tv Q A CSPAN January 30, 2011 11:00pm-12:00am EST
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>> this week, we come from the campus of southern methodist university, the future site of george to be bush's presidential library. it will house the papers an official register -- records of the bush presidency barrett all model of the three-story building is currently on display at the university. it is expected to be completed in 2013. >> what was writing this book like? >> i am a type a personality. after the presidency, my life went from 100 miles per hour to zero. the book and gave me a focus and
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a project. it was to keep me occupied. after the presidency, there was no intelligence briefings or staff meetings. the book and gave me something to focus on. i actually started writing the books the first day of my post- presidency. >> when did you decide to do the decisions the way you did it? >> probably the summer of 2008. many historians who you have interviewed, they suggested that i write the book and that i -- grants memoirs, which i did. i knew i needed a structure. i thought it would be boring to do a history.
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and because i had to deal with consequential decisions, i thought it would be interesting for people to know how i made those decisions. >> give us more on how you put the book together and the timeframe and chris michaels help you. >> he was the chief speechwriter at the end of my presidency. he knew a lot of the presidency. plus, i knew that the reader might be interested. what it was like to sit in the oval office. in the last year of my presidency, i had chris take notes of the different rooms and settings of the white house, so that when it came time to descriptions in the book, we would have that ready to go. once i made up my mind to write the book, the problem at the end
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of my presidency, the main thought was the financial crisis. i did not get to ease out of office. i really did not focus on the book until after the presidency. i started thinking about the evidence that people might find interesting. doris told me something. she said it is really important that this book sound like you. and not some hired gun. that is why the sentences are short. and the print is big. [laughter] >> you were not afraid to say when you were angry in the book. you were not afraid to say i made a mistake. during the presidency, when the press said did you make a mistake, you would push that off. >> the problem is that they would say, do you make a mistake in the middle of war.
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i think it is very important for the president to be resolved during war. the truth of the matter is they were asking if i made a mistake in the liberation of iraq. i did not make a mistake in my judgment. it was important for the reader to know that you have to do some things and you do not get do overs when you are president. but i thought it would be interesting for people to know that i did do some things wrong. >> what about disciplining yourself that? i know you go through the drinking thing, but when did you decide that she wanted to discipline yourself, the way you live now? >> probably the time i quit drinking. it reflected an undisciplined person. i make the case in there that i was falling in love with alcohol
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one wanted to be in love with my wife or children or almighty god. i realized that alcohol was competing for my affection. i was pretty disciplined up to that. the problem was that i started running to get rid of the alcohol as opposed to running to heat stress or tuesday -- to relieve stress or beef it. >> what do we not know about on a daily basis? >> i would work out every morning at 6:45. i believe it is very important for someone running a complex organization to be disciplined in the behavior. early on, one person who went into a meeting late.
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and do not be late again. everybody in the meeting -- our meeting started on time and ended on time. discipline inside of an organization is very important in order to get a very good buys. and to keep people focused on the task at hand. >> page 121 on your book. >> i cannot remember it. >> it is quite a paragraph. the same some question might legitimacy, intelligence, in the sincerity.
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>> there has always been name calling in the press -- political process. it is a pathetic quality for someone trying to lead an organization. politics is harsh. >> later on you have a death spiral. bring that to today. >> not enough c-span. as a sober analysis, where people can come on your show and discuss things in a way that is
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not highly emotional and does not have an edge to it. politics is edgy. in order for people to gain market share, they have to scream loudly. they have to make a case in an exaggerated way to be noticed. in one way, the 24/7 news cycle is great. it gives you a lot of choice. at other times, it can be hostile. >> what about talking about what happened in arizona. right wing cable caused this. what do you think? >> i think it was a lunatic that got a hold of a weapon and committed a terrible act in caused a lot of suffering. we should focus on the victims and pray for their recovery. >> what do you say about the
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country in the attitude around it? >> the 24/7 news cycle has created a lot of noise and given people the opportunity to scream. sober people need to tune it out and focus on reality. >> i want to talk about your constants -- constant reference to prayer and religion to god. >> that reflected a reality. i was sustained by my faith during my presidency. i did pray a lot. i saw god wonders on many occasions as president. i talked about a rainbow.
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i gave a speech. right before i got on the stage, the someone pointed out this balcony that was lit. it was amidst a rain storm, and a rainbow appeared. i ascribe it as a message that freedom is beautiful. and everybody deserves to live a free life. >> you did say that you do not like it when people use religion to pander in politics. >> i did not say that i am a better person than you because of my religion. the reason why i ascribe to my religion is because i realize i am on worthy. -- not worthy. one of my favorite bible verses is i should not take out of year
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when i have a log of my own, and i think if anyone were to campaign it would be, vote for me. i am more religious than my opponent -- that is not really a religious person. >> this is a relatively small fein, but i want to ask why you -- small finger, but i want to butwhy you -- small fingthing, i want to ask you why you did it. you do not mention scott mclellan, your longest serving press secretary who wrote something critical. >> he was not part of a major decision. this is a vote about decisions. it is not a book about gossip and -- this is a book about decisions. it is not a book about gossip, and i did not think he was relevant. >> in an interview we were told ronald reagan was paid between $8 million and $9 million for his vote. -- for his book. he sold mainly 20,000. you have been number one for seven weeks. what is the difference? why did ronald reagan fail and
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you succeed? >> that is an interesting question. you need to ask the publishers. >> what is your sense of why you did so well? >> i think people want to know what it was like a on september 11. people want to know why i made the decision to remove saddam hussein. it is not a book that is mean- spirited or settle scores. i did not want to call names or get involved in the washington speak. i wanted to describe what it was like to be president, what the environment was like and how i made a variety of decisions. i hope sometimes people involved to learn some lessons from the koran -- from the books. >> what is the latest history
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book you read? >> i just "the colonel." >> you mention eleanor roosevelt and theodore roosevelt. why is that? >> he aggressively use -- in my case i did it to defend the country. my presidency was defined by september 11, and i vowed to use every legal means at my disposal to protect america, and one interesting thing is to encourage democracy, to spread freedom,, because that ultimately marginalizes ideologues who use murder as a weapon to spread their views. >> we have about 75 students here, and you majored in history. a good idea to major in history
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today? >> i gave a speech at yale university, and i said, congratulations. as for uc students, you can be -- you "c" students, you can be president. i think history is important. i learned a lot about the presidency from reading history. one thing is to be a part of history when objective historians show up that truly want to analyze the effects of my presidency, this will be a reference point, so people are interested to know what it was like inside the oval office and will like this book. i could not have written it this way if i had not been a student of history myself. >> i am a freshman.
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how would you change the presidency? how is the george w. bush of today different from before the inauguration? >> that is a good question. a lot of people said to me that you are a lot taller than i thought, and my answer is i have always been this high it since i was 18, so in some ways i did not change. i think i am wiser person. i have a different type of confidence. i among more fulfilled person. i believe life is to be lived by the absolute fullest, and a chapter of my life was living life to the fullest. i am an emotional person curio -- person. that was challenged.
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i loved and appreciated my wife during the presidency and love her more. there are some things deaths became in rich. >> -- became enraged. -- there are some basic things in my life that became in a ricenriched. >> i am a freshman do you represents the presidency to your own leaders. -- i am a freshman. do you represent the presidency to young leaders? >> absolutely. it is one of the greatest experiences of for a period of what i would recommend its public-service.
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you can serve the country in a variety of ways. one way is politics. i would recommend that. politics is noble. sometimes people enter politics for the wrong reasons, but our country is only as good as the people who serve. public-service can mean worrying about the homeless. it can mean becoming involved with a voice scout troop. -- becoming involved with a boy scout troop. my advice is to serve something greater than yourself. it will help you become a better person. >> i am a sophomore, and i am interested in learning once the presidential library opens, and what efforts can we make to fight malaria and david? -- and anes -- aids? >> i talked about applying tax
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payer money to deal with aids and malaria. people said why would you do that? the answer is that it is in our national interest very good one important point i make is that it is important to live by principle. one principle is to whom much is given, much is required. we are a blessed nation, and for our nation to have sat on the sidelines during a pandemic destroying an entire generation of africans would have been unconscionable. we face an enemy that can only recruit if they find homeless people. -- hopeless people. get there is nothing more hopeless when for a child to watch mom and dad guy of hiv aids and for us to do nothing about it.
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the desire to help others is ingrained in my system. one of the fellows we got help design the president's aids initiatives. in his job is to make public and private intervention, and you will see a better strategy on how to deal with panda makes rigid with pandemic stereo -- how to deal with pandemic is. pandemics.mick >> what do you believe is the most serious issue facing my generation? >> the most significant issue facing the country is another attack. but as the most important job, to protect the country, and the country has to be aware there are still people who will do as harm.
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one thing i think a lot about is social networking, which seems to be a little and personal to me. impersonal to me. i will be eligible for medicare this year, but the question is to interpersonal relationships defined new generation -- defined a generation? i do not know the answer, but i know being able to relate with someone face to face is very important to living a good life. >> good morning. what is your inspiration? what is it that gets you out of the bed each morning to do the good you do and to have done a good you did?
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religious. i read the bible every morning, and here i go again. i do get inspired by a religion and the call to serve others. i was raised by a mother and father who dedicated their lives to serving others periods plus my wife keeps me out of bed and says, get going. serving others. plus my wife keeps me out of bed and says, get going. i am learning how to be opposed- president person, and i want to make sure my time is useful.
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i am now 64. i am beginning to realize time is limited, and i want to make sure my time left is spent in a constructive, positive way. the answer is that this is going to be a place to work on issues that matter to me without being political. i am tired of politics. politics is important, but i do not want to be involved in politics anymore. i believe women are going to need the freedom of movement in the middle east, and i want to be a part of that. this is a very controversial, as brian will tell you. the idea of spreading freedom in parts of the world where people say freedom cannot possibly exist is controversial.
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he is a tyrant, but if he was good for the united states, it is ok. it is not ok. we are going to be working on accountability of schools and the marketplace. i also want to stay involved with veterans'. i have an obligation to help our veterans, so it is very important to me and to stay active in a way where i feel like i am contributing without contributing to all of the noise and discourse. >> i am a freshman. what was your single greatest challenge as president, and web strategies did you used to overcome that?
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>> interesting question and. i think of biggest challenge is to face popularity. obviously, you want to be popular on collection day. -- on election day, but the temptation is to want to be liked to the point where you are willing to sacrifice principle, but you cannot lead an organization unless there are certain principles that aren't inviolable -- that are inviolable. people need to know there are certain things you will defend. i thought it was important to show that all life is precious or the freedom is universal, and it was important for me to leave it clear that there are certain things i would not compromise,
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and sometimes the stood well with a population at large, and sometimes it did not. that applies to life in general. it is not just the presidency. you can try to be cool and not make stupid decisions like a drink and drive. i think that is arguably the greatest temptation for a political figure. >> i am a senior from atlanta, georgia. my question is if you are not born into a political family, what would be your dream job or career path? >> i cannot answer that, because i was born into a political family. it is like saying, what would you have done it if -- i guess i could invent something.
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i thought i wanted to be a major-league baseball player until they could not hit a ball but went straight. i never thought i was going to be president reagan -- to be president. that was a more spontaneous event. i think it was clear by age 30 are wanted to explore and see as much of the world as i possibly could. i had no sense of responsibilities. i did not feel tied down at all. i guess my advice -- i am not really answering your question because i do not know the answer, but i do know it is really hard to plan your life out.
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it is hard to say, i am going to be this when i am 64 years old. the other thing is there are going to be things that happen to you that you did not want to have happened in -- happen to you. you are going to get dealt a hand you do not want to play. the question is how you play it. the is the way life is. i got some hands i did not want to play, but when you are the president if you play them as fast as -- as best as you possibly can. one thing i hope has helped me is i have never looked back and said what if. how would i have been different? it is hard for me to do that very good >> who is next hamlin
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-- it is hard for me to do that. >> who is next? >> i wanted to ask you how did approval ratings of fat you during your time in office? -- a five-year -- how did approval ratings effect you during your time in office. >> i did not like it when i was low. you have a vast number of people looking at the office. had i let people but were disgruntled affect my behavior, it would have affected the organization. people needed to know i was doing what i thought was right. if you ask what do anything to do to make myself more popular, you are setting the idea that it is more important. at that point my approval was off the charts.
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i said, it is going to go down. do not dwell on it. events take place that are out of your control, and trying to worry with popularity and to dealing with events outside of your control is almost a contradiction. we had 9-11, katrina, a financial meltdown. what you have to figure out is how do you solve the problem. that is the nature of the presidency. the unexpected happens, and you have to solve the problem of urea and -- to solve the problem.
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you are not asking many questions >> i am a senior from lubbock, texas. 9-11 the find your presidency, but before that, and now what were you hoping would be fine your presidency? >> -- would define your presidency? >> i made three decisions prior to 9-11 that were consequential. one was the tax cuts. it is interesting and not set the got, tehran -- interesting that the dotcom verizon -- era
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ended. i thought the best way would be to interject capital through tax cuts. second, no child left behind was a landmark legislation. ted kennedy and i worked together to introduce accountability in the public school system. many of you did not like being in tested. i do not think how you can solve educational mediocrity unless you test, was a landmark piece of legislation, and finally, stem cell research. i gave a speech in august of 2001, so those were three things, but no question 9-11 defined to the presidency,
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because it made it clear my job was to protect the presidency. i made a lot of controversial decisions, and the truth is if i had to do over again, i would have done them again. i think one of the largest accomplishments was that there was no further attacks on the country. >> i am a freshman, and you talk about a pakistani-u.s. relations, and i was wondering where you see that going in the future. >> it is interesting that colin powell basically made out a list of demands to president musharraf, whose government recognize the taliban and said, who are you with? he said, the united states, and that began an important
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relationship, because pakistan had an affect on what took place in afghanistan, and i describe my relationship with president musharraf throughout the book, and there is attention. on the one half there's a -- tension. a tension, their heire is that they needed our help to deal with extremists and murder, and on the other hand there was the attention of the linguistic the military who -- the problem of dealing with the military. the relationship between pakistan and the united states is a critical relationship, and it is important for the country to recognize it is a democracy. some say, why don't we just send in troops to clean out the extremists? the answer is that pakistan is a sovereign nation that does not want u.s. troops on its soil if
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people say, we welcome u.s. troops, they would throw them out. the other issue was with india. mine was the first administration to prove that you could be friends with india and pakistan at the same time. we work hard to make sure leaders knew it was within their interesting, and my hope is over -- and their interest to have relationships with both countries, and my hope is over time pakistan deals with these extremists. extremists were the one who killed benazir bhutto, and at the same time india and pakistan become closer to solving the problem of kashmir. >> i am a sophomore from street louis, missouri -- from street louis, missouri. i want to know what real impact you expect your efforts to have
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on international policy. >> interesting question. somebody said, would you like to debate? if you are interested to know what i thought, read the book, so i do not worry about my legacy, because i am still studying theodore roosevelt or harry truman, and there is not going to be an objective history done on this and ministration for a long time. it is impossible for somebody who covered the white house as a correspondent to ride in and check if analysis of my presidency -- to write an objective analysis of my presidency, so i am confident about the legacy. residents are trying to shape their legacy, but their legacy has been shaped. is done. someday i believe it is going to be a fully established
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democracy in the middle east. i believe it will have an affect on other nations, but it will take time for that to play out. i recently went to korea and gave a speech for 60,000 practicing christians, and that is not a given the people would have been able to congregate in a free south korean 50 years ago or 60 years ago, and vietnam in this democracy has emerged. it takes time for these issues to a vault. -- to evolve. most people in taxes do not worry about it either. they are just happy to have the home, and i am happy to be home. the key for me was that i gave it my all. i served -- i did not sell my soul, and history will ultimately be the judge.
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i cannot remember the other part of the question a. i am getting old. >> i of the presidency -- i am president of texas. -- i am from texas. you have often differed from your party on immigration. in the upcoming decade, would progress to you previously -- what progress he you predict? >> great question. i not only differ from my party but from the other party as well. the reason immigration reform died is because people were nervous about of populism that started to emerge. we are a land of immigrants, and we ought to recognize that. i believe america's soul is rejuvenating when people come to our country and work hard to realize dreams. there is an orderly way to deal
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with immigration, and that is to recognize people are coming here to do jobs americans are not doing or are not capable of doing or are unwilling to do, and we ought to have a process. it is good for the economy, and it prevents people from having to sneak in. there are laborers who do jobs people will not do, but there are also incredibly and bright students who come, and i think it is a foolhardy process to limit the number of people that can contribute to the united states in the internet world. i believe there will be a rational policy path. what is interesting is the there are some isms the pop up. one is isolationism and its evil twin protectionism and now and nativism. if you study the 1920's, there was a policy that said, who
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cares what happens in europe? what happened in europe nattered because of the world war ii. there was an economic policy that said we do not want to trade, and there was an immigration policy that are geared we had too many jews and italians and -- that are viewed as we had too many jews and italians and -- that argued we had too many jews and italians, and should limit immigration. i think this will's and allow for a more orderly look at immigration policy. i was raised in taxes. -- texas.
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you understand what that means. there is a focus on the hispanic population. if you are raised in taxes -- texas, you understand, and you realize they share the same values -- hard work, commitment to service, and i think we ought to welcome people with different cultures. we ought to be confident knowing every but it becomes an american, and we share the same value system. there is great capacity to assimilate people. >> i am a junior hear from wisconsin. you said you wrote the decision points with the future objective historian in mind. i am curious what things you were hesitant to discuss the public reading it now is so-so and check if you're a good >> i had to limit region where things you were hesitant -- what things you were hesitant to discuss knowing this. >> it was important to keep the
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boat at a manageable size. -- look to a manageable size. -- book to a manageable size. there are a lot of decisions where people would say, i did not know that and might have looked at me in a different light -- for instance, we set aside more space for research and conservation in the oceans than any president or relations with india, so i had to limit the number of things. i did not exclude decisions, thinking people might draw a different light on me. if people were interested, i should have left stem cell research off. that was a controversial decision, but i think it was important to. -- to put those in the book.
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i have done what i have done, and if people love what i have done, great, but at least read the book. the open-minded to know the decision-making progress -- process. i did not exclude anything to make me look better. let me put it that way. >> mr. president bowman and and and i am a junior from street louis region mr. president, i am a junior from st. louis. how do you see health care moving forward? >> it is not just health care. it is all life. you cannot succeed in the world we have today unless you can read. whole purpose of note child left behind was to make sure of the minimum people learn to read. but as why we set the goal of literacy by the fourth grade -- that is why we set the goal of
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literacy by the fourth grade. i will never forget when i went to high school, and professor brown was a geography teacher, and i thought, and must be great to teach geography, and he said, it is to get it because my students cannot read. this is a high-school teacher, and he inherited students that cannot read. if you cannot read in high school, it is going to be really hard to succeed, so literacy is crucial for the ability of this country to compete and the ability for people to realize streams, -- dreams, so we will continue to focus on accountability and schools, aiming to make sure people can read, and we are going to do a joint venture with the reform- minded school.
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the simmons' school is an excellent school, run by people willing to challenge the status quo when it is unacceptable. >> i am a senior from florida. you mentioned the attacks on hugo chavez. what do you see venezuelan relations coming to and the future of that country? >> i also mentioned i thought hugo chavez was the robert mugabe. this was an instance where a leadership was destroying the country. south africa was a net importer of food, because through rule of an incompetent government destroyed the economy of the country.
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the same thing is happening in venezuela, and i am deeply concerned. my hope is that there is a constructive change and that this accumulation of power is halted as a result of the persuasion of countries alongside the united states. in other countries become appalled by what is going on, the near-dictatorial powers of a single person, and the people voted against status quo, and it looks like to me as if the power continues -- the president continues to accumulate power, and the country's economy is hurting badly as a result of his rule. >> it is like where's waldo. >> his name is not waldo. >> i am from massachusetts. are you concerned that
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legislation you passed such as the patriot act opens the door for a use for future presidencies? >> great question. now the law that was asked twice whether congress -- once when republicans controlled the congress and once after the 2006 election -- there are a lot of safeguards, and i do not think a president can through executive order. the safeguards in the patriot act. there are plenty of checks and balances. historians will note throughout my presidency that i worked to make sure civil liberties were not undermine and at the same time provide the tools necessary for future presidents to be able to protect the homeland.
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no patriot our was one of the least controversial things i've did, and it became a touchstone of too much government, and yet the experts will tell us the tools inherent were necessary to disrupt terrorist attacks. another interesting thing i learned was that a lot of actions harry truman took me in my life easier as presidency, and many of the decisions i made through executive order are the most controversial decisions, such as living to the phone calls of people who might do us harm or enhance interrogation became the law of the land. i went to congress and said, we need to ratify through legislative action about which i have done by executive order, and the congress passed a law allows the president to have certain tools, and they said, why don't you leave it under executive order?
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in some cases it might be too hard for a president to put out an executive order, but if that were lot of the land passed by a legislative body, it might seek re be easier to pass that. i think it was important to get the congress to pass, and in so doing there was an added concern for civil liberties. >> i am a freshman from nashville, tennessee. you mentioned a sense of adventure and a lack of responsibility.
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how did this affect your discipline and presidency and future? >> that is a good question. first i decided i wanted to settle down, and laura re- entered my life. it changed my life. when you make a commitment to someone is a life changing experience, and i am a much better person as a result of being married to laura bush, but when i look back at that, i had to exhaust this desire to be out there moving around. footloose and fancy free with no tie downs, and in order for me to be an effective spouse, it was important that that be purged from my system.
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and became a more mature person and began to understand what responsibility meant. if you are a single guy moving around, it is not that hard to be irresponsible, but i began to learn responsibility, and when you learn it, it is important to act upon it. >> who is next? >> i would like to know, when the you believe it is important for other executive responsibilities to take president over a balanced budget? >> interesting question. here is what i think. i believe in order to balance the budget now you have to grow the economy so tax revenues are robust, and you have to be wise
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about how you spend money, and it is what i tried to do. what complicated my life was felt an obligation to make sure our military had anything they needed, so we had an enormous pressure to spend money on national defense common and and at the same time, of pressure to balance the budget, and if you look at the record, the fiscal and now picture during my presidency was very good. deficit and gdp was house that during president reagan's's. -- was half that of president reagan's. i believe cutting if you can show fiscal discipline on the spending side is the best way to balance the budget.
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the question -- even more important is how do we fix social security and medicare so you are not paying money into the broken systems, and i described one of my failures, which was to get congress to look beyond a moment and showing the executive branch in solving social security service to the government can say, go out and work, and if you put money into social security, it will be available to you, so the big fiscal western as far as i am concerned is the un-funded liabilities inherent in these government programs like social security and medicare. >> time for one more student question. >> they are not stupid.
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they are great questions. >> i am wondering, how do you think the current state of affairs will affect the upcoming presidential election? >> i am not of pundits, nor do i want to be one. just keep in mind, things change fairy quickly in the fifth -- the political process now. part of the 24-7 news cycle really creates this political system, and what seems unreal today will not be real a year from now, so it is hard to predict what will take place in the 2012 presidential cycle.
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i do not think anyone would have predicted what took place in the 2010 off years. it is a very interesting change. politics today is unpredictable. did things change very quickly, which will make it interesting to watch, which is what i intend to do a. >> you are through with politics? the find the very good >> i do not want to campaign for candidates. i do not want to be on talk shows giving my opinions. i think it is bad for the country to have a former president criticized his successor. it is tough enough to be president without having a
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former president undermine the current presidency. plus i do not want to do that. i tell people one of the interesting sacrifices -- you lose your anonymity, and i like media idea of trying to regain anonymity. in being out of the press, it is something that makes me very comfortable. it is liberating. >> two-years out, your wife calls if the afterlife. how would you describe what happened to you after 15 years in the bubble? >> i really do feel very comfortable. i am a content guide.
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i do not miss fame, although i am a famous person. i have zero desire to try to be out there debating and criticizing or suggesting. the worst thing that could happen to me is that i sit around the table with a bunch of former leaders and talk about the good old days, and here is what they ought to be doing. i think it is more about the person doing that then it is about the contribution one can make. it is interesting. somebody asked me, does this give you closer to your presidency? to some extent, i think it does. writing this for 18 months, it was not only fulfilling, but to
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some extent, it did give closure to the presidency. this is an opportunity for me to lay out what i saw and heard and put it in a way that i hope the average reader can understand it and that the future historian would find useful, and maybe that is part of the presidency. you never stop being a former president reagan >> i want to thank the students. >> -- you never stop being a former president. >> i want to thank the students. >> you can see why we wanted to put our library here. we are looking for more engagement with the student body. the center is open right now.
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we are working on how to develop an effective strategy for dealing with malaria and other issues, but the building itself will be in 2013. >> thank you. the book is called "decision point." >> thank you all. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> for a dvd copy of this program, call. for free transcripts or to give us your comments about this program, visit us at our website. website.
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