Bush: My answer on when I learned about CIA tape destruction 'sounds pretty clear to me' RAW STORY

Published: Thursday December 20, 2007



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Print This Email This At his year-end press conference, President Bush spoke on the economy, but the very first question after his opening remarks was about the ongoing CIA tape destruction controversy. Bush complained that Congress had stuffed a year-end spending bill with hundreds of projects that he called wasteful and instructed his budget director to explore options for dealing with them. He said he will ask his budget director to review options for eliminating spending he considers wasteful in the half-trillion dollar spending bill that Congress just passed. The president did praise Congress for sending him "a spending bill to fund the day to day operations of the federal government. They passed this bill without raising taxes." But he complained that the measure was done so late in the year that it could slow the processing of tax returns to millions of Americans. He said his administration would "work hard to minimize" such a delay. The president got a little testy when a reporter asked him for more details on when he first learned about his administration's destruction of CIA interrogation tapes. "It sounds pretty clear to me when I say the first recollection is when Mike Hayden briefed me," Bush said. "It sounds pretty clear to me." Bush said he will reserve judgment about the CIA tape affair until several inquiries are finished. Later, in a question about the 2008 presidential race, Bush was asked about what qualities he thought a potential president should possess. After a moment of reflection, he said that strong guiding principles and the willingness to call on frank assessments from advisers were key. "What are the principles that you will stand on in good times and bad times? What will be the underpinning of your decisions? What will it be?" the president said he would ask current Oval Office seekers. "Because a president needs to be consistent, and a president needs to understand that what may look like a non-issue today could be a big issue tomorrow." Taking a somber tone, Bush also said it was paramount that a president rely on honest advice. "How do you intend to get advice from people you surround yourself with...and what process will you have in place to ensure that you get the unvarnished opinion of advisers?" he asked. "Because whoever sits in that Oval Office is going to find this is a complex world..." Following the press conference, House Democratic Caucus chair Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) issued the following statement: In 2007, Congress brought change to Washington, but President Bushs veto pen prevented the kind of significant change our country needs. Rather than usher in support for new sources of energy, the Presidents veto pen prolonged our addiction to oil. Rather than give 10 million children the health care they deserve, the Presidents veto pen left millions of kids uninsured. And rather than hold Iraqis accountable for Iraq, Bushs veto pen ensured the American military and taxpayers continue to bear the cost of the war. 2008 can be a year of big change if President Bush joins us in preparing for the future, rather than defending the failed policies of the past. (with wire reports)



