Thanks for all you did for us, George

I must admit that I wasn’t prepared for the interview George Bush had with Oprah recently. I expected Oprah to barbecue the ex-president with vicious questions about the way he conducted his administration through some tough times. Well, she did ask the tough questions but finally Bush took the opportunity  to answer these in his own words.

He steadfastly refused to criticize the sitting president, though Oprah continually baited him to do so. It was good to see him finally explain why he made certain decisions, many of which were unpopular with his critics. Included were the thinking behind going into Iraq, his response to Katrina and the circumstances preventing him from acting more quickly, the successful waterboarding of three highly placed al-Qaida operatives, and his TARP and bailout decisions at the end of his second term.

All in all, Bush was calm and connected to the audience, which gave him numerous loud ovations during the interview. He came off as a family man whose political career was just a part of his commitment to country and seemed content to return to private life. His new book will surely be a best seller and I am glad to see him finally stand up and answer all the criticism, something he refused to do as president. He says he didn’t feel the need to answer every pundit who didn’t like what he was doing. Thanks for your service, George.

BRUCE JOHNSON

Sandpoint