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布什的卸任离职演讲
布什的卸任演讲
Unpopular
but
unbowed,
President
George
W.
Bush
defended
his
tumultuous two terms in
a farewell address to the nation
Thursday
night,
claiming
a
hard-
won
record
of
achievement,
AP
reported.
Reaching back to
the Sept. 11 attacks, when the public rallied
behind
him, Bush declared the United
States will “never tire,
never falter and never
fail.”
Leaving
office
with
the
highest
disapproval
rating
since
Richard
Nixon,
Bush said, “You may not agree with some
of the tough
decisions I have made, but I hope you
can agree that I was willing
to make
the tough decisions.”
A
bookend to eight years indelibly marked by
terrorism, two wars and
recessions, the
13-
minute speech was Bush’s last
opportunity
before
he
leaves
office
Tuesday
to
defend
his
presidency.
He spoke from the East Room of the
White House with just 112 hours left
in
office.
His next scheduled public
appearance will be greeting President-elect
Barack obama on Inauguration Day at the
White House’s
North Portico.
Seemingly
upbeat and confident, Bush called the inauguration
of obama,
the first black president, a
“moment of hope and
pride” for America.
Defiant until the end, the
nation’s 43rd president claimed foreign
policy successes in Iraq and
Afghanistan while crediting
his administration with
improving public schools, creating a new
medicare prescription drug benefit and
finding more money
for veterans.
With
the
United
States
facing
the
worst
financial
crisis
in
generations,
Bush said
his White House
took “decisive measures”
to safeguard the economy.
The
bottom
line,
Bush
said,
is
there
have
been
“good
days
and
tough
days”
during his term.
Self-
assurance gave way to nostalgia as soon as Bush
left the podium.
He walked alone down
the red-carpeted hallway toward the White House
residence.
Then,
he
returned
to
the
room
—
full
of
cabinet
secretaries
and
allies,
advisers and friends
—
still on their feet,
cheering.
Bush and first lady Laura Bush greeted
the guests.
Across
the
room,
their
daughter,
Barbara,
wiped
away
tears
with
both
hands.
Her
sister,
Jenna
Hager,
touched
her
on
her
shoulder
as
their
father
said
his
final farewell.
Bush’s presidency
began with the worst terrorist attack on soil and
ends with the worst economic collapse
in three
generations.
“These
are
very
tough
times
for
hardworking
families,
but
the
toll
would
be far worse if we had
not acted,” he said.
“All
Americans are in this together. And together, with
determination
and hard work, we will
restore our economy to the path
of growth.”
“Like all who have held this office
before me, I have experienced
setbacks,” Bush said.
“And there are things I would do
differently if given the chance. Yet
I
have always acted with the best interests of our
country
in
mind.
I
have
followed
my
conscience
and
done
what
I
thought
was right.”
Bush
appeared
content
—
grinning
at
times
—
as
he
summed
up
his
presidency and prepared
to be relieved from the burdens of
the oval office.
on national sec
urity, he
highlighted his administration’s efforts to
equip the nation with new tools to
monitor terrorists,
freeze their finances and foil their
plots.
But he also acknowledged some
of his controversial policies, including
the terrorist surveillance program and
harsh