Bush grows reflective in Mo. speech

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- President Bush came here to talk about the economy Friday. But during a question-and-answer session after his speech, Bush grew reflective and spoke at length about his time in the White House, which is drawing to a close.

In observations ranging from the lofty to the mundane (he said furniture in White House left him feeling like he was "living in museum"), Bush said he never expected to serve a wartime presidency.

As he nears the end of his term, Bush's popularity has sunk to the lowest levels of his presidency, with his overall approval rating hovering below 30 percent. But Bush said he will leave office confident he made the right decisions.

"I came from Texas with a set of values, and I'm going to go home with the same set of values," he said. "You can't be shifting your principles to be the popular guy."

His remarks drew strong applause from a crowd of some 300 employees at the suburban St. Louis company World Wide Technology Inc. Bush toured the information technology company's headquarters and spoke to employees and the media afterward.

Bush began his speech by focusing on high energy prices and disappointing economic news. Overall, the economy grew at a meager 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008. That was the same pace as in the final three months of last year.

"The good news is that we anticipated this," Bush said. A federal economic stimulus package that will send tax rebate checks of up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for couples will help breathe life into the economy, he said.

"This economy is going to come on," Bush said. "I'm confident it will."

After the speech, Bush paced a small stage holding a microphone, taking questions from the audience. His answers were long and frequently turned to lessons he said he has learned in office.

"It was kind of nice that he's going out of office because he's loosened up a little," said World Wide Technology employee Marsha Elston. "He was more open and genuine."

Bush said his presidential education began immediately upon his inauguration, when he was informed he must choose a rug for the Oval Office. Being "short on rugs," he said delegated the task to his wife, Laura.

"I left the tactics to her and set the strategy," he said.

From then on, Bush delegated tasks to his cabinet members and counted on their candid advice before making a final decision.

"My job is to make sure that the environment is such that they can walk into the Oval Office and say what they're thinking," he said.

Bush spoke in almost religious terms about the need to spread democracy abroad, calling it the only way to win an ideological battle against extremists.

Bush said one of the most striking moments of his presidency happened while giving a speech in a town square of Bucharest, Romania. He said a rainbow appeared in the sky, hanging just above a building where late dictator Nicole Ceausescu had addressed his nation for the last time.

"The rainbow ended right behind the balcony where the dictator had given his final speech," Bush said. "Liberation is transformative and it will yield the peace we want."