NEW: Bush touts "52 months of uninterrupted job growth" NEW: President says most people around world still respect America President says he regrets "Mission Accomplished" banner on carrier Bush speaks in final news conference of second term WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush admitted mistakes but defended his accomplishments in the final White House news conference of his presidency Monday. "Clearly, putting a 'Mission Accomplished' [banner] on an aircraft carrier was a mistake," Bush said about how his administration handled the fall of Baghdad to U.S. troops. "It sent the wrong message." He termed other aspects of the U.S. invasion of Iraq "disappointments," including the failure to find weapons of mass destruction and the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. "I don't know if you want to call those mistakes or not,... [read full story]
