Former President George W. Bush says he had an immediate and frightening thought when he heard the news of the Boston Marathon bombings – another organized terrorism plot.
“I was deeply concerned that there might've been an organized plot,”
Bush told ABC News' Diane Sawyer Wednesday night. “I don't know all the facts. I don't think we all know all the facts. But I was deeply concerned that this could've been, you know, another highly organized attack on the country. And it still may be — again, I don't know all the facts."
Bush, whose presidential library opens Thursday at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said the Boston bombings and the manhunt that followed also reminded him of times during his own presidency.
“Whether it be that or the [fertilizer plant] explosion at West, Texas, I mean, it harkened back to days where you become the comforter-in-chief (and) try to help souls that are hurting,” he said.
The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were defining moments in the Bush presidency, and catapulted his administration into the “Global War on Terror” over the eight years he was in office.
In addition, most of the Bush presidency was marked by the hunt for al-Qaida terrorists, so he praised law enforcement for their quick action in identifying and capturing the bombing suspects.
"I do know that it's really hard to protect the homeland. I mean, those who want to do harm only have to be right one time, and we have to be right 100 percent of the time," Bush said.
"I was extraordinarily pleased with the response. The local authorities, state authorities, and federal authorities did a really good job of finding at least the two guys involved."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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