(CBS) 
“Most Americans at this point in time don’t believe in this war in Iraq. They want you to get us out of there,” Pelley says.

“I would hope they’d want us to succeed before we get out there. That’s the decision I had to make. I mean, there is, you know, Scott, there… I thought a lot about different options. One was doing nothing, just kind of the status quo. And I didn't think that was acceptable, and I think most Americans don't think it's acceptable. Secondly, we’d get out,” Bush says.

“You actually thought about that?” Pelley asks.

“Of course I have. I think about it a lot, about different options and my attitude is if we were to start withdrawing now, we’d have a crisis in our hands in Iraq,” Bush explains. “And not only in Iraq but failure in Iraq will embolden the enemy. And the enemy is al Qaeda and extremists. Failure in Iraq would empower Iran, which poses a significant threat to world peace. So then I began to think, ‘Well, if failure’s not an option and we've gotta succeed, how best to do so?’ And that's why I came up with the plan I did.”

Bush thinks the whole region, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, could be in play. “No question in my mind these people have a plan. They have a vision of the world. And they intend to use murder to enact their vision. And I fully understand that, you know, some of my buddies in Texas say, you know, ‘Let them fight it out. What business is it of ours? You got rid of Saddam. How come, you know, just let them slug it out.’ And that's a temptation that I know a lot of people feel. But if we do not succeed in Iraq, we will leave behind a Middle East which will endanger America in the future,” he tells Pelley.

“Instability in Iraq threatens the entire region,” Pelley remarks.

“If the government falls apart, it'll invite Iran into the Shia neighborhoods, Sunnis, Sunni extremists into the Sunni neighborhoods, Kurdish separatist movements,” Bush says.

Asked if it wasn't his administration that created the instability in Iraq, Bush says, "Our administration took care of a source of instability in Iraq. Envision a world in which Saddam Hussein was rushing for a nuclear weapon to compete against Iran. My decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the correct decision in my judgment. He was a significant source of instability."

"It's much more unstable now, Mr. President," Pelley remarks.

"Well, no question, decisions have made things unstable. But the question is can we succeed. And I believe we can. Listen, I’d like to see stability, a unified Iraq. A young democracy will provide the stability we look for,” Bush says.

Bush tells Pelley he saw some of the video of Saddam Hussein’s execution and thought it was discouraging. “You know, obviously could have handled this thing a lot better. It’s important that that chapter of Iraqi history be closed. They could have handled it a lot better,” he says.

“I wonder if there was also some sense of satisfaction. You've had this guy in your sights for a long time,” Pelley asks.

“Not really. Not really. I was satisfied when we captured him, Bush replies. “I'm just not… revenge isn't necessarily a, you know, something that causes me to react. In other words, I'm not a revengeful person. I'm glad he received the justice that was due.”

Bush tells Pelley he saw video of the execution on the Internet. “Somebody showed me parts of it. Yeah. I didn't wanna watch the whole thing,” he says.

“Well, you keep saying ‘parts of it.’ What do you mean you ‘didn't wanna watch the whole thing?’” Pelley asks.

“Well, I just, I wasn't sure what to anticipate beyond the yelling and stuff like that. And I didn't…,” Bush says.

“You didn't wanna see him go through the trapdoor,” Pelley asks.

“Yeah. Yes. I didn't,” the president says.

Produced By Harry Radliffe, Shawn Efran and Graham Messick
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Back To Top