Bush warns of U.S.enemies in farewell address
President Bush completes his farewell address to the nation from the East Room of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WASHINGTON — President Bush used his farewell address Thursday to stress that the nation has not suffered a major terrorist attack since Sept. 11, 2001. But the threat remains, he said, and will be President-elect Barack Obama's biggest challenge.
"Our enemies are patient and determined to strike again," Bush said in a nationally televised address from the White House.
Bush, who listed the Iraq war as one of his efforts to combat terrorism, said he understands disagreement with some "tough decisions" he made, "but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."
Speaking to about 200 guests in the East Room, Bush extended best wishes to Obama and his family. The election of the nation's first African-American president, he said, "reflects the enduring promise of our land" and is "a moment of hope and pride for our whole nation."
The two-term president acknowledged experiencing setbacks but also listed accomplishments, including creation of a Department of Homeland Security, new counterterrorism surveillance laws, the No Child Left Behind education bill, prescription drug assistance, and adding conservative justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
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He lamented the financial crisis and said "we took decisive measures" to prop up struggling credit markets. "The toll would be far worse if we had not acted."
Presidents have delivered farewell addresses since the time of George Washington. Bush decided to give his in front of a White House audience that included current and former aides and Americans he has met during his time in office.
Among the guests: Bob Beckwith, the retired New York City firefighter who stood atop a burned-out fire engine with Bush as the president addressed 9/11 rescue workers three days after attack. Education and faith-based volunteers, injured troops and other survivors of 9/11 also attended Bush's farewell speech.
Kathleen Hall Jamieson, co-author of Presidents Creating The Presidency: Deeds Done in Words, said that like his predecessors, Bush is "trying to set the criteria by which the presidency will be judged."
Two farewell addresses in particular have stood the test of time, she said. One of them is the first, delivered by Washington in 1796. He warned the new nation to be careful about entangling political alliances with other nations.
President Dwight Eisenhower's farewell in early 1961 also contained a warning, this one against "the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."
Bush had offered a preview of his speech earlier in the day at the State Department. He cited a proposal for a separate Palestinian state, stronger ties to Asia and efforts to fight AIDS in Africa.
At the White House, Bush — whose approval ratings were less than 30% for much of his second term — expressed regrets. "There are things I would do differently if given the chance," he said, though he did not specify. He said he always acted in the best interests of the nation.
"I have followed my conscience," Bush said, "and done what I thought was right."
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