mr. bush's new book. if mr. mcconnell does end up denying this, he will have to effectively call george w. bush a liar to do so. as the courier-journal puts it in their editorial unless he is prepared to call a former president of his own party a liar, mr. mcconnell has a choice, he can admit that he did not actually believe the iraq mission was vital to american security regardless of what he said at the time, or he can explain why the fortunes of the republican party are of greater importance than the safety of the united states." again, that's mr. mcconnell's hometown paper. the initial reaction on our staff to finding this thing about mitch mcconnell in george w. bush's book is right at the beginning of a chapter. sort of a showcase moment in the book. the initial reaction of this was, ooh, george w. bush is throwing mitch mcconnell under the bus using and abusing mcconnell to show that he, george w. bush, didn't bow to craven politics of people like mitch mcconnell. but with mr. mcconnell -- so if you think

mr. bush>> a hell of an answer it is. michael moore, it's a pleasure to have you back. >> it's nice that you're still here. please don't leave. >> good to see you, my friend. wish i were in the book. michelle backman is thrown under the bus by fox and the symbolic leader of the tea party. this alone was worth coming back for. >>> ranld rand paul no earmarks? the tweet of the day from one of my twitter friends. jaketapper of abc news. congrats to keith olbermann for a nomination to the u.n. security council. sorry, conan. nobody tells me anything around here. let's play oddball. we begin in poland where over the weekend the finishing touches were put on the world's largest statue of jesus. by that i mean they put his head on. this big freaking statue is now the largest structure of jesus in the world surpassing christ the redeemer in brazil. the statue stands 170 feet high including the golden crown and gives you a chance to say without anybody being able to criticize you, jesus christ, that's

mr. bush> a hell of an answer it is. michael moore, it's a pleasure to have you back. >> it's nice that you're still here. please don't leave. >> good to see you, my friend. wish i were in the book. michelle backman is thrown under the bus by fox and the symbolic leader of the tea party. this alone was worth coming back for. [ woman ] you know, as a mom, i worry about my son playing football. which is why i'm really excited. because toyota developed this software that can simulate head injuries and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest to help reduce head injuries on the football field. so, you know, i can feel a bit better about my son playing football. [ male announcer ] how would you use toyota technology to make a better world? learn how to share your ideas at toyota.com/ideasforgood. [ male announcer ] what does it take to excel in today's business world? our professors know. because they've been there. and they work closely with busines

mr. bush defended his decision to go to war. he called the moment on the aircraft carrier and mistake where the mission accomplished banner seemed to ignore the coming chaos. he also was regretful that no weapons of mass destructions were found. >> apologizing would say that the decision was a wrong decision and i don't believe it was a wrong decision. >> and tony blair, he says that he found an echo of churchill. when they spoke of invading iraq, he remembers mr. blair saying that he was in even if it cost him the government. he has found a way to reshape the legacy and to make americans feel more kindly about him in retrospect. in general, americans do look kindly upon past presidents. one of the lowest points of his presidency was hurricane katrina. thousands of people languished in a flooded new orleans, mr. bush was attacked by kanye west. >> george bush does not like black people. >> he called me a racist. i resented this. this is not true. >> they were around the block for the book. mr.

president, mrs. bush, mr. and more honor to serve as the chair of the george w. bush institute board. on behalf of my fellow institute of board members, the advisory board looks forward to continuing the great work that has already begun under the excellent leadership of jim glassman. i want you to know that the institute looks forward to continuing to be a place where smu students feel welcome to, where they can participate in the work of the institute, and where faculty from smu, from around the country, scholars and practitioners from all over the world, can come together to explore powerful ideas, and to find ways to put them into action. the hallmark of the presidency of george w. bush was the fundamental bedrock belief in the inherent works of every individual. and because every individual is worthy, every individual deserves to live in feedom. the president and mrs. bush believed that america had a special responsibility to use its power an its generosity and its compassion, to advance freedom for those

mr. bush's book tour, which is as close as i'm going to get to an interview with him. >>> next on this show, sarah palin's cookie offenses. it's crumb-y. sorry. [ gobble, gobble ] [ female announcer ] great wine, great price, gobble it up. [ gobble, gobble ]

he was one of the world's most active black market arms traders mr bush denies any wrongdoing and says he has only engaged in perfectly legal aircraft sales he was detained in thailand as a result of a sting operation carried out by americans as for the upcoming trial here in the u.s. back in august when boot heard a thai court decision to axe or die him he said he would face trial in the u.s. and win it while that will be an is a task considering all the labels that the u.s. is tackling with you know merchant of das lord of war we've heard so many of them henri we've got some strong reaction so far coming out of moscow tell us what are officials here saying about the extradition of victimhood. well russian diplomats say first of all russian diplomats say they need an immediate access to vic that a boat and who is a russian citizen of course they hope his rights will be respected and for two years russia and the u.s. have been in a tug of war over his extradition the u.s. believes is evil in the stock violence by selling arms to war as a war regional war torn region regions like liberi

since leaving the white house nearly two years ago, mr. bush has largely kept out of the public eye. but, with the release of his memoir, the former president has re-emerged on the national stage just as republicans stage a resurgence in the congress. the media blitz to promote the book kicked off last night in an interview with matt lauer of nbc news. the interview, like the book, focused on key decisions mr. bush made as president and in his personal life. among them, a defining moment of his presidency-- his remarks at ground zero in new york city, in the days just after the september 11 attack. >> i mean, it was like you're walking into hell. and i got down to the bottom of the... into the area there. and there was a palpable sense of revenge and anger. and, you know, i'm trying to be the comforter, and these guys are looking at me like, "are you going to go get these guys or not?" >> they're calling you "george..." >> that's right. it was just fine. i mean... >> yeah, not "mr. president"-- "george." >> it was "george." "get 'em, george," y

but in the end mr. bushsaid he realized he could trust cheney and decided to keep him as vice president. >>> now the other big stories of the day. that terror plot involving cargo planes is now raising some troubling new questions about a fiery u.p.s. plane crash two months ago. martha raddatz has learned what was on that plane when it went down. >> reporter: it has always been a mystery. now even more so. the 747 u.p.s. plane took off from dubai on september 3rd. just 25 minutes into the flight, pilots noticed smoke and a fire indicator in the cargo area. the plane turned back, but crashed before reaching the airport. the initial investigation indicated lithium batteries on board may have ignited. although no one could determine how. abc news has learned there were packages from yemen on board the flight, although they were not thought to be in the same area where the fire began. but many questions remain, and one official told me, we may never know what happened. in yemen, thousands of yemeni forces were l

mr. bush making waterboarding alleged torture a major deal. >> george w. bush was lying when he said we don't torture. this not a matter of suggestive opinion. our country executed japanese soldiers who waterboarded american p.o.w.s. we executed them for the same crime that we are now committing ourselves. >> the american government is allowing torture. it comes from the president all the way down. >> anyone that is water boared will admit to anything because you basically keep killing that person. >> it's drowning. it gives you the complete sensation that you are drowning. you give me a waterboard dick cheney in one hour, and i will have him con face to the sharon tate murders. >> bill: ironically president obama has not suspended coerced interrogation of terrorists he just orders it done by non-americans overseas. the danger from jihadists continue to be enormous and some of these people have to be broken. i don't understand the moral dilemma here. self-defense is self-defense. legally you c

ahead of the release of his memoirs today, mr. bushat down with matt lauer for a frank conversation about some of the most controversial issues he faced. among them, the search for weapons of mass destruction. >> your words, no one was more sickened or angry than i was when we didn't find weapons of mass destruction. you still have a sickening feeling when you think about it. >> i do. >> was there ever any consideration of apologizing to the american people? >> i mean, apologizing would basically say the decision was a wrong decision. and i don't believe it was the wrong decision. >> the former president also seemed eager to talk about one of the most contentious issues of his presidency, torture, specifically, waterboarding. >> i said to our team, are the techniques legal? and a legal team says, yes, they are, and i said, use them. >> why is waterboarding legal, in your opinion? >> because the lawyer said it was legal. it didn't fall within the anti-torture act. i'm not a lawyer, but you have to trust the judgment of people around you

he talked to president and mrs. busheir new home in texas. >> reporter: it turns out that on january 20, 2009, no one was more ready for george w. bush to move on than mr. bush himself. >> the last i saw both of you i was on the ground at andrews. you were walking up the stairs. at what point on that trip did you look at each other and say, my goodness gracious, it's over. >> to me it ended right then. >> reporter: immediately? you mean as you're taking off from the capital to get to andrews you know it's over. >> it's over and we're starting a new chapter in our life. it's clear to me. we had given it our all and we were headed home. >> reporter: home to texas where george bush is still a favorite son. i know that you are very happy to be back here. >> living what i call the after life in the state that george calls the promised land? >> reporter: the after life in the promised land. turns out it's dallas and now. >> that's right. >> i think the title of this wall should be george and laura are blessed with great family

mr. bush finds himself in an involving -- the balding place in american society. -- evolving place in american society. caller: he has put on his tan gallon hat and said, you are damn right i was for waterboarding. people on the right will think, oh, wow, he is a big guy. they still believe that nixon did not commit a crime. our problem was bush. he sent 4000 troops -- i am surprised there are not people protesting that their kids died. he sent them to the wrong country to fight a war. he should be tried for treason. he is just dog meat. host: thank you for call. the book is called "decision points." the area code is 202. 737-0002 democrats. 737-0001 republicans. one of our twitter comments: bush gave the u.s. some of the republican ideology that destroyed u.s. like regulation of wall street and banks. look how well that worked. caller: i think george w. bush will go down in history as the worst president ever. he was the beginning of the end of america. i think intellect will be determined on

mr. bush's administration saw more job creation than did mr. clinton's? actually, no. or so. wrong by 2000%. the eight years of president bill clinton, the country netted 22.7 million jobs. the policy argument for the bush tax cuts is pretty weak tea, almost nonexistence. it's far more illuminating to understand the bush tax cuts not as an attempt at job creation but as one among many examples of what political scientist, jeffrey winters calls, the income defense industry. the average american household income after taxes from 1979 to 2006. in the 27 years, the poorest 20% of american workers saw an 11% rise in average annual income. in comparison, what did the top 1% see? a 256% bump from somewhere below $400,000 to 1.2 million. the hallmark feature of the american economy over the past three decades is rising in equality and a larger and larger share of national income being captured by a smaller group of extremely wealthy people. in response to this, bush, the entire gop and some democrats propose extending tax policies that exacerbate rather than mitigate the proble

yokohama in japan and we have close ties with thailand now what's happened with this gentleman with mr bush i think should be. you know should be discussed by lawyers it should be discussed by diplomats it should be discussed in a quiet manner and mr bush should answer all the questions of the court of the. questions which to my mind will not be easy i just want to add that foreign minister lavrov called it a call to what happened with boot absolutely illegal and then under and president did pressure from the united states and i should say that presidential advisor sergei p. which has said that russia does not want to justify mr. but before the investigation is over and before he answers all the questions of the court ok movie gives meeting with a comedy prior to the produce summit in lisbon russia has had to stop the s. three hundred sales to that we've actually caught all our diaz in the other the military sector will do you think that there is a chance that the three hundreds may may go back to the region as a retaliation as russia's response to to to well to what happened in thailand wh

mr. bushhis new memoir, "decision points," that he considered such a move to demonstrate that he was in charge. the two men discussed the idea over lunch. then, mr. bush decided to stick with cheney because he trusted his steady hand. >>> there are new questions, this morning, about the ability of iraqi security forces to protect baghdad. this all comes after a series of coordinated attacks across the capital killed at least 76 people and injured 200 more. the blast, at least 13 separate attacks, came just 2 days after gunmen in baghdad held a christian congregation hostage in a siege that ended with 58 people dead. >>> asian stocks are moving higher this morning. markets are closed in japan for a holiday. but hong kong's hang seng is surging. in london, the ftse climbed 1% today. on wall street, the dow gained 64 points yesterday. the nasdaq jumped 28 points, closing at its highest level in more than 2 years. >>> investors will be waiting on word from the federal reserve this afternoon. the c

president, mrs. bush, mr. vice president, and my fellow members here, i could not be more delighted to be with you, and more honor to serve as the chair of the george w. bush institute board. on behalf of my fellow institute of board members, the advisory board looks forward to continuing the great work that has already begun under the excellent leadership of jim glassman. i want you to know that the institute looks forward to continuing to be a place where smu students feel welcome to, where they can participate in the work of the institute, and where faculty from smu, from around the country, scholars and practitioners from all over the world, can come together to explore powerful ideas, and to find ways to put them into action. the hallmark of the presidency of george w. bush was the fundamental bedrock belief in the inherent works of every individual. and because every individual is worthy, every individual deserves to live in freedom. the president and mrs. bush believed that america had a special responsi

mr. bushas no shame in admitting he personally authorized so called waterboarding, considered torture in this country, to interrogate terror suspects. there might have been further wars. mr. bush ordered the pentagon to plan an attack on iran's nuclear facilities. i directed the pentagon to study what will be necessary for a strike. military action would always be on the table. but it would be my last resort. bush also acknowledges he took too long to make decisions over the disaster that parolized new orleans after hurricane katrina. how will history judge the term of this most controversial president? >> he seems aware throughout this book that he's not well-regarded. >> yeah, sure. >> and that's why he's written it. he's trying to get his version out there. history will judge whether this is the version that will eventually be the authorized version or something else. but he's very, very conscious in this book of the fact that he's not a well-liked man in many other places. >> sure. >> were

president, mrs. bush, mr. and more honor to serve as the chair of the george w. bush institute board. on behalf of my fellow institute of boa members, the advisory board looks forward to continuing the great work that has already begun under the excellent leadership of jim glassman. i want you to know that the institute looks forward to continuing to be a place where smu students feel welcome to, where they can participate in the work othe institute, and where faculty from smu, from around the country, scholars and practitioners from all over the world, can come together to explore powerful ideas, and to find ways to put them into action. the hallmark of the presidency of george w. bush was the fundamental bedrock belief in the inherent works of every individual. and because every individual s worthy, every individual deserves to live in freedom. the president and mrs. bush believed that america had a special responsibility to use its power and its generosity and its compassion, to advance freedom for those at

on top of that, mr. bush says his anti-abortion views were shaped after his mother, barbara, showed him the fetus she had miscarried. there will be more on the president later today on "the oprah winfrey show." >>> yesterday, oprah winfrey broadcast her interview with michael jackson's mother and three children. 13-year-old prince and 12-year-old paris, talked about their favorite memories with jackson and said he was just, quote, a normal dad. when oprah asked what paris missed most about her father, she said everything. >> i felt like no one understands what a good father he was. i would say he was the best cook ever. >> a cook? really? >> yeah. everyone's all, a cook? like they're surprised to hear it. >> yes, i am. >> he was just a normal dad. except he was the best dad. >> oprah also spoke to katherine jackson, michael's mother, who says she believes her son was addicted to painkillers and plastic surgery. saying at one point, his nose was so thin, it looked like a toothpick. katherine also said she's no

he was one of the world's most active black market arms traders mr bush denies any wrongdoing and says he has only engaged in perfectly legal aircraft sales russian diplomats say they need an immediate access to fix the ports they hope his rights will be respected and for two years russian the u.s. have been in a tug of war over his extradition the u.s. believes is evil yes stoked violence by selling arms to war torn region regions like liberia's syria leone afghanistan sudan and so long russia is also believed the u.s. managed to get both extradited from thailand by putting unprecedented political pressure on the government and judicial authorities of the country where the sheriff dupnik you despite two rulings in thailand's criminal court saying victor boots guilty was not proven to be the government has still decided to hand him over to the u.s. like consider this unprecedented political pressure on the legal process and on thailand's government this is an example of striking injustice we as a state will continue to give all necessary support to boot as a russian citizen. actually m

is being held in solitary confinement at the metropolitan correctional center in lower manhattan mr bush has also left his wife relocated to the u.s. here to new york to be with him his wife of course has been in thailand by his side more than two years proclaiming her husband's innocence now mr bush stood before a federal judge and the judge had read out the charges from mr booth pled not guilty on all of the charges when the u.s. attorney however was addressing the press in new york speaking for about ten to fifteen minutes about the case that they are building against mr victor boot the russian businessman and outlining specifically the charges let's take a listen to what he had to say now stands charged in this district the southern district of new york with four charges. one conspiring to kill united states nationals two conspiring to kill united states officers and employees three conspiring to use and acquire anti-aircraft missiles and for conspiring to provide material support to the fark what's interesting to note and to underscore is that during this press conference the us att

would mr. bush take on that kind of role again? sked his former communications director, nicole wallace. a lot of people, i think even on the left, thought george w. bush might be the adult to do that. because even someone who served through the most politicized times, he was a person who was a sort of voice of reason against islamophobia on the right and the left and the center and he didn't do it. and there isn't anybody else who rose up to do that. do you have any insight as to why he's not? >> look, i think that would have been a great place to hear his voice for the first time since leaving the presidency, and i think we'll get to see -- you know, his book comes out soon and i hope he's asked about that, because he was an incredible voice. >> mr. bush was asked about it on his book tour this morning on the "today" show and he pointedly and with what struck me as a strange tone of anger and dismissiveness in his voice, pointedly declined to step up, declined to step up and be a voice of reason on this issue again, like he had in

. >>> better keep that book tour domestic, mr. bush. boris johnson, mayor of london writes the former president is at engine wen risk of being arrested for war crimes even in wales. the next moment, click, some embarrassed member of the welsh could walk on stage, place some handcuffs on the former leader of the free world and take him away to be charged. >>> here, counterterrorism authorities are too busy arresting a florida step dance team. dressed in camo oor, hoofing it through the lincoln tunnel because their van was stuck in traffic and they were late for a tv show! thank god they didn't try to fly. all the news and commentary now on "countdown." >>> good evening from new york. this is friday, november 19th. 718 days until the 2012 presidential elections. yes, mrs. palin, there is a government death panel. it is in jan brewer's arizona. government action which will actually condemn some low-income americans to death was passed this march by republican state legislature and signed into law by a republican governor. it took effect th

as part of the conversation larry asked mrs. bushs question. >> larry: what's your read about snrp sarah palin? >> i sat next to her once thought she was very beautiful. i think she's very happy in alaska. and i hope she'll stay there. >> larry got a laugh out of that. should we? >> just sticking in the shiv. well done former first lady. that was brutal. >> she's always been very candid. doesn't have a thing to do with anything happening in politics today. it's one person's opinion but certainly not going to have an influence on sarah palin. let's just say she was half right. she is beautiful. >> i do think this speaks to the rift here with the republican establishment wanting someone other than sarah palin and the grassroots of the republican party certainly energized and she certainly speaks to them in a way i argue the establishment doesn't. >> she'll make a career out of beating up the republican establishment. >> this is glenn beck on his radio program today taking offense at mrs. bush. >> really insulting baselessly. really ins

. >> mr. bush will speak more of the issues later today on " oprah" later on the "today" show. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you plan on reading former president bush's memoir? e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. again, that is watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 45 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the morning's financial news in the bloomberg business report. >> mother nature comes calling early in new england. wintry weather across several states. > tom brady joins ray lewis' team in baltimore. we'll explain. >> bring a canned goods to the maryland food bank and you will switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. (sfx: coach's whistle) the car coach. announcer >> a message from auto service plus. >> top of the morning to you. it's 48 degrees in downtown baltimore. we're at the metro this morning. it feels colder because when the wind picks up, it bites through everything. there is a new ginger latte from dunkin' donuts. they are comple

president, mrs. bush, mr. fellow members here, i could not being more delighted to be with you and more honored to serve as the chair of the george w. bush institute board. on behalf of my fellow institute board members, the advisory board looks forward to continuing the great work that has already begun under the excellent leadership of jim glassman. i want you to know that the institute looks forward to continuing to be a place where smu students feel welcome, where they can participate in the work of the institute, and where faculty from smu, from around the country, scholars and practitioners from all over the world, can come together to explore powerful ideas, and to find ways to put them into action. the hallmark of the presidency of george w. bush was the fundamental, bedrock belief in the inherent worth of every individual. and, because every individual is worthy, every individual deserves to live in freedom. the president and mrs. bush believed that america had a special responsibility to use its powe

mr. bush's book decision points. fox news anchor geraldo rivera. ou think this will end, this stupid, dopey stuff? you know, look, bush says and i believe him that his guys -- woo,. >> john woo. said. >> bill: it produced actionable intelligence. the far left is never going to give it up. >> well, what politician also never give up, bill, is that successive administrations always want to investigate the prior administration. that's the kind of cancerous tradition in american politics. it's very, i think very counter productive. in this case the aclu is probably right on the law though even though as a matter of public policy and national interest they are wrong. i mean, under -- what is it 18 u.s. code 2340 torture is against u.s. law. under the obama administration with eric holder as the attorney general, they have made a finding that waterboarding equals torture. so, when george bush said damn right whether they should waterboard khalid sheikh mohammed and abu and the other guy, he was making admission he was complicit technically in a crime. >>

. >> mrs. bush, there is another bush family book coming out in two months. have you read decision points? >> i have and it's very good. i think people like it. george's book publishes in november, and decision points, and i think people will like it. mary george bush. >> suggestions from you? >> not really. we were both writing our books at the same time ensure researchers, we each have our own researcher who would go to the archives where everything is documented. for instance when i wrote about 9/11 the look at secret service lot of the timeline to look at our advanced time lines, looked at everything else on our schedule a run that day so i could write about in very straightforward and honest way as. so we did share researchers, we did talk to is whether about what we were writing. george did ask me to take a couple stories out of my book that he thought were his stories and they were. >> will we see them? >> you will see them and decision points, stories that happen to him i was riding second hand in my book that he wanted to include in his. >> in your a

i picked up something when i talked to mr. bush last week. derivative mortgaged back security thing that wrecked the economy this is a very complicated, very sophisticated con. it's a con. president bush had no idea. he didn't know. all right? now, i can't say with any certainty that anybody else, no matter how brilliant they are, would have been able to pick up what these banks and investment brokerage houses were doing because it was so complicated. that's the point that we live in an age now with electronics where we can do things you couldn't do 10 years ago. it's so fast. it's almost like the nfl pretty soon they are not going to have any players on the field because they are so big and the collisions are so intense these guys are in the locker room half the time. >> that's an argument for the financial system being overcomplicated. it's not an argument for the office of the president being overcomplicated. >> bill: but he didn't know what was happening, president bush. >> the head of goldman didn't know. the head of american express did

. >> mrs. bush, there is another bush family book coming out in two months.have you read decision points? >> i have and it's very good. i think people like it. george's book publishes in november, and decision points, and i think people will like it. mary george bush. >> suggestions from you? >> not really. we were both writing our books at the same time ensure researchers, we each have our own researcher who would go to the archives where everything is documented. for instance when i wrote about 9/11 the look at secret service lot of the timeline to look at our advanced time lines, looked at everything else on our schedule a run that day so i could write about in very straightforward and honest way as. so we did share researchers, we did talk to is whether about what we were writing. george did ask me to take a couple stories out of my book that he thought were his stories and they were. >> will we see them? >> you will see them and decision points, stories that happen to him i was riding second hand in my book that he wanted to include in his. >> in your ac