Because all these debates will matter naught if there's another attack on the homeland. The question won't be, you know, "Were you critical of this plan or not?" The question's going to be, "Why didn't you do something?"

Do you remember what it was like right after September the 11th around here? In press conferences, in opinion pieces and in stories that sometimes were news stories and sometimes opinion pieces, people were saying, "How come they didn't see it? How come they didn't connect the dots?"

Do you remember what the environment was like in Washington -- I do -- when people were hauled in front of Congress and members of Congress were asking questions about, "How come you didn't know this that or the other?"

And then we start putting, you know, policy in place -- legal policy in place to connect the dots, and all the sudden, people were saying, "How come you're connecting the dots?"

And -- so, you know, I've heard all that. I've heard all that.

My view is is that most people around the world, they respect America. And some of them doesn't like me -- I understand that -- some of the writers and the, you know, opiners and all that. That's fine. That's part of the deal.

But I'm more concerned about the country and -- and how people view the United States of America. They view us as strong, compassionate people who care deeply about the universality of freedom.

QUESTION: Mr. President, you spoke a moment ago about using taxpayers' money for the TARP program.

The first $350 billion is out the door. It's been spent. Are you satisfied that it's been spent wisely?

And, for the second $350 billion that's under consideration, do you think -- are you supportive of Congress putting some restrictions on it?

BUSH: I'm supportive of the president-elect working out a plan with Congress that best suits him and Congress. That's what he's going to have to do. He's going to have to go up there, and he's going to have to make his case as to why the $350 billion is necessary.

And he knows that; this is nothing new.

And in terms of the first $350 billion, I am pleased with this aspect of the expenditure: and that is that the financial markets are beginning to thaw. In the fall, I was concerned that the credit freeze would cause us to be headed toward a depression greater than the Great Depression. That's what I was told, if we didn't move.

And so, therefore, we have moved, you know, aggressively.

And, by the way, it just wasn't with the TARP. You know, if you think about AIG, Fannie and Freddie, a lot of the decisions that were made in this administration are very aggressive decisions, all aiming at preventing the financial system from -- from cratering.

QUESTION: Mr. President, you spoke of the moment that the responsibility of the office would hit Barack Obama.

The world's a far different place than it was when it hit you. When do you think he's going to feel the full impact?

And what, if anything, have you and the other presidents shared with him about the effects of the sometimes isolation, the so-called bubble of the office?

BUSH: Yeah. That's a great question.

He'll -- I -- he will feel the effects the minute he walks in the Oval Office.

At least that's when I felt it. I don't know when he's going to -- he may feel it the minute he gets sworn in. And the minute I got sworn in, I started thinking about the speech.

(LAUGHTER)

And so -- but he's a better speechmaker than me, so he'll be able to -- he'll be able to -- I don't know how he's going to feel.

All I know is he's going to feel it. There will be a moment when he feels it.

I have never felt isolated, and I don't think he will.

One reason he won't feel isolated is that he's got a fabulous family and he cares a lot about his family. That's evident from my discussions with him.

He has a 45-second commute away from a great wife and two little girls that love him dearly.

I believe the phrase "burdens of the office" is overstated. You know, it's, kind of, like, "Why me?"

(LAUGHTER)

"Oh, the burdens," you know. "Why did the financial collapse have to happen on my watch?"

It's just pathetic, isn't it, self-pity?

And I don't believe that President-elect Obama will be full of self-pity.

He will find, you know, the people that don't like you, the critics, they're pretty predictable. Sometimes the biggest disappointments will come from your so-called friends.

And there will be disappointments, I promise you. He will be disappointed. On the other hand, the job is so exciting and so profound that the -- the disappointments will be clearly, you know, a minor irritant, compared to the...

QUESTION: So it was never the loneliest office in the world?

BUSH: No, not for me.

We had -- you know, people -- I had a fabulous team around me of highly dedicated, smart, capable people. And we had fun.

I tell people that, you know, some days happy, some days not so happy; every day has been joyous.

And people, you know, they say, "I just don't believe that to be the case." Well, it is the case.

Even in the darkest moments of Iraq, you know, there was -- and every day, when I was reading the reports about soldiers losing their lives, no question there was a lot of emotion, but also there was times where we could be lighthearted and support each other.

And, you know, I built a team of really capable team who were there not to serve me, or there to serve the Republicans; they were there to serve the country.

And President-elect Obama will find, you know, as he makes these tough calls and tough decisions, that he'll be supported by a lot of really good people that care -- that care about the country, as well.

QUESTION: You talked a lot about your concerns over the rise of protectionism in the current economic environment. What do you think the future holds for that? You think the trend is a good one or a bad one?

BUSH: I hope the trend is bad against protectionism.

A disappointment -- not a mistake, but a disappointment was not getting the three trade bills out of Congress on Colombia, Panama and South Korea. That was a disappointment. I actually thought we had a shot at one time and then I was disappointed that they didn't move out of the House.

And I am concerned about protectionism. In tough economic times, the temptation is to say, "Well, let's just throw up barriers and, you know, protect our own," and not compete.

That was the sentiment, by the way, that was in place during decent economic times. After all, we got CAFTA out of the Congress by one vote.

And it would be a huge mistake if we become a protectionist nation.

And that might be a good thing for the Bush Center to do at SMU, is to remind people about the benefits of free and fair trade: benefits for our own workers, benefits for workers overseas, and benefits when it comes to promoting development and helping lift people out of poverty in, particularly, Third World countries.

The best way to enhance economic growth in a Third World country and to give people a chance to realize, you know, a better future is through trade. Been proven.

It's a fact. And I'm hopeful that -- I'm hopeful the country doesn't slip into protectionist policy.

April? Yes, ma'am?

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

BUSH: Yes.

You were sound asleep back there, so I decided...

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: No, I wasn't. There was a whole clear row before me. I thought you were going to go there.

But either way, thanks for the surprise.

Mr. President, on New Orleans, you basically talked about -- a moment ago about the photo opportunity. But let's talk about what you could have done to change the situation for the city of New Orleans to be further along in reconstruction than where it is now.

QUESTION: And also, when you came, or began to run for the Oval Office about nine years ago or so, the James Byrd dragging death was residue on your campaign.

And now, at this time, 2009, we have the first black president.

Could you tell us what you have seen, on the issues of race as you see it?

BUSH: Sure, thanks. First of all, we did get the $121 billion, more or less, passed, and there -- it's now being spent. Secondly, the school system is improving dramatically. Thirdly, people are beginning to move back into homes.

This storm was a devastating storm that required a lot of energy, a lot of focus and a lot of resources to get New Orleans up and running.

And has the reconstruction been perfect? No.

Have things happened fairly quickly? Absolutely.

And is there more to be done, you bet there is.

QUESTION: What more needs to be done?

BUSH: Well, more people need to get in their houses. More people need to, you know, have their own home there.

But -- but the -- the systems are in place to continue the reconstruction in New Orleans. You know, people said, "Well, the federal response was slow."

Don't tell me the federal response was slow when there was 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed.

You know, I remember going to see those helicopter drivers, Coast Guard drivers, to thank them for their courageous efforts to rescue people off roofs -- 30,000 people were pulled off roofs right after the storm moved through. That's a pretty quick response.

Could things have been done better? Absolutely. Absolutely.

But when I hear people say the federal response was slow, then what are they going to say to those chopper drivers or the 30,000 that got pulled off the roofs?

The other part of the -- look, I was affected by the TV after -- after the elections. When I saw people saying, "I never thought I would see the day that a black person would be elected president" -- and a lot of people had tears streaming down their cheeks when they said it.

And so, I am -- I am -- consider myself fortunate to have a front row seat on what is going to be an historic moment for the country.

President-elect Obama's election does speak volumes about how far this country has come when it comes to racial relations. But there's still work to do.

There's always going to be work to do to deal with people's hearts. So I'm looking forward to it. Really am. I think it's going to be -- it's going to be an amazing -- amazing moment.

QUESTION: Mr. President, often presidents go -- leave here. They say they're going to decompress. And then pretty soon, they're right back in their office.

I wonder how quickly you think you're going to be back at it, whether it's writing your book; whether it's speaking; whether it's traveling...

BUSH: You know, Mike, I don't know, probably next day. I'm a Type A personality. You know, I just -- I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach.

(LAUGHTER)

So -- particularly since I quit drinking.

Anyway -- so I predict to you that -- first of all, I'm not sure what to expect. For the last eight years, you know, I have had a national security briefing every day but Sunday. And when you get a national security briefing, it is a reminder of the responsibilities of the job. It's just a daily reminder about, you know, what may or may not happen.

The interesting thing about this job, by the way, is it's one thing to deal with the expected -- you know, what you anticipate. The real challenge is to be in a position to deal with the unexpected.

And that's why those intel briefings are so important, because there is -- there is an awareness in the briefings by the analysts to try to help anticipate problems.

And, of course, you hope they don't arise, but you better be prepared when they do.

And that, in itself, creates a -- you know, gets your attention, when you start thinking about what could happen.

And the key there, of course is that to take these -- you know, these different analyses seriously and then have a structure so that your team will be in a position to analyze and then lay out potential opportun -- avenues for the president, from which the president can choose.

I say all that because that's -- that's -- this has been -- this notion about being briefed and thinking about this issue or that issue has been just, you know, part of my life for eight years.

People say, "Well, there you are in Crawford, on vacation." You never escape the presidency; it travels with you everywhere you go. And there's not a moment where you don't think about being president. Unless you're riding mountain bikes as hard as you possibly can, trying to forget for the moment.

(LAUGHTER)

And so, I wake up in Crawford on Tuesday morning -- I mean, Wednesday morning, and I suspect I'll make Laura coffee and, you know, go get it for her.

BUSH: And it's going to be a different feeling. And it's kind of like I'll report back after I feel it.

Last question, Ann, since you've been there from day one.

QUESTION: Thank you. And I wanted to ask you about day one.

You arrived here wanting to be a uniter, not a divider. Do you think Barack Obama can be a uniter, not a divider, or is -- with the challenges for any president and the unpopular decisions, is it impossible for any president to be a uniter, not a divider?

BUSH: I hope the tone is different for him than it has been for me. I am disappointed by the tone in Washington, D.C. I've -- I try to do my part by not engaging in the name-calling and -- and by the way, needless name-calling. I have worked to be respectful of my opponents on different issues.

We did find some good common ground on a variety of issues: No Child Left Behind, Medicare prescriptions drugs, PEPFAR, in the end, the funding for troops in Iraq. Tax cuts to a certain extent, got -- got some bipartisan votes on them.

There have been areas where we were able to work together. It's just the rhetoric got out of control at times.

QUESTION: Why?

BUSH: I don't know why. You need to ask those who -- those who used the words they used.

As I say, it's not the first time it's ever happened, as I think answered that to Jim there. It's happened throughout our history.

And I would hope that -- that, frankly, for the sake of the system itself, that, if people disagree with President-elect Obama, they treat him with respect.

You know, I worry about people looking at our system, saying, "Why would I want to go up there and, you know, work in that kind of environment?"

And -- so I wish him all the best. And no question, he'll be -- he'll -- there will be critics. And there should be. We all should welcome criticism on different policies. The great thing about our democracy, people have a chance to express themselves. I just hope the tone is respectful. He deserves it, and so does the country.

It has been a honor to work with you. I meant what I said when I first got up here. I wish you all the very best. I wish you and your families all the best. God bless you.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.