Bush gives final press conference as President

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-13-2009 09:11

George W. Bush has given his final news conference as president of the United States fiercely rejecting any assessment that America's global moral standing was damaged during his eight years in the White House.

President George W. Bush speaks during a news conference, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

President Bush also declared himself disappointed with the tone in Washington during his administration.

Just over a week before he hands power over to President-elect Barak Obama, US president George W. Bush defended his decisions on the Iraq war, the issue that will define his presidency like no other.

There have been more than four-thousand US deaths and many more thousands of Iraqis killed since the invasion and toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Bush said "not finding weapons of mass destruction was a significant disappointment."

Five years ago, he made a victory speech in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner draped across an aircraft carrier after US troops ousted Saddam Hussein.

But on Monday, he was regretful about that incident.

George W. Bush, US President, said, "Clearly putting a 'Mission Accomplished' on a aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message. We were trying to say something differently, but nevertheless, it conveyed a different message."