George W. Bush Weighs in on Gay Marriage, Immigration Reform, Security

Former President George W. Bush said he was not surprised that President Obama kept numerous national security policies he established, despite Obama’s heavy criticism of them before he took office.

Bush told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl on “This Week” that keeping America safe often outweighs politics.

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"I think the president got into the Oval Office and realized the dangers to the United States," Bush said during the July 7 interview. "He’s acted in a way that he thinks is necessary to protect the country. Protecting the country’s the most important job of the presidency."

Obama has been bashed by liberals over his continued use of overseas drone strikes and the National Security Agency's use of collecting email "metadata" records from U.S. citizens, both of which started under Bush’s leadership.

Bush also said that the current immigration system in the United States is broken and that the major reform bill has a chance to pass.

In 2007, Bush sought to pass an immigration bill similar to what has been proposed in Congress this year, seeking to provide citizenship opportunity for undocumented immigrants already living in the U.S.

Like the 2007 bill, the new legislation calls for tougher border security with a path to citizenship for the 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.

Bush's immigration bill fell 14 votes short of the 60 votes needed in the Senate to advance the legislation to a final vote. Many Republicans voted against the measure because of the amnesty it granted immigrants, according to Reuters.

"It’s a very difficult bill to pass because there’s a lot of moving parts," Bush said on "This Week." "But it looks like they’re making some progress."

In 2004, Bush said he supported a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage while running for re-election. But during the interview, he changed his tune, in light of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act in California.

“I shouldn’t be taking a speck out of someone else’s eye when I have a log in my own,” Bush said. "I meant it’s very important for people not to be overly critical of someone else until you’ve examined your own heart."

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