Politics

Bush: 'Making Good Progress'

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 22, 2001 / 2:37 PM EST / CBS

In his first White House press conference, President Bush Thursday expressed confidence in his tax cut plan, his budget proposals and the head of the FBI, but steered clear of addressing the spiraling controversy over pardons granted by his predecessor.

Former President Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, have come under fire for a number of the pardons Mr. Clinton issued, especially the one clearing fugitive financier Marc Rich.

Bush's Briefing

Read a transcript of the president's first White House press conference.

In the past day, new revelations widened the pardon controversy. Sen. Clinton's brother, Hugh Rodham, accepted $400,000 for lobbying for a pardon and a commutation that Mr. Clinton granted. A member of Sen. Clinton's staff also lobbied for pardons for two felons.

"It's time to go forward," Mr. Bush said. "I've got too much to do" in trying to win passage of an education program, tax cuts and a new budget. Mr. Bush said Congress has a right to investigate the pardons and he said Mr. Clinton would have to answer questions about them.

The president spoke a month after his inauguration. He said one of his early goals was to "change the tone" in Washington and "encourage civil discourse. I think we're making good progress."

The news conference came on the heels of the arrest of FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen, accused of spying for Moscow for more than 15 years. Mr. Bush said he was deeply concerned by the case and looked forward to the findings of an investigation led by former FBI Director William Webster into how the espionage could have occurred.

However, he expressed confidence in FBI Director Louis Freeh. "I think he does a good job," Mr. Bush said.

Mr. Bush declined to say whether senior FBI agents such as Hanssen should be required to take polygraph tests.

He indicated the Hanssen case would not derail U.S. relations with Moscow. Mr. Bush said he would deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin "in a very straightforward" manner.

Mr. Bush's appearance came just days ahead of his first address to Congress. He will deliver a prime-time address Tuesday evening on his budget piorities and release a budget plan on Wednesday. The president announced this past Tuesday that he will seek an 11 percent spending increase for education.

"I have a reasonable and balanced budget," Mr. Bush said. "It meets growing needs with a responsible rate of increase in spending. It funds priorities. And my administration has no higher priority than education."

The Bush Tax Plan

Here is a list of possible tax savings under Mr. Bush's proposed tax-cut plan.

He said his program would help reduce the national debt while still leaving enough money for his 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax cut.

"I believe it should be returned to the taxpayers," Mr. Bush said. "It's the people's money and the government ought to be passing it back after it's met priorities."

Six days after U.S. and British planes struck targets in Iraq, Mr. Bush shrugged off a question about more than half of the bombs missing their targets. He said the airstrikes had two missions — sending a signal to Saddam Hussein and degrading his military abilities; Mr. Bush asserted that both were successful.

Mr. Bush said Secretary of State Colin Powell, about to visit the Middle East, planned to listen to allies and form a policy that would convey to the Iraqi leader: "We won't tolerate you developing weapons of mass destruction and we expect you to leave your neighbors alone."

Mr. Bush said the sanctions imposed against Iraq were "like Swiss cheese" and "weren't very effective. And we're going to review the current sanction policy."

The president said he was troubled that China may have sought to help Iraq rebuild its air defense systems and said Washington was sending a message to Beijing on the issue.

Pentagon officials have privately accused China of aiding Iraq in improving its air defenses in violation of U.N. sanctions.

"We're concerned about Chinese presence in Iraq and … my administration is sending the appropriate response to the Chinese," the president said.

"It's troubling that they be involved in helping Iraq develop a system that will endanger our pilots," he said. "It has risen to the level where we are gong to send a message to the Chinese."