In the final news conference of his presidency, U.S. President George W. Bush strongly dismissed suggestions that the United States lost its moral standing during his administration, insisting his most vociferous critics are few.
Bush touched on a wide range of topics during the press conference, including foreign policy, the economy, criticism of his administration, the mistakes and disappointments of his presidency and the pressures and challenges facing president-elect Barack Obama.
The president bristled when asked whether certain policies like the war in Iraq, U.S. interrogation tactics and the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had a negative impact on America's moral standing.
"I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged," Bush said. "It may be damaged amongst some of the elite, but people still understand America stands for freedom, that America as a country provides such great hope."
Bush pointed to Africa, India and China, where he said people have a positive view of U.S compassion and generosity.
He said it was only a few European countries that disagreed with the decision to invade Iraq. As for the countries criticizing the detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, he said many of them have themselves refused to accept the prisoners.
Bush said he doesn't worry about his popularity because those types of debates "will matter not if there's another attack on the homeland."
"My view is that most people around the world, they respect America," he said.
"And some of them don't like me. I understand that — some of the writers and opiners and all that. That's fine; that's part of the deal. But I'm more concerned about the country and how people view the United Sates of America."
'Mission Accomplished' slogan a mistake, Bush concedes
Bush was also asked why he sparked such passionate and personal criticism. But he rejected the notion that those critics are in the majority. He said the people he met on his travels throughout the country, including those who disagreed with him, were always civil.
"I view those who get angry and yell and say bad things and, you know, all that kind of stuff, as just a very few people in the country," Bush said.
"I don't 'see how you can get back home in Texas and look in the mirror and be proud of what I see if I allowed the loud voices, the loud critics, to prevent me from doing what I thought was necessary to protect this country."
Bush also listed a number of mistakes he believed occurred under his watch, including putting the slogan "Mission Accomplished" on an aircraft carrier shortly after Saddam Hussein was toppled from power. He also cited his attempt to reform social security immediately rather than focusing on reforming immigration.
He said the revelation of U.S. abuses at the Abu Ghraib detention camp in Iraq was a "huge disappointment" and not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was a "significant disappointment."
Bush referred to the enormous weight on president-elect Barack Obama, describing what it might feel like on Jan. 20 when, after taking the oath of office, he enters the Oval Office for the first time as president.
"There'll be a moment when the responsibility of the president lands squarely on his shoulders," Bush said.
He said the biggest security threat facing Obama will be another attack on the United States.
"That will be the major threat," Bush said. "I wish that I could report that's not the case, but there's still an enemy out there that would like to inflict damage on America — on Americans."
