    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [August 11, 1994]
    [Pages 1459-1460]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1459]]

    Remarks Announcing the Appointment of Abner Mikva as White House Counsel
    and an Exchange With Reporters
    August 11, 1994

        The President. Good afternoon. I am delighted to announce that Chief
    Judge Abner Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
    Columbia will become the new White House Counsel, effective October 1st.
        I am very pleased to have a man of Judge Mikva's stature, integrity,
    judgment, and experience join us in our efforts. He's had a long and
    distinguished career in public service, and he will make a vital
    contribution to the operations of this White House. A World War II
    veteran, and a member of the Illinois Legislature for 10 years, Judge
    Mikva was elected to the Congress in 1968. He served with distinction on
    the House Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees and built a reputation
    as a remarkably thoughtful, fair, and progressive public servant. In
    1979, Judge Mikva went to the Federal bench on the highly regarded Court
    of Appeals here in Washington, where he has served as Chief Judge for
    the last 2 years. During the time that he served on this court, he's
    come to be regarded, justifiably, as one of our Nation's leading
    jurists.
        With his new post Judge Mikva will have served his country now in
    all three branches of our National Government. I expect that his broad
    experience, his deep understanding of our country, our people, and our
    institutions will make him an extremely valuable member of the White
    House team.
        He is a man of great decency who loves his country very much. And I
    am very grateful that he's willing to give up his lifetime appointment
    to the Federal bench to serve the White House as Counsel.
        The White House Counsel advises the President on matters of law and
    justice, ranging from the appointment of judges to the application of
    law throughout our society. He must ensure that the White House meets
    the highest standards of ethics and trust. Judge Mikva, a man of
    uncompromising integrity and judgment, is the right person for this job.
        Let me also say a special word about the man whom Judge Mikva will
    replace. Lloyd Cutler came to the White House 5 months ago for the
    second time in his distinguished career to serve for a limited time as
    my Special Counsel. Once again, he has served his Nation magnificently.
    Mr. Cutler is a wise counselor, and I and all of us have benefited
    immensely from his contributions here at the White House. I thank him
    for all he has done here, and I look forward to his continuing good
    advice in the years to come.
        It's a measure of the seriousness with which we view this office
    that we have turned to Abner Mikva as Lloyd Cutler's successor. And so I
    want to say to Judge Mikva, welcome to the White House.
        Before I call Judge Mikva up, I'd like to make a special note of the
    debate now underway in the House of Representatives on the crime bill.
    As you know, this has been very hard fought. And there are many interest
    groups arguing that the Members of Congress should vote against the so-
    called rule to keep the crime bill from coming to a vote in the first
    place so that they can kill the crime bill without getting credit for
    killing the crime bill.
        The choice is still the same: Are we going to put another 100,000
    police officers on the street? Are we going to ban assault weapons? Are
    we going to ban ownership of handguns by minors? Are we going to make
    our schools safer? Are we going to give our young people something to
    say yes to, even as we make punishment stiffer and build more prisons?
        The average violent criminal goes free in 4 years. This crime bill
    has been taking shape and has been up to the gate and thwarted for 6
    years. There is something wrong with out national institutions when we
    can't do that. And I want to urge the House to pass the rule and the
    bill and do it today.
        Judge Mikva, the microphone is yours.

    [At this point, Judge Mikva made brief remarks.]

    Baseball Strike

        Q. Mr. President, can you tell us about the baseball strike which is
    about to start? As a fan, is there any reason why these negotiators
    should not be sitting down and at least trying to resolve this? They're
    not even meeting.

    [[Page 1460]]

    Would you call upon them to at least sit down and have some talks?
        Q. And don't go away, Mr. President. [Laughter]
        The President. I've got to go away, because I've got to get back on
    the phone. If I don't--I'll have lots to talk to you about if we pass
    the rule today, but if I don't make some more calls, then I'll always
    wonder.
        Let me make one comment about the baseball strike. First of all, I
    think that you should know that since the Secretary of Labor first
    contacted both sides, we have been in continuous contact with both sides
    and have done what we could to make some constructive suggestions about
    how to avoid the strike. It appears that both parties are determined to
    let the strike proceed. We will do what we can to be of help and to get
    things back on track if there is anything we can do.
        Today I would like to speak on behalf of the country because this is
    an unusual situation. You know, when a company goes on strike, the right
    to strike is protected and the workers go on strike because they and the
    management can't reach agreement. But they always have to consider in
    the end their customers and what will happen if they lose their
    customers. In a great event like the baseball strike, I think there's an
    assumption that the customers are always there. But the only thing I'd
    like to say to both sides is that there are a lot of little kids out
    there who don't want to see this season come to a close. And there are a
    lot of not-so-little kids out there who know it's the most exciting
    baseball season in 40 years.
        And I hope that in the days ahead they will search for a way to get
    back together, finish this season, extend it by a few days so that all
    the games can be played, and the feelings of the American people that
    this could be one of those seasons that occurs once every four or five
    decades could be vindicated. I think the people really ought to be taken
    into consideration here, and I hope they will be.

    Note: The President spoke at 4 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House.