Bill Clinton: “First, I want to thank Senator Lott for hosting this. I thank the Speaker and Senator Lott and the leadership for…”

“First, I want to thank Senator Lott for hosting this. I thank the Speaker and Senator Lott and the leadership for inviting us to come down here and meet with the bipartisan leadership today. I think it's a very important first step after the State of the Union Address. It indicates we want to work together. We'll discuss a lot of issues, I'm sure. I just want to emphasize, too, I think it's imperative that we pass a bipartisan balanced budget this year. And I think it's imperative that we find a way to work together on education reform, and we'll be talking about how we can do that. There are many other things, but I want to emphasize those two above all. The reception that I received in Maryland yesterday was a reception for the importance of education standards and educational opportunity in America as we move into this new century. And so I'm optimistic, I'm hopeful, and I'm gratified to be invited to be here.”