Bush recalls 'awesome' presidency: 'I was famous and powerful'

In a recent interview, George W. Bush fondly recalled his eight-year presidency as "awesome," but said he wasn't eager to get back into public life.

"I really don't want to be in the public eye anymore," the former president told the Hoover Institute’s Peter Robinson in an interview posted to YouTube on Tuesday.

"Look, eight years was awesome," Bush explained. "You know, I was famous and I was powerful, but I have no desire for fame and power anymore."

"I don't want to undermine our president -- whoever is president," he added. "And a former president can do that. And I think it's bad for the presidency itself."

"I have found that life after the presidency is awesome."

Bush left office in 2009 with a 22 percent approval rate, making him one of history's least-liked presidents, according to CBS News. In all, 73 percent said they did not approve of the way he ran the country for eight years.

Watch this video from the Hoover Institute, uploaded to YouTube on July 17, 2012.

(h/t: Political Wire)