Dana Perino of The Five on Fox News, and former White House Secretary, interviewed former President George W. Bush at the opening of his library.  President Bush’s quotes give us a unique look into what it is like to be the most influential leader in the world.

  1. We want people to get a sense of the majesty of the Office. – President Bush on an exact replica of the Oval Office located in the library.
  2. To have a set of principles that one is willing to defend, and when I came back (to Texas), principles were still important.
  3. That is important when you’re running an organization and the people who work with you know what you believe in and those beliefs won’t change.
  4. Influential president has a lot of meaning.  Without my dad and his influence in my life I wouldn’t be president.  41 is in my heart…Lincoln is on the wall.
  5. Leadership requires vision and principles.  Lincoln is a great picture of that.
  6. My legacy will take time…I didn’t sell my soul.  I had a great team.  The White House was a joyful place.
  7. One of the most important things he taught me was forgiveness and how important forgiveness was in leadership. – Perino
  8. Our trips to Africa were eye-opening and enabling one to have proper perspective.
  9. The human condition matters to the national security of the United States and I believe it’s important to serve others.
  10. We became pals because of common desire to help others on the continent of Africa.  Bono is the real deal.
  11. For democracy to function well there has to be a vibrant press.
  12. Most opinion pages are pretty predictable.

When President Bush left office in January, 2009 he had an approval rating of 33%.  Today is stands at 47%, the largest increase in post-presidential history.  I think history is proving to be very kind to a man who lead our nation with as much integrity as anyone ever has.

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