Bill Clinton: “Well, I would favor doing something like that without committing to the specifics if we fail to get a global settlement.…”

“Well, I would favor doing something like that without committing to the specifics if we fail to get a global settlement. But I think we owe it to the attorneys general and the others who worked with us on this in good faith to try to achieve one, because I think, long term, we need to deter teen smoking with more than just a higher price tag for cigarettes. I think there are lots of other things that can be done. And I think that we ought to have certain benchmarks of performance for the tobacco companies, too, which in my view will help because then they'll be free to do more--that they even have to spend a little more money than they're obligated to under the agreement--if they're not meeting the targets, they may decide they ought to do that to save even more money down the road. So I'm going to look for a global settlement in the tobacco case for the benefit of our children. If we fail, then I'll look at something else. Ms. Liasson. Mr. Clinton, following up on that, you've cautioned Congress not to spend the surplus until they have it. Yet you have committed $60 billion of some projected tobacco settlement bill before it's even passed to new spending. Do you think that's wise? And if you don't get a tobacco settlement, are you committed to those programs? Will you cut elsewhere in order to keep that new spending?”