United States President George Bush says his "biggest regret" in office was intelligence which incorrectly stated Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
In an interview aired on ABC news in the United States on Monday, Mr Bush says many people put their reputations on the line and cited it as a reason to remove Saddam.
He said leaders of many nations looked at the same intelligence, not just his administration.
In the interview Mr Bush would not be drawn on whether he would have ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 had he received accurate intelligence.
"That is a do-over that I can't do," Bush said.
Mr Bush also said he was not prepared for war when terrorists struck the United States on 11 September 2001, only eight months into his presidency.
"Well, I think I was unprepared for war. In other words, I didn't campaign and say, 'Please vote for me, I'll be able to handle an attack.' In other words, I didn't anticipate war," he said.
