    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [August 13, 2003]
    [Pages 999-1003]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting With Economic Advisers and an Exchange With
    Reporters in Crawford, Texas
    August 13, 2003

        The President. Good morning. As you can see, my economic team came
    down. We've had some great briefings. Let me summarize by saying that
    this administration is optimistic about job creation. We believe
    strongly that the tax relief plan that was approved by Congress in '01
    and most recently in '03 is going to have a very positive effect on
    economic growth and vitality. We believe it is more likely in the
    upcoming year that people are going to be able to find a job, and that's
    exactly what--where we focused our policy.
        But I also know there's more that can be done. I think one thing is
    certain, and we've spent a lot of time discussing this:

    [[Page 1000]]

    There needs to be a strong message to Congress not to overspend, set
    priorities, and hold the line on the priorities. As well, we need an
    energy policy, and we need good tort reform. And I appreciate the fact
    that the House has passed a good energy bill and the Senate passed an
    energy bill. Now is the time to get together and reconcile their
    differences and get a bill to my desk. I also appreciate the fact that
    the House passed good class-action reform, and the Senate now needs to
    follow suit.
        And I also look forward to working with the Congress to get
    associated health care plans passed, which will make it easier for small
    businesses to be able to write affordable health care for their
    employees. So there's some things we can do to make sure that the
    economy continues to grow and so people can find work. If you'll
    remember, the tax relief plan that was passed was called the jobs plan,
    the growth-and-jobs creation plan. That's what we're interested in.
    We're interested in people being able to work in America, and we're
    upbeat about the chances for our fellow citizens who are looking for
    work to be able to find a job.
        I'll answer some questions, starting with Scott [Scott Lindlaw,
    Associated Press].

    Liberia/Former President Charles Taylor

        Q. Thanks, Mr. President. President Taylor has met your demand to
    leave Liberia. You've got a west African peacekeeping force in there. Is
    the time right to send in those 4,500 marines and sailors? And should
    Nigeria turn President Taylor over to the war crimes tribunal?
        The President. They can work that out with--how they deal with
    Taylor. One, I'm glad he's gone. But my focus now is on making sure that
    humanitarian relief gets to the people who are suffering in Liberia. And
    one of the things I have said all along was that we are there to help
    ECOMIL do its job by providing the conditions necessary for the arrival
    of relief. And that's why we've got an assessment team on the ground
    that's dealing with the Nigerian who's in charge of ECOMIL, to determine what is necessary to help ECOMIL do its
    job. They are in the lead, and we are there to support and help.
        Obviously, one place we've got to make sure is secure and open is
    the port. And so we're working with ECOMIL, and I will again take
    recommendations from the Defense Department as to what is necessary to
    fulfill the mission.
        Q. What's your timetable, if I may?
        The President. My timetable of listening----
        Q. Making a decision on whether to send those 4,500 in.
        The President. Well, I've already made the decision, Scott. And I
    said this from day one. The decision is for us to help ECOMIL do its job
    of getting humanitarian relief to the people in Liberia. I've made that
    decision, and nothing's changed.
        Yes.

    Hemant Lakhani/Homeland Security

        Q. Yesterday there was a sting operation that netted a Brit believed
    to be trying to sell surface-to-air missiles to someone they believed
    who was Al Qaida, highlighting the danger to airlines. Also yesterday,
    there were three lost fisherman who came onshore to JFK Airport,
    breaching security.
        Your Democratic opponents are trying to use homeland security as an
    issue in the campaign, saying that the administration is not doing
    enough to protect the American people. What is your assessment in light
    of what happened yesterday?
        The President. My assessment is people are going to say the
    darnedest thing when they run for office, in terms of just the politics.
    The American people know the difference between politics and reality,
    and the reality is we're doing everything we can to protect the
    homeland.
        And the fact that we were able to sting this guy is a pretty good
    example of what

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    we're doing in order to protect the American people. And our homeland
    security is focused on airport security. And today, the airports are
    much more secure than they were prior to September the 11th. America is
    a safe place for people to fly, precisely because we're working hard to
    make sure that our homeland security is strong.
        The other way to make sure the homeland stays strong is to hunt
    terrorists down before they come to America. And that's why we're on the
    global hunt. That's why we've got troops around in places like
    Afghanistan and Iraq dealing with potential terrorists, bringing them to
    justice, finding them before they hurt us.
        Yes, Elisabeth [Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times].

    Tax Policy

        Q. Are you going to go for a new round of tax cuts this fall?
        The President. Elisabeth, we are discussing a lot of things. And we
    believe that the tax relief plan we have in place is robust enough to
    encourage job growth.
        Q. So is that a ``no''?
        The President. Well, as of this moment--you see, things change in
    the economy, as you know--but as of this moment, we feel like the plans
    we have in place are robust enough to create jobs.
        Q. Is there any discussion----
        The President. Please. The other thing that's necessary is to make
    sure we've got spending discipline in Washington, to make sure that
    Congress doesn't overspend. And that will--because that will affect the
    psychology of those who are--risk capital in order to create the job
    base.
        You had a followup, I take it.
        Q. Yes, I was just going to ask you: The discussions in the
    administration, maybe not at the White House level, about a--perhaps a
    business tax credit, that you would get a tax credit if you hired
    somebody to sort of----
        The President. Well, thus far, we--in the discussions today, we feel
    like the tax relief plans that we have passed will be robust enough to
    create the conditions necessary for economic growth, and therefore,
    people will find a job. If we change our opinion, we will let you know.
    You may not be the first to know, but you'll be one of the first to
    know.
        Yes, sir.

    North Korea

        Q. Thank you. Russia has proposed a multilateral security pact to
    end the standoff with North Korea. Are you willing to offer incentives
    before North Korea dismantles its nuclear weapons program?
        The President. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to
    continue the dialog with North Korea, to make it clear to them that not
    only does the United States feel strongly that the Peninsula ought to be
    nuclear-free, but other countries which live in the neighborhood feel
    the same way. And remember, the policy has evolved from one of
    bilateral--you know, pressure to negotiate bilaterally with the North
    Koreans. That's what we did in the past, and that policy unfortunately
    failed because the North Koreans didn't keep their word about whether or
    not they would enrich uranium.
        And so now we've taken another tact, which is to--first of all, to
    convince the Chinese to be an active participant in a dialog to make
    sure that the Korean Peninsula is nuclear-free. By the way, the first
    stage of that happened right here in Crawford when Jiang Zemin came to visit, and he stated clearly after that visit
    that it was in China's interest that the Korean Peninsula be nuclear-
    weapons-free. And we're just continuing that policy. It's very helpful
    that the Russians are involved with the dialog with the North Koreans.
    It is also very helpful that the South Koreans and the Japanese will be
    involved. And I think we can deal with this issue in a peaceful way, and
    we're making good progress.
        Carl [Carl Cannon, National Journal].

    [[Page 1002]]

    National Economy

        Q. Mr. President, you said that candidates say the darnedest things
    when they're running for office. One of the things they're saying is
    that there are fewer jobs now than when you took office.
        The President. Yes.
        Q. A year from now, you are going to be standing for reelection
    yourself. Do you think there will be as many jobs as when you took
    office? And when will we start to see a significant decrease in the
    unemployment rate?
        The President. Right. Let me remind the listeners here about what
    our country has gone through. We--the stock market started to change in
    March of 2000. And there was a precipitous decline in March of 2000. And
    that began to affect savings and money and attitude. And then the
    country went into a recession. The first three quarters of 2001 was a
    recession. And we dealt with that by passing tax relief, which made the
    recession one of the shallowest in history.
        Now, people said, ``Well, maybe you shouldn't have done that. Maybe
    you shouldn't have had tax relief. Maybe you should have let the
    recession run its course.'' But my attitude about that is, is that a
    deep recession would have caused more people to lose work. And I'm more
    worried about families finding a job and putting food on the table than
    I am about economic theory and economic numbers, and so the recession
    was shallow.
        And as the economy was beginning to recover, the enemy hit us on
    September the 11th, and that affected our economy in a big way. And then
    we had corporate scandals which we've dealt with. And then, of course,
    you remember the march to war. I've reminded people--I think this isn't
    the first time I've said this--that some would put on their TV screens
    that we were ``marching to war.'' As a matter of fact, it was a year ago
    we began the march to war. During the August vacation, as I recall,
    there was the march to war. It's hard to have a upbeat view of the world
    when you're marching to war. I mean, war is not exactly a positive
    thought, particularly when it comes to people willing to take risk, and
    consumer confidence.
        But nevertheless, we dealt with that issue. And so now the economy
    is--having overcome those obstacles, is beginning to recover. And yes, I
    think people are going to go back to work, and I firmly believe that
    what we have done was the absolute right course of action in order to
    help people find a job.
        Mark [Mark Knoller, CBS Radio], you've got a question?
        Q. I do.
        The President. I'm being very generous today, as you can see.
        Q. Yes, you are. Thank you, sir.
        The President. My pleasure.

    Federal Deficit

        Q. If a Democrat were President and running for----
        The President. Wait a minute. Let me stop you there.
        Q. Yes.
        The President. They say the silliest things during the political
    season. And sometimes people ask the silliest questions.
        Q. [Inaudible]----try not to do that, sir.
        The President. Now, be careful. Be careful. [Laughter]
        Q. With that in mind, if a Democrat were President----
        The President. Are you adjusting? [Laughter]
        Q. ----and were running a $455 billion deficit, as are you, all
    other things being equal, wouldn't you be upset about it?
        The President. Let me tell you something, the deficit was caused by
    a recession which we inherited and did something about. The deficit was
    caused because we spent more money on fighting a war, and the American
    people expect a President to do what is necessary to win a war. And so I
    look forward to taking this debate on. I really do. We did the right
    thing when

    [[Page 1003]]

    it came to tax relief. We inherited a tough situation.
        But most importantly, the American people know that I'm not afraid
    to lead and to make a tough decision. And I made a tough decision, a
    series of tough decisions, one, to make America more secure, a tough
    decision to make the world more peaceful, and I made tough decisions
    when it comes to making sure our economy grows.
        And I believe that we've laid the foundation for good economic
    growth and vitality. I think people are going to be more likely to find
    a job in the upcoming year.
        Thank you all for coming.

    California Gubernatorial Candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger

        Q. Are you going to do anything for Arnold? You say he'll be a good
    Governor. You're spending 2 days in California.
        The President. I'm going to campaign for George W., as you know.
        Q. Will he get a plug in the speech, a mention?
        The President. I think I've answered the question, and yes, he would
    be a good Governor, as would others running for Governor of California.
    And like you, I'm most interested in seeing how the process evolves.
    It's a fascinating bit of political drama evolving in the State--in the
    country's largest State.
        Q. It's also the biggest political story in the country. Is it hard
    to go in there and say nothing about it?
        The President. It is the biggest political story in the country?
    That's interesting. That says a lot. That speaks volumes.
        Q. You don't agree?
        The President. It's up to--I don't get to decide the biggest
    political story. You decide the biggest political story. But I find it
    interesting that that is the biggest political story in the country, as
    you just said.
        Q. You don't think it should be?
        The President. Oh, I think there's maybe other political stories.
    Isn't there, like, a Presidential race coming up? [Laughter] Maybe that
    says something. It speaks volumes, if you know what I mean. But yes,
    it's an interesting story; it really is. And I'm looking forward, like
    you are, to seeing the outcome of the interesting story.
        But no, I'm going to go, I'm going to talk about--now that you've
    asked, are you going on the trip?
        Q. Yes, sir.
        The President. Good. Well, you'll see me speak to marines and their
    families, thanking them for their service to our country, reminding them
    that what's taking place in Iraq is essential to U.S. security. Then I'm
    going to go to a national park, talking about the fact that we believe
    parks ought to be revitalized and talk about the initiatives that I've
    laid out to do that. And then, of course, I'll be doing a little
    spadework for the '04 campaign. One of the most important political
    stories--[laughter].
        Have a great day. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:44 a.m. at the Bush Ranch. In his
    remarks, he referred to Brig. Gen. Festus Okonkwo, Nigerian commander of
    ECOMIL forces in Liberia; Hemant Lakhani, arms dealer charged with
    selling missiles to U.S. agents posing as terrorists; and former
    President Jiang Zemin of China.