integrity and difficult but wise decisions despite the hateful media….
For the good of our country you did what you have to do…you didn’t care about popularity.
God bless…we love you
Posted by: Mil J Young | January 15, 2009, 11:37 pm 11:37 pm
Whew, its about over. What a long 8 years its been. GWB entered office with the largest budget surpus in history and now a record deficit with the economy the worst it has been since WW11 (can’t blame it all on Bush). History will keep you in perspective. Americans, we elected the man. Shame on us for the 2nd term.
Posted by: Busan08 | January 15, 2009, 11:41 pm 11:41 pm
Debunking the Bush kept US Safe FALLACY :
Imagine you have 10 kids …
2 die in a terrorist attack …
3 are sent off to find or kill the perpetrators …
ALL 3 die in the war and after 8 years the perpetrator is still sending Farewell Greeting Cards …
Now how SAFE do the remaining 5 of your kids feel ?
Bush: Sending 4000+ off to die in the guise of atoning for a terrorist act that killed 3000+ while STILL NOT ACCOMPLISHING the very mission set out for in the first place DOES NOT COUNT as keeping the country safe …
I STILL DO NOT FEEL SAFE …
Posted by: Blogger | January 15, 2009, 11:49 pm 11:49 pm
We don’t have to defend our opinions on
on the WORST PRESIDENT EVER,WITH HIS DIMWIT narrow minded supporters.I kept waiting for a shoe thrower.
He passed the bill No Child Left Behind,BUT DIDN’T FUND IT. If a cow gives you a bucket of milk,and kicks it over,WHAT HAS HE GIVEN YOU,NOTHING.
Posted by: pavi | January 15, 2009, 11:53 pm 11:53 pm
Having to wait 25-30 yrs to hope the historian say you were ok,is telling in itself.we lived your nightmare illegit reich.YOU CLUELESS ARROGANT JOKE.
Posted by: BERT | January 16, 2009, 12:00 am 12:00 am
Blogger, I have to agree with you, he is the worst President to date.
Lets not forget that the majority of the 4000+ killed in the name of keeping us safe have been killed in Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11. Afganistan was the base of operations for the almost all Saudi terrorists that took part in the 9/11 attack.
Posted by: Busan08 | January 16, 2009, 12:09 am 12:09 am
Laura had the nerve to say she took offense to Obama’s critique in the general election.I took offense to the following:
the last eight yrs off your husband,people in the Katrina
travesty begging for help,while your husband and Mccain ate Johns birthday cake.Karl Rove manufacturing you in to a fake hill billy cow boy on a ranch,spying on Americans,your LIE to plunge this country into a made up war and near ruination economically,Gitmo’s existence,letting Cheney trying to rewrite the constitution and outing a CIA operative,and your lack of regulation of the financial mkts.
Don’t EVEN think about getting on your high horse,just shut up and GO.
I WAS ACTUALLY WAITING FOR A SHOE THROWER THROUGHOUT YOUR SPEECH.
Posted by: Bob | January 16, 2009, 12:31 am 12:31 am
Stupid people obsessed with guns did this, stupid people obsessed with war did this, stupid people with the “sit down and have beer with him” mentality did this, stupid people obsessed with abortion did this, stupid people who hate people of color, gays, foreigners and peaceful thinking people did this, stupid people who think putting the USA 10 trillion dollars in debt to China and the Arabs somehow empowers America did this, stupid people who think protecting the natural environment around us is not important did this, stupid people who voted for him did this.. it’s up to the rest of the intelligent people in this world to make sure it never happens again.
Good Riddance President Idiot, you did not keep us safe, you endangered our lives and crippled our nation and our people while you wasted our money on your greedy self and wife, lived in style on our money and then patted yourself on the back for it all, and that is how you should be remembered.
Posted by: Good Riddance Bush | January 16, 2009, 12:43 am 12:43 am
May he disappear as quickly as possible from the halls of power. Such a destructive man…in every way.
Posted by: two-cats | January 16, 2009, 1:31 am 1:31 am
I love how all the die-hards (27%’ers) blame the media for Bush’s failings. It’s the media’s fault.
According to them…
It’s the media’s fault unemployment rate went from: 4.2% before Bush to 6.7% after.
It’s the media’s fault the dow jones industrial average went from 10,587 before Bush to below 9,015 at the end of his presidency
It’s the media’s fault that families living in poverty were: 6.4 million when Bush entered office, and grew to 7.6 million when he left office.
It’s the media’s fault americans without health INSURANCE went from 39.8 million when Bush entered office to and abysmal: 45.7 million when he left office.
It’s the media’s fault that the US Budget went from : +236.2 billion to a whopping deficit of$1.2 trillion
I could go on, and on, but what’s the point? If they don’t get it now, they never will.
In right wing fantasy land, nothing bad that happens to America during an 8-year term has anything to do with Bush’s incompetence. It’s all the media’s fault.
Posted by: AppeaseThis | January 16, 2009, 2:04 am 2:04 am
America paid a long and terrible price for Bush’s mistakes. His personal faults cost this country dearly. The trait of sticking to his guns was terrible. No matter what the facts were regarding Iraq, he chose to ignore them and stick with what only a select group of advisors like Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc were telling him. He never sought input from the people opposing the war.
Bush leaves with the lowest poll standings of any President before him. And he richly deserves them.
Yet, we cannot completely blame him. After all, we did elect him in 2004.
Posted by: beto | January 16, 2009, 4:15 am 4:15 am
He wasnt elected, the election was fixed!
Posted by: TruthSeeker | January 16, 2009, 6:38 am 6:38 am
beto, I never voted for Bush in 2000 or 2004,and for the record he was appointed in 2000,not elected,by the Supreme court.I’ve personally never been so happy to see an administration leave DC.
Posted by: Bob | January 16, 2009, 8:27 am 8:27 am
Thank you President Bush for not giving into the media and doing what was best for this country popular or not.
Now all you Bush haters can dance in the streets and sing praises to the “choice one”.
Posted by: Razor | January 16, 2009, 8:30 am 8:30 am
Who are you Bush supporters kidding?
9/11 happened during the Bush years. He is the ONLY president who has ever allowed our “homeland” to be attacked. He FAILED to protect us. He FAILED to stop 9/11. The country got attacked while Bush was hiding in a classroom full of children. What a coward!
Posted by: B. Thomas Cooper | January 16, 2009, 8:33 am 8:33 am
3 Worst presidents ever. bush, hoover, nixon. All republicans. Something to think about.
Posted by: pt | January 16, 2009, 8:36 am 8:36 am
Thanks to you Mr. President, for all your efforts on behalf of the ungrateful naive americans.
The treasonous actions of the legislative politicians in an effort simply to regain power along with the complicity of the “Press” failed to make you waiver from your and many of our goals: Freedom and security.
Posted by: Robert | January 16, 2009, 8:46 am 8:46 am
Anytime there is a story on Bush out comes the haters and like crows picking at the eyes of a carcass -they pursue their ugly feast. Surely they know that it is Congress who actually sets and spends the money, funds the wars and while the President may request it, they can turn him down.
For 2 years we have had different men looking after our banking and finance and surely as smart as the men are they could have seen something was happening yet freddie and fannie was the torch that has burned all of us and the “gate keepers” were busy taking not only campaign contributions and sweetheart mortgages but making sure no reform was instituted to them.
Certainly 911 took massive amounts of money from the system as did Katrina but should we have not spent money to fix them? Should education reform not been funded? Should a prescription drug plan not be passed?
As our next President takes office he will face struggles along the way, I certainly hope and pray that he at least has an adult or two to help him and that “back biters” are shown the way out.
As we all saw the news about the airplane miracle yesterday apparently the pilot made a decision and stuck to it. I’ll bet everyone one of the passengers are glad that a pilot with the frame of mind of a congressman, was not at the controls.
Posted by: david | January 16, 2009, 8:49 am 8:49 am
Almost kept us safe. Don’t forget 9/11?
Posted by: john | January 16, 2009, 9:01 am 9:01 am
I don’t mean any disrespect to the man because he sought the title of being president of the United States as any ambitious, very competitive person might reach for a lofty promotion. But he’s not a smart man, people who knew him were telling me that long before the 2000 election. We have to look long and hard and think about how someone who was so terribly out of his league could be handed over so much power and be allowed to put us so much at risk. Why didn’t that word get out or why didn’t we take notice, or why didn’t we care?
Posted by: hopesprings52 | January 16, 2009, 9:21 am 9:21 am
Thank you Mr. Bush for keeping us safe. Thank you for restoring integrity to our highest office. Thank you for not creating a dozen “____gates”. Thanks for our military, your treatment of veterans, and your charity toward others. Your convictions were strong and no polls were needed for you to make decisions.
God bless you.
Posted by: Simon | January 16, 2009, 9:24 am 9:24 am
“But every day I have been inspired by the greatness of our country and uplifted by the goodness of our people.”
Like De Tocqueville said, America is great because its people are good.
Good, tough, job, Mr. President. May your successor have an easier time.
Posted by: Bjw | January 16, 2009, 9:52 am 9:52 am
Bush could have just skipped the old last chance to give himself a pat on the back “so called” farewell lies. Bush is the worst president and the most never take admit failure person I have ever seen! The nerve of him to say he kept us safe! From what it is not like terrorist are just hopping on planes to come over here to blow us up! Also, he didn’t keep us safe hell Osama Bin Ladin the mastermind of 9/11 is still out there, HELL he never went after him. Yet lied to the American people about Sadom having weapons of mass destruction in order to control the oil (Haliburton doing that, go figure). Actually he made things worse because now we are more hated and barely can travel overseas without the fear of being ridiculed. The fear he instilled on the American people for tapping our private phone conversations for the sake of control.
Then he had the nerve to say he helped strengthen our economy!!??? WHAT THE HELL!! He butchered our economy with his over priced war, sent millions to New Orleans but still the battled Katrina area is still in shambles (where did that money go or who did it go to?), and the final finally was the over hyped the sky will fall $700 billion dollar screw up! Paulson was a kid in the candy store and Bush got this done without pressing the senate or house to make strict regulations and holding banks accountable. Yet Wall Street was saved but the economy is still sinking on his watch. After Nov. 4 Bush has basically been on vacation from his job. So no need for a farewell, it is more like get the HELL out of THE WHITEHOUSE NOW!! Bush killed America that’s what he should take credit for and nothing more!!!!
Posted by: don't let the doorknob hit ya! | January 16, 2009, 10:19 am 10:19 am
Bush will go down in history as one of the worst presidents ever, if not THE worst. The rule of law shredded. Torture permitted. Spying on American citizens. A bogus war in Iraq. Truly evil “shadow” presidents like Cheney. Katrina. Mission Accomplished. The worst economy since the Great Depression. Nearly double-digit unemployment. Bush added more to the national debt than all 42 presidents before him COMBINED. Good riddance to this incompetent disaster of a president.
Posted by: William J. LePetomane | January 16, 2009, 10:32 am 10:32 am
Mr.President Bush, is a patriot and loyal, work with all sincerity to protect the American nation, as well as the Arab peoples and oppressed by their slave, as the war on Islamic terrorism, which controls the Arab and Islamic world backward.
Thank you, Mr. Bush and God bless you .
Posted by: samimohammad | January 16, 2009, 11:52 am 11:52 am
I LOVE YOU PRESIDENT BUSH AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR KEEPING US SAFE FOR OVER 7 YEARS. I WILL DEFINITELY MISS YOU – I LOVE YOU AND WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY THE BEST OF LUCK. HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR NEW HOME IN DALLAS AND YOUR RANCH IN CRAWFORD! YOU DEFINITELY DESERVE IT!!
Posted by: Carol | January 16, 2009, 3:58 pm 3:58 pm
Oh, and Bush will go down as the best President (american born and everything!) that we’ve had since Reagan. That is, unless the Leftists stay in power long enough to write the history books…… Who knows, maybe our NEXT Prez can be ol’ Hugo Chavez. The Left LOVES that thug!
Posted by: Ben Dover | January 16, 2009, 9:44 pm 9:44 pm
Thank president Bush,you are the best president since Reagan.
Posted by: luuchu | January 16, 2009, 10:37 pm 10:37 pm
He just doesn’t get it. He doesn’t have the intelligence to comprehend what’s going on. It’s pathetic for him and those less thinking Americans who like him.
Posted by: cbs_bull | January 17, 2009, 4:53 am 4:53 am
Thank you for keeping your fly zipped up in the oval office…oh, and for not sending troops to Bosnia and Somalia to divert attention away from your scandals…not too many of those come to think of it…must be thinking of a more ‘popular’ president.
When a TV show is more popular than a president who under his administration has overseen the killing of over 50,000 terrorists, the birth of two new democracies, phenomenal aid to Africans, putting the squeeze on Iran, and not merely shrugging off like Clinton did after WTC no.1 then I don’t think polls mean much of anything.
Besides, people’s opinions are formed for them by the Leftists in the MSM, so we must forgive our fellow Americans who are brainwashed by them.
God Bless one of the best presidents ever and God help us with the next one.
Posted by: Grand Old Party | January 17, 2009, 9:38 pm 9:38 pm
Reading some of these conservative responses is just hilarious. None of you seem to be aware of reality. You do realize 78% of Americans disagree with you regarding Dubya?
Posted by: Mike C | January 19, 2009, 3:52 am 3:52 am
George W. Hoover has left the building
Posted by: Variant | January 19, 2009, 3:54 am 3:54 am
Everybody be sure to enjoy your Dissent while you can.
In less than 24 hours it will no longer be Patriotic.
Posted by: carl | January 19, 2009, 4:19 pm 4:19 pm
You can’t blame President Bush for 9/11. The terrorists were busy planning those attacks before he even took office. Maybe when Clinton was busy messing around with Monica Lewinsky, he should have been more concerned about the safety of our country. People have forgotten how much of an embarrassment he was as president. At least President Bush took action against the terrorists.
Posted by: LR | January 20, 2009, 11:36 am 11:36 am
THANK YOU, PRESIDENT BUSH. I am sorry that your nation let you down, while you kept us safe. You are a great man, and I will alway be grateful for your perserverance. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Posted by: mmouse | January 20, 2009, 12:35 pm 12:35 pm
Long before 9/11, Clinton had a chance to capture bin laden. He chose not to. bush dealt with the hand he was given. I don’t agree with everything that he did, but at least he had the dignity to stand and take it. this current fiasco recession was caused by the democratic controlled congress who took power 2 years ago. Before then, things were good. every president has choices to make. for bill, it was whom to see on which night!
Posted by: catman | January 20, 2009, 1:55 pm 1:55 pm
Honorable President George W. Bush, thank you.
Thank you for your commitment and service and for your hard work.
Thank you for showing integrity and showing strength throughout.
I love you and wish for you and your family the best.
I am so devastatingly sad to see you go, you will be missed tremendously.
You are #1 with me.
God Bless You.
Posted by: LC | January 20, 2009, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm
Thank you Mr president for all that you have done for this country. You have kept us safe. Never mind these hate filled liberals and the press. All they know how to do is spew hatred. BTW, Obama and acorn stole this election.
Posted by: suzanne | January 20, 2009, 3:57 pm 3:57 pm
Good riddance,
The worst president in modern US history is finally leaving office. It is also a typical Bush lie to tell that he has kept the country safe, comfortably forgetting that 9/11 happened on his watch. I am really appalled to see there are still so many Bush apologists around here, with “fair and balanced” comments, especially this one:
luuchu: Thank president Bush,you are the best president since Reagan.
You must be kidding, right ? Reagan is the most overrated president in modern times, who believed more astrology (on the advice of his wife Nancy) than anything else. The claim that he defeated communism and ended the cold war is revisionism and therefore bogus. The Soviet Union suffered an economic collapse in the 1980s, due to plunging oil and commodity prices, which instigated Gorbachev to implement wide ranginging reforms. Also, the credit for defeating inflation in the early 1980s goes to Paul Volcker, a Carter appointee.
Posted by: Nescio | January 21, 2009, 10:05 am 10:05 am
Thank you George W. Bush for a job well done, under duress, with the socialist networks brain-washing half the American public. You and Mrs. Bush and your parents are a credit to this country and are exceptional role models as a family.
And I for one, do not blame you for hurricanes! Well done, good and faithful servant.
Posted by: Fran | January 26, 2009, 5:03 pm 5:03 pm
Thank you George W. Bush for a job well done, under duress, with the socialist networks brain-washing half the American public. You and Mrs. Bush and your parents are a credit to this country and are exceptional role models as a family.
And I for one, do not blame you for hurricanes! Well done, good and faithful servant.
Posted by: Fran | January 26, 2009, 5:04 pm 5:04 pm