WASHINGTON, April 13 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush Tuesday reiterated his defense of his actions prior to the Sept. 11 attacks, saying his administration did everything it could.
"I oftentimes think about what I could have done differently. I can assure the American people that had we had any inkling that this was going to happen, we would've done everything in our power to stop the attack," the president said during a White House news conference that focused largely on the war in Iraq.
The administration has come under fire in recent weeks for possible failures leading up to the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Speaking Tuesday, Bush dodged a question about whether he intended to apologize for the terror attacks. Instead, he said he felt "sick" over the loss of lives.
"I can understand why people in my administration are anguished over the fact that people lost their life. I feel the same way. I mean, I'm sick when I think about the death that took place on that day," he said.
He added: "Here's what I feel about that: The person responsible for the attacks was Osama bin Laden. That's who's responsible for killing Americans. And that's why we will stay on the offense until we bring people to justice."
