    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [July 13, 2005]
    [Pages 1214-1215]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Cabinet Meeting and an Exchange With Reporters
    July 13, 2005

        The President. Thank you all for coming. We have just finished our
    third Cabinet meeting of the year. I want to thank my Secretaries for
    being here today, and thank you for the briefing. Today's briefing
    reminded us about the strength of our economy. We had some good news
    today. OMB is going to announce that the 2005 deficit is $94 billion
    less than previously expected. In other words, revenues are coming in
    greater than anticipated. It's a sign that our economy is strong, and
    it's a sign that our tax relief plan, our progrowth policies, are
    working.
        I told the Congress and told the country we'd cut the deficit in
    half by 2009. We're ahead of projections now. In other words, these
    numbers indicate that we're going to cut the deficit in half faster than
    the year 2009, so long as Congress holds the line on spending.
        And so, my message to the United States Congress is: Let's be wise
    with the taxpayers' money. My Cabinet is committed to that, and we look
    forward to working with the appropriators to make sure that they spend
    your money wisely.
        This good news on the deficit and on the budget is coupled with good
    economic news when it comes to job creation. Our unemployment rate is
    down to 5 percent. We've created more than 2 million jobs this year.
    More Americans are working today than ever before in our Nation's
    history.
        Over the next couple of weeks, I look forward to working with
    Congress to continue progrowth policies. One is getting an energy bill.
    Secondly is to promote free and fair trade. And the matter at hand is a
    free trade agreement with our neighborhood and countries in Central
    America and the Dominican Republic.
        Finally, I hope we can continue to press for and pass legal reform.
    I think it's a very important message to say to our job creators, small-
    business owners, that we'll have a fair legal system, and Congress has
    got some legal reform matters pending.
        And finally--finally, finally, we want to work with Congress to pass
    a fiscally responsible highway bill. Again, I want to thank my Cabinet
    for being here.
        I'll be glad to answer a couple of questions. Mark Knoller [CBS
    Radio], are you with us?

    CIA Employee Identity Disclosure Investigation

        Q. You bet. Thank you, sir. Can I ask you if you have spoken with
    your Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove about the Valerie Plame matter? And
    do you think he acted improperly in talking about it with reporters?
        The President. Mark, I have instructed every member of my staff to
    fully cooperate in this investigation. I also will not prejudge the
    investigation based on media reports. We're in the midst of an ongoing
    investigation, and I will be more than happy to comment further once the
    investigation is completed.
        Elaine [Elaine Quijano, Cable News Network].

    [[Page 1215]]

        Q. Mr. President, on that front, has Mr. Rove come to you and
    discussed--when did he discuss the fact that he had conversations with
    reporters about Valerie Plame? And based on that, do you feel as though
    it was appropriate in 2003 for your spokesman to say definitively that
    Karl Rove had nothing to do with the Valerie Plame incident?
        The President. Elaine, we're in the midst of an ongoing
    investigation, and this is a serious investigation. And it is very
    important for people not to prejudge the investigation based on media
    reports. And again, I will be more than happy to comment on this matter
    once the investigation is complete.
        Brendan [Brendan Murray, Bloomberg News].
        Q. Yes, sir.
        The President. Yes, Brendan.

    Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination

        Q. In your search for a replacement for the Supreme Court, when do
    you anticipate beginning to interview potential candidates, and do--
    would you consider candidates that come from outside the court, people
    that don't have experience as judges?
        The President. I--we had a very good meeting yesterday. The Vice
    President and I met with leaders of the Senate, four Members of the United
    States Senate, and we talked about a lot of subjects. One of the
    subjects was that very subject: Would I be willing to consider people
    who had never been a judge. The answer is, you bet. We're considering
    all kinds of people--judges, non-judges. You know, Laura gave me some good advice yesterday, which is to
    consider women, which of course I'm doing. [Laughter]
        And in terms of the process, we're still consulting with Members of
    the Senate, and I anticipate continued consultations. And I say ``we're
    consulting,'' it's just not me. It's members of my staff. We're--we've
    got a lot of contacts in the Senate on both sides of the Hill--both
    sides of the aisle, and people are calling in with suggestions. And I
    encourage them to continue to do so. I'm looking forward to their
    advice.
        Of course, I fully recognize it's my responsibility to come up with
    a nominee, and I intend to do so in a--you know, in a period of time
    that will give me time to fully analyze the different candidates and
    speak to them. I'm not exactly sure when that process will begin, in
    terms of the interviews. And probably if I knew, I wouldn't tell you.
    [Laughter] And--but the American people can rest assured that I
    understand the seriousness of this responsibility and that I will name
    somebody who will bring dignity to the Court, someone who will be able
    to do the job, and someone who will sit on that bench and interpret the
    Constitution and not use the bench from which to legislate.
        Thank you all very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:52 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.