Oh where oh where has George W. Bush been?  I realized a few weeks ago while watching a friend’s documentary that featured some footage of our former president that I hadn’t seen him in quite awhile, which I didn’t mind but seemed kind of strange.  Especially since Dick Cheney has been speaking out about the work of the Bush administration recently.

Well, Bush finally joined the conversation yesterday with a speech he had in southwestern Michigan.   Bush didn’t mention Cheney specifically but did defend his decision to use certain interrogation techniques and the legality of it all:

“The first thing you do is ask what’s legal? What do the lawyers say is possible? I made the decision, within the law, to get information so I can say to myself, ‘I’ve done what it takes to do my duty to protect the American people.’ I can tell you that the information we got saved lives.”
He went on to say that he didn’t want to criticize Obama but that he wished him all the best before engaging in an hour long discussion/question and answer session with the audience where he discussed a wide range of topics including his book.

I have to say that it’s kind of nice to have Bush back in the spotlight because 1) it’s a gentle reminder not to let what happened during his presidency happen again and 2) it showcases how much better things really are today, as even if Obama isn’t doing as much as we hoped, he isn’t doing what Bush did, and that is an improvement that can’t be overlooked.

*photo from cliff1066 (cc)