[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
[November 13, 2002]
[Pages 2071-2073]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
[[Page 2071]]
Remarks Following a Cabinet Meeting and an Exchange With Reporters
November 13, 2002
The President. We just had a very productive Cabinet meeting. I want
to thank all those who serve in my Cabinet for their service to the
country. We talked about issues facing the country. We talked about the
need to secure the homeland. We talked about our economy. We talked
about making sure that we lead, particularly when it comes to being wise
with the taxpayers' money.
We have a responsibility to spend people's money wisely. And so we
had a little budget session here, to make sure that, as we come back to
deal with the '03 budget as well as the '04 budget, we do so in a way
that resists the temptation in Washington to overspend. We feel strongly
that we can meet our Nation's priorities and be wise with the people's
money at the same time.
I'll be glad to answer some questions. Ron [Ron Fournier, Associated
Press].
Usama bin Laden/Radio Message
Q. Sir, is bin Laden alive? And whether or not he is, does the
recording signal the potential for an imminent terrorist attack?
The President. We are looking at this latest tape. Our experts are
analyzing the voice content, and we'll let them speak about whether it's
him or not. Nevertheless, the contents of the tape--the message is a
serious message. And it reminds--should remind all of America and remind
our friends and allies that there is an active enemy that continues to
hate, is willing to use murder as a way to achieve their goals.
Whoever put this tape out has put the world on notice yet again that
we're at war and that we need to take these messages very seriously. And
we will. We'll take them seriously here at home by working with the
appropriate authorities to deal with threats. And we'll take them
seriously abroad by continuing our hunt. We'll chase these people down,
one at a time. It doesn't matter how long it takes, we'll find them and
bring them to justice.
Q. Shouldn't we have found him sooner though, looking back on Tora
Bora?
The President. We're making great progress in the war on terror.
Slowly but surely, we are dismantling the terrorist network. We're
finding their sanctuaries. We're holding people to account. Our
coalition of freedom-loving nations is up to 90 now. There is an
international manhunt on. I warned the American people that this is
going to take time, to achieve our objective. We're in a different kind
of war. It's a war that requires international cooperation. We've got to
cut off their money. We've got to share intelligence. And we're on a
manhunt, and we're not quitting. Slowly but surely, we're achieving our
objective.
Holland [Steve Holland, Reuters].
Iraqi Response to U.N. Resolution
Q. Sir, what happens on Friday if Iraq fails to say it will comply?
Do you go back to the U.N. or immediately move into a military posture?
The President. I have told the United Nations we'll be glad to
consult with them. But the resolution does not prevent us from doing
what needs to be done, which is to hold Saddam Hussein into account. We hope that he disarms. We hope that he
will listen to the world. The world has spoken. A diverse group of
nations in the Security Council spoke with one voice. The United States
Congress spoke with one voice. And that is, in the name of peace, he
must disarm. If he chooses not to disarm, we will disarm him. That
should be clear to Saddam Hussein and everybody else. And if he chooses
not to disarm, we will have a coalition of the willing with us. A lot of
nations understand that in
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order to keep the peace, Saddam Hussein must be disarmed--decisions he
makes.
There's no negotiations with Mr. Saddam Hussein. Those days are long gone. And so are the days of
deceit and denial. And now it's up to him. And I want to remind you all
that inspectors are there to determine whether or not Saddam Hussein is
willing to disarm. It's his choice to make. And should he choose not to
disarm, we will disarm him.
Dick [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News].
Q. Mr. President, following on that, could you give us in as plain
words as possible what you believe will constitute a material breach of
his obligations?
The President. Zero tolerance--that's about as plain as I can make
it. We will not tolerate any deception, denial, or deceit, period.
Gregory [David Gregory, NBC News].
Q. Sir, good morning.
The President. You're looking beautiful today, by the way.
[Laughter]
Q. Why, thank you. So are you. [Laughter]
The President. You don't qualify. [Laughter]
National Economy/Terrorism Insurance Legislation
Q. Sir, Alan Greenspan said today that the economy has hit a soft
patch. He also said that households have become more cautious in their
purchases while business spending is not showing substantial vigor. What
do you plan to do about this? Do you think this is an indictment of your
tax cut, or do you take this as a call that a new round of such tax
relief is necessary?
The President. I think that, first of all, I appreciate the wisdom
of Chairman Greenspan. He uses the word
``soft spot.'' I use the words ``bumping along.'' Both of us understand
that our economy is not nearly as strong as it's going to be. And our
job here in Washington is to create the environment necessary for people
to feel confident about risking capital and to create an environment
amongst our consumers where they're confident about the future.
And one way that we have addressed this problem up to now is to
insist that Congress allow people to keep more of their own money. And
it seemed to have worked well during the first three quarters of this
year. And to the extent that we need to continue doing that, I'm willing
to listen to ideas. And I want to work with Congress. I sent a signal to
Congress that I believe that we need to have further discussions how to
best stimulate the economy, and I'm very serious about that.
And so when the Congress comes back from the--when the new Congress
comes back, we will have some ideas to discuss with them. We've always--
in Washington, we've got to be constantly on alert about people not
being able to find jobs. And we've got to be working together to put the
environment in place so they can find jobs. Like the
Chairman, I am not satisfied with the
economic growth of the country. Like the Chairman, I am worried when
people can't find work.
And we've been active in the past on economic vitality. We will
continue to be. One way Congress can help immediately, in terms of the
job picture, is to pass a terrorism insurance bill so that the hardhats
can find work. People complain about the cost of a terrorism insurance
bill. There is no cost if there's no terrorist attack, and if there's a
terrorist attack, a terrorism insurance bill will mitigate the damage of
a terrorist attack. It makes eminent sense from a--to have a terrorism
insurance bill. And I hope the Congress can get it done before they go
home.
Q. But what about the deficit though, in this context?
The President. Well, we have a deficit because tax revenues are
down. Make no mistake about it, the tax relief package that we passed--
that should be permanent, by the way--has helped the economy and that
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the deficit would have been bigger without the tax relief package.
The deficit is caused by the fact that revenues have not come in.
And there's two things we can do about it: One, stimulate the economy to
create more revenues; and two, hold down spending. And today we spent
time here at the Cabinet talking about how we hold down spending. And we
hope the Congress gets that message as well.
Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 10:50 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al
Qaida terrorist organization; and President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.