[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
[August 11, 2008]
[Pages 1134-1137]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Interview With Bob Costas of NBC Sports in
Beijing
August 11, 2008
2008 Beijing Olympics
Mr. Costas. All right, Al, we thank you. In a few minutes, we'll
have more of the women's team qualifying from Sunday afternoon here in
Beijing. But now, live, we're joined by President George W. Bush, who
has been at these games since the opening ceremony.
You saw the opening ceremony. You've seen Michael Phelps and company
at the pool. You went to beach volleyball, the USA's win over China in
basketball last night. What are your impressions so far?
The President. First of all, I think the Chinese are being great
hosts. The venues are fantastic. And our team's fired up, and so am I.
I'm excited to be here. It's such a thrill to watch our men and women
compete.
U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team
Mr. Costas. You met with the ballplayers before the basketball game
last night.
The President. I did. [Laughter]
Mr. Costas. What was their response to you?
The President. Their response was--well, first of all, obviously,
these are great stars. And their response was, ``Thanks for coming. We
are really, really honored to represent America.'' And I was impressed
by them. And of course, they go out and put on a great performance.
China-U.S. Relations
Mr. Costas. And winning 101 to 70. All right, our time here is
limited. We'll get to as much as we can.
The President. Okay.
Mr. Costas. The opening ceremonies were glorious. There's much to
admire about China's people, China's culture, and its present
accomplishments. But this remains an authoritarian state----
The President. That's true.
Mr. Costas. ----with an abysmal human rights record. In the long
run, is China's rise irreconcilable with America's interests?
The President. No. In the long run, America better remain engaged
with China and understand that we can have a cooperative and
constructive, yet candid, relationship. It's really important for future
Presidents to understand the relationship between China and the region,
and it's important to make sure that America is engaged with China, even
though we may have some disagreements.
China-U.S. Relations/U.S. Foreign Policy
Mr. Costas. You met with President Hu Jintao, not just at the
opening ceremony----
The President. Right.
Mr. Costas. ----but privately since then. Did you press him on the
full array of American concerns: human rights; press freedom; Tibet;
China's support of rogue regimes like Sudan and Myanmar?
The President. Yes--and North Korea and Iran.
Mr. Costas. It was all on the table?
The President. Oh, absolutely, every time, every time. And you got
to understand something, Bob, I don't need the Olympics to advance
America's agenda. I've met with Hu Jintao a lot
since I have been the President. And yes, I had a full range--hey,
[[Page 1135]]
listen, we agree with them on a lot of things, and we disagree with them
on things. And that's the way the relationship is going to be. It needs
to be, as I mentioned, constructive and cooperative.
U.S. Foreign Policy
Mr. Costas. This past week, you restated America's fundamental
differences with China.
The President. Yes.
Mr. Costas. But given China's growing strength and America's own
problems, realistically how much leverage and influence does the U.S.
have here?
The President. First of all, I don't see America having problems. I
see America as a nation that is a world leader, that has got great
values. And leverage is--I don't think you should look at the
relationship as one of leverage. I think you ought to look at the
relationship of one of constructive engagement where you can find common
areas, like North Korea and Iran, but also be in a position where they
respect you enough to listen to your views on religious freedom and
political liberty.
2008 Beijing Olympics/China
Mr. Costas. If these Olympics are as successful as they are shaping
up to be, most people believe this only further legitimizes the ruling
party in the minds of most Chinese----
The President. Yes.
Mr. Costas. ----citizens. And even absent true liberty as we
understand it, the lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese people are
much better than they once were. Therefore, what's the party's incentive
to reform?
The President. Well, first of all, if you're a religious person, you
understand that once religion takes hold in a society, it can't be
stopped. And secondly, I think it--the Olympics are going to serve as a
chance for people to come and see China the way it is and let the
Chinese see the world and interface and have the opportunity to converse
with people from around the world. And this is a very positive
development, in my view, for peace.
And who knows what--how China is going to progress? They've been
through some very difficult political times--the Cultural Revolution,
where the leadership actually created violent anarchy as the society
turned on itself. All I can tell you is, is that it's important for the
United States to be active in this part of the world with all countries
and to stay engaged with China.
Situation in Georgia
Mr. Costas. Moving away from China for just a second, during the
opening ceremony, we saw you conferring with Vladimir Putin.
The President. Yes.
Mr. Costas. We now know you were talking about the conflict that had
erupted that day----
The President. That's true.
Mr. Costas. ----between Russia and Georgia. Now, Georgia is a former
Soviet republic that is sympathetic to the West----
The President. Yes.
Mr. Costas. ----and that is attempting to embody many Western
values. But just as you need China, you need Russia strategically around
the globe.
The President. Yes.
Mr. Costas. You got to walk a fine line. What did you say to Putin?
The President. I said, this violence is unacceptable. I not only
said it to Vladimir Putin, I said it to
the President of the country, Dmitry
Medvedev. And my administration has been engaged with both sides in
this, trying to get a cease-fire, and saying that the status quo ante
of--for all troops should be August 6. And, look, my--I expressed my
grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we
strongly condemn bombing outside of South Ossetia.
[[Page 1136]]
It was just interesting to me that here we are trying to promote
peace and harmony, and we're witnessing a conflict take place.
Mr. Costas. Right, no Olympic truce in this case.
The President. There wasn't. And I was very firm with
Vladimir Putin--and he and I have got a
good relationship--just like I was firm with the Russian
President. And hopefully, this will get
resolved peacefully. There needs to be a international mediation there
for South--the South Ossetia issue.
Darfur
Mr. Costas. A couple more quick things.
The President. Sure.
Mr. Costas. China is a nation that warmly received Umar al-Bashir of
Sudan, who has since been indicted by the International Court on charges
of genocide.
The President. Yes.
Mr. Costas. Then this past week, they revoke the visa of Joey Cheek,
an exemplary Olympian who had planned to come here not to directly
protest China's Government, but to call attention to the humanitarian--
--
The President. Yes.
Mr. Costas. ----crisis in Darfur.
The President. Yes.
Mr. Costas. What's your reaction?
The President. My reaction is, I'm sorry Joey Cheek didn't come; he's a good man. Joey Cheek's just got to
know that I took the Sudanese message for him. My attitude is, is if you
got relations with Mr. Bashir,
think about helping us solve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. That was
my message to the Chinese Government.
China-U.S. Relations/Freedom Agenda
Mr. Costas. As you attempt to press these points with them, do you
find Hu Jintao not just warm toward you personally, but is he receptive?
Do you sense any movement?
The President. It's hard to tell. I mean, it's--all I can tell you
is, is that it is best to be in the position where a leader will listen
to you. Hey, I went to church here, and I'm sure the cynics say, ``Well,
you know, it was just a state-sponsored church.'' On the other hand--and
that's true. On the other hand, it gave me a chance to say to the
Chinese people, religion won't hurt you; you ought to welcome religious
people. And it gave me a chance to say to the Government, why don't you
register the underground churches and give them a chance to flourish?
And he listened politely. And I can't read his
mind, but I do know that every time I met with him, I pressed the point.
President's Visit to China
Mr. Costas. Your father has longstanding connections to China. He
was an envoy here even before we established an official ambassador's
position, during the 1970s, and he is here with you on this trip. So
there's a connection, a family connection.
The President. Absolutely. Yes, there's a great connection. You
know, I can remember riding my bike around Beijing in 1975, and it is--
--
Mr. Costas. Only bikes then, just about.
The President. ----unbelievable how far this has changed. I mean, it
is--and he feels the same way. And we were
honored yesterday when the President, Hu Jintao,
invited my dad and me and Laura and my
sister and my daughter, my brother for dinner. It was a--
lunch. It was just a great gesture of kindness.
Bob, it's very important for the American people to know that coming
here gave me a chance obviously to root for our team, and you've
captured that, but it's also--coming here is a sign of respect for the
Chinese people. And this is a big, important nation. We'll have our
differences; we'll have our agreements. But in order to find common
ground and to move the world toward peace, it is important for this
country to show respect for the people of the country.
[[Page 1137]]
Major League Baseball
Mr. Costas. Briefly, one more sports question.
The President. Sure.
Mr. Costas. You have been outspoken--your past connections to
baseball--you used a State of the Union speech to do it, to talk about
performance-enhancing drugs in sports. Marion Jones recently petitioned
you for clemency.
The President. Yes.
Mr. Costas. She's serving time because of involvement in the BALCO
case--one-time Olympic hero. We know many Olympians, and in your
favorite sport and mine, baseball, big names: Barry Bonds, Roger
Clemens. What's your feeling about this? And how much do you, as an
American, trust the integrity of the sports you watch?
The President. Yes, well, you know, let's just talk about baseball.
Obviously, one of the great things about baseball is we can compare the
records of the players of the fifties to the sixties and the seventies
and, obviously, the 1990s. And it is very important for there to be a--
for the sport to be clean so that the great continuity of and the
history of baseball is real. And secondly, we don't want adults sending
mixed messages to children that it's okay to shoot up drugs in order to
become a star, because it's not okay.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Mr. Costas. You going to go to a few more events before you leave?
The President. I'm going to swimming here--if you'd ever let me off
this set. [Laughter]
Mr. Costas. All right. You are dismissed.
The President. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Costas. Thank you, Mr. President.
Note: The interview began at 8:55 a.m. at the International Broadcasting
Center. In his remarks, the President referred to President Hu Jintao of
China; President Dmitry A. Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin
of Russia; former U.S. Olympic athlete Joey Cheek; and President Umar
Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir of Sudan. He also referred to his sister Dorothy
Bush Koch; his daughter Barbara P. Bush; and his brother Marvin P. Bush.
Bob Costas referred to Alan Michaels, reporter, NBC Sports; former U.S.
Olympic athlete Marion Jones-Thompson; and former Major League Baseball
players Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.