Interview with US President Bush : Part II

Q: Yesterday you met five Chinese dissidents?

Yes, sir, I did.

And what did you tell them? Are you going to tell the Chinese leadership about their concerns?

Of course I will. I do it every time I meet - oh, absolutely. I mean, their concern is religious freedom and political freedom. And I discuss religious freedom and political freedom with the Chinese leaders every time.

And they don't seem offended?

No, I don't think so, because they know it's done out of respect. It's done out of - you know, in a way that I hope is - in a way that they will listen. That's my whole point. If you treat a people with respect and when it comes time to discuss your differences, people will be more willing to listen. And, look, I'm the only President to have ever stood up in public with the Dalai Lama.

Right.

I told President Hu Jintao I was going to do that. He didn't like it, but I did it.

You did it anyway.

Yes, I did. And so my only point is there are moments of great opportunity for us to work together on a variety of fronts, and we have. And there are going to be moments of disagreement.

But I've worked hard to make sure those moments of disagreement are done in such a way that it doesn't rupture relations, or doesn't embarrass somebody, or doesn't humiliate. And I think when people look at my presidency, when it's all said and done, they'll say, it's amazing that the Bush administration had good, strong relations with South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, India. And I happen to believe that it's - it enhances the stability of the region and helps all of us grow in a constructive way.

What is going to be your legacy?

Oh, I don't know. I'll be dead when they finally figure it out.

But what do you want history to remember you (as)?

Somebody who took on tough challenges and didn't shy away from doing what he thought was right. And, you know, look, I'm a big believer in freedom and liberty. That's been a hallmark of my agenda.

But I - there's no such thing as short-term history, so I am very confident in telling you that I'll be long gone before somebody finally figures out the true merit and meaning of the Bush administration.

Were you impressed by the meeting between Secretary of State Condi (Rice) and the North Korean representative in Singapore recently?

I thought it was - what impressed me was that the foreign ministers all - at the six-party talks all said the same thing to the North Korean: If you want to move forward, verify, honour your commitments; if you don't honour your commitments, then there will be additional sanctions and additional measures.

Are they positive?

The visits? Yes, I think they've been positive. There's just some fundamental questions. There's a lot of doubt as to whether or not the six-party talks will bear fruition. One thing is for certain: They destroyed their cooling tower. Everybody saw that.

Right, right.

But will they verify their plutonium programs and HEU programs and proliferation programs? I hope so. They said they would.

Now, whether or not they put a verification regime in place that we can trust, we'll see.

Sir, last question - is there life after the White House?

Absolutely. I'm only 62 years old.

What do you plan to do?

You know, I'm going to write; I'm going to share my experiences. I'm going to build a policy centre and library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Hopefully I will contribute to mankind in positive ways. I haven't really had time to think about it because when you're the President of the United States you got a lot to think about day by day. But I'm looking forward to finishing strong and then I'm going home to Texas. That's where I was raised, that's where I'm from, and that's where I'm going to retire.

That's good, sir. Thank you very much.

Yes, sir.