WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush gave a spirited defense of his decision to go to war against Iraq, denying he lied or misrepresented intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and saying he acted in the best interests of the United States.
Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Bush also defended his administration's economic policies, saying an economy inherited in recession and battered by terrorism and war was on the rebound. The interview was taped Saturday in the Oval Office and broadcast Sunday.
"I have been the president during a time of tremendous stress on our economy and made the decisions necessary to lead that would enhance recovery," Bush said after being asked if he should be re-elected chief executive officer of the nation.
"What the people must understand is that instead of wondering what to do, I acted, and I acted by cutting the taxes on individuals and small businesses, primarily. And that, itself, has led to this recovery," he said.
Latest government figures show unemployment in January dropped to 5.6 percent and that more than 100,000 jobs were created -- a figure lower than expected but higher than the revised 16,000 in December. NBC's Tim Russert, however, showed Bush a chart showing the difference in economic data since Bush took office, including a higher unemployment rate, a deficit of more than $500 billion and some 2.3 million jobs lost.
However, as Bush said in the interview, data also indicate the economy has grown in the past two quarters.
Bush said he looked forward to debating the economy -- a main them of Democratic criticism -- in the months ahead as the nation rolls toward the November general election.
Bush's hourlong appearance on "Meet the Press" was the first such interview of his presidency and came amid polling numbers indicating continued attacks by Democratic presidential aspirants in the primary season and heightening doubts over ever finding Iraq's chemical and biological weapons were beginning to sting the president's re-election prospects.
A new Newsweek poll gave Bush a 48-percent approval rating, the lowest for Bush in three years.
Seen as hitting the president especially hard were statements by former chief U.S. weapons inspector David Kay that he did not believe Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein possessed large caches of chemical and biological weapons when the war began last March, calling into question the credibility of intelligence relied upon by Bush and previous administrations.
Bush, in the "Meet the Press" interview, conceded the intelligence may have been wrong, but denied misrepresenting the threat he believed Saddam posed to the region, the United States and the world.
When it was pointed out no chemical or biological weapons caches were found, Bush replied, "Correct."
"First of all, I expected to find the weapons," Bush said. "Sitting behind this desk making a very difficult decision of war and peace, and I based my decision on the best intelligence possible, intelligence that had been gathered over the years, intelligence that not only our analysts thought was valid but analysts from other countries thought were valid.
"And I made a decision based upon that intelligence in the context of the war against terror. In other words, we were attacked, and therefore every threat had to be re-analyzed. Every threat had to be looked at. Every potential harm to America had to be judged in the context of this war on terror."
Bush noted Saddam used weapons of mass destruction before -- against Iranian forces in the 1980s and against Iraqi Kurds -- and paid anti-Israeli suicide bombers.
Kay also said, Bush reminded, that evidence was found that Iraq did have a weapons of mass destruction development program and was also working on banned-weapons delivery systems. Iraq had also refused to account for previously known stockpiles, he said.
"I don't think America can stand by and hope for the best from a madman, and I believe it is essential, I believe it is essential, that when we see a threat, we deal with those threats before they become imminent," he said. "It's too late if they become imminent. It's too late in this new kind of war, and so that's why I made the decision I made."
On Friday Bush, amid growing clamor by Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, announced creation of an independent bipartisan commission to study apparent intelligence failures on Iraq and also conduct a broader analysis of U.S. intelligence capabilities given threats from terrorism and rogue states.
That panel will present its finding the end of March 2005, far beyond the November election.
Bush has tried to deflect criticism that the panel and timetable were designed to relieve political pressures by saying Congress and the CIA were conducting their own investigations.
Bush told Russert he was willing to speak the commission about his role and the information he had in deciding to go to war.
He also said that despite apparent intelligence lapses, CIA Director George Tenet continued to have his confidence.
Other issues Bush addressed during the interview:
-- Democratic allegations he did not properly fulfill his duty in the National Guard.
"Political season is here," Bush said. "I served in the National Guard. I flew F-102 aircraft. I got an honorable discharge. I've heard this. I've heard this ever since I started running for office. I put in my time, proudly so."
Bush denied he was absent without leave and said he was willing to produce any relevant documents to dispute the charge.
-- Iraq's bumpy road to democracy.
Bush blamed continuing violence on Baathist Party holdouts and said there were many in the region that feared a democratic Iraq. The Iraqi people were nervous about their political future, he said, because they were still trying to establish a form of government.
"And my only point to you is these people are committed to a pluralistic society," he said when asked about the danger of an Islamist government. "And it's not going to be easy. The road to democracy is bumpy. It's bumpy particularly because these are folks that have been terrorized, tortured, brutalized by Saddam Hussein."
-- On what to say to the families of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and if the war was worth the sacrifice.
"Every life is precious," he said. "Every person that is willing to sacrifice for this country deserves our praise, and yes.
"It's essential that I explain this properly to the parents of those who lost their lives," he said when interrupted by Russert. "Saddam Hussein was dangerous, and I'm not gonna leave him in power and trust a madman. He's a dangerous man. He had the ability to make weapons at the very minimum.
"For the parents of the soldiers who have fallen who are listening, David Kay, the weapons inspector, came back and said, 'In many ways Iraq was more dangerous than we thought.'
"It's we are in a war against these terrorists who will bring great harm to America, and I've asked these young ones to sacrifice for that.
"A free Iraq will change the world," he added.
