Former President George W. Bush has been anything but regretful about his decision to invade Iraq after the attacks of September 11th. Yet legendary Grammy-winning singer Tony Bennett claims otherwise. Bennett, 85, a World War II veteran and self-proclaimed pacifist, says that during the Kennedy Center Honors in 2005, Bush personally confided to him that he thought the decision to go to war was a mistake.

Speaking during an appearance on Howard Stern’s radio show on September 19, the New York born Bennett also had some provocative views on the terrorist’s motivation for attacking America on 9/11. Asked Bennett,

“But who are the terrorists? Are we the terrorists or are they the terrorists? Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Naturally, Bennett’s comments about 9/11 stirred some controversy. On September 20th, he released this public statement, which the media labeled an “apology”:

I am so grateful to be an American and as a World War II veteran, I was proud to fight to protect our values, which have made America the greatest country on the planet.

There is simply no excuse for terrorism and the murder of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims of the 9/11 attacks on our country.

My life experiences - ranging from the Battle of the Bulge to marching with Martin Luther King - made me a life-long humanist and pacifist, and reinforced my belief that violence begets violence and that war is the lowest form of human behavior.

I am sorry if my statements suggested anything other than an expression of my love for my country, my hope for humanity and my desire for peace throughout the world.