An hour with President Bush

I had the opportunity yesterday to spend an hour with former president George W. Bush.

OK – me and a couple of thousand others – – but I was in the front row.

Bush had agreed to a sit down conversation at the National Retail Federation’s annual convention in New York City and was 20 minutes late.   “Former president’s have to stop for red lights,” he quipped.  “They don’t shut down the entire city when we’re in town.”

Bush addressed a number of personal subjects during his hour long interview.  He made it clear that he was a former president and wouldn’t address how the current president should respond to situations.

He also made it clear that he wasn’t interested in being part of the former president’s club.  “I look to the future, not the past,” he said.   Bush said he spends considerable time with his parents because of their advanced age.

He also said he never second guesses the decisions he made.   “Once you make them, they’re over,” he said.

The former president said his greatest success was keeping the country safe after 9-11.  His biggest regret he said was not finishing the job.  (Those at the event thought he meant not getting Osama Bin Laden.)  He also said he regretted not getting immigration reform passed.

Bush talked about the TARP program in 2008 and how difficult it was for him to spend that large sum.   “It had to be done,” he said.   “We started talking about $300 billion and my advisers came back and said it wasn’t enough.”  The amount grew to $700 billion.”  The former president said spending that kind of money didn’t go over well among some of his constituents.   He implied that sometimes president’s have to do something they don’t want to do for the good of the country.

The former president has just become a grandfather for the first time and said he has the most beautiful grandchild in the entire world.

Needing a haircut, he looked relaxed and his sense of humor was on display for all to see.