Bill Clinton

Signed by the author. Mr. Russert. And I have promised I will remain moderator of ``Meet the Press'' until the Buffalo Bills win the Super Bowl, which means I'm going to be here a very long time.

Oh, no. Mr. Russert. You really thought you could win? The President Absolutely. I had--what I think is most important, if you run for President, is you have to know what you want to do if you win. You have to have a passionate desire to…

No, and I hadn't even decided to run then. And when I did decide to run, I think my mother was the only person who thought I had a chance to win. But that's the miracle of the American system. The thing that we have in Presidential…

What did I say? [The following videotape excerpt of the May 1991 broadcast was shown: ``Q. Deep inside, do you think there is a good chance that a Democratic candidate could win the White House? ``Governor Clinton. No. ``Q. Not a chance…

It was an amazing review of the last 50 years and it seems impossible sometimes that I was part of it, but I'm very grateful for the chance I've had to serve, and I'm grateful, frankly, for the program that you and your network have put on…

Twelve, thirteen, something like that. I'm playing-- it's better than it was when I became President, mostly because I've gotten to play with a lot of good golfers, and they've taught me a lot. Mr. Russert. Mr. President, we have to take…

It's funny, I haven't eaten at McDonald's a single time since I've been President. [Laughter] Mr. Russert. But playing golf. How many mulligans do you take in the average 18 holes?

I might like to be on the school board someday---- Popular Perception of the President Mr. Russert. Let me show one last graphic up here, and this is a fun one. We asked, what is the image you have of Bill Clinton? Forty-two percent said…

He did. But I think I'm a little too active for it. And I think the--I might like to do everything that was on that list in some form or fashion. What I want to do is to be useful to my country, to advance the causes of peace that I've…

I don't think so. I'm a little bit too much of an activist. I love studying the law, and I used to be a law professor, you know, and I taught constitutional law---- Mr. Russert. And William Howard Taft went from the Presidency----

He had to make America work in a new world. We had to relate to a global economy, a global society. I think that's what I'll be judged on: Did I help America transform itself so that we would still be the greatest nation in the world in a…

He must have been tongue in cheek when he said that. He couldn't have been serious when he said that. Mr. Russert. Do you think we do a good job? Have we been fair to you?

I couldn't believe he said that. Mr. Russert. The President, quote, ``refuses to believe the press does the things that they do only because of happenstance. He's just convinced there is some general global conspiracy out to ruin his life…

And that we nearly won a race in New Jersey which no one in the world thought we had a chance to win. Mr. Russert. But the House and Senate and Governorships were all incumbent Democrats.

Well, I think it's going through a period of transition, and I think it will come out stronger. Now, you should say, to make full disclosure, that every one of those Republican election victories you just mentioned was in a seat already…

Well, what appears to have happened is that there were people who gave money to the Democratic Party who were not legally entitled to give money to the party. Now, as far as I know, when the leaders of the party found out about it, when I…

He will comply eventually or we'll have to see what happens then. It will not be without consequence if he does not comply. China and Cuba Mr. Russert. You met last week with the President of China, a country of 1.5 billion people, 7,000…

We will never have normal relations with Iraq as long as Iraq is out of compliance with these basic resolutions of the United Nations. Now, it appears that Saddam Hussein has had several years since the Gulf war to put his country in…

That may be. He may be trying to divide the coalition as well, with the promise that he'll sell oil at good prices and make money for other countries. But so far, I have to tell you, I've been impressed with the unity of the world…

Well, what I would hope they would do is support the United Nations. The Russians and the French and the Arab States have a huge stake in not allowing him to develop and deploy weapons of mass destruction. What if he has a missile with the…

Well, that's a different question. The group that we sent over there, the U.N. sent over there, to talk to Saddam Hussein, is coming back. They're going to make their report. Then I expect the United Nations to take very strong and…

No. Mr. Russert. If, in fact, the Iraqis are able to keep the American inspectors away from their biological warfare, aren't they succeeding?

Glad to be here, Tim. Situation in Iraq Mr. Russert. The situation in Iraq seems to grow more and more tense. As we sit here tonight and talk, the Deputy Prime Minister has said that if the United States resumes spy flights over Iraq, they…

Children have to be taught to hate.

I think it's clear to everybody that America's leadership in the world depends upon America's continuing economic leadership.