Text of President Bush's News Conference

Text of President Bush's News Conference
By The Associated Press

A text of President Bush's news conference at the White House on Thursday, as transcribed by eMediaMillWorks, Inc.:

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you all. Please be seated.

Yesterday I pledged to reach out to the whole nation, and today I'm proving that I'm willing to reach out to everybody by including the White House press corps.

This week the voters of America set the direction of our nation for the next four years. I'm honored by the support of my fellow citizens, and I'm ready for the job.

We are fighting a continuing war on terror. And every American has a stake in the outcome of this war: Republicans, Democrats and independents all over our country. And together we'll protect the American people.

We'll persevere until the enemy is defeated. We'll stay strong and resolute. We have a duty, a solemn duty, to protect the American people, and we will. Every civilized country also has a stake in the outcome of this war.

Whatever our past disagreements, we share a common enemy. And we have common duties: to protect our peoples, to confront disease and hunger and poverty in troubled regions of the world.

I'll continue to reach out to our friends and allies, our partners in the EU and NATO, to promote development and progress, to defeat the terrorists and to encourage freedom and democracy as alternatives to tyranny and terror.

I also look forward to working with the present Congress and the new Congress that will arrive in January.

I congratulate the men and women who have just been elected to the House and the Senate. I will join with old friends and new friends to make progress for all Americans.

Congress will return later this month to finish this current session. I urge members to pass the appropriations bill that remain, showing spending discipline while focusing on our nation's priorities.

Our government also needs the very best intelligence, especially in a time of war. So I urge the Congress to pass an effective intelligence reform bill that I can sign into law.

The new Congress that begins its work next year will have serious responsibilities and historic opportunities.

To accelerate the momentum of this economy and to keep creating jobs, we must take practical measures to help our job creators, the entrepreneurs and the small-business owners.

We must confront the frivolous lawsuits that are driving up the cost of health care and hurting doctors and patients. We must continue the work of education reform to bring high standards and accountability, not just to our elementary and secondary schools, but to our high schools as well.

We must reform our complicated and outdated tax code. We need to get rid of the needless paperwork that makes our economy — that is a drag on our economy, to make sure our economy is the most competitive in the world.

We must show our leadership by strengthening Social Security for our children and our grandchildren.

This is more than a problem to be solved. It is an opportunity to help millions of our fellow citizens find security and independence that come from owning something — from ownership.

In the election of 2004, large issues were set before our country. They were discussed every day on the campaign.

The campaign over, Americans are expecting a bipartisan effort and results. I'll reach out to everyone who shares our goals. And I'm eager to start the work ahead.

I'm looking forward to serving this country for four more years.

I want to thank you all for your hard work in the campaign. I told you that the other day and you probably thought I was just seeking votes.

But now that you voted, I really meant it. I appreciate the hard work of the press corps. We all put in long hours and you were away from your families for a long period of time. But the country is better off when we have a vigorous and free press covering our elections. And thanks for your work.

With that overpandering, I'll answer a few questions. Hunt?

QUESTION: Mr. President, thank you. As you look at your second term, how much is the war in Iraq going to cost? Do you intend to send more troops or bring troops home? And in the Middle East more broadly, do you agree with Tony Blair that revitalizing the Middle East peace process is the single most pressing political issue facing the world?

BUSH: Now that I've got the will of the people at my back, I'm going to start enforcing the one-question rule. That was three questions.

Start with Tony Blair's comments.

I agree with him that the Middle East peace is a very part of a peaceful world. I have been working on Middle Eastern peace ever since I've been the president. I laid down a very hopeful strategy in June of 2002, and my hope is that we'll make good progress.

I think it's very important for our friends the Israelis to have a peaceful Palestinian state living on their border. It's very important for the Palestinian people to have a peaceful, hopeful future. That's why I articulated a two-state vision in that Rose Garden speech. I meant it when I said it. And I mean it now.

What was the other part of your question?

QUESTION: Iraq?

BUSH: Oh, Iraq, yes. Listen, we will work with the Allawi government to achieve our objective, which is elections. And we're on the path to stability. And we'll continue to train the troops. Our commanders will have that which they need to complete their missions.

And in terms of the costs, we'll work with the OMB and the Defense Department to bring forth to Congress a realistic assessment of what the cost will be.