Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Tue, 28 Jul 1992 10:36:10 EDT
From:         MKLINE%VDH.BITNET@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU
Subject:      Bush Interview #1
X-To:         christia%asuacad.BITNET@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU,
              bstudy-l%utarlvm1.BITNET@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU,
              ivcf-l%ubvm.BITNET@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU

Subject: Bush Interview #1

I tried to summarize, but then I thought I might not do a good job.
The interview was short, so I figured, "Oh what the heck, post it."
If you don't care what Bush has to say, press discard. This was a
bit different because George does talk about his personal beliefs,
his faith, and the problems he's facing. He's keeping Quayle, will
veto the Freedom to Choose bill, etc. I found it interesting.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Interview of George Bush by Pat Robertson, Part 1.

    Pat: Bill Clinton has just finished a convention, he says he wants
your job. Why shouldn't we give it to him?

    George: I believe in the final analysis, when people say "Who do you
want sitting at that desk and making the tough decisions?" they're going
to say "It ought to be George Bush." And I think people are better off in
a lot of ways, world peace is one. I don't think the kids that we all
love and revere are going to bed at night with quite the same fear of
nuclear war.
    And then there's a lot of good things in our own country that we're
trying to do. I think some of the issues that I know you've been most
interested in like child care where PARENTS choose is important. I'm very
proud of our GI bill for children in education generally that lets the
family have a shot to send their kid to public, private, or religious
schools.
    I think the economy is turning around. It's been miserable, but we
are growing. And so, I think we've made good appointments to the Supreme
Court. And there in, we've got a big difference, because I will continue
to appoint people who will not legislate, but interpret the constitution.
And so I'm proud to take a record out there of achievement.
    But I think in the final analysis, that people are going to be
looking at the overall credentials, experience, character of the
president and I hope I'll merit their support.

    Pat: Abraham Lincoln said he couldn't handle the job except on his
knees. Have you found recourse to God in prayer, often in your
presidency?

    George: Yes. You have to. I don't believe that an atheist could be
president of the United States, anybody who did not have something bigger
than himself or herself. And faith IS THE ANSWER and I've said this to
friends, to some degree, religion has been a private thing, but I can
tell you that when the going is tough and when it's not... Our family, we
say our prayers. We say our prayers at meals, we say our prayers when we
go to bed, Barbara and I do, but it's something that the more I'm there,
the more I understood what Lincoln meant, to have some strength greater
than yourself.
    I especially found that at the time I had to make this ...now it
looks easy... but a crucial decision about committing someone else's sons
and daughters into combat, and the decision rests only with the
president for that, only the president, and there was certainly time
needed for prayer in that one.

    Pat: You've also had a role of backstopping the society with vetos.
You may hold a record, 31 vetos, most of them sustained. (George: All
sustained so far). All sustained. What was the thrust of the legislation
coming to you? What have you been standing against in this thing?

    George: Well, some of it has been fiscal irresponsibility, the last
one had a big tax increase. I've learned my lesson on that. One
compromise, which did get caps on spending, but never again because they
did not deliver their part of the bargain. But on tax increase, the
second most recent one was that.
    Some of them relate to a subject that I think your listeners are
particularly interested in, people of faith in particular and that is
human life, and they had to deal with government dictates on abortion,
very frankly. The last one related to an NIH bill, I believe it was the
last one, on fetal tissue. They're trying to shift over and put a lot of
federal money and effort into harvesting, I HATE the word, harvesting
fetal tissue.
    We had a plan backed by Dr. Koop that provides fetal tissue for
needed research, but without resorting to the induced abortions, these
wanton abortion policies that some advocate.
    So, some of them have related to human, what I would call values, and
some of them have related to issues, fiscal sanity, or spending more than
the taxpayer should be asked to spend.

    Pat: Speaking of abortion, there's no question the Republican party
will stand by its platform in defense of life. Will there be any shift in
that?

    George: It will stand by that policy, and with me it's more
fundamental. I am appalled, I believe the figure, and your listeners
might know this, was 1,300,000 abortions last year. And this trend, is
awful. I was talking to a school principal the other day, and it happened
to be in a Catholic church. The Father told me that for a child to have
her ears pierced, they have to get permission from the parent.
    And now, in the political arena, many of my opponents say, a 13 year
old girl who gets pregnant, ought not to have to tell her parents, if she
has an abortion.
    It's tuned around. I'd rather let them have their ears pierced,
frankly. It's just this terrible thing, and so I will continue to stand
on that side, Pro Life, always recognizing that there's a lot of families
out there, with love in their hearts that would like to have kids, and
adoption is a far better answer than some of this wanton abortion
practice that we see.

    Pat: Do you have the pen veto ready in case this new bill, this so
called Pro Choice legislation comes out of Congress?

    George: I've spoken out against that thing. It's worse than status
quo, by far, and it will be vetoed and the veto will be upheld. And, I'm
not prepared to join forces against my opponents by name yet, because as
I said I want to wait until after the convention, our convention. But
there's going to be big differences on this question. And I don't care
what these polls say, or how somebody interprets them, we're talking here
about life, and we're talking here about some principles upon which
there's genuine disagreement.

    Pat: Speaking of polls. You had higher ratings of any president since
George Washington after the Gulf War. Now we're looking at a 20-23%
negative to a virtually unknown governor. What is the fickleness of this
country? What do you say?

    George: I'm not sure I understand it. With respect. I've tried to
speak up for and stand for family values, for example, there was a poll
on CNN, I believe it was the other night, somebody told me about it, I
was spared of seeing it, that said the opponent and his family stood more
for family values than Barbara and me 60 to 20. Now, that seems a little
backwards. But I also think in terms of the overall stewardship of the
country, the polls are dislocated.
    But they go up and down. We lost 30 points in 1 week, and we'll pick
them back up, because the American people are going to get serious about
all this when it comes to the last month of this election, and they're
going to say "Who do you trust? Who has the experience, and the
steadiness to lead this country?" And I'll be making the case, I believe
I should be entrusted to that for 4 more years.

    Pat: The cynics have taken off on Vice President Quayle. He's been
the point man on some of these initiatives. There was an article today in
one of the major papers. Are you standing by your vice president?

    George: I'm standing by him. I made that clear yesterday. We're in a
words weird season. Not only did they say that, they said my health is
bad. I am blessed and let me take this occasion for this commercial, by
really good health. And, knowing I was going to see you, I wanted to be
ready for it, so, I wake up at 5:00AM, I read a bunch of newspapers,
which is enough to ruin your health, but anyway, I read these papers and
this morning, I ran 2 miles at 6:00. And, I am blessed with good health.
But, rumors keep coming up. Who benefits from these rumors? Well, I don't
know, but I just keep knocking them down.

    Pat: Last question I want to ask you about the budget deficit. We're
talking about entitlement, we're talking about potentially 400 billion
dollars a year. What are you doing to stop this stuff deficit?

    George: Well, first place, we need a couple of tools. We need a
balanced budget amendment. I need a line item veto, and I find with some
irony, that my opponent who has not lifted 1 finger for it, is supporting
the line item veto, but I tell you that's good. Maybe he can use his
influence on this stagnant, backward looking, Congress to get something
done on it.
    So you need some tools. But you also, Pat, we have got to control the
growth of mandatory spending programs. And let me be clear, WE ARE NOT
TALKING ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY. TWO THIRDS of the budget comes to the
president without his having any say on it. It's locked in, and we've got
to take that 2/3 now and take a look at those things, OTHER THAN SOCIAL
SECURITY, where we can say, "We got to control the growth."
    We had a specific program, with some like 32 options up to the
congress as to how to control that growth. And I will continue to try and
find ways to cut spending in what they call the discretionary spending,
but it needs line item veto, it needs "balanced budget amendment", and
then we have to have the will, and the discipline, to take that next step
that I've outlined.

In His Love,

  Michael A. Kline, Sr. SSE
  Tech Support Manager    804-786-1559    Home:
  Va Dept of Health (FAX: 804-786-7528)   13308 Thornridge Ct.
  1500 E Main St. Room 211-3              Midlothian, VA  23112
  Richmond, Virginia  23219               804-744-9126
  "Know God, Know Peace"                  "No God, No Peace"
  "Champions are not men who never failed, but men who never quit"
                                          Ed Kole
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