The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour; February 15, 1993

go go go go go go go go girl gerber it opened a welcoming community

and i had a corporation for public broadcasting and viewers like you good evening president clinton is about to deliver his first televised speech from the oval office a ten minute address will argue the need for an economic change of course combining government stimulus and personal sacrifice details will come on wednesday when the president speaks to congress this afternoon is the clinton said his plan would create half a million new jobs tonight's speech followed by a brief republican response opens a weeklong campaign to sell the package it will include a barnstorming trip across the country by mr clinton and his cabinet the white house playing wednesday's speech would attempt to reverse twelve years a reaganomics it said this evening mr clinton would try to convince the public about the price of doing nothing and now speaking from the oval office for the first time to the nation president and that evening i've chosen this

day on which we honor to great presidents to talk with you about the serious problems the great promise of our country and the absolute necessity for changes were to secure a better future for ourselves and for our children on wednesday evening i'll address the congress about the specifics of my plan but first i turn to you for your strength and support to enlisting in the cause of changing our course this is a momentous time for a nation we stand at the end of the cold war along the edge of the twenty first century for two decades we've moved steadily toward a global economy in which we must compete with people around the world a world which requires us to work hard and smart a world in which putting people first is more than a political slogan it's a philosophy of governing and the only path to prosperity for twelve years we followed a very different philosophy and declared that government is the problem that fairness to the middle class is less important and keeping taxes low on the wealthy the government can do nothing about our biggest problems lost jobs

declining wages increasing inequality inadequate educational opportunity and a health care system that cost a fortune but those two little during those twelve years as governor of arkansas i thought a very different course more like what you've done at home at work i invest in the future of people and balance the state budget with honesty in fairness and without gimmicks it's just common sense when the twenty six days at the new president have already learned that here in washington commonsense isn't uncommon and you pay a lot for that loss of commonsense the typical middle class family is working harder for less despite the talk of a recovery more than nine million of our fellow citizens are still out of work and as this chart indicates if this were a real normal recovery three million more americans would already be back at work by now in fact they're more jobless people now than there were at what

the experts call the bottom of this recession all during this last twelve years the federal deficit has roared out of control look at this the big tax cuts for the wealthy the growth in government spending and soaring health care costs all calls the federal deficit to explode i bet is now four times as big as it was the nineteen eighty let's write in the last twelve years we piled up four times as much debt as in the previous two hundred now if all that had been invested in strengthening our economy would at least have something to show for our money more jobs better educated people a health care system that works because you can say while the deficit one up investments in the things like the stronger and smarter richer safer or neglect less invested in education less than our children's future less transportation less and local law enforcement an awful lot of that money was wasted lives matters when you

dont invest in jobs and education economic opportunity unemployment goes up their incomes go down and when the deficit gets bigger and bigger and bigger the government takes more of your money just for answers and then it's harder for you to borrow money from your own business or to afford a new home or to send a child to college that's exactly what's been happening what's our living standards double every twenty five years but the right word on today are living living standards will double for another hundred years until our grand children's grandchildren were born that's too long we must act now to restore the american dream despite the enormity of this crisis believe it or not the status quo still has its defenders people point to hopeful statistics like the recent increase in productivity in consumer confidence and say we should do nothing for american business has been forced to become more competitive in this global

economy and i'm glad that consumer confidence is up since the election but we're not generating jobs are making headway on these other long term problems my message to you is clear the price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change after all that's why you sent me here not to keep this seat warm went to work for fundamental change to make washington work for all americans not just the special interests and the chart a course that will enable us to compete and win in this new world here's the challenge that will alter the congress in the country on wednesday will invest in our future by nurturing our children and supporting their education by rewarding work and slam by creating the jobs of the future and twenty are people to fill them our of every effort will reflect what president franklin roosevelt called bold persistent experimentation a willingness to stay with friends or war and stop things that don't

change must begin at the top that's why cut the white house that by twenty five percent in order federal agencies to cut billions of dollars in administrative costs and a train one hundred thousand total positions by attrition and in my budget they'll be more than a hundred and fifty specific cuts in government spending programs that outlast the wealthiest americans to pay their fair share that rises to those of you who gave the most in the nineteen eighties i had hoped to invest in your future by creating jobs expanding education reforming health care and reducing the debt without asking more of you and i work harder than other work in my life to meet that goal when i can't because the deficit has increased so much beyond my earlier estimates and beyond even the worst official government estimates from last year we just have to face the

fact that to make the changes our country needs more americans must contribute today so that all americans can do better tomorrow but i can assure you of this you're not going alone anymore you're not going to force and you're no longer going to pay more and get less seventy percent of the new taxes are proposed seventy percent will be paid by those who might more than one hundred thousand dollars a year and for the first time in more than a decade we're all in this together more important is the payoff our comprehensive plan for economic growth would create millions of long term good paying jobs including a problem to jumpstart our economy with another five hundred thousand jobs in nineteen ninety three and nineteen ninety four and as they might be cuts in existing government programs will make new investments where they'll do the most good incentives to

businesses to create new jobs investments in education and training special efforts for displaced defense workers a fair tax system to ensure that parents who work full time will no longer raise their children poverty welfare reform to move people from welfare to work vaccinations enhanced are opportunities for all children who needed and a system of affordable quality health care for all americans our national service plan will throw open the doors of college opportunity to the daughters and sons of the middle class that will challenge and give something back to our country is teachers police officers community service workers taking care of our own right here at home and will do it all while reducing our debt changed its fundamental will not be easy nor would be quick witted stake is the control of our economic destiny within minutes of the time i conclude my address to congress was denied the special interests will be out in force those who profited from the status quo we'll oppose the changes we see the budget cuts to revenue

increases the new investment priorities every step of the way they'll oppose many have already lined the corridors of power with high priced lobbyists they are the founders of the choir and we must be the architects of the future i'm confident in our calls because i believe in america and i know we have learned the hard lessons of the nineteen eighties this is your country you've demonstrated the power of the people in the last election are just i inform them stay involved if you're vigilant about what we can do what we had to do on this president's day we recall that many times in our history when past presidents and challenge this nation from this office in times of crisis if you will join with me we can create an economy in which all americans work hard and prosper this is nothing less than a call to arms to restore the vitality of the american dream when i was a boy we had a name for the belief that we should all pull

together to build a better stronger nation we call that patriotism and we still do that night and god bless america president clinton speaking for the first time to the nation from the oval office on television for some analysis of the president's speech just before we hear from bob dole the senate minority leader for the republicans we have david gergen editor at large of the us news and world report and columnist elizabeth drew painted general reaction on the president's talked in some three favorites are to be dead day care availability straightforward well delivered a strong speech it's a bit like the gas and seven bales around and we're still waiting for the program we have one sixth rails now often as once and i will find my sleek product well i think that the overall it was i would prefer a longer speech and one which really was more political activists or is thinking more but overall i think it was the speech was returned your fear well i think he was fairly successful in his goal of setting up the why of his

program on wednesday i agree with robin because it was pretty piled in an awful lot of information and so i think it might have been a little dense and hard to follow but within that were some almost gem like scenes of the price of doing the same old thing is even higher than the price of change you sent me here for change there's some things in there that he could build on quite successfully i think an armored entered a lot of campaign speech again and there seemed to me about half of its interviewees the seventh inning was set much of the campaign rhetoric and at the end i think we are low the campaign rhetoric like the other is underneath all of this to the messages big taxes are on the way i think he tried to soften the blow the night of the most important single thing i try to get out and i was that seventy percent of the new taxes are going to fall upon people making over under thousand dollars a year he clearly want to get that into the mainstream of thinking before he presents of panoply of new taxes on wednesday and robin the other thing is it's quite striking elizabeth come back to

mamma after we've heard from bob dole the republican response to president clinton's speech comes from the senate minority leader robert dole is expected to talk for about two minutes from his office on capitol hill good at and all your mom was morrison these days let me given official two minute warning that's all time all taken a no doubt about it this are critical moment for america the staggering federal debt of more than four trillion dollars and the stooges of our children our grandchildren on the line the time for action is now election year message republicans and democrats and independents and the support of the ross perot's clear no more partisan games no more budget your aids you want results and so the wire let me assure you the republicans and congress are ready to get the job done we will cooperate with present one cup across the garment and the slice the federal deficit or

republicans also want to cooperate with you the american people we both are lots of speeches about sacrifice will be working you make certain sacrifice isn't just a presidential core code word for more taxes more spending and more mandates from washington that's a kind of sacrifice will break the back of middle class america and lead us right in the economic ruin before present when the man that the former winners of factory work or the shopkeeper the truck driver or senior citizens and one more time to washington they should demand a presentation and those of us in congress that every outdated program every bloated agency and every item in the federal budget takes a hit it deserves because without real spending cuts and across the board sacrifice the american people will be shortchanged again by government refuses to change republicans look for reviewing present plans economic plans in fact we've invited and i want republicans to discuss his program

if nothing else a presence back in full service to emulate debate in the congress and all across america republicans by the listener the present and eu the american people heeded calls and letters coming thank you and goodnight senator robert dole from capitol hill still with us in washington are david gergen at us news and world report and columnist elizabeth drew what did you think of the town of marvel's response elizabeth well he didn't quite take the gloves off and say it's going to be all war but he certainly didn't say whether we settle corporate president couldn't quite clear that they are going to draw the line on taxes and try to define clinton's program as a tax increase program and said that you should cut spending more and dave will be the this will be the terrain of the art even says we want to cooperate with them but i have a feeling it's going to be a pretty bloody fight david he it clearly anticipated one element in the president's speech

and clearly separated the republicans from those people who want the status quo interaction is no i think that's right robin i i i think they are it if anything i think that bob dole was trying to move the republican party away from the bush legacy and what was seen as the lesser for years i imagine what they're trying to do is invoked now the reagan legacy of tax cutting that followed by a period of growth a longer girls in the nineteen eighties and the republicans are moving back to try to reestablish themselves as a party of you know stands against higher taxes wants lower taxes and they're like two arguments rhyme and one is to raise taxes too much of an illustrated or the recovery and a second argument is let's say the spending cuts before we look at the tax the tax increases and so far we haven't heard too much about spending cuts reading the mood of the country who who is reading the tea leaves right do you think this is right that the year is the president right that the current look a sizeable majority of americans are really ready to do something that

may hurt them individually a little bit international good or will the republican theme of not raising taxes still have a wide variety well this is why the argument will be over definition of the program the clinton people are reading tea leaves to tell them that the public is ready for something bolder ready for something different they are ready for the sacrifices lives is shared in his fair and this is the case that clinton is trying to made was interesting to me that you might say a ghost at this banquet was ross perot are there was clear with the same kinds of sharks the perot years in showing how these terrible trends in the economy and even though all refer to ross perot been that i think that the clinton people acknowledge that roe had a real effect on the populist during that campaign and that the idea of reducing the deficit is much easier to sell now than it would have been before did your government in ottawa i think at the end of that bill clinton properly

sense is that much of the country wants him to succeed that that then he is in many people's eyes the best hope we have and they pray that these changes are we will be worthwhile i think it's a problem at the moment robin is as he calls for all these changes and cuts and then and then it's a must for mailers tax increases connecting up to a pre pay off you could have a seder was no clear theme in this speech tonight about where we were having as a result of these changes ed talks about change what has not changed is not change so it's the find in a way that i think people to walk away from this insight qualify in nevada by these new taxes if i do go go and get along without these benefits and i get something from an eighty seven a hard time spoke with the central thrust with messages in your business aimed at getting the american dream back on track increasingly out the growth of living standards and we had spent at the present rate they wouldn't double for a century i think david's right

robert and i think they know it better than they wrote it tonight i mean in a tuck and people had a time they talked about how important was going to be to show what the pampas going to be the better future that this is investment i think you know sometimes you david doses better than i think you get too many people working on the speech you kind of lose track of yours think the other striking thing about it is he said sorry middle class i know i told you to be a tax cut and i really tried but the numbers are so different now than they were which is a little disingenuous of that i'm not going to be able to do it and this is going to be obviously his big political task and clearly he thinks it is but as a whopping seventy nine foot know when i read about it and i must say that the strike you wanted when that camera been a colony how young he is that a president that young in the oval office and that marsh out i recommend going to change the chair zoe lot more authoritative the chairs are overwhelmed by the business that it was so striking and to have a new president there he looks much younger listeners believe but some and the first abortion rate and it was it was a dramatic change

our mortgages and david about the line i had hoped to do much more without asking for more from from new meaning the middle class what did you think of that i like that line for its honesty i thought he didn't try to skirt it was tricky was facing up to the fact that he had promised middle class tax cuts in the campaign and now if it can't deliver i think he helped himself on the line every time bill claims that up to the plate as very straight for people like him or for respect him more for i know that someday will inter that is a sign of weakness and there was a sign elizabeth pointed out as washington insiders he could have known that much earlier in the year if you did and in fact how much larger the deficit would be then they were saying at the time and how much more difficult to cut sources argument going to be convincing if only i'd know i don't think that part of it's known i think he's really into confessing i didn't do our where i'd hope i could do for you i think it'll be basically forgiving about that what they're gonna wanna know though is what are you really

asking for now and is it going to work why do we have any belief that this program another five hundred billion dollar deficit cutting programs that work any better than the last july through three years ago was didn't seem to work very well he has not yet provided a solid answer that question there's reportedly think about is that casting the special interests who will be out in force immediately he said after his speech on monday night as the defenders of the study's data is grown the defenders of decline well this is going to be a major theme of course it's a young bill young lochinvar our has come to town and he's been a slight the special interests and a change and anybody who opposes him as for the special interest you must have to make that argument i think that's the argument he's been remaking around the country for months to come but special interests at least i know what you said earlier this evening that you're with us or against your special interest that special interests are those representing and very effective lobbying groups representing a medicare recipients ironic and you're representing people on social security as well as

truckers who fear or who fear or gasoline tax and so absolutely it's a very broad array of people are very they're going into so many programs in so many taxes he's whole gamble has to be that he can keep a unity about what he's proposing and thank you you know you just can't pick apart this is fair it's a comprehensive it's progressive and you start picking out of the whole thing will collapse that is the crux of his battle to keep enough of it intact and to not be seen to be giving things away too soon or else it'll all collapse how well do you think you did insulate his purpose and the unit is on his intention from the expected attacks i think he came across a very appealing sincere figuring out more straight for that i think he may have appeared in blast barriers town hall meeting for example at the same time i did not think there was a central thrust this message which was a major

headlines and as much as i agree with elizabeth on a question for example of i think he does need to fend off a lot especially pretty smart go there i know much of my keys great patriotism and says if your patriotic duty supporters program or one page rapidly drawn back to the line of patriotism is that he is the last refuge of scoundrels life i think i hope they drop that that notion from his argument it was interesting i thought that both he and there and senator dole talked about this being a critical moment for the country i mean now that is not to what will likely not be surprising to some people the dollar's been one of the more responsible republicans on the question of the deficit through the years we had several splits with the reagan white house he was ready to put some cuts in social security and all the entitlement programs and i think the reason we're here is they are mother really up against the wall now and that means there's just not more road to do more things and two and other resources to revitalize the economy when you're running a four trillion

debt and so in dull he doesn't really have someone of a very different philosophy that and argue over masses but the doll has certainly been of the view that we have to be serious about the deficit ha ha ah next phone call democracy official washington is already bracing for the public's reaction to the president's speech is tonight and wednesday night for the past several weeks congress and the white house had been on the receiving end of a barrage of phone calls from all over the country congressional correspondent calling bowman reports thank you very much for calling and i want the senator nine pm the busiest people on capitol hill these days seem to be the one canceling the phone call i guess to president clinton looked at they animate it at people coming into the country and it must have taken thirteen so

far members of congress came inundated with phone calls three weeks ago in the wake of the attorney general nominees though we dared disclosure them knowingly hire illegal immigrants opponents continue to ring after president clinton moved to look ahead on gays in the military one day between stand i only had six telecasts artists can do anything better start with for incoming wines just for the hundreds of people trying to call it a busy signals we don't understand what's out there and there is one way that they can be heard a mazda pickup the former don't know what a fax is maybe but they'll all that somebody told in the last campaign that they have a voice and an unfair they're going to speak one of those somebody is was ross perot was grassroots presidential campaign took off after an appearance on the larry king show i as

ross perot modern circumstances under which you can you give me a scenario which it's ok i'm in if you're that's eric knew the people are that serious you register me in fifty states we were us born in point there's no doubt about it because he had so much reaction enact a cnn phones broke that could become planned that was spontaneous and say call in and build from it and say that those with words of them but it is a radio and tv talk shows that are getting the credit and taking the heat for unleashing the recent flood of phone calls and to the nation's capital a recent editorial and roll call the newspaper of capitol hill dubbed the phenomenon answering machine democracy and worried that its influence on members produces the tyranny of the noisy minority over the rational but let's work the majority those comments struck a nerve on the floor of the us senate my forties big losses in cans is i'm i was an

officer received about six thousand phone calls that sounds like the marketing action a mate but wait the political correct policing the media decided that's not democracy it's a disgrace it seems a new pc analysis that all those americans calling in are just following orders they were forced to pick up the phone because all those radio talk show host when you see an outpouring that can be bland and it is a pretty good judge where it's not a big judge's if he gets some sort or while torture was an extremist left the right who's telling people you call when you write and boy you do this then at a manufacturers' from our studios in new york city administration an estimated fifteen million people we now tune in to hear the conservative views of radio talk show host rush limbaugh when

you raise taxes three years ago and it it gets good because the best to get better walk walk out what where is the evidence that raising anybody's taxes cost should go to it that's unlike larry king limbaugh doesn't hold his opinions in check but limbaugh insists he never encourages listeners to all their elected representatives even know if what i say or what i do or the positions i take happens to enrage people or make them laugh or motivate them to action then i would say it's because of the quality of my performance and the sincerity and passion of my expression rather than my instructing a bunch of booms to make phone calls and limbo are readily admits that most of the phone calls in to washington there is probably are from those who share his conservative views the worlds do you have every they've run congress are thirty nine years when democrats have an end of a controlled senate for multiple years and i do think the day feel empowered and conservatives don't they don't feel empowered and

are simply lashing out of a hey we're still here you may have won the white house but listen to what we think we're not going to go pat robertson and his seven hundred club tv program also reached an estimated fifty million a week during the recent debate on gays in the military robertson didn't try to conceal what he wanted his audience to do i think congress is very sensitive to the mood of the electorate right now and i think it's just really important you call your congressman or your senator's mean that two senators and one member of the house or as an interest free telephone calls but there's a switchboard number and call they did on that one day the capital switchboard handled nearly half a million phone calls ten times its normal load whether the calls a spontaneous response or organized effort members of congress are listening welcome back will be doing your own gospel discuss some current issues of

course with one house speaker tom foley and minority leader bob michel recently helped larry king debut his daytime radio talk show the first topic of conversation was of course are we make a lot of you start with speaker foley of this so this they were on our list for children are growing and future revenues you know i'd much rather have assumed i'm anxious so even more hyperactive a public community out there responding to issues and one that was asleep or or worse just a strange that would be more having to do with the issue that led to a talk show well i think it's because they're right i may have a little bit of a problem mo where the girl with a pear and the pressure that that does engender i hope we would get the same time a reaction when we get to the real real are difficult issues for example over dealing with the budget itself out that

continues then of course it it's terrible to have you in line is that we don't take video calls to two officers and so on to be the whole public opinion and obviously it's important when people call or write but it doesn't necessarily mean that that's the only opinion is being registered four years ago it was an organized letter writing campaign that pressure members of congress to repeal a major piece of the health care legislation approved earlier a year earlier the catastrophic health act provided senior citizens with long term health care but increased their monthly medicare payments built after cancellation means chairman dan rostenkowski became a target of the protest in his own district because we invest congress can't take that

heat from a wealthy few all principles are being abandoned this follows is in full retreat a terrible mistake or you pick a person of the people and then covered would've gone from four doors les says the most ten bucks a month a month and then the top cats as five percent would add a twelve to seventeen hundred year and they brought it down portal selfishness by the highest earning in retirement people in nine states and we listened to them just give them tiny fraction of people were out there by contrast the atmosphere and zoe dare it's confirmation hearing changed in just a matter of hours as a member of the senate judiciary committee chair alan simpson was sitting in the hearing room when the phone started ringing at the river kelly in putting a local palliative of people's desks a hundred sixty calls a snow for two and three

hundred and twenty men from a listener do you have any doubt that or do you think that that changed some senators minds who would not have changed their minds in the manner that you you'd all year will allow question in fact you can go back to look at the tapes i have a button a little silly term but their of their least three center both sides of the aisle who in the second round question they were asked to some pretty technical questions and you can almost tell in the next round and that their staff and on human rights of the number they say they don't care what you're asking that there's been none reported that telephone calls the center's offices i've been running a very unfavorable racial to your nomination as he's here and gone on and you feel that need to be treated fairly that way senator it's difficult for me i'd to comment on

what it is that prompts people to call it you care they need the seven subway russians to order and fifty calls a license don't come home it i honestly my constituents by reading the mail which is always a more thoughtful thing from constituents than a quick phone call hall from that got triggered by emotion fear guilt or racism so this place for the white house works both ways it has tables of volunteers opening and sorting through the mountains of mail delivered to sixteen hundred pennsylvania avenue every day and the white house takes calls as well the clinton administration has expended a special comment line and started with a steady stream of volunteers to record phone been complaints concerns or words of encouragement the

president's office conflict kelly of incoming calls twice a day i don't know he personally looks at them every day i know that he's taken an interest in the law is always been he's is the person who ran for the presidency and says one of the people and that's always been a very important dialogue for him to keep so he's always been very interested in what the general public don't think so i'd say to say that that he's looked over the tally sheet so it should come as no surprise but after he outlined his economic plan on wednesday night president clinton wants all those phones to ring listen to what i say next week decide whether you think it's fair and tell me and your son or the constant one thing conrad are all remember operator of the spending by cd we turn now to a

newsmaker interview with former president jimmy carter this week he will host the conflict negotiation seminar in atlanta with officials from all over the world trying to deal with some of the world's hotspots earlier this afternoon he spoke with jim lehrer and began by asking about tonight's oval office speech first up president clinton is going to speak to the american people tonight about the economy and the message apparently has to be that of contribution everyone must contribute everyone must sacrifice how is that message is likely to be received particularly or through the world proportional to how much each far from believes that they are being treated fairly i think the truckers own fuel in gasoline i think that corporate structure only increase taxes are wealthy people on tour without him into some social security benefits or will accept it if they think they're not getting cheated on not being called upon immigrants or a loser preference in this country to reduce the deficit even more than is to increase social problems or the

government so cleanse challenge will be first of all the committee people is where i think secondly he owes based on average already but he needs to incorporate into the planning process at least on details as much of the republican leadership in congress as possible to give a bipartisan tone to that people are ready for this is i think so he ran on this basis during the campaign not knowing therein ah how horribly big deficit was it wouldn't hurt but i think he has led the groundwork with his press conference with his town hall meetings i think people say that this is so summers likely to be in a crowd of us all and so i think he can be successful if he puts her approval and is it his job to sell this most people sell this just like he saw himself as a candidate as at what it takes now to be a president have a program to help in their own is the only bully pulpit in this

country really on in politics i know for five years or you wind up his domestic paul kavanagh says to follow up his presentation to the nation by going around the country and it detailed questions have a press interviews show a pattern in town hall meetings and all being with a key players for hits in the corporate world so i believe for all of us in marshalling know the vice president but orders cavanaugh says to present his views very clear to the american people overblown languages of those with the territory at a stage like this but people are talking already that this particular exercise and he's already begun and goes through on nighttime night and then again on wednesday and then the next several days after that we'll in fact defined his presidency is an icon a smell these are i don't think it's only this is one issue where the five

person said but if you combine within and all health reform which is as though a major impact all controlling the budget deficit along with what it does about economics given the budget under control or keeping inflation lot of the low dose of the right job the totality of the packages that will define his presidency that the thing is that the president has much for all employees over shaping the agenda on the domestic same all but not very much control over the final decisions because if congress and the reserve board and a private enterprise systems evolve on the other hand the productivity was shaped artists and their farm moreno oh more than icann domestic issues and he has more control of this in this particular government policies so it has that kind of a quandary which he found himself his main job though on the economy and domestic on issues on the founding of presents it for political purposes will be or what he presents as we move let's talk about

some of the foreign things that you mentioned fresno's just today united nations announced that they were putting together a twenty five thousand true love forced to send us ally to replace of the american troops that have been there they'll be replaced or a period in the next several weeks of savagery eagleburger then secretary of state university and right before he left office that when it's all said and done the american people will look back on the sum it operation with terrific fried you agree with that indications so four years ago larry eagleburger is correct we don't know what will happen but we now next june as american troops withdraw as the effectiveness of the military operation decreases with that fact and what will the warlords to if there is an assessment interruption of delivering food medicine i think the somalia expedition will not relent until further but i think that we all or implanting within

somalia or a policy of weapons control and deliver food that might be so attractive to the salon in people that they will help perpetuate the benefit if so i think it will be a major success story is it also a major precedent for the use of american military and for odysseus of american power generally this is less about the first time something like that was done when it is that it's important for us to realize it we're spending about three billion dollars this year also called peacekeeping efforts by the united nations of an unprecedented level of love that i hope that they united nations and the clinton administration and other countries' governments around the world will say that the best way to address a problem is at its initial stages and not wait until a somalia the vault with the disaster in the country with a lot of non entity

lawyers for the government does control is concerned the same thing has happened in mozambique and other countries that could very well happen for instance in liberia that the best approaches for the human at the initial stages of a crisis to sit in the future observers will likely a very small peacekeeping force and call upon the private agencies like the carter center for instance and others the numbers are on issues at least long enough to have a cease fire and a kurd seo implementation of a sound government through democratic processes with an analysis of about selection says it's nothing that we have already done in a number of countries including the end of a culture war in nicaragua saw think of a preemptive move by the un is much less expensive there the way thomas somalia this afternoon paulson and spend all enormous amount of money that is the un to that place yet where they're willing to go when that doesnt almost at the stage in the game to

take a crisis take a disaster before the u n x so forget but hope this though that with the workers when the state de palma with open and those in the white house that they in fact can build upon the natural inclinations of what we just we just got it or to be preemptive and to utilize all of the complete gamble all hall conflict resolution all the orchestrations sees for us are holding elections which have been very effective as a combined effort into another area where it were the un got involved once it became a major crisis of course is so is bosnia you think president clinton's so new policy that was announced last week is the right direction the combination of getting involved in the diplomacy in the vance owen on diplomacy at the same time back that up with a full pension of us power is

that the right direction for us to go there was a beautiful will approach orchestrated by a secular state warren christopher to have abandoned what silence in bamako and have done no strenuous months of negotiation would have been a serious mistake in my opinion all but now to bring in a strong american presence and also recently while russian of all presidents i think can have the best chance for succeeding on a piece of art bachmann about her own shoulder the promised land and this is an awful military strength to enforce all voluntarily will accept it a peace agreement ought is is also on a decision on to be devout saw so nothing is the optimal route to this point reza would you say to those who say wait a minute this is none of our business at the body's said the bosnians problem is the europeans' problem are no

american blood should be shed or even threatened to read in a in a way to solve if we have our own problems now let the world saw that the rest of the world saw their problems we are not the police out of the world etcetera honey respond to that kind of argument oh and remind them of the first world war and they are second world war and the vietnam war which we didn't go is to gay which was started by others as a small flame but became a worldwide conflagration almost and no point out the little investment at the beginning of it all gonna rain all for a war in which we might be in actually of all i think this is the best approach to it and we're not isolated from the rest of the world even though we say we're not going to send a change phenomena become involved is a little wattenberg

we all find ourselves in the position but to join in now with the reinvigorated all without end and i should say really with an invigorated united nations into corners and that and and full partnership with a security council members of the smaller countries but also with a major nations i think is a wonderful new opportunity that we haven't seen in the past that is that as a practical matter right now mr president isn't it that the united states the only power in the world that really can now i'm an operation like somalia like desert storm are even like bosnia me not all things was was kind of at a standstill as a well the us must get involved or nothing's gonna happen is that what the world was like that will not be action and resolving these crises unless united states gets involved but i object to us it's given all that what is happening now will happen in the future in somalia is a good indication

that within assess leadership and those in the security council debate using our political force to encourage action then bring in a broadly representative team of nations who can be involved relatively small scale accumulatively exceed that conservationists ages of an approach i would certainly like to say in boston all american adults american is to get an american official is a given but if troops do go into the boston area to monaco of peacekeeping role of a peace agreement i would like to see the europeans be in the forefront i would not want to see americans should play a leading role as we did in the somalia all the gulf war live in a non military way out of the middle east an area that you've devoted much energy to when you're the president and still and still continue to do so the word is that the peace talks may resume now they have been stymied and suspended for a

while do you see the use now a year a lasting peace coming out of this process is that now at a realistic possibility but i don't think it's a possibility chairman must say the united states is willing to take on itself the responsibility of a strong and powerful medium just to have a room in which the palestinians and as rose so jimmy on to the age of seven you know state approval that israel is in a syringe than they will ever be fruitful and the dishes are too complicated and then for direct talks says the issues are too sensitive so i think you have to have a strong mediator there's no alternative to the united states and my hope is of orchestra will come back from his eight day trip through the middle east with the assurance of the torch will be an initiative again and a bevy of mediation role for states this is all the time all went

gold has risen again it's a time when the american people and that people in the middle east and also just want to say a resolution on successful i know from camp david which is ancient history know that full vegan it's about to meet with each other directly was totally impossible as a man to fight for the last ten days at camp david then i mean so each other it was the mediator going back and forth that will call a single document that was successful i think that but the people in the middle east would prefer to see us stronger over just about everything so it hasn't the urgency gone out of that process the need to find a resolution that today everybody talked about before is an icon of gong not for the people live their continental united states i don't think so i believe american people advisedly or not on february with the middle east conflict or because of full biblical connotations because

although only should share with israel all because of the role that we've made in the past again david and the peace treaty between israel and age of them because with saying on the plus that families can be an explosive site full of conflict that involves us and other nations have a fallen trees into middle east will never be put into a vibrant they can all the things that we talked about the specific send an overlay your experience not only as president but your experience so essential at the white house in and you threw the curse on her driver was all these various conflicts throughout the world particularly in the new climate do you look upon the world in all these little things going on all a potential things are not hopeful way is it possible for there to be a new world order or people do know no longer kill each other just over over things that happened four hundred years ago or over border disputes and all that is that realistic now jimmy carter center we monitor every conflict in the world every day there now hundred

and twelve conflicts that we are that we monitor more than thirty of those are major wars within which more than a thousand people of loss alive and about to fail which means about ten times as many civilians have died and and most of these boys are not presently being addressed because of the civil wars this week coincidentally we are assessing five of these major wars here the courts are just to know what is being done what all the antagonists what are the issues involved what might be the best approach to preventing all love of broadening of these conflicts but what if we can can bring in that they all program on negotiation harvard university for instance and the european efforts that he's in the caucasus role in establishing peace combine that with influence of special governments in washington person london and even in moscow plus united nations and the regional organization other organization of american states normalization of the community

and the totality of that can i think prevent future somalia's interim ozone the future vietnam's and that the worldwide a more peaceful future agree with the end of the of the call that is a major profit for improving the global political social issues ha ha again the main story of this monday was president clinton's address from the oval office mr clinton outlined the underlying principles for his economic plan set to be unveiled before congress on wednesday lightning a tool called tor as the president said fixing the economy would require budget cuts and the tax increase for most americans with the wealthiest when the larger share senate majority minority leader bob dole being the republican response and promised his party's cooperation but he said every possible cut in the budget must be made before middle class americans were asked to pay more taxes that's the newshour for tonight i'm robert macneil at night

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