My knowledge of the world is more profound

Bush was interviewed (link, other link) by CNN’s Candy Crowley.

The MBA president explained the failure of the financial system thusly, “The whole system became inebriated.”

Although he would say later in the interview that he’d changed none of his basic values during the last eight years (for example, “I loved my wife then. I love her now.”), he admitted, “I have abandoned free market principles to save the free market system.” Dude, you just blew my mind.

On Obama: “We care about him. We want him to be successful, and we want the transition to work.”

TOO STRONG OF A PASSION: Asked whether he was ever angry that the intelligence about Iraqi WMDs was wrong, he said, “I think angry is too strong of a passion” but he “was not happy.”

WALKING BACK IN TIME: And when he did find out that the intel was wrong, did he think that maybe he shouldn’t have invaded? “[T]here are no do-overs. So, the idea of us walking back in time and saying, well, this, that or the other, is -- it’s just not a realistic assessment. Because once you’re in, you’re in for victory.” So he’s dismissing the very concept of having second thoughts, of responding to new information, as if it were time travel, a violation of the fundamental laws of physics, and so not worth even talking about.

WHAT YOU’VE GOT TO SAY (BUT WON’T): “You’ve got to say I’m a little wiser. My knowledge of the world is more profound.”