    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [December 10, 1996]
    [Pages 2182-2183]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Appointment of Evelyn Lieberman as Director of the
    Voice of America and an Exchange With Reporters
    December 10, 1996

        The President. Fifty-four years ago, just a few months after the
    United States entered World War II, the Voice of America went on the air
    with these words: ``The news may be good. The news may be bad. We shall
    tell you the truth.'' VOA lit Europe's darkest night with a bright
    spotlight of truth and then became a key weapon in the war of ideas we
    waged and won against communism.
        Today, VOA beams America's voices to nearly 100 million listeners in
    every corner of our planet every week. The news it delivers--reliable,
    authoritative, objective--is more important than ever. There are
    millions and millions and millions of people around the world who are
    hungry, indeed starved, for accurate information still and for the
    insights it gives them on how they can organize themselves to change
    their own lives for the better.
        Under Geoff Cowan's extraordinary leadership, the VOA has developed
    innovative new shows that examine how institutions of democracy and free
    markets work. It has moved from what Director Cowan calls monolog to
    dialog, with call-in programs in a dozen languages. We were just talking
    before we came in about a call-in program that the First Lady did where
    she got calls from all over the world, including some surprising places.
    The VOA has increased coverage of human rights issues. It has used the
    best available technology, like satellites, to deliver better
    programming to more people.
        I thank Geoff, who has been my friend for many years now, for so
    ably carrying on a family tradition. His father, Louis Cowan, was the
    VOA's second director. And most of all, I thank him for his service to
    our Nation and to the community of nations.
        All around the world, new democracies we have worked so hard to
    support are taking root. But they remain fragile, and we must nurture
    and defend them. The free flow of information is the lifeblood of
    democracy. And it is very important that the mission of the VOA
    continue.
        I can think of no greater life force for the free flow of ideas and
    for VOA's future than its new director, whom I have the honor of naming
    today, Evelyn Lieberman. Her strong, unique voice has reverberated
    throughout the White House from my first day in office--[laughter]--I
    see from your laughter that you know I have not overstated that;
    ``reverberated'' is the operative word--first as Assistant to the First
    Lady's Chief of Staff, then as Deputy Press Secretary, most recently as
    Deputy Chief of Staff, the first woman ever to hold that job.
        Evelyn has a special talent for cutting to the chase and getting to
    the truth, as just about every member of the press corps and the White
    House staff, including the President, know from first-hand experience.
    As Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, she did make the trains run on
    time. But more than that, she made them run straight and true because of
    her steely deter-

    [[Page 2183]]

    mination, her extraordinary integrity, and her great, good heart. We
    will miss her skill, her passionate personality, which could warm even
    the coldest room here at the White House.
        Now Evelyn will bring her talent and her energy to the VOA and
    return, as she told me she wanted to do, to her career-long love,
    communications. Before her White House years, Evelyn was press secretary
    to Senator Joe Biden, director of public affairs for the Children's
    Defense Fund, communications director for the National Urban Coalition.
    Her extraordinary breadth of experience will help VOA continue the
    remarkable work Geoff Cowan has done to meet the challenge of change.
        As Secretary of State-designate Albright said of Secretary
    Christopher, Evelyn Lieberman will be hard pressed to fill Geoff Cowan's
    shoes with her heels. But she does have the experience, the leadership
    skills, and the drive to do the job, to do it very well, and to carry on
    VOA's unique mission of spreading truth and hope around the world. I am
    very pleased that she has accepted this appointment and ask her now to
    say a few words.

    [At this point, Ms. Lieberman made brief remarks.]

    California's Affirmative Action Proposition

        Q. Mr. President, are you going to do anything about Prop. 209?
    [Laughter]
        The President. I thought you were going to----
        Ms. Lieberman. My role model. [Laughter]
        The President. I thought you were going into the radio talk show
    business.
        Q. Not quite.
        The President. Well, let me say I have not yet received the final
    recommendations from the Justice Department and the Counsel's Office.
    They're working back and forth on that. As all of you know, I opposed
    publicly and strongly 209. I thought it was bad policy for the people of
    California and a bad example for America. Whether it is unconstitutional
    is a different question, and our people are working very hard there to
    work through the legal and constitutional issues to give me a
    recommendation about what we should do and how we should do it.
        And I am eager to get their recommendation. They're just working
    very hard on it and looking at all the aspects of the argument. I expect
    to have a recommendation soon and then to make a very speedy decision
    after that.

    Second Term Transition

        Q. Mr. President, now that you've filled the VOA job so happily, can
    you tell us anything about your decision on the Attorney General's job?
        The President. No. I'm making these appointments, you know, in an
    orderly fashion and making these announcements. I haven't even been able
    to meet with all the members of my administration yet, and we're doing
    it in a regular fashion. We will do it and announce them as we're ready.
        Q. Have you met and talked with Janet Reno about this yet?
        The President. Not about this appointment, but we'll meet soon. I
    expect by--oh, in the next several days I expect to have met with all
    the rest of the members of the Cabinet and the senior administration
    officials with whom I have not yet met. There are still a few, and we're
    working through that as we work through more announcements as well.

    Serbia

        Q. Mr. President, metaphorically speaking, you are the voice of
    America. [Laughter] I can't help but make the link now----
        The President. Except for a few days ago. [Laughter]
        Q. I can't help but make the link to Eastern Europe and the Serbia
    situation. What would you say to Mr. Milosevic?
        The President. That elections should be respected and that the voice
    of the people should be heard, and that the human, political, and civil
    rights of the people should be respected. The United States has made its
    statement and its position clear. Neither we nor anyone else would seek
    to interfere in the internal events in Serbia, but our sympathies are
    always with free people who are struggling to express their freedom and
    want to have the integrity of their elections respected.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:54 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. During the exchange, a reporter referred to President Slobodan
    Milosevic of Serbia.