Bill Clinton: “Well, I think, frankly, I think having the Senators and the Members of Congress is not as important as having control…”

“Well, I think, frankly, I think having the Senators and the Members of Congress is not as important as having control over your own destiny. The District of Columbia now has more people than 5 other States, pays more taxes than 10 other States, and sent more soldiers to fight in the Persian Gulf war than 20 other States. And yet, every time they turn around, Congress can overturn anything they do through their elected officials. If they became a State, yes, it's true, they would get two Senators and a Member of Congress, just like the other small States. But the main thing is they would have more control over their own destiny. It's very frustrating for the people in the District to know that Congress can do or not do anything, just like this fellow said here, that they can say, ``No, you can't have $2 million for police.'' And they can't do it on their own because they don't have the independence. So that's why I've always supported statehood. Once I saw the facts about the size, the taxes, and the contribution to the national interest, I thought they ought to have the right to be independent. Mr. Smith. We need to take a break. We'll come back with more live from the Rose Garden. [The network took a commercial break.] Mr. Smith. We are live at the White House Rose Garden with President Clinton, the first national network town meeting since you were elected. We appreciate you letting us come in here. We've got lots of questions from more than 200 people in the audience. Paula. Ms. Zahn. And this man's been waiting very patiently for the last hour. Please stand, and you can fire away. President's Haircut”