There is much wisdom in these words from the Scriptures, Come, let us reason together. This week we have seen a good example of what happens when people talk to each other instead of shout at each other. And unfortunately, we have also seen what happens when some people go to unreasonable lengths to prevent reasonable discussion and decisionmaking. I am speaking to you from the Pacific Northwest where we have just concluded the Forest Conference. how best to preserve jobs and protect the forests in this beautiful and productive region of our great Nation. Yesterday in Portland, Oregon, timber workers, business people, environmentalists, and community leaders sat down together in a conference room, not a courtroom. We discussed how to achieve a healthy economy and a healthy environment. And I directed my Cabinet to come back within 60 days with a plan for a balanced policy. Grass roots Americans want to end the gridlock and get the economy moving. They want to follow the same practice that we followed in Oregon yesterday. Unfortunately, some people in Washington, DC, have not gotten the message that the people want fundamental change. Yesterday the minority party in the Senate used procedural tactics to prevent the entire Senate from voting on our jobs and economic recovery package, which has already been passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives. After 3 years, when America lost one million jobs in the private sector, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in March, and the total number of jobs in our economy actually declined. Now, some folks in Washington may think everything is fine, but all across America the people understand there will not be a real recovery until our working men and women can look forward to a secure, high-wage future for themselves and their children. The people know that America needs our plan to put 500,000 Americans back to work by beginning the investments we need in a stronger, smarter economy. It is time to move beyond the old politics of partisanship, posturing, and procedural delays and start working together to solve problems. And just as this works in our own country, so too can it work between ourselves and other nations. That is why I am taking my first trip out of the country today to meet with Russia's democratically elected President, Boris Yeltsin. Nowhere is progress toward democracy and free markets more important to us than in Russia and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union. Their progress presents a great security challenge and offers great economic opportunities. Russia's rebirth is in the economic interests of American taxpayers, workers, and businesses and the security interests of all of us.

The President's Radio Address


We spent over $4 trillion to wage the cold war. Now we can reduce that spending because the arms and armies of the former Soviet Union pose a greatly reduced threat to us and to our allies. If Russia were to revert to its old ways or plunge into chaos, we would need to reassess our plans for defense savings. That could mean less money for creating new businesses and new jobs, less for preparing our children for the future, less for education. Our economic program at home, more jobs and greater incomes for Americans, could be jeopardized if the reforms in Russia fail. My discussions with President Yeltsin involve measures intended to help the Russian people make the difficult transition to a market economy by helping themselves. Just as we mobilized the world on behalf of war in the Gulf, we must now mobilize the world on behalf of peace and reform in Russia. Most of this effort will have to come from the Russian people themselves. They will chart the path to their own future. These efforts to offer an historic chance to improve our own security, however, require some action by ourselves, too. Russia still holds over 20,000 strategic and tactical nuclear warheads. We are implementing historic arms control agreements that for the first time will actually reduce the level of strategic nuclear weapons. By supporting Russia's reforms we can help turn the promise of those agreements into reality for ourselves and for our children and for the Russian people and their children as well. And we can make life in America more safe and prosperous. For too long, work in Washington on issues like economics, the environment, and foreign policy took place in isolation. The interests of the American people were not amply protected because their voices were not adequately heard. to bring men and women of good will together so that we can put people, the American people, first. Now, I ask you to call or write your Senators. I ask for your best wishes as I go into this meeting with President Yeltsin and your understanding that here there is no clear line between our interests at home and our interests abroad. We cannot withdraw from the world even as we work to make America stronger. Together we can change America and change the world.

The President's Radio Address


This morning we are particularly pleased to have President Moi of Kenya come to visit our country. He is the first President of that great nation to be an official guest of the United States, although President Moi has been here in the past before he assumed his present position of national leadership. He and I have gotten to be good friends through our frequent communications with one another as we met the increasing challenges and dangers of people who are determined to live in freedom. We share moral values, we share religious faith, and we share political values as well, not only on a personal basis but among the people of our two countries. We have been particularly grateful to see the leadership shown by President Moi and the people of Kenya, along with the nonaligned countries throughout the world, in condemning the brutal invasion by the Soviet Union of Afghanistan, and the staunch demand by others, led by President Moi, that these invasion forces be withdrawn from Afghanistan. President Moi and the people of his country led the entire continent of Africa, on their own initiative, in announcing that the athletes of Kenya will not attend the Olympics in Moscow this summer because their invasion forces occupy a freedom-loving country. This is particularly significant, not only because of the leadership shown by President Moi but because of the superb competence of the athletes of Kenya, world renowned for their prowess in past Olympic games. We are also particularly grateful as a nation to the people of his country and to President Moi for their unswerving support for us in the trying times since the innocent American diplomats were captured by militants in Iran and held hostage. President Moi has used his influence on a political basis to intercede for those hostages held captive and has also led other deeply religious nations, on his own initiative, in calling for a day of prayer and personally led a prayer meeting in his country for the safety and wellbeing and the freedom of the American hostages. This is particularly important to us, and I want to thank him from the bottom of my heart, as the leader of our Nation, for this initiative on his part. We value, as do the people of Kenya, the worth of one individual human being, and we also value, as do the people of Kenya, the freedom of each individual human being. We share a political process. It has been extremely significant in Africa and throughout the world to see the democratic processes performed so well in Kenya during this past year, when in open and free elections President Moi received an overwhelming mandate from his people to assume the position of President for a 5-year term.

Visit of President Daniel T. arap Moi of Kenya Remarks at the Welcoming Ceremony.


So we will update you on the latest numbers in the State of California. We will walk through some new announcements and then of course here to catch up, answer any questions that you may have. The current number of people have tested positive in the State of California is 335, that is a 14% increase from the prior day. Tragically, we now have six individuals that have passed away from ENTITY, the novel Coronavirus. The State of California has conducted some 8,316 tests, that includes our 19 labs of which 2,665 of those tests were done by our labs, but those labs, as I noted a few days ago, had been supplemented by hospitals from Stanford to a number of UC as well as our private lab Quest in San Juan Capistrano. I will remind you that Quest currently is operating just one lab in the State of California and conducting roughly 1,200 tests on a daily basis. That will substantially ramp up in the next week or so with the two additional labs that will come online. We will get those tests just from that commercial lab up to 5,000 as much as 5,500 a day. But the total number North of 8,000, and we are increasing our capacity on an hourly basis, not just a daily basis. Accordingly, we have advanced a partnership that was initiated well over a week ago with Verily, the health and life science subsidiary of Alphabet. We advanced that partnership with the idea of bringing to market the capacity for individuals that have developed mild symptoms or are concerned about their status from the perspective of being a vulnerable population, being our seniors or higher risk of contracting the disease to give them the opportunity to go on this portal, to answer specific questions, to be scored in terms of their likelihood to be needed to be tested, and then be allowed and directed the opportunity to be tested at what will be at launch to specific sites, one in Santa Clara County, one in San Mateo County. That portal, that page that allows people to interface will go align tomorrow and we will then begin to make reservations, and people throughout the course of next week will be in the opportunity to get the mobile testing that so many are discussing and so many have promoted. We expect that those two pilots, one in Santa Clara County, one in San Mateo County will significantly expand other parts of the state. We have a deep eye and consciousness on the Central Valley, other parts of the state.

California Governor Gavin Newsom Coronavirus Press Conference: Announces Closure of Bars Across State


We want to make sure, from not just a density of concern, Santa Clara being one of our top priorities as a county, that is the answer of why we are starting there, but more broadly that we look at the issues of social economics and access as a big part of the advancement of the Verily partnership. There is simply no other interface that exists in the United States that allows people a portal that has questions and the capacity to geospatially identify where people are so we can identify the closest areas for mobile testing that we are aware of in the country. And so we are very encouraged by this partnership, very enthusiastic to finally announce it. I know there is been some conversations about it in the media, but it is going live this week in the next 48 hours, fully operational in the first two piloted areas in our state. We have the capacity currently through the assets in hand, be it swabs, issue that I will discuss in a moment, the issue of swabs. Not just the issue of reagents, not just the issue of RNA extraction kits that are part of our testing regime, but also the availability of swabs. But the first troche we have over 9,000 test capacity with the swabs and we will partner with Quest in terms of the diagnostics of those tests. The turnaround is typical at Quest, anywhere from two days, some cases three days, is roughly the estimate. People will be automatically notified based upon that screening criteria and based upon that interface on that portal of their test results. If people have severe symptoms, this is not where we want you to be tested. If you have severe symptoms, you need to engage the medical community directly. So we want to remind people, this is not to substitute that interface, but to supplement our capacity to get people that have some mild concerns and or people that are higher risks to remove them from overburdening our healthcare delivery system, to get them out of that setting and to allow people with the kind of portability that mobile testing provides to get answers quickly. But again, it is just a test, and so I just want to remind people of that framework and not promote it for something that it is not . So we are moving into next phase as it relates to testing in the State of California. Broadly, I think in the United States, there is still some capacity concerns.


Not only on the diagnostic side, on the back end with the labs, both private, public, commercial, but as it relates to suppliers and one must be honest about that and forthright about it. But significant increases nonetheless in the testing protocols are being advanced, again, I think quite substantively with this new partnership. As it relates to the purpose of developing these partnerships, the purpose of our testing that is to identify through community surveillance where we are so that we could begin to process how we need to manage the status quo and how we need to anticipate the growth and spread of the virus and look at allocating resources across the state accordingly I mentioned this a few days ago. I will remind folks, we have about 74,000 hospital beds in the state at 416 different hospitals. We have surge capacity in our state just shy of 9,000 beds, that is 8,661 beds to be exact, and that is on the basis of current survey that is very contemporary of the existing hospital system. We have about 11,500 ICU beds in our system, but that is not just for adults. That also includes pediatric ICUs. It is just shy of 11,500 when you add the two numbers up. We have new and detailed information about access to ventilators over 7,587. 7,587 ventilators currently reside in our hospitals and we have procured new ventilators, a few hundred that we were able to purchase, and we also have our own cash both through our MSA and our CDPH sites that include an additional roughly 900 ventilators, in addition to the 7,587 that I referenced. So I give you those numbers because a lot of people have asked about that information. I also make that point as a point of consideration and segue to the subsequent announcement, and that is as we manage this disease and the dynamic nature of this moment, we need to anticipate spread but we also need to prioritize our focus. The purpose of today's announcement is to focus on specifically what we mean by that. Most important thing again is to protect the most vulnerable, protect our seniors. In the State of California, we estimate we 5.3 million Californians that are 65 years or older. Of those 5.3 million 65 years and over, we are prioritizing their safety because of their unique vulnerabilities to this virus.


We also are prioritizing those with chronic conditions and prioritizing our homeless, and it is in those three areas that I want to advance some new considerations for the public, a new direction for the people of the State of California. We are calling for the home isolation of all seniors in the State of California. We are calling for the home isolation of all of those 65 years and older and those with chronic conditions. We are doing so with our eyes wide open at the magnitude of what that means and the need to provide wraparound services to support our seniors in need of medical supplies and need of meals and the like. The team assembled behind me and the people in this, what we refer to as soccer state operation center, of where we reside at the moment currently have 13 task forces that are working on a panoply of issues from logistics, from things as basic as not just food but water, fuel and basic supplies to more complex issues related to workforce and the like. So we are looking at this from a very holistic perspective and holistic lens. We recognize that social isolation for millions of Californians is anxiety inducing, but we recognize what all of the science bears out and what we recognize around the rest of the world that we need to meet this moment head on and lean in, not isolate ourselves to this moment, but lean in and own this moment and take actions that we think are commensurate with the need to protect the most vulnerable Californians. Number two, we are directing at all bars, nightclubs, wineries, brewpubs and the like be closed in the State of California. We believe that this is a non essential function in our state, and we believe that is appropriate under the circumstances to move in that direction. As it relates to restaurants, we have more nuanced concerns and considerations. Some have suggested just shutting down all of our restaurants. We do not believe ultimately that is necessary at this moment. Consideration nonetheless is to socially distance patrons within these establishment, and as a consequence, we are directing that we reduce the current occupancy within these establishments by half, and we require social distancing within those establishments.


We have quite some flexibility in that space and we could talk more about what that may look like, but in broad strokes, that is the current directive and we will in real time absorb the capacity to potentially do more but also try to reflect on the enforcement side of this, which I am not concerned about because as you had noted with all of our directives, we are seeing a socialization in real time and strong and broad support, not only from public health officials up and down the state, but the private sector that has done a remarkable job meeting this moment. So that is on the restaurant side. Let me just briefly make this point. There is a concern around access to food for those that cannot prepare their own food. Not everybody has kind of kitchen you or I may have, not everybody is capable of heating their food. Now we are talking about home isolation. Not everybody is able now to go out to grocery store to get that food. Some may have limited capacities relates to deliveries, but we want to expand the points of access to get those deliveries. Restaurants by definition provide those points of access. So having an organized construct that allows delivery of hot, prepared and nutritious food within an existing infrastructure we think is appropriate again to this moment with the additional steps on bars, nightclubs, wineries, brew pubs and the like. Number three, in relationship to seniors as our top priority and home isolation, as it relates to bars and new guidelines on restaurants, I referenced the issue of homelessness. This is a top concern in the State of California in the abstract. We have 108,000 unsheltered homeless individuals in the State of California. We need to meet this moment aggressively, and I can assure you, I mentioned 13 of our task force teams that are residing in this building, they are our teams just working 24/7 on this issue to get people out of encampments and get people into environments where we can address their growing anxiety and our growing concern about the health of some of our most vulnerable Californians out in the streets and sidewalks. We are in real time procuring hotels and motels to convert to appropriate sites. We have just identified as Just an example, this is not even close to the magnitude of what we are proposing, but it is just a point of consideration and a proof point to give you a sense of what we are doing. We have additional 450 trailers that we have identified that will be dispersing to critical points across this state.


We are working to address the needs within the shelters so that again we have appropriate distancing and we are appropriating ourselves as relates to social mixing for those vulnerable communities as well. So that is another area of deep and disproportionate emphasis that also we are advancing as a directive. As it relates to, again, vulnerable populations, you saw yesterday we put out guidance as it relates to an executive order directing along the lines of what the CDC and others have been recommending. We codified that in the State of California on visitation in our senior facilities, our skilled nursing facilities, our assisted living facilities. We now are tightening those directives to just end of life visitation, and that includes hospitals, not just congregate living facilities in the state. That is also a part of what we are advancing here today. So that gives you a sense of some of the current thinking of our healthcare professionals. We have our finance team here and others in this building. We are gaming out the financial impacts, not just to the state's budget, but with disproportionate focus on families and individual budgets. This is a very different challenge, a very different crisis, and we need to meet this moment even different than we did in the 2008, 2009 years. We have to really focus on individual, so looking at our unemployment insurance or disability insurance, looking at how we can compliment what was done at the federal level. We are also sharpening our focus on what we request of the federal government going forward as we believe the extraordinary work that has been done by Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues, and we hope soon by the United States Senate can be complimented with even more support that we think is necessary to meet this moment. In more parochial, for some more pedestrian issues related to our work with the California legislature, we are in real time conversations with the legislature about our current budget and how we will process the concerns and anxieties people have about business as usual and environment where business cannot be as usual and we will be making announcements on that in the next number of days, probably the next number of hours potentially, and certainly tomorrow. On the issue, finally, before I open it up to questions, of schools, I want to say this, current number of schools in the State of California that have already shut down is 51% of all of the districts in the state.


That is somewhat misleading number, 51%, because about 80% to 85% of these numbers are dynamic, and we will get you the real numbers. But we are in that range of 80% to 85% of all of our kids are no longer going to school starting tomorrow on the basis of 51% of the districts shutting down, meaning the largest districts in the state. 24 out of 25 of the largest districts in the State of California have already shut down. The one remaining in that group is current high school district which has remained open. Many smaller districts remain open and for reasons that are perfectly understandable. On Tuesday, we will be putting out very detailed guidelines for those schools that remained open and continue to remain and are likely to remain open and those that have closed. We are vetting and curating and validating all kinds of private and public sector solutions to address the following and obvious real problems. How you feed people that cannot be fed otherwise because they are on free or reduced, not just lunch but also free or reduced breakfast. Some districts, 80%, some districts even higher, of their children meet that criteria 60% throughout our entire educational system. It is one thing to say you have a plan, it is another to actually deliver on that plan and with respect, not everybody that closed had that plan. So we are making sure we supplement that, take responsibility to meet that moment. That is transportation issue, that is a logistics issue, that is a siting issue, parks, libraries where we provide those supports. We also work with the private sector, and I must call out a Chef Jose who was there at the Grand Princess and is here in this conversation working with his organization to provide nutritious meal alternatives as well and to help us with the logistics and the distribution of food sites throughout the State of California. But we have particular concern, in addition to that, for special needs children, and this is something personal that I know all of us that have any empathy and capacity, as someone whose mother worked for Aid to Adoption of Special Kids, this is how I grew up with a deep consciousness and mindset for those with physical as well as cognitive disabilities. Many those children do not have places to go.


We take for granted that so many of these kids are going to be taken care of, when in fact they are not going to be taken care of to the degree they should be, and so we are paying particular emphasis on those with special needs and making sure we meet this moment in the community childcare more broadly, defined, and we believe in quality childcare, not just access to childcare, what that really looks like. So that is what this planning process has been about. On Tuesday, we will lay out in detailed terms what that vetted and curated process and the protocols we want to establish look like from a very bottom up, not top down perspective, meaning districts and rural parts of the state operate very differently as it relates to community assets than some on the coast with large social safety nets. So we have to meet the needs of all of our diverse communities in a nation state with six plus million children, and I should just note the first six states that announced they were shutting down their education system combined did not even have as many children as we do in the State of California. It gives you a sense of the magnitude of the number of children that we are needing to address, that again puts a real burden on trying to orient an appropriate response to meet this moment. The superintendent of public education, I have been working very collaborative with us, our health and human service agencies and our logistics teams that also are represented in those 13 task forces that are included upstairs and in that total package in those numbers that I just referenced. So that is it on the schools, a little bit on our new advisories on bars and restaurants on social isolation home isolation for our 65 and older population and those with chronic disease. The fairly partnership that we are advancing, which we are very enthusiastic about and we hope is a model to this country, and then of course an update on the numbers of people that currently have tested positive. In closing, we anticipate as these tests significantly ramp up, the number of those by definition change the numerator, denominator, number of people will test positive. Again, we are just trying to break down how we prioritize those on the basis of need, seniors, homeless, and addressing the healthcare delivery systems capacity to meet the inevitable surge, and on that, I will just make this final statement.


We have been in detailed negotiations and we will be bringing online, in the next few days, significant assets to help increase the surge capacity of our healthcare delivery system beyond the numbers I just laid out. We have already identified some very large hospitals that we can bring online that currently are not operational, and we could bring online in real time. We are in deep negotiations, and forgive me when you ask which specific sites are there, we are in deep negotiations to secure those sites. As soon as they are secured and the negotiations are complete, within the next number of days, we will announce those publicly. We are also looking on the basis of the work we are doing to triage the situation, not looking at the world in the aggregate but looking at the world as it exists within our diverse communities, meaning we may have a system that includes some 74,000 hospital beds but not every community has adequate number of beds. So we are looking to site our focus and our energies to increase capacity in those communities that need it the most. So it is , yes, North and South, but it is also from a regional basis, looking at other parts of the state to the inland part of the state, not just in Coastal California. I am in particular, and I think I can say this on behalf of Mark and others by the advanced negotiations on sizable assets that could be brought on line. Hundreds and hundreds, in fact, I can say this. A minimum 750 beds that will get up if these negotiations are successful just by the end of the week in world-class settings, and we have identified many other additional sites that we are also initiating conversations. I will conclude on that frame to also acknowledge philanthropy that is been incredibly supportive, some of the largest businesses as well, that are helping us identify those assets and are procuring resources in a resourceful mindset to help us with the formalized leases and potential purchases of some of these assets in real time to meet this moment.


Morocco is among America's oldest friends, one of the very first to recognize us as a free nation. His Majesty and I are continuing a very old tradition. The messages of our first ENTITY and His Majesty's illustrious ancestor, handwritten messages, carried between our two countries by a sailing ship, are very treasured in our National Archives. We are also modern partners--ready to stand together before the challenges that face us in modern times. The United States has proposed that all nations unite in a worldwide war on hunger. From our talks today, I am more confident than ever that our friends in Morocco are committed to that struggle. As I said this morning in receiving His Majesty, our ultimate task is to create among the nations of the world a community of peace. I often read and reread Article I of the United Nations Charter. I believe all of us-and especially those of you who are too young to know how the world felt in 1945--should come to know it line by line. collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace; --collective measures for the suppression of acts of aggression; --adjustment or settlement of international disputes by peaceful means; --the development of friendly relations among nations based upon respect for the principle of equal rights and the self-determination of peoples; --international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character; and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion. In those years Americans have taken more than 200,000 casualties in collective measures to suppress acts of aggression. All of us, working together, at different times and in different places, have made sure that aggression did not succeed. The chances for world security are larger, and the hope for world peace is nearer, because tonight aggression has not succeeded. Meanwhile, in lands and nations throughout the world much has been done to lift the standards of living. In Western Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, cooperation in economic and social progress is no longer just a matter of words. So I tell you tonight that despite the terrible burden of war in Southeast Asia, I am confident that we will pass along to the next generation the gifts of hope and opportunity that illuminate Article I of the United Nations Charter.

Toasts of the President and King Hassan II of Morocco


I think I speak for all my countrymen, Your Majesty, in expressing this hope and making this prediction, and also in expressing to you our best wishes for your long life and for your good health. It is our fervent prayer that our two countries will continue to do what is right, and continue to do what is needed to guide us to the peace and the 'progress which our talks reaffirmed today. We are extremely pleased to have visited the United States once again to meet this country's ENTITY, its leading citizens, and to become acquainted with its great people. We are happy to meet on this occasion, in particular this select group of important men whose responsibilities cover all the various fields of politics, government, and economics. At the present time, the time characterized by an increase in problems which are so great and serious that they seem sometimes very difficult to solve, we deem it most beneficial that chiefs of state should get together from time to time. This we deem essential because we believe that as a result of their meetings and direct discussions, bonds of cooperation among nations grow stronger on the one hand, and, on the other, the chances for peace in the world become greater. It is this belief which has prompted us ever since our accession to the throne to visit on a number of continents the chiefs of state whose systems and customs differ from ours. We have seen that differences in systems and differences between races and cultures do not necessarily make it impossible to bring about a rapprochement of points of view, nor do they necessarily prevent the achievement of desired objectives. It is our pleasure to be visiting again today this friendly country and to meet His Excellency, the ENTITY, Mr. Johnson, knowing that our meeting each other will definitely open up before us wider and greater horizons for a free collaboration and cooperation in the interest of our two peoples. We aspire to benefit from the experience of the people of the United States, which has become an example and an ideal in progress in the economic, agricultural, and industrial development fields. We also wish to emulate the American techniques and methods which have resulted in prosperity and abundance, particularly as we have been for some years waging a relentless war on underdevelopment. We have been striving with all the power at our command to assure each of our people a life of dignity and value.


Well, we have just held a very useful and, I might say, brief but also, I will add, a very moving discussion with Chairman Yunis Khalis of the Islamic Union of Mujahidin of Afghanistan and other members of his distinguished delegation. I expressed our nation's continued strong support for the resistance and our satisfaction with the large step the Afghan resistance took toward unity in choosing a chairman for the first time. This new political milestone demonstrates that the people of Afghanistan speak with one voice in their opposition to the Soviet invasion and occupation of their homeland. This increasing unity has already made itself felt on the battlefield. During the past 18 months, the Mujahidin fighting inside the country have improved their weapons, tactics, and coordination. The result has been a string of serious defeats for the Soviet elite units as well as many divisions from the Kabul army. Chairman Khalis and his delegation are visiting Washington, following the November 10th U.N. General Assembly vote, which with a record vote, once again, called overwhelmingly for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan. This is the eighth time since the December 1979 invasion that the General Assembly has decisively called upon the Soviet Union to pull its forces out of Afghanistan. The withdrawal of Soviet forces is the key to resolving the Afghan crisis. Other issues that have been raised to divert attention from this fact only extend the combat and prolong the suffering of the Afghan people. General Secretary Gorbachev has publicly stated a Soviet readiness to withdraw. Both in April and September of 1987, I asked the Soviet Union to set a date this year when that withdrawal would begin. I also stated that when the Soviet Union showed convincingly that it was ready for a genuine political settlement the United States would be helpful. After all, the Soviet presence in Afghanistan is a major impediment to improved U.S.-Soviet relations, and we would like to remove it. Unfortunately, the Soviet answer on a date for rapid withdrawal has been silence. Instead we have seen the Kabul regime announce a phantom cease-fire and propose a transitional government, one that would leave this discredited and doomed group in control. that of the Afghan people, speaking through their resistance representatives. Any proposal unacceptable to the resistance is destined to fail. And as the resistance continues the fight, we and other responsible governments will stand by it. The support that the United States has been providing the resistance will be strengthened, rather than diminished, so that it can continue to fight effectively for freedom.

Remarks Following a Meeting With Afghan Resistance Leaders and Members of Congress


Let me just first greet the members of the fire-service community, Members of Congress who are here, officials from FEMA, Fire Marshal Bernard Johnson, Fire Chief Rayfield Alfred, my own firefighters call them my own Engine Company 13 and Tower 10 welcome to the White House. We have got a few fires to put out around here, and that is why I have been late. More than 2,100,000 fires broke out in the U.S. this year, claiming 6,000 lives. Fires strike at the most vulnerable among us, especially children and the elderly. And it also strikes the most valiant among us; many casualties are, indeed, the firefighters who lose their lives in a last-ditch struggle to save someone else's life. Then, after the cost in lives, we have got to count the enormous property losses in excess of $8 billion. Now, these dollars cannot adequately represent the tragedy of so many beloved homes, churches, and businesses literally going up in smoke. the more than 1 million firefighters. The organizations involved in fire prevention efforts are too numerous to mention. But all are true heroes, and their heroic role is on display here today for National Fire Prevention Week. At the Federal level, the U.S. Fire Administration, part of FEMA, is the national leader in firefighting and emergency response. These men and women from the Fire Administration are dedicated to the development of effective programs to help fire departments, State and local governments, private business and organizations, and educators promote fire safety and awareness in communities across the country. At the State level, many dedicated agencies labor to provide training courses for firefighters and emergency medical technicians, arson investigation services, and research. And of course, in virtually every community across this great country are the men and women who make up the front lines in the battle, the firefighters, both career and volunteers, who continue a long and distinguished tradition of firefighting that goes back all the way to the first volunteer fire company founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1736. Congress also has a role to play through the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, whose cochairmen are Senator McCain and Congressman Curt Weldon. The caucus boasts 370 Congressmen and Senators 370 making it the largest on Capitol Hill. Most of all, Congress recently updated our safety laws in the Hotel-Motel Fire Safety Act, authored by Congressman Sherry Boehlert. All of these groups, from volunteers to Members of Congress, can tell you that the best way to fight fire is not with fire but with prevention.

Remarks on Signing the Fire Prevention Week Proclamation


First of all, I want to thank Roy Romer for his willingness to go back and forth across America, from here to Colorado and back several times every week to try to help us do what all of us need to do with our party. I thank in his absence Steve Grossman. We are all thinking about him and Barbara. Nothing hurts worse than cracking your elbow, I do not think, and we have got to be thinking about them. And I thank Alan Solomont for his work. And I thank all of you for your support. I have just come from an event for Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota. You know, North Dakota is a State that is so small, I felt like a sophisticate from Arkansas being there. And it is one of the few delegations that is completely Democratic, even though the State always votes Republican in Presidential elections. They have two Democratic Senators and a Democratic Congressman. And the first time Byron Dorgan ran for Congress was in 1974, the first year I ran for public office. And I told him that it took all three of them to lose that race, and I lost mine all by myself. But it was a very interesting and heartening event, because I was thinking about Byron Dorgan and Kent and Earl, and I was thinking that if any of those three had either not been there or had not been willing to put their necks on the line, we would not have passed the budget in 1993. And we would have not reversed trickle-down economics, or in a less pejorative term, we would not have reversed supply-side economics. And because we did, in an economic plan that invested in our children and our technology, in a fairer tax system for working people, 4 1/2 years later or 4 years later, we have got 11 1/2 million jobs, the first time any administration, period, had produced that much; 63 percent decline in the deficit; lowest rates of unemployment and inflation combined since the 1960's. That is what this party is about, and do not ever forget that. I will tell you a little thing. Today I got a letter from a woman that I know from Iowa. I met her in Cedar Rapids in 1992. She was offering to defend me from the attacks that we are only interested in people like you. And she reminded me of this story of how I met her. I met her in a rally in 1992, and she was holding a child of another race in her hands.

Remarks at a Democratic National Committee Dinner


I said, Where did you get that baby? I said, Well, where did you get it? She said, In Miami. I said, Where in the world how did you get a baby from Miami? You are from Iowa. She said, Well, nobody else wanted this baby. This baby has got ENTITY. And later in the campaign, my staff actually went out of their way to try to help this lady in a difficult situation. She adopted a child when she had been left by her husband. She was raising two children on her own, her own children. She had barely enough money to put body and soul together. And she was at a political rally because she thought it was important for her future. And she has struggled to keep that little baby alive for 4 years. And that child is coming up to the National Institute of Health now, because a lot of the things that are now keeping adults with ENTITY alive for very long periods of time, they are not quite sure how to do that with children. So she wrote me a letter because, she said, You have always welcomed us. You have always tried to help us, and we'd like to come by and see you. And I love this little kid, and I have kept up with her all these years. And I thought to myself, that is also what this administration and what this party is about, giving people like that little girl a chance to live the fullest life she can, recognizing the dignity of people like that woman who took what only you could characterize as a truly heroic stand to do something most of us in far more comfortable circumstances have never done. And all those things in the middle, that is really what this is all about. And we can never forget that what we do affects real people in real lives. So when we replaced trickle-down economics with invest-and-grow economics, we gave Americans a chance to have a better future. When we got away from hot rhetoric and got down to concrete action on social problems and we reversed the social decline, working with people all over America to get the crime rate down and the biggest drop in welfare rolls in history, we helped to give people a better future. When we restored family, not just in rhetoric but in fact, at the center of our social concerns, with things like the Family and Medical Leave Act and the V-chip and the television ratings and the regulations to protect children from tobacco and the earned-income tax credit, those things changed people's lives.


When we reaffirmed the leadership of the United States for peace and freedom in the world and reduced the nuclear threat, that makes our future better. That is what I am going to try to do when I go to meet with President Yeltsin next week in Helsinki. What can we keep doing to reduce the nuclear threat? What can we do to build a Europe that is united and free, so in the 21st century we do not have the hundreds of thousands, indeed, the millions of young Americans going over to Europe and risking losing their lives, as happened in World War I and World War II. This is about big things. And I want you to think about that. And Roy talks about 1995 and '96 we had I found that experience sometimes exhausting but ultimately exhilarating, because we were fighting about real things, and the American people had to make a decision, huge, big differences in how we should move into the future, what is the role of Government in our lives. And I think the election pretty much resolved that. And we decided we would no longer try to have our daily bread by demonizing our Government in a democratic, free society. I can say that this administration has done more to reduce the size of Government and the number of regulations and the burden of it than our Republican predecessors, but we never could figure out how to use the rhetoric to convince the American people that the Government that they elected and paid for was their enemy inherently. And I think what we see now is that people want it to work better, and they want it to be effective. Today I had the privilege of appearing with Walter Cronkite and Paul Taylor, who spearheaded the coalition last year to try to get the networks to give free television time to the candidates for President as the opening salvo of what they hope will be a broad campaign finance reform effort that will actually open up the airwaves to all qualified candidates. And I said to them that I felt very strongly that now that we were switching from we were switching to digital channeling, which will give the networks far more options to communicate with people, that we ought to require as a part of the public interest more free TV time. And at least one executive, Barry Diller, has challenged his colleagues to do that.


And it sounds like a lot of money let us say we just equal what is about spent on television that is funded now, about $55 million in the off-years; let us say $400 million in election years; that is still less than 2 percent of the total revenues of these operations. And when you get a monopoly on the airwaves, I think you ought to act in the public interest. All of us know that we cannot those of us who've followed the campaign laws under the decisions of the Supreme Court, the only way we can ever control the aggregate spending in political campaigns is to offer something to those who voluntarily observe the limits. And the only thing that is worth it is access to the voters in a free and unfettered way, principally through television. So we were talking about that today. There are a lot of other things that we have to do here. We have got to balance the budget. We have got to pass the education reform proposals that I have recommended, both to raise standards and to open college. We have got to take more seriously this juvenile justice issue. But we know we can do something about it. I was in Boston the other day; I spent a day in Boston. There has not been a single child killed in Boston in a year and a half, not one, zero, because and it is not an accident because of all the things that they have done there that we have now put into a bill and tried to give the tools to the rest of the country to do, which is exactly what we did with the crime bill. So we have all these things out there to do, and that is what you are fighting for. But I want you to be proud of the fact that this country is in much better shape than it was 4 years ago because of specific changes that were made as a direct result of the efforts made not only by the President and the Vice President but by the people who supported us in the Congress and throughout the country. This country is better because of that, and I thank you for that. And I ask you for your support for all the things we are trying to do now. We have so much more to do. We have to finish the job of balancing the budget, if you want the economy to continue to grow. We have to finish the job of raising educational standards and opening opportunity, if you want everybody to participate in economic growth.


Tonight I want to take a few minutes to discuss a grave threat to peace and America's determination to lead the world in confronting that threat. The threat comes from Iraq. It arises directly from the Iraqi regime's own actions-its history of aggression and its drive toward an arsenal of terror. Eleven years ago, as a condition for ending the Persian Gulf war, the Iraqi regime was required to destroy its weapons of mass destruction, to cease all development of such weapons, and to stop all support for terrorist groups. The Iraqi regime has violated all of those obligations. It possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons. It has given shelter and support to terrorism and practices terror against its own people. The entire world has witnessed Iraq's 11-year history of defiance, deception, and bad faith. We must also never forget the most vivid events of recent history. On September the 11th, 2001, America felt its vulnerability, even to threats that gather on the other side of the Earth. We resolved then and we are resolved today to confront every threat, from any source, that could bring sudden terror and suffering to America. Members of Congress of both political parties and members of the United Nations Security Council agree that Saddam Hussein is a threat to peace and must disarm. We agree that the Iraqi dictator must not be permitted to threaten America and the world with horrible poisons and diseases and gases and atomic weapons. How can we best achieve it? Many Americans have raised legitimate questions about the nature of the threat, about the urgency of action-why be concerned now-about the link between Iraq developing weapons of terror and the wider war on terror. These are all issues we have discussed broadly and fully within my administration. And tonight I want to share those discussions with you. First, some ask why Iraq is different from other countries or regimes that also have terrible weapons. While there are many dangers in the world, the threat from Iraq stands alone because it gathers the most serious dangers of our age in one place. Iraq's weapons of mass destruction are controlled by a murderous tyrant who has already used chemical weapons to kill thousands of people. This same tyrant has tried to dominate the Middle East, has invaded and brutally occupied a small neighbor, has struck other nations without warning, and holds an unrelenting hostility toward the United States. By its past and present actions, by its technological capabilities, by the merciless nature of its regime, Iraq is unique.

George W. Bush Address to the Nation on Iraq From Cincinnati, Ohio


As a former chief weapons inspector of the U.N. has said, The fundamental problem with Iraq remains the nature of the regime, itself. Saddam Hussein is a homicidal dictator who is addicted to weapons of mass destruction. Some ask how urgent this danger is to America and the world. The danger is already significant, and it only grows worse with time. If we know Saddam Hussein has dangerous weapons today-and we do-does it make any sense for the world to wait to confront him as he grows even stronger and develops even more dangerous weapons? In 1995, after several years of deceit by the Iraqi regime, the head of Iraq's military industries defected. It was then that the regime was forced to admit that it had produced more than 30,000 liters of anthrax and other deadly biological agents. The inspectors, however, concluded that Iraq had likely produced 2 to 4 times that amount. This is a massive stockpile of biological weapons that has never been accounted for and is capable of killing millions. We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas. Saddam Hussein also has experience in using chemical weapons. He has ordered chemical attacks on Iran and on more than 40 villages in his own country. These actions killed or injured at least 20,000 people, more than 6 times the number of people who died in the attacks of September the 11th. And surveillance photos reveal that the regime is rebuilding facilities that it had used to produce chemical and biological weapons. Every chemical and biological weapon that Iraq has or makes is a direct violation of the truce that ended the Persian Gulf war in 1991. Yet, Saddam Hussein has chosen to build and keep these weapons despite international sanctions, U.N. demands, and isolation from the civilized world. Iraq possesses ballistic missiles with a likely range of hundreds of miles-far enough to strike Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, and other nations-in a region where more than 135,000 American civilians and service members live and work. We have also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We are concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVs for missions targeting the United States. And of course, sophisticated delivery systems are not required for a chemical or biological attack; all that might be required are a small container and one terrorist or Iraqi intelligence operative to deliver it.


And that is the source of our urgent concern about Saddam Hussein's links to international terrorist groups. Over the years, Iraq has provided safe haven to terrorists such as Abu Nidal, whose terror organization carried out more than 90 terrorist attacks in 20 countries that killed or injured nearly 900 people, including 12 Americans. Iraq has also provided safe haven to Abu Abbas, who was responsible for seizing the Achille Lauro and killing an American passenger. And we know that Iraq is continuing to finance terror and gives assistance to groups that use terrorism to undermine Middle East peace. We know that Iraq and the Al Qaida terrorist network share a common enemy- the United States of America. We know that Iraq and Al Qaida have had high-level contacts that go back a decade. Some Al Qaida leaders who fled Afghanistan went to Iraq. These include one very senior Al Qaida leader who received medical treatment in Baghdad this year, and who has been associated with planning for chemical and biological attacks. We have learned that Iraq has trained Al Qaida members in bombmaking and poisons and deadly gases. And we know that after September the 11th, Saddam Hussein's regime gleefully celebrated the terrorist attacks on America. Iraq could decide on any given day to provide a biological or chemical weapon to a terrorist group or individual terrorists. Alliance with terrorists could allow the Iraqi regime to attack America without leaving any fingerprints. Some have argued that confronting the threat from Iraq could detract from the war against terror. When I spoke to Congress more than a year ago, I said that those who harbor terrorists are as guilty as the terrorists themselves. Saddam Hussein is harboring terrorists and the instruments of terror, the instruments of mass death and destruction. The risk is simply too great that he will use them or provide them to a terror network. Terror cells and outlaw regimes building weapons of mass destruction are different faces of the same evil. Our security requires that we confront both, and the United States military is capable of confronting both. Many people have asked how close Saddam Hussein is to developing a nuclear weapon. Before the Gulf war, the best intelligence indicated that Iraq was 8 to 10 years away from developing a nuclear weapon. After the war, international inspectors learned that the regime had been much closer-the regime in Iraq would likely have possessed a nuclear weapon no later than 1993.


The inspectors discovered that Iraq had an advanced nuclear weapons development program, had a design for a workable nuclear weapon, and was pursuing several different methods of enriching uranium for a bomb. Before being barred from Iraq in 1998, the International Atomic Energy Agency dismantled extensive nuclear weapons-related facilities, including three uranium enrichment sites. That same year, information from a high-ranking Iraqi nuclear engineer who had defected revealed that despite his public promises, Saddam Hussein had ordered his nuclear program to continue. The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his nuclear mujahideen, his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. If the Iraqi regime is able to produce, buy, or steal an amount of highly enriched uranium a little larger than a single softball, it could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year. Saddam Hussein would be in a position to blackmail anyone who opposes his aggression. He would be in a position to dominate the Middle East. He would be in a position to threaten America. And Saddam Hussein would be in a position to pass nuclear technology to terrorists. Some citizens wonder, after 11 years of living with this problem, why do we need to confront it now? We have experienced the horror of September the 11th. We have seen that those who hate America are willing to crash airplanes into buildings full of innocent people. Our enemies would be no less willing-in fact, they would be eager-to use biological or chemical or a nuclear weapon. Knowing these realities, America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun, that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud. As President Kennedy said in October of 1962, Neither the United States of America nor the world community of nations can tolerate deliberate deception and offensive threats on the part of any nation, large or small. We no longer live in a world, he said, where only the actual firing of weapons represents a sufficient challenge to a nation's security to constitute maximum peril.


Understanding the threats of our time, knowing the designs and deceptions of the Iraqi regime, we have every reason to assume the worst, and we have an urgent duty to prevent the worst from occurring. Some believe we can address this danger by simply resuming the old approach to inspections and applying diplomatic and economic pressure. Yet this is precisely what the world has tried to do since 1991. The U.N. inspections program was met with systematic deception. The Iraqi regime bugged hotel rooms and offices of inspectors to find where they were going next. They forged documents, destroyed evidence, and developed mobile weapons facilities to keep a step ahead of inspectors. Eight so-called Presidential palaces were declared off-limits to unfettered inspections. These sites actually encompass 12 square miles, with hundreds of structures, both above and below the ground, where sensitive materials could be hidden. The world has also tried economic sanctions and watched Iraq use billions of dollars in illegal oil revenues to fund more weapons purchases, rather than providing for the needs of the Iraqi people. The world has tried limited military strikes to destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities, only to see them openly rebuilt, while the regime again denies they even exist. The world has tried no-fly zones to keep Saddam from terrorizing his own people, and in the last year alone, the Iraqi military has fired upon American and British pilots more than 750 times. After 11 years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more. And he is moving ever closer to developing a nuclear weapon. America wants the U.N. to be an effective organization that helps keep the peace. And that is why we are urging the Security Council to adopt a new resolution setting out tough, immediate requirements. Among those requirements, the Iraqi regime must reveal and destroy, under U.N. supervision, all existing weapons of mass destruction. To ensure that we learn the truth, the regime must allow witnesses to its illegal activities to be interviewed outside the country, and these witnesses must be free to bring their families with them so they are all beyond the reach of Saddam Hussein's terror and murder. And inspectors must have access to any site, at any time, without preclearance, without delay, without exceptions. The time for denying, deceiving, and delaying has come to an end.


Saddam Hussein must disarm himself, or for the sake of peace, we will lead a coalition to disarm him. Many nations are joining us in insisting that Saddam Hussein's regime be held accountable. They are committed to defending the international security that protects the lives of both our citizens and theirs. And that is why America is challenging all nations to take the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council seriously. In addition to declaring and destroying all of its weapons of mass destruction, Iraq must end its support for terrorism. It must cease the persecution of its civilian population. It must stop all illicit trade outside the oilfor-food program. It must release or account for all Gulf war personnel, including an American pilot whose fate is still unknown. By taking these steps and by only taking these steps, the Iraqi regime has an opportunity to avoid conflict. America hopes the regime will make that choice. Unfortunately, at least so far, we have little reason to expect it. And that is why two administrations, mine and President Clinton's, have stated that regime change in Iraq is the only certain means of removing a great danger to our Nation. I hope this will not require military action, but it may. An Iraqi regime faced with its own demise may attempt cruel and desperate measures. If Saddam Hussein orders such measures, his generals would be well advised to refuse those orders. If we have to act, we will take every precaution that is possible. We will act with the full power of the United States military. We will act with allies at our side, and we will prevail. In my view, it is the riskiest of all options, because the longer we wait, the stronger and bolder Saddam Hussein will become. We could wait and hope that Saddam does not give weapons to terrorists or develop a nuclear weapon to blackmail the world. But I am convinced that is a hope against all evidence. As Americans, we want peace; we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the will and whims of a ruthless and aggressive dictator. I am not willing to stake one American life on trusting Saddam Hussein. Failure to act would embolden other tyrants, allow terrorists access to new weapons and new resources, and make blackmail a permanent feature of world events. The United Nations would betray the purpose of its founding and prove irrelevant to the problems of our time. And through its inaction, the United States would resign itself to a future of fear.


We refuse to live in fear. This Nation, in World War and in cold war, has never permitted the brutal and lawless to set history's course. Now as before, we will secure our Nation, protect our freedom, and help others to find freedom of their own. Some worry that a change of leadership in Iraq could create instability and make the situation worse. The situation could hardly get worse for world security and for the people of Iraq. The lives of Iraqi citizens would improve dramatically if Saddam Hussein were no longer in power, just as the lives of Afghanistan's citizens improved after the Taliban. The dictator of Iraq is a student of Stalin, using murder as a tool of terror and control, within his own cabinet, within his own army, and even within his own family. On Saddam Hussein's orders, opponents have been decapitated, wives and mothers of political opponents have been systematically raped as a method of intimidation, and political prisoners have been forced to watch their own children being tortured. America believes that all people are entitled to hope and human rights, to the nonnegotiable demands of human dignity. People everywhere prefer freedom to slavery, prosperity to squalor, self-government to the rule of terror and torture. America is a friend to the people of Iraq. Our demands are directed only at the regime that enslaves them and threatens us. When these demands are met, the first and greatest benefit will come to Iraqi men, women, and children. The oppression of Kurds, Assyrians, Turkomans, Shi'a, Sunnis, and others will be lifted. The long captivity of Iraq will end, and an era of new hope will begin. Iraq is a land rich in culture and resources and talent. Freed from the weight of oppression, Iraq's people will be able to share in the progress and prosperity of our time. If military action is necessary, the United States and our allies will help the Iraqi people rebuild their economy and create the institutions of liberty in a unified Iraq at peace with its neighbors. Later this week, the United States Congress will vote on this matter. I have asked Congress to authorize the use of America's military, if it proves necessary, to enforce U.N. Security Council demands. Approving this resolution does not mean that military action is imminent or unavoidable. The resolution will tell the United Nations and all nations that America speaks with one voice and is determined to make the demands of the civilized world mean something.


I want to thank the members of the veterans organizations who are here. All the members of the administration and, especially, I'd like to thank Secretary Perry and the Joint Chiefs who are here, not only for their presence and their help on this policy but for their determination to go forward with this announcement on this very difficult afternoon for all of us. I want to begin with a word about Admiral Mike Boorda, our Chief of Naval Operations, who died this afternoon. His death is a great loss, not just for the Navy and our Armed Forces but for our entire country. Mike Boorda was the very first enlisted man in the history of our country to rise to become Chief of Naval Operations. He brought extraordinary energy and dedication and good humor to every post he held in a long and distinguished career. From Southeast Asia to Europe, he devoted his life to serving our Nation. I am personally grateful for the central role he played in planning our mission in Bosnia, both when he commanded our forces in southeastern Europe and later when he came here to Washington. He was known for his professionalism and skill. But what distinguished him above all else was his unwavering concern for the welfare of the men and women who serve the United States in our Navy. We will all remember him for that, and much else. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, to his wife, Bettie, and his children, David, Edward, Anna, and Robert. And I'd like to ask everyone to just join me now in a moment of silence in memory of Admiral Mike Boorda. Today I am launching an international effort to ban antipersonnel landmines. For decades the world has been struck with horror at the devastations that landmines cause. Boys and girls at play, farmers tending their fields, ordinary travelers-in all, more than 25,000 people a year are maimed or killed by mines left behind when wars ended. We must act so that the children of the world can walk without fear on the earth beneath them. To end this carnage, the United States will seek a worldwide agreement as soon as possible to end the use of all antipersonnel landmines. The United States will lead a global effort to eliminate these terrible weapons and to stop the enormous loss of human life. The steps I announced today build on the work we have done to clear mines in 14 nations, from Bosnia to Afghanistan, from Cambodia to Namibia.

Remarks on the Antipersonnel Landmines Initiative


They build as well on the export moratorium on landmines we have observed for 4 years, an effort that, thankfully, 32 other nations have joined. To pursue our goal of a worldwide ban, today I order several unilateral actions. First, I am directing that effective immediately, our Armed Forces discontinue the use of all so-called dumb antipersonnel mines, those which remain active until detonated or cleared. The only exception will be for those mines required to defend our American troops and our allies from aggression on the Korean Peninsula and those needed for training purposes. The rest of these mines, more than 4 million in all, will be removed from our arsenals and destroyed by 1999. Just as the world has a responsibility to see to it that a child in Cambodia can walk to school in safety, as Commander in Chief, my responsibility is also to safeguard the safety, the lives of our men and women in uniform. Because of the continued and unique threat of aggression in the Korean Peninsula, I have therefore decided that in any negotiations on a ban, the United States will and must protect our rights to use the mines there. We will do so until the threat is ended or until alternatives to landmines become available. Until an international ban takes effect, the United States will reserve the right to use socalled smart mines or self-destructing mines as necessary, because there may be battlefield situations in which these will save lives of our soldiers. Let me emphasize, these smart mines are not the hidden killers that have caused so much suffering around the world. They meet standards set by international agreement. They destroy themselves within days, and they pose virtually no threat to civilian life once a battle is over. But under the comprehensive international ban we seek, use of even these smart antipersonnel mines would also be ended. We are determined that lands around the world will never again be sown with terror. That is why I will propose a resolution at the 51st United Nations General Assembly this fall, urging the nations of the world to support a worldwide ban on landmines. I have instructed Ambassador Albright to begin work now on this resolution. Third, while the exceptions I have mentioned are necessary to protect American lives, I am determined to end our reliance on these weapons completely. Therefore I am directing the Secretary of Defense to begin work immediately on research and development of alternative technologies that will not pose new dangers to civilians.


Fourth, as we move forward to prevent the minefields of the future, we must also strengthen the efforts to clear those that still exist today. At this moment, unbelievably, some 100 million mines still lie just beneath the earth in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, and in Central America. To help end the anguish they cause, the Department of Defense will expand its efforts to develop better mine detection and mine-clearing technology for use in the many countries that are still plagued by mines. We will also strengthen our programs for training and assisting other nations as they strive to rid their territory of these devices. For these efforts, as well as those to develop alternatives to antipersonnel mines, we will assure sufficient funding. I will personally work with Congress on this issue. Many have worked to bring us to this moment. I especially want to say a word of thanks to Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Although I know he has differences with our approach, his dedication and his moral leadership on this issue have played a vital role in alerting the conscience of our Nation to the suffering that landmines cause. I also want to thank the many nongovernmental organizations that have worked so hard to put this issue at the top of the international agenda. As we turn to the task of achieving a worldwide ban, we must work together, and we will be successful. Let me say, again, I greatly appreciate the time and the energy that General Shalikashvili and the Joint Chiefs have devoted to this important issue over the last few months. It may take years before all the peoples of the world feel safe as they tread upon the Earth, but we are speeding the arrival of that day with the decisions announced today. I will do everything I can to implement them all, including the international agreement to ban all antipersonnel mines, as quickly as possible. Now, I think it is important to turn the microphone over, first to Secretary Christopher and then Secretary Perry, to finish the presentation.


Secretary Kleppe, let me welcome each and every one of you to the White House this afternoon. I am extremely happy to have the opportunity to meet with you individually as well as collectively, and I am very proud to have the distinguished leaders and the elected representatives of America's Indian tribes here in the East Room of the White House. I looked over your schedule and I hope from the distinguished speakers that spoke with you that you have had an informative briefing session, not only with Secretary Kleppe but the others--those who were responsible for some of the Government Indian programs. I think it is vitally important that you tell us what your problems are, what your needs are, and then we can be fully informed as to the right policies and the right programs. Let me take just a few minutes to talk with you on a personal basis, to let you know of my personal concern for the needs of Indians and Native Americans. The Federal Government has a very unique relationship with you and your people. It is a relationship of a legal trust and a high moral responsibility. That relationship is rooted deep in history, but it is fed today by our concern that the Indian people should enjoy the same opportunities as other Americans, while maintaining the culture and the traditions that you rightly prize as your heritage. That heritage is an important part of the American culture that we are celebrating in this great country in our Bicentennial Year. Your ancestors introduced settlers not only to new foods and new plants but to Indian ways of life and Indian values which they absorbed. This is a year for all of us to realize what a great debt we individually and collectively owe to the American Indians. Today you are concerned about such serious problems as poverty, unemployment, crime, poor health, and unsuitable housing on Indian reservations. I share your concern. I am hopeful about the future and about what we can achieve by continuing to work together. The 1970's have brought a new era in Indian affairs. In the last century, Federal policy has vacillated between paternalism and the threat of terminating Federal responsibility. I am opposed to both extremes. I believe in maintaining a stable policy so that Indians and Indian leaders can plan and work confidently for the future. We can build on that foundation to improve the opportunities available to American Indians and, at the same time, make it possible for you to live as you choose within your tribal structure and in brotherhood with your fellow citizens.

Remarks at a Meeting With American Indian Leaders


My administration is supporting the concept of allowing Indian tribes to determine whether they and their members, in addition to being under tribal jurisdiction, should be under State or Federal civil and criminal jurisdiction. I have directed the Departments of Justice and Interior to draft legislation which would accomplish this goal efficiently, effectively, and within adequate guidelines. They have solicited the views of the Indian community in preparing their recommendations, which I will soon send to the Congress. I am committed to furthering the self-determination of Indian communities but without terminating the special relationship between the Federal Government and the Indian people. I am strongly opposed to termination. Self-determination means that you can decide the nature of your tribe's relationship with the Federal Government within the framework of the Self-Determination Act, which I signed in January of 1975. Indian tribes, if they desire, now have the opportunity to administer Federal programs for themselves. We can then work together as partners. On your part, this requires initiative and responsibility as you define your tribal goals and determine how you want to use the Federal resources. On the Federal Government's part, self-determination for Indian tribes requires that Federal programs must be flexible enough to deal with the different needs and desires of individual tribes. In the past, our flexibility has been limited by the lack of effective coordination among departments and agencies offering a wide variety of programs and services to the Indian people. Programs serving both reservation and nonreservation Indians are spread across half a dozen different Cabinet departments involving agencies ranging from the Economic Development Administration to the Federal Aviation Administration. As many of you know, this is Ted Marrs' last day on the White House staff. Ted's service as White House Liaison for Indian Affairs has been invaluable to me as ENTITY and to the Cabinet officers and, I am confident, to the Indian community. With his departure, I will announce shortly the name of a person who will assume Ted Marrs' duties in the Office of Public Liaison in the area of Indian affairs. This appointee will be an individual with responsibility to work with the Cabinet officers, with the Office of Management and Budget, with the Domestic Council, and with my legal office to encourage the improved coordination of the various Federal agencies and programs that currently serve the Indian population. As an additional step in this direction, I am also sending a memorandum to the heads of all Cabinet departments with Indian responsibilities, directing them to give priority attention to the coordination of Indian programs.


I cannot say that I am unaccustomed to public speaking. But I do speak before this audience with some trepidation--as a parent who has not yet come close to mastering the New Math. Up against your impressive scores and your scholastic records, I can find comfort for myself only in remembering that Thomas Jefferson once said, Nobody can conceive that nature ever intended to throw away a Newton upon the occupation of a crown. I am very proud to welcome you to the White House as the first Presidential Scholars. I congratulate you, and I congratulate your parents and your teachers for their part in producing your talents for our times. You are not here today because you are typical, nor because you are representative, of your generation or of your graduating class. You are here because of what you have accomplished, in your own right, and what you have the capacity to accomplish in the future in your own right. You have excelled in the scholarship of your class of 1964. You have the potential to excel even more in the citizenship of your country of 1974 or 1984 or 1994. I have congratulated you. I want now to challenge you--to challenge you to develop and apply that quality of excellence which is within you. Demagogues and dictators believed of your parents' generation that American youth would prove soft--would love luxury more than they loved liberty--would choose comfort in preference to courage. Today the cynics and the doubters believe of your generation that you will be too content with the average to take on the arduous, you will be too concerned with conformity to be creative, too cool to be committed, and too callous to be caring. Your destiny will not be a faceless and thoughtless existence in a dull and dreary society. I believe the destiny of your generation, and your Nation, is a rendezvous with excellence. The best of us are filled with the contrary vision of a democracy stumbling through every error till its institutions glow in justice and its customs shine with beauty. Our better men shall show the way--and we shall follow them. Today--as really never before--we must look to our better minds to show the way toward our society's greatest day. You are exceptional members of an exceptional generation. You have been born to man's most exceptional opportunity. You are younger than most of the earth's quarrels, and you are older than most of the earth's governments.

Remarks Upon Presenting the First Presidential Scholars Awards


You are younger than most of man's ignorance, and older than much of his knowledge. Since you were born, man has developed both the capacity to destroy human life and the capacity to make life worthwhile for all the human race. A decade ago, many young people made fear and fatalism fashionable in the fifties. In these sixties and seventies, you have a much broader choice than the alternatives of terror and triviality. You are challenged not to serve the mediocre and the mundane, but to work toward the great and toward the grand. In our cities and in our countrysides, you will participate in the building of the second America--just as you will also be partners in building the first world of universal peace and justice and freedom. Today's vote terminating debate in the United States Senate on the civil rights bill is an historic event. Today's action demonstrates that the national will manifests itself in congressional action. One year ago tomorrow, President Kennedy in a radio and television report to the American people, declared, A great change is at hand and our task and our obligation is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all. Today's action by the United States Senate is a major contribution to meeting this national responsibility. That is your challenge--to give your talents and your time in our land and in all lands to cleaning away the blight, to sweeping away the shoddiness, to wiping away the injustices and the inequities of the past so that all men may live together in a great world community of decency and of excellence. What you accomplish as individuals-what all of us accomplish as a Nation--depends upon the goals and the values by which we challenge ourselves. The average and the adequate are too low as goals for Americans. Our society and its members must aim for, and reach toward, the goals and the values of excellence. By the standards that you set, by the services that you render, you will show the world that when the doors of equal opportunity are kept open in our democracy young men and young women will respond with an instinct for excellence such as history has never known. I congratulate you, each of you, for what you have achieved. I am so proud of you. I honor you for what I know you, and your generation, will achieve in the years to come. It is good to have you here in the White House today. This will be a memorable occasion for all of us.


I appreciate the fact that a Texan is being treated so well here in Arkansas. It is nice to be in this part of the world again. Arkansas is full of really good people, decent, caring people, and so is this hospital. I am honored that you would have allowed me and my rather significant entourage--to come to Baptist Health Medical Center. I am here to talk about health issues. I am here to talk about one of the reasons why health care costs are going up. And that is the fact that we have got too many darn lawsuits, too many frivolous and junk lawsuits that are affecting people. I am here to make sure that we talk in a way that says to the people of Arkansas and America that we need medical liability reform to make sure that medicine is affordable and available. But I am here, first and foremost, to thank the people of this medical center, those here in person and those listening via cable. I want to thank you for what you do. I want to thank you for your heart. I want to thank you for caring about your fellow citizens. I appreciate very much your being on the frontline of healing, healing lives in such a compassionate way. Our health care system is the best in the world, and we need to keep it that way. I appreciate Russ. Thank you for joining us in-we just had what they call a roundtable. But nevertheless, we had a great discussion, and Russ was there. He talked about this hospital, its outreach, its not only desire to serve people in the city of Little Rock but also its desire to serve people in rural Arkansas. I want to thank Doug Weeks, the senior vice president and administrator, our host. I want to thank my friend the Governor for coming. Part of good health care depends on how you treat your own body. The best way to-one of the best ways to prevent disease is to make right choices. One of the right choices is to watch what you eat. The Governor has clearly done that. He is setting a good example. Some of us like to run-or used to like to run before we broke down. And I hope people in Arkansas and around the country understand that the exercise is a good way to avoid disease in the first place. And Governor, I appreciate the example you have set for this great State. I want to thank the Lieutenant Governor, Win Rockefeller, for joining us. I appreciate the mayor, Mayor Dailey from Little Rock, for being here.

Remarks in Little Rock, Arkansas


Mayor Hays of North Little Rock is here as well. You have got a tough job. I like to remind the mayors, just go ahead and fill the potholes, and everything will be fine. I know we have got leaders from the statehouse here, Senator Baker and Representative Parks and others. Before I get into the issue of health, I do want to remind you that our country still faces big challenges. And we are rising to meet the challenges. The most important job of my administration is to protect the American people, is to chase down those who would do us harm and bring them to justice, is to never forget the lessons of September the 11th, is to stay on the offensive, and that is what we are doing. We are spreading freedom, and as we do so, the world becomes more peaceful. Freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty's gift to each man and woman in the world. I appreciate so very much the contribution of the Arkansas Guard. Over 4,000 troops are part of our effort to not only make America more secure but to make the world more free. I know that the Governor informed me that these troops are ready to go. They understand the mission. They are proud to serve our country. I am proud to call them-I am proud to be their Commander in Chief. And I want their families to know how much we are grateful for their sacrifice as well. Arkansas ought to be proud of the men and women who wear the uniform, and they are going to make this Nation proud and more secure in their sacrifices. I told everybody the other night at the State of the Union that we are going to stay on the offensive against Al Qaida, and we are making good progress. We are on an international manhunt. We are in a different kind of war. It used to be in the old days, you could measure progress based upon the number of airplanes that the enemy had or the number of ships in a flotilla. And the big battles of the past were clashes of equipment that were visible for people to see. And this is the kind of war where sometimes you see action, and sometimes you do not . Sometimes progress is being made, and it is hard to tell it, because in order to dismantle the Al Qaida terrorists network, we have got to be on a manhunt, and we have got a lot of people on the manhunt.

Remarks in Little Rock, Arkansas


Just yesterday-not yesterday-just last week, we made further progress in making America more secure when a fellow named Hassan Ghul was captured in Iraq. Hassan Ghul was a-reported directly to Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who was the mastermind of the September the 11th attacks. He was moving money and messages around South Asia and the Middle East to other Al Qaida leaders. He was a part of this network of haters that we are dismantling. Our intelligence officers did a good job. He was captured in Iraq, where he was helping Al Qaida to put pressure on our troops. There is one less enemy we have to worry about with the capture of Hassan Ghul. Our people are doing great work. This country's economy is getting better, and that is positive news for the people of Arkansas and the people of America. See, I believe that when people have more money in their pocket, they will then spend or save or invest, and that causes the whole economy to grow, which then helps people find a job. Much of the tax relief we passed is set to expire, and it is set to expire right about the time the economy gets going. It makes no sense to have a tax increase on the American people at this stage or any stage as far as I am concerned. In order to make this tax relief permanent, let people keep more of their own money to keep driving this economy forward. Small businesses need to keep more money. You see, most new jobs in America are created by small-business owners. If you are worried about job creation, we need to continue to stimulate the small-business sector of our economy. They need to make these tax relief packages we passed for small business permanent so people can find work here in America. We also need to have an energy policy. The people of Arkansas understand energy. We need a policy. We need a policy that encourages conservation. We need a policy that helps modernize our electricity systems, and we need a policy that makes us less dependent on foreign sources of energy. We need to open up markets for Arkansas' farmers and ranchers. When you are good at something, we ought to encourage the sale of those products elsewhere, outside of our markets. And we are good at things in America. We are good at growing crops, and we are good at raising cows, and we are good at being on the cutting edge of innovation. We need markets for those products.

Remarks in Little Rock, Arkansas


We need less regulation for businesses and small businesses. And we have got to deal with rising health care costs. Rising health care costs are making it difficult for some entities to hire people. Rising health care costs affect all Americans. Rising health care costs create insecurity in our Nation. And so we need to continue the focus on costs. We are making some good progress, by the way, about helping people with health care. We have got what we call community health centers in America. I am committed to the expansion and the building of new community health centers. These are places where people who do not have insurance or live in areas without enough doctors can find health care. Community health centers make sense. It takes the pressure off the emergency rooms of hospitals such as this. We have opened or expanded 600 community health centers since 2001. This is a good way to make sure that health care is available for those who do not have insurance yet. And so I call upon Congress to look at that part of my budget and continue working with the administration to expand these vital centers around Arkansas and around America. And then we worked on Medicare. You might remember what it was like before this year when people talked about Medicare. If somebody would talk about it, somebody else would say, Wait a minute. They are going to try to take away Medicare from the seniors. I felt like we needed to deal with the issue now and not pass it on like other Congresses and administrations had done. It is time to address the issue before it became so acute that the system did not work. And it was time to fulfill a promise to our seniors, and so we acted. I was proud to sign that bill, and as I told the Congress, If you try to change it and it hurts our seniors, I will veto the bill. It is going to take a while to implement the Medicare bill. It is a complex piece of legislation. After all, it is the first modernization since Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare in the mid-sixties. This year, seniors are going to get a drug discount card, which will save them 10 to 25 percent off the retail price of most prescription drugs. And the lowest income seniors will get a $600 credit. That will help seniors with drug costs. Secondly, next year we will begin preventive screenings against diabetes and heart disease for seniors just entering Medicare, plus they will get a wellness exam. It is the first time that Medicare has actually been into the business of preventive screenings.

Remarks in Little Rock, Arkansas


Any good doc will tell you, you need to figure out what the issue is in order to deal with people. And a preventive screening will help the medical profession better treat our seniors. Finally, in year 2006, seniors will receive the prescription drug coverage they have been promised. For about $35 a month, most seniors will see their drug bills cut in half. That is a good deal for America's seniors. And finally, in the bill is an interesting innovation, one that is not the first time it is been tried, but it is now been expanded- they are called health savings accounts, which will allow Americans to save for future medical expenses, tax-free. Another way to help, by the way-or a way to help deal with rising costs is to understand the impact rising costs have on small businesses. A lot of big businesses are able to absorb the costs because they have got the capacity to negotiate better. When you have got a large universe of people that you are trying to cover, you can have more strength in negotiations. It gives you a better hand. The problem we have with small businesses is they do not have the capacity to pool together, to negotiate on behalf of a lot of people. And that is why I am a strong supporter of what is called association health plans that will allow small businesses to pool risk and have a better negotiation policy with those who offer insurance. Congress needs to pass this piece of legislation. It is good for the entrepreneurs of Arkansas. Lower income Americans should be helped with health care by refundable tax credits. It is been a part of my budget. It will help with the issue of the uninsured. People with health savings accounts, when they buy high deductible insurance policies to protect them against catastrophic medical costs or hospitalization or major surgery, should be allowed to deduct those premiums. See, that will help with the rising costs of health care as well. Those are some practical suggestions for Congress to look at, ways to strengthen the private delivery of medicine as opposed to strengthening the Government involvement in medicine. There is something else we can do at the Federal level, and that is to promote promising health information technology. The truth of the matter is, medicine is on the leading edge of change. And some of the new drugs are fantastic about-to help save lives. Some of the new machinery is fantastic. The information systems of the health care system are a little antiquated.

Remarks in Little Rock, Arkansas


I mean, you are still moving files by hand, are not you? Well, what we need to do is to have standards and computerized records so that we can improve care and prevent errors, which will save money in the system. There is tremendous savings to be had by bringing technology into the medical field, and the Federal Government can help there as well. Yet one of the main cost-drivers, that has nothing to do with what happens in an operating room or a waiting room, happen in the courtroom. One of the reasons people are finding their premiums are up and it is hard to find a doc these days is because frivolous and junk lawsuits are threatening medicine across the country. I call them junk suits because they do not have any merit. The problem is they cost money to fight. Every one of these junk suits that people put out there requires the expenditure of money, which affects consumers. It affects hospitals. In order to avoid protracted litigation, those who provide insurance oftentimes just settle the case. You have got these giant judgments looming out there, people say, Well, I better just go ahead and settle this, rather than risk a bad jury verdict. That drives up costs too. People just filing these lawsuits right and left, and it is running up the costs. Doctors' premiums, the cost of doing business, they are rising. That makes it hard on the docs. It makes it hard on docs to do what they are called to do, which is to heal lives. Medical liability premiums for Arkansas doctors rose more than 150 percent last year. That makes it awfully hard for doctors to do business. Their business is seeing patients. Yet these lawsuits are making it hard for docs to practice their business in the State of Arkansas and other States as well. They get passed on to patients or their employers. One of the major cost-drivers in the delivery of health care are these junk and frivolous lawsuits. The risk of frivolous litigation drives doctors-and hear me out on this-they drive doctors to prescribe drugs and procedures that may not be necessary, just to avoid lawsuits. That is called the defensive practice of medicine. According to a survey of the Arkansas Medical Society, 90 percent of Arkansas doctors say the fear of lawsuits have caused them to do unnecessary procedures.

Remarks in Little Rock, Arkansas