[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
[January 12, 2009]
[Pages 1552-1564]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
The President's News Conference
January 12, 2009
The President. Thank you. Tapper [Jake Tapper, ABC News]. We have
been through a lot together. As I look through the room, I see Jake,
Mike [Mike Emanuel, FOX News], Herman [Ken Herman, Cox News], Ann
Compton [ABC News]. Just seemed like yesterday that I was on the
campaign trail, and you were analyzing my speeches and my policies. And
I see a lot of faces that travel with me around the world and to places
like Afghanistan and Iraq and Africa. I see some new faces, which goes
to show there's some turnover in this business.
Through it all, it's been--I have respected you. Sometimes I didn't
like the stories that you wrote or reported on. Sometimes you
misunderestimated me. But always the relationship, I have felt, has been
professional. And I appreciate it.
I appreciate--I do appreciate working with you. My friends from--
say, ``What is
[[Page 1553]]
it like to deal with the press corps?'' I said, ``These are just people
that--trying to do the best they possibly can.''
And so here at the last press conference, I'm interested in
answering some of your questions. But mostly, I'm interested in saying
thank you for the job.
Ben [Ben Feller, Associated Press].
National Economy/President-Elect Barack Obama
Q. Thank you for those comments, Mr. President. Here's a question.
I'm wondering if you plan to ask Congress for the remaining $350 billion
in bail money. And in terms of the timing, if you do that before you
leave office, sir, are you motivated in part to make life a little
easier for President-elect Obama?
The President. I have talked to the President-elect about this
subject. And I told him that if he felt that he needed the 350 billion,
I would be willing to ask for it, in other words, if he felt like it
needed to happen on my watch.
The best course of action, of course, is to convince enough Members
of the Senate to vote positively for the request. And, you know, that's
all I can share with you, because that's all I know.
Q. So you haven't made the request yet?
The President. Well, he hasn't asked me to make the request yet. And
I don't intend to make the request unless he specifically asks me to
make it.
He is--you know, I've had my third conversation with him, and I
genuinely mean what I say. I wish him all the very best. I have found
him to be a very smart and engaging person. And that lunch the other day
was interesting--to have two guys who are nearly 85, two 62-year-olders, and a 47-year-old--so kind of the classic
generational statement.
And one common area, in at least the four of us--we all had
different circumstances and experiences, but one thing is we've all
experienced what it means to assume the responsibility of the
Presidency. And President-elect Obama is fixing to do that. And he'll
get sworn in, and then they'll have the lunch and all the deal up there
on Capitol Hill. And then he'll come back and go through the
Inauguration, and then he'll walk in the Oval Office, and there will be
a moment when the responsibilities of the President land squarely on his
shoulders.
Toby [Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters]. Yes, we'll get everybody here.
Situation in the Middle East/Middle East Peace Process
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Do you believe that the Gaza conflict
will have ended by the time you leave office? Do you approve of the way
that Israel has conducted it? And why were you unable to achieve the
peace deal that you had sought?
The President. Remind me of the three points, will you, because I'm
getting----
Q. Will it end----
The President. ----I'm getting a little older.
Q. Will it end by the time you leave office? Do you approve of
Israel's conduct?
The President. I hope so. I'm for a sustainable cease-fire. And a
definition of a sustainable cease-fire is that Hamas stops firing
rockets into Israel. And there will not be a sustainable cease-fire if
they continue firing rockets. I happen to believe the choice is Hamas's
to make. And we believe that the best way to ensure that there is a
sustainable cease-fire is to work with Egypt to stop the smuggling of
arms into the Gaza that enables Hamas to continue to fire rockets. And
so countries that supply weapons to Hamas have got to stop. And the
international community needs to continue to pressure them to stop
providing weapons.
Hamas, obviously, if they're interested in a sustainable cease-fire,
needs to stop arming. And then, of course, countries contingent to the
Gaza need to work to stop the smuggling. And it's a difficult task. I
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mean, there's tunnels and, you know, great opportunities for people who
want to continue to try to disrupt democracy to provide the weapons to
do so.
The second part of your question, please, ma'am?
Q. Do you approve of the Israeli conduct in this?
The President. I think Israel has a right to defend herself.
Obviously, in any of these kinds of situations, I would hope that she
would continue to be mindful of innocent folks, and that they help, you
know, expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid.
And third, why haven't we achieved peace?
Q. Why were you unable to----
The President. That's a good question. It's been a long time since
they've had peace in the Middle East. Step one is to have a vision for
what peace would look like. And in 2002, on the steps of the Rose
Garden, I gave a speech about a two-state solution: two states, two
democracies living side by side in peace. And we have worked hard to
advance that idea. First thing is to convince all parties that the two
states were necessary for peace.
And one thing that's happened is, is that most people in the Middle
East now accept the two-state solution as the best way for peace. Most
Palestinians want their own state, and most Israelis understand there
needs to be a democracy on their border in order for there to be long-
lasting peace.
The challenge, of course, has been to lay out the conditions so that
a peaceful state can emerge, in other words, helping the Palestinians in
the West Bank develop security forces, which we have worked hard to do
over the past years. And those security forces are now becoming more
efficient, and Prime Minister Fayyad is using
them effectively. The challenge is to develop--help the Palestinians
develop a democracy, I mean, and a vibrant economy in their--that will
help lead to democracy.
And the challenge, of course, is always complicated by the fact that
people are willing to murder to stop the advance of freedom. And so the
Hamas, or for that matter Al Qaida, or other extremist groups, are
willing to use violence to prevent free states from emerging. And that's
the big challenge.
And so the answer is, will this ever happen? I think it will. And I
know we have advanced the process.
Yes, Suzanne [Suzanne Malveaux, Cable News Network]. I finally got
your name right, after how many years? Six years?
War on Terror
Q. Eight years. [Laughter]
The President. Eight years. You used to be known as ``Suz-anne.''
Now you're ``Suz-ahn.''
Q. ``Suz-ahn.'' Thank you. [Laughter]
The President. I'm ``Jawdg.'' [Laughter]
Q. In your 2002 State of the Union Address, you identified U.S.
threats as an axis of evil: Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. Iraq is
relatively calm; North Korea, no longer on the terrorist threat list.
How would you define, if, in fact, there is still an axis of evil? And
what is the greatest and most urgent threat when it comes to security
that Barack Obama has to deal with?
The President. The most urgent threat that he'll have to deal with,
and other Presidents after him will have to deal with, is an attack on
our homeland. You know, I wish I could report that's not the case, but
there's still an enemy out there that would like to inflict damage on
America, Americans. And that will be the major threat.
North Korea is still a problem. There is a debate in the intel
community about how big a problem they are. But one of my concerns is
that there might be a highly enriched uranium program. And therefore, it
is really important that out of the six-party talks comes a strong
verification regime. In other words, in order to advance our relations
with North Korea, the North Korean Government must honor the commitments
it made to allow for strong
[[Page 1555]]
verification measures to be in place, to ensure that they don't develop
a highly enriched uranium program, for example.
So they're still dangerous, and Iran is still dangerous.
Yes.
The Republican Party
Q. You said in an interview earlier this weekend, one of these, I
guess, exit interviews, that----
The President. This is the ultimate exit interview.
Q. ----that you think the Republican Party needs to be more
inclusive. Who needs to hear that message inside the Republican Party?
The President. Yes. You see, I am concerned that, in the wake of the
defeat, that the temptation will be to look inward and to say, well,
here's a litmus test you must adhere to.
This party will come back. And--but the party's message has got to
be that different points of view are included in the party. And take,
for example, the immigration debate. That's obviously a highly
contentious issue. And the problem with the outcome of the initial round
of the debate was that some people said, ``Well, Republicans don't like
immigrants.'' Now, that may be fair or unfair, but that's what--that's
the image that came out.
And you know, if the image is we don't like immigrants, then there's
probably somebody else out there saying, ``Well, if they don't like the
immigrants, they probably don't like me as well.'' And so my point was,
is that our party has got to be compassionate and broadminded.
I remember the 1964 elections. My dad
happened to be running for the United States Senate then and, you know,
got landslided with the Johnson landslide in the State of Texas. But it
wasn't just George Bush who got defeated, the Republican Party was
pretty well decimated at the time. At least that's what they--well, I
think that's how the pundits viewed it. And then '66, there was a
resurgence. And the same thing can happen this time, but we just got to
make sure our message is broad-gauged and compassionate: That we care
about people's lives, and we've got a plan to help them improve their
lives.
Jake, yes. How you doing?
The President's Record
Q. I'm good. How you doing, sir?
The President. So what have you been doing since 2000? Never mind.
[Laughter]
Q. Working my way to this chair.
The President. So are you going to be here for President
Obama?
Q. I will. I will.
The President. That's a pretty cool job.
Q. It's not bad.
The President. Yes. [Laughter]
Q. Yours might be better.
The President. Yes--what, retirement? [Laughter]
Q. In the past, when you've been asked to address bad poll numbers
or your unpopularity, you've said that history will judge that you did
the right thing, that you thought you did the right thing. But without
getting into your motives or your goals, I think a lot of people,
including Republicans, including some members of your own
administration, have been disappointed at the execution of some of your
ideals, whether Iraq or Katrina or the economy. What would your closing
message be to the American people about the execution of these goals?
The President. Well, first of all, hard things don't happen
overnight, Jake. And when the history of Iraq is written, historians
will analyze, for example, the decision on the surge. The situation
was--looked like it was going fine, and then violence for a period of
time began to throw the progress of Iraq into doubt. And rather than
accepting the status quo and saying, ``Oh, it's not worth it,'' or,
``The politics makes it difficult,'' or you know, ``The party may end up
being--you know, not doing
[[Page 1556]]
well in the elections because of the violence in Iraq,'' I decided to do
something about it and sent 30,000 troops in as opposed to withdrawing.
And so that part of history is certain, and the situation did
change. Now, the question is, in the long run, will this democracy
survive? And that's going to be the challenge for future Presidents.
In terms of the economy, look, I inherited a recession; I am ending
on a recession. In the meantime there were 52 months of uninterrupted
job growth. And I defended tax cuts when I campaigned. I helped
implement tax cuts when I was President, and I will defend them after my
Presidency as the right course of action. And there's a fundamental
philosophical debate about tax cuts. Who best can spend your money, the
Government or you? And I have always sided with the people on that
issue.
Now, obviously, these are very difficult economic times. When people
analyze the situation, there will be--this problem started before my
Presidency; it obviously took place during my Presidency. The question
facing a President is not when the problem started, but what did you do
about it when you recognized the problem? And I readily concede I
chucked aside some of my free market principles when I was told by chief
economic advisers that the situation we were facing could be worse than
the Great Depression.
So I've told some of my friends who said--you know, who have taken
an ideological position on this issue--why did you do what you did? I
said, well, if you were sitting there and heard that the depression
could be greater than the Great Depression, I hope you would act too,
which I did. And we've taken extraordinary measures to deal with the
frozen credit markets, which have affected the economy. Credit spreads
are beginning to shrink; lending is just beginning to pick up. The
actions we have taken, I believe, have helped thaw the credit markets,
which is the first step toward recovery.
And so yes, look, there's plenty of critics in this business, I
understand that. And I thank you for giving me a chance to defend a
record that I am going to continue to defend, because I think it's a
good, strong record.
Jim [Jim Axelrod, CBS News].
The President's Critics
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. I'd also like to ask you about your
critics.
The President. Sure. You know any? [Laughter]
Q. Well, a couple years ago, Charles Krauthammer, columnist and
Harvard-trained psychiatrist, coined a term, ``Bush derangement
syndrome,'' to talk about your critics who disagreed with you most
passionately, not just your policies, but seemed to take an animosity
towards you. I'm just wondering, as you look back, why you think you
engendered such passionate criticism, animosity, and do you have any
message specifically to those--to that particular part of the spectrum
of your critics?
The President. You know, most people I see, you know, when I'm
moving around the country, for example, they're not angry. And they're
not hostile people. And they--well, they say, you never meet people who
disagree; that's just not true. I've met a lot of people who don't agree
with the decisions I make. But they have been civil in their discourse.
And so I view those who get angry and yell and say bad things and,
you know, all that kind of stuff, it's just a very few people in the
country. I don't know why they get angry. I don't know why they get
hostile. It's not the first time, however, in history that people have
expressed themselves in sometimes undignified ways. I've been reading,
you know, a lot about Abraham Lincoln during my Presidency, and there
was some pretty harsh discord when it came to the 16th President, just
like there's
[[Page 1557]]
been harsh discord for the 30--43d President.
You know, Presidents can try to avoid hard decisions, and therefore,
avoid controversy. That's just not my nature. I'm the kind of person
that, you know, is willing to take on hard tasks, and in times of war
people get emotional, I understand that. Never really, you know, spent
that much time frankly worrying about the loud voices. I of course hear
them, but they didn't affect my policy, nor did they affect how I made
decisions.
You know, the President-elect Obama will
find this too. He'll get in the Oval Office, and there will be a lot of
people that are real critical and harsh. And he'll be disappointed at
times by the tone of the rhetoric. And he's going to have to do what he
thinks is right, Jim. And if you don't, then I don't see how you can
live with yourself. I don't see how I can get back home in Texas and
look in the mirror and be proud of what I see if I allowed the loud
voices, the loud critics, to prevent me from doing what I thought was
necessary to protect this country.
Mike.
President-Elect Obama/National Economy
Q. Mr. President, thank you very much. Since your philosophy is so
different from President-elect Obama's, what concerns you the most about
what he may attempt to do?
The President. You know, Michael, I'm not going to speculate about
what he's going to do. It's going to be--you know, he's going to get in
the Oval Office, he's going to analyze each situation, and he's going to
make the decisions that he think is necessary.
And the other thing is, when I get out of here, I'm getting off the
stage. I believe there ought to be, you know, one person in the klieg
lights at a time. And I've had my time in the klieg lights. You know,
I'm confident, you know, you'll catch me opining on occasion, but I wish
him all the best.
And people say, ``Oh, you just--that's just a throwaway line.'' No,
it's not a throwaway line. The stakes are high. There is an enemy that
still is out there. You know, people can maybe try to write that off as,
you know, he's trying to set something up. I'm telling you there's an
enemy that would like to attack America, Americans again. There just is.
That's the reality of the world. And I wish him all the very best.
And of course, he's going to have his hands full with the economy. I
understand. It's tough for a lot of working people out there. People are
concerned about their economic future. You know, one of the very
difficult parts of the decision I made on the financial crisis was to
use hard-working people's money to help prevent there to be a crisis,
and in so doing, some of that money went into Wall Street firms that
caused the crisis in the first place. I wasn't kidding when I said Wall
Street got drunk and we got the hangover. And--but nevertheless,
President-elect Obama will find the problems and the situations
surrounding problems sometimes cause people to have to make decisions
that they, you know, weren't initially comfortable with. And there was
such a decision when it came to Wall Street.
I mean, I had a lot of people--when I went out to Midland that
time--say, ``What the heck are you doing, boy? Those people up East
caused the problem.'' I said, ``I know, but if we hadn't worked to fix
the problem, your situation would be worse.'' And anyway, I really do
wish him all the best.
Sheryl [Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times].
Presidential Pardons
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, in recent days, there's
been a fair amount of discussion in legal circles about whether or not
you might give preemptive pardons, pardons in advance, to officials of
[[Page 1558]]
your administration who engaged in anything from harsh interrogation
tactics to perhaps dismissing U.S. Attorneys. And I'd like to know, have
you given any consideration to this? And are you planning on it?
The President. I won't be discussing pardons here at this press
conference.
Q. Can I have a follow-up?
The President. Would you like to ask another question?
Q. Yes, I would, sir. Thank you. Four years ago----
The President. That's the spirit, isn't it? [Laughter]
Q. I appreciate that.
The President. Thank you. [Laughter]
Reflections on the President's Time in Office
Q. Four years ago, you were asked if you had made any mistakes.
The President. Yes.
Q. And I'm not trying to play ``gotcha,'' but I wonder, when you
look back over the long arc of your Presidency, do you think, in
retrospect, that you have made any mistakes? And if so, what is the
single biggest mistake that you may have made?
The President. Gotcha. Hey, look, I have often said that history
will look back and determine that which could have been done better, or
you know, mistakes I made. Clearly, putting a ``Mission Accomplished''
on a aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message. We were
trying to say something differently, but nevertheless, it conveyed a
different message. Obviously, some of my rhetoric has been a mistake.
I've thought long and hard about Katrina, you know, could I have
done something differently, like land Air Force One either in New
Orleans or Baton Rouge. The problem with that and--is that law
enforcement would have been pulled away from the mission. And then your
questions, I suspect, would have been, ``How could you possibly have
flown Air Force One into Baton Rouge, and police officers that were
needed to expedite traffic out of New Orleans were taken off the task to
look after you?''
I believe that running the Social Security idea right after the '04
elections was a mistake. I should have argued for immigration reform.
And the reason why is, is that--you know, one of the lessons I learned
as Governor of Texas, by the way, is legislative branches tend to be
risk averse. In other words, sometimes legislatures have the tendency to
ask, ``Why should I take on a hard task when a crisis is not imminent?''
And the crisis was not imminent for Social Security, as far as many
Members of Congress was concerned.
As an aside, one thing I proved is that you can actually campaign on
the issue and get elected. In other words, I don't believe talking about
Social Security is the third rail of American politics. I, matter of
fact, think that in the future, not talking about how you intend to fix
Social Security is going to be the third rail of American politics.
And the one thing about the Presidency is that you can make--only
make decisions, you know, on the information at hand. You don't get to
have information after you've made the decision. That's not the way it
works. And you stand by your decisions, and you do your best to explain
why you made the decisions you made.
There have been disappointments. Abu Ghraib obviously was a huge
disappointment during the Presidency. Not having weapons of mass
destruction was a significant disappointment. I don't know if you want
to call those mistakes or not, but they were--things didn't go according
to plan, let's put it that way.
And anyway, I think historians will look back, and they'll be able
to have a better look at mistakes after some time has passed. I--along
Jake's question, there is no such thing as short-term history. I don't
think you can possibly get the full breadth of an administration until
time has passed. Where does a President's--did a President's decisions
have the impact that he thought they would, or he thought they would
over time? Or how did this President
[[Page 1559]]
compare to future Presidents, given a set of circumstances that may be
similar or not similar? I mean, there's--it's just impossible to do. And
I'm comfortable with that.
Yes, Mike [Michael Abramowitz, Washington Post].
U.S. Standing in the World
Q. One of the major objectives that the incoming administration has
talked frequently about is restoring America's moral standing in the
world. And many of the allies of the new President--and I believe that
the President-elect himself has talked about--how damage that Gitmo,
that harsh interrogation tactics that they consider torture, how going
to war in Iraq without a U.N. mandate have damaged America's moral
standing in the world.
The President. Yes.
Q. I'm wondering, basically, what is your reaction to that? Do you
think that is that something that America--that the next President needs
to worry about?
The President. I strongly disagree with the assessment that our
moral standing has been damaged. It may be damaged amongst some of the
elite, but people still understand America stands for freedom, that
America is a country that provides such great hope.
You go to Africa, you ask Africans about Americans' generosity and
compassion; go to India, and ask about, you know, America's--their view
of America; go to China and ask. Now, if--no question, parts of Europe
have said that we shouldn't have gone to war in Iraq without a mandate,
but those are a few countries. Most countries in Europe listened to what
1441 said, which is disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.
Most people take those words seriously. Now, some countries didn't,
and even though they might have voted for the resolution. I disagree
with this assessment that, you know, people view America in a dim light.
I just don't agree with that. Now, I understand that Gitmo has created
controversies. But when it came time for those countries that were
criticizing America to take some of those detainees, they weren't
willing to help out. And so, you know, I just disagree with the
assessment, Mike.
I'll remind--listen, I tell people, yes, you can try to be popular.
In certain quarters in Europe, you can be popular by blaming every
Middle Eastern problem on Israel, or you can be popular by joining the
International Criminal Court. I guess I could have been popular by
accepting Kyoto, which I felt was a flawed treaty, and proposed
something different and more constructive.
And in terms of the decisions that I had made to protect the
homeland, I wouldn't worry about popularity. What I would worry about is
the Constitution of the United States and putting plans in place that
makes it easier to find out what the enemy is thinking, because all
these debates will matter not if there's another attack on the homeland.
The question won't be, you know, were you critical of this plan or not.
The question is going to be, why didn't you do something?
Do you remember what it was like right after September the 11th
around here? In press conferences and opinion pieces and in stories--
that sometimes were news stories and sometimes opinion pieces--people
were saying, ``How come they didn't see it? How come they didn't connect
the dots?'' Do you remember what the environment was like in Washington?
I do. When people were hauled up in front of Congress, and Members of
Congress were asking questions about, ``How come you didn't know this,
that, or the other?'' And then we start putting policy in place--legal
policy in place--to connect the dots, and all of a sudden people were
saying, ``How come you're connecting the dots?''
And so, Mike, I've heard all that. I've heard all that. My view is,
is that most people around the world, they respect America. And some of
them doesn't like me, I understand that, some of the writers
[[Page 1560]]
and the, you know, opiners and all that. That's fine; that's part of the
deal. But I'm more concerned about the country and our--how people view
the United States. They view us as strong, compassionate people who care
deeply about the universality of freedom.
Roger [Roger Runningen, Bloomberg News].
Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)/National Economy
Q. Thank you. Mr. President, you spoke a moment ago about using
taxpayers' money for the TARP program.
The President. Yes, I did.
Q. The first $350 billion is out the door; it's been spent. Are you
satisfied that it's been spent wisely? And for the second 350 that's
under consideration, do you think--are you supportive of Congress
putting some restrictions on it?
The President. I'm supportive of the President-elect working out a plan with Congress that best suits him--
and Congress. That's what he's going to have to do. He's going to have
to go up there, and he's going to have to make his case as to why the
350 [billion]* is necessary. And he knows that. This is nothing new.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
*White House correction.
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And in terms of the first 350 [billion],* I am pleased with this
aspect of the expenditure, and that is that the financial markets are
beginning to thaw. In the fall, I was concerned that the credit freeze
would cause us to be headed toward a depression greater than the Great
Depression. That's what I was told, if we didn't move. And so therefore,
we have moved aggressively.
And by the way, it just wasn't with the TARP. If you think about
AIG, Fannie and Freddie, a lot of the decisions that were made in this
administration are very aggressive decisions, all aiming at preventing
the financial system from cratering.
President-Elect Obama/The Presidency
Q. Mr. President, you spoke of the moment that the responsibility of
the office would hit Barack Obama. The world is a far different place
than it was when it hit you. When do you think he's going to feel the
full impact? And what, if anything, have you and the other Presidents
shared with him about the effects of the sometimes isolation, the so-
called bubble of the office?
The President. Yes, that's a great question. He will feel the
effects the minute he walks in the Oval Office. At least, that's when I
felt. I don't know when he's going--he may feel it the minute he's--gets
sworn in. And the minute I got sworn in, I started thinking about the
speech. [Laughter] And so--but he's a better speechmaker than me, so
he'll be able to--I don't know how he's going to feel. All I know is
he's going to feel it. There will be a moment when he feels it.
I have never felt isolated, and I don't think he will. One reason he
won't feel isolated is because he's got a fabulous family, and he cares
a lot about his family. That's evident from my discussions with him.
He'll be--he's a 45-second commute away from a great wife and two little
girls that love him dearly.
I believe this--the phrase ``burdens of the office'' is overstated.
You know, it's kind of like, why me? Oh, the burdens, you know. Why did
the financial collapse have to happen on my watch? It's just--it's
pathetic, isn't it, self-pity? And I don't believe that President-elect
Obama will be full of self-pity. He will find--you know, your--the
people that don't like you, the critics, they're pretty predictable.
Sometimes the biggest disappointments will come from your so-called
friends. And there will be disappointments, I promise you. He'll be
disappointed. On the other hand, the job is so exciting and so profound
that the disappointments are--will be clearly, you know, a minor
irritant compared to the----
[[Page 1561]]
Q. So it was never the ``loneliest office in the world'' for you?
The President. No, not for me. We had a--people--we--I had a
fabulous team around me of highly dedicated, smart, capable people, and
we had fun. I tell people that, you know, some days happy, some days not
so happy, every day has been joyous. And people, they say, ``I just
don't believe it to be the case.'' Well, it is the case. Even in the
darkest moments of Iraq, you know, there was--and every day when I was
reading the reports about soldiers losing their lives, no question,
there was a lot of emotion. But also there was times where we could be
light-hearted and support each other.
And I built a team of really capable people who were there not to
serve me or there to serve the Republicans, they were there to serve the
country. And President-elect Obama will find, as he makes these tough
calls and tough decisions, that he'll be supported by a lot of really
good people that care about the country as well.
John [John McKinnon, Wall Street Journal].
Trade
Q. You've talked a lot about your concerns over the rise of
protectionism in the current----
The President. Yes.
Q. ----economic environment. What do you think the future holds for
that? Do you think the trend is a good one or a bad one?
The President. I hope the trend is bad against protectionism. A
disappointment--not a mistake, but a disappointment--was not getting the
three trade bills out of Congress on Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.
That was a disappointment. I actually thought we had a shot at one time,
and then I was disappointed that they didn't move out of the House.
And I am concerned about protectionism. In tough economic times, the
temptation is to say, well, let's just throw up barriers and protect our
own and not compete. That was the sentiment, by the way, that was in
place during decent economic times. After all, we got CAFTA out of the
Congress by one vote. And it would be a huge mistake if we become a
protectionist nation.
And that might be a good thing for the Bush Center to do at SMU, is
to remind people about the benefits of free and fair trade: benefits for
our own workers, benefits for workers overseas, and benefits when it
comes to promoting development and helping lift people out of poverty,
in particularly, third world countries. The best way to enhance economic
growth in a third world country and to give people a chance to realize a
better future is through trade. It's been proven; it's a fact. And I'm
hopeful that the country doesn't slip into protectionist policy.
April [April Ryan, American Urban Radio Networks], yes, ma'am.
Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina/Race Relations in America
Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
The President. Yes. You were sound asleep back there, so I decided--
[laughter]----
Q. No, I wasn't. There was a whole clear row before me. I thought
you were going to go there first. But either way, thanks for the
surprise.
Mr. President, on New Orleans, you basically talked about a moment
ago about the photo opportunity. But let's talk about what you could
have done to change the situation for the city of New Orleans to be
further along in reconstruction than where it is now. And also, when you
came--or began to run for the Oval Office about 9 years ago or so, the
James Byrd dragging death was residue on your campaign. And now at this
time, 2009, we have the first black President. Could you tell us what
you have seen on the issues of race, as you see it from the Oval Office?
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The President. Sure, thanks. First of all, we did get the $121
billion, more or less, passed, and it's now being spent. Secondly, the
school system is improving dramatically. Thirdly, people are beginning
to move back into homes. This storm was a devastating storm, April, that
required a lot of energy, a lot of focus, and a lot of resources to get
New Orleans up and running.
And has the reconstruction been perfect? No. Have things happened
fairly quickly? Absolutely. And is there more to be done? You bet there
is.
Q. What more needs to be done?
The President. Well, more people need to get in their houses. More
people need to have their own home there. But the systems are in place
to continue the reconstruction of New Orleans.
People said, well, the Federal response was slow. Don't tell me the
Federal response was slow when there was 30,000 people pulled off roofs
right after the storm passed. I remember going to see those helicopter
drivers, Coast Guard drivers, to thank them for their courageous efforts
to rescue people off roofs. Thirty thousand people were pulled off roofs
right after the storm moved through. That's a pretty quick response.
Could things have been done better? Absolutely. Absolutely. But when
I hear people say, the Federal response was slow, then what are they
going to say to those chopper drivers or the 30,000 that got pulled off
the roofs?
The other part of the--look, I was affected by TV after the
elections, when I saw people saying, ``I never thought I would see the
day that a black person would be elected President.'' And a lot of the
people had tears streaming down their cheeks when they said it. And so I
am--I consider myself fortunate to have a front-row seat on what is
going to be an historic moment for the country. President-elect
Obama's election does speak volumes about how
far this country has come when it comes to racial relations. But there's
still work to do. There's always going to be work to do to deal with
people's hearts.
And so I'm looking forward to it, really am. I think it's going to
be an amazing moment.
Michael Allen [Politico]. Yes, Michael Allen.
Post-Presidency Agenda
Q. Mr. President----
The President. Would be you.
Q. Mr. President, often Presidents go--leave here; they say they're
going to decompress, and then pretty soon they're right back in their
office. I wonder how quickly you think you're going to be back at it,
whether it's writing your book, whether it's speaking, whether it's
traveling, whether it's overseas----
The President. You know, Mike, I don't know. Probably the next day.
I'm a type A personality, you know. I just can't envision myself, you
know, the big straw hat and Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach.
[Laughter]
Q. No one else can either.
The President. So--[laughter]. Particularly, since I quit drinking.
Anyway, so I predict to you that--first of all, I'm not sure what to
expect. For the last 8 years, I have had a national security briefing
every day but Sunday. And when you get a national security briefing, it
is a reminder of the responsibilities of the job. It's just a daily
reminder about what may or may not happen.
The interesting thing about this job, by the way, is it's one thing
to deal with the expected, what you anticipate; the real challenge is to
be in a position to deal with the unexpected. And that's why those intel
briefings are so important, because there is an awareness in the
briefings by the analyst to try to help anticipate problems. And of
course, you hope they don't arise, but you better be prepared when they
do.
And that in itself creates a--you know, gets your attention, when
you start thinking about what could happen. And the key
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there, of course, is that--to take these different analyses seriously,
and then have a structure so that your team will be in a position to
analyze and then to lay out potential avenues for the President--from
which the President can choose.
I say all that because that's--this has been--this notion about
being briefed and thinking about this issue or that issue has been just
a part of my life for 8 years. People say, well, there you are in
Crawford on vacation. You never escape the Presidency. It travels with
you everywhere you go. And there's not a moment where you don't think
about being President, unless you're riding mountain bikes as hard as
you possibly can, trying to forget for the moment.
And so I wake up in Crawford Tuesday morning--I mean, Wednesday
morning, and I suspect I'll make Laura coffee and
go get it for her. And it's going to be a different feeling. And I
can't--it's kind of like--I'll report back after I feel it.
Last question. Ann, since you've been there from day one.
Political Tone in Washington, DC/Cooperation With Congress
Q. Well, thank you, and I wanted to ask you about day one. You
arrived here wanting to be a uniter not a divider. Do you think Barack
Obama can be a uniter not a divider? Or is, with the challenges for any
President and the unpopular decisions, is it impossible for any
President to be uniter, not a divider?
The President. I hope the tone is different for him than it has been
for me. I am disappointed by the tone in Washington, DC. I have tried to
do my part by not engaging in the name-calling and, by the way, needless
name-calling. I have worked to be respectful of my opponents on
different issues.
There--we did find some good common ground on a variety of issues:
No Child Left Behind, Medicare prescription drugs, PEPFAR, in the end,
the funding for troops in Iraq. We--tax cuts, to a certain extent, got
some bipartisan votes on them. There had been areas where we were able
to work together. It's just the rhetoric got out of control at times----
Q. Why?
The President. I don't know why. You need to ask those who used the
words they used. As I say, it's not the first time it's ever happened,
as I think I answered that to Jim there. It's happened throughout our
history. And I would hope that frankly for the sake of the system
itself, that if people disagree with the President-elect Obama, they treat him with respect. I worry about people
looking at our system and saying, ``Why would I want to go up there and
work in that kind of environment?''
And so I wish him all the best. And no question, he'll be--there
will be critics. And there should be. We all should welcome criticism on
different policy; it's the great thing about our democracy; people have
a chance to express themselves. I just hope the tone is respectful. He
deserves it, and so does the country.
It has been a honor to work with you. I meant what I said when I
first got up here. I wish you all the very best. I wish you and your
families all the best. God bless you.
Note: The President's news conference began at 9:17 a.m. in the James S.
Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. In his remarks, he
referred to former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and
William J. Clinton; Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of the Palestinian
Authority; and Michelle Obama, wife, and Malia and Natasha ``Sasha''
Obama, daughters, of President-elect Barack Obama. The Office of the
Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these
remarks.
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