Nine days before fleeing to what he calls "the Promised Land" of Texas, President Bush seems almost wistful about departing a town he's always disliked.

In a moment of rare public introspection, Bush acknowledged his diminished standing but without apology when he recently told an interviewer: "I have done my duty to the country. I have given it my all."

"His legacy is in cement," predicted Curt Smith, a speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush. "It's the war in Iraq, economic meltdown, the Republican Party in tatters and conflagration in the Middle East."

Bush believes that's not just spin: For years, he's argued "we'll all be dead" before history ultimately concludes his tenure was a resounding success.