Ukrainian people elected Vladimir Zelenskyy, with whom I Zoomed the other day, by the way. Cool little guy. The Churchill of the 21st century. He was empowered by electoral legitimacy. He won 72 percent of the vote. And now, he's leading his nation heroically against Russian invading forces and defending his country. In contrast, Russian elections are rigged. Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from participating in the electoral process. The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq... I mean of the Ukraine... Iraq, too... Anyway... [I'm] 75.

SAWYER: Do you have one word for the Republican Party today?
DUBYA: You will exist in the future.

Much of my presidency was defined by things that you didn't necessarily want to have happen.

I want you to hear something interesting. I'm the first former president to be able to share the post-presidency with both my parents.

And those who served in my cabinet, some of whom honored me by flying down on the airplane today, Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education, Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General. I wanna thank a fabulous staff of people. I was truly blessed to have people, uhh, work with me, people who came to Washington, D.C., not to serve George Bush, not to serve a political party, but they came because they wanted to serve the United States of America, and they did a fabulous job, and I be — will be forever grateful.

No matter whether you not or you agreed with my decisions or not, one thing they have to agree with, is that we have not been attacked in the last seven years.

One of the things I did was spend time meeting with the families of the fallen. I want you to know that the Comforter-in-Chief was always the person who got comforted in those meetings.

That is an — part of — a, part of the story I have seen. We are a fabulous country. We are a great nation, because the people of this country are caring, and decent, and courageous, and strong, and compassionate.

As our days in the White House wind down, we're going thoo a series of lasts. I pardoned my last Thanksgiving turkey. Laura decorated for her last Christmas in the White House. And Barney bit his last reporter.

There is one person who wishes he could be here today — and that's your former President, and America's Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates. You know, he's got an excused absence. It's not like he's over at the Dixie Chicken.

There's no question about it. Wall Street got drunk. It got drunk and now it's got a hangover. The question is, how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments?

I don't like to put words in leaders' mouths. I don't particularly like it when people put words in my mouth, either, by the way, unless I say it.

It's sad — that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person, like, uhh, Alberto Gonzales, is impeding from doin' important work, because his good name was dragged through the — mud for political reasons.

I firmly believe that in order to protect America we must go on the offense against radicals, extremists, murderers in order to protect not only ourselves, but our allies. And I also realize that we're involved in an ideological struggle, that these murderers, these radicals, these extremists have got a point of view. If you want to find out what their point of view is about, look what happened in Afghanistan under the brutal relationship of the Taliban and al Qaeda. On the one hand, if you're a woman and spoke out, or a woman and tried to advance, you were suppressed, in brutal fashion sometimes. And in the meantime, an enemy that hates America, plotted and planned. And so, look, I understand some people are — may not agree with the decisions I make. But what the American people need to know, I'm making them based upon what's best for this country.

As you can probably see I was injured myself, not here at the hospital but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won.

This is an urban environment. Right over here is Juarez. And people are able to easily come into the border — into Texas, in this part of — in part of the border.

We're also increasing the number of agents that will be working in the internal part of the country to find those who've broken the law and bring them to justice.

I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life.

I think you can do your job better if you're fit. People think more clearly if you're fit.

As to the constitution, one of the meetings we had this morning was with Zal, our ambassador in Baghdad. And he gave us a briefing as to the progress on the constitution. We have made it clear that we believe that constitution can be and should be agreed upon by August 15th. And so I'm operating on the assumption that it will be agreed upon by August the 15th. And Zal said that, you know, obviously there are some difficult issues — federalism being one, role of religion. Hopefully the — the drafters of the constitution understand our strong belief that women ought to be treated equally in the Iraqi society.

I grieve for every death. It breaks my heart to think about a family weeping over the loss of a loved one. I understand the anguish that some feel about the death that takes place.

And I remind people, when they think about the conflict we're in, to think about World War II, when an enemy of ours — Japan, for example — is now a loyal friend and an ally because of the hard work we did, not only during the war, but in the post-war reconstruction of Japan.

They have killed in Madrid and Istanbul and Jakarta and Casablanca and Riyadh and Bali and London and elsewhere, and they are determined to do more harm. And they kill indiscriminately. In other words, they don't care who they kill.

First of all, as you know, uhh, we have made — strong steps, ibs, uhh, uhh — we've, we've condemned strongly Iranians' attempt to develop — uhh, any kind of program that would allow them to, uhh, enrich uranium to develop a weapon. In other words, the Iranians, uhh, said they were in compliance with certain international rules, and yet — we found out they weren't in compliance of those rules, and so we're very deeply suspicious of their desires.

The comments by the number two man of Al Qaeda make it clear that Iraq is a part of this war on terror, and we're at war. In other words, he's saying, leave. As I have told the American people, one, that people like Zawahiri have an ideology that is dark, dim, backwards. They don't trust — they don't appreciate women. If you don't agree to their narrow view of a religion you'll be whipped in the public square. That's their view, and they have tactics to help spread that view. In other words, they've got goals. They want to spread that point of view throughout the world, starting in the broader Middle East. And part of their goal is to drive us out of the broader Middle East, precisely what Zawahiri said. In other words, he's threatening.

It's hard for the Western mind to even comprehend what life was like for people in Afghanistan, but this is a society in which young girls couldn't go to school. And if you objected to their point of view, you were taken into the public square and whipped, or sometimes assassinated.

By the time the baby boomers like me get completely retired, there will be about 75 million. In other words, a lot. ...And I believe that if you are a willing employer — In other words, if you have somebody looking for work and you can't find an American, there ought to be a legal way — not an illegal way — a legal way for you to be able to employ that person. ...We'll use our diplomatic corps. In other words, we're working with friends and allies. ...We're working hard to coordinate law enforcement around the world. In other words, we're using all assets of this great nation in order to defeat this enemy.

I look forward to doing something about it with people of both political parties, to permanently solve the Social Security system once and for all, and then we can say we did our duty.

I think the thing that struck all our delegation most intensely was the final scene of the plain-looking casket — one of three, by the way — lead, wood and wood — being carried and held up for the seal to be seen, and then the sun pouring out. This will be one of the highlights of my presidency, to have been at this great ceremony.

I want to wish all the fellow citizens and their families a happy Easter.

REPORTER 1: You're not going to Athens this week, are you?
DUBYA: Athens, Texas?
REPORTER 1: Ol — the Olympics, in Greece.
DUBYA: Oh, the Olympics? No, I'm not.
REPORTER 2: Have you been watching them?
DUBYA: Oh, yeah, yeah, it's been exciting.
REPORTER 2: Any particular moment stand out?
DUBYA: Umm — particular moment? I like the — let's see — uhhhm — Iraqi soccer. I liked — I liked seein' the Afghan woman carryin' the flag comin' in. I loved, uhh — you know, our gymnasts. I've been watching the swimming. I like th' — I've seen a lot, yeah. Listen, thank you all.

It reads like a mystery, a novel. It's well written.

Obviously, every day I pray there is less casualty, but I know what we are doing in Iraq is right.

I thought there's a lot of bull in Washington, D.C. But I'm really glad to be here at the livestock show. It's — somebody said, what's it like when you come here? It's like being in a place with people who are willing to stand up to values that are important in this country.

We will not stand for government discrimination of people of faith.

REPORTER: Mr. President, some firefighters and families of the 9/11 victims — of the 9/11 victims want you to pull your campaign ad focusing on the tragedy. Are you prepared to honor their wishes?
DUBYA: First of all, I will continue to speak about the effects of 9/11 on our country and my presidency. I will continue to mourn the loss of life on that day, but I'll never forget the lessons. The terrorists declared war on us on that day, and I will continue to pursue this war. I have an obligation to those who died. I have an obligation to those who were heroic in their attempts to rescue. And I won't forget that obligation.

DUBYA: ...we were just on a ranch with — owned by a lady who knows it's important to protect the environment by taking care of the land. And as a result of her taking care of the land, worrying about bird habitats, we happened to see a lot of birds today.... I think 2004 is going to be a great year. And in the spirit of great years, I'll answer a few questions.
REPORTER: How was the hunt?
DUBYA: It was good fun. You know, when you hunt quail, you get a lot of exercise. As you know, I like exercise. And so my Dad and I, and Ms. Negley, whose ranch we were on, walked a lot of territory, watched the dogs work, and knocked down some birds.
REPORTER: How many?
DUBYA: I think I shot five. The limit in Texas, I believe, is 15. I'm not that good a shot, but it was a lot of fun.

A President must set great goals, worthy of a great nation. We're a great nation. Therefore, a President must set big goals. I set a goal for this country to make the world more peaceful by spreading freedom. Freedom is not America's gift to the world, freedom is God's gift to each and every individual in the world. I set a great goal here at home.

I bring up — I bring up a preacher because I want to thank all the preachers who are here, the pastors, those who shepherd. One pastor who is not here is my friend Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist. I bring that up because social entrepreneurs find out ways to leverage resources in a proper way. And what Tony Evans has done with Pastor Jack Graham, is to start an urban suburban and partnership.

By mentoring a child, you shape the character of a child. And it's a high calling in life, because that influence reaches to eternity.

See, we want everybody in this country, every person — we want the addict, we want the single lonely mom, we want the child, the dyslexic child — all to feel a part of the future of this country.

Sometimes it's not easy to be the friend of George W. Bush — I know that. If you know what I mean.

REPORTER: [The California recall is] the biggest political story in the country. Is it hard to go in there and say nothing about it?
DUBYA: It is the biggest political story in the country? That's interesting. That says a lot. That speaks volumes.
REPORTER: You don't agree?
DUBYA: It's up to — I don't get to decide the biggest political story. You decide the biggest political story. But I find it interesting that that is the biggest political story in the country, as you just said.
REPORTER: You don't think it should be?
DUBYA: Oh, I think there's maybe other political stories. Isn't there, like, a presidential race coming up? Maybe that says something. It speaks volumes, if you know what I mean.

I think I've answered the question, and yes, [Arnold Schwarzenegger] would be a good governor, as would others running for governor of California. Like you, I'm most interested in seeing how the process evolves. It's a fascinating bit of political drama evolving in the state — in the country's largest state.

We learned a lesson September the 11th, and that is, our nation is vulnerable to attack. The best way to secure America is to get the enemy before they get us, and that's what's happening in Iraq.

I say it's pure politics. And that's just the nature of democracy. Sometimes pure politics enters into the rhetoric.

I think it's interesting. I'm a follower of American politics.

The Palestinians, the people in the neighborhood must deal with terror, must rout out those who would like to destroy the process. The [Israeli] fence, by the way, is a reaction to days when there were terror.

The Vice President and I went fishing. We threw our first lure at about 6:20 a.m., this morning. Looks like — turns out the fish like cooler weather than hot weather, probably the press corps feels the same way. Turns out this is our hundredth day since major military operations have ended, ended in Iraq.

We've got a year-and-a-while during my first term to make the world a more peaceful place and we'll deal with it. Washington loves speculation. Clearly, you love speculation. You love it. You love to speculate about... Let me finish, please, let me finish. You love to speculate about whether so-and-so is going to be a part of the administration or not. And I understand the game. But I have got to do my job, and I'm going to do it. And I'm going to do it with the Secretary of State.

Listen, this guy [Secretary of State Colin Powell] has done a fabulous job. Washington, particularly in August, is a dangerous period — a dangerous time, because there's a lot of speculation.

The key for a peace to happen is for both parties to assume their necessary obligations and responsibilities, to create the conditions so that people have confidence, that people know that their lives will be safe and that prosperity can break out.

Turns out this is our hundredth day since major military operations have ended, ended in Iraq. ...We've been there a hundred days. We've made a lot of progress in a hundred days, and I am pleased with the progress we've made, but fully recognize we've got a lot more work to do. ...The American people know that we laid out the facts, we based the decision on sound intelligence and they also know we've only been there for a hundred days.

Secondly, the answer to your question about reconstruction efforts, the answer is, who can do the best job for the Iraqi people?

The answer to your question is, how best to improve the lives of the Iraqi people, how best to quickly establish electricity and clean water and hospitals and schools, all the things necessary for a free society to develop?

And, obviously, the more help we can get, the more we appreciate it. And we are continuing to work with other nations to ask their help advice.

The more people involved in Iraq, the better off we will be. And that's exactly what our intention is, to encourage people to participate in the — making Iraq more secure and more free. A free Iraq is a crucial part of winning the war on terror. And now I'm going to go see to it that the Prime Minister is well fed. We're going to feed him some chicken.

Paul Carrozza, who is an entrepreneur, a business entrepreneur, started with nothing except a good pair of legs, and started what they call RunTex.

I like to talk about if you're a mother or a dad, reminding people you're responsible for loving your child, and really making sure your child understands the difference between right and wrong and what it means to make right choices in life if you're involved, if you're worried about your public school system.

In 2000, alone, obesity costs totaled the country an estimated cost of $117 billion.

And so our job of the Council, and me and others, the governors, the mayors, hopefully, is to focus on these four guidelines.

By making the right choices, we can make the right choice for our future.

The reason I like to talk about volunteers, this country of ours has got a lot of muscle, and we're strong. And we, by the way, stay strong in order to keep the peace. We will stay strong in order to promote freedom. But the truth of the matter is, the great strength of America is the heart and soul of the American citizen. People who are willing to dedicate time to make somebody else's life better. People who are willing to volunteer. And this guy, Dennis Roberson, comes here and volunteers to help teach children healthy lifestyles, to teach children how to use the computer, to teach children how to access the Internet. To teach children that a healthy body and a healthy mind will lead to a strong future.

And I'm glad Laura is here tonight. In my book, she's a fabulous First Lady. And I love her a lot and I hope she loves me a lot for dragging her out of Texas.

On the threat from North Korea's nukyular program, the Prime Minister and I see the problem exactly the same way. We will not tolerate nukyular weapons in North Korea. ...We will not settle for anything less than the complete, verifiable, and irreversible elimination of North Korea's nukyular weapons program. ...At talks held in Beijing last month, China called on North Korea to renounce nukyular weapons... The issue of North Korea's nukyular weapons is a grave challenge to entire world. We will not at all tolerate the possession, the development or the transfer of nukyular weapons by North Korea. North Korea must promptly and completely dismantle all nukyular weapons development programs in a verifiable manner. ...It is extremely important for Japan to comprehensively resolve the various issues, including nukyular weapons. ...Acceptance by the international community and potential help will come when [the North Koreans] change their behavior and their attitude toward nukyular weapons. ...Then we will have the Japanese and South Koreans join the dialogue so that there's now five of us sitting around the table, all discussing how to see that the Korean Peninsula is nukyular-weapons-free. ... And the importance of this meeting today should say to the world that Japan and the United States stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the issue of North Korea's nukyular weaponry.

Listen, we'll answer two questions a side, alternating. Please address — so don't — one of these things where you ask me and ask the Prime Minister, or vice versa. Let's just ask one question to one of us as we rotate back and forth, if you don't mind.

We ended the rule of one of history's worst tyrants, and in so doing we not only freed the American people, we made our own people more secure.

Well, the key thing on the North Korea agenda is that China is assuming a very important responsibility, and that is that they will confirm that which — work toward that which Jiang Zemin told me in Crawford, right around the corner here, that China's policy is for a nukyular weapons free Peninsula.

They're good, strong, men. It's an amazing experience, when you think about it. Here we are, Easter, the great — one of the great religious holidays, and these guys arrived last night — might have actually arrived Easter day. I don't know if it was exactly midnight, or a little after midnight.

Well, you know, they were — first of all, they were the encouraging people. They were the ones who offered encouragement. I was, believe this or not, somewhat taken aback when I was in their presence. And these guys were so uplifting and so positive, and so obviously thrilled to be here. They got in last night at midnight. They can speak for themselves. I think you can speak for yourselves. At least you did in my presence.

I described them [Iraq] as the axis of evil once. I described them as an enemy until proven otherwise. They obviously, you know, desire weapons of mass destruction. I presume that he still views us as an enemy.

This is a chance for the Security Council to show its relevance. And I believe the Security Council, will show its revalence — relevance.

All Texans are proud that our state is the home to so many fine military units, including the great 1st Calvary Division.

The Iraqi regime is a threat to any American and to threats who are friends of America.

And should the United States be compelled to act, our troops will be acting in the finest traditions of America, should we be forced to act.

He really doesn't care about the opinion of mankind.

You said we're headed to war in Iraq — I don't know why you say that. I hope we're not headed to war in Iraq. I'm the person who gets to decide, not you.

And it was right here in Crawford, Texas, where I had a meaningful and good discussions with Jiang Zemin.

We'll be having our New Year's hamburger here in a minute.

The page of the economic textbook that we've read from says that if you let a person keep more of their own money, they're more than likely to demand an additional good or a service. They're likely to demand a good or a service, and when they do that, somebody is likely to produce the good or a service. And when somebody produces the good or a service, it's more likely somebody is going to be able to find a job.

Paul Wellstone was a man of deep convictions, a plain-spoken fellow who did his best for his state and for his country. May the good Lord bless those who grieve.

After all, this is a guy that tried to kill my dad at one time.

It's not a very glamorous war from the sense that the cables and all the air time can cover, but it's happening.

This is an American issue, a uniquely American issue. And it's — as I reminded the members, that — I say uniquely American issue because I truly believe that now that the war has changed, now that we're a battlefield, this man poses a much graver threat than anybody could have possibly imagined. Other countries, of course, bear the same risk.

We got the other guy the other day who thought he was going to be — wanted to be the 20th hijacker. He popped his head up, and now he's in detention. He's no longer a threat to America and our friends and allies. He's no longer around.

We're going to stay in Afghanistan to hunt down the killers — they still lurk around. They occasionally come in, and we'll find them. They kind of bunch up somewhere and they're just — they think they're allusive and they think they're clever, but they've got the mighty United States on them.

We need people up there who understand that if Congress overspends it will serve as an anchor to economic vitality and growth.

So long as we love freedom, they hate us, and they want to hurt us. That's just the facts of life, as we head into the 21st century.

I'm the commander — see, I don't need to explain — I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation.

Listen, it's a healthy debate for people to express their opinion. People should be allowed to express their opinion. But America needs to know, I'll be making up my mind based upon the latest intelligence and how best to protect our own country plus our friends and allies.

I came away from that summit that the small business person feels constrained by tax policy and regulatory policy and I was really appreciated the people coming.

There was certainly a very strong sentiment that we're on the right track when it comes to holding people to account who lie, steat or cheal — lie, cheat or steal, who defraud people by cooking the books. There was some strong sentiment from CEO and non-CEO alike.

Nothing he has done has convinced me — I'm confident the Secretary of Defense — that he is the kind of fellow that is willing to forgo weapons of mass destruction, is willing to be a peaceful neighbor, that is — will honor the people — the Iraqi people of all stripes, will — values human life. He hasn't convinced me, nor has he convinced my administration.

And I said, well, we have laws here in America. We've got — the state of Texas has got a law. I said that there's going to be full recourse to the courts, which there was. And the Governor made the decision he made, the Supreme Court made the decision it made, and President Fox made the decision he made.

I think one of the things you'll hear is that even though times are kind of tough right now, that we're America.

Listen, thank you all for coming. I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here.

The thing about the death tax, the death tax is punitive on small business owners. It is very tough on farmers and ranchers. it's hard to be able to keep your farm and your family if you've got a big appraisal value when a loved one dies. I firmly believe the death tax is good for people from all walks of life all throughout our society.

DUBYA: John, what do you do — excuse me.
MR. JOHN BROOKS: I'm a business manager for the Carpenters.
DUBYA: Oh, good.
BROOKS: We've entertained you.
DUBYA: Yes, you have. You certainly did.
BROOKS: I was probably the first person you met.
DUBYA: That's right. Well, I didn't notice you. I didn't recognize you in a coat and tie.

The other day — somebody asked me one time, a while ago, they said, "Has he [Chairman Arafat] disappointed you, has he lost your respect?" I said, well, he hasn't earned my respect yet.

There are some Palestinians — a lot of Palestinians who wonder whether or not life is worth living. And we've got, as a world, have got to help them understand there is a positive life ahead for they and their children.

And when I talked to him [Prime Minister Sharon] on the phone this weekend, the subject didn't come up, but as I understand, that there is — discussions going on about a potential trip. I welcome a trip here to the United States. I welcome people from that part of the world to come and bare their soul and discuss their plans for peace.

DUBYA: Now I've got to go over to a friend-raiser.
REPORTER: A friend-raiser?
DUBYA: Well, that's opposed to a fundraiser.
REPORTER:What's a friend-raiser?
DUBYA: A friend-raiser? Well, it's a — well, it's just kind of a cute way of saying I'm going to go over and see people and thank them for being a part of my campaign. And they actually get to do this for free. And I'm glad. But these will be people, evidently, from all around the country. I haven't seen the list, but I'm told that they are. And I look forward to thanking them — it's really a way of thanking people, many of whom I — I suspect I haven't seen since I've been the President. It's a nice, casual setting to say hello to people. And I'm looking forward to it.

And as to how to achieve that vision is something we must consult with our friends.

DUBYA: Maybe I should be a little less direct and be a little more nuanced, and say we support regime change.
REPORTER: That's a change though, isn't it, a change in policy?
DUBYA: No, it's really not. Regime change was the policy of my predecessor, as well.
REPORTER: And your father?
DUBYA: You know, I can't remember that far back. It's certainly the policy of my administration. I think regime change sounds a lot more civil, doesn't it? The world would be better off without him. Let me put it that way, though. And so will the future.

Far be it from the American President to get to decide who leads what country... I made up my mind that Saddam needs to go.

The invisible part of everything that you thought you could see, you can't see.

That country has a right to defend herself. And as she does so, I urge that their government, the Israeli government, make sure that there is a path to peace as she secures her homeland. But they've got to keep in mind the need that there's got to be a peaceful solution at some point.

But there needs to be a focused, coalition effort in the region against peace — I mean, against terror for peace.

Everybody in Crawford says hello, starting with Laura. She is doing a fabulous day. I tell people it's because she's from Midland, Texas.

You see, we understand — Phil understands, I understand, and John understands — that if you let people keep more of their own money, they will demand more goods and services. And if they demand more goods and services, somebody will help produce those goods and services. And if somebody else produces those goods and services, it makes it easier for somebody to find work.

You know, when I was campaigning in Chicago, in the general election, somebody said, "Would you ever deficit spend?" I said, "Well, only if we were at war, or there was a national emergency, or we were in a recession." Little did I realize we'd get the trifecta.

I see a peaceful world, I do. The rest of the world watches us very carefully. I like to say, "If the United States blinks, they'll go to sleep." We're not going to blink.

Colin Powell has cobbled together one of the great coalitions ever, a coalition determined to fight terror wherever we find it.

And we will not relent to any terrorist who think they can take our freedom or the freedom from anybody else in the world away from us.

Mexico is an incredibly important part of the futuro de los Estados Unidos.

And this morning, Laura and I met Milton Green and his son, who lost a wife and a mother when they were going to church, when they were praying to the Almighty God, and a suicide killer came in in Pakistan and took their lives.

We're in for a long struggle, and I think Texans understand that. And so do Americans.

Today we had a terrible suicide bombing in Israel, and innocent lives were lost. And there was one in Peru yesterday, where people lost their life. And this morning, Laura and I met Milton Green and his son, who lost a wife and a mother when they were going to church, when they were praying to the Almighty God, and a suicide killer came in in Pakistan and took their lives.

We're looking at border policies, both with Canada and with Mexico. And we'll continue doing what we're doing now, which is any time we get a lead, we're going to disrupt — we're going to bring them in and give them a chance to protect Americans.

Listen, a while ago I said to the American people, our objective is more than bin Laden. But one of the things for certain is we're going to get him running and keep him running, and bring him to justice. And that's what's happening. He's on the run, if he's running at all. So we don't know whether he's in a cave with the door shut, or a cave with the door open — we just don't know.

And it all starts with the human element, the thing that matters most in life, and that is our faiths and our families and our respected loves as dads for our daughters.

I was on Air Force One the day of the attack, working my way back to Washington via Louisiana and Nebraska — making sure that the President was safe and secure.

Secondly, is to make sure that the good hearts of the American people and the Russian people, and people all over the world, are affected. By that I mean that we get the aid to the starving folks in Afghanistan.

I can assure you, when I was a senior in high school, I never sat in an audience saying, gosh, if I work hard I'll be President of the United States.

It's one thing for he and me to have a personal relationship.

And terrorism and evil are common threats to both our governments, and will be tomorrow, as well as today, unless we do something about it now. And that's exactly what we're doing.

So we are getting ready to have the first press conference we had together in Slovenia.

And so one of the areas where I think the average Russian will realize that the stereotypes of America have changed is that it's a spirit of cooperation, not one-upmanship. That we now understand one plus one can equal three, as opposed to us and Russia we hope to be zero.

I have been — I had spent a lot of time worrying about all eight, particularly the two young ladies. I was worried that — about the reports that perhaps the enemy would put them in a house and then, for whatever reason, would encourage that house to get bombed.

So there's a lot we can find with these world leaders that you've got in common with them, if you just spend some time listening.

Now, there are some who are second-guessing tax relief. You hear the voices begin to filter out of their home states. I presume those who now oppose tax relief are for raising your taxes.

But even more efficient, however, is the transference of heat and cool as a result of circulating water below the — it's called thermal heating and cooling — okay.

I've seen fox in here, I've seen all kinds of birds. It's a wonderful spot to come up in here and just kind of think about the budget.

In order to go to college or realize your dreams, you have to make right choices in life. As you grow up, you've got to learn to say yes to the good things and no to the bad things, like saying no to drugs. That's going to be important in order to realize your dreams. No to alcohol, excessive alcohol. You've got to learn to make the right choices when you get older.

The White House is in Washington, D.C., it's up East.

DUBYA: Is everybody enjoying themselves here?
REPORTER: I only just got here, so...
DUBYA: Yes, I know. Where have you been?
REPORTER: Sucking up the salt air on the West Coast.
DUBYA: Brie and cheese?
REPORTER: No, tennis.

There's a lot of people in the Middle East who are desirous to get into the Mitchell process. And — but first things first. The — these terrorist acts and, you know, the responses have got to end in order for us to get the framework — the groundwork — not framework, the groundwork to discuss a framework for peace, to lay the — all right.

You can't pass a law that says 'thou shalt love thy neighbor' or 'you will be neighborly'. That's because America is full of just such decent people.

It's a meaningful piece of legislation for this part of the country because a lot of people make their living on the farm and on the ranch. And we want our families to be on the farms and ranch.

My administration has been calling upon all the leaders in the - in the Middle East to do everything they can to stop the violence, to tell the different parties involved that peace will never happen.

Home is important. It's important to have a home.

As far as I can tell, from what I read, I think she's certainly qualified to be the president — I mean be a Cabinet secretary.

I would have to ask the questioner. I haven't had a chance to ask the questioners the question they've been questioning.

I do remain confident in Linda. She'll make a fine labor secretary. From what I've read in the press accounts, she's perfectly qualified.

I mean, these good folks are revolutionizing how businesses conduct their business. And, like them, I am very optimistic about our position in the world and about its influence on the United States. We're concerned about the short-term economic news, but long-term I'm optimistic. And so, I hope investors, you know — secondly, I hope investors hold investments for periods of time — that I've always found the best investments are those that you salt away based on economics.

The person who runs FEMA is someone who must have the trust of the president. Because the person who runs FEMA is the first voice, often times, of someone whose life has been turned upside down hears from.

She is a member of a labor union at one point.

Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we can find in our neighborhoods.

I also have picked a secretary for Housing and Human Development. Mel Martinez from the state of Florida.

The great thing about America is everybody should vote.

Dick [Cheney] and I felt like we won the first election three times and we're confident that when it's all said and done that he and I will be honored to be the president and vice president.

I knew it might put him in an awkward position that we had a discussion before finality has finally happened in this presidential race.

Election night, we won. And then there was a recount, and we won. And there was a selected recount as a result of different legal maneuverings, and we won that. And I believe one of these days that all this is going to stop and Dick Cheney and I will be the president and the vice president.

As far as the legal hassling and wrangling and posturing in Florida, I would suggest you talk to our team in Florida led by Jim Baker.

The legislature's job is to write law. It's the executive branch's job to interpret law.

There is a very good chance that Dick Cheney and I will be President and Vice President.

We'll let our friends be the peacekeepers and the great country called America will be the pacemakers.

No one is going to threaten the governor of the state of Texas. My job is to enforce the laws of the state of Texas. That is my job and that is what I intend to do.

We believe in swift and sure punishment, and Texans believe in the death penalty. If you're a Canadian and come to our state, don't murder anybody.

My faith tells me that acceptance of Jesus Christ as my savior is my salvation, and I believe I made it clear that it is not the governor's role to decide who goes to heaven. I believe God decides who goes to heaven, not George W. Bush.

We live in a culture of moral indifference, where movies and videos glamorize violence and tolerance is touted as a great virtue.

I've always believed the death penalty will deter death.

Skeptics say, "Governor, if you take away our licenses, we won't be able to earn a living to pay child support." To those parents, I have a simple response: "Pay up."

You f***ing son of a bitc*. I saw what you wrote. We're not going to forget this.

GUEST: Can you drink this? (asks while reaching down to the water)
DUBYA: Sure.
GUEST takes a handful to his mouth.
DUBYA: Except for the cow sh*t.
GUEST "spit take" ensues.