Mr Bush gave a rare television interview to ABC News this week, in which he expressed sympathy for the victims of the recession and lamented intelligence failures before the Iraq war.
On Sunday February 8th, Mr Bush made a rare, hour-long appearance on a Sunday talk show, in which he was grilled about his decision to invade Iraq and the absence of the expected weapons of mass destruction.
With rare exceptions (George W. Bush's administration), the United States tends to be more deliberate and reactive in the projection of its military power because it has greater discretion.