Today, January 12th 2009 is a red-letter day for at least 78% of Americans….so mark your calendars because today, George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, used the word "mistake!" …and it only took 8 years! 

In a nostalgic final news conference, President George W. Bush defended his record vigorously and at times sentimentally.

As Publisher of The Lang Report, I am not going to save my Editorial comments for the end of this post but will interject whenever a comment must be made and it will be in italics. SO WE BEGIN…….

Today Bush did it! He admitted many mistakes, from the "Mission Accomplished" banner during a 2003 Iraq speech to the discovery that the alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction that he used to justify war didn’t exist.

NO SHIT!  ….as if the world wasn’t aware of these things. His admittance is admirable, but anti-climatic — a day late and a dollar short…you know what I mean?

It must be noted that Bush did show anger at times when presented with some of the main criticisms of his time in office like when asked about America’s bruised image overseas.

"I disagree with this assessment that, you know, that people view America in a dim light," he said.

Bush said he realizes that some issues such as the prison for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have created controversy both here at home and abroad. He did, however, defend his actions concerning the approval of tough interrogation methods for suspected terrorists and information-gathering efforts at home in the name of protecting the country after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Bush is unconscionable when it comes to invoking the terrorist attacks on 9/11. He must believe that it absolves him of any wrong-doing giving him carte-blanche to do anything god tells him to do.

With the Iraq war in its sixth year, he most aggressively defended his decisions on that issue, which will define his presidency like no other. There have been over 4,000 U.S. deaths since the invasion and toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Of course he defends his decisions and probably will to the day he dies. What else is he going to say to the wounded, maimed and families of the 4,226 soldiers that died for his cause!

He said that "not finding weapons of mass destruction was a significant disappointment." The accusation that Saddam had and was pursuing weapons of mass destruction was Bush’s main initial justification for going to war.

OOPS…..I preemptively attacked another country to redeem myself to my Poppy (father, George H.W.)

Bush admitted another miscalculation: Eager to report quick progress after U.S. troops ousted Saddam’s government, he claimed less than two months after the war started that "in the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed," a claim made under a "Mission Accomplished" banner that turned out to be wildly optimistic. "Clearly, putting `Mission Accomplished’ on an aircraft carrier was a mistake," he said during the press conference.

He also defended his decision in 2007 to send an additional 30,000 American troops to Iraq to knock down violence levels and stabilize life there.

You know….the surge?

"The question is, in the long run, will this democracy survive, and that’s going to be a question for future presidents," he said.

On another issue destined to figure prominently in his legacy, Bush said he disagrees with those who say the federal response to Hurricane Katrina was slow.

"Don’t tell me the federal response was slow when there were 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed. … Could things been done better? Absolutely. But when I hear people say the federal response was slow, what are they going to say to those chopper drivers or the 30,000 who got pulled off the roof?" he said.

Only he, George “The Decider” Bush, attempt to spin the Katrina fiasco into a job well done with  just a few of the unavoidable mistakes!

Bush admitted another miscalculation: Eager to report quick progress after U.S. troops ousted Saddam’s government, he claimed less than two months after the war started that "in the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed," a claim made under a "Mission Accomplished" banner that turned out to be wildly optimistic. "Clearly, putting `Mission Accomplished’ on an aircraft carrier was a mistake," he said Monday.

He also defended his decision in 2007 to send an additional 30,000 American troops to Iraq to knock down violence levels and stabilize life there.

"The question is, in the long run, will this democracy survive, and that’s going to be a question for future presidents," he said.

SEE YA GEORGE….