Bush recalls moments he regrets

The banner was said to have been the Navy's idea

US President George W Bush has said he regrets some of the blunter statements he made over the last eight years.

As his presidency draws to an end, he told CNN that some remarks on Osama Bin Laden and the Iraqi insurgency would have been better left unsaid.

Mr Bush also said he regretted speaking in front of a "mission accomplished" banner only a month after troops were deployed in Iraq.

Separately he said President-elect Barack Obama would be good for the US.

Mr Bush said he regretted using phrases like "dead or alive" or "bring 'em on".

Shortly after the 11 September attacks in 2001, he said of Osama bin Laden: "I want justice. There's an old poster out West that said: 'Wanted, dead or alive.'"

'Wrong message'

Mr Bush was criticised in 2003 for comments he made about the insurgency in Iraq.

"There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring 'em on," he said.

George W Bush had trouble leaving a news conference in 2005

The US president also referred to a speech in 2003 aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

"They had a sign that said 'Mission Accomplished'," he said.

"It was a sign aimed at the sailors on the ship, but it conveyed a broader knowledge. To some it said, well, Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over, when I didn't think that. But nonetheless, it conveyed the wrong message."

Mr Bush went on to talk about his meeting with Mr Obama and described it as relaxed and said he thought he would "bring a sense of family to the White House".

He said that Barack Obama's victory was "good for our country" but expressed disappointment that Republican nominee John McCain did not win the election.

Mr Bush talked about his future plans and said he was heading home to Texas after he leaves office and might write a book.