Former President George W. Bush (R) defended his administration's policies in Afghanistan and Iraq Monday morning, after a new poll showed that only a third of veterans from the past decade thought the wars in the Middle East were worth fighting.
"I hope history proves them wrong," Bush said Monday on "Good Morning America." "The only way for there to be peace is for free societies to emerge, and history takes a while to unfold."
The Pew research study found that only half of post-9/11 veterans believe the war in Afghanistan was worth fighting, 44 percent say the war in Iraq was worth it, and just one-third say both wars have been worth fighting. A third of troops surveyed said that neither war was worth the costs.
But Bush, appearing after playing in a golf tournament to benefit wounded veterans, defended his administration's decisions.
"I happen to think it was worth fighting — otherwise, I wouldn't have put them into combat," Bush said.
Bush was also asked about the presidential chances of Rick Perry, who followed him as governor of Texas. But the former president declined the opportunity to weigh in on the GOP race.
"I'm not going to opine on the subject of politics. I loved being president, but there's a time to get off the stage. I had eight years in the White House, and gave it my all — and I'm through," he said.
