    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [July 26, 2001]
    [Pages 913-916]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate

    Mark Earley and an Exchange With Reporters
    July 26, 2001

        The President. It's my honor to welcome the next Governor of
    Virginia to the Oval Office. This man is going to win because he knows a
    couple of truths: One, that it's important to let people keep their own
    money--I appreciate your strong stance on

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    holding the line on cutting the car tax in Virginia--and secondly, he
    has prioritized education, and he knows full well that if you have a
    Governor who knows how to lead, you can set clear spending priorities.
    And so I believe Mark has got the right issues, the right vision, and
    the right skill to be a great Governor for Virginia.
        Secondly, here in Washington, we're making progress on some key
    issues. I've been meeting with Members of the Congress on the Patients'
    Bill of Rights; I will continue to do so throughout the day. Secondly, I
    had a very good visit with Senator Lieberman and Senator Santorum on the
    Faith-Based Initiative, a positive discussion about how to get the bill
    fashioned so it moves through the Senate and then, of course, be
    combined with the House version.
        The Members agree--at least, the two Members that came to see me
    agree with how important this initiative is. It's important to set aside
    politics and focus on helping people, and the Faith-Based Initiative
    does that. And again, I want to repeat how appreciative I am that
    Senator Lieberman and Senator
    Santorum took time out of their day to come
    and visit.
        Soon-to-be-Governor Earley is going to say a few remarks. I'll
    answer a couple of questions afterwards.

    [At this point, Mr. Earley made brief remarks.]

        The President. Thanks, Mark. You're going to win.
        Yes, Gregory [David Gregory, NBC News].

    China's Release of American University Scholars

        Q. Mr. President, why do you think China agreed, finally, to release
    the two scholars? And, to you, what does it say about the relationship
    between the U.S. and China?
        The President. Well, I would hope that part of it is because of the
    pressure our Government has put on China. I spoke directly to Jiang
    Zemin on this very subject, about the humane
    treatment of U.S. citizens and/or legal residents. Perhaps China is
    beginning to realize that, as she begins to deal with Western nations,
    she's going to have to make better decisions on human rights.

    Patients' Bill of Rights

        Q. Are you not giving up on Patients' Bill of Rights being voted on
    before the August recess? And do you feel that your influence,
    especially with Republicans in the House, is diminished from what it
    was?
        The President. I think we've had a pretty good 6 months, when you
    think about it. I've signed a lot of legislation. Today, for example, I
    signed the legislation naming the education savings accounts after Paul
    Coverdell. That's a piece of legislation that had languished in the
    past; it's now law.
        I signed tax cuts. I signed some regulatory relief. I am very
    pleased with the cooperative spirit in the Congress. And I do believe
    that we can get a good Patients' Bill of Rights. I think the Members of
    Congress have taken me seriously when I said there is a--I want a bill.
        But there are some things that are unacceptable to me. And the most
    unacceptable thing to me is that there be a piece of legislation that
    encourages lawsuits and discourages American citizens from being able to
    afford health insurance. I am deeply worried about any legislation that
    will cause people to have less health insurance. I refuse to accept that
    legislation.
        Now, having said that, I've been in some serious discussions today.
    We're trying to find some common ground on getting a bill that I can
    sign, and I believe we're making progress.
        Yes, Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

    Situation in Iraq

        Q. Mr. President, Iraq tried to knock down a U-2 plane today. Do you
    fear that they have enhanced their ability to knock

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    out allied planes, and what can you do about it?
        The President. Well, we're going to keep the pressure on Iraq. The
    no-fly zone strategy is still in place. We are in--plus, I'm analyzing
    the data from the incident you talked about. I look forward to finding
    out all the facts. But there's no question that Saddam Hussein is still a menace and a problem. And the United States
    and our allies must put the pressure on him.
        That's why I brought up to Mr. Putin in
    Genoa, the need for us to work in concert at the United Nations, to make
    sure that we have a sanction policy that will work.

    Faith-Based Initiative

        Q. The sanction Lieberman mentioned today--there's some outright
    opposition to faith-based, and he thought that could be eased, and some
    other people said that could be eased if there's some change in the
    language on discrimination. Is that something that you would consider
    doing to get the faith-based through?
        The President. Well, we're going to work with the Senate to get a
    good bill out. There are some other concerns that he brought up, and I told him we'd be willing to work with
    him, without compromising on principle. He understood that. He and I
    share the same principle about the need to rally faith-based
    organizations in our community.
        And one of the principles is, we should never undermine the civil
    rights laws of the United States. And I believe it's very important that
    the civil right--the whole spirit and law of the civil rights
    legislation be intact.

    Immigration/Mexican Trucking Industry

        Q. Mr. President, on the immigration proposal that you're weighing,
    sir, is there some reason that only Mexican workers should be
    considered? What about those from other countries?
        The President. Well, we'll consider all folks here. Let me make this
    very clear to people, that there was--a word was creeping in the
    vernacular about this issue, called amnesty. I oppose blanket amnesty.
    The American people need to know that. I do believe, though, that when
    we find willing employer and willing employee, we ought to match the
    two. We ought to make it easier for people who want to employ somebody,
    who are looking for workers, to be able to hire people who want to work.
        And I know we can do so in a humane way that treats people with
    respect. Obviously, the Mexican issue is at the forefront because we're
    preparing for my first state visit with my friend Vicente Fox. But I'm openminded. I'll listen to all proposals that
    people have in mind.
        Let me make another point on Mexico. It is wrong for the Congress to
    discriminate against Mexican trucks. And I urge the Senate to reject an
    amendment to the transportation bill that would clearly discriminate
    against Mexican truckers. Our Mexican counterparts and friends need to
    be treated just like the Canadians are treated. We ought to accept the
    spirit of NAFTA.
        And so whether it be people or trucks or businesses, I solidly
    reject discrimination against people who are here, of all origins,
    particularly Mexico. And the reason why Mexico's on the front burner, as
    far as the immigration issue, of course, is because of the initiative
    that Vicente Fox and I outlined, an initiative
    that encourages discussions, headed up by--it's Colin Powell and John Ashcroft and
    their counterparts--and by the way, an initiative that is making good
    progress on making sure relations with our neighbor to the south are
    strong and cohesive and there's a strategy that works and respectful.
    And we're making good progress, and the American people ought to be
    proud of that.
        Assistant Press Secretary Gordon Johndroe. Thank you all.

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    Oval Office Redecoration

        Q. New furnishings?
        The President. Yes, they are. Thank you for noticing. The couches--
    Mrs. Bush deserves a lot of credit.
        Q. The rug?
        The President. No, the rug is temporary. The rug will have the--
    we're in the process of weaving a new rug. And each President, as you
    probably know, since you've been around here some--well, a long time--
    each President designs his own rug. I've designed mine, and it's now
    being woven and will be here in about 3 months. And I look forward to--
    --

    First 6 Months

        Q. The Alamo up on the wall is not an indication of how you feel in
    the White House right now, is it?
        The President. I feel great. Listen, I think we've had one of the
    most constructive first 6 months of any Presidency, and we're making
    great progress on a lot of issues. No, I've always--a dictatorship would
    be a heck of a lot easier; there's no question about it. [Laughter] But
    dealing with Congress is a matter of give and take. The President
    doesn't get everything he wants; the Congress doesn't get everything
    they want. But we're finding good common ground.
        And I also want to remind you all, we're making great progress when
    it comes to fiscal sanity and the budget. I appreciate so very much the
    supplemental that got passed. I signed it in Kosovo. It was a
    supplemental that came out clean. And I thank the leadership in the
    Senate, particularly Senator Byrd, as well as
    those in the House--Congressman Young--for
    moving a clean supplemental. That was unheard of in recent history.
        There's going to be some struggles over the budget, no question
    about it, as appropriators perhaps try to bust the budget. But they're
    going to find somebody who's going to hang tough on the budget. And I
    want to remind people that the reason some are struggling to find money
    to spend is because the economy has turned down; that's why. The budget
    projections are less than anticipated because of a slowdown in the
    economy. And by cutting taxes, we did the right thing to reinvigorate
    the economy. And do you know who knows that best? The American people.
        Thank you for coming.

    News Conference With Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy

        Q. You're not a dictator, but you are a conqueror. [Laughter]
        The President. Thank you, sir. I do remember it well. I just hope it
    reflected in the stories. Actually, did you know that the guy, when
    questioned--the interpreter misinterpreted what he said. He said that it
    was clear to the American press that President Bush conquered the
    leaders, as opposed to conquering the American press. No one conquers
    the American press, of course. [Laughter]
        Assistant Press Secretary Johndroe.
    Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:23 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to President Jiang Zemin of China;
    President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; President Vladimir Putin of Russia;
    and President Vicente Fox of Mexico. The transcript released by the
    Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Mr. Earley.