You probably won't read much about this interview in the MSM, if at all. It's worth reading in full. Some highlights:
WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2008 – The day the Iraqi people voted for the first time in their history, and the day U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein were "great days," according to President George W. Bush. In fact, he said they were two of his greatest days in office.
Bush said "it was a great relief" when then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld called to announce U.S. forces had captured Saddam.
"The idea of Saddam Hussein remaining alive while we're trying to help a young democracy grow and people are reconciling their differences would have been very difficult," he said. "A post-Saddam era would have been extremely complicated if he were in Syria popping off, or had escaped."
The president said four servicemembers came to the White House to give him a pistol they'd taken from Saddam when they pulled the fallen leader from his spider hole. The pistol now hangs in the Oval Office, he noted, and eventually will hang in a Bush Library at Southern Methodist University, a private university of 11,000 students near Dallas.
"I actually met the guys that pulled him out of the hole," Bush said. "That was a great day. I've had a lot of beautiful days in office, some not so happy. But my best days in office have come when certain milestones have been reached, and I love to share those milestones and those days with the people who actually made them happen."
Another great day, he noted, was the day Iraqis voted for the first time in their country's history.
"When the Iraqis went to vote, our troops from all branches … helped this young democracy take a huge step on the path to stability,” he said. “For me, I don't take that much satisfaction personally from it, [but] I take a lot of satisfaction as a team member. Our military is a fabulous team, and I am so honored to be the commander in chief.
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