Border Bounce for Bush; Bush Answers Questions on Immigration Plan, Iraq
BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. President Bush today toured a flash point in the immigration battle. In Arizona, he visited a stretch of the Mexican border which has been a target of illegal immigrants. There, the president spoke one-on-one with our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Thank you so much for joining us, Mr. President.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Suzanne, thanks.</s>MALVEAUX: I know, of course, we're at the border to focus on your comprehensive immigration reform plan. Your critics, and particularly those of your party, however, call this a publicity stunt. They say that the plan to move forward some 6,000 National Guard troops is really a political ploy to get them to sign on to the guest worker program and they're not buying it. What can you offer members of your own party to convince them this is the right way to go?</s>BUSH: I can offer them a comprehensive strategy to get the job done. And when we add 6,000 border patrol agents to the border patrol that are patrolling up and down this vast border, we will have doubled the border patrol by -- since I've been the president of the Untied States. But until we get those additional 6,000 agents on, we've got to -- they've got to have help. And that's why the National Guard is necessary to help the Border Patrol do its job. And secondly, anything to secure this border is going to require a comprehensive approach. I mean, comprehensive means more agents, more technology. You see lighting along here and fencing. And certain parts of the border will help to (ph) catch and release. But also, a temporary worker program. We've got people coming here to work. And they're doing jobs Americans aren't doing. And instead of sneaking across, it seems like it makes sense to me in order to help our border patrol do their job, there's a rational way for them to come on a temporary basis, provided they pass a criminal background check.</s>MALVEAUX: Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner said earlier today, however -- and he's, of course, going to be ushering this process through the House -- that he simply says you don't get it, that they believe this is amnesty. That ultimately, they're not going to be able to sign off on this. Is this designed in a way to provide political cover for you, to say, at least, to the American people, I tried?</s>BUSH: No. I want to get it done. I mean, I'm one of these kind of people that ran for office in the first place to get things done. As you know, this is an issue I have been living with a long period of time as the governor of Texas. I understand immigration. And I know we've got to enforce our border, but I'm also realistic. There are some -- look, amnesty to me means you're an automatic citizen. And I'm not advocating that. Some in -- some in the Democrat Party might be advocating that, but I'm certainly not. On the other hand, I recognize there have been people here for a long period of time. And it doesn't make any sense to try to deport millions of people. And so there ought to be a way for people to pay a fine or learn the English language, and then get in the citizenship line, but at the back, not at the front.</s>MALVEAUX: A lot of American people see their top priority as Iraq.</s>BUSH: Yes.</s>MALVEAUX: And the majority of Americans have lost faith in that mission. How do you expect them to stay the course when there are Americans who are killed every day, 45 this month, and there is no clear end in sight?</s>BUSH: Well, you know, no question, Iraq has unsettled the American people. I understand that. You know, people don't like war. And war -- this war is as brutal as other wars because we face an enemy that will kill, you know, innocent people in order to achieve an objective. And, you know, I'm also -- I don't believe Americans want us to cut and run either. I think they want us to succeed. And what Americans will see is a new government, a unity government emerging. What they saw last December, and admittedly, it seems like an eternity ago, were 12 million people saying, "We want to live in a free society."</s>MALVEAUX: When can...</s>BUSH: Hold on a minute please. And so -- and so what they're seeing is a political track taking place as well as more Iraqis taking the lead and providing security for themselves. And what was the next question you were asking?</s>MALVEAUX: When can we see U.S. troops leave? Obviously, just yesterday...</s>BUSH: When the commanders on the ground say that the Iraqis are more prepared to take over more of the security needs. This -- the temptation, of course, is to do things for political purposes in America. I don't want to fight a war based upon politics or polls or focus groups. I want to win this war based upon a strategy that's working but also based upon -- and the military decisions being based upon the advice of General Casey, who's the leader on the ground.</s>MALVEAUX: But your own secretary of defense yesterday actually backtracked from what the Pentagon had hoped to say earlier that many troops, U.S. troops, a significant amount, would be out this year. I mean, how can the American people trust the assessment of this administration?</s>BUSH: That depends upon what the general says, Suzanne. If the generals say that we're able to fight with fewer troops, we'll fight with fewer troops. The point the American people have got to know is we're going to succeed. And we're not going to succeed by listening to the advice of some in Washington who say let's just pull out now. The Iraqi people want a democracy. They've got a unity government in place. And it's in our national interest that we defeat al Qaeda in Iraq and at the same time help this country become a democracy.</s>MALVEAUX: Let's go back to immigration. There are a lot of people who listened to this debate and the fact that we focus on the southern border, Mexican immigrants. They believe that there are racial if not racist overtones in this debate. There were a couple days ago when you said -- I'm quoting to you -- "we're not just going to discriminate against people." What did you mean by that, discriminate? Do you get a sense that there is racism that is creeping into this debate?</s>BUSH: I think it would be too harsh judgment to say that somebody who doesn't support a comprehensive immigration plan is a racist. I don't believe that. I do believe legitimate -- I mean, citizens have got legitimate concerns, realizing that parts of this border have been open for anybody who wants to come across. And we've got to stop that. We must enforce our border. So for those who call for border enforcement, I think it would be certainly not a racist statement. But what I don't want is I don't want people condemned, ever condemned based upon their personal beliefs or based upon their religion or based upon their background. And I truly believe the genius of America has been one where we welcome people, we help them assimilate into society and we become, you know, one nation under God.</s>MALVEAUX: I've got just a little bit of time, so let me wrap this up if you would. You came into the second term with a lot of confidence in political capital. Clearly, it is your lowest approval ratings at this point, and congressional Republicans are going in their own direction. What do you do to become -- at least not risk becoming irrelevant?</s>BUSH: Look, yesterday, I signed a bill extending capital gains and dividends. We're making -- we've had a very strong legislative record. I will continue to sign good law, because I'm working with members of the House and the Senate. I -- we're going to win the war on terror. I'm doing my job, what the American people want me to do.</s>MALVEAUX: Thank you very much, Mr. President.</s>BUSH: Suzanne, always a pleasure.</s>MALVEAUX: I appreciate it.</s>BUSH: Thank you.</s>BLITZER: And still to come in our 7 p.m. Eastern hour, amid record high gas prices, the CEOs of the top three American car companies come to Capitol Hill offering some suggestions in the gas crunch. And will you see it or will you take a pass? "The Da Vinci Code" opens nationwide tomorrow. Many religious groups hope you'll stay away. I'll talk to a prominent Catholic theologian who's seen the movie and ask him what he thinks. Father David O'Connell, the president of Catholic University, standing by live.