Bush says he refused to bail out Republicans on Iraq withdrawal

Washington, Jan.12 (ANI): Outgoing US President George W Bush has admitted to refusing to "bail out" his Republican party by withdrawing troops "during the darkest days of Iraq".

That decision is now lauded by his father in an unprecedented joint interview to FOX News Sunday.

"During the darkest days of Iraq, people came to me and said, 'You're creating incredible political difficulties for us,'" the current president said as his term draws to a close. "And I said, 'Oh, really? What do you suggest I do?' And some suggested retreat, pull out of Iraq.

"But I had faith that freedom exists in people's souls, and therefore, if given a chance, democracy and Iraqi-style democracy could survive and work," the president said.

"I didn't compromise that principle for the sake of trying to, you know, bail out my political party."

The president's father, former President George H.W. Bush, became emotional when assessing his son's tenure.

"You can make a tough decision and stay with it," he told his son before turning to Hume in the White House Diplomatic Room. "And he's been tested unlike any other president with 9/11. So he passed the test."

He said political invective has "gotten worse" since his days in the White House, adding: "It's offensive, very offensive."

The younger Bush agreed. "The biggest disappointment in the political process, that's been this kind of bitterness by a few people to the point where they don't want to have a logical discussion or a civil discussion about policy," he said. "They just want to tear you down."

Bush said he is planning to write a book about his presidency.

"I'm toying with the idea of maybe describing the toughest decisions I had to make as president, and the context in which I made them," he said.

"It is very hard for people to remember what life was like a mere four or five years ago. And it's going to be very important for me to recreate the environment in which I had to make certain decisions, particularly the environment of right after September the 11th, 2001," he added. (ANI)