Politics
Out of context: Reply #13870
- Started
- Last post
- 33,770 Responses
- ukit0
Former US President George W Bush has defended some of his most controversial decisions, in his first television interview since leaving office.
He told US network NBC that use of the interrogation technique waterboarding - simulated drowning - had prevented terrorist attacks and saved lives. He said his legal adviser had told him that the use of waterboarding on several Guantanamo inmates was legal.
"He said it did not fall within the anti-torture act. I'm not a lawyer," Mr Bush said.
Mr Lauer asked him of the "sickening feeling" he describes in Decision Points every time he thinks about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
"Was there ever any consideration of apologising to the American people?" Mr Lauer asked.
"I mean, apologizing would basically say the decision was a wrong decision," Mr Bush replied. "And I don't believe it was the wrong decision."
History would judge him a success, he added, but he would be dead by then.