    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [December 31, 2001]
    [Pages 1556-1559]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on New Year's Eve and an Exchange With Reporters in Crawford,
    Texas
    December 31, 2001

        The President. First of all, I wish everybody a Happy New Year; 2002
    is going to be a great year for America. And we will continue to pursue
    our mission in fighting terror. We'll work hard to make sure our economy
    rebounds. But most of all, the Nation will continue to embrace the

    [[Page 1557]]

    culture of compassion, which really, really flourished right after
    September the 11th.
        I'm looking forward to an early evening tonight. I guess at the age
    of 55, it's expected that--or it's okay for a guy to go to bed at about
    9 p.m., maybe 10 p.m. So I don't plan anything glamorous for New Year's
    Eve.
        I've got to tell you, there's nothing more relaxing than being in
    Crawford, Texas. I'm spending as much time outdoors as I can. I spent--
    after my briefing this morning with National Security Council, I was
    able to spend about 3 hours in the canyons, cleaning underbrush. And I
    feel refreshed and fortunate that we've got such a beautiful piece of
    land to live on.
        I'll be glad to answer a few questions; then I'm going to go have a
    cheeseburger.

    Usama bin Laden and Mullah Omar

        Q. Any information on the whereabouts of bin Laden or Omar? Is there
    a new pursuit underway now?
        The President. No. Yes, I mean, the same pursuit: We're going to get
    him, and it's just a matter of when. You know, you hear all kinds of
    reports and all kinds of rumors. You've got people saying he's in a
    cave, people saying he's dead, people saying he's in Pakistan. And all I
    know is that he's running, and anytime you get a person running, it
    means you're going to get him pretty soon.
        And same with Mullah Omar. It's just a matter of time, and I'm
    patient, and so is our military. There is no artificial timelines or,
    you know, deadlines. The definition of success is making sure the
    Taliban is out of existence, helping rebuild Afghanistan, and disrupting
    this international terrorist network. And we're doing a darn good job of
    it, too.

    Situation in South Asia

        Q. Sir, are tensions easing in India and Pakistan, now that Pakistan
    has arrested the leader of a militant group? And just one more.
        The President. Sure.
        Q. Would you urge President--or Prime Minister Vajpayee to meet with
    President Musharraf next week?
        The President. Well, a couple of days ago I had a good talk with
    both Prime Minister Vajpayee and
    President Musharraf. I urged President
    Musharraf to do everything he could to crack down on the terrorist
    network that had bombed the Indian Parliament or raided the Indian
    Parliament. In my conversation with the Prime Minister, I said I can
    understand how he feels. If someone attacked the U.S. Capitol, I'd feel
    angry, too. I urged--however, I urged--I explained to the Indian Prime
    Minister that while I understood his anger, I was hoping that they were
    not headed for war. I said, ``Give us all a chance to work with
    President Musharraf to bring the terrorists to justice.''
        And today, as you know, he apprehended
    the head of what they call LET. That's after
    he had apprehended the head of JEM. So
    he's cracking down hard, and I appreciate his efforts. Terror is terror,
    and the fact that the Pakistani President is after terrorists is a good
    sign.

    Argentina

        Q. Mr. President, with the middle class now rioting in Argentina,
    are you concerned that that country's economic crisis is developing into
    a real political crisis? And has the time come for the U.S. to do
    something more substantial----
        The President. Well, I talked to President--interim President
    Saa, and no longer President Saa--and
    I'm, you know, obviously, I'm worried about it. Argentina is a very
    important part of our hemisphere. I've heard that they're thinking about
    expediting elections, and that will be good. And as soon as they can
    get--I'm confident the country will stay together until they get
    elections.

    [[Page 1558]]

        And once they elect a President, we'll work with him. But the future
    President has got to deal with the economic crisis at hand. And once
    they come up with a plan that will sustain economic growth, then we're
    willing to work with them. We're willing to provide technical assistance
    to the Government, through the IMF, and hopefully, they'll get their
    house in order here pretty quickly.
        Q. Still no need for more direct U.S. intervention or aid?
        The President. I'm not sure what that means. You know, Argentina is
    a vibrant democracy; they've been around a long time; they have
    elections. You know, they're going to have elections here pretty
    quickly. As soon as they get a democratically elected President in
    place, we'll work with him as--as a matter of fact, I anticipate I'll be
    calling the person as soon as he wins.

    Homeland Security

        Q. What can Americans expect in the upcoming year, in terms of
    homeland security? What's next, sir?
        The President. Well, what's next is really a focus on health, a
    focus on--in terms of making sure the public health systems work. We're
    reviewing all our visa policies. We're looking at our immigration
    policies. We're looking at border policies, both with Canada and with
    Mexico. And we'll continue doing what we're doing now, which is, anytime
    we get a lead, we're going to disrupt--we're going to bring them in and
    give them a chance to protect Americans.
        The FBI, the whole culture of the FBI has changed, for the better.
    The FBI's main task now is to protect Americans from further attack. The
    country is on alert. And a classic case was the person who tried to put the bomb in his shoe, and a flight
    attendant on the American flight alertly notified people, and they got
    it. And he's now--we're now giving him a chance to tell us what he knows
    about terror and about Al Qaida.
        But 2002 will--the country will still be on alert; we'll still be
    working hard to protect the American people.
        Q. Is there a special alert now? The terrorists have shown an
    inclination to strike around New Year's----
        The President. Well, or Christmas. I mean, there's all kinds of
    excuses for them to attack. Let's just put it this way, that the
    administration and the Government has not--is on alert and have been
    since 9/11. And the American people realize we have a new culture, and
    that is one of being vigilant. We've got people working overtime during
    the holidays; you know, we've got CAPs still flying around. Anybody
    tries to harm an American, there's a good chance we're going to get him.

    Vision for 2002

        Q. [Inaudible]--for the American people?
        The President. Well, it is that we're a blessed nation. God has
    richly blessed America. And for that, we ought to be grateful. We're a
    nation that has gone through incredible suffering and hardship. Yet, as
    a result of it, we're a strong nation and a united nation. And 2002, in
    my judgment, is going to be a great year.
        It's going to be a great year because people are going to be able to
    find work again. It's going to be a great year because our military is
    going to do the job the Americans expect. It'll be a great year because
    at home we'll protect the American people. And it's going to be a great
    year primarily because Americans have taken a look inward, reassessed
    their values, have realized that some of the basics in life are that
    which is most important: love of faith, love of family. And as a result,
    our communities have been stronger. So I'm really looking forward to
    2002.
        I'm also looking forward to my cheeseburger. [Laughter]
        Q. Any resolutions?

    [[Page 1559]]

        The President. Resolutions? Eat fewer cheeseburgers. [Laughter]
        Thank you all.

    New Year's Eve Plans

        Q. Do you have friends coming over tonight?
        The President. Yes, we've got two couples from Austin and a couple
    from Lubbock. And the Lubbock couple are generally--has spent, I guess,
    New Year's Eve with us for, like, a decade now, I think. And that's it.
        Have fun; enjoy yourselves. Thanks.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:44 p.m. at the Coffee Station
    restaurant. In his remarks, he referred to Usama bin Laden, leader of
    the Al Qaida terrorist organization; Mullah Mohammed Omar, former head
    of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan; Prime Minister Atal Bihari
    Vajpayee of India; President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan; Hafiz
    Mohammed Saeed, head of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LET);
    Maulana Masood Azhar, head of the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed
    (JEM); former interim President Adolfo Rodriguez Saa of Argentina; and
    Richard C. Reid, a passenger on American Airlines Flight AA63 who
    allegedly tried to ignite an explosive device in his shoe while en route
    from Paris to Miami on December 22. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of these remarks.