In two late-2008 interviews, President George W. Bush expressed regrets regarding several aspects of his presidency. In an interview with CNN in November 2008, President Bush said he regretted saying things like "bring 'em on" and "dead or alive." At one point during the interview, Bush said his wife once reminded him, "Hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say."CNN: Bush: 'I Regret Saying Some Things I Shouldn't Have Said' (November 11, 2008) In an interview that aired on ABC News on December 1, 2008, Bush said his biggest regret was relying on incorrect intelligence regarding Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction. In the ABC interview, Bush also said he was "unprepared for war."ABC News: Bush: 'I Did Not Compromise My Principles' (December 1, 2008)

Bush said he regretted the "Mission Accomplished" sign he used as a backdrop when speaking a month after the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. He said it "conveyed the wrong message." The banner was hung on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in May 2003. Bush landed on the ship wearing a flight suit and declared major combat operations in Iraq were over.CNN: Bush: 'I Regret Saying Some Things I Shouldn't Have Said' (November 11, 2008)