    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [July 16, 2001]
    [Pages 852-855]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Accepting a Bust of Winston Churchill and an Exchange With
    Reporters
    July 16, 2001

        The President. Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.
        I think I casually mentioned to the Ambassador, right after my swearing-in, that I lamented the
    fact that there was not a proper bust of Winston Churchill for me to put
    in the Oval Office. He's a man of great action, because here sits a bust
    on loan from Her Majesty's Government that I accept gratefully and will
    place right here, where the flowers are, beneath one of my favorite west
    Texas paintings. I accept gratefully, and I look forward to looking at
    Sir Winston on a daily basis.
        People said, ``Why would you be interested in having the bust of an
    Englishman in your Oval Office?'' And the answer is, because he was one
    of the great leaders in the 20th century. He was an enormous
    personality. He stood on principle. He was a man of great courage. He
    knew what he believed, and he really kind of went after it in a way that
    seemed like a Texan to me. He wasn't afraid of public opinion polls. He
    wasn't afraid of--he didn't need focus groups to tell him what was
    right. He charged ahead, and the world is better for it.
        He also had a great sense of humor. There have been a lot of
    Churchill stories, some of which you can repeat on TV, some of which you
    can't, Mr. Ambassador. One

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    that came to mind was, after he lost office in the election in 1945,
    King George VI offered him the Order of the Garter. And here is what he
    said: ``I could hardly accept His Majesty's offer of the Garter when his
    people have given me the order of the boot.'' [Laughter]
        Churchill reminds me of two things--one, we need more humor in the
    public arena. He had a great wit. He had a fantastic way of making
    people smile and laugh. And secondly, he reminds me of the importance of
    our relationship, the relationship between Great Britain and America.
        As the Ambassador mentions, in a
    couple of days' time I will go to confirm and renew that relationship.
    Not only will I have the honor of meeting with Her Majesty; I will also spend some quality time again with
    the Prime Minister. We've got a strong personal
    relationship that is most helpful to making sure our countries continue
    the tie that binds.
        I'm looking forward to my trip overseas. And a perfect way to begin
    is to stop off in London and then eventually go to Chequers and then--
    and have a very constructive and honest and straightforward dialog about
    areas where we cooperate to make the world a better place.
        In the meantime, Mr. Ambassador, I'm
    honored that you came by. Thank you very much for bringing Sir Winston.
    I look forward to visiting with him. Sometimes he'll talk back;
    sometimes he won't, depending upon the stress of the moment. But he is a
    constant reminder of what a great leader is like.
        So, thank you for coming, sir.

    United Kingdom-U.S. Relations

        Q. Mr. President, is the special relationship as healthy today as it
    was in Churchill's time?
        The President. I think it is. I do. We cooperate in the Balkans. The
    Prime Minister and I talk quite frequently on
    issues that are of concern for world peace. We don't agree on every
    single detail of issues, but we do agree that the relationship is
    special and unique. And I think it is very strong.

    Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change

        Q. Are you expecting criticism, on your UK trip, of your policies on
    the Kyoto treaty and missile defense?
        The President. You mean, from whom? Editorial page writers? Oh,
    perhaps. But on both issues I have made my positions clear. People
    shouldn't doubt where the United States stands. And I made those
    positions on principle.
        In principle, it's important for us to develop a new strategic
    framework to make the world more peaceful. The Prime Minister, in his public statement at Camp David, understood
    exact--said to the people he understood exactly where I was coming from.
    We will continue to consult with Great Britain on the issue. I will keep
    him posted about my dialog with Mr. Putin. As a matter of fact, one of the things I look
    forward to doing is sharing the conversations I had with Mr. Putin and
    what my intentions are in Genoa, as well as in Shanghai, when I meet Mr.
    Putin.
        And I think the Prime Minister and others are
    beginning to realize the cold war is over. I know he knows it's over.
    And the fundamental question is, how do we deal with the threats of the
    21st century?
        And on global warming, the Prime Minister knows, as do the leaders
    of the EU--they heard me say as loudly and as clearly as I can, we agree
    with the goal of reducing greenhouse gases, but we don't accept the
    methodology of the Kyoto treaty. So I look forward, over time, to
    detailing our strategy with our friends and allies. And again, I repeat,
    it's with the goal in mind of making sure that we all work in the world,
    developing and--developing nations as well as industrial nations, at
    reducing greenhouse gases.

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    U.S. Sanctions Against Cuba

        Q. Mr. President, on a question that is of interest to Europe, do
    you plan to extend the waiver of the Title III of Helms-Burton for
    another 6 months?
        The President. I do.

    Northern Ireland Peace Process

        Q. Mr. President, do you have any initiative to suggest in Northern
    Ireland that might break the deadlock between the parties there?
        The President. Where? Northern Ireland? No, what I told the leaders
    of--Prime Minister Blair and Ahern, I said, ``Call me if you need help.'' They're the
    folks closest to the ground. They're intricately involved in the
    situation, and the United States stands ready to assist. If there's
    anything we can do to help bring peace to the region, my Government is
    more than willing to do so.
        Q. But you haven't received a call yet?
        The President. I have not, but I suspect that Tony Blair and I will discuss this issue. I look forward to getting
    his perspective on the issue. And again, if he needs our help, we'll be
    glad to help.

    President's Upcoming Visit to the United Kingdom

        Q. You've been to Britain before, Mr. President. What are you
    looking forward to most on your revisit?
        The President. Well, I'm looking forward to going to Chequers. The
    Prime Minister told me when he came to Camp David
    that he thought I was--would really love to see Chequers. And my dad
    told me the same thing. The Ambassador's
    confirmed that as well. I look forward to going.
        I look forward to seeing Her Majesty the Queen. I had the honor of coming to a state dinner here in
    Washington that my mother and dad gave for her. And it's--I found her to
    be a lovely, dignified, smart lady. And I look forward to representing
    my country in her presence.
        My first trip to overseas was a successful trip. I'm confident this
    will be as well. It's such an honor to represent our Nation in foreign
    capitals and to be with foreign leaders. I look forward to--but I really
    look forward to making progress on key issues such as missile defense
    and world trade, working with nations who are less fortunate than Great
    Britain and the United States--nations in Africa. We're going to have a
    very interesting session in Genoa with the leaders of developing
    nations. And the United States and Great Britain will take the lead in
    helping convince all our friends and allies to provide support necessary
    to help nations develop, starting with free trade.

    Energy Policy

        Q. Mr. President, on energy, your Cabinet is out today, pushing your
    energy plan. Is it a tougher sell now, given that gas prices have come
    down, we're not seeing the rolling blackouts in California that we were
    just a couple of months ago?
        The President. Well, I think anytime there's not an immediate
    problem that's apparent to people, it's tough to convince people to
    think long term. But it's clear that there are warning signs. It's
    clear--it should be clear to the American people that we're dependent
    upon foreign sources of crude oil, when every quarter we worry about
    whether or not OPEC is going to run the price of crude up. It should be
    worrisome to people that the State that's had the best conservation
    efforts is the State that's had brownouts. And even though there may not
    be a brownout today, it's an indication that we need an energy policy.
        And so we're going to take a very strong effort to convince the
    American people that we've got a plan that couples not only sound
    conservation but the need to develop new sources of energy. And one of
    the primary topics that will be on the agenda when the President of
    Mexico, Vicente Fox,

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    comes after our August recess, in the beginning of September, will be to
    continue to talk about the hemispheric strategy to bring natural gas
    into the United States, and to Mexico, for that matter.
        I'm going to meet with Jean Chretien in
    Genoa, and we'll be talking about energy, I can assure you. Canada has
    got a lot of natural gas in the Northwest Territories; we need to figure
    out how to get that gas into the United States.
        And I think the American people will listen to a rational, logical
    approach about how best to create energy security and diversification,
    as well as how to promote conservation.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:12 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to United Kingdom Ambassador to the
    United States Christopher Meyer, who presented the bust; Queen Elizabeth
    II and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; President
    Vladimir Putin of Russia; Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland; and
    Prime Minister Jean Chretien of Canada. A reporter referred to Title III
    (protection of property rights of U.S. nationals) of the Cuban Liberty
    and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (Public Law No. 104-
    114).