President Bush Visits Chicago On Book Tour
UPDATED 11/11/10 8:31 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) - As the families of veterans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan remember and honor their loved ones, the commander in chief who sent them there is visiting Chicago Thursday.
President George W. Bush's book tour is bringing him to the Union League Club of Chicago, 66 W. Jackson Blvd. He arrived at the private club at 8 a.m. appeared at 8:45 a.m. for a private talk about his new memoir, Decision Points. Mayor Richard M. Daley was also present.
The president was humorous, open and honest during his remarks, saying at one point that if he hadn't quit drinking, he would have never been president.
"I want somebody who reads the book, to say 'I can quit drinking too,' " Bush said. " 'If George W. Bush can quit, I can quit, too."
He even made the mayor blush.
"I often times said when I was president that Chicago is the best run city in America," he said.
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Bush kicked off his book signing in Dallas on Tuesday, where he drew a throng that in some cases waited nearly a full day to see him.
In Decision Points, Bush addresses the highs and lows of his presidency.
On Iraq, he says he's still sick about the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were found in the country. He said he feels terrible about that because a lot of the case for removing Saddam Hussein was based on upon weapons of mass destruction.
Still, Bush says the Iraqi dictator was just as dangerous without the weapons. Many protesters disagree, and say embroiling the country in a war that's claimed more than 4,000 American lives was not worth it.
Another controversy the president addresses is his response to Hurricane Katrina. Bush says in hindsight he should not just have flown over the flood ravaged city, but rather should have landed Air Force One to survey the destruction up close.
He said he realizes in hindsight that just doing the flyover made it look like he "didn't give a darn."
And on the day in 2005 when hip-hop star and Chicago native Kanye West said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people" on a live NBC fundraiser concert for Katrina relief, Bush said the claim is not true. He called it one of the most disgusting moments of his presidency.
He also weighed in on the $700 billion bank bailout at the end of his presidency, saying it was "necessary to save the country."
About 400 guests were to attend the breakfast event at the Union League Club, which is closed to the public.
