Bush’s hope for successor: ’stay longer’ in Iraq.

From Talkleft.com:


The New York Times presents some excerpts from "Dead Certain", a new book on President Bush that hits the stands Tuesday. Author Robert Draper (grandson of Leon Jaworski) got Bush to cooperate with his effort and had several long interviews with him.

On his plans after the White House:

“I’ll give some speeches, just to replenish the ol’ coffers.”
....“We’ll have a nice place in Dallas,” where he will be running what he called “a fantastic Freedom Institute” promoting democracy around the world.

On Iraq:

“I’m playing for October-November.” That is when he hopes the Iraq troop increase will finally show enough results to help him achieve the central goal of his remaining time in office: “To get us in a position where the presidential candidates will be comfortable about sustaining a presence,” and, he said later, “stay longer.”

UPDATE: Some other highlights from the Draper book:

– Karl Rove told Bush he should not tap Cheney for Vice President
– Bush hopes to make a lot of cash delivering speeches after his presidency is over… while running a “fantastic Freedom Institute”
– Bush “can’t remember” one of the biggest mistakes in post-war Iraq: disbanding the Iraqi army
– The White House staff, including Dan Bartlett and Karl Rove, were “constantly at war” with one another
– Bush cries a lot