US News

Dubya an open book

George W. Bush’s time away from the spotlight, it turns out, has made it easier for him to show emotion and be reflective in public.

He’s still no Hamlet — but he’s also no longer so uncomfortable talking about what makes him tick.

In his extraordinary,

prime-time TV interview tonight with NBC’s Matt Lauer, former President George W. Bush talks about his relationship with father, saying, “There’s a lot of psychobabble out there that he and I compete. That ‘W was trying to overshadow his father.’

“And I said, look, I think people will be surprised to learn [in the book] that this relationship was based on love.”

Lauer interrupts, “Why would people be surprised? He’s you father.”

Replies Bush, “Because it’s not as [pause] complex as some would like it to be.”

But most of the talk is about political decisions — and Bush is not about to start second-guessing himself now.

“Was there ever any consideration of apologizing the American people [for being wrong about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq]?” Lauer asks in the Frost-Nixon moment of the night.

“Apologizing would basically say it was a wrong decision,” Bush replies. “And I don’t believe it was a wrong decision.”

Dubya — who chose his church in Midland, Texas, to tape the first half, the family portion of the interview, and a TV studio 300 miles away in Dallas for the political part — does not believe he has anything to apologize for.

“When you’re the president . . . ” is a phrase he uses a lot.

It’s a shorthand way of explaining that the Oval Office has no corners to hide in.

The line of the night comes when Bush is talking about Hurricane Katrina. But it could have applied to just about any president’s final years.

“Intentions,” Bush says, “get overwhelmed by perceptions.”

President Obama might give an “amen” when he hears that.

michael.shain@nypost.com