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Bush Touts Mideast Legacy

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 5, 2008 4:24 PM CST

(Newser) – President Bush is optimistic about his legacy in the Middle East, saying the region is a “more hopeful and more promising place than it was in 2001,” the Washington Post reports. Bush does acknowledge some missteps: “As with any large undertaking, these efforts have not always gone according to plan, and in some areas we have fallen short of our hopes.”

In a speech to be given today, Bush defends the genesis of his military and diplomatic efforts in the region. Though Saddam Hussein’s Iraq “was not connected to the 9/11 attacks,” the war there “cannot be viewed in isolation from 9/11,” and that country is now “a powerful example of a moderate, prosperous, free nation.” Bush also applauds his administration’s stalled peace efforts in Israel and Palestine as a “new foundation of trust for the future.”

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President George W. Bush. (AP Photo)

President George W. Bush walks away after making a statement on the economy today. (AP Photo)

President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush arrive for a Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the White House. (AP Photo)

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America had to decide whether we could tolerate a sworn enemy that acted belligerently, that supported terror, and that intelligence agencies around the world believed had weapons of mass destruction. - President Bush, on Iraq post-9/11

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