    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [May 4, 2006]
    [Pages 871-879]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With Sabine Christiansen of ARD German Television
    May 4, 2006

    President's Upcoming Visit to Germany

        Ms. Christiansen. Thank you very much, Mr. President, for joining
    us. We feel very honored by this. Mrs. Merkel invited you to Germany, as
    we heard, this summer, just before the G-8 summit. And we feel very
    honored in Germany that you would come and visit us. And as I heard,
    you're going to visit for the first time the former GDR. Are you looking
    forward to that?
        The President. Yes, I am. It was very kind of Chancellor Merkel--who I call Angela, by the way--to invite me to
    her residence. It's a gesture of friendship that I appreciate. And Laura
    and I are looking forward to it. And it will give me a chance to
    continue our dialog on important issues. I'll get to know her a little
    better, and she'll know me better. It will make the relationship be
    stronger over time. So I'm looking forward to it, and I really
    appreciate it.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel

        Ms. Christiansen. Your father helped to make German reunification
    possible. And Chancellor Merkel told me that you've shown a lot of
    interest in her life, in her former life in the former GDR. What was the
    point of interest for you?
        The President. Well, last night we were sitting around in the
    private dining room upstairs here, and I thought it would be interesting
    for her to describe what it was like to grow up in a Communist world.
    Laura and I certainly don't know what that's
    like, nor did Condi Rice or Steve
    Hadley, the members of my team. And I
    thought it would be good for all of us to hear what it was like.
        It was very interesting. She talked about--you know, her dad was a pastor, and she talked about the different
    pioneer clubs and the schools. It also gave me a chance to get a glimpse
    into her soul. As I said in the Oval Office yesterday, there's something
    really refreshing, to work with somebody who understands firsthand what
    it means to be free. And certainly Angela Merkel has gone from a society
    which was repressive to a society which is open and free. So I wanted to
    hear the history, her history, and I also wanted to get a better feel
    for what she's like and why she thinks the way she thinks.

    Germany-U.S. Relations

        Ms. Christiansen. That sounds more like a real transatlantic
    friendship than a partnership--well, with difficulties we had before.
        The President. Well, listen, first of all, I had a good relationship
    with Chancellor Schroeder. The problem
    was, of course, that there was a disagreement over a very difficult
    decision I had to make, and that was Iraq.
        I fully understand why a government or a people would be, you know,
    I guess, disappointed in me in a way, and not understand why somebody
    would commit troops to achieve an objective. And I like to remind people
    that September the 11th, for us, was a change in our history, and it
    certainly changed the way I thought. And for others, it was just a
    moment in passing. So there was a disagreement.
        On the other hand, U.S.-German relations were always important, and
    now we have a chance to turn a new chapter in our relationship,
    strengthen that alliance, strengthen that relationship, and work on
    matters that will make this world a better place.
        So I'm thrilled with my relationship with Chancellor Merkel. She's a really interesting person. She is--first of
    all, I found her to be confident, not overconfident, but confident in
    her beliefs, and that's very important--for me, at least--to be dealing

    [[Page 872]]

    with someone who has got strength of character and confident in her
    capacity to work to make things better.

    Iran

        Ms. Christiansen. Now there is Iran on the agenda, and there you
    seem to be a team that plays together, in that. Are you confident after
    your meeting with Mrs. Merkel that the Europeans and others will support
    a resolution that might even open the door to sanctions?
        The President. Look, first of all, the most important thing in
    achieving a diplomatic solution--and I want the German people to
    understand I want this issue to be solved diplomatically, and I think it
    can be solved diplomatically. And that--the first objective of trying to
    get different countries to come together in a diplomatic front is to
    agree that Iran--in this case, Iran--should not have a weapon. And we've
    agreed--Germany, France, the United States, certainly agree with that,
    but so does Russia; so does China. And that's a really important part of
    putting together a coalition of people saying with a universal voice, or
    unified voice, ``no'' to Iran.
        Ms. Christiansen. Okay. At the----
        The President. Well, that's right.
        Secondly, we're working with our allies to--now that the Iranians,
    by the way, have basically said, ``We don't care,'' what next? And
    ``what next'' is to go to the U.N. Security Council. And that's what
    we're working on now. And we're working on the language of the
    resolutions and the consequences. And as I told the press yesterday,
    it's best not to be describing the negotiations amongst ourselves on
    TV--simply because the Iranians will be listening to everything we say.
        But the point is, is that we want a unified front. Iran must hear
    that the free world is unified in saying, ``No weapon, no knowledge of
    how to build a weapon, no capacity to make a weapon.'' It's almost a
    matter of will at this point in time. In other words, they're watching
    to see whether or not our coalition will crack, whether or not they can
    create different factions within our coalition.
        And as I've described to people here in this country, is that we
    must not crack. If we want to solve this diplomatically, there must be a
    common front with a common strategy to achieve the objective.

    Diplomatic Negotiations With Iran

        Ms. Christiansen. If this doesn't work with the U.N., you trying to
    find wide coalition that is going against Iran----
        The President. Expand the coalition.
        Ms. Christiansen. Exactly. Exactly.
        The President. And they're not mutually exclusive. And first of all,
    I think we ought to assume it can work in the U.N. We want it to work in
    the U.N. Therefore, the strategy will be to see to it that it does work
    in the U.N. And that's why--you know, I talked to Putin, President Putin the other day, right before Angela came. And she talked to President Putin in Siberia, as
    you know. And a lot of our conversations, obviously, revolve around
    Iran, since this is the most dangerous threat to peace right now.
        Ms. Christiansen. And sanctions?
        The President. Possibility--absolutely.
        Ms. Christiansen. But regarding Russia and China? That will be
    difficult----
        The President. No. It may seem difficult at this point in time, but
    there's time. As I explained, again, to people in our country, we're at
    the beginning of the diplomatic process, not the end of the diplomatic
    process. I know--we live in a world where everything has to be solved
    instantly. I wish problems could be solved instantly, but that's not how
    the world works, particularly when you're dealing with a nontransparent
    regime.
        See, they have an advantage--``they'' being the Iranians. They don't
    have a press, like the German press and the United States press, that is
    constantly reporting.

    [[Page 873]]

    They don't have democracies that are holding leaders to account. They're
    nontransparent. So therefore, their negotiating position is much
    stronger than ours in many ways.
        So we must double our efforts, constantly talking to each other,
    reminding each other about the need to stay unified, and that's what
    Angela and I spent a lot of time talking about yesterday.

    U.S. Role in Diplomatic Negotiations With Iran

        Ms. Christiansen. Why isn't Washington talking directly to the
    Iranians?
        The President. Well, because it's much better to have a united
    front. In other words, we will achieve this diplomatically. If there's
    more than one country involved--we are very much involved. Yesterday we
    were part of putting down a U.N. Security Council Resolution. The
    Iranians know we're involved. But what I don't want to have happen is
    this unified effort fall apart because everybody depends upon one
    country to solve the problem.
        Ms. Christiansen. If all diplomatic efforts fail, what's worse at
    the end, a nuclear-armed Iran or an American military action?
        The President. You're asking me the classic hypothetical question. I
    believe we can achieve this diplomatically. And that's what I want to
    do. I want to achieve this diplomatically, because it's--and it's
    necessary we do so. And an armed Iran will be a threat to peace. It will
    be a threat to peace in the Middle East; it will create a sense of
    blackmail; it will encourage other nations to feel like they need to
    have a nuclear weapon. And so it's essential that we succeed
    diplomatically.

    Israel

        Ms. Christiansen. Are you worried that Israel might not try to solve
    this diplomatically? Because Mr. Olmert already said, ``We can defend
    ourselves.''
        The President. Well, if I were an Israeli, I'd be concerned about
    the combination of a President that
    said, ``I want to wipe Israel off the map,'' and had a nuclear weapon.
    And so obviously, Israel is a factor. It's a little country that will
    defend herself. Again, I keep repeating this, but that's why it's
    essential we continue to work together, like we're doing now, to
    convince the Iranians to give up their weapon.
        They will be isolated. What they need to understand is that they're
    going to be isolated from the rest of the world, and that will harm
    their people, in my judgment. And it's a tough issue, and it's why I ran
    for office, to solve these problems.

    Iraq

        Ms. Christiansen. Let's go over to Iraq. Two German hostages who
    were held in Iraq for months, they just returned home safely, but Iraq
    remains a major terrorist base. Despite more than, I think, 130,000 U.S.
    soldiers there, are in the country, what do you say to the many
    Europeans who feel the Iraq war has made the world a less safer place?
        The President. I would say that they need to look at the facts, that
    Saddam Hussein was a very dangerous person in
    the world. Saddam Hussein had used weapons of mass destruction.
    Obviously, we didn't find them like everybody thought we would, but we
    did know he had the capacity to make them. He had harbored terrorists.
    He had invaded his neighborhood. And the removal of Saddam Hussein was
    the right thing to do.
        And now there's a new democracy developing. And the best way to
    defeat the terrorists in the long run is to defeat their ideology with
    an ideology based upon liberty. And one of the most amazing events in
    modern history took place in December of last year, when 12 million
    Iraqis went to the polls. It's just a--it's a joyous moment for them.
        Now what's happened is, is there's a unified government formed.
    Obviously, it took a little longer than we wanted, but nevertheless,
    they are together. There is a tough

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    Shi'a as the Prime Minister-designate.
    There's a Sunni rejectionist who is
    now reconciled with the country. And what you'll see is a democracy that
    will grow to be an example for others and a country that will deny safe
    haven to the terrorists.
        I disagree with the assessment that there are more terrorists in
    Iraq now. As a matter of fact, slowly but surely, we're defeating them.
    But what's important for people in Germany to listen to is what I listen
    to, which is the voices of an enemy. Zarqawi and Al Qaida has announced that it's just a matter of time
    for America and the coalition to leave so we can have our safe haven
    from which to plot and plan further attacks on America and free nations.
        And the only way we can lose Iraq is if we lose our nerve, if we
    retreat, if we pull out before the job is done. And that's not going to
    happen so long as I'm the President.

    Spread of Democracy

        Ms. Christiansen. So the development in Iraq, in Palestine, hasn't
    made you stop half-way, let's say, in the democratization process----
        The President. Oh, quite the contrary. I really believe it's
    necessary to promote democracy. One of the interesting examples in
    history is democracies don't fight each other. And Europe today is
    whole, free, and at peace. You have your disagreements, but those
    disagreements are not determined on a battlefield anymore.
        Japan was a country that my nation fought with, and today, one of my
    best friends in keeping the peace is the Prime Minister of
    Japan. What happened between World War II
    and today is, Japan took on a Japanese-style democracy. What's really
    interesting is when you go back and look at some of the writings and
    musings of people after World War II, there was great criticism about
    trying to help the Japanese become a Japanese-style democracy: ``We
    can't do that; they're the enemy.'' Well, today, the enemy is the
    friend. So I think all the more reason to promote democracy is the
    elections in Iraq.
        I was not pleased that Hamas has refused to announce--its desire to
    destroy Israel. On the other hand, the elections did say to people in
    the Palestinian Territories, ``We're sick and tired of corruption. We
    want leaders who don't steal from us. We want leaders who help us
    educate our children and provide health for our citizens.''
        And so elections can be good signals of what people are really
    thinking. I believe that there's still work after elections to be done,
    but there's no doubt that we've got to spread liberty and freedom if
    we're going to defeat this ideology that really says, ``There should be
    no rights for women; there should be no religious freedom; and by the
    way, we'll carry out our foreign policy through acts of violence and
    murder.''

    Germany-U.S. Relations/Intelligence

        Ms. Christiansen. We Germans seem to be more involved--have been
    more involved in the Iraq war than anybody else knew--involuntarily, I
    would like to say. Because the U.S. intelligence services used German
    airports for secret rendition flights and interrogated, even, German
    citizens--hardly what you'd expect, I would say, from a friend and ally.
        The President. Well, first of all, on intelligence matters, it's my
    policy not to talk about them; otherwise, they're not intelligence
    matters anymore. And the questions you ask will be all--in some cases,
    analyzed through courts, in some cases, through press inquiry. But
    Germany is a friend.
        Ms. Christiansen. But the behavior itself? Is it behavior for an
    ally----
        The President. Well, like, what are you talking about?
        Ms. Christiansen. I mean, that you do this, that you don't ask for
    help for some of the ally, that you don't inform the ally and so on.
        The President. On, like, what subject, for example?

    [[Page 875]]

        Ms. Christiansen. Like these flights, for example.
        The President. Well, again, you're asking me to talk about
    intelligence matters that I'm not going to talk about. And people can
    say whatever they want to say, but we work closely with Germany on all
    kinds of fronts in order to protect ourselves.

    War on Terror

        Ms. Christiansen. Then let me ask you about the image of the United
    States. Especially for us Germans after the war, the United States stood
    as the symbol of liberty, for democracy. And then we saw these--we saw
    Abu Ghraib; we saw Guantanamo. And these seemed, suddenly, to be signals
    that you're abandoning these values of democracy and liberty. And how do
    you want to repair them?
        The President. Well, first of all, it's absurd to say America is
    abandoning our values. No question, Abu Ghraib was a disgrace for our
    country. But I think people ought to take a look at what happened
    afterwards--and those who are responsible for that disgraceful behavior
    have been held to account, have been tried, have been, in some cases,
    dismissed from our military.
        We're at war with an enemy, and we've got to protect ourselves. And
    obviously, the Guantanamo issue is a sensitive issue for people. I very
    much would like to end Guantanamo; I very much would like to get people
    to a court. And we're waiting for our Supreme Court to give us a
    decision as to whether the people need to have a fair trial in a
    civilian court or in a military court.
        But in either case, they will get a trial, which they, themselves,
    were unwilling to give to the people that they're willing to kill--
    ``they,'' the enemy.
        And so it's--no, listen, our country is strong on human rights and
    civil rights. That's why we're leading the case in funding for HIV/AIDS
    in Africa. That's why we're trying to rally the Nation to do something
    about Darfur--the genocide in Darfur. That's why we provide food for the
    hungry. That's why we try to liberate people when we find them in the
    clutches of tyranny.
        Ms. Christiansen. So you said you had to do more?
        The President. Yes, we are doing a lot.

    Iraq

        Ms. Christiansen. I understand, like, $320 billion that the Iraq war
    cost--a lot of people are saying----
        The President. It's worth it. It's worth it. I wouldn't have spent
    it if it wasn't worth it. Any time we put a troop in harm's way, they
    will get support. We're not going--I'm not going to ask a parent--I'm
    not going to be able to tell a parent, nor will I tell a parent, ``Your
    son who volunteered or your daughter who volunteered is not going to get
    the full support of the Federal Government.'' And so long as we've got
    people in harm's way, this Government is going to support them.

    Dependence on Foreign Sources of Oil/Gasoline

        Ms. Christiansen. Let me ask you another question to the war on
    terrorism. How do you want, really, to fight terrorism when you are so
    dependent on Arabian oil?
        The President. That's an interesting question. I've never thought of
    it that way. The first thing we ought to do is get off oil.
        Ms. Christiansen. That's what you said.
        The President. And I mean that. Yes, I know.
        Ms. Christiansen. Do you mean that, really?
        The President. Absolutely. Oil has become--it's an economic risk for
    us. I mean, after all, if the oil--if the demand for oil goes up in
    India or China, fast-growing economies, it affects the price of gasoline
    in the United States and in Germany. It's also a national security
    issue, obviously. Oil comes from unstable parts of the world, so I'm
    absolutely serious about getting off of oil.

    [[Page 876]]

        Ms. Christiansen. Because we, in Europe, we asked this when we heard
    your speech, and we said oil is now----
        The President. You don't believe old George W.?
        Ms. Christiansen. Gasoline is now, let's say $70 a barrel. And we
    said, if we look at the United States, your gasoline is still so--I
    mean, the prices are so low, and we are paying so much money. Why
    haven't you raise taxes, energy taxes or something, if you really mean
    it?
        The President. Well, because the best way to do it is through
    technological change. You don't have to tax the working people. And,
    well, in order--what?
        Ms. Christiansen. That's what we do. [Laughter]
        The President. Well, we don't. We try not to. Listen, the price of
    gasoline just went up from $2.70 to $3 a gallon, which is about, I
    guess, 40 percent of what it costs in Germany. And people are screaming,
    because it's like a tax. And it affects low-income Americans.
        And so the best way to solve the problem is to spend money on
    research and development and come up with alternative ways to drive our
    automobiles. And we're making interesting progress. We think we're close
    to a breakthrough, to have a battery in our vehicles that will enable an
    urban dweller to drive the first 40 miles without using gasoline. So
    it's that effect of reducing demand for gasoline that will ultimately
    help our consumers. Obviously, we're trying to do all we can to make
    sure that supplies of gasoline don't get interrupted in the short term,
    but in the long term, I can see cars being powered by hydrogen, for
    example.

    Environment/Energy

        Ms. Christiansen. Let me ask one more question to that climate
    topic. After Katrina and after a lot of new evidence of rapid climate
    change, are you now convinced that this is really a serious problem?
        The President. No, I've always said greenhouse gases are a problem.
    There is an argument there as to whether or not they're naturally made
    or manmade. And my attitude is, let's just get beyond that argument and
    do something about it. I believe that we need more nuclear power. If
    you're really interested in solving greenhouse gas problems, nuclear
    power is one of the great renewable sources of energy. I know it's
    controversial.
        Ms. Christiansen. Very interesting and controversy debate in Germany
    as well.
        The President. And here in America. But if people are genuinely
    serious about solving greenhouse gas problems around the world,
    countries like the United States and India and China ought to be
    promoting civilian nuclear power.
        There's other things we're doing. One, as I just told you, we've got
    to change our habits when we're driving our cars. One of the real
    promising areas besides battery research is ethanol research, you know;
    use corn to be able to fuel automobiles in the United States. Solar
    energy can work and is becoming more economically feasible. Wind energy
    is making a marginal difference in the United States but, nevertheless,
    a difference.
        And so my--what I'm saying is, is that we're spending a lot--clean
    coal technology, for example, we're spending billions of dollars on
    clean coal technology to figure out how to have zero-emission coal-fired
    plants. And all this research is going to pay off. And the United States
    will be able to make sure our economy continues to grow and, at the same
    time, be good stewards of the environment.
        The debate--let me just cut to the chase. I said I didn't support
    Kyoto, and all of a sudden, everybody said, ``Well, George W. Bush
    doesn't care about clean air''--it's just rubbish. Of course I care
    about the quality of the air. As a matter of fact, the quality of the
    air has improved since I've been the President of the United States. But
    what I didn't want to do is

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    wreck our economy, nor did I think it made sense to sign on to a treaty
    that didn't include countries like India and China. And so my attitude
    is, let's get beyond the debate and work in a cooperative fashion to
    share technologies, to share that which we're researching with each
    other, and have a new era of energy that is wise about how we treat the
    environment too.

    Russia-U.S. Relations

        Ms. Christiansen. I'm very mindful of our time, but I would like to
    have a look to the G-8 summit and Russia and about the Russian-American
    friendship as well. Perhaps another question. You had felt quite warm
    about President Putin, but there is rising criticism from the Vice
    President, for example, in the moment, and others on a lack of democracy
    in Russia. Have you talked to Putin directly about this? And will you,
    perhaps, raise any obstacles regarding the G-8?
        The President. Yes, of course, I've talked to him--a lot.
        Ms. Christiansen. About this problem?
        The President. Oh, absolutely. Yes, a lot.
        Ms. Christiansen. What does he say?
        The President. Well, first, let me--let me share how I conduct my
    relations with people. I like Putin, but
    that doesn't mean I have to agree with some of the decisions he's made.
    I know this, that if I stand up and constantly criticize Putin publicly,
    he's not going to be interested in listening to what I have to say--and
    neither would I. When somebody feels like they can lecture to me
    publicly and doesn't do me the courtesy of coming to tell me what's on
    their mind, one-on-one, then I may not be interested in listening to
    them--if you know what I mean.
        So I'm the kind of person that tries to establish a good personal
    relationship with somebody, and then we can sit down and talk, and I
    tell them what's on my mind, and they tell me what's on his. And I have
    expressed our Nation's concerns about--for example, when they shut down
    parts of the press corps. I said, ``Vladimir, people are wondering why you're making the decision you're
    making. A free press is an indication of a healthy democracy.'' And he
    had an answer.
        But nevertheless, as you know, I'm a religious person, and I believe
    religious liberty is an important part of a society. And I've got
    friends in the Catholic Church who asked me to talk to him about
    Catholic bishops being allowed to move in the country and to practice
    their faith. And so I bring up all these issues with him.
        But there's a difference in scolding somebody to try to gain
    editorial approval, and somebody who is in a position to be effective.
    I'd much rather be an effective person than a popular person; let me put
    it to you that way.

    Family Values

        Ms. Christiansen. As I said, we're very mindful of your time; it's
    been a great conversation. If you have 2 minutes--because I would like
    to have two questions, one on women and one on football. Do you agree to
    that?
        The President. Okay, I will.
        Ms. Christiansen. Very short ones. [Laughter] You seemed to get
    along very well Angela Merkel, a lot of women, strong women around you,
    here around the Oval Office. We're--have a big debate in Germany about
    women working and having children and the family. And your wife, for
    example, you seem to be a very good team in working together----
        The President. Thank you.
        Ms. Christiansen. And how do you strike this balance?
        The President. Yes. First of all, I have been raised by an
    incredibly strong woman who I love, and that's my mother. And I'm married to an incredibly strong woman who I
    love, and that's my wife. I hope that Laura and I
    have raised two incredibly strong women who will have confidence to go out and explore
    life and to achieve. I don't think that encouraging my daughters

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    to live life to its fullest means that they can't be good mothers at the
    same time. As a matter of fact, I think a good mother is somebody who is
    strong in her own right, confident, and independent.
        And one of the things I do try to remind people is that the most
    important responsibility a person can have is to love their child with
    all their heart. That is by far the most important thing. I'll never
    forget--I'll give you one quick--we're fine on time. I'll tell you a
    quick anecdote. One of my dearest friends in political life is Karen
    Hughes. She was one of the most powerful
    women ever in the White House, simply because she had complete access to
    the President and I trusted her. At the same time, by the way, in an
    office down the hall was Condoleezza Rice,
    also a very strong woman who I am very fond of and very close to.
        And Karen, one time, came in to see me,
    and she said, ``Mr. President, I'm having trouble at home''--not that
    she--she wasn't having trouble with her husband
    or her son--but, ``My son is unhappy.'' And my
    reaction instantly was, ``Karen, do whatever is necessary to make your
    family happy. That's the most important thing.'' And so she left, and
    she went back to Texas, and I missed her dearly. But priorities matter
    in life, and people are able to set priorities and, at the same time,
    live life to the fullest.
        And Karen is a good example. She got her
    son squared away; he's now at Stanford
    University. She's now back in Washington, working with Condi at the State Department. And my only advice is
    to, one, welcome women in society. I welcome them in the White House. My
    Presidency is more complete because some of my top advisers are very
    strong, capable women.
        Angela Merkel is somebody who is a joy to
    deal with. She bring an interesting----
        Ms. Christiansen. Why?
        The President. Well, because she's got a
    straightforward manner about herself that is--when she says something,
    you know she means it. She is what she is. She's not a fake. And when I
    sit there talking to Angela, I'm not saying I'm talking to--I don't
    think gender; I think strength of character. I think reliability. I
    think clear-headed thinking. I think of a fellow strategist as to how to
    solve problems.
        So, anyway, that's a long answer to a short question.

    2006 World Cup

        Ms. Christiansen. I think for the two of us, we don't have soccer
    expert teams sitting here together, but anyway, I think you're a
    baseball fan----
        The President. I am a baseball fan; you're right.
        Ms. Christiansen. You are. Do you think you've turned a little bit
    into a soccer fan? I mean, your team is doing so well at the moment
    and----
        The President. That's what they tell me. I do know a little bit
    about the World Cup because I read a very interesting article about the
    German coach. And evidently he's a
    dynamic--you know, he's spending some time in California. And the World
    Cup is such a huge event that I think most Americans like me, who
    weren't raised on soccer, are beginning to pay attention to it. Now, I
    know that sounds like heresy in Germany.
        Ms. Christiansen. In Germany, yes. But think of just--I mean, that
    the American team could meet the Iranian team.
        The President. Yes, could be.
        Ms. Christiansen. What then?
        The President. Well, I don't view it that way. I view it as, I hope
    the American team does well. But this is a big event for Germany, and
    Germany will be a great host for the games. And obviously, I hope the
    American team does well--they're supposedly a good team.
        Ms. Christiansen. If they get world champion, you're coming for the
    final game?

    [[Page 879]]

        The President. I don't know. Do you think I possibly would be
    invited? I don't know.
        Ms. Christiansen. We're very happy that you come over in July.
        The President. I'm looking forward it, and I want to thank you for
    this good interview.

    Note: The interview was taped at 1:21 p.m. in the Diplomatic Reception
    Room at the White House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the
    President referred to former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany;
    President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia; President Mahmud Ahmadi-nejad of
    Iran; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Prime Minister-designate
    Nuri al-Maliki, and Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud al-Mashhadani of Iraq;
    senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime Minister Junichiro
    Koizumi of Japan; and Jurgen Klinsmann, head coach, Germany's 2006 World
    Cup men's soccer team. Ms. Christiansen referred to Prime Minister Ehud
    Olmert of Israel. The transcript was released by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on May 7. A tape was not available for verification of the
    content of this interview.