[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
[December 31, 2002]
[Pages 2215-2218]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Exchange With Reporters in Crawford, Texas
December 31, 2002

    The President. Hi, guys. Happy New Year to everybody. Laura and I wish all our fellow Americans a prosperous and 
peaceful and a happy new year. We are really happy to be spending New 
Year here in Crawford, Texas. We'll be having our New Year's hamburger 
here in a minute. [Laughter]
    I'll be glad to answer a few questions--Ron [Ron Fournier, 
Associated Press] and Patsy [Patricia Wilson, Reuters] and Mike [Mike 
Allen, Washington Post].

Situation in North Korea

    Q. Sir, I'd like to ask you if I could, why are you not considering 
military action against a defiant, unstable, unpredictable, nuclear-
armed North Korea?
    The President. I view the North Korean situation as one that can be 
resolved peacefully, through diplomacy. The international community, 
particularly those countries close to North Korea, understand the stakes 
involved. I had a very good visit with President-elect Roh of South Korea. I've obviously talked to Jiang 
Zemin right here in Crawford about a nuclear-
weapons-free Peninsula.
    There is strong consensus, not only amongst the nations in the 
neighborhood and our friends but also with international organizations 
such as the IAEA, that North Korea ought to comply with international 
regulations. I believe this can be done peacefully, through diplomacy, 
and we will continue to work that way. I take--all options, of course, 
are always on the table

[[Page 2216]]

for any President, but by working with these countries, we can resolve 
this.
    Q. So you're not currently contemplating military action?
    The President. Well, Ron, I believe this is not a military showdown; 
this is a diplomatic showdown. And we can resolve this peacefully and 
intend----
    Q. Sir, you----
    The President. Hold on for a second, please.
    Q. Sorry, excuse me.
    The President. And intend to work to resolve it peacefully. We've 
got good progress in talking to our friends. And I look forward to the 
fact that President-elect Roh is sending some 
people over here, and then he, himself, will come after he's been 
inaugurated.
    Patsy, then John [John Roberts, CBS News].

North Korea/Iraq

    Q. Sir, why should we be more worried about Saddam Hussein, who has 
no nuclear weapons, than Kim Chong-il, who is unstable and does have 
nuclear weapons?
    The President. Well, first of all, I think it's important to 
remember that Saddam Hussein was close to 
having a nuclear weapon. We don't know whether or not he has a nuclear 
weapon. We do expect him to disarm his weapons of mass destruction; 
that's what we expect.
    Secondly, the international community has been trying to resolve the 
situation in Iraq through diplomacy for 11 years. And for 11 years, 
Saddam Hussein has defied the international 
community. And now we've brought the world together to send a clear 
signal: We expect him to disarm, to get rid of his weapons of mass 
destruction. The first step in determining whether or not he would do 
that was discouraging. His declaration was short, and the international 
community recognized that, that he wasn't forthcoming.
    Again, I hope this Iraq situation will be resolved peacefully. One 
of my New Year's resolutions is to work to deal with these situations in 
a way so that they're resolved peacefully. But thus far, it appears 
that, on first look, that Saddam Hussein 
hasn't heard the message.
    Q. Sir, can I ask a followup?
    The President. Yes.

National Economy and War With Iraq

    Q. Your budget directors put the possible cost of a war with Iraq at 
in line with the first Gulf war. Why shouldn't Americans view this 
possible war as possibly crippling our economy, that's already very 
slow?
    The President. An attack from Saddam Hussein or a surrogate of Saddam Hussein would cripple our 
economy. My biggest job and most important job is to protect the 
security of the American people, and I am going to do that. And I have 
made the case and will continue to make the case that Saddam Hussein--a 
Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is a threat to the 
security of the American people.
    Q. But can this economy afford to fight a war?
    The President. This economy cannot afford to stand an attack. And 
I'm going to protect the American people. The economy is strong; it's 
resilient. Obviously, so long as somebody is looking for work, we've got 
to continue to make it strong and resilient. My most important job is to 
protect America and Americans, and I take that job seriously. And that's 
exactly what this administration is going to do.
    John.

FBI Persons of Interest

    Q. Sir, are you concerned about the report that five people have 
come across the Canadian border illegally? Are you concerned that there 
are any new threats to the American security right now, as we go into 
this new year?
    The President. I am--I have authorized the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, the

[[Page 2217]]

FBI, to put out an all-points bulletin for five individuals who we 
believe have been smuggled into the country. We need to know why they 
have been smuggled into the country, what they're doing in the country. 
And if anybody has any information about the five, I would hope they 
would contact their local authorities.
    John, we don't have any idea of what their intentions may be, but we 
are mindful that there are still some out there who would try to harm 
America and harm Americans. And so, therefore, we take every threat 
seriously and every piece of evidence seriously. And the American people 
need to know there's a lot of good people working hard, whether it be on 
New Year's Eve or any other time, to protect the American people.
    Mike, you got anything?

Republican Party and Minorities

    Q. Yes. Good afternoon, Mr. President.
    The President. Thank you.
    Q. What effect do you think that----
    The President. That's plenty. No. [Laughter]
    Q. What effect do you think that the attention to Senator Lott's 
comment has had on the image of the Republican Party across the country? 
And what do you plan to do to repair any damage?
    The President. Well, first of all, I think that most people 
understand that their Republican Party cares deeply about each 
individual, regardless of the color of their skin or their religion. And 
I will continue to promote policies that enable the American individual 
to achieve his or her dreams. I believe in equal access to the greatness 
of America. And this administration is committed to that and will 
continue to work toward that goal.
    Yes. I'll show you how generous I am. [Laughter]

Domestic Safety in 2003

    Q. Mr. President, looking ahead here, with a possible war with Iraq 
looming, North Korea nuclear conflict, as well as Usama bin Laden still 
at large, is the world safer as we look ahead to 2003?
    The President. Yes, it's a lot safer today than it was a year ago, 
and it's going to be safer after this year than it was this year, 
because the United States of America will continue to lead a vast 
coalition of freedom-loving countries to disrupt terrorist activities, 
to hold dictators accountable, particularly those who ignore 
international norm and international rule. And the American--this 
Government will continue lead the world toward more peace. And the 
American people need to be mindful of the fact that our Government is 
committed to peace and committed to freedom.
    And we hope to resolve all the situations in which we find ourselves 
in a peaceful way. And so that's my commitment, to try to do so 
peacefully. But I want to remind people that Saddam Hussein--the choice is his to make as to whether or 
not the Iraqi situation is resolved peacefully.
    You said we're headed to war in Iraq. I don't know why you say that. 
I hope we're not headed to war in Iraq. I'm the person who gets to 
decide, not you, and I hope this can be done peacefully. We've got a 
military presence there to remind Saddam Hussein, however, that when I say we will lead a coalition of 
the willing to disarm him if he chooses not to disarm, I mean it.
    And we will continue to work to resolve the situation on the Korean 
Peninsula in a peaceful way. And it was right here in Crawford, Texas, 
where I had a meaningful and good discussions with Jiang Zemin. Heck, it wasn't all that long ago that a U.S. leader 
never spoke to the Chinese leader. And right here in Crawford, we had a 
dialog where we both committed ourselves to working in a way to convince 
Kim Chong-il that it's not in his country's 
interests to arm up with nuclear weapons. And I believe that can be 
resolved peacefully.

[[Page 2218]]

    Listen, thank you all. I'm thinking about a little nature walk in a 
couple of days. Anybody interested?
    Q. How far is it? How long is it?
    The President. About 4 miles. I know you're interested.
    Q. I have a question for you.
    The President. Yes, Patsy. Sorry.

New Year's Resolution

    Q. Did you keep last year's resolution to eat less cheeseburgers?
    The President. A matter of fact, it's an interesting question she 
asked: Did I keep last year's resolution to eat less cheeseburgers? 
[Laughter] And the answer is yes, to the extent that I'm now comfortable 
in having a cheeseburger today. [Laughter]
    I hope you all are enjoying yourself here.
    The First Lady. Happy New Year, everybody.
    The President. Thank you. Good luck to you. See you.

Note: The exchange began at 12:50 p.m. at the Coffee Station restaurant. 
In the exchange, the President referred to President-elect Roh Moo-hyun 
of South Korea; President Jiang Zemin of China; and President Saddam 
Hussein of Iraq. A reporter referred to Chairman Kim Chong-il of North 
Korea; and Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist 
organization.