You can't possibly figure out the history of the Bush presidency -- until I am dead.
That is how George Bush answered when asked how his legacy would be. How history will judge Bush as the President of the United States remains to be seen, but make no mistake, he is Dead Certain that he is out to disseminate a world of democracy. And the "most powerful man on earth" often turned to God for shedding his sorrows.
In a rare look into the life of the most controversial US president, author Robert Draper captures Bush's candid moments in Dead Certain: The Presidency of George Bush, a book that was released on Tuesday.
The book, says the author, is a result of six intimate conversations with Bush. Asked what lies after his presidential years, Bush says, "I expect to settle down in Dallas and make it a home-base for a fantastic Freedom Institute to spread democracy round the world."
Knowing that money does matter, he says he will give some speeches to earn money.
With estimated assets of $21 million, he drew parallels to his illustrious father. He says, I don't know what my dad gets -- it's more than 50-75 thousands of dollars a speech. Even Clinton (another former US president) is making lot of money."
The book's excerpts were published in New York Times. Media reports say Bush agreed to do the interviews "after much lobbying" from Draper.
But the hot-seat has clearly taken a toll. Says Bush, "I have had my moments of loneliness. I cried. Sometimes, it gets worse. I felt depressed about the death toll in Iraq. I've got God's shoulder to cry on, and I cry a lot. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count."
He quickly adds, "Self-pity is the worst thing that can happen to a presidency. This is a job where you can have a lot of self-pity."
Probably for the first time, he also admits to having made a mistake in Iraq. He says, "A major mistake was to disband the Saddam Hussein-era army. It led to looting and chaos across Iraq. The policy was to keep the army intact, but it didn't happen."
Aware of his deteriorating popularity in the world and in the US, the President says, "I am playing for October-November. That is when the troops in Iraq will finally show results to help him achieve the central goal of the rest of his term in office. We have to get in a position where the presidential candidates will be comfortable about sustaining a presence."
But that, he says, the Iraq episode never let him down. The US President tells Draper that he has always pursued strategies he believed in. Says Bush, "I made a decision to lead. One, it makes you unpopular; two, it makes people accuse you of unilateral arrogance, and that may be true. But the fundamental question is, is the world better off as a result of your leadership?"
History will answer that question, not the book. But one thing is Dead Certain: George Bush has changed the world -- for better or worse.
