NEWSWEEK: Do you like being-and these are your words-misunderestimated?
George W. Bush: I like to be quoted correctly, and you just unfortunately quoted me correctly. I can’t believe I used that word, but of course, I did. Yes. Actually, I like to be judged for who I am, and I want to be judged on results.
Does the fact that sometimes people have had low expectations of you work to your advantage?
In any realm of life, if you perform better than expected it kind of enhances one’s standing. So I’ll continue to try to keep expectations low, by occasionally mispronouncing a word or two.
Eisenhower did it on purpose.
How do you know I’m not?
You delegate, but that doesn’t mean you’re a hands-off President. Give me an example of a time when you’ve been hands-on.
Well, on the China issue, I had our national security people in and made it clear to them that we needed to work to make sure this incident didn’t turn into an event that fractures and forever changes our relationship with China, that we had to manage this wisely. And when I found out that an American general had gone to see our troops [the spy-plane crew being held on Hainan Island], I got him on the phone. I wanted to hear [the details] firsthand. In order for me to make the right kind of policy decisions, I needed to know how our people were being treated. It would have changed my attitude or my perspective if I’d have thought our people were being mistreated.
One thing you’ve been able to do is stay away from what you would call typical Washington politics, or the “gotcha” game of Washington. How have you managed to do that?
By keeping my eye on the greater issues, such as on tax relief. The tax-relief debate, to me, is all about how do we provide some optimism in the economy? And secondly, how do we say to Washington that we trust the people of America with their own money? Where it gets complex is, what’s the definition of spending priorities? How big should spending be? And the American people will learn that I’m a person who believes that we ought to be very focused on setting spending priorities, be realistic and reasonable. A dollar spent at home is just as important as a dollar spent in Washington.
My point is that the tax-relief plan and the tax-relief vision is bigger than me, George W. Bush, and my political standing or the standing of anybody in the House or the Senate or the standing of a political party.
You’ve been able to stay very focused on your agenda, what you talked about in the campaign is what you’re doing now. But does it bother you that you’re sometimes called “the A4 President”?
What’s that mean, A4?
It means that you’re not always on the front page.
Oh, yes. It doesn’t bug me in the least.
Dealing with Washington politics must be very different than Texas politics. How so?
There was a tradition of bipartisan interaction in Texas. There hasn’t been one in Washington for a while. It’s a different atmosphere.
How do you respond to critics who say that you are putting business interests over environmental concerns?
I’m going to have to say it over and over and over again for a long period of time: Mine is an administration that cares deeply about the environment, that I believe economic growth and good environmental protection can go hand in hand, that we’re going to make decisions on sound science. And my record-if people would really look at it-they would realize that we’re going to backup our words with action. Let me just go through the list. On arsenic, we’re going to reduce the arsenic levels in water, the extent of which will be determined based upon scientists. We were confronted with a regulation [imposed by the Clinton administration] after seven years and 11 months [in office]. Seven years and 11 months. And my administrator says, let’s take a look at it. And the immediate response was, he wants arsenic in water. Well, the answer is, we’re going to reduce arsenic, and we’ll come out with a policy. After seven years and 11 months, an administration all of a sudden decides to make [a new rule]. My question is why?
Do you think this was a land mine left for you?
I don’t know what to think, but I do know that we’re going to deal with it with some common sense. And we’re going to reduce arsenic. I can’t tell you the specific level now. I can promise you arsenic will be reduced. And so somehow I turn on the TV and see people ranting about how Bush is for arsenic in water. It’s just part of the game-and I say game because it’s not factual. And therefore people aren’t willing to say anything. They want to try to create an image.
You’re putting science over politics.
Well, not only that. We’ve done stuff on lead, diesel, wetlands. Now, I did create a stir, I readily concede, over C02 emissions. And I basically said a treaty that would put mandatory caps on C02 emissions was not going to get ratified. And everybody who knows the issue knows it was not going to get ratified in America. We need to come up with a better way, and that’s what my administration is in the process of doing.
You seem very comfortable in the job. Can you just talk about what the transition to being president been like for you? Have there been any pinch-yourself moments?
Yes, every morning when I walk into the Oval Office. I wake up early. And I go to work early, because I am enthused about my job. I look forward to getting to work. So my routine is: I’m up, I drink a little coffee with the First Lady, read the papers. And then I take the dogs out. And the first thing we do is we head right to the Rose Garden. I have never failed to feel a sense of awe and honor, and responsibility. And then I walk in the Oval Office, and I suspect that the last time I walk in the Oval Office will feel like the first time. I’m not poetic enough to describe it to you, but it’s a great feeling.
I take great comfort in a couple of things. My faith-I know what I want to do. There’s no question about where I want to lead. And the team I’ve put together. Objective historians will say that a President George W. Bush has assembled a great-not a good-but a great team. People who are plain-spoken, honest with the president. I’m a decisive person. I make decisions. But what gives me comfort is that the recommendations I get will be very well thought out recommendations. And not every single decision I make [do] I receive unanimity amongst my advisors. There are split decisions a lot. But the good news is that everybody knows they have a say. And once I decide, everybody marches forward.
Like going to Milwaukee for the Brewers game. People said, don’t do that, the press will get on your case. Did they really?
I was sorry to see about your pitch [into the dirt], but I won’t say anything more about it.
It had a lot of steam on it.
It did have a lot of steam on it. What were you thinking on the mound, as you threw it?
First of all, I was, one, very pleased at the reception. I’ve seen sports crowds go the other way. And it was a loud, very positive reception. There’s kind of an adage that if you’re a politician, you don’t go encroaching on a sports fan’s time. They don’t want some politician out their in their midst, trying to hog camera time. So I got a good reception, and I felt great about that.
I’ll never forget the time little Barbara was playing peewee basketball. And she was out there, you know, and she got fouled and had never been to the foul line. And so she kind of walks up to the foul line and looks up at the basket. And I could see her-her little face, she had these little stick arms, you know. She was a tiny little girl. And she realized how far away it was from this big huge ball to the basket. And I can remember yelling, “Underhand it, baby, underhand it.” So she kind of fires it, and it kind of bangs against the backboard, and [I] was so thrilled she got it that far. That’s how I felt. I got up there, I was kind of telling myself, “Underhanded.” So I was not very relaxed. The irony is that I was-I’ve got a fairly good arm.[Press Secretary] Ari [Fleischer] warmed me up, as a matter of fact, on the White House lawn. And I was feeling fairly feisty, and quite young, I might add, until the moment.
Growing up, you were surrounded by strong women, particularly your mother. Now you have quite a few women in your administration.
I am very comfortable with women around. I value their advice. I think my administration is much richer as a result of having very strong, empowered women helping make decisions. It’s got to be because my mother is a strong woman, and I love her and value her. I value her advice. I’ve learned as much from my mother as I have my dad, particularly when it comes to the public arena. Mother is one of the really-I think one of the greatest communicators there is. And it’s not just her eloquence when it comes to words. It’s how she conducts herself.
I’m a confident person. You’ve got to be a confident person to run for president of the United States, obviously. And I suspect I gained a lot of my confidence from my mother, and watching Mom. I bet that part of the reason why I feel I value the advice of very strong-willed and strong-minded women is because of my mom. My wife is a very strong-willed, strong-minded woman. And neither of those two are afraid to tell me what for, or what to do.
