President George W. Bush last night delivered a farewell address to the country in which he defended his record and paid tribute to his successor Barack Obama.
Mr Bush described Mr Obam as a man whose story reflects "the enduring promise" of America. He said the inauguration of Mr Obama next week would be "a moment of hope and pride" for the nation.
Turning to his own tenure he acknowledged that there had been setbacks, stating: "There have been good days and tough".
But in a 13-minute speech delivered from the White House's East Room, he added that the role had been "a privilege of a lifetime".
"Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks," Mr Bush said. "There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind."
Mr Bush said the September 11th terrorist attacks continue to shape how the US approaches the world. He highlighted steps taken to deal with the terrorist threat, including the establishment of the Homeland Security Department and the new tools given law enforcement to monitor movements of terrorists and disrupt their operations.
He defended those actions, some of which have spurred criticisms from civil libertarians. "There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions," he said. "But there can be little debate about the results. America has gone more than seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil."
The president cited progress in Iraq, saying the country was transformed from "a brutal dictatorship and a sworn enemy of America to an Arab democracy at the heart of the Middle East."
Mr Bush (62) leaves office with the country in a recession. His legacy includes the weakest job-creation performance since Herbert Hoover's presidency almost 80 years ago and an average economic growth rate of 2.2 per cent, compared with the post- World War II average of 3.4 per cent.
Mr Bush defended his record on the economy, saying he prevented a much more severe crisis. "Facing the prospect of a financial collapse, we took decisive measures to safeguard our economy," he said. "These are very tough times for hardworking families, but the toll would be far worse if we had not acted."
Agencies