Former President George W. Bush said he stands by his record as president on the economy and on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in a new interview.
Bush and wife Laura also became grandparents over the weekend, to Margaret Laura "Mila" Hager, the daughter of Jenna and Henry Hager.
The former president, who does not often give interviews, emphasized that though difficult decisions, he still supports the Wall Street bailout and wars in the interview with the Dallas Morning News:
Asked what he might have done differently — with the benefit of hindsight — Bush listed the same regrets he mentioned upon leaving the White House: the failure to overhaul Social Security and immigration policy.
But he also noted that his presidency was shaped by the unexpected, such as the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina.
"Much of my presidency was defined by things that you didn’t necessarily want to have happen," he said. [...]
"I’m comfortable with what I did," he said. "I’m comfortable with who I am."
Bush also discusses his new painting hobby, joking "some people are surprised I can even read."
"I like challenges," he told the Morning News of his painting and mountain biking hobbies. "I find that charging up the hill is very rewarding — and frustrating. It’s important to set goals in life and have purpose."