Time to grow up too!! Listen to your hero! He knows, he has been "saved"!

Bush not happy with congressional probe of Clinton

February 13, 2001 Web posted at: 2:15 PM EST (1915 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush indicated Tuesday he has little enthusiasm for congressional investigations of President Clinton's final acts in office, including pardons he granted.

"I think it's time to move on," Bush told reporters while flying back from Norfolk, Virginia. But he acknowledged that "Congress is going to do what it's going to do."

Bush also attempted to defuse another controversy surrounding the ex-president.

"All the allegations that they took stuff on Air Force One are simply not true," Bush said. He referred to published accounts suggesting that members of Clinton's party stripped the plane of glasses and other souvenirs as it took the former president to New York from Washington on the day he left office.

Congressional committees are looking into Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich, whose ex-wife is a major Democratic contributor. Republicans, who control Congress, say they want to know whether Clinton's actions were influenced by political contributions.

On Monday, Attorney General John Ashcroft told reporters he would be open to congressional proposals to give the ex-wife, Denise Rich, immunity in exchange for her testimony. She has refused to testify, citing here Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. A grant of immunity would allow her to testify without incriminating herself.

Bush said he had not talked to Ashcroft about immunity but reiterated, "My attitude is it's time to move on."

Bush spoke with reporters on the half-hour flight from Norfolk, Virginia, where he had given a military speech, back to Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Maryland.

Bush welcomed a new report suggesting a surge in consumer spending in January -- but said it's not an indication that the economy isn't still weak, nor does it detract from his argument for a $1.6 trillion, 10-year tax cut.

Americans pushed up sales at the nation's retailers in January by a strong 0.7 percent, the biggest jump in four months, according to a new government report.

"I think that's a good statistic amidst a sea of pretty dismal statistics," Bush said. "I'm concerned about the economy."

He said he hopes to continue to work with Congress in getting a tax cut package through in time for taxpayers to get a break on their 2000 taxes, which are due on April 15.

Bush has supported making his tax cut retroactive, but few in Congress expect a package of such magnitude can be passed by April 15.

"They're in charge of the time frame," he said of Congress.

"I strongly believe a combination of fiscal and monetary policy will help ease whatever economic pain is on the horizon," he said.

Fiscal policies include tax cuts, which are under the authority of the president and Congress. Monetary policy is controlled by the Federal Reserve, including the setting of interest rates.

Wednesday's flight was Bush's second trip on the Boeing 747 that serves as Air Force One, and his first time in the back compartment where a limited number of news media representatives ride. He talked to reporters twice, once before the plane took off in Norfolk, and again in flight.

On other topics, Bush:

• Discussed his 10-minute morning call to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to express condolences for the fatal collision between a U.S. submarine and a Japanese fishing boat near Honolulu. "He asked me to do everything I could" to locate the nine Japanese still missing, "which we are doing." Bush suggested, however, that he wasn't ready yet to order efforts to raise the sunken Japanese ship from the bottom. "We haven't ascertained all the facts yet."

• Said he hoped that natural gas exploration and transportation would be a top topic in his meeting Friday with Mexican President Vicente Fox. Overall, "We've got a shortage of gas. That's why prices are so high," he said.

• Declined to say directly whether, as a former part owner of a professional baseball team, he would like to see a team back in the nation's capital. But, he added, when he met recently with Washington Mayor Anthony Williams, "It was one of the first topics he brought up."

-- be good holier than thou christians (forgive@and.forget), February 13, 2001

Answers

You forgot to say what your point is.

-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), February 13, 2001.

Duuuh! The point is, even King Moron has more brains than most of the rightwingies on this forum. Clinton is history, let's hear about all the great things the Shrub is going to do for our country. Or, is that the problem??

-- (oh@i.get.it), February 14, 2001.

You again miss the point. When it comes to government doing little is good. I hope for a quiet presidency where not whole hell of a lot gets "done". I'm ready to live without 'em figuring out "things to do" and not just doing shit for shit's sake. How 'bout you?

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), February 14, 2001.

be good holier than thou christians (forgive@and.forget)

Forgive yes...but he must also be prepared to 'reap what you (he) sow'

Bill owes a debt that must be paid.

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 14, 2001.

Ain't owes a debt that must be paid. He has been spreading lies about vandalism and theft and is going directly to Hell.

-- Satan (see@you.soon Ain't), February 14, 2001.

Satan (see@you.soon Ain't), February 14, 2001

For someone with no faith in the Bible or God, it seems you have a strong belief in Hell and Satan.

Amazing!

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 14, 2001.

What is amazing is how boring you are.

-- CC (Crazy@cat.fight), February 14, 2001.

What makes you think that Satan doesn't believe in God or the Bible? Since Satan is part of the Christian religion, I would think that those who worship Satan would ALSO believe in God and the Bible, just as Christians believe in Satan.

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), February 14, 2001.

"You again miss the point. When it comes to government doing little is good. I hope for a quiet presidency where not whole hell of a lot gets "done". I'm ready to live without 'em figuring out "things to do" and not just doing shit for shit's sake. How 'bout you? "

Exactly, we now have literally thousands and thousands of laws on the books, maybe it's about time the government took a breather from stomping all over the place with its victim mentality.

-- kudos to less not more gov (moreinterpretation@ugly.com), February 14, 2001.

Could it possibly be that Aint IS satan?

-- churchlady (church@lady.SNC), February 14, 2001.

Actually it is in Bush's best interest to get Clinton out of the likelight no matter what puts him there. Bush has an agenda that is distracted by the continual attention on Clinton.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), February 14, 2001.

Bill owes a debt that must be paid.

Says who? YOU? LOL Better widen the doorways so this putz can get his head through.

-- x (x@x.com), February 14, 2001.