Greg Hollingsworth

"I regret saying some things I shouldn't have said," Bush told CNN's Heidi Collins when asked to reflect on his regrets over his two terms as president. "Like 'dead or alive' and 'bring 'em on.' My wife reminded me that, hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say." With the end of his presidency in sight, President George W. Bush is now voicing the thoughts his critics have been making public for years. Many of the statements President Bush regrets represent the boldest and often most controversial aspects of his presidency, and in many ways, these regrets are something of an indictment of many of his administrations policies. We alll remember watching President Bush give a speech on board an aircraft carrier parked just out of sight of San Francisco under a "Mission Accomplished" banner, well, he regrets that appearance. But does he regret the statement, or the policies that have led to the last fice years of the continuing occupation of Iraq and the presence of our military forces in Afghanistan? I wonder about his regrets becayse on the surface he appears to regret a few statements, not the arrogant policy decisions made by himself and members of his cabinet that put our military in these situations. The President regrets calling for the delivery of Osama bin Laden "alive or deead", but does he regret the failure to capture the mastermind of the attacks of September 11, 2001? This administration has had over seven years to track this man down, and while they have managed to kill many of his highest ranking affiliates, bin Laden continues to be just out of his  grasp. Does he regret pulling troops out of Afghanistan to invade Iraq, a move that hindered the forces in Afghanistan and is most likely part of the reason that bin Laden managed to slip out of Tora Bora. The President told CNN's Heidi Collins in an interview that he was reminded recently by the First Lady that "hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say." I agree whole heatedly, although it's obviously advice that President Bush could have used six to seven years ago, before challenging Al Qaeda and all of America's enemies to "bring it on." Perhaps President Bush is trying to do some damage control as he prepares to leave office as the least popular President in U.S. history, or perhaps he is genuinely regretful, I can't honestly say. My hope is for the latter, but I suspect, that like all politicians, his legacy has become the foremost concern of the 43rd president of the United States.

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