Bush personally awarded the medal to Howard for his support for peace, freedom and human rights.
“He is a man of honesty, and moral clarity — he can make a decision and he can defend it and he stands his ground,” Bush said. “That’s why I called him a man of steel.”
Howard said he was very pleased to have received the honor.
“I certainly appreciated it, and I felt honored and I felt touched,” he said.
“There were some very kind things said about me. But I do, nonetheless, put it in the broader context of it being a compliment to my country,” Howard said.
The former prime minister also defended his overnight stay at the official White House guest residence, which was responsible for President-elect Barack Obama and his family being forced to check into a nearby hotel.
Howard described the controversy as an “absurd beat-up.”
