George H.W. Bush: “Let me tell you this: Thank God, I have not spent my whole life--I computed it the other day: 50 percent since I got out…”

“Let me tell you this: Thank God, I have not spent my whole life--I computed it the other day: 50 percent since I got out of college in business, starting a business, running a small business, and doing stuff in business; and 50 percent in Government. I wear the business as a badge of honor because I think it gives me some feel for what it means to run something. But look, I understand the discontent that's out there. This economy has been in the dregs. But I will end with this statement: I believe that when the whole record is looked at, the economy is coming back, and when people take a look at things like world peace, whether it's a good thing that their kids go to sleep at night without the fear of nuclear weapons, when they take a look at what we're talking about here and have done in terms of education goals, it will be fine. But right now, I think a lot of the problems that face me politically are saying, hey, everybody in ought to be out, and everybody out ought to be in. But that's not the way it works. I mean, I will take the case to the American people that these ideas and many more that we haven't talked about are blocked by the Congress. I'll say this to the American people: You've got to work with Congress one way or another. We've tried it with Democrats controlling both Houses of the Congress, and that didn't work. When Jimmy Carter went out, inflation was right through the roof, interest rates were high, and the ``misery index,'' they called it, was terrible. What we haven't tried is where the Republicans have both, control. And the reason I say it ought to be tried is, I think what's on people's minds today, one of them, is safety in their neighborhoods, crime. I hear people coming out here on these little bites on television, saying, ``Well, hey, we need a tough crime bill,'' the same people that vote against the tough crime bill that we want to get passed back in Washington. Right today, the American people want to back the law enforcement community and want strong anticrime, antinarcotic legislation. We have been trying to get it through the liberal leadership in the Congress for 3 years, and I'm going to take that case to the American people. But right now I don't think it's in focus. I think what's in focus is kind of a discontent. But I believe it'll change, and I believe that our record will be--which it does include Clean Air Act, it does include child care legislation that gives the parents, rather than the Federal Government, the choice of where you have your children get cared for. It does include trying to get ahold of this Federal deficit. So I think what happens is we go through this period now, and then it gets in focus. I would remind some that 4 years ago to this very day I was 18 points behind the opponent. Got it on focus by November, and I'll be trying hard to do that. But when it comes to who is doing something on this big painting, world peace, changes--right now you have a lot of revisionists on the Desert Storm. It was a proud moment. The reason it was a proud moment is, our country took the lead in an historic coalition and stood up against aggression. Now you've got a lot of people trying to tell us it was wrong, and it was right. So that one's not in focus, either. So I think the record--I'm not satisfied that we've gotten enough done. But I'm going to say I want to be President for 4 years and here's why: I want to finish what we started on education. I want to do what I've said we're going to do here on health care, get that program through. I want to pass our anticrime, antinarcotics, pro-law-and-order crime package. That alone is enough reason to ask the people for their support for 4 years. But right now, there's a hurricane blowing out there. And all I can do is try to run this country as best I can and then take this case forcefully. I've been here for, what, 30 minutes sitting on this stool, and you haven't heard one negative comment against either of the two people that want my job. And you're not going to hear one until maybe the middle of August. [Laughter] But then you are, because I know how to fight. I'm not going to be their spear catcher for the rest of this year; I can tell you that. I think Don's trying to get you guys back to work here. Well, thank you very much for the opportunity and very good questions. You make Phil Donahue look like a piker out there. Note: The President spoke at 1:33 p.m. at the Evergreen Environmental Services Oil Refinery. Curt E. Morgan, chairman of the board, Evergreen Oil, Inc., introduced the President.”