President Bush is defending his decision to go to war in Iraq, saying Saddam Hussein was a madman and at the very minimum had the ability to make weapons of mass destruction.
Mr. Bush made the comments in an NBC television interview being broadcast today (Sunday).
The president was asked if the war in Iraq was worth 530 American lives, even though inspectors have yet to find any banned weapons in the country.
Mr. Bush replied that Saddam was dangerous, and that he was not going to leave him in power and trust him.
President Bush also said he is willing to talk to the new commission investigating failures in U.S. pre-war intelligence.
But he said the committee will not issue its report until after the November presidential elections so that its work will not be hurried. The nine-member commission has been given until March 31, 2005 to complete its probe.
The president said once the report is released, the American people would be able to decide if he made the right decision to go to war.
Mr. Bush also defended his CIA director George Tenet, saying his job was not in jeopardy.