[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 21 (Monday, May 29, 2006)]
[Pages 984-996]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the War on Terror and a Question-and-Answer Session in 
Chicago, Illinois

May 22, 2006

    The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. 
It's great to be back in Chicago, home of the mighty Chicago White Sox, 
world champs. I said that because the mayor is here--[laughter]--who, by 
the way, is one of the finest mayors in our country. Mayor Daley, thank 
you for being here. He's a huge Chicago White Sox fan. When I had the 
White Sox to the White House to congratulate them on the world 
championship--winning the world championship trophy, there was the 
mayor, beaming.
    The other team here isn't doing quite so well these days. [Laughter] 
As a matter of fact, I had the honor, though, of throwing out the first 
pitch in the Chicago Cubs home opener against Cincinnati, and they won 
that game 16 to 7. You know, when you're President, sometimes you get 
blamed for a lot of things. [Laughter] So I want to assure all the Cubs 
fans here that the last time I saw them play, they were undefeated. 
[Laughter]
    I really appreciate being invited here by the National Restaurant 
Association. Thanks for having me. You know, Laura and I don't eat out 
as much as we used to. [Laughter] But we do appreciate your industry's 
contribution to the country.
    I appreciate your leadership in Washington on really important 
issues like tort reform and tax relief and immigration reform. I'm going 
to spend a little time today talking about immigration reform. But the 
main reason I've come today is to talk to you about a watershed event 
that took place this weekend in Iraq. On Saturday, in Baghdad, Iraqis 
formed a new Government, and the world saw the beginning of something 
new--constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East.
    And if you like, after my remarks I'd like to answer some of your 
questions. So be thinking of them.
    But before I get there, I do want to thank Ed Tinsley. He's a West 
Texan, and like me, he married a woman from Midland, Texas. It's the 
best decision Tinsley ever made, and it's the best decision I ever made. 
Laura sends her greetings to you all. She's a fine First Lady, and I'm 
lucky she said yes when I asked her to marry me.
    I appreciate Steven Anderson, the President and CEO of the National 
Restaurant Association. I appreciate sharing the stage with Denny 
Hastert. He is an excellent Speaker of the House. He is dependable, 
reliable, smart, capable. Do you realize that he will have served, come 
June 1st, longer than any other Republican Speaker in our Nation's 
history? And the reason why, he knows what he's doing.
    And I appreciate Congressman Ray LaHood and Congresswoman Judy 
Biggert for joining us as well, today. They're here looking for a ride 
back to Washington on Air Force One. [Laughter] I appreciate all the 
State and local officials for coming too.
    Our economy is strong, and it's growing. And the restaurant industry 
plays a vital role in this prosperity. National unemployment is 4.7 
percent. That's lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. 
People are working. We've added over 2 million jobs in the last 2\1/2\ 
years. And one of the main reasons why is because the National 
Restaurant Association members are employing people. The NRA--National 
Restaurant Association--estimates that more than 12.5 million people 
work at 925,000 restaurants across our country. That makes restaurants 
the largest private employer in our land.
    You not only help people put food on the table but you provide many 
Americans with their first job, with a start. You teach people

[[Page 985]]

the importance of showing up on time and working hard and meeting the 
needs of our customers. You're also America's largest employer of 
immigrants, and you know how essential it is that we have an immigration 
system that is safe, orderly, and fair. And I agree with you, and that's 
why I laid out a vision for comprehensive immigration reform that would 
accomplish five key goals.
    First, the United States will secure our borders by deploying 
thousands of new Border Patrol agents and giving those agents the best 
technology available to do their job.
    Secondly, you can't secure our border with thousands trying to sneak 
in, and therefore, this country needs a temporary-worker program that 
will allow foreign workers to enter our country legally on a temporary 
basis to meet the needs of our economy and take the pressure off our 
border.
    Third, we must create a reliable system for verifying documents and 
work eligibility so we can better enforce our immigration laws at the 
workplace.
    Fourth, we will find a rational middle ground to resolve the legal 
status of the millions of people who have been here for quite awhile, 
without granting amnesty.
    And fifth, we will uphold the great American tradition of the 
melting pot so America can remain what it always has been, one Nation 
under God.
    The reforms I proposed regarding guest workers are really important 
for your industry. Your association estimates that restaurants will 
add--will need 1.9 million new workers over the next 10 years, which 
means that you need workers--your need for workers will be growing 
faster than the American labor force. So you understand why effective 
immigration reform must include a practical and lawful way for 
businesses to hire foreign workers when they can't fill those jobs with 
Americans. The restaurant industry has first-hand experience with 
immigrants and immigration law. And I appreciate your strong stand on 
Capitol Hill for comprehensive reform.
    And here's where we are: The House passed a bill last--an 
immigration bill last December, and the Senate is working hard on its 
version of the bill. The Senate needs to complete its bill now so that 
the House and Senate can work out their differences and pass a 
comprehensive reform bill that I can sign into law.
    We face challenges at home, and we face challenges abroad. So I've 
come to talk to you about an historic event that took place halfway 
around the world this weekend. This Saturday in Baghdad, the new Prime 
Minister of Iraq announced a national unity Government. This is a free 
Government under a democratic constitution, and its formation marks a 
victory for the cause of freedom in the Middle East.
    In three elections last year, millions of Iraqis cast their ballot 
in defiance of the terrorists. And now they have a Government of their 
own choosing under a constitution that they drafted and they approved. 
As this new unity Government takes office, it carries with it the hopes 
of the Iraqi nation and the aspirations of freedom-loving people across 
a troubled region.
    The unity Government has strong leaders that will represent all of 
the Iraqi people. I called them this weekend to congratulate them. I 
thanked them for being courageous and strong and standing for the belief 
that liberty will help transform their troubled nation.
    The new Government is led by Prime Minister Maliki. He's a Shi'a. 
He's an Iraqi patriot who for years was part of the resistance to Saddam 
Hussein. He's shown courage and wisdom by surrounding himself with 
strong leaders who are committed to serving all the people. Prime 
Minister Maliki said this weekend, ``Just as we did away with the tyrant 
and the days of oppression and despotism, we will do away with terrorism 
and sabotage, backwardness, poverty, and ignorance.'' The Iraqi people 
are blessed to have a leader like Prime Minister Maliki, and I'm proud 
to call him ally and friend.
    Iraq's new Government has another strong leader in its President, 
President Talabani. He's a Kurd who distinguished himself by his service 
in the Transitional Government and in his long fight against Saddam 
Hussein. He's proved that he's not afraid to take the lead. He's made 
clear that a democratic Iraq must reject sectarian violence as strongly 
as it rejects terrorism. He says, ``It's our duty,

[[Page 986]]

all of us, to work hand in hand to protect our people and to support 
Iraqi unity.''
    Iraq's new Government has another able leader in Speaker Mashhadani. 
He'll preside over Iraq's new Council of Representatives. The Speaker is 
a Sunni who originally opposed America's presence in Iraq. He rejects 
the use of violence for political ends. And by agreeing to serve in a 
prominent role in this new unity Government, he's demonstrating 
leadership and courage. It was said to me that he wouldn't have taken my 
phone call a year ago. He's now taken it twice. He says Iraq's new 
leaders must govern by common vision. This common vision is critical to 
the new Government's success.
    Although Iraq's new leaders come from many different ethnic and 
religious communities, they've made clear they will govern as Iraqis. 
They know that the strategy of the terrorists and the insurgents is to 
divide Iraq along sectarian lines. And the only way the enemy will be 
defeated is if they stand and act as one.
    The Government is still a work in progress, and overcoming 
longstanding divisions will take time. Iraq's new leaders know they have 
a great deal of work ahead to broaden the base of their Government and 
to unite the people. They also understand that representing all Iraqis 
and not just narrow sectarian interests, they will be able to make a 
decisive break with the past and make a future of progress and 
opportunity for all their people a reality. The unity Government must 
now seize this moment and pursue a common agenda for the future.
    This weekend, Prime Minister Maliki laid out his plan for a new 
Iraq. He promised to work for a sovereign Iraq that will assume 
responsibility for the security of its people. He committed himself to a 
free Iraq that will uphold international standards of human rights and 
respect the role of women in Iraqi society. He pledged to work for a 
prosperous Iraq that welcomes foreign investments and accelerates 
reconstruction and lays the foundations for economic growth and 
opportunity. He declared he would lead a transparent Iraq where 
Government is open and accountable and corruption is not tolerated. And 
he vowed to work for a peaceful Iraq that is the enemy of terror, a 
friend to its neighbors, and a reliable partner in the community of 
nations.
    The Prime Minister promised that he will soon fill the remaining 
positions in his Government and announced the details of his plans to 
build his new country, his new Iraq. As his Government moves forward, it 
can draw on many strengths of the Iraqi nation. Iraqis are among the 
most highly educated and skilled people in the Middle East. They have 
abundant natural resources, including fertile soil, abundant water, and 
large reserves of oil. And they're rich in cultural and historical and 
religious sites that one day could draw millions of tourists and 
pilgrims from across the world. Iraq's new leaders understand that so 
long as they remain united, there is no limit to the potential of their 
country.
    The unity Government opens a new chapter in the relationship between 
the United States and Iraq. The new Iraqi Government does not change 
America's objectives or our commitment, but it will change how we 
achieve those objectives and how we honor our commitment. And the new 
Iraqi Government--as the new Iraqi Government grows in confidence and 
capability, America will play an increasingly supporting role. To take 
advantage of this moment of opportunity, the United States and our 
coalition partners will work with the new Iraqi Government to adjust our 
methods and strengthen our mutual efforts to achieve victory over our 
common enemies.
    At my direction, the Secretaries of State and Defense recently 
traveled to Baghdad to meet with the Prime Minister and other leaders. 
And now the new Government has been formed, I've instructed those 
Secretaries to engage Iraq's new leaders as they assess their needs and 
capabilities, so we will be in the best position to help them succeed. 
Iraqis are determined to chart their own future. And now they have the 
leadership to do it. And this unity Government deserves American 
support, and they will have it.
    Our Nation has been through three difficult years in Iraq. And the 
way forward will bring more days of challenge and loss. The progress 
we've made has been hard-fought, and it's been incremental. There have 
been setbacks and missteps--like Abu Ghraib--

[[Page 987]]

that were felt immediately and have been difficult to overcome. Yet we 
have now reached a turning point in the struggle between freedom and 
terror.
    Two years ago, Al Qaida's leader in Iraq wrote a letter that said, 
``Democracy is coming,'' and this would mean ``suffocation'' for Al 
Qaida and its allies. The terrorists fought this moment with all their 
hateful power--with suicide attacks and beheadings and roadside bombs--
and now the day they feared has arrived. And with it has come a moment 
of great clarity: The terrorists can kill the innocent, but they cannot 
stop the advance of freedom.
    The terrorists did not lay down their arms after three elections in 
Iraq, and they will continue to fight this new Government. And we can 
expect the violence to continue, but something fundamental changed this 
weekend. The terrorists are now fighting a free and constitutional 
Government. They're at war with the people of Iraq. And the Iraqi people 
are determined to defeat this enemy, and so are Iraq's new leaders, and 
so is the United States of America.
    The path to freedom is always one of struggle and sacrifice. And in 
Iraq, our brave men and women in uniform have accepted the struggle and 
have made the sacrifice. This moment would not be possible without their 
courage. The United States of America is safer because of their success, 
and our Nation will always be grateful to their service.
    For most Iraqis, a free, democratic, and constitutional Government 
will be a new experience. And for the people across the broader Middle 
East, a free Iraq will be an inspiration. Iraqis have done more than 
form a government; they have proved that the desire for liberty in the 
heart of the Middle East is for real. They've shown diverse people can 
come together and work out their differences and find a way forward. And 
they've demonstrated that democracy is the hope of the Middle East and 
the destiny of all mankind.
    The triumph of liberty in Iraq is part of a long and familiar story. 
The great biographer of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville, 
wrote: ``Freedom is ordinarily born in the midst of storms. It is 
established painfully among civil discords, and only when it is old can 
one know its benefits.'' Years from now, people will look back on the 
formation of a unity government in Iraq as a decisive moment in the 
story of liberty, a moment when freedom gained a firm foothold in the 
Middle East and the forces of terror began their long retreat. Thank you 
for having me. [Applause]
    Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you all. I'll be glad to 
answer some questions if you've got some. Tinsley said it would be 
helpful if I answered some questions. [Laughter]
    The President. Let's see--you got one? Yes, sir.

Tax Reform

    Q. I was just wondering, being a small-business owner, one of the 
things we really appreciate about your administration was the tax cuts 
for small business. And I was just wondering, are those going to be 
permanent, and are we taking action to make them permanent?
    The President. His question is about tax cuts and whether they'll be 
permanent. First of all, a lot of Americans don't really understand that 
when you cut taxes on individuals, you cut taxes on a lot of small 
businesses. Many small businesses are subchapter S corporations or 
limited partnerships, which end up paying their taxes based upon the 
individual income tax rates. And so when you reduce taxes on everybody 
who pays taxes, you're really helping the small-business sector. And why 
that's--that's an important part of our economic recovery policy, 
because small businesses create 70 percent of the new jobs in America.
    So thank you for recognizing the--thank you for reminding people 
here the importance of those tax cuts for small business. And also, by 
the way, there was some incentives in our economic recovery package that 
encourage you to buy equipment. And when you buy equipment, somebody has 
got to make the equipment. When somebody makes the equipment, it means 
somebody is more likely to be able to find a job not only at your place 
of work but the equipment manufacturer's place of work.
    And so his question was, are you going to allow the tax cuts to 
expire? See, they weren't

[[Page 988]]

permanent. My answer is, in order to make sure this economic recovery is 
lasting and real, the tax cuts need to be made permanent. And the 
Speaker agrees with me, you'll be happy to hear. It's important for 
Congress to understand that when there is any uncertainty in the Tax 
Code, it will make it less likely someone is willing to invest in a 
small business and expand their businesses. Uncertainty in the Tax Code 
creates uncertainty in the investment community or when people make 
investments.
    So we're absolutely committed to making the tax cuts permanent. The 
argument you'll hear is, well, how can you possibly balance the budget 
if you make the tax cuts permanent? I guess the reverse of that is, ``We 
want to raise your taxes to balance the budget.'' Unfortunately, that's 
not the way Washington works. The way Washington works is, they will 
raise your taxes and figure out new ways to spend the money and not 
balance the budget.
    The best way to balance the budget is to keep progrowth economic 
policies in place. I think you're going to find a report coming out this 
summer to be very interesting. In other words--last year, by the way, we 
exceeded the estimated revenues by about $100 billion. The economy is 
cranking. When the economy works, people are employing people, and when 
people are making money, they pay more taxes. Right now, it looks like 
that the revenues coming into our Treasury are greater than anticipated 
this time around too.
    And so the best way to reduce our deficit is to keep progrowth 
economic policies in place--hence, permanent tax cuts--as well as being 
wise about how we spend your money. And the best way to be wise about 
how we spend your money is to set priorities. And my priority is to make 
sure our troops have what it takes to defend the United States of 
America.

Voluntarism

    Q. Mr. President, my daughter's name is Jamie. She's a 16-year-old 
girl. What advice or recommendations would you give to her and to other 
youth of our country to help make our country a better place?
    The President. Thank you. I would say that--to Jamie, listen 
carefully to that universal admonition to love a neighbor like you'd 
like to be loved yourself. You know, I get an interesting perspective of 
America. I, of course, get to see the incredible folks who wear our 
Nation's uniform. It's unbelievably inspiring to meet men and women who 
have volunteered to serve our country in a time of war. And not only do 
I get to meet them; I get to meet their families. I also get to meet the 
entrepreneurs of America, people who are willing to risk time, effort, 
and money to grow a business. And as a result, we've got a great--we've 
got fat wallets relative to the rest of the world.
    But the true strength of the country lies in the hearts and souls of 
our citizens. That's the really unbelievable strength of America. I get 
to meet people all the time. I met two youngsters today, Chinese 
Americans, who volunteered to go down to help the Katrina victims. 
Nobody told them to do it. There was no Government law that said, 
``You're going to go down and love your neighbor.'' They heard the call.
    And so my advice is to tell your daughter that she can be a part of 
a changing America by helping somebody who hurts; feed the hungry; find 
shelter for the homeless. America's strength lies in the armies of 
compassion that exist all across the United States of America.
    And so I thank you for your question.
    Yes.

Health Care Reform

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. First, I want to tell you, thank you, 
how much we love your brother in the State of Florida.
    The President. I had nothing to do with it. [Laughter] Thank my 
mother. [Laughter]
    Q. He has been very good to the restaurant industry.
    The President. He has been eating a lot, I noticed. [Laughter]
    Q. You said that, not me. [Laughter] Mr. President, with mandated 
health care beginning to sweep the Nation, and we're seeing it pop up on 
the State level, do you see the association health plan passing, 
hopefully, before you're out of office? And where do

[[Page 989]]

you see mandated health care going for the business industry?
    The President. First of all, I think that the Government has a--the 
Federal Government has a responsibility, particularly on two fronts, 
when it comes to health care. One is to take care of the elderly. Lyndon 
Johnson signed that bill, and it said the Federal Government will 
provide health care for the elderly, called Medicare. And thanks to the 
Speaker's leadership and others here, we reformed Medicare so it 
actually meets the needs of our seniors.
    My attitude is, if you made a commitment to the seniors, make it a 
good commitment; make it work. And we didn't have prescription drug 
benefits as a part of Medicare. And yet we're willing to pay for the 
surgery for an ulcer, for example, but not the drugs to prevent the 
ulcer from happening in the first place.
    Secondly, we got to--made a commitment to the poor, and that's 
through Medicaid as well as community health centers. These are 
facilities--and the Speaker and I have been working on this--to expand 
community health centers throughout America so the poor and the indigent 
can get primary care in these facilities and not at your local emergency 
rooms.
    Now, I also believe--[applause]--but I believe the best health care 
system beyond that means making sure we strengthen the doctor-patient 
relationship. And that is--that's not a mandate; that's just a practical 
way to view medicine.
    And so how can you do that? Well, one is to promote health savings 
accounts, which we are doing. Health savings accounts are unique 
products that enable a small-business owner and/or an individual to be 
able to purchase a catastrophic plan--low-premium catastrophic plan, 
high-deductible catastrophic plan--coupled with a tax-free savings 
account. Now, that's important because it means that you're in control 
of your account. The person, the customer, the consumer is in control of 
making health care decisions.
    One of the problems we have when it comes to cost is that we have 
the third-party payer system. Somebody else pays the bills, and 
therefore, there is no consumerism, so to speak, involved in health 
care.
    Secondly, we got to recognize that certain individuals don't have 
the capacity to be able to buy health insurance like big companies can 
do, and therefore, it erodes the capacity of small businesses to be able 
to maintain their purchasing power. In other words, if it costs you a 
lot of money to buy the insurance plan, you're not going to pay for your 
insurance, see. And right now our small businesses are being penalized 
because they're not allowed to pool risk across jurisdictional 
boundaries. A solution to that is association health plans. The Speaker 
got it passed out of the House. It got killed by the trial lawyers in 
the United States Senate.
    To answer your question, yes, I hope to get it out. It's a practical 
way of making sure that small businesses aren't mandated but have got 
choice in the marketplace. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I believe 
in choices in the marketplace. I believe in empowering people to make 
rational choices. In order to have a health care system that helps 
control costs and where people can make rational decisions, there needs 
to be transparency in pricing.
    I know when I go to restaurants, I got a menu, see, and they say, 
here's what it costs you. That's not the case in most health care 
decisions, is it? I don't--I haven't seen a lot of price postings. So 
we're working--we're using Federal leverage through Medicare and the 
Veterans Administration, for example, to say, if you're doing business 
with the Federal Government, post your prices and the quality of service 
you're getting, so consumers can start making rational decisions in the 
marketplace. When you've got rational decisionmaking based upon price, 
it's going to help control cost, which is very important for your 
industry.
    Third, this is an industry--the health care industry is one that's 
kind of lagging behind when it comes to information technology--the docs 
are still writing out prescriptions with longhand. Or sometimes when 
you're in a hospital and you're going from place to place, you're 
carrying files, right? And they've been written out in longhand. Well, 
it's not a very efficient use of a person's time; plus, most doctors 
can't write. [Laughter] And therefore, costs are higher than they should 
be in medicine. So we're working to

[[Page 990]]

make sure that information technology is spread throughout the medical 
industry.
    Again, the Federal Government has got a good chance to help leverage 
our position. We're a major provider of health care. And therefore, we 
ought to be using our position to start off helping the industry write a 
common language. Part of the problem in medicine is that there's not a 
common language, and therefore, it's hard to have a smooth information 
technology system throughout the medical industry. Our goal, by the way, 
is for every American to have a electronic medical record, and--but, by 
the way, with a guarantee of privacy.
    And finally, one reason why you're having trouble buying health care 
is because these lawsuits are running good docs out of practice. Do you 
realize there are over 1,500 counties in America without an ob-gyn. And 
part of the argument is, we got a health care system that is accessible 
and affordable-- then we got to do something about these junk lawsuits. 
Again, the Speaker got a good medical liability bill out of the House of 
Representatives, but the trial lawyers defeated it in the United States 
Senate. And if you really want to help the country and make sure you've 
got affordable health care, get ahold of your United States Senators who 
are voting against meaningful medical liability reform, and help us get 
a bill passed.
    That's a long answer--it's a long answer because I wanted to show 
you, we've got a comprehensive plan that runs the opposite of Federal 
Government being the decider at all costs. I don't believe we ought to 
federalize medicine; I believe we ought to localize medicine. And the 
most local medicine is between the doctor and the patient.

Canada-U.S. Relations/Border Security

    Q. Good morning, Mr. President--from Toronto, Canada, and my 
question is regarding border restrictions between our two countries. 
Given the impact on tourism, do you feel that it's necessary to continue 
increasing border restrictions between Canada and the U.S.?
    The President. What he's referring to is, right after 9/11, the 
Congress passed legislation that said there will be a new--border--an 
identification card between--travel between our countries. And you can 
understand why our Nation reacted the way--I hope you can understand the 
way our Nation reacted the way we did after 9/11. I mean, we were--we 
analyzed all aspects of our security. We were--we said we were going to 
do everything we can within the law to protect ourselves. And Congress 
passed some new laws to make sure that we knew who was coming in the 
country and who was leaving the country. And I supported those laws.
    And now we're working with your Government to make sure that the 
identification cards that will be used between our two borders are 
compatible not only with our needs but your needs. I spoke to Prime 
Minister Harper about this subject. He's very aware and worried about a 
identification card that would be difficult to get into the hands of 
Canadians; it would make it difficult for Canada to continue to attract 
conventions. And so to answer your question, yes, we ought to have a 
system that is compatible with both our countries' needs.
    The difference between--and by the way, it's very important for the 
Canadians to understand, there's a difference in the debate going on 
between the northern border and the southern border. The southern--and 
by the way, it's important for Americans to understand, the language of 
this debate must never say that Canada and/or Mexico are the enemies of 
the United States. They're friends of the United States. They're our 
friends and neighbors.
    And so the issue this gentleman is referring to really is, how do we 
make sure we have a system that enables the legal people to come back 
and forth, I guess, is the best way to describe it. And we're working on 
it, to make sure that whatever documents are needed will not be 
restrictive, but nevertheless informational, I guess, is the best way to 
put it.
    Thanks.
    Yes, sir. Okay, you're next after that. Yes.

Fuel/Energy

    Q. President Bush--from Crown Point, Indiana. First of all, I want 
to say, you're doing a fine job.
    The President. Well, leave it at that, will you? Thank you. That 
kind of makes your

[[Page 991]]

question not very credible when you say something like that. [Laughter] 
But I'll accept it anyway.
    Q. My question is, is there a realistic yet aggressive timetable and 
strategy to get our reliance off of Middle East oil and go to a 
different fuel source or ways that the United States can prosper?
    The President. No, that's a great question. One of the things that 
should be evident to the American people now is that we live in a global 
world, and when demand for hydrocarbons increases in places like China 
and India, it causes our gasoline prices to go up. In other words, a 
global economy is such that when demand rises faster than international 
supply, the price of crude goes up--which is the feedstock for gasoline. 
And so the American people see firsthand what it means to be in a global 
world which is dependent upon fossil fuels, hydrocarbon.
    And so the realistic timetable is as soon as possible. And I do 
think it's realistic. And here's--what he's saying is, how quick can we 
get off oil, all right? Well, most oil is consumed in America because of 
our automobiles. And the question then is, how quickly can we diversify 
the automobile fleet from one that is gasoline-only to one that becomes 
a mix, for example, of gasoline and ethanol? And we're making pretty 
good progress. If you really think about, for example, the penetration 
of ethanol in the Midwest, it's been amazing over the last couple of 
years. Indiana people--you're beginning to get E-85 pumps. E-85 means 85 
percent of the fuel you buy at an E-85 pump is ethanol. We've put tax 
incentives in place to encourage the construction of ethanol refineries, 
and they're beginning to grow quite dramatically.
    Some people say, well, you've got ethanol pumps, but doesn't it make 
it difficult to use it because the cars are not compatible? That's not 
true. There are 5 million automobiles on the road today that are flex-
fuel vehicles. In other words, they can use ethanol and/or gasoline or a 
combination of the both. So the technologies to make our automobiles 
ethanol-compatible are around. As a matter of fact, you may have a flex-
fuel vehicle and just don't know it.
    The question then is, how do we--do we have enough feedstock into 
the ethanol business to be able to really get major penetration? And 
that's where we're spending some money. Because we got corn all right, 
but sometimes you got to eat corn. And sometimes your pigs and cows have 
got to eat corn. And so pretty soon, we're going to run into a bind when 
it comes to corn for ethanol and corn for other means and other needs. 
And so we're spending quite a bit of money at the Federal level and have 
been for a couple of years, to see whether or not we can develop new 
technologies to make ethanol out of other feedstocks like switch grass 
or wood chips.
    They say we're getting pretty close to that. I can't give you a 
specific timetable. I know we're getting close to a battery that can go 
into a hybrid vehicle. Hybrid vehicles are good things--that switches 
between electricity and gasoline. And the next breakthrough is going to 
come to a vehicle that doesn't switch between electricity and gasoline 
until you've driven your first 40 miles. In other words, you'll have a 
battery that will be able to last for 40 miles before your car has to 
kick into gas--gasoline. And that's going to help save a lot of--that 
will help reduce demand for oil.
    Longer term--and this is--this is a longer term--that's within 5 
years, they tell me, as well. But over the next 10 years, my hope is 
that we have hydrogen become a technology that is commercial and 
applicable, so you're really driving automobiles with hydrogen as fuel 
source, not gasoline. And we're spending a lot of money on that. We're 
spending over a billion dollars to accelerate technologies to do that.
    In the short term, in order to--by the way, it doesn't answer your 
question, how do you get off oil. But it does answer, how do we help 
consumers in America. I view rising gasoline prices as like a tax. It 
certainly affects small businesses. And one way to do it is to make sure 
we've got ample supplies of gasoline available. You realize, we haven't 
built a new refinery since the 1970s. If Congress is that concerned 
about the price of gasoline, it seems like they ought to give us 
flexibility

[[Page 992]]

so we can permit expansions and/or new refineries so that we can keep 
the price--[applause]. It's a long-winded answer, but it's a problem 
that requires a strategy in which we spend money on research and 
development and on a variety of fronts.
    Another example is clean coal technologies. It's conceivable that 
relatively--well, within a period of time--it's not--in my lifetime; 
let's put it that way--that we can have coal-fired plants that have got 
zero emissions. Now, that's important for people to know that it's 
possible. We've spent about billions there as well, to achieve this 
breakthrough, because we've got 250-some odd years of coal reserves in 
the United States.
    I think we ought to be using nuclear power. It is renewable, and it 
produces no emissions. We're spending money on technologies to make sure 
we can reprocess spent fuels. In other words, we're working on a variety 
of fronts. I don't know the timetable--as soon as possible. And the 
reason why is, is that our national security issues oftentimes rest with 
countries that have got oil, and they don't like us, see.
    And so the faster we're off oil, the better off we're going to be 
from an economic security perspective and a national--and I probably 
surprised you when I got up at my State of the Union and said, ``We've 
got a problem; we're addicted to oil.'' You know, I'm from Texas and all 
that. But I believe it, and I know it. And so I'm going to work with 
members from both political parties to expedite research and development 
so we've got new technologies to achieve this important objective.
    Yes, ma'am.

U.S. Relations With Latin America

    Q. Thank you--Westport, Connecticut. Speaking of oil-producing 
countries that are not friendly to the United States right now, I'm very 
concerned about what's going on in Venezuela and Bolivia and all, the 
coalition of Hugo Chavez. I wondered what your strategy was going to be, 
or what you're working on in that respect.
    The President. Thank you. I am going to continue to remind our 
hemisphere that respect for property rights and human rights is 
essential for all countries in order for there to be prosperity and 
peace. I'm going to remind our allies and friends in the neighborhood 
that the United States of America stands for justice; that when we see 
poverty, we care about it, and we do something about it; that we care 
for good--we stand for good health care.
    I'm going to remind our people that meddling in other elections is--
to achieve a short-term objective is not in the interests of the 
neighborhood. I will continue to remind people that trade is the best 
way to help people be lifted from poverty; that we can spend money--and 
we do in the neighborhood--but the best way for there to be growth is to 
encourage commerce and trade and prosperity through the marketplace.
    I want to remind people that the United States stands against 
corruption at all levels of government, that the United States is 
transparent. The United States expects the same from other countries in 
the neighborhood, and we'll work toward them.
    We'll continue to work with forces like the Central--countries like 
the Central American countries, where we passed a free trade agreement 
called CAFTA, to remind the people in that area that relations with the 
United States will be beneficial to their people. There's a lot of 
things we're doing.
    Thank you very much. I'm concerned--let me just put it bluntly--I'm 
concerned about the erosion of democracy in the countries you mentioned.

Trust in Government

    Q. Hi--Orlando, Florida. Let me first say, it's an honor to hear you 
speak. And I'm a proud supporter. I just had a quick question. 
Yesterday, at the keynote address, Ted Koppel mentioned that there is a 
growing lack of trust between Government and the American people. How 
would you address this statement?
    The President. He said there's a growing lack of trust between our 
Government and the American people?
    Q. Yes, he did.
    The President. Well, I think I would say that there's an unease in 
America now, and the reason why is because we're at war. And war is 
difficult--particularly this kind of war, where it's on our TV screens 
every day. And

[[Page 993]]

I can understand why people are uneasy. Americans care about human life. 
We have a great compassion for people all around the world. And so when 
people read or see that the enemy has run a suicide bomber into a 
village or a marketplace and innocent people died, it breaks our heart. 
So there is an unease about America.
    Hey, listen, we got an amazing economy--it's strong, and yet there's 
an uneasiness. And that's what happens in war. And let me just share my 
thoughts about this with you. If I didn't think we'd succeed, I wouldn't 
stay. And if I didn't think it was important that we succeed, I wouldn't 
stay. And the reason it's important is that we must understand that 
we're in a global war against a totalitarian group of people who will 
kill innocent life, there or here, in order to achieve an objective. 
That's just the lessons of September the 11th that I refuse to forget.
    In Iraq, the enemy has made it clear--this is their words, not mine; 
I quoted the man--the Al Qaida guy in Iraq--those weren't my--I didn't 
make up those quotes. That's that he said. And by the way, you need your 
President and your Commander in Chief to take the words of the enemy 
seriously. And they have said it's just a matter of time--[applause]. 
They have said it's a matter of time for the United States to leave, 
that democracies are soft, that capitalist societies are weak. And their 
view is that if they kill enough innocent people, we will tire and 
leave. That's what they said.
    They've also said, ``We're going to stop the elections.'' They will 
try to sow sectarian violence in order to make it difficult for a 
democracy to succeed in Iraq. And the reason why they want us to leave 
is because they want safe haven from which to launch attacks--not only 
against the United States but modern Muslim nations in the Middle East. 
That's what they want to do.
    Their vision--they have a vision. They have an ideology that is the 
opposite of ours. They don't believe in freedom to dissent and freedom 
to worship. Matter of fact, they've taken a great religion and, in my 
judgment, have twisted it to meet their own needs.
    If somebody said, ``Well, what do you think life would be like with 
these folks?'', just remind them what life was like in Afghanistan under 
the Taliban. There was no dissent, and if you did, you were whipped. 
Young girls didn't go to school. They have a backward vision of the 
world, but they do have a vision, and they want to spread that vision. 
And we stand in the way of spreading that vision--we and a coalition of 
nations that have bound together to promote democracy and freedom. 
That's what--and democracy worries them.
    My quote in the speech was this guy's words--democracy will be a 
setback. That's why I said, the formation of this Government, under a 
constitution drafted and approved by the Iraqis, is a setback, because 
it's--they've said, ``We will defeat this democracy.'' But they're not 
going to defeat the democracy. The only way they defeat the democracy is 
if we let them defeat the democracy, we don't stand with this young 
Government.
    Again, I know that--I know there's concern about--from the American 
people that we can't win. See, most Americans want us to win. Most 
Americans want to succeed. And there's questions about whether or not 
the strategy will do so.
    And I can understand why people are concerned about whether or not 
our strategy can succeed, because our progress is incremental. Freedom 
is moving, but it's in incremental steps. And the enemy's progress is 
almost instant, on their TV screens. And, of course, I get briefings 
from our commanders on the ground. I want to assure you that the 
information--I make my mind up based not upon politics or political 
opinion polls but based upon what the commanders on the ground tell me 
is going on.
    I do want to share with you--thanks for bringing this up. It's not 
exactly the question. [Laughter] I'll share with you some of my thoughts 
about why it's important to have a democracy--liberty prevail in the 
Middle East. You know, our policy up until now was, let's just hope 
everything's fine. If it looked okay on the surface, then let's just 
don't rock the boat. Let's get our energy sources and everything will be 
all right.
    But that's not what was happening. Beneath the surface, there was 
a--discontent and hopelessness and despair was beginning to take hold. 
And as a result, this group of

[[Page 994]]

killers sprung up, and they were able to recruit and train sophisticated 
suiciders. And they killed over 3,000 of our people.
    I felt it was important for us to address not only the short-term 
needs of the country--which means, stay on the offensive and bring them 
to justice before they hurt us again--but also the longer term needs of 
the country, by addressing the root cause of the resentment and hatred. 
And in my judgment, the best way to defeat the totalitarian vision of 
the enemy is with an ideology that has worked, that is bright and it's 
hopeful, called freedom and liberty, expressed through democracy.
    Now, I know there are some people in our country who say, why worry? 
Well, the reason ``why worry'' is because we have a duty to lay the 
foundation of peace for a generation to come. And I'm confident we can 
succeed. And I will tell you two examples of this--of why I'm confident. 
One, think of all the lives lost in Europe during World War I and World 
War II, American lives lost. You all know some of them. You know 
neighbors who had a grandfather or a father who went over--called up, 
went overseas to--and fought in Europe and lost their lives. But today, 
after nearly a century of violence and death and destruction, Europe is 
whole, free, and at peace. And it's important for America to ask the 
question, why is that the case? Well, democracies don't war with each 
other, and democracies have taken hold in Europe.
    The second example I like to bring up is from World War II as well, 
and that is what's happened to our former enemy, the Japanese. Prime 
Minister Koizumi is coming to our country soon. I'll be sitting down at 
the table with a friend talking about issues like North Korea or 
thanking him for having 1,000 troops in Iraq or worrying about the 
spread of pandemic disease or talking about how we can help the young 
democracy, Afghanistan. And I find it amazing that the President of the 
United States is sitting down talking about peace with the head of a 
country that my dad went to war with and your dads and grandads went to 
war with.
    And what happened between the brutal attack on our country--that, by 
the way, killed fewer people at Pearl Harbor than we lost on September 
the 11th--and today, when we're talking about keeping the peace? Japan 
adopted a Japanese-style democracy. One thing history teaches--and by 
the way, if you look back at some of the written word, when Harry Truman 
had the vision of helping this country recover from the war and become a 
democracy, a lot of people were saying, it's a waste of his time; 
hopelessly idealistic, they would say. But he had faith in certain 
fundamental truths. One truth is, everybody desires to be free. Freedom 
is universal. It's not just a right for America.
    And the second truth is, proven after 60 years of time, that freedom 
has the capacity to convert an enemy to a friend. And as I said in my 
remarks, I believe that this is an historic moment in Iraq, and that 
some day, people will be looking back on this period of time saying, 
thank goodness the United States of America didn't lose its faith in 
certain fundamental values and we laid the foundation of peace.
    And it's hard work. It's hard work to go from a tyranny to a 
democracy. And I understand why people are concerned; I understand it. 
Listen, I meet with--the hardest job of the President is to meet with 
families of the fallen. And it's a--it's my duty. But almost to a 
person, they say, ``Whatever you do, Mr. President, complete the 
mission; lay the foundation of peace so my child had not died in vain.'' 
And I give them that assurance every time I'm with them.
    Yell it.

Federal Response to Catastrophic Events

    Q. I'm from Munster, Indiana. I was wondering, sir, if we were to be 
attacked by a biological weapon or if there was an outbreak of the avian 
flu, would we be prepared?
    The President. Good question. We are working to be prepared. His 
question is, if there is a catastrophic event that is beyond the 
magnitude of a natural event, such as a biological attack and/or a 
attack of pandemic flu, would we be prepared?
    Well, first step is to recognize that it's a possibility and start 
preparing, which we're doing at the Federal level. Yes, we've got a good 
strategy--now, whether or not it would work to perfection, you hope you 
never have to find out.

[[Page 995]]

    One of the classic cases--one of the classic dilemmas we're trying 
to resolve is that most--it's against the law to put Federal troops in 
to enforce the law. It's posse comitatus, you know? I'm not a lawyer, 
but nevertheless, that's what the lawyers tell me. However, States can 
use their Guard to do law enforcement activities. And the fundamental 
question is, if there's an event big enough, should the Federal 
Government be able to prevent State authority--should there be an 
automatic declaration of a state of emergency that will enable me to 
rally Federal troops to keep the law?
    We haven't resolved that issue yet, but that's one of the dilemmas 
on a catastrophic event that ends up exceeding the boundaries of--that 
would make it not a local event. But we're working hard on it. We've 
spent a lot of time on pandemic flu, which, by the way, has got the 
same--a biological attack would have the same applications as to how 
you--how do you isolate the incident; how do you isolate the spread of 
disease; how do you rally local authorities to make the right decisions 
about public facilities.
    Mike Leavitt is in charge of this, the health aspect of this 
response. He's been traveling the country, working with local and State 
response plans, and it's a big job to get ready for it. I appreciate 
your question.
    Q. From Arlington, Texas.
    The President. Oh, yes.
    Q. Home of your Texas Rangers.
    The President. Mighty Rangers. They never--they still don't have----
    Q. They're in first place; that's good. My question is about----
    The President. I thought with change of ownership they'd go all the 
way, you know? [Laughter]

Health Care Reform/Global Warming

    Q. My question is about health care reform.
    The President. Yes.
    Q. You mentioned health care reform, catastrophic health care 
reform, Americans with disabilities as well. Under the umbrella of that, 
it doesn't seem that there is much addressed in terms of dental care, 
even though that is part of health care, I would think. And the second 
part of that question is, will you see Al Gore's new movie? [Laughter]
    The President. Doubt it. [Laughter] But I will say this about the 
environmental debate, that my answer to the energy question also is an 
answer to how you deal with the greenhouse gas issue, and that is, new 
technologies will change how we live and how we drive our cars, which 
all will have the beneficial effect of improving the environment.
    And in my judgment, we need to set aside whether or not greenhouse 
gases have been caused by mankind or because of natural effects and 
focus on the technologies that will enable us to live better lives, and 
at the same time, protect the environment.
    Not sure how to answer your question on dentistry, frankly. I'll 
take a look at it. Yes, drop your address off.
    Chef, how are you doing, buddy?
    Q. Doing very good. I'm doing very good, sir.
    The President. You know how I could tell you were chef?
    Q. I don't know. [Laughter]
    The President. Yes.
    Q. Thank you. On behalf of--I'm from Tampa, Florida. And on behalf 
of all the cooks and chefs in our country, I have to say, you're running 
the country the way a chef would run the country, and we're proud of 
you, first of all.
    The President. Thank you, sir.

Governor Jeb Bush of Florida/Public Service

    Q. You have created a lot of jobs, and our industry is just, like 
you said, it's cranking, and we're loving every minute of it. My biggest 
concern, sir, is 2008 is coming. Do you have a plan for--to keep your 
policies in place and keep them going? And would Jeb ever consider--we 
like him--even though we're the home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays--we 
don't have everything, but would Jeb ever consider----
    The President. Playing for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays?
    Q. Hell no. [Laughter] For our country. For our country, sir.
    The President. You better ask Jeb. Look, I said something about it 
the other day.

[[Page 996]]

Somebody asked me about him. I said, look, I think he'd be a great 
President. But it's--he said he's not going to run in 2008, and I think 
you've got to take him for his word. He's been in public life now for 8 
years, and I think he wants a breather.

    But thank you for your kind words. You go back and write him a 
letter, you know. He's a good man. Look, my--here's the thing about 
Washington that--the rhetoric needs, in my judgment, toned down up there 
so that we're able to attract good people, both Republican and Democrat, 
to run for public office. You know, it's one thing to disagree, but it's 
another thing to disparage people. And we just--we don't need that kind 
of language, in my judgment--in order to attract good people to public 
service.

    And there's too much politics in Washington these days. There really 
is. And so my worry is, not so much about Jeb, but when people take a 
look at Washington and say, ``Why mess with it? Why do I want to put my 
family through it all?'' And my advice to them is, one, it's worth it. 
But my advice, also, to all of us in public office is not to demean 
somebody because you don't agree with them. At least, in the debate, be 
considerate of the other person's point of view.

    And the immigration debate is one where America needs to start, in 
my judgment. I'm very worried about the tone of this debate. We are a 
land of immigrants. One of the great things about America is, we've been 
able to assimilate people from all around the world into becoming 
Americans. And that debate--if that debate tends to divide this country 
or cause people to wonder about their worth as an individual, it will be 
a debate of--it will be a debate that will be harmful.

    Now, I understand the emotions of this issue. It's a tough issue for 
Members to vote on. I happen to believe my comprehensive plan is the way 
to go. But if somebody doesn't agree with me, I'm not going to debase 
them in the public arena. And so whether the debate is immigration or 
tax or Iraq, it's really important, in my judgment, for us to conduct 
this debate with dignity. And that will help answer your question as to 
whether or not people are going to be wanting to run for office.
    You know, my buddies in Texas take a look at Washington and say, 
``Why are you even up there, man? Come on home.'' [Laughter] ``What are 
you doing that for?'' My answer is, I love my country. Public service is 
noble and necessary. I'm glad I ran for President. And I'll try to do my 
part to elevate the tone and hold people--and treat people with respect 
whether they agree with me or not.

    I've got to go back to Washington. God bless. Thanks for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 10:37 a.m. at the Arie Crown Theater at 
Lakeside Center--McCormick Place. In his remarks, he referred to Mayor 
Richard M. Daley of Chicago, IL; Edward R. Tinsley III, chairman of the 
board of directors, National Restaurant Association, and his wife, 
Meredith; Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, former President Saddam 
Hussein, President Jalal Talabani, and Speaker of the Council of 
Representatives Mahmoud al-Mashhadani of Iraq; senior Al Qaida associate 
Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper of Canada; Prime 
Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. 
Participants referred to President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela; Ted 
Koppel, former anchor, ABC News; and former Vice President Al Gore.