[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 1 (Monday, January 6, 2003)]
[Pages 19-22]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters in Crawford

January 2, 2003

2004 Election/President's Agenda

    Q. Sir, there's another Democrat has thrown his hat into the ring 
today, John Edwards. What do you think of the Democrat strategy to 
essentially say that you're not keeping America safe enough? You've 
heard some of that from some of the speeches.
    The President. Oh, you know, I understand politics, and I'm not 
paying attention to politics. I'm going to continue doing the job the 
American people expect, which is to safeguard America and Americans.
    We've got a war on our hands. There is a terrorist network that 
still is interested in harming Americans, and we will hunt them down. 
There are countries which are developing weapons of mass destruction, 
and we will deal with them appropriately. One country is Iraq. 
Obviously, we expect them to live up to the U.N. Security resolutions 
and disarm, and if they won't, we'll lead a coalition to disarm them.
    Another country is North Korea. And we are working with friends and 
allies in the region to explain clearly to North Korea it's not in their 
nation's interest to develop and proliferate weapons of mass 
destruction.
    It was right here at this spot where Jiang Zemin, the leader of 
China, and myself got together, and we put out a joint declaration that 
we expect for the Korean Peninsula to be nuclear-weapons-free. That was 
a serious statement. I believe the situation with North Korea will be 
resolved peacefully. As I said, it's a diplomatic issue, not a military 
issue, and we're working all fronts.

North Korea

    Q. Can I follow that up? You said it could be resolved 
diplomatically. You were quoted not long ago saying that you loathe Kim 
Chong-il. How can you----
    The President. Well, what I worry about with a leader like Kim 
Chong-il is somebody who starves his people. The United States of 
America is the largest--one of the largest, if not the largest donor of 
food to the North Korean people. And one of the reasons why the people 
are starving is because the leader of North Korea hasn't seen to it that 
their economy is strong or that they be fed. We've got a great heart, 
but I have no heart for somebody who starves his folks.

National Economy

    Q. Mr. President, when you look forward and think about economic 
stimulus--we're

[[Page 20]]

beginning a new year--and the stock market people nursing some losses, 
what are your views about that? And secondly, are you sensitive to the 
idea that a stimulus is too weighted toward helping the wealthiest 
Americans, and are you making choices based on that, to help the middle 
income----
    The President. Well, what I'm worried about is job creation. And I'm 
worried about those who are unemployed. I am concerned about those who 
are looking for work but can't find work. And so next week when I talk 
about an economic stimulus package, I will talk about how to create 
jobs, how best to create jobs, as well as how to take care of those who 
don't have a job.
    I'm concerned about all the people. And I don't view the politics 
of--you know, I understand the politics of economic stimulus--that some 
would like to turn this into class warfare. That's not how I think. I 
think about the overall economy and how best to help those folks who are 
looking for work.
    Q. Do you--will you propose new tax cuts? Do you think they're 
necessary now for the economy?
    The President. I'm looking at all options. And of course, if I knew 
the answer, I probably wouldn't tell you now, because I'd like for you 
to come and pay attention to the speech.
    Q. I'll do that.
    The President. I know you'll do that.

North Korea

    Q. Can I go back to Korea?
    The President. Sure.
    Q. You're talking about a diplomatic solution, and you believe that 
there is one. How do you think you can bring some of the other countries 
in the region that are reluctant right now----
    The President. Well, I don't think the countries are reluctant to--
--
    Q. ----reluctant to put pressure on.
    The President. They may be putting pressure on, and you just don't 
know about it. But I know that they're not reluctant when it comes to 
the idea of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. And we are in 
constant contact with the Japanese and the South Koreans and the Chinese 
and the Russians.
    As I said--and the decision to cut off fuel oil was a joint 
decision. It was not a U.S. decision; it was jointly made with the South 
Koreans and the Japanese and the European Union, for that matter. It's 
important for the American people to remember the history of Kim Chong-
il. He created some international tension, and the United States of 
America went and signed an agreement with him. And the agreement was 
that we'd provide--along with others, we'd provide fuel oil and help, 
and in return, he would not enrich uranium.
    But it turns out he was enriching uranium. And we blew the whistle 
on the fact that he was in violation of the '94 agreement. And the 
parties to that agreement came together and said, ``Well, in return for 
him making that decision, in terms of him abrogating the agreement, 
there will be a consequence.'' And that's where we stand right now.
    So the parties have come together. There has been a joint 
declaration of intent. And we will continue working to resolve the 
situation.
    Yes, Holly [Holly Rosenkrantz, Bloomberg News].

War With Iraq/National Economy

    Q. Thank you, sir.
    The President. I'm tired of these people calling you Heidi.
    Q. I appreciate you----
    The President. And I will correct them--[laughter]--particularly on 
camera.
    Q. If we do have to go to war and----
    The President. With which country?
    Q. With Iraq. And if--and with our economy stagnating, what makes 
you confident that we can afford----
    The President. First of all, you know, I'm hopeful we won't have to 
go war, and let's leave it at that.
    Q. But if we do, though, what----
    The President. Until Saddam Hussein makes up his mind to disarm--
see, it's his choice to make. See, you need to ask him that question, 
not me.
    Q. But the White House is drawing up plans to pay for the war, if we 
come to that. So why----
    The President. Well, let's leave it at ``if,'' for a while then, 
until it happens.

[[Page 21]]

    Q. So you don't want to talk about whether our economy could sustain 
it, if that's a possibility?
    The President. I thought that was the question I answered yesterday, 
so we'll go back to that question, Heidi. I mean, Holly.
    Q. Thank you, sir.

2004 Election

    Q. How do you size up the Democrats who are in line to oppose you? 
What do you think of Senator----
    The President. Not paying attention to it yet, not paying attention 
to the race yet. I've got a lot on my agenda and a lot on my platter. 
And I understand politics. I know there's going to be a lot of verbiage 
and a lot of noise and a lot of posturing and a lot of elbowing. To me, 
that's just going to be background noise. My job is to protect the 
American people and work to create confidence in our economy so that 
people can find work.
    Q. On some level, were you getting ready for a rematch and hoping 
for a rematch with Al Gore?
    The President. Really wasn't paying much attention to it, Stretch 
[David Gregory, NBC News]. I seriously was--I've got my mind on the 
peace and security of the American people. And politics will sort itself 
out. And one of these days, somebody will emerge, and we'll tee it up 
and see who the American people want to lead. And until that happens, 
I'm going to be doing my job.

National Economy

    Q. One more thing, any thoughts for the American investor going into 
this new year?
    The President. Well, hopefully the American investor realizes that 
the--this economy is pretty darn strong, given the fact that we have 
been through a recession and a terrorist attack, a breach of corporate 
confidence because of some malfeasance. And yet the economy still grows. 
That's very positive.
    Now, I recognize that there are some uncertainties. But one thing is 
certain, that the economy of the United States is strong and resilient. 
And we must put policies in place to enhance that resiliency and enhance 
that strength.

FBI Persons of Interest

    Q. Sir, you asked or you talked the other day about authorizing an 
APB for those five people that were wanted by the FBI for coming into 
this country. Today one guy from Pakistan says that he is one of those 
people on those pictures, and he has never been to the United States.
    The President. Well, we need to follow up on forged passports and 
people trying to come into our country illegally. The American people 
need to know that anytime we get a hint that somebody might be coming 
into our country to cause harm, we'll follow up on it. And you know, if 
we think there's a smuggling ring that's willing to smuggle people in 
that might harm America, we'll deal with it.
    And there's--you know, and if this fellow is one of them--and I 
think they're trying to check that out right now. And as I recall, the 
story--I haven't fully read it all--but as I recall, it said he had a 
false passport. I'm kind of curious to know why he needs a false 
passport. We like things aboveboard here in America.
    We want people coming to our country that wants to take--that wants 
to either visit this great country or study in this great country or see 
relatives in this great country and do so in a peaceful and lawful way. 
And people have a feeling like they've got to travel here with false 
passports sends a pretty alarming signal to those of us who are involved 
with the security of the country.
    Q. Do you have the suspicion that there is a smuggling ring that may 
not have specific terrorist ties, but that there's a ring of----
    The President. I'm not sure what the--you know, how to detail. All I 
can tell you is that we were concerned and alerted to the fact that 
somebody might be coming into the country. There are--having said that, 
there are a lot of smuggling rings that we're dealing with. The INS 
needs to deal with that. And the new Homeland Security Department will 
be dealing with smuggling rings, like the ``coyotes'' right south of 
here that are smuggling people across and treating those poor people--
stuffing them into these trailers and abusing them. They need to be 
dealt with as well. Most of the smuggling rings are not

[[Page 22]]

terrorist related, but if we get a hint, a whiff that some of them are, 
we'll deal with them.
    All right, let's go get some coffee.

Situation in Iraq

    Q. One more. Are you satisfied that the inspectors are getting to 
Saddam's weapon scientists?
    The President. He is a man who likes to play games and charades. The 
question is, will Saddam Hussein disarm? The world has asked him to 
disarm from weapons of mass destruction. The first indication isn't very 
positive that he will voluntarily disarm. After all, he put out a 
declaration that the world realized was false. And the inspectors are 
there to verify whether or not he is disarming. You hear these reports 
about Iraqi scientists being interviewed, but there's a ``minder'' in 
the room.
    You know, Saddam Hussein--hopefully he realizes we're serious, and 
hopefully he disarms peacefully. He's a danger to the American people. 
He's a danger to our friends and allies. For 11 long years, the world 
has dealt with him. And now he's got to understand, his day of reckoning 
is coming. And therefore, he must disarm voluntarily. I hope he does.
    All right, let's go get a coffee.

Note: The exchange began at 12:14 p.m. during a walking tour of the Bush 
Ranch. In the exchange, the President referred to President Jiang Zemin 
of China; Chairman Kim Chong-il of North Korea; and President Saddam 
Hussein of Iraq. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of this exchange.