Rice: 'This generation' will 'soon thank' Bush

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the last eight years of President Bush's policies as an achievement that is not reflected in the lowest approval ratings of all time.

Rice said it won't be long before Bush's contributions to the world will be acknowledged and that recognition of big achievements sometimes take a long time.

"I think generations pretty soon are going to start to thank this president for what he's done," Rice said in CBS interview Sunday. "This generation will."

Asked what grade she would give the administration on foreign policy, Rice said some decisions merited an "A-plus" while others "deserve a lot less." But she remained adamant that Bush's central decision to invade Iraq was the right one.

"It's not a popularity contest," Rice said. "It is to lay a foundation for where all this will come out. I know that your business is to report today's headlines and I respect that. But my business is to lay a foundation for history's judgment."

Rice's dismissal of Bush's low approval ratings prompted interviewer Rita Braver to prod Rice, saying "It has to be more than just a perception problem." Braver then cited a Pew Survey, which found that the "U.S. image abroad is suffering almost everywhere." More