George W. Bush Says He Would Have Endorsed Barack Obama in '08 if Asked?

(Nov. 10) -- Bet you didn't see that one coming!

According to a story published by the Financial Times, former President George W. Bush told a group of British White House visitors that he would have likely given his endorsement to candidate Barack Obama, if only he had been asked.

Discussing fellow Republican John McCain's lackluster campaign, Bush is said to have quipped, "I probably won't even vote for the guy." Then, according to the recollection of two people in the room, Bush added, "I had to endorse him. But I'd have endorsed Obama if they'd asked me."

Considering that Bush actively campaigned for McCain during the 2008 election, that claim might seem like a stretch. Then again, in "Decision Points," Bush's newly released memoir, the former president makes no bones about the fact that of the two candidates, he much preferred the way Obama handled the news of the financial sector meltdown.

In his recent interview with the "Today" show's Matt Lauer, Bush also described why he has avoided criticism of Obama since leaving office.

"Well, for two reasons. One, I just didn't want to get out there anymore," Bush said in the interview. "I didn't want to get back into what I call the swamp. I'm trying to regain a sense of anonymity. And the other reason why is that I don't think it's good for the presidency for a former president to be opining about his successor. President Obama has got plenty of critics, and I'm just not going to be one."

Does this mean Bush really would have given a cross-party endorsement, or were his alleged comments the stuff of fiction, albeit with a surprise ending?

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