The tone of the news conference — the "ultimate exit interview," as Bush jokingly called it — was in keeping with a stream of recent speeches and interviews that appeared to be aimed at setting the record straight after years of relentless pounding from critics in the media, the Democratic Party and elsewhere.

But Bush, seemingly freed to speak his mind as his tenure draws to a close, offered a bit more nuance and soul-searching than he usually does in such settings, pounding the lectern for emphasis at certain points and bantering with reporters with whom he has sparred.

Asked about mistakes he had made in office — a question that once stumped him — he rattled off several examples, saying he regretted his decision to focus on Social Security reform after the 2004 election, a drive that was unsuccessful, instead of first addressing immigration issues.

Bush also said hanging a "Mission Accomplished" sign on an aircraft carrier after the toppling of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 was a mistake. He described the scandal surrounding the treatment of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq as a "huge disappointment," as he did the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in that country, which the administration had claimed, based on faulty intelligence.

"Things didn't go according to plan, let's put it that way," he said in reference to the search for the weapons.

Katrina and economy

There were limits to Bush's contrition. "I have thought long and hard about Katrina," Bush said. "You know, could I have done something differently, like land Air Force One either in New Orleans or Baton Rouge?"

Bush's answer suggested he would not have done much different in responding to a crisis that even some of his former aides said damaged his standing with the American people. (The White House itself criticized the response in a February 2006 report.) Asked later about what more should be done to help New Orleans, the president circled back to rebut the idea that the initial federal response to the natural disaster was slow.

Although things could have been done better, Bush said, "Don't tell me the federal response was slow when there was 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed. I remember going to see those helicopter drivers, Coast Guard drivers, to thank them for their courageous efforts to rescue people off roofs. Thirty thousand people were pulled off roofs right after the storm moved through. It's a pretty quick response."

Throughout the 47-minute session, the president's fundamental point was that he had done the best he could under trying circumstances — two wars, a natural disaster and the biggest economic calamity since the Great Depression — and that history will be the final judge. "I don't think you can possibly get the full breadth of an administration until time has passed," Bush said at one point.

On the dismal economy, Bush said, "I inherited a recession, I'm ending on a recession. In the meantime, there were 52 months of uninterrupted job growth." The 2001 recession began in March, two months into his presidency, but economists agree the seeds were sown long before.

Bush also defended himself against economic attacks from his own party on the huge government bailout of Wall Street financial firms.

"I readily concede that I chucked aside some of my free-market principles when I was told by my chief economic adviser that the situation we were facing would be worse than the Great Depression. If you were sitting there and heard that it could be greater than the Great Depression, you would act, too."

U.S. 'stands for freedom'

Far from seeming depressed about his coming loss of power, Bush seemed largely in good spirits. He opened the news conference by expressing appreciation for the media, even as he said he did not like all the stories about him and thought, borrowing one of his famous malapropisms, the press corps "sometimes misunderestimated me."

One question that seemed to touch a nerve involved the suggestion by some of his critics that America's moral standing in the world has been damaged by harsh interrogation tactics; the creation of a detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and the decision to go to war in Iraq without a United Nations mandate. "It may be damaged amongst some of the elite," he replied, "but people still understand America stands for freedom, that America is a country that provides such great hope."

"You go to Africa, you ask Africans about America's generosity and compassion; go to India and ask about ... their view of America. Go to China and ask," Bush went on. "Now, no question parts of Europe have said that we shouldn't have gone to war in Iraq without a mandate, but those are a few countries. Most countries in Europe listened to what 1441 said, which is disclose, disarm or face serious consequences," he said, referring to the U.N. Security Council resolution.

Asked about the tone of some critics and the so-called "Bush derangement syndrome," he said he had not encountered people angry over his presidency.

"I met a lot of people who don't agree with the decisions I've made, but they've been civil," he said.

Bush had a little advice for his successor, warning President-elect Barack Obama to expect criticism and be prepared that some of his "biggest disappointments will come from your so-called friends."

Information from USA Today and The Associated Press was used In this report.