[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 28 (Monday, July 18, 2005)]
[Pages 1151-1153]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of 
Singapore and an Exchange With Reporters

July 12, 2005

    President Bush. Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.
    Prime Minister Lee. Thank you.
    President Bush. We've just had a very interesting and comprehensive 
discussion about our bilateral relations, which are strong. But 
Singapore is--is a country that has an interesting position in the Far 
East. The Prime Minister brings a perspective about the U.S. role, about 
the future of the region that I have found fascinating. The Prime 
Minister is a strategic thinker. He obviously worries about the lives of 
the citizens in his country, daily lives, in what's taking place, but 
he's also got the capacity to see beyond the horizon.
    And I want to thank you for sharing your insights. I appreciate so 
very much your--your advice. And I look forward to working with you. 
We're going to sign a very important document here, cementing our good 
relationship.
    And finally, the Prime Minister and I share a clear vision about the 
world in which we live when it comes to terror--these terrorists that 
kill on a moment's notice. They don't care who you are. They want to 
shake our will. They want to drive America from the world. They want the 
free world to retreat. They've got ideological ambitions, and it's going 
to require a steadfast response, and the Prime Minister understands 
that.
    And I appreciate your strength of character and your clear vision 
about the dangers we face. Welcome. Glad you're here.
    Prime Minister Lee. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm very happy to be 
here to meet the President in the Oval Office. Singapore and America 
share many common interests and many similar perspectives on the world 
around us, particularly in Asia. And I've been happy to have a wide 
exchange of views with the President on how East Asia is developing,

[[Page 1152]]

what's happening in Asia, how China and India are opening up and 
becoming influential in the region and exerting a positive influence on 
many of the countries, and how America can be part of Asia and engage, 
participating, and continuing to stabilize and to maintain the security 
in the region, as it has done for many years.
    One aspect of security, of course, is antiterror. And I told the 
President how much we appreciated America's strong, consistent stand on 
this, that not withstanding any--whatever the terrorists may throw at 
America, that it will stay firm, and there's absolute confidence that it 
will not waver, whether in Iraq or anywhere else in the world.
    It's critical to watch because, for us, antiterror is also a hot 
agenda item. So it's one of the areas of mutual interest which has lead 
our two countries to embark upon a strategic framework agreement which 
will set out the basis for us to broaden and deepen the cooperation 
which we already have had over these many years. And I'm very happy that 
today we'll have the chance to sign that agreement.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir.
    We'll answer a question a piece. Deb [Deb Riechmann, Associated 
Press].

Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination

    Q. Mr. President, you had a meeting this morning with four leading 
Senators. How much more input do you need before you'll be able to make 
a decision on this? And you know, how close are you?
    President Bush. Closer today than I was yesterday. [Laughter] I did 
have a good breakfast with four United States Senators, the leaders of 
the Senate plus the heads of the Judiciary Committee. I asked their 
advice on a couple of matters. One, I asked their advice on the timing 
of a nominee. In other words, how fast could they get to the--to the 
hearings necessary for a nominee's name to move forward. Obviously, 
we're in a very interesting period here. You got the end of the session 
coming up; then you got an August break. So I was just trying to get a 
sense of their view of the calendar. And I want to thank them for being 
forthright.
    Obviously, they get to decide. They're the legislative branch; they 
get to determine how fast to move a nominee's name or not. My only 
question to them is: What will it take to be able to get a person 
confirmed by early October?

    Secondly, we talked in general about a potential nominee. They've 
got strong opinions, and I wanted to hear them. And they have shared 
some opinions with me. And of course, they're sharing--many Senators are 
sharing their opinions with others on my staff. We're actively seeking 
recommendations.

    I am going to be deliberate in the process because I want the 
American people to know that when I finally make a decision, it's going 
to be one based upon a lot of research and a lot of thought about the 
character of the person, the integrity of the person, the ability of the 
person to do the job, and the philosophy of the person. And as you know, 
I campaigned twice for President of the United States, and I said, ``If 
I have a chance to name somebody to the Supreme Court or courts in 
general, I'll pick people who will use the bench--will interpret the 
Constitution while on the bench but not use the bench to legislate.'' 
We've got a legislative body called the U.S. House of Representatives 
and the Senate. They do the legislation. And the courts will then 
interpret the Constitution as to whether or not the laws are 
constitutional or not.

    And so that's where we are in the process. It's a----
    Q. Have you heard from your wife about her desire for you to name a 
woman?

    President Bush. My wife? Listen, I talked to her yesterday. She's in 
Africa on a mission of good will. She's talking about women's education 
and HIV/AIDS. Listen, I get her advice all the time. I didn't realize 
she'd put this advice in the press. That's--[laughter]. She did? Well, 
good. I'm definitely considering--we're definitely considering people 
from all walks of life, and I can't wait to hear her advice in person 
when she gets back. [Laughter]

[[Page 1153]]

Strategic Framework Agreement

    Q. Can we ask some questions on Singapore? What's the significance 
of the agreement that's going to be signed from Singapore's perspective 
and from the United States' perspective?

    Prime Minister Lee. Well, from our perspective, it builds on a very 
sound relationship and broadens and deepens it further. It enables us to 
focus more on antiterrorism, on anti-WMD proliferation, as well as on 
other aspects of our relationship, defense technology cooperation, 
military cooperation between our armed forces, and strategic and 
security exchanges.

    President Bush. From our perspective, it is a--it is a statement 
about how important our relations with Singapore are. We've made a 
statement before on economic relations when we signed a free trade 
agreement. And that was an important agreement. It's important for our 
economy. It's important for the economy of Singapore. This agreement 
takes our relationship beyond just economics. It's a strategic 
relationship. It is one that will have long-term consequences for both 
our peoples. But I happen to believe that it will have long-term 
consequences for peace in the region, and that's very important.

    This is a relationship based upon mutual trust, shared values, but 
it's also a relationship that recognizes that we have an active role to 
play, both countries have an active role to play, in laying the 
foundations for peace in the region of the world that--in the Far East. 
And it's an important region.

    One of the points that the Prime Minister has made to me, and he 
keeps reminding me that our involvement in the Far East is very 
important. And we will stay involved in a constructive way. And this 
agreement is a constructive agreement. It's a constructive way to stay 
involved.
    Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 9:50 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these 
remarks.