Bill Clinton: “Let me make two other quick comments, and then I'll take a couple questions. This is one program that I think will…”

“Let me make two other quick comments, and then I'll take a couple questions. This is one program that I think will benefit from the fact that I was a Governor who managed a base closing from the other end before we went through this. I have had experience with every single problem that this five-point program seeks to address, working with a major base closing that occurred along the Mississippi River in a county that had double-digit employment at the time the base closing was announced. And I believe this is a very practical program that will have a huge practical difference in the lives of these communities, based on my personal experience on the receiving end of the base closing. The second thing I want to say is, because I won't be here when they speak, is this group of Cabinet officers was here--we had a different group yesterday when we announced our program for the Pacific Northwest. It will make a big difference for people in these communities. Keep in mind a lot of these people have only dealt--the only thing they know about the Federal Government is the Defense Department and the bases. They have never dealt with the Labor Department, the EPA, HUD, Transportation, and Commerce. They don't understand how to deal with all these folks at once. And the fact that we're going to make it possible for them to access the resources of all these Departments at one time and through one person will be a huge boon. It's difficult enough for all of you to figure out your way through the maze of the Federal Government. For a lot of these folks it is an unending nightmare and a practical impossibility. So I did want to make those two points. Yes, in the back. You had your hand up first. Go ahead. Defense Conversion Plan”