Bush the humorist in China

Former President George W. Bush cracked jokes Saturday about how he scoops up after his dog on neighborhood walks and then turned to more serious subjects, such as terrorism and the financial crisis, during his first overseas trip since leaving office.

Bush, in China for the Boao Forum, also shared some of his most unusual moments with leaders, such as the time he listened to former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi sing “Hound Dog” while visiting Graceland mansion, the home of the late Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tenn.

The stories drew laughter and applause from the audience in a huge banquet hall at the forum, an annual conference where executives hobnob with global leaders at a resort in China’s southern tropical island province of Hainan. Security was tight and there were no protests.

Bush said that after he left the White House and moved into his new home in Dallas, he decided to take his Scottish terrier Barney for a walk. To be a good neighbor, he said, he carried a plastic bag so he could clean up his dog’s droppings. The task seemed ironic to him, he said.

“I was picking up what I had been dodging for eight years,” Bush said.

The former president said after he left the presidency in January, he plopped down on the couch and said, “Free at last.”

But his wife, Laura, put in: “You’re free to do the dishes,” he said.

After a few other jokes, Bush shifted to more serious topics.

He said he would not criticize Barack Obama and wished his successor all the best. “He was not my first choice, but now that this election was made, it speaks volumes about the United States of America,” Bush said.

The financial crisis gives the world an opportunity to modernize financial systems, craft smarter regulations for complex financial instruments, create better banking standards and enact more efficient warning systems, Bush said.

He also urged global leaders to continue the struggle against terrorism and to support the young democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan.