Summary

B-ROLL OF A PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH IN NEWS CONFERENCE IN THE BRADY PRESS BRIEFING ROOM OF THE WHITE HOUSE

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 363930
Story Slug PRESIDENT BUSH REMARKS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (1989)
Location WASHINGTON, DC
Format B-ROLL
Date 06/27/1989
Archive Time 9:25:54
TRT 21:03
Video Description GEORGE BUSH SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE, HE LEAVES, MARLIN FITZWATER TAKES OVER
Description B-ROLL OF A PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH IN NEWS CONFERENCE IN THE BRADY PRESS BRIEFING ROOM OF THE WHITE HOUSE
Script TRANSCRIPT: Question not asked on camera Q Could I ask you -- to follow up -- to perhaps define a little bit more what useful or progress would be, in terms of a meeting? Are you setting a precondition, as President Reagan did, that you need something to sign, or is there -- -- The President No, I don't think it should be something to sign, but I would like to think that the governing criterion would be so that the world would see the meeting as having been successful, something good happening out of it And it doesn't have to be signing, necessarily, although I've been around this track long enough to know that you can always whip out something to sign, a fishing agreement or something of this nature [Laughter] So, we could have that, but I'm not saying that it should be hung up on a major treaty of some sort before I would sit down with Mr Gorbachev Maybe we'll do it like this: say, hey, let's get together And I'm interested in what he thinks about it And we've had some communication back and forth, but all I want to say is, I think the relationship is going in the right general direction, albeit we have tremendous differences with the Soviet Union, still And I still have -- guided by a certain sense of caution China-US Relations Q Mr President, you made much during the campaign and after your election of your relationship with China's leaders, and yet for the past several weeks you've been unable to contact them And China appears to have ignored our calls for clemency and for dialog Sir, do you not think the relationship was oversold? The President No, I don't think it was oversold Q Then tell us what benefit we've gained from it The President What we've gained is, China has a much more open economic system than when the Shanghai communique was signed quite a few years ago What we've gained is 30,000 students right this minute, I think the figure is, studying in the United States -- Chinese kids that are going back there with a sense of what freedom and democracy is all about What we have gained is helping China move out of a period of cultural revolution isolation And this relationship is important And I can continue to express my outrage about what happened in Tiananmen Square, and I will But I am determined to do my level best to keep from injuring the very people that we're trying to help And I'm talking about the Chinese people generally So, we've gained a lot from this relationship, and so have they And I still think that it is in the strategic interests of the United States I'm not talking about the old adage of playing the ``China card'' or something of that nature, playing the ``Soviet card'' But if you look at the world and you understand the dynamics of the Pacific area, good relationships with China are in the national interest of the United States Now, it's hard to have them It's impossible at this moment to have what I would say normalized relations, for very obvious reasons But I am going to do my level best to find a way to see improvement there that will help the Chinese people Q If I could follow, sir, it's the personal relationship with China's leaders that I'm speaking of I'm looking for the benefit when you cannot even complete a phone call to Deng Xiaoping I'm wondering if the personal -- -- The President The benefit is, I understand the situation That's the benefit, and leaders are changing all the time over there -- I mean, recently So, we've got to deal with who is there We don't dictate to China about their leaders We express our concerns, as other leaders have But let me be very clear: In my view, the United States has been out front We've been out front on the steps we've taken, and I am very pleased that there has been broad support for the position I've taken And I heard it just today from the Prime Minister of Australia [Robert Hawke], one of the most knowledgeable men about China The Australians, you see, have always had a -- they've been a little out front They've had relations before we did, and they have almost a unique standing in China They've done a lot of business with China; they've had a lot of exchanges with China Bob Hawke feels that he knows most of the Chinese leaders, the ones that we had been dealing with And to be as supportive as he was today was very reassuring to me Q Mr President, how concerned are you that the political retreat that we've seen in China in recent weeks could be duplicated in the Soviet Union? The President Well, I did not predict what would happen in Tiananmen Square, and I don't know of any China expert, scholar or otherwise, who predicted that And I guess the lesson is: Go forward as best you can Keep your eyes open Hold high the banner of values that we believe in -- the United States We have a special responsibility around the world in terms of human rights and democracy, freedom But keep your eyes open That's what I've learned from this Q Have you had any communications with Secretary Gorbachev on the situation in China? The President Not on China Maybe others in the administration -- not Gorbachev personally, but I followed carefully the statements out of there and obviously the Soviet Union has tried to -- with Gorbachev's visit to China -- tried to improve relations, but I think that's on a little bit of a hold, although maybe they're more accommodating than we are right now Violent Crime Against Women Q Mr President, women's groups have been very pleasantly surprised and saluting you for your statements yesterday about violent crimes against women and spousal abuse And a couple have asked the question whether you will be willing to take that message to men's groups -- those macho groups, such as the NRA [National Rifle Association], the American Legion, the Police Chiefs of America -- and ask them to get the word out to stop beating their wives and stop beating -- the generic ``they,'' not specific The President Hey, listen, I'm a member of the NRA You're hurting my feelings, as they say in China Q And the question is whether you will take the message to men's groups instead of to the American Association of University Women The President Jessica [Jessica Lee, USA Today], because of the line of work you all are engaged in, I hope that message got to every group But I don't want to single out or acquiesce in the hypothesis here and say that NRA is against women or -- the other groups you singled out? Come on, Jessie Q No, no, no, but you spoke -- -- The President Come on, Jessie Q But you talked about it to women who are very well aware of the problem Your staffers here say they move their cars closer to the White House after dark and have someone walk out with them So, women know about the problem My question is whether you will go and take the message to the men's group and ask their help in eradicating the problem The President I'm trying to take the message to the whole country That's what our whole crime package is about, absolutely -- anybody that wants to listen Q Now, you said also that you wanted -- -- The President This is the followup Yes? Q Please -- that you want to be sure that your seven granddaughters have the same opportunities that your pride and joy, George P, has George P is the one whom you take on fishing trips and to the back rooms with the boys and to the research camps at the University of Nebraska and things like that I wonder if you're planning to take some of the granddaughters on some of these kinds of excursions where you're doing the business of the Nation to prepare them to be President The President Yes When they get older than about 3 -- [laughter] -- I will do that, because, now, I know -- now, don't you say it, I'll say it -- Jenna and Barbara are about 7 But that's a little young to go fishing at Jackson Hole with their grandfather and put up with Marlin Fitzwater and all these people [Laughter] I mean, I want them prepared for the real world I'm serious: I want them prepared And I look forward to the day that those -- Noelle, who is just a couple years behind George P, she came up here We had her with us, and she brought her cousin, and we had a wonderful time And I want her to come back; indeed, they'll be with us this summer But, no, you raise a good point My affection for our oldest grandson is just that he's there and he's ready and he plays ball and he does stuff And we're going to the Orioles game tomorrow, I think it is [Laughter] But it is not discriminatory It is not discriminatory Q The secret's out The President Yes? Q Mr President, if I could ask one last question The President Oh, wasn't I not supposed to say that? [Laughter] What, about the ballgame? [Laughter] Come on HUD Contracts Q If I could ask one last question on the HUD scandal The President Yes? Q I think that many people would think it's unfair to hold you responsible when you were Vice President for the things that were going on at HUD But some of the people who have been implicated in this scandal are very close to you I'm thinking of Frederick Bush, who was your chief fundraiser in the campaign, and Paul Manafort, who was an adviser to your campaign and a partner of Lee Atwater, your campaign manager Have you made any effort to find out exactly what these people who are close to you were doing with HUD, or to express your views of it to them? Have you made any efforts in those regards? The President I'm not singling out any -- you know, going, ``Say, look for people that I know that may have done business with HUD in the past'' What I'm trying to do is do it generically -- say: to the degree there was any breaking of the law, obviously the people should pay whatever the price is To the degree we can guard against any abuse for the future, I want to go the extra mile to do that And one of the first things I did as President, unnoted though it was, was to meet with the Inspectors General in here and encourage them towards independence and thorough investigation And so, that's the way I'm trying to handle that matter Q And to follow up: Does this affect your relationship with these people -- to know that they were involved, apparently, in influence-peddling? The President Well, it doesn't improve things But on the other hand, I want to be fair I want to be sure that I don't jump at conclusions as to what guilt is and what it isn't, whether the law is broken or were people just out there doing what was permitted I want to have the standard higher, though; even if it's permitted, I want to have the highest possible standard But I haven't put it on that kind of a personal basis yet Child-Care Legislation Q Mr President, the Senate has just passed a child-care bill that would spend almost billion in Federal funds for child care The President I know it Q Your spokesman says that bill is a candidate for a veto Do you intend to veto that bill, and what are your objections? The President I want to see what comes down here, but if there was one thing that was clear -- you've got to be careful of these [hand] gestures, the way Rich Little and these guys -- [laughter] But if there was one thing that was clear, it was my position on child care: maximum choice through credits And the ABC bill does not fit what I think is the proper description for child care And for me to take the back seat and say I'm less concerned about child care because I'm unenthusiastic about the ABC bill, I don't accept that at all So, I remain convinced that what I have proposed is the right way to go about it I would like to see what comes down here before I make further statements about what action I will take or won't take I want to know the final piece of legislation that hits this desk Q But you would veto the bill as it stands now The President I've made my position clear on the ABC bill HUD Contracts Q You say you don't want to prejudge Secretary Pierce, but doesn't the evidence of mismanagement and influence-peddling make it evident to you that there were major problems there at the very top? The President Yes, yes Q And what can be done about that? The President Well, that's what the Secretary is trying to do right now -- is to make guarantees and put out regulations to see that these kinds of abuses -- a woman sitting in Maryland ripping off million from the American taxpayers, that's wrong And I expect that's in the courts, I don't know That's where it should be, in my view Yes, Frank [Frank Sesno, CNN]? Then I've got to go We've got [Australian Prime Minister] Bob Hawke appearing, about whom I spoke highly because of his support for our policies [Laughter] Federal Pay Raise Q On the rescinding of the pay raise, you said that action was necessary for judges and top Federal officials It's been some time now I'd like to ask what you're doing about that and when you plan to propose some action? People are still quitting The President Well, I know it, and I want to see that remedied I still would like to see the separation of consideration for judges and other key executive branch posts -- I'm thinking of some of the researchers in the NIH [National Institutes of Health] and people of this nature And I want to see it separated out so it doesn't get caught on the question of congressional pay Now, whether the Congress is willing to do what I've suggested, I don't know But I will have suggestions when we make our announcements, I think, Thursday -- further announcements along this line -- as to what I think needs to be done And I am not trying to dictate to the legislative branch, but I am going to have to make some recommendations And maybe I can do that as a former Member of Congress who is concerned about what the legislative branch ought to do This is a matter of considerable concern This is the last, and then one behind you And then I've got to go, because Bob Hawke is appearing Q Mr President, are you -- -- The President Next time, Sarah [Sarah McClendon, McClendon News] I'm sorry I've got two-thirds back there Yes? Q Your suggestions will be specific pay raise proposals, and will they take the form of a proposed legislative bill? The President Excuse me? Q Will your suggestions, when you mention them on Thursday, be specific as to salary increases, and will they take the form of a bill? The President Yes, I think we will have specifics on the -- I haven't gone over this with the final recommendations internally, although I'm reading now what I've decided [Laughter] And -- very clear But there will be some specific recommendations with amounts Johanna [Johanna Neuman, USA Today]? Gambling in Baseball Q Mr President, a lot of Americans this summer are talking about Pete Rose [Cincinnati Reds manager] And I wondered, without prejudging his case, what you think about betting on baseball and whether you think that that should be reviewed by the courts or the commissioner of baseball? The President I am not going to get into how that matter should be resolved Baseball, a national pastime, has sound rules regarding betting on baseball games, and I'm not going to get into that one This is the last one, Mr Matthews [Mark Matthews, Baltimore Sun], and then I'm going China-US Relations Q Mr President, are you concerned that a deterioration in the US relations with China would disrupt the strategic balance between the US and the Soviet Union? And is that of overriding importance in your reaction to events there? The President It is a matter that -- as you look at the whole Pacific area, you have to consider that I have never been one who thinks that the relationship with China ought to be based on playing the ``Soviet card,'' or playing the ``China card'' I will not overlook fundamental abuse of the human rights because of a strategic concern; but of course, when you look at all your relationships, a President must be concerned about the strategic importance of the relationships And not only is our relationship with China of strategic importance, it has this whole cultural and educational and art and -- hopefully, someday -- human rights side of it So, you look at it in what is right between China and the United States, but of course, I'm concerned about the strategic implications And it's not just the strategic implications vis-a-vis the Soviet Union Take a look at what Deng Xiaoping used to call encirclement, and look at what he means Just take a look at China on the map, and you'll understand why the Chinese leaders still, as recently as 3 months ago, talked about encirclement And that gets you into the questions of the ASEAN [Association of South East Asian Nations] countries It gets you into the question of what's happening in Cambodia today It gets you into the question of, obviously then, Vietnam, the Korean Peninsula And there's a lot of strategic interests involved here Q Sir, why don't you do something about it? Why don't you let me have a question, then? [Laughter] The President A real short one, and I'll go Home Health Care Q All right When you went out to see [Representative] Claude Pepper and he was dying, he rose up and said, ``Mr President, when are we going to get home health care?'' And you looked at him, and you wanted to cooperate with him And I'm sure you are anxious to do something about that Will you tell us if you're going to do something about it? The President Regrettably, we can't go the route that the late Claude Pepper wanted But I hope we can have more emphasis on care at home, and I think that would be a very good way to approach the health care needs of this country Q Thank you, sir The President But we can't go totally with what Claude was suggesting Flag Desecration Q You didn't explain why you went the constitutional route instead of legislative on flag-burning The President Because I am told that legislation cannot correct the -- in my view -- egregious offense: burning the American flag Q How about the death penalty for teenagers and the retarded? The President I really do have to go
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