Former President George Bush told Oprah Winfrey that his former Middle Eastern nemesis, Saddam Hussein, is the one that bears responsibility for the weapons of mass destruction deception that lead to the War in Iraq.
During a wide ranging interview pinned to the release of the President's memoirs, Oprah asked Bush if he felt that intelligence had mislead him during his search for weapons of mass destruction. It was a question prompted by a chapter in his book, Decision Points, where Bush discusses his process of dealing with the reality that Saddaam never possessed the artillery to pose a threat, but he does not concede that the actions were a mistake.
"Listen, it was Saddam Hussein who deceived the people," Bush told Oprah after defending his intelligence team's information . He went on to explain that Saddam had misled his own Iraqi administration to the point that even they were in the dark about the country's weapons program. Oprah then asked him if that intelligence was worth the lives of 4,000 soldiers.
"It weighs heavily on me at night," Bush said. "It gave me a sickening feeling."
Oprah also asked Bush about his one-time drinking problem, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina during the appearance, which was taped two weeks ago.
His stop on the Oprah Winfrey Show, was the second on his book tour. Last night NBC aired Bush's interview with Matt Lauer.
Since passing the Presidential baton over to Obama, Bush has remained quiet and out of the spotlight not even surfacing for the midterm elections. Many speculate that it is all part of a strategy to restore his public image and secure his legacy in history. Only time will tell though.
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One thing the Former President is making abundantly clear on his tour is that he is not going to comment on Obama's presidency or speculate on who will be running on the Republican ticket in 2012.
"I am not a political pundit," he said. "I'm through with politics."
