any more time for debate. it has been a very good exchange. thank you, everybody. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] billxt, former president clinton and george w. bush talk about the presidential leaders scholarship program. then house and senate leaders are those responsible for the 9/11 memorial sites. it then 9/11 memorial services. >> former presidents george w. bush and bill clinton joined forces to launch the leadership scholars program. it is a partnership between the presidential centers of was, clinton,-- of bush, george h to be the, and lbj.

this is an hour and five minutes. [applause] [applause] >> these welcome margaret spellings. [applause] >> thank you for joining us today.

as the announcer said, i am margaret spellings, the president of the bush presidential center in dallas, texas and i am so glad to see so many familiar faces with us for a special announcement. we would like to thank our supporting founders without whom we would not be here. the moody foundation, our friends are sitting on the front row -- is leading the way and their gift is making this possible. they are joined by two other foundations and the representatives from those organizations are with us today. thank you to my partner and best friend bruce lindsey of the clinton foundation and my friend who is the ceo of the library foundation and the chairman of the lbj foundation library board in austin.

our national archive partners are led by the affiliated libraries are here with us. and smu, clinton school of public service at the university of arkansas, texas a&m and the university of texas at austin. i am thrilled to launch the presidential leadership scholars program. a partnership between the centers of bush, clinton and bush senior and johnson . president clinton and bush will join us to discuss why the program is important but first a few discussions. i have worked with many strong leaders.

men and women born with characteristics that put them on the path to lead but more importantly developed so with the resources of these four centers in mind i reached out to opportunity to visit with my friend who is also here today. .bout an idea for a partnership when i moved to dallas, i became aware of the powerhouse. four centers and democrats in arkansas.

republicans and democrats within close proximity of each other. they tell the story of leaders who led our country. the ssn resources of the centers, i reached out to bruce lindsey. support we put our heads together and the presidential's leadership scholarship program was board. we have a program that will train highly motivated people with a track record of leadership from across all sectors and background. business, public sector, non-profit, the military and academia. they will apply the lessons and principles and ideas they learn through the program to the challenges that confront us.

the scholars program is unique in the resources it offers. they will learn from the presidents as people who have led through dynamic and complex situations. times change and issues are organic but fundalmmental to the core are the skills that guide them as they set a vision and strategy and motivate strong teams and navigate challenges and make difficult decisions. our curriculum is developed with the best minds in the scholarship of leadership. the leaders from georgetown university and nay are here. it will combine communication, persuasion, decision making and coalition building with examples

and case studies from the four presedencies. they will gain insight from the former presidents and those who served with them and develop practical skills they will apply during and after the program. they will learn from leaders in other sectors as well as faculty from the universities affiliated with each center. they will learn from the people at the centers to get the first hand look at the resources of the four museums and libraries with the stories they tell. they will build upon their already proven track record of success to achieve significant and measurable good in their community and future work. they will also bond together and learn from each other as mentors, resources and partners to advance their own personal leadership projects and help each other with the challenges they face.

and importantly this program is at no-cost to the participants thanks to supporters. it is now my pleasure to introduce stephanie street the executive director of the clinton administration who will tell you about the leader we are looking for and the esteemed committee that will guide the program. stephanie? [applause] >> thank you, margaret. it has been truly an honor to be here today. and on behalf of the clinton foundation, i would like to thank our partners who have worked alongside us over this past year to turn our shared vision into a pioneering leadership development program. now to echo margaret's sentiments about having new best friends and as the program has

taken shape over the year, our teams have met regularly. with the exception of having strong opinions on whether arkansas or texas has better bbq or football our working together has been truly wonderful. let me take the time to recognize our presidential leadership scholars advisory committee. it is comprised of 12 members three aopponenties representing each center. josh bolton and alexis herman is first. [applause] in addition, we have james ciccone, carlos, tom johnson, vilma martinez, stanley kristen , connie newman,

linden oleson and laura tyson. and serves as members are bruce and margaret. join me in thanking our full committee. [applause] as you can see we have been lucky to put together a distinguished group of individuals who will advicese on all aspects and help us ensure this program is a state of the art experience. we join together to launch the program because we believe that working together in the spirit of collaboration is truly the best way to chart the path forward. we want to work with and help develop individuals who believe in that same philosophy. and the work of our four centers is evidence that individuals of different backgrounds and perspectives can unite to pursue a common goal.

we heard from margaret about the fortunes and objectives but let me set the stage and put the program into greater context. i will start with the curriculum that is being designed by dr. paul, the senior associate dean of executive education at the mcdennis school of business at georgetown university and his colleague at the school dr. michael oleery. they have developed, managed and taught in numerous top tier executive leadership programs for many years and are incorporating the best of what they learned into the design of this program. our leadership scholars can look forward to a variety of experiences including lectures, group discussions, debates, and case analysis. during the session they will have opportunities to hear from world class academics, military and private and non-profit sectors and key advisors from the presidential

administrations. scholars will also explore critical moments of presidential leadership and take a deep dive into the presidential library resources relevant to those moments. and there will be a number of collective learning activities designed to give our leaders in any sector the practical skills they need to drive solution-oriented action. i want to tough on scholars briefly. we are being intentional seeking those with significant work or professional experience who have demonstrated a record of leadership and a clear impact on their communities. and most importantly we are looking for leaders from every sector who have decided they want to strengthen their leadership skills to have an even bigger impact. and we look forward to the

committed group of alumni scholars which will grow year after year and become a significant force for positive change. at the clinton foundation, we have seen how presidential leadership has translated into success at a global non-profit. as a result of president clinton's cooperation, a new model of leadership has emerged. ceo's who consider social good to be part of their bottom line. people that know business oriented solutions help them reach their goals faster. and innovative partnerships that bring together organizations are different philosophys and backgrounds and objectives and asking them to work work together to solve the same issues is a potent force that

leadership. the approach that we bring to the table as we join with build a future where cooperation triumphs [applause] >> i don't think anybody can be fully prepared for the moment when you are getting a briefing on a national security issue and everybody turns to the president and says what are we going to do, mr. president? >> our greatest responsibility is to embrace a spirit of community.

people.ower to help but one just use of power. it is to serve people. >> we are all fellow passengers on a dot of earth, and each of us has really only a moment leap moment. leadership isn't about you. it is making sure as a leader you are doing what leadership might require. even though your own personality and nature might make you wish you were somewhere else but you are not. i cannot think of a president who didn't embody that and that

is what this particular presidential foundation initiative is about. >> this program of the presidential leadership scholar program and the objective was to use the experience of the presidents so that people who really want to make a difference of the world could learn from them and form a community and contribute to society. >> lbj respected public service above all and realized the need for great leaders in this country. he recognized the great leadership qualities in clinton and the two bush presidents. young leaders are coming in to learn lessons from the presidents in order to shape a better america. >> this is a program targeted at people who demonstrated capability in leadership and a desire and passion for applying

their skills to some public good. >> whether it is private business or work for their local government or state agencies or are involved in a non-profit or in the military. we are not looking for people that share the same perspective on issues. >> there are unique aspects of the program. it is four presidents. we have access to the presidents themselves, members of that administration, people who came into the contact with them and that is material from which we can learn >> this is a wonderful vehicle inspiring the next generation of lead leaders committed to social justice and good. >> the same skill sets necessary to succeed in government, business, or ngo are the same. there is a big premium on motivating others, selling

others, and getting buy-ins from others. >> these are human beings are lots of positive attributes that deal with significant amounts of challenges and faced a lot of uncertainty but make decisions and motivate others when they are feeling down and crushed themselves. >> if you want to make a difference you will have to go through that. >> the tough decisions are not the black and white ones. they are the ones that get into shades of gray. >> each individual leader needs to find his or her niche and use what skills they have to affect the outcomes they are trying to achieve. so we hope to give them the

tools with the program to be able to decide on the shades of gray. >> i think any time a president is dealing with a crisis they are dealing with an enormous amount of uncertainty. you have to be willing to live through the discomfortable of having everybody against you because you are doing something that is either difficult or hard for people to understand. >> we have something unique in a program that pairs four presidential centers together and really tells the story of very telling issues and it makes sense they come together and steward the next generation of young inclined americans. who better to nurture young leaders than leaders themselves. >> our faith as a nation and our future as a people rest not upon one citizen but upon all citizens. we have the opportunity to forge a new world order.

>> one of the guiding principles of my presidency was to who much is given much is required. i believe we have an obligation in america with life of service till the end. >> what should our shared values be? everybody deserves a chance. everybody has a responsibility to fulfill. we all do better when we work together. [applause] >> please welcome the cochair of the leadership committee and the chariman of the presidential

leadership committee and former budget and staff director under george w. bush and current manager of rock creek global advisors. >> good morning. it is an honor to be here and co-chair this important and timely program. today we do a good thing for our country and for our world. i must say that to you, president clinton and president bush, i thank you for your insight and foresight and your commitment to inspire a new generation of leaders and help them better understand what it means to collaborate, communicate and define common ground even if they don't agree on the basic issues. i have always believed that leaders are not born. they are made and they are shaped by their environment, by the people that they meet, and

by the events they encounter. i believe that the work that we will do through this initiative will help repel them even further on their higher path of giving back to their country and develop them into greater leaders for the future. i am delighted to have the opportunity to be working with josh bolton on this initiative and for all of the distinguished members of the advisory committee. i believe that i speak for you josh and for all of the committee members when i say that we recognize that this isn't about the art of the easy. but it is about the art of the possible. i look forward to foster in the great possibilities i know the presidential scholarship holds for the future.

thank you. >> thank you, alexis for the kind words. ladies and gentlemen, join me in welcoming the 42nd and 43rd presidents of the united states. [applause] [applause] before i have a chance to ask you questions, i have a letter that arrived from walkers point. september 8th, 2014.

i am delighted to send greeting to those gathered in washington, d.c. for the launch of a partnership between the presidential leader scholar programs. every former president is different. and that is as it should be. for example, not all of us sky dive. [laughter] that is not a judgmental comment. just a fact. every so often there is an idea that is so compelling it brings together former chief executives to push it forward. so it is with this program and offer people to study decisions and learn from key administrations and practitioners and leading academics. we face a lot of challenges in

and out of government so the idea of developing more leaders from all walks of life to address them and help move the nation forward is vitally important in my view. thank you for being here. and ask the two distinguished gentlemen to keep it brief. signed george bush. [applause] >> i understand president bush is watching so i know from everybody in this room today we send greetings, respect and salutations. that gentlemen, the letter i just read from 41 mentions the uniqueness of having these four presidential centers come together. in fact, i think this is the first collaboration ever among presidential centers in an ongoing initiative.

why did you decide to do this as a collaboration and why did you pick leadership as the theme? president bush? >> because. he said keep it short, right? hi, mom. [laughter] because we have a lot of to offer. bill and i have become friends in the post-presidency. i admire his ability to communicate and lead. i know he wants his library to be relevant heading into the future as do i. i know 41 well. i have always admired president john johnson's leadership and i know these centers are tremendous assets that need to be used properly. i felt, and i know bill feels -- well i will not put words in his mouth -- but i felt it is a

fantastic use of our ability to bring people together. and i know in washington, as soon as we are talking about the next president or senator but we are not. we are talking about leadership in all aspects of life. one of the things i have learned, maybe through my painting, is i am trying to leave something behind and something to make the world a better place. we did that hopefully, people will judge that, but hopefully when we were president, but there is still a lot of life to live. and i think a great contribution to our country will be to educate the next generation of leaders. i will thrilled to be associated with this. it is a big deal. >> president clinton? >> i wanted to do it because a great test for any democracy at

any time is how to have vigorous debate, serious disagreement, knock down dragout fights and somehow come to a resolution that enables the country to keep moving forward. i mean the founders said our job was to create a more perfect union. they never said it was to agree on everything. but if you read the constitution, it ought to be subtitled let's make a deal. [laughter] because it was designed to avoid dictatorship. therefore leadership styles are all different. but in the end we have to let our differences flourish and come to some sort of understanding about how to deal with challenges and go forward. these libraries and foundations

represent two republicans, two democrats, three of us luckily still around. people of my age who were affected by president johnson's civil rights act and the whole set of things that happened in the '60s. and so i think we are in a great struggle in america and around the world to define the terms of our interdependence. this is the most interdependent age in history. we were laughing about going to restaurants and spending our time taking selfies with people. >> at least they are still asking. [laughter] >> that is right. but it used to be people want to shake your hand but now they want to have a record of it. but we capt getcan't get away

from each other. the question is how will be define the terms of the relationship? it will take leadership in every sector. this isn't primarily a political deal. we believe there is skills and i think leaders are made also. >> let me follow-up on that last point about leaders not being made. the centers supposed to be teaching leadership. kenneth actually -- can it actually be taught? >> i think some things can be taught. some things have to be observed

and practiced. we have to teach through observation and practice. you have to have an idea where you are going to read a vision where you are going to read a strategy about how to get there. you have to have a plan to execute that strategy. withave to be comfortable an honest assessment of what you don't know and what you cannot do so well. see you can build a team of people who know things you don't and are good things you are not. then you have to leave the door open for somebody to call and disagree with you. i remember -- i want to say one thing nice about my friend here. [laughter] i'll say more than one thing but this particular one thing. he used to call me twice a year, in his second term, just to talk.

we'd talk, depending on how much time he had, because he was busier than me. somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes for several years. it meant a lot to me. never talked about it in public. we talked about everything in the world. he asked my opinion, half the time he disagreed with it, but i felt good about that. i thought that was a really healthy thing, and i'll never forget, first week i was in office i got all the young people who helped me in my campaign, and i said, if any of you ever come in this oval office and tell me what you think i want to hear, my goose is cooked. and i might as well run the white house with a computer. you have to cultivate people who know things you don't, and have skills you don't, and, yes, that can be taught. and then if nothing else, we can help people get of their own

way. everybody has a story and a dream, and they can bring it to bear if we can just help people get out of their own way sometimes. >> president bush, there was no presidential leadership scholars program when you were growing up. >> yes, there was. george h.w. bush. >> that's exactly where i was going. >> okay. you need to disguise your question a little better. [laughter] >> my next question -- [laughter] president clinton, there is anything -- [laughter] -- is there anything you wish somebody taught you about leadership before you became a leader. >> actually i thought you were going to promote my book. >> you answer that question.

>> well first of all, let me go back to the question you answered. i don't think you can teach humility. i don't think you can teach being secure. i don't think you can teach courage. i think you can give people tools if that it that's in their system, and that's what we intend to do. that's why this program is aimed at people who have exhibited leadership characteristics you can't teach, and give. them tools so that -- and confidence. i believe this is a confidence boost. go through this program, see other people their age or on the same area of work, and say, i think i can do more. i've studied, william j. clinton or george w. bush or lbj -- first they'll discover we're just normal people who got caught up in -- through

amibition and drive and circumstance, ended up being -- ended up being president. and here are the tools necessary to do it. so absolutely you can teach leadership skills. i don't think you can teach leadership qualities, and so this program is going to -- i assume the committee is going to screen for people who have shown leadership qualities by the age of 35 or 50 or however old the people are going to be. anyway, i learned a lot from my dad. i'm very fortunate to have watched a great man, and matter of fact this book i'm writing, i'm marketing now -- [laughter] -- which i think will be out november 11th -- [laughter] >> it's a love story. this is going to irritate people in washington, i suspect, or some. because it's a love story. but it's a story about finding -- seeing somebody you admire and learning from them, and

maybe this program will be able to do the same thing. and i learned a lot of lessons from being able to watch him throughout life. i suspect that people are going to be able to say when they finished this program, i learned a lot about leadership when i studied the presidencies of the four people that are associated with the program. >> mr. president, you clearly absorbed a lot of lessons from 41. i'm assuming those will be laid out in your book, available november 11th. [laughter] >> $16.80. [laughter] >> no. higher. >> i learned a lot from him. i'm not making any money off it. [laughter] let's point out that one of the challenges in the program. last week i went to

kennebunkport as the designated black sheep of the bush -- to see president bush on the 70th anniversary of his being the youngest american pilot shot out of the sky in world war ii. now, somebody taught him how to fly the plane, but he was 20 and didn't want to be up there. and we had a flyover with an exact replica of the little bomber he flew, and it was a small bomber compared to the larger ones that were developed later, and the even smaller fighter planes that escorted them that were most famously flown by the tuskegee airmen, the only unit who never lost a bomber.

now, benjamin o. davis was the commander of the tuskegee airmen. he was a great leader. why? because he had simple things that he drilled into people and he said, you know, our fighters cost $50,000. the bombers cost $250,000. do not leave the formation to prove you can shoot down a german fighter plane. protect the bomber. that's our job. and that was a simple leadership strategy. that resulted in their being the only unit in world war ii never to lose a bomber, and i was talking to president bush about it and he said heed been thinking bit all day, too, and remembered everything that happened 70 years ago on that day, when his life nearly ended. now, he was too young to have been through much leadership development except learning how to fly the plane, but i also think he got better as he went along. i think you got better as you went along.

i know i got better as i went along, and i'll say again, i think giving people access to inside skills and training and also literally helping them to keep their heads on straight, is very, very important. because anything that is really hard will become harder, and then you'll feel a lot of pressure, and you watch -- we were talking about this golf tournament yesterday, when you get in any kind of high-level competition you have to work really hard to keep your mind, heart and spirit in the same place, not get in your way and never lose your focus, and i think there are ways to do that are quite effective, and i hope we can be helpful to a lot of people. >> margaret and stephanie did a nice job of describing the program, telling us the kinds of people they're looking for in this presidential leadership scholars program.

let me ask each of you to tell us a little more about precisely the kind of people whom you would like to have participate in it? what would be a successful kind of person who could benefit from this program? president bush? >> well, for sure we want people from all walks of life. and different political persuasions. we want people who have shown the capacity to succeed. people who work hard and who work with others in a good way. and people who launched a career in whatever field, and we just want to be a little extra fuel, and -- remember the fellows, the white house fellows, bill and i both had the honor of meeting with our white house fellows. extraordinary group of people that spent time in the white

house, people that were highly motivated people, and it's not exactly like the white house fellows but similar to the white house fellows. a rigorous application process. one of the challenges, by the way -- we hope people are supportive of this program help us -- is to get people aware of the program and to apply for the program. i guess that's -- got any other thoughts on that one? >> i'll give you one example. i'd like to -- like for us to have some people who are involved in nongovernmental organizations, like our foundation work, that operate at a smaller level but do really great work. but need to figure out how to ramp it up and do so with the help of modest donors. so, it's become sustainable in

their community or in their state or wherever. i think they could benefit from a program like this. i would like to have some people who are entrepreneurs in the program, who are working in areas with enormous potential but significant uncertainty for america's economic future. and i'd like to have to -- to go back to one thing george said -- i'd like to get some people from dramatically different backgrounds together, with the charge to come up with something they can do together. for example, when the tea party first got organized, a lot of the early people who were interested in it were not involved with anybody big, anybody rich. they just thought the government had let them down and that, therefore -- they thought both the public and private sectors had gotten too big, and if

everything worked the way they thought their home town or their neighborhood or their upbringing worked, things would be all right. i'd like for some people like that to be paired with community activists and african-american and hispanic and immigrant, asia neighborhoods, with projects that figure out what they can do together to have both the right culture and the right support system, and i think we could do a lot of things like that really would help develop leadership and a skill that we are beginning to see see atrophy in america, which is listening to people who disagree with us. we're less racist, sexist, and homophobic but we don't want to be around anybody that disagrees with us and it's hard to make good decisions in complex environments. [cell phone ringing] [laughter]

only two people have this number and both related to me. i hope i'm not being told i'm about to become a premature grandfather. >> that's right. that would make national news. >> i don't think so. >> president bush, i've been admonished in asking these questions not to encourage you guys to commit news. >> thank you. >> here we are in the newseum, so that requires leadership on your part. >> it does and i'm going to try to exercise it. if either of you has any political announcements, endorsements or predictions you would like to make, now would be a really fun time. [laughter] >> like the time -- remember the woman in canada, asked us about said what about another

clinton-bush matchup, and my anxious was the first one didn't turn out too good. [laughter] >> okay. i'm going to exercise leadership and not let us get any farther off. i'm interested in the answers that both of you gave to the last question in talking about what kind of scholars you wanted. neither of you talked about politicians. or elected officials, because i gather that's not the core purpose of this scholarship program. it's not to train a bunch of new political leaders. >> no. but i think that politics is important, and i know he does, too. one of the thing is would like to do if we got into that -- i thought about it the other day i went to see "all the way." the broadway play about johnson passing the civil rights act. bryan cranston won the tony award for it.

i liked him way better as lbj than a drug dealer. he's a great actor. i like the movie "lincoln" because it showed abraham lincoln as a politician, making those dreaded deals, giving guys jobs and stuff to vote for the amendment to end slavery. i wouldn't mind having a leadership program which forces people to talk about the compromises that leaders have to make, and which ones are more principled and which ones aren't, and is it only determined by the end or don't you have to have some limits on the means, too? i hope we do have some of that in there, because that's really important. if you lose the ability to keep the door open to people dish -- i remember one day, trent

lott jumped all over me in a sunday morning talk show, said i was acting like a spoiled brat. i never will forget this mitchell second term. i called him on the phone. he said, my god, are you call had gone chew me out? i said, but not for what you think. he said, what do you mean? i said, you worked hard last week, didn't you? and you agreed because somebody suggested you do the sunday morning talk shows and you woke up existed with a headache, you were mad you had to good, they baited wow are you when you got there and you took the bate. he said, that's exactly what happened. how did you know that? [laughter] i'm telling you this because it made us better friends. i didn't hear what the said. i cared whether we could go to work the next week. those things i would like to help teach people. how did mandela develop the strength to put the people who kept him in prison, 27 years, the leaders of the parties, in his government.

he didn't just invite them to the inauguration, he had them in his government. we have to do some pretty radical things like that over the next ten or 15 years if we're going to create real decisionmaking processes that work. so i'm not against having people in politics in this, but i'm against giving it a particular political cast. >> i agree with that. i'm also concerned about the fact that people look at the political process and public service and say, i don't want to serve. who wants to get involved with that. who wants their reputation besmerched. hopefully this program will inspire good people to serve and say it's worth the cost. it's worth the cost. i hope the military participates. important to have people who wear the uniform go through a program like this.

so i'm not adverse to politicians. people saying politics is noble, i want to serve as a result of the program, would be a wonderful dividend. >> let's talk for a minute about the curriculum of the presidential leadership scholars program. margaret and stephanie described it. it's got four key themes to the curriculum. first is communications and vision, second is decisionmaking, the third is influence and persuasion, and the fourth is coalition-building. in your mind, president clinton, is any one of those four more important than the others? >> well, the bible says where there's no vision the people perish, but i think the truth

is, if the test is are things going to be better off when you quit than you started, whatever you're doing, you have to do everything. you have to have a vision, is articulated, turned into a strategy, then execute the strategy, to pass a bill if you're trying to pass a bill, or if you're not in the political context, just to go do it, and you have to be able to assemble a team. people that know things you don't and have skills you don't. to do that. and to build support for it. and i think all those things are exceedingly important, and then you have to stay at it, and one of the things that i hardly ever see george that it don't think of this, and we never talk about it, but i watched all those debates he had with vice president gore. not a single one of them did either one of them get asked, what are you going to do when they blow up the world trade center? so, if you take a leadership position, you very often -- particularly in an uncertain

world, if you don't do or get caught trying to do what you said you were going to do when you ran you file like you have let yourself and your supporters down. or if you are you take a job as chairman of a company, same thing. or start a small business. on the other hand, you can't ignore the incoming fire. that's what really damaged our friend in south africa. he said, mandela created a modern political state. i'll create a modern economy, and here comes aids. so you have to deal with that and then you have to try to think of things that aren't in the headlines that will prepare for a future. you have to do all that. i don't think you can disaggregate these things. that's one of the things i hope will come out of this program. >> i agree completely with that. i thought stephanie and margaret had a valid point in that issues change, circumstances change, economies change, but there are certain principles that don't,

management principles and leadership skills that won't change, and the idea, of course, is to not only have a class but to have a series of classes, big alumni association, encouraging people to sign up and also reinforcing the lessons learned about what it takes to lead. and, again in washington, people think they're talking about budget chairman or something like that. if you're a small business owner, these lessons apply to you as well, the four areas of discussion. you may have to communicate with fewer people, but nevertheless you still have to communicate the vision in order for a company to succeed. you have to know where it's going, leadership is knowing where you, the leader ex-want to take somebody, and have the skills necessary to do so. i don't think you can desegregate them. >> let me ask you about the two presidencies involved in this initiative that aren't represented on the stage.

and president clinton, i'm going to begin by asking you about 41. even though you haven't written a book that will be out on november 11th. about 41. >> i think i can put one together and be ready by the middle of -- be ready for the christmas season. [laughter] >> you have worked a lot with 41 in your post presidency and you're known to be very close with him. what leadership attributes of 41 do you think have impressed you most and are the ones you want to inculcate through the leadership program? >> when you're dealing with president bush 41, there are a couple of things that are never in doubt, and i think this is really important.

his good will is never in doubt. and this was true before he was 90. we've been working together for a long time. been out of office a long time. he did things when most people were at an age where they'd stopped doing things. jimmy carter did the same thing. have to respect that. he is 90. just went to china to celebrate the 35th anniversary of opening the door to china. so, anyway, when you deal with president bush, you realize immediately that he is a person of good will. whatever it is he is doing, he is doing because he thinks it's right and he wants to help somebody. i don't think that can possibly be underestimated as an attribute. if you don't have that, then everything else you're trying to do is a lot harder.

when i was president we had to -- i had a republican congress, six of the eight years, the people that actually knew me, that i had a relationship with, that we had done something together on, republicans who supported the irish peace process ex-for example -- it was -- we had a beg leg up. i think it's very important, when people see that. the other thing he had that believe every leader needs, i think he's got, too, by the way, we can all do the right thing when we're presented with a problem we know everything about and we understand the main players. but the best leaders have enough imagination and empathy they can feel the situation somebody's in that they'd never been in, and

bush 41 was great about that. otherwise, you know, he wouldn't have been out there plunking for the americans with disabilities act. he had pretty clean air up in ken any bunk port but wanted the clean air standards who when he was a congressman, he was one of the few run southerners, or republicans to vote for the open housing law in 1968. why was that? he could always live wherever the heck he wanted. he could put himself in the position of someone who had a different life, with different life possibilities and different life changes. i think that's one of most important characteristics a leader can have, and he is always been great at that. >> thank you. you're right. >> president bush, same question to you about lyndon johnson, what stands out in your mind as

leadership qualities you want taught is in program. >> i met lyndon johnson twice. once when i was visiting my grandfather who was a colleague of his in the senate, and once later on when he had retired back to texas. he was a big guy. i was struck by how imposing his physical being was, and i would suspect amongst the four, his strongest quality was his persuasiveness. [laughter] particularly to get the civil rights bill passed. it's one of the greatest legislative feats in our nation's history. and lyndon johnson powered it through, and i don't think we can teach size. [laughter] but i will think we can -- people will be able to be

inspired by his lesson, and -- yeah. >> president clinton, let me ask you, you two to talk about each other for a minute. >> beautiful man. beautiful. [laughter] >> what in president bush's leadership style stands out are out for you that you want taught in this scholars program? >> when he decided what he thought was right, he went for it. and sometimes i didn't agree with what he thought was right. but i recognized that he was doing what he thought was right not what he thought the politics of the moment required or what the

constituencies even within his own party required. you can argue like "no child left behind," but one thing it reflected was a concern for the achievement levels of all american students, and ted kennedy supported him on it, as i remember they worked that out. that was kind of interesting couple. [laughter] when -- i remember when he said, i don't do nuance, and he got bashed for it, and i like nuance and cloudy situations, but the truth its sometimes clarity is required. and when he said it, he said it in a circumstance where he thought clarity was more important than being -- adding a three paragraph codicile to

whatever your decision was. so i actually learned a lot watching him over the years. i tell young people all the time who agree with my politics, that when you look at the top of any organization, every now and then -- for example, of all the world leaders i knew, but of all i came in touch with i had an occasional lady pesh, an occasional not real smart person, and an occasional crook. most of them were smart hard working an honest. and whether i agreed with them or not they did what they thought was right. and so i think watching how they do it is very helpful. president bush in didn't ways from me but both of us, because i tend to look like i'm nice and him because he always made fun of yourself.

u want to underestimateed by your adversaries. and we did for totally different reasons. and i watched the way he thought through things and tried to approach them with clarity and decisiveness with great admiration. you read that book you'll understood why. not the one coming out on whatever. his other book. i was one of the nonright wingers who voted. it's a heck of a book. >> president bush, the same question. >> well, thank you for that very much. there's a lot to admire about bill clinton. first of all he's an awesome communicator. i've always admired that. he can really lay out a case and get people all across the political spectrum to listen. and i think it's -- it hearkens back to what you said about my dad.

you two have got great empathy for people. and if you have empathy for people like you do, then people are going to want to listen to you. and then when they start listening you actually can convince them. and you two made tough decisions. listened carefully, and decided. one of the things we'll hopefully teach people is that at some point in time a leader has to decide. you did that. you told people where you want to lead and in a way people could understand. and then made decisions. and stuck by them. o -- yeah. s that enough? >> that was a lot shorter than your answer. i know. >> nuanced. >> ok.

>> but i think equally powerful. >> thank you. >> former chief of staff. i appreciate you saying that. >> president bush, i'm going to pass the last question to you. >> ok. >> and i'm going to ask you, what advice do you have for president clinton on the leadership qualities necessary to be the good granddad? >> be prepared to fall completely in love again. you're not going to believe it. you're just not going to believe the joy and the fun. and i'm looking forward to talking to you after that child is born. and we all hope the very best for chelsea and that the child's health be strong like i'm confident it will be. it's going to be an awesome period for you. get ready also to be like the

lowest person in the pecking rder in your family. [applause] >> gentlemen this has been a great conversation which has amply demonstrated that you all are coming together in support of a great program which will i think be terrific for the country both for substance of what it's going to teach new leaders but also for what it will say to the country. please join me in thanking these two extraordinary people. [applause]

>> what a terrific conversation. thank you for being here. awesome job. these folks know a lot about leadership and have a lot to say. don't run off. i want to thank you all for being here. in a moment i'm going to invite you to be part of the social part of this. i also want to recognize secretary clinton has dropped in. secretary clinton. thank you very much for being here. each and er one of with you was invited today because we believe that you either are or no a terrific presidential leadership scholar prospect. so i ask you to help spread the word. this program will only be successful with a great group of leaders.

the program is aimed at working professionals who will come together largely one over weekend for about a six-month period beginning next year. you can find out a whole lot more about our -- it on our website to nominate a scholar or apply yourself. we have great hope for this program and what it will mean to our country now i invite you to join us on the 7th floor terrace outside for a little social time. thank you all.

>> well, i put in a request to hillary some time ago gu she was getting ready to do her book tour, she was just finishing her book and she said, i just don't know what that's going to be like and how that's going to transpire. but i would really like to do it. can you just give me some time to figure out what my schedule is going to be like? i said sure. nice. saw bill out in california, i was at a health care event in california and i saw bill there. and of course then we started commiserating about this and that. and i remember, he was signing some of his books for some people. so i invited hillary to come out and speak.