Big fish gave Bush biggest thrill

President George W Bush has revealed to a German newspaper his best moment since he took office in 2001.

"I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5lb (3.4kg) perch in my lake," he told Bild am Sonntag.

The worst moment was the 11 September 2001 hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington that killed about 3,000.

Mr Bush also said ahead of the summer's football World Cup that "old guys" like him were starting to understand the competition's importance to the world.

President Bush said he had "experienced many great moments" in his five years in power and it was "hard to name the best".

But he plumped for the perch, although he did not specify what type it was.

Soccer generation

Of the 9/11 attacks, he said: "In such a situation it takes a while before one understands what is happening.

"I would say that this was the hardest moment, once I had the real picture before my eyes."

Mr Bush was asked about the World Cup being hosted by Germany and admitted that when he was young, soccer "simply did not exist" where he was brought up.

But he added: "There is a new generation of Americans who have grown up with soccer.

"For them, the World Cup is of great interest and it's the most important sporting event in the world. And some of us, the old guys, are beginning to understand how important the World Cup is for the entire world."

In a more serious moment, he said he understood German opposition to the war in Iraq.

"The Germans today simply don't like war... And I can understand that.

"There is a generation of people whose lives were thrown into complete disarray by a horrible war."