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BUSH I'm a two-month man right now. [Laughter.] I don't know. We're dealing in a part of the world where our policy was, O.K., we'll kind of tolerate the lack of liberty for other reasons and just hope it gets better. And sure enough, it didn't. And the al-Qaeda--they're very ideologically driven people. Their plan is to take over governments with their ideology. Right before 9/11, if you remember, Pakistan was flirting with the Taliban and had very close relations. One of the successes of this Administration has been to convince President [Pervez] Musharraf to be an ally in the war against alQaeda and the Taliban. Prior to September 11, Saudi Arabia didn't take al-Qaeda very seriously. Now that alQaeda has declared war on them, we now have a strong ally in the war on terror. My only point to you is that if Pakistan and the Saudis were ever to have fallen into the hands of those who shared the al-Qaeda--type vision, the dynamics of peace would change dramatically because the assets at their disposal would be significant. A weak government that has not listened to the people, that has created resentment and anger, becomes the host for the parasite. And the parasite eventually overcomes the host. That's what you saw in Afghanistan.
TIME You've said that you don't think that they're religious people.
BUSH I don't.
TIME They're religiously motivated.
BUSH I don't think people who would believe in an Almighty God would slit somebody's throat, just like that. I believe that they use religion as a justification for their ideology. But I don't view killers as truly religious people.
TIME You said once about Franklin Roosevelt that you look at how he aged through World War II and feel it sapped his soul. Do you feel some of that in this long struggle?
BUSH You know, I've gained strength through dealing with the people that I've tried to comfort. It's an amazing experience to walk into a room with moms and dads or a wife or somebody who ends up comforting the comforter. And I've gained strength by witnessing firsthand the great character of the country. Now, look, admittedly, I'm in a bubble, but nevertheless, I'm able to gain an interesting look at the soul of America. I've gained strength as America has gained strength. Think about the remarkable recovery this country made after the September 11 attack.
TIME Faith is important to you. Have you ever prayed for Saddam?
BUSH No.
TIME There is that challenge to pray for your enemies.
BUSH Absolutely. But you asked me a personal question, Do I pray for him? No, I haven't. I pray for a lot of things. I pray for the safety of our troops, I pray for those whose hearts are broken because of the decisions I made, I pray for strength, I pray for wisdom. Maybe I will [pray for Saddam], now that you've asked the question.
TIME What do you hear from Saddam? Is he saying anything?
BUSH No. I think a lot of them over there aren't talking because there's no incentive to talk.
TIME At the Democratic Convention, Bill Clinton said, "Strength and wisdom are not opposing values."
BUSH I didn't hear his speech.
TIME He said, "Strength and wisdom are not opposing values."
BUSH Strength and wisdom are not opposing. I agree.