    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [December 16, 1999]
    [Pages 2321-2322]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Excerpts of an Interview With Peter Jennings
    of ABC News
    December 16, 1999

    Franklin D. Roosevelt

        Mr. Jennings. This room, sir, this fireplace and others in the White
    House obviously remind me of President Roosevelt. His relationship with
    the public was of such a magnitude that people, in many cases, thought
    he was a god, placed absolute faith in him. Do you think there will ever
    be a time when another American President gets that kind of commitment?
        The President. If the country is under that kind of threat. It was
    in this room that President Roosevelt gave his fireside chats. And keep
    in mind, he took our Nation through two huge threats: first, the
    Depression, where 25 percent of our people were out of work, for the
    only time in our history; and second, in the Second World War, with
    Hitler and the Axis powers.
        I think the people in this country are--they nearly always get it
    right if they have enough information and enough time. They're very hard
    to stampede. And I think they would follow a good leader in a tough time
    like that.

    Cynicism

        The President. When I leave the White House, I will be more
    idealistic about the American people and the American system of
    government than I was when I showed up here. And I think cynicism is a
    cop-out and a refuge now. I think skepticism is good. I think
    demythologizing is good. I think cynicism, because it's fundamentally a
    negative and self-defeating emotion and it gives you an excuse not to
    think, is stupid.

        Mr. Jennings. I don't mean to belabor the point, nor will I, but I
    think many Americans believe that you contributed to cynicism about
    politics. And I assume if there's anything you could take back over the
    last several years it would be the Lewinski affair.
        The President. Why should you be cynical? If someone makes a
    mistake, and they say they make a mistake, and they do their best to
    atone for it, then you can say, ``Well, people aren't perfect, and I'm
    disappointed.'' But that shouldn't make you cynical about the American
    political system, the American system of government.

    Berlin Wall

        Mr. Jennings. I'd just like to pick a couple things that the century
    will always be remembered for and get your take on them. What did the
    Berlin Wall mean to you?
        The President. It was the symbol of what was wrong with communism.
    It was about control and keeping people back and keeping people in. You
    know, John Kennedy had that wonderful line in his speech, ``Freedom has
    many difficulties, and our democracy is far from perfect. But we never
    had to put up a wall to keep our people in.''

    Atomic Bomb

        Mr. Jennings. What difference did the atomic bomb make?
        The President. It reminded us that we had the capacity to destroy
    ourselves completely, and it humbled people. And I think that's very
    important, because people with power--and I include myself--you give
    anybody a lot of power,

    [[Page 2322]]

    and if they're not careful, they will make arrogant decisions, unheedful
    of the most fundamental desire of people: to have life and liberty and
    to enjoy the blessings of normal life.

        The President. We will look back at the development of the atomic
    bomb in some ways as one of the most humbling events in all of human
    history, because we finally had to come face-to-face with the fact that
    we could take it all away. You know? Beyond the gas chambers, beyond the
    pogroms, beyond the killing fields of the Somme and the Marne in World
    War I, we could actually make it all go away. And I think it sobered the
    world up in a way that was oddly reassuring.

    Note: The interview began at approximately 10 a.m. in the Diplomatic
    Reception Room at the White House. The transcript was released by the
    Office of the Press Secretary on December 18. A tape was not available
    for verification of the content of these excerpts.