Transcript: Exclusive Bush Interview

President Bush Sits Down With Bob Schieffer

(CBS) 
SCHIEFFER: You are going to talk about that?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Big time, because I agree with Mr. Friedman, and I agree with Americans who understand being hooked on foreign oil as an economic problem and a national security problem. I couldn't agree more with him. For example, I'm convinced with more research we'll be able to develop additional ways to make ethanol. There is about 4.6 million cars in America now that are flex-fuel cars. They could either use regular gasoline or fuel derived from corn. I'd like, for example, to not only advance that technology of deriving fuel from corn, but also deriving fuel from waste materials, and I'm convinced we could do that with a good push, a technological push. In other words, I want to see different kinds of cars on our road that don't require (sic) upon crude oil from overseas, but we have got a serious problem, and now is the time to fix it, and I'm going to address it again at the State of the Union.

SCHIEFFER: I want to ask you sort of a philosophical question, and that is, Hubert Humphrey once said that the 1964 Civil Rights Act was America's most successful foreign policy initiative because it told people who we were and what we stand for. And I just wonder, when we see some of these horror stories about torture and things that have happened in some of these prisons like Abu Graib, do you worry that maybe we are losing the moral high ground in some way?

PRESIDENT BUSH: There is no question that Abu Graib pictures not only--we were disgraced, and it--it--it--I know it caused a lot of people that want to like us to question whether they should, and equally important it gave the enemy an incredible propaganda tool. No question. That's why it was important for us to investigate, to expose, and to hold people to account so people see there was a consequence for the behavior.
The--you know, Hubert Humphrey was right. The actions we take in our own country or elsewhere help define America to others, and that's why it's important for us to constantly remind people that are--we have got a wonderful heart and we are a compassionate nation. Our HIV/AIDS initiative on Africa is saving lives, our malaria—our anti-malaria initiative on Africa is savings lives. We feed more of the hungry in the world. I mean, we are doing marvelous things, and it's while we address and deal with issues like Abu Graib, at the same time we have always constantly got to tell people, we care about them, we're not going to impose our form of American-style democracy on you, but we want you to be free, and where you hurt we want to help. And a classic example of that is what took place in Pakistan. When the United States military, upon notification that there was a need for help as a result of the earthquake, moved choppers and aid and equipment and food and tents in and saved a lot of lives, it's by far the best public relations we had in that part of the world in a long period of time. And so, you're right, we need to be consciously--conscious about our public diplomacy not only in how we behave at home but our ability to be able to sell that which we are doing around the world.

SCHIEFFER: Let's talk a little bit about politics, how you think it's shaping up. Is it too early to say who you think the people are going to be that are going to be running for the job you hold right now?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I think so, I do.

SCHIEFFER: Looks like Senator Clinton is running pretty hard right now for the democratic nomination.

PRESIDENT BUSH: She's formidable. The—I think back to our conversation, earlier conversation in the colonnade, my focus is 2006, and I told the press conference yesterday, and will continue to assure members of Congress, that I continue to be engaged.

SCHIEFFER: You are going to get out and campaign?

PRESIDENT BUSH: You bet. I like campaigning. I have got something to campaign on. It's the domestic policy agenda that I think the American people--

SCHIEFFER: Who would you say--I take your point. Who would you say at this point you think the leading republican candidates for president would be?

PRESIDENT BUSH: It's hard to tell. The minute I start speculating, you'd make all kinds of news with it, and it would interject me in the race which--I tried to figure out how to play this coming down the pike, for a political observer like yourself and a political participant like me, this is an unusual year because this is the first time there hasn't been a kind of natural successor in the party. Two wide open primaries with no sitting vice president running in either primary, so this is--I can't remember a time when it's been this open.

SCHIEFFER: No, not in my memory. Have you had time or you don't have much time in your job, and I know that, to think about what you are going to do after you're president?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Beginning to think it through a little bit. The first--the touchstone is going to be a Bush library or complex or where it's going to be. It's going to be in Texas. I don't know exactly where yet. We are beginning the process of listening to some of these institutes of higher education and their ideas. I would like to leave behind a legacy or a think-tank, a place for people to talk about freedom and liberty, and the de Tocqueville model--what de Tocqueville saw in America. I would like for there to be a place where young scholars to come and write and think and articulate and opine and teach, but I really haven't beyond that. Of course, it's a nice place to go to, which is the ranch.

SCHIEFFER: Has the presidency changed you, Mr. President?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I hope not. Well, I guess that's not the right thing to say. I know it hadn't changed my values and hadn't changed my priorities. Of course it's changed me because it's--it's--you know, I made a lot of decisions, Bob, and when you think hard and plan and make decisions, it has got to change you. 9/11 changed me. Yeah, it's changed me to--you know, I hope I'm a better person for it. I will tell you, if given a chance to do it again, I would have said "you bet." I highly recommend this job. It's been a fantastic experience. I like making decisions. I like listening to smart people. I'm surrounded by a lot of them. I like the give and take in the political front, and I truly believe we are making a difference in the world, in our country.

SCHIEFFER: What has been the worst part?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I think what you mentioned earlier, which is the bitterness in Washington, D.C. I came from a--I came from a climate where, oh, Bob Bullock, who you knew well, was a crusty old democrat, he could cuss me out and then turn around and say, "Let's do something good for Texas." I came from an environment where Speaker of the House, Pete Laney, a cotton farmer from Hale Center, would sit down and say, "You know, I can't understand why you're a republican, but why don't we figure out what to do for Texas." These were buddies of mine, they were political rivals in a sense, but more importantly we put all of that behind us and focused on the good for our state. I tried to get that done here in Washington, and I obviously hadn't, but that's not going to cause me to quit trying. The classic example is in dealing with these mandatory spending entitlements, the baby-boomer generation issues like Social Security and Medicare. These big issues require bipartisan solutions. You have got to have republicans and democrats sitting at the table to work out how to resolve this now because this problem is getting worse, and I'm going to continue to try to get that done, but that's been the biggest disappointment, is the tone in Washington. And, you know, our country is to great not to try to have us try to work together.

SCHIEFFER: What has been the impact on your family?

PRESIDENT BUSH: We are as close to them now as we have ever been. Laura and I have got a great relationship. There is nothing like some outside pressure to bring you closer together. Secondly, I'm incredibly proud of her. She's a partner in this job in many ways. The First Lady has got a big responsibility in an administration. She could help define an administration. People look at Laura, and they could learn something about me, and when they look at her and learn something about me, they have to say, "He's a pretty smart old guy to pick Laura as a wife." She is--I have got a 45-second commute home, so we spend a lot of time with each other. And our girls I'm a little hesitant to talk about them because they don't want me to bring them out in the public arena, but they're doing just great. So, I would say this has been very a positive experience on our family.

SCHIEFFER: Thank you very much, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you.