At a farewell news conference in which he tried to burnish a troubled foreign policy legacy, Bush denied that U.S. treatment of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo, criticized by human rights groups, had damaged America's moral standing in the world.
He insisted his failed bid to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians in his final year in office had not been completely in vain, despite the latest crisis in the Gaza Strip, which he blamed squarely on the Islamist group Hamas
Bush, speaking at the White House eight days before handing over to Obama, staunchly defended his record but was at times uncharacteristically reflective.
