Former President Bush and Laura Bush were escorted to the Marine Corps helicopter (it's only Marine One when the sitting president is in it) by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. On the National Mall, people were chanting, "Na-na-na-nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye"—as some did outside the White House when Obama was elected—sigh. more ›

Though somewhat overshadowed by the U.S. Airways Flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson River, President Bush gave his farewell address to the American public last night. He said, "Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks. There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I've always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right. You may not agree with some of the tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions." more ›

Today, President George W. Bush gave his final press conference as his administration winds down. It was a way for him to thank the White House press corps as well as yet another of his "exit interviews." Bush admitted some mistakes—"Clearly putting a'Mission Accomplished' (banner) on an aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message"—while defending himself on other matters, such as Hurricane Katrina and whether America's stature in the world fell during his presidency:

I've thought long and hard about Katrina -- you know, could I have done something differently, like land Air Force One either in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. The problem with that and -- is that law enforcement would have been pulled away from the mission. And then your questions, I suspect, would have been, how could you possibly have flown Air Force One into Baton Rouge, and police officers that were needed to expedite traffic out of New Orleans were taken off the task to look after you? more ›