[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[November 6, 1997]
[Pages 1504-1505]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 1504]]


Exchange With Reporters at the George Bush Presidential Library in 
College Station, Texas
November 6, 1997

Iraq

    Q. President George Bush, have you given any advice--what advice do 
you have for President Clinton in dealing with Saddam Hussein in this 
latest standoff? And do you have any regrets?
    President George Bush. I agree with the President's stance of being 
firm with this man, and he's doing exactly the right thing. It is 
important that we have people with us in this, and it is important that 
the United Nations not waver one single bit. So I have no advice.
    Q. Do you regret that your administration didn't more aggressively 
try to depose Saddam Hussein?
    President Bush. In what way would I have deposed him? I'm not sure I 
understand the question. How depose him?
    Q. During the war, do you regret not being more aggressive in trying 
to take him out?
    President Bush. No, I have no regrets. The mission was to end the 
aggression, and we ended the aggression. We tried to do it peacefully 
without firing a shot. That failed the end of the aggression. His 
legions are defeated, and they cannot project the offensive force they 
once had.
    Now, if you're asking me if I'm happy he's still there, no. But for 
those that now say, ex post facto, we should go in and have killed him, 
then I would then ask the question, whose son, whose daughter would I 
ask to give their lives in a perhaps fruitless hunt in Baghdad, where we 
would have become an occupying power? I have no regrets. The military 
said, ``We've accomplished our mission.'' We ended the war, and we did 
the right thing. And history will say we did the right thing.
    Q. What do you make of his staying power, President Bush?
    Q. Mr. President, what do you think of the report from Mr. Butler 
that says Iraq is tampering with the U.N. surveillance cameras and 
moving weapons-related equipment?
    President Clinton. Of course, that may be why he wants to interrupt 
the inspections, and why it's so important that they resume immediately. 
You know, the idea of getting the Americans out may just be a ruse; it 
may be that there is something that they're covering up, which is 
exactly why the international community has to resume the inspections.
    Q. President Bush, what do you make of his staying power, Saddam's 
staying power, after all these years?
    President Bush. Lots of staying power. A lot of staying power. If 
you're brutal, you don't care about the lives of your people and the 
welfare of them, you can stay in power a long time. I thought he'd be 
gone because of that brutality.
    Any others?

George Bush Presidential Library

    Q. What do you think of this library, Mr. Clinton?
    President Clinton. I like it. It's very impressive. And the displays 
are particularly interesting to me.

Fast-Track Trade Legislation

    President Bush. May I inject an answer to a question that has not 
been asked? I have great respect and I expect--I'm not trying to speak 
for President Carter or President Ford--for what President Clinton is 
trying to do in getting fast track through this Congress, through this 
Republican Congress. And he is doing the right thing. The Congress must 
support him in the House of Representatives, as they did in the Senate. 
And I am passionately committed to his position, President Clinton's 
position, on free and fair trade.
    And I don't know if anyone wants to add to that. But this is an 
important moment, given what's happening out there.
    President Gerald Ford. Well, I strongly reiterate my previous 
comment to the effect that fast-track legislation is critically 
important for substantive reasons and for U.S. leadership around the 
world. We've had that kind of legislation since the day I was President, 
and we hope to have it because it's important, critically, to the future 
of the United States as a leader--for the Nation.
    So we hope and pray you'll get the votes tomorrow, Mr. President.

[[Page 1505]]

    President Jimmy Carter. Well, all of us former Presidents have 
endorsed not only NAFTA earlier but also fast track now. In January, my 
wife and I and others were down in Latin America and saw the tremendous 
progress being made there. As a matter of fact, the MERCOSUR countries, 
which President Clinton visited recently, have already signed separate 
trade agreements with Mexico, with Canada, and with Europe. And I think, 
first of all, we're going to get left out if we don't sign fast track 
and get the negotiations done. And secondly, it's going to be a slap in 
the face to our natural friends and allies in Latin America.
    The last 3 or 4 days I've been calling as many Democratic Congress 
Members as I could, trying to get the Democrats to come and support fast 
track. I think we have a much better chance among Republicans than we do 
Democrats. So I think we've got a lot of work to do, but it couldn't be 
a more important issue at this moment than to get fast track approved.
    Q. How does it look, President Clinton?
    President Clinton. It looks like we'd be better off if they were in 
Congress--[laughter]--and if I was. We're working hard. And let me say, 
the strong position that President Bush, President Carter, and President 
Ford has taken is immeasurably helpful. You know we have a lot of 
opposition, and I think you all know where it's coming from. I wish we 
could have a secret vote in the Congress; we'd pass it three or four to 
one.
    But we're going to do the very best we can, and we're very hopeful. 
And we've been gaining ground in the last day--we had a great 
announcement yesterday by a group of Texas Members of the House, 
supporting it, and we're working on another group today. We're just 
going to keep working until tomorrow morning and see where we are. But I 
think we've got a good chance to win.
    President Ford. Let us know if we can help make any calls.

Presidential Libraries

    Q. What kind of ideas does this give you for your library?
    President Clinton. Well, I'd like to have one that's as graphically 
representational as this one is and both personal--it's beautifully 
personal. I was over there--I was a little late getting in the line here 
because I was reading all of your biographical background and looking at 
your kids when they were young--no, it's wonderful. But I think it has a 
wonderful balance between the personal and the public service of 
President Bush.
    President Carter. Each library has gotten larger and larger, so I 
can't wait to see President Clinton's that he's going to build in--
[laughter].
    President Clinton. I don't have as much land. I'll have to build a 
high-rise. [Laughter]

Note: The exchange began at 10:40 a.m. in the George Bush Presidential 
Library at Texas A&M University. In his remarks, President Clinton 
referred to President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. A reporter referred to 
Richard Butler, Executive Chairman, United Nations Special Commission 
(UNSCOM) charged with dismantling Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of this exchange.