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George W. Bush Says He Doesn't Miss Being President

Former President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C., last September.
Brendan Hoffman
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Former President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C., last September.

"I'm often asked 'Do you miss the presidency?' I really don't," former President George W. Bush told an audience in New York City this morning, Politico reports.

It was an "was unbelievably interesting experience," he added, but "I had plenty of the limelight."

The former president also told those gathered for his Bush Institute Conference on Taxes and Economic Growth that he wishes "the Bush tax cuts" were called something else, because they would be "less likely to be raised."

As Forbes points out, Bush has only rarely made public appearances since leaving office in 2009:

"I don't think it's good for our country to undermine our president and I don't intend to do so," Bush said, explaining part of the reason why he has largely stayed out of the limelight until launching the Bush Institute, which he says is intended to have a 'concrete effect.' "

Forbes has some video from Bush's address.

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Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
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