In a recent interview, outgoing President George W. Bush reflected upon some of the things that stand out in his mind as the successes as well as the mistakes and failures of his Presidency. Among the mistakes were things like declaring Iraq a “Mission Accomplished” back in the spring of 2005, failing to live up to the promise of finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and choosing not to focus on immigration reform during his second term. Surprisingly not on the list of failures was the Bush administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

When asked by a member of the White House press corps about Katrina, President Bush vehemently defended the federal government’s response,declaring to those listening that 30,000 Americans were rescued from roof tops within hours of the breaking of the levees and the flooding of the city. But even if this statistic is accurate, and I’m sure it could be, the rescuing of 30,000 people from their homes to places such as the Superdome or the New Orleans Convention Center is clearly only one tiny, tiny piece of the puzzle and an incomplete piece at that. After all, everyone knows what happened after those people were dropped off at locations like these two.

What does it mean that our outgoing President is willing to admit mistakes dealing with Iraq, the defining aspect of his Presidency on the foreign policy front, but he is completely unwavering when it comes to his confidence in the response of his administration to one of the biggest natural disasters since the Dust Bowl? Does it mean, like some have said, that he’s out of touch? Might his ability to loosen up a little these past two months and actually reflect upon some of the mistakes of his Presidency actually conclude that he really believes that the very real and continuing quagmire that is post-Katrina New Orleans might be a done deal? In watching Bush’s spirited defense of himself at that press conference and a similar performance during the delivery of his recent farewell address, I must say, he seemed to actually believe what he said.

Since August of 2005, most Americans have fittingly laid the blame for Katrina squarely at the feet of President Bush and people such as his former FEMA director Michael Brown. But the flood itself was just the beginning of the story. What about the ongoing problems in New Orleans? What about people such as former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco? What about New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin? What about the generally high level of corruption and inefficiency that has plagued various levels of government in the City of New Orleans since long before Katrina? What is it about George Bush’s philosophy on governing that seems to convince him that the federal government fulfilled its obligation regarding Katrina? I won’t pretend to know the answers to these questions but they might be interesting to ponder as we prepare to welcome our next President into office.

While it is refreshing to see President Bush letting down his guard and making some attempts to face the legacies of his Presidency, it is troubling to see him deny responsibility for Katrina. Kurt Vonnegut once remarked that “History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.” For better or for worse, many Americans would probably agree that George W. Bush’s Presidency has been one fraught with surprises. But had it not been for those surprises, those mistakes, those failures in some cases, we might not have elected Barack Obama.