Today's Bush transcript: "Sometimes we don't tell you things, you know"

Bush_Eats_Beef

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Jun-24-05 03:16 PM
Original message

Today's Bush transcript: "Sometimes we don't tell you things, you know"

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/06/20050624.html

Q You can choose the word, sir. Do you worry at all about losing some of your ability to drive the agenda, both internationally and domestically?

And Mr. Prime Minister, if I may, does the decline in American support for the mission in Iraq have any impact on your government and the people of your country?

PRESIDENT BUSH: No, I appreciate the polls, the question about the polls. Look, this is a time of testing. And it's a critical time. We're asking Congress to do -- to take on some big tasks domestically. I fully understood when I went into the Social Security debate that there would be a lot of people that wished we hadn't have brought it up. I knew that. I mean, after all, there are some who, in Congress, that would rather not take on the tough issue, make -- they're afraid if you take on a tough issue, it will make it harder to get reelected.

And so I'm not surprised that there is a, kind of a reaction, the do-nothing reaction in Congress toward Social Security, and I'm not surprised the American people are saying, I wonder why nothing is getting done. You know, they see a problem and they're wondering why people won't step up and solve the problem. So I'm not surprised about -- that there's a -- people are balking at doing big things. I do think we'll get an energy bill that will be good, and show the American people finally we're willing to put an energy strategy in law that will help us conserve more and diversify away from hydrocarbons and develop technologies that will enable us to burn coal cleanly, for example.

Overseas, the idea of helping a country that had been devastated by a tyrant become a democracy is also a difficult chore, and it's hard work, particularly since there's an enemy that is willing to use suicide bombers to kill. It's hard to stop suicide bombers, and it's hard to stop these people that, in many cases, are being smuggled into Iraq from outside Iraq. It's hard to stop them. And yet they're able to do incredible damage. They're damaging not only -- you know, they're obviously killing Americans, but they're killing a lot more Iraqis. And their whole attempt is to frighten the people of both our countries. That's what they're trying to do.

In other words, they figure if they can shake our will and affect public opinion, then politicians will give up on the mission. I'm not giving up on the mission. We're doing the right thing, which is to set the foundation for peace and freedom. And I understand why the al Qaeda network, for example, is to terrified about democracy, because democracy is the opposite of what they believe. Their ideology is one of oppression and hate. Democracy is one that lifts up people and is based upon hope.

I think I said at this press conference here in the East Room, you know, it's like -- following polls is like a dog chasing his tail. I'm not sure how that translates. But my job is to set an agenda and to lead toward that agenda. And we're laying the foundation for peace around the world.

Iraq is a part of the agenda. There's going to be -- there were elections in Lebanon. We hope Egypt has free and open elections. My dream is that there be a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Iraq. I noticed our former ambassador to Afghanistan is with us, who is now going to be the ambassador to Iraq. Afghanistan is a hopeful story. It's still difficult because, again, there are terrorists there associated with this -- the likes of -- or are a part of the al Qaeda network that is interested in stopping the advance of democracy because democracy is -- will be a part of their defeat and demise.

SNIP

Q Mr. Prime Minister, I am a presenter on radio in Iraq. My question is for you. For more than two years we've started a change in Iraq, but the process of building is very slow. There are secure cities in Iraq, Samarra and Kurdistan. When will you begin the reconstruction in Iraq? When do we begin to establish the first bases of reconstruction? And you know that if you started reconstruction in Iraq it will mean that young people will have something to do, and they will leave terrorist activities. So the question is for Mr. Prime Minister. There were discussions held with the President Bush, and the most important thing you discussed with him we want to know about it.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Sometimes we don't tell you things, you know. (Laughter.) No, we discussed a lot of important things. We discussed democracy, we discussed having the constitution there, and we discussed security, we discussed reconstruction.

We are spending reconstruction money, but, you know, you need to ask that to the government. They're in charge. It's your government, not ours. This is the government that is -- that has got the ministries in place that spends the money. We're willing to help, and we have helped. And I want to thank the Congress and the American people for their generosity in helping Iraq rebuild. And we're spending money.

But, remember, your question kind of made it seem like -- that we're in charge. We're not. You had elections; 8.5 million people voted, and this good man is now in charge of the government. I don't want to be passing the buck, as we say, but we're more than willing to help reconstruction efforts, but this is a sovereign government --