George W. Bush Reveals His Biggest Failure Was Not Privatizing Social Security
Former President George W. Bush signaled on Thursday that he sees not reforming Social Security as his greatest failure from the eight years he served in the White House, the Chicago Tribune reports. In 2005, the president unsuccessfully tried to partially privatize Social Security.
The unpopular Republican leader made the suggestion while speaking at a trade conference in the Windy City, where he discussed his legacy and also offered a glimpse into what readers can expect from his forthcoming memoir, Decision Points.
“I would like to be remembered as a guy who had a set of priorities, and was willing to live by those priorities,” explained Bush. “In terms of accomplishments, my biggest accomplishment is that I kept the country safe amidst a real danger.”
Bush poked fun at himself in addressing how his thoughts will be delivered in his memoir.
“I have written a book,” he said. “This will come as quite a shock to some. They didn’t think I could read, much less write.”
With the 2010 midterm election just weeks away, it’s possible that the comments from the former president may leave some members of the GOP community a bit uneasy. Over the summer, it was reported that the release date for Bush’s memoir — November 9 — had Republicans concerned that the timing could hurt the party’s chances at the polls.