Bill Clinton: “Well, first of all, I believe that we can pay for something in the range that I have proposed with a dramatic…”

“Well, first of all, I believe that we can pay for something in the range that I have proposed with a dramatic-- [inaudible]--deficit reduction. I think you could--I think we can achieve that. But I--I want to--that's my position, but I want to have a chance to meet with these folks today and hear from all of them, and we'll be talking more about this. I believe that what I recommended is the right course. I'm prepared to hear from anybody else who's got any other ideas. My concern is, I don't want to see us just jump off the deep end on Medicare cuts without understanding what the implications are to pay for huge tax cuts which we plainly can't afford and which mostly go to upper income people. I do not believe that we can fix Medicare unless we have some idea of how the system is going to be reformed and what the consequences will be. And I don't believe that we should be eviscerating the education budget and making it harder for people to go to college and stay there, for example. Now, other details and other issues--I'm going to review their proposals and evaluate them, and then we'll be glad to work with them and go forward. Japan-U.S. Trade”