The 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, appeared Sunday on Face the Nation to set the record straight that he did not go into Iraq to finish what his dad started.

Speaking with host Bob Schieffer, Bush talks about his new book 41: A Portrait of My Father, about George H. W. Bush's presidency, explaining that it doesn't contain many "defensive moments" but, "that happens to be one."

"I guess I was just responding to kind of the gossip that tends to work around the political circles that clearly he had only one thing in mind, and that was to finish the job his father did," Bush said.

He went on to explain that it was not his father's mission to enter Baghdad after "routing Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait." Bush explained that the reason he gives for entering Iraq was the concern over terrorists procuring weapons of mass destruction from the dictator, thereby making "the attacks of 9/11 pale in comparison."

"I went in there as a result of a very changed environment because of September the 11th," Bush said, "and since this is a book about my dad, I thought it was necessary to kind of set the record straight."

The conversation continued:

Schieffer: But you said in the book, 'He was right, and I was right, too,' in 2003.

Bush: Right, I agree. I'm glad you read that part of it. [laughs]

Speaking more on Saddam Hussein, Schieffer asked if Bush was "surprised" when Saddam didn't leave when warned to do so. "Did you think there was a chance?" Schieffer asked. Bush responded:

I really did. When he was captured, I was told that the FBI agent that talked to him, [Saddam] said, 'I just didn't believe Bush.' It's hard for me to believe that he didn't believe me. We'd given an ultimatum to the Taliban -- and I make a point in the book, of course, and dad understood this better than anybody; when you say something as president, you better mean it. Words mean something. And he was very clear at times during his presidency, and meant it. I thought I was pretty clear at times during my presidency, and meant it. Saddam Hussein didn't believe us. I was surprised.

But he didn't. So that's why I put in the book that he chose war. Twice did he choose war -- during 41 and 43.

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