Watch CBS News

Bush To Unveil Energy Proposals

President Bush will use the State of the Union speech Tuesday to propose ways to make America less dependent on foreign oil.

In a wide-ranging interview with CBS News's Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation, the president said "being hooked" on oil from overseas jeopardizes the country's economic and national security.

Mr. Bush said the best way to achieve energy autonomy is through new technologies and better driving habits, emphasizing his support for corn-based fuel.

"There are about 4.6 million cars in America now that are flex-fuel cars," he said. "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."

The one often-mentioned idea that Mr. Bush flatly rejected as a way to reduce America's gas consumption was imposition of a gas tax.


Read The Full Transcript | Video Archive

In the 20-minute interview, President Bush also addressed a variety of critical issues, from the Iranian nuclear threat and Hamas's election victory to the handling of Hurricane Katrina and the epidemic of bitterness in Washington.

  • Mr. Bush took a hard line against Iran's nuclear ambitions, saying "the free world cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he said.

    The president said he would pursue a policy in which a coalition of nations would bring pressure to bear on Iran, but he refused to take the military option off the table.

    "All options should be on the table, and the last option is the military option. We have got to work hard to exhaust all diplomacy and that's what the country is seeing happen," he said.

  • In the wake of the Palestinian elections, Mr. Bush repeated his warning to Hamas to renounce violence and said that the Unites States would not help a government that wants to destroy Israel.

    "One, they've got to get rid of that arm of their party which is armed and violent, and secondly, they have got to get rid of that part of their platform that says they want to destroy Israel. And if they don't, we won't deal with them," he said.

  • On the subject of Iraq, Mr. Bush said that public support for the war began to erode because people were jaded by images of death on the media.

    "My job is not only Commander-In-Chief but educator-in-chief. And I needed to say to the people, you bet it's tough," he said, adding later, "I'm not so sure you've got the desire or the plan to win, and that's what I've been trying to articulate, is we do have a plan to win, and we are winning."

    But Mr. Bush stopped short of offering a specific time frame for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, insisting he would leave troop level decisions to the commanders on the ground.

    "One of the interesting lessons from the Vietnam era was it seemed like to me that politicians all were making the decisions and not the commanders on the ground a lot of times," he said. "I have vowed that the American people, and I will follow through on that--that if General Casey and the generals there in Iraq that will be making the decisions as to the troop levels."

  • Regarding Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Bush conceded mistakes were made, saying there was "no question we could have done a better job."
  • Mr. Bush continued to defend his domestic spying program, saying that it "wasn't an easy decision to make" but was a necessary tool in the war on terrorism.

    "I made the decision to listen to phone calls of al Qaeda or suspected al Qaeda from outside the country coming in or inside the country going out because the people, our operators, told me that this is one of the best ways to protect the American people," he said.

    Mr. Bush said they he wanted to ensure that civil liberties were guarded and that he understands the current debate about the wiretaps.

    "I understand the need to make sure people discuss and debate whether or not I have got the authority to do it, but as I told the American people—and I can't tell you how strongly I feel about this—if somebody is talking to al Qaeda inside the United States, we need to know why, and that's what this program is aimed to do," he said.

    Mr. Bush said that 9/11 has influenced his strategy in fighting the war on terror.

    "I remember my words going to Congress just saying I'm not going to ever forget what took place, and I will use all the power and my authority within the Constitution to protect the American people, but I view this situation we're in as war, and therefore I must protect the American people with the tools available to me," he said.

    When asked if there is anything a president cannot do, he replied: "I don't think a president can tort--get--can order torture, for example. I don't think a president can order the assassination of a leader of another country with which we're not at war."

  • On the new prescription drug benefit program which has confused many seniors, Mr. Bush said there are still glitches being worked out.

    "It's a good deal for seniors. When it all settles out, seniors are going to realize that this Congress and this president have worked to modernize Medicare to make work better for them," he said.

  • Mr. Bush addressed the United States' dependence on foreign oil and hinted that the subject would be a focal point of his State of the Union speech. The president said the nation needs to be more independent from foreign sources and said he was convinced more research would render additional ways to make ethanol.

    "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," he said.

  • When asked whether the United States was losing moral high ground because of incidents like Abu Graib, Mr. Bush said the country was "disgraced."

    "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," he said.

  • On the humanitarian front, Mr. Bush championed his administration's HIV/AIDS and anti-malaria initiatives in Africa.

    "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," he said.

  • Mr. Bush said it was too early to make any predictions on the 2008 presidential race. He declined to speculate on the leading Republican candidates and when Schieffer said that Senator Hillary Clinton appeared to be eyeing the Democratic nomination, Mr. Bush said "she's formidable."

    "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," he said.

  • When asked what the worst part of his presidency was, Mr. Bush said it was the climate of bitterness in Washington – something he said was not as much of an issue in Texas. He said that issues like Social Security and Medicare have suffered the most because of partisanship.

    "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," he said.

  • Mr. Bush said that he has begun thinking about life after his presidency and said he plans to leave behind a think tank, "a place for people to talk about freedom and liberty."
  • On CBS News' The Early Show on Monday, Schieffer said he thinks Mr. Bush does best in a one-on-one interview. "I think all presidents do best in a one on one interview. I think in this television age, you get a chance to ask follow-up questions. You get a chance to sort of step back a little."
  • View CBS News In
    CBS News App Open
    Chrome Safari Continue
    Be the first to know
    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.