Former President George W. Bush said he wasn't going to "second guess" President Barack Obama, because he was going to have to make his own decisions for the United States and its battle against the terrorist threat of the Islamic State (ISIS).
"The president has to make the choices he thinks are important. I'm not going to second guess our president. I understand how tough the job is. And, to have a former president bloviating and second guessing is, I don't think, good for the presidency or the country," Bush told "Fox & Friends" Thursday.
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After presiding over a prolonged conflict in Iraq during his presidency, Bush said the Iraqi people were going to have to decide what type of government they wanted, pointing out that "democracy takes time to take hold."
"The Iraqi people, obviously, are going to have to make the decisions to whether or not they want to live in peace. They're not ready to do it on their own. That's the lesson we've learned recently," he said.
The "modus operandi" of ISIS was the same as "those who murdered 3,000 on our soil" on 9/11, Bush said.
"Anybody who kills 3,000 innocents, and beheads people because of their religion, or because of their point of view, is dangerous," he said.
Bush expressed support for Joe Clancy, the interim director of the Secret Service, who was named on Wednesday after the agency's former Director Julia Pierson stepped down amid problems surrounding the security the department was providing to Obama, his family, and other government officials.
"I know Clancy very well. He's a good man. I trust his judgment a lot. Joe will do a good job," Bush said.
The former president is hosting the fourth annual Warrior Open golf tournament Wednesday and Thursday near Dallas. Bush said he was joined by his brother, former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, on Wednesday at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas to honor veterans and to thank "our many supporters at the Bush Center."
He said he urged his brother to run for president in 2016, adding he thought Jeb was "weighing his options" and "understands what it's like to be president," since both his brother and father have held that office.
"He and I did have a conversation. I, of course, was pushing him to run for president. He, of course, was saying, 'I haven't made up my mind.' I truly don't think he has," he said. "I think he wants to be president. I think he'd be a great president."
Bush said he held the golf tournament to honor the nation's veterans, whose sacrifices had been "historic and important."
"I feel a special kinship to them," he said. "We are honoring the military service organizations that have supported these vets, as they transition back into society."
Bush said he did not miss Washington, but he did miss "being pampered," and also missed "saluting men and women who have volunteered to serve our nation."
Bush has written a book about former President George H.W. Bush, which he said would be released Nov. 11, adding that it was a personal reflection about his father.
"In the beginning, I made it very clear in the introduction that for those looking for an objective analysis of George H.W. Bush, this isn't the place you ought to turn. This is a love story about a great man," he said.
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