George W Bush is publicising his new memoir Former US President George W Bush has defended some of his most controversial decisions, in his first television interview since leaving office.
He told US network NBC that use of the interrogation technique waterboarding – simulated drowning – had prevented terrorist attacks and saved lives.
Mr Bush, who is is publicising his memoir Decision Points, said the invasion Iraq in 2003 was not wrong.
History would judge him a success, he added, but he would be dead by then.
“I just didn’t want to get out there anymore,” he told NBC’s Matt Lauer of his absence from the media since he left the White House in January 2009.
“I didn’t want to get back into what I call ‘the swamp’,” he said.
On the interrogation of terror suspects, he said his legal adviser had told him that the use of waterboarding on several Guantanamo inmate prison was legal.
“He clearly feels that he hasn’t got enough credit for the apparent success of the surge in Iraq”
“He said it did not fall within the anti-torture act. I’m not a lawyer. But you’ve got to trust the judgement of people around you and I do,” Mr Bush said.
“I will tell you this; using those techniques saved lives. My job was to protect America. And I did.”
Mr Lauer asked him of the “sickening feeling” he describes in Decision Points every time he thinks about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
“Was there ever any consideration of apologising to the American people?” Mr Lauer asked.
“I mean, apologising would basically say the decision was a wrong decision,” Mr Bush replied. “And I don’t believe it was the wrong decision.”
He said it might be some time before history is able to judge his presidency.
“I hope I’m judged a success. But I’m gonna be dead, Matt, when they finally figure it out,” he said.
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