In an interview set to air on CBS News Sunday, President George W. Bush told Bob Schieffer that he was surprised to learn from the FBI agent who interrogated Saddam Hussein that he didn’t believe America would actually invade Iraq in 2003.
In the interview, Bush and Schieffer discuss a variety of topics, including his new book, his relationship with his father, and the decision to invade Iraq. In their discussion on Iraq, Bush explained to Schieffer that he fully expected Hussein to leave the country once the United States threatened war:
You know, when he was captured—I was told that the FBI agent that talked to him, he said, "I just didn't believe Bush." And it's hard for me to believe he didn't believe me. It was hard in retrospect, for me to look back and say ... I don't see how he could doubt my word.
As for the decision to invade Iraq, Bush said he stands by it:
No, I think it was the right decision. My regret is that—a violent group of people have risen up again. This is 'Al Qaeda plus.' I put it in the book, they need to be defeated. And I hope we do. It's - I hope that the strategy works.
The interview will air in two segments Sunday November 9, at 9 a.m. ET on "Sunday Morning” and 10:30 a.m. on “Face the Nation.”
