Hiltbrand: Bush's lofty, but clueless, farewell

When President Bush requested network time this week to make a final address to the nation, people wondered what tone he would adopt.

Would he be defiant or remorseful?

Hardly anyone expected the man leaving office with some of the lowest approval ratings in history to take a victory lap.

The cynosure of his 13-minute speech was 9/11, a curious legacy. The signal accomplishment of his administration, we were to understand, was the prevention of a reoccurrence. "America has gone more than seven years," he said proudly, "without another terrorist attack on our soil."

Everything else is apparently hunky-dory.

At times, as he spoke before a handpicked audience in the East Room, Bush seemed as if he were channeling the Will Ferrell spoof of him, the blithely unaware leader who had declared the Oval Office "a bummer-free zone."

The closest he came to acknowledging failure was a vague wave in its general direction. "I have experienced setbacks," he said. "There are things I would do differently if given the chance."

But the strain Bush has been under showed. His right eye kept narrowing to an uncontrollable squint.

He smiled at inappropriate moments - for instance, after mentioning al-Qaeda. And he stumbled over the words he was reading from the teleprompter on several occasions, as when he mispronounced "faith-based programs" (hardly a tongue twister).

The rhetoric was always lofty, citing idealistic initiatives pursued on his watch, and praising again and again Americans' virtuous, resilient character.

At one point, he revived the strategy that worked so well for him in his State of the Union speeches, praising everyday heroes he had invited to sit in the audience, hailing them as "the best of our country." It was hard to miss the fact that all the examples of sacrifice were men of color.

The best wishes he repeatedly extended to President-elect Barack Obama seemed sincere and gracious.

But for much of his final address, Bush came across as clueless.

When he hit his climactic note ("This great nation will never tire, never falter, and never fail"), many viewers were probably thinking, "This guy needs to get out more."

Maybe now he'll have time.