Foreign Policy

President Bush, in his European farewell tour, is voicing regret for making statements about his foreign policy that he believes were misinterpreted.

Bush was asked to name the positive and negative aspects about his eight years as president in an interview on French television Thursday.

"Well, you know, I think that people will say he's a decisive person who took action when necessary to protect his country and to address the problems of the world," he said. "Bad points are probably sometimes my rhetoric was a little -- was misunderstood. I mean, I can remember saying, you know, 'Dead or alive,' which sent -- it sent signals that could be easily misinterpreted."

When Bush was later asked by France 3 TV's Christian Malar whether he thought that the United States would still be a superpower 10 years from now, Bush stressed the need for maintaining strong relations with China, Russia and India.

"I would rather define us as a very influential nation that is willing to work with others to achieve common objectives," Bush said. "You mentioned those three nations, and my approach has been to have strong bilateral relations with all three. We've got strong bilateral relations with China, even though we differ on issues. I've had strong bilateral relations with Russia, a lot of it having to do with my personal relationship with Vladimir Putin. We've had our differences, but nevertheless, we found a lot of common ground to work together on, including Iran. And in India, I've changed the relationship between India and the United States in a way that we're partners as opposed to, you know, being antagonistic."

He continued: "And therefore, if the United States is active diplomatically in maintaining good bilateral relations with these countries, I think we'll still be in a position to use our influence for the common good. And these relationships don't have to be antagonistic. They can be -- I've worked hard to get to know these leaders individually so that we can be able to discuss matters, delicate matters, in open and honest ways, without rupturing relations. And I hope it serves as a go-by for future Presidents, that you can have disagreements, but you don't have to have this kind of zero-sum attitude about life."

Congressional computers containing information on global human rights activists and political dissidents were hacked by a source working from China, two congressmen alleged today.

Reps. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and Chris Smith (R-N.J.) said at a press conference that computers belonging to several of their staffers were hacked from a Chinese I.P. address in 2006 and 2007.

"A source from China hacked into the computer of my foreign policy and human rights staff person, then the computers of my chief of staff, my legislative director, and my judiciary staff person," Wolf said. "On these computers was information about all of the casework I have done on behalf of political dissidents and human rights activists around the world." Read more...

President Bush's approval rating has hit an new low, dropping to 25 percent in the most recent CBS News poll.

Bush now ranks 3rd all time in lowest approval rating, hovering above Richard Nixon's 24 percent in August 1974 and Harry Truman's 22 percent in February 1952. Bush's 67 percent disapproval rating, however, ranks slightly higher than both Nixon and Truman during their least popular rating.

The Iraq war continues to plague the president's popularity. Despite much touted "success" for the surge, 61 percent of respondents said Iraq will never be a stable democracy, up 8 percent since September. And 42 percent want troops out of Iraq within the year.

An overwhelming 83 percent of respondents said the country is on the wrong track.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) received more applause from the crowd at AIPAC when she held aloft the dog tags of Israel soldiers held captive.

The tags belonged to three kidnapped soldiers, two of whom were taken by Hezbollah and a third who was taken by Hama . The tags were given to Pelosi by one of the soldier's mothers. Pelosi met last month with leaders of Syria, which has supported Hezbollah, to discuss the the soldiers' status.

She also received a standing ovation when she mentioned that the House had unanimously passed a resolution commemorating Israel's 60th anniversary.

Pelosi did not address the Iraq war. Her critique of the Bush administration's effort at last year's AIPAC conference prompted catcalls from the crowd.

The Democratic presidential candidates are up next at AIPAC.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) received a sustained standing ovation when she appeared on stage at AIPAC's conference. She was booed at last year's conference when she said that the Iraq war had "fail[ed] on three counts."

Pelosi is speaking now.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), on the dais at AIPAC, again pressed the case that United States must stay in Iraq if it wants to keep Iran from taking over the country.

Boehner said it would be "a mistake of historic proportions" to retreat from Iraq. He added that Democrats were wrong to think that the military surge wouldn't work.
"If we lose Iraq we lose the region and we make it far more dangerous for Israel to exist," he said.

Boehner then turned to the specific dangers that Iran presents.

"If we do not stop Iran from devleoping nuclear weapons, we will lose Israel, and if we do not take seriously the words and attentions of Islamic militants, we lose Israel," he said.

His Democratic counterpart, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), is about to take the stage.

Check in with the Briefing Room throughout Wednesday for the latest from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) are all scheduled to speak at the conference this morning.

Obama is expected to speak at 10 a.m. Clinton is expected to speak at 10:25 a.m.

John Bolton, the former ambassador to the United Nations, will have to avoid a "citizen's arrest" as he speaks tonight at the Hay Festival in Wales.

George Monbiot, a columnist for British newspaper the Guardian, accuses the former Bush administration official of being a "war criminal" for his role in planning the Iraq War.

Monobiot lays out the charges on his website.

The director of the festival tells the London Telegraph that "the Hay Festival has sought the advice of both police and lawyers, and has been unequivocally assured that a citizen

On a recent trip to Iraq, Reps. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), and Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) found themselves traveling in an unconventional fashion for members of Congress: on the ground, in an armored convoy.

Members usually travel by air because it is deemed safer, according to Reyes' office, but when sandstorms grounded their helicopter, the three were forced to travel through Baghdad by alternative means.

According to Reyes' office, an improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered near the route of the group's convoy hours before the congressmen traveled through Baghdad on Sunday.

"We've been at this for five years, and I'm concerned that we still don't control the streets, putting our troops in harm's way," Reyes said today in a release.

The three congressmen were traveling as members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which Reyes chairs. The group departed last Thursday and returned today.

The Hill's Roxana Tiron has the story.