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A. I think it would be improper to even speculate, because it won't happen. It just won't happen, guys.
Q. If you recognized that having two candidates run against George Bush would elect the incumbent, would you drop out of the race?
A. We'd just have to look at all the facts. I don't want to be disruptive. I don't want to damage the process.
Q. You've been very hard on George Bush.
A. Wait a minute. Can we talk about issues? For example, he was responsible for the banks and the savings and loans, and look at what it got us. For 10 years his fingerprints were all over creating Saddam Hussein and putting billions of taxpayer-guaranteed loans in Hussein's pocket.
I promise you this: as I make mistakes, I will just say, "All right, I have made a serious mistake," and get it over with in one day. Who was in charge of antiterrorism? George Bush. Who created Noriega? George Bush. Who was in the middle of Iran-contra? George Bush. When Iran-contra came out, why didn't they just say he was in charge of antiterrorism? That's what Iran-contra was. Why didn't he just say, "Well, I blew that, right?" It's a one-day event.
As opposed to that, everybody shredded; everybody ran, ducked and hid. Everybody turned into Teflon, and who got hurt? The American people got hurt, and we're still paying for Judge ((Lawrence)) Walsh to try to figure out what happened. Wouldn't it have been simpler just to say, "I did it, and here's why I did it, and in retrospect I shouldn't have done it"?
I'm not attacking him as a person. I'm not attacking his personal life. I'm not doing all those things that he directs that his people do as really the only thing, I guess, they're able to against anybody who runs against him. And believe me, you will never hear the words come out of my mouth, "We will do whatever it takes to win." I think that is irresponsible. And anybody who thinks that uncontrolled people are out here making these day-by-day attacks, particularly on Governor Clinton, believes in the tooth fairy. Those things all come from on high. Those people all report directly into the White House.
Q. Are you saying they're doing this with Bush's consent or without it?
A. You're sophisticated. I'll let you decide. All right. Let's assume I have somebody in my organization who's doing something like that. He might do it once, and that person would be out of the organization, right? Pretty simple. Yes, it's done with his approval. It has to be. In Washington, see, nobody takes responsibility for anything.
Q. You've said in different ways to different audiences that you don't have the patience to be President. You said once, "My orientation toward results would get me into deep trouble." You've obviously thought about this and decided that you do, after all, have the temperament?
A. I think there's a different climate now. People want things fixed. They want a guy to get under the hood of the car and fix the engine. I think they're finally ready for somebody who will go in and fix things as opposed to let things deteriorate while he goes around and holds news conferences and two-day summits on various social programs and domestic issues. They want it done. Now, that's up to them.
Let's assume that by November they say, "No, we'd just rather have more smooth talk." That's fine.