READING BETWEEN THE FROG JUMPS

President Bush Participates in Joint Press Availability with President Sarkozy of France
Elysée Palace
Paris, France

June 14, 2008

Q:

To both of you, what specific, concrete requests do you wish to make or send to the Syrian President, Bashar Assad, so that he normalize his relations with the West, and of course to achieve stability in Lebanon and in the rest of…

PRESIDENT BUSH:

Well, my message would be, stop fooling around with the Iranians

[Because there’ll be plenty of time to fool around with some virgins in Heaven]

And stop harboring terrorists;

[I didn’t know Syria had any harbors]

Serve as a constructive force in the Middle East to help the advance of a Palestinian state [Because Israel sure has’t];

make it clear to Hamas [Ham ass?] that terror should stop for the sake of peace; and make it clear to their Iranian allies that the West is serious when we talk about stopping them from learning how to enrich [I know a thing or two about who’s “in” and who’s rich], which would be the first -- a major step for developing a bomb; and to make it clear to their Iranian allies that Hezbollah is a destabilizing force for not only Lebanon but elsewhere.

Q:

Mr. President, Iran's government spokesman, shortly after the package had been presented by the Europeans, dismissed it out of hand, saying that if it does not -- if it includes suspension of enrichment, it absolutely will not fly. Can you convince the rest of your allies and partners to enforce the sanctions which are envisioned in that package? It seems that many of them are reluctant.

PRESIDENT BUSH:

That's probably a question you ought to ask the President of France.

[But these Frogs had better start croaking to my tune or I’ll have to fry them]

As a matter of fact, much of my discussions on this trip have been dominated by this subject because our allies understand that a nuclear-armed Iran is incredibly destabilizing, and they understand that it would be a major blow to world peace.

[And a major BLOW upon Iran---by me---if enrichment doesn’t stop]

And our view is we want the Iranian people to flourish and to benefit.

[Just like people in Iraq].

We want their economy to be strong so people can grow up in peace and hope; and they've got a -- this Ahmadinejad is obviously -- takes a different position from that. So his policies are what's creating the depravation inside Iran.

[Deprivation or Depravity?]

PRESIDENT BUSH:

Olivier. Tossing a bone to somebody who has got a French name.

[Instead of tossing him some slop]

Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Merci, Monsieur Président. First…

PRESIDENT BUSH: Speaks the language, too.

[I wish I could speak mine]

(Laughter.)

Q:

President Bush, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says that talks on a status of forces agreement are at an impasse, or a dead end -- not dead, but in trouble. How do you break this impasse, and are the conditions that the United States have set forward in support so far non-negotiable?

PRESIDENT BUSH:

Olivier, if I were a betting man [I used to be a batting man when I owned a baseball team], we'll reach an agreement with the Iraqis. You know, of course we're there at their invitation; this is a sovereign nation.

[Until I bombed it…and not at their invitation]

And therefore, we're working hard with the elected government of Iraq about, you know, U.S. presence and coalition presence in

[Not presents. They won’t get any. They’re not Christians like us],

a way that the elected government is comfortable.

[And in a way that my regime is comfortable]

And it's interesting to be working with a democracy where, you know, people are trying to prepare the ground to get something passed in the parliament, for example, or the free press is vibrant.

[Like an earthquake]

But we're going to work hard to accommodate their desires

[Accommodate desires?]

It's their country.

[At least that’s what I want them to believe]

And at the same time, we believe that a strategic relationship with Iraq is important. It's important for Iraq. It's important for the United States. It's important for the region. And I repeat to you that whatever we agreed to, it will not commit future Presidents to troop levels, nor will it establish permanent bases .

[But don’t believe me, because I’m a liar]

Q:

You have set the target before leaving the White House that by the end of this year you will hopefully achieve an historical peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. However, in light of what's happening to the fragile position of Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and the continuous process of building illegal settlements in eastern Jerusalem and certain parts of the occupied territories, do you think that peace is far away right now in light of those obstacles?

PRESIDENT BUSH:

Thank you. First of all, I view the concept of a Palestinian state and the idea of a Palestinian state for Israeli security, as well as Palestinian security and hope, as bigger than the political process.

[So big that my answer to your embarrassing question is…NO.]

On the other hand, what is not uncertain is that most people or many people in Israel understand that for their own security there has to be a Palestinian state, with clearly defined borders, a state that doesn't look like Swiss cheese [You know…one that looks like a holy city], a resolution of the refugee issue and the security issue, and of course issues surrounding Jerusalem .

[And, of course, many Israeli settlements surrounding Jerusalem that could be used for a Palestinian state].

I'm actually the first President ever to have articulated a two-state solution, two democracies living side by side with peace -- in peace.

[Forget Carter and Clinton. They weren’t the Decider].

I understand how difficult it is, but difficultly [Have to get back to my pronunciation drills] should not cause people to do the right thing.

[It follows from this dumb-ass statement that difficulty should cause people to do the wrong thing]

If you believe in your soul something is right, then you have an obligation to work.

[I believe in my soul and I have an obligation to work, even if it’s wrong]

Thank you.