Bill Clinton: “Well, let me say, before his recent comments I had been encouraged, because he basically said that he would not permit…”

“Well, let me say, before his recent comments I had been encouraged, because he basically said that he would not permit us to take a stronger position than he did. I was concerned by his reported comments; you know, I wasn't here in the country. I didn't hear them; I didn't see the context of them. But I certainly hope that he will return to his former position. We need this to be a bipartisan effort. We need everybody working together. And we can do this. We can work through all the differences that are out there, and we can pass a bill that will clearly, dramatically reduce teen smoking. We can do it. And we got fresh evidence from the Journal of the American Medical Society--American Medical Association, showing that the role of advertising on children and their smoking habits has been even greater than peer pressure. We've got all this evidence out there, and we know what to do; we know how to do it; we can do it. And I'm just hoping and praying that we will. Thank you.”