[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[July 12, 2005]
[Pages 1208-1210]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore and an Exchange With Reporters
July 12, 2005
President Bush. Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.
Prime Minister Lee. Thank you.
President Bush. We've just had a very interesting and comprehensive
discussion about our bilateral relations, which are strong. But
Singapore is--is a country that has an interesting position in the Far
East. The Prime Minister brings a perspective about the U.S. role, about
the future of the region that I have found fascinating. The Prime
Minister is a strategic thinker. He obviously worries about the lives of
the citizens in his country, daily lives, in what's taking place, but
he's also got the capacity to see beyond the horizon.
And I want to thank you for sharing your insights. I appreciate so
very much your--your advice. And I look forward to working with you.
We're going to sign a very important document here, cementing our good
relationship.
And finally, the Prime Minister and I share a clear vision about the
world in which we live when it comes to terror--these terrorists that
kill on a moment's notice. They don't care who you are. They want to
shake our will. They want to drive America from the world. They want the
free world to retreat. They've got ideological ambitions, and it's going
to require a steadfast response, and the Prime Minister understands
that.
And I appreciate your strength of character and your clear vision
about the dangers we face. Welcome. Glad you're here.
Prime Minister Lee. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm very happy to be
here to meet the President in the Oval Office. Singapore and America
share many common interests and many similar perspectives on the world
around us, particularly in Asia. And I've been happy to have a wide
exchange of views with the President on how Southeast Asia is
developing, what's happening in Asia, how China and India are opening up
and becoming influential in the region and exerting a positive influence
on many of the countries, and how America can be part of Asia and
engage, participating, and continuing to stabilize and to maintain the
security in the region, as it has done for many years.
One aspect of security, of course, is antiterror. And I told the
President how much we appreciated America's strong, consistent stand on
this, that not withstanding any--whatever the terrorists may throw at
America, that it will stay firm, and there's absolute confidence that it
will not waver, whether in Iraq or anywhere else in the world.
It's critical to us because, for us, antiterror is also a hot agenda
item. So it's one of the areas of mutual interest which has lead our two
countries to embark
[[Page 1209]]
upon a strategic framework agreement which will set out the basis for us
to broaden and deepen the cooperation which we already have had over
these many years. And I'm very happy that today we'll have the chance to
sign that agreement.
President Bush. Thank you, sir.
We'll answer a question a piece. Deb [Deb Riechmann, Associated
Press].
Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination
Q. Mr. President, you had a meeting this morning with four leading
Senators. How much more input do you need before you'll be able to make
a decision on this? And you know, how close are you?
President Bush. Closer today than I was yesterday. [Laughter] I did
have a good breakfast with four United States Senators, the
leaders of the Senate plus
the heads of the
Judiciary Committee. I asked their advice on a couple of matters. One, I
asked their advice on the timing of a nominee. In other words, how fast
could they get to the--to the hearings necessary for a nominee's name to
move forward. Obviously, we're in a very interesting period here, where
you've got the end of the session coming up; then you've got an August
break. So I was just trying to get a sense of their view of the
calendar. And I want to thank them for being forthright.
Obviously, they get to decide. They're the legislative branch; they
get to determine how fast to move a nominee's name or not. My only
question to them is: What will it take to be able to get a person
confirmed by early October?
Secondly, we talked in general about a potential nominee. They've
got strong opinions, and I wanted to hear them. And they've shared some
opinions with me. And of course, they're sharing--many Senators are
sharing their opinions with others on my staff. We're actively seeking
recommendations.
I am going to be deliberate in the process because I want the
American people to know that when I finally make a decision, it's going
to be one based upon a lot of research and a lot of thought about the
character of the person, the integrity of the person, the ability of the
person to do the job, and the philosophy of the person. And as you know,
I campaigned twice for President of the United States, and I said, ``If
I have a chance to name somebody to the Supreme Court or courts in
general, I'll pick people who will use the bench--will interpret the
Constitution while on the bench but not use the bench to legislate.''
We've got a legislative body called the U.S. House of Representatives
and the Senate. They do the legislation. And the courts will then
interpret the Constitution as to whether or not the laws are
constitutional or not.
And so that's where we are in the process. It's a----
Q. Do you agree with your wife about her desire for you to name a
woman?
President Bush. My wife? Listen, I talked to
her yesterday. She's in Africa on a mission of good will. She's talking
about women's education and HIV/AIDS. Listen, I get her advice all the
time. I didn't realize she'd put this advice in the press. That's--
[laughter]. She did? Well, good. I'm definitely considering--we're
definitely considering people from all walks of life, and I can't wait
to hear her advice in person when she gets back. [Laughter]
Go ahead.
Strategic Framework Agreement
Q. Can we ask some questions on Singapore? What's the significance
of the agreement that's going to be signed from Singapore's perspective
and from the United States' perspective?
Prime Minister Lee. Well, from our perspective, it builds on a very
sound relationship and broadens and deepens it further. It enables us to
focus more on antiterrorism, on anti-WMD proliferation, as well as on
other aspects of our relationship, defense technology cooperation,
military cooperation between our armed forces, and strategic and
security exchanges.
[[Page 1210]]
President Bush. From our perspective, it is a--it is a statement
about how important our relations with Singapore is. We've made a
statement before on economic relations when we signed a free trade
agreement. And that was an important agreement. It's important for our
economy. It's important for the economy of Singapore. This agreement
takes our relationship beyond just economics. It's a strategic
relationship. It is one that will have long-term consequences for both
our peoples. But I happen to believe that it'll have long-term
consequences for peace in the region, and that's very important.
This is a relationship based upon mutual trust, shared values, but
it's also a relationship that recognizes that we have an active role to
play, both countries have an active role to play, in laying the
foundations for peace in the region of the world that--in the Far East.
And it's an important region.
One of the points that the Prime Minister has made to me, and he
keeps reminding me that our involvement in the Far East is very
important. And we will stay involved in a constructive way. And this
agreement is a constructive agreement. It's a constructive way to stay
involved.
Thank you all for coming.
Note: The President spoke at 9:50 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
House.