WASHINGTON – President Bush expresses no qualms about ousting Saddam Hussein but regrets saying he wanted Osama bin Laden “dead or alive” and exhorting “Bring ‘em on” in an allusion to Iraqi insurgents.

Just a week before his second inauguration, Bush, meeting with reporters Thursday, was asked the biggest regret of his first term and most fervent hope for the next.

Speaking from the White House, the president said he had learned that his words sometimes have unintended consequences. “”Bring ‘em on’ is a classic example,” Bush said. “When I was really trying to rally the troops and make it clear to them that I fully understood what a great job they were doing … Some interpreted it to be defiance in the face of danger. That certainly wasn’t the case.”

He gave as another example publicly remarking at the Pentagon that he wanted bin Laden “dead or alive.” Bush said that when he returned to the White House, first lady Laura Bush asked him why he had said that. He told her it wasn’t rehearsed – “just an expression that came out” after being asked his opinion.

Bush said he had learned he must be mindful of the consequence of words. Addressing reporters, he instructed: “And so put that down as a – what would you call that? – a confession or a regret? Something.”

As for his hope, the president who declared a global war on terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and led the nation into two wars said: “Peace.”

“Not only short-term peace, but long-term peace,” he said. “I would hope that it would be said that the seeds of democracy that are being sown around the world will yield long-term peace.”

The president met for 50 minutes with 15 reporters from newspapers coast-to-coast. He laid out an ambitious agenda for the next four years, gave a flavor of his inaugural address and fielded questions on subjects from how he has changed in four years (“They say my hair is grayer”) to a new pact on steroids in baseball (“It appears that baseball and the players have agreed to a very strict policy, and I want to congratulate both parties”).

The session, in the flag-draped Roosevelt Room, named for Teddy Roosevelt, saw Bush seated with a used legal pad and Sharpie pen between two spokesmen who let him do the talking.

He said his inaugural speech would have twin themes: Freedom at home is important, and freedom abroad will lead to peace.

Discussing Saddam, Bush said the deposed Iraqi dictator was more dangerous than had been thought. He called him “a threat to peace and stability” who hated America, had ties to terrorists, funded “suiciders” to kill others in the Middle East and had the desire and capacity to build weapons of mass destruction.

In reference to the strike against Iraq in March 2003, Bush remarked: “As I said in the campaign … knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision.”

We thought we would find stockpiles of weapons, and didn’t,” he added, “and we’ll find out what went wrong with intelligence-gathering.”

Outlining plans for his second term, Bush said he wanted to reform and modernize Social Security, overhaul the tax code and enact tort reform.

He divulged few specifics on changes that he favors in Social Security. He said only that he wants younger workers to be able to invest a portion of their payroll taxes in private investment accounts. Saying he would like reforms done within five months, Bush indicated that he will work with Congress but refused to tip his hand.

“One of the tricks here in Washington is to get the president to negotiate with himself and start talking about the size of accounts or the timing of the accounts, or this or that, which I refuse to do,” he said.

He noted that when Social Security was established, life expectancy was shorter and women stayed at home, and later, in the 1950s, there were 16 workers paying into Social Security for every retiree. Today, there are three and soon there will be two, he said, cautioning the system will be bust by 2042.

Bush stressed that the Social Security would not be modified for today’s retirees. “We’re really addressing a younger generation of Americans, many of whom believe they’ll never see a dime in Social Security,” he said.

In the courts, Bush said he would like reforms in asbestos cases, class-action lawsuits and medical liability matters. “Our legal system is out of balance and it puts us at a competitive disadvantage around the world,” he said.

On the $40 million inaugural celebration, he was asked about suggestions that the festivities be scaled back. Noting the inaugural is funded with private money, he said: “The inauguration is a great festival of democracy. People are going to come from all over the country who are celebrating democracy and celebrating my victory, and I’m glad to celebrate with them.”

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He professed no worries about protests planned on his big day, saying, “I believe dissent is a vital part of democracy.”

Other key points:

-On his message to the relatives of National Guardsmen and Reservists on extended deployments, Bush thanked families for their sacrifices and said the Pentagon was working toward a goal of putting certainty into rotations. “We are at war,” he added, saying that he could not put a timetable on the duration of the conflict.

-On importing prescription drugs from Canada, Bush said he was concerned about whether there were protections in place to ensure the medicines were actually manufactured there. He said he had commissioned a study on drugs from Canada and would analyze the findings before deciding whether to go forward with legislation.

-On whether it was appropriate for the Education Department to pay $240,000 to columnist Armstrong Williams for his advocacy of the “No Child Left Behind” program, Bush said no and that it shouldn’t happen again. “I think there needs to be transparency and a clear line between people who profess to be a reporter and advocacy, and obviously there wasn’t in this case,” he said.

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(c) 2005, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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AP-NY-01-13-05 2246EST