REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
                        IN ACCEPTANCE OF BUST OF WINSTON CHURCHILL
                                         The Oval Office
 

                 1:12 P.M. EDT

                      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.  Thank

                      I think I casually mentioned to the
                 Ambassador, right after my
                 swearing-in, that I lamented the fact
                 that there was not a proper bust of
                 Winston Churchill for me to put in
                 the Oval Office.  He's a man of
                 great action, because here sits a bust
                 on loan from Her Majesty's
                 government, that I accept gratefully;
                 and will place right here, where the
                 flowers are, beneath one of my favorite West Texas paintings.  I accept
                 gratefully and I look forward to looking at Sir Winston on a daily basis.

                      People said, why would you be interested in having the bust of an Englishman
                 in your Oval Office.  And the answer is because he was one of the great leaders
                 in the 20th century.  He was an enormous personality.  He stood on principle.  He
                 was a man of great courage.  He knew what he believed.  And he really kind of
                 went after it in a way that seemed like a Texan to me:  he wasn't afraid of public
                 opinion polls; he wasn't afraid of -- he didn't need focus groups to tell him what
                 was right.  He charged ahead, and the world is better for it.

                      He also had a great sense of humor.  There have been a lot of Churchill
                 stories, some of which you can repeat on TV, some of which you can't, Mr.
                 Ambassador.  One that came to mind was after he lost office in the election in
                 1945, King George VI offered him the Order of the Garter. And here is what he
                 said.  "I could hardly accept His Majesty's offer of the Garter, when his people
                 have given me the order of the boot." (Laughter.)

                      Churchill reminds me of two things -- one, we need more humor in the public
                 arena.  He had a great wit.  He had a fantastic way of making people smile and
                 laugh.  And secondly, he reminds me of the importance of our relationship, the
                 relationship between Great Britain and America.

                      As the Ambassador mentions, in a couple of days' time I will go to confirm
                 and renew that relationship.  Not only will I have the honor of meeting with Her
                 Majesty, I will also spend some quality time again with the Prime
                 Minister.  We've got a strong personal relationship that is most helpful to making
                 sure our countries continue the tie that binds.

                      I'm looking forward to my trip overseas.  And a perfect way to begin is to
                 stop off in London, and then eventually go to Chequers, and then -- and have a
                 very constructive and honest and straightforward dialogue about areas where we
                 cooperate to make the world a better place.

                      In the meantime, Mr. Ambassador, I'm honored that you came by.  Thank you
                 very much for bringing Sir Winston.  I look forward to visiting with
                 him.  Sometimes he'll talk back; sometimes he won't, depending upon the stress of
                 the moment.  But he is a constant reminder of what a great leader is like.

                      So, thank you for coming, sir.      Q    Mr. President, is the special relationship
                 as healthy today as it was in Churchill's time?

                      THE PRESIDENT:  I think it is.  I do.  We cooperate in the Balkans. The
                 Prime Minister and I talk quite frequently on issues that are of concern for world
                 peace.  We don't agree on every single detail of issues, but we do agree that the
                 relationship is special and unique.  And I think it is very strong.      Q    Are you
                 expecting criticism on your UK trip, of your policies on the Kyoto treaty and
                 missile defense?

                      THE PRESIDENT:  You mean, from whom?  Editorial page writers?  Oh,
                 perhaps.  But on both issues I have made my positions clear.  People shouldn't
                 doubt where the United States stands.  And I made those positions on
                 principle.  In principle, it's important for us to develop a new strategic framework
                 to make the world more peaceful.  The Prime Minister, in his public statement at
                 Camp David, understood exact -- said to the people he understood exactly where
                 I was coming from.

                      We will continue to consult with Great Britain on the issue.  I will keep him
                 posted about my dialogue with Mr. Putin.  As a matter of fact, one of the things I
                 look forward to doing is sharing the conversations I had with Mr. Putin and what
                 my intentions are in Genoa, as well as in Shanghai, when I meet Mr. Putin.

                      And I think the Prime Minister and others are beginning to realize the Cold
                 War is over.  I know he knows it's over.  And the fundamental question is, how
                 do we deal with the threats of the 21st century.  And on global warming, the
                 Prime Minister knows, as do the leaders of the EU, they heard me say as loudly
                 and as clearly as I can, we agree with the goal of reducing greenhouse
                 gases.  But we don't accept the methodology of the Kyoto Treaty.

                      So I look forward over time to detailing our strategy with our friends and
                 allies.  And, again, I repeat, it's with the goal in mind of making sure that we all
                 work in the world developing and -- developing nations as well as industrial
                 nations of  reducing greenhouse gases.      Q    Mr. President, on a question that
                 is of interest to Europe, do you plan to extend the waiver of the Title III of
                 Helms-Burton for another six months?

                      THE PRESIDENT:  I do.      Q    Mr. President, do you have any initiative to
                 suggest in Northern Ireland that might break the deadlock between the parties
                 there?

                      THE PRESIDENT:  Where?  Northern Ireland?  No, what I told the leaders
                 of -- Prime Minister Blair and Ahern, I said, call me if you need help. They're the
                 folks closest to the ground.  They're intricately involved in the situation, and the
                 United States stands ready to assist.  If there's anything we can do to help bring
                 peace to the region, my government is more than willing to do so.      Q    But you
                 haven't received a call yet?

                      THE PRESIDENT:  I have not, but I suspect that Tony Blair and I will
                 discuss this issue.  I look forward to getting his perspective on the issue.  And,
                 again, if he needs our help, we'll be glad to help.      Q    You've been to Britain
                 before, Mr. President.  What are you looking forward to most on your re-visit?

                      THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I'm looking forward to going to Chequers.  The
                 Prime Minister told me when he came to Camp David that he thought I was --
                 would really love to see Chequers.  And my dad told me the same thing; the
                 ambassadors confirmed that, as well.  I look forward to going.  I look forward to
                 seeing Her Majesty, the Queen.

                      I had the honor of coming to a state dinner here in Washington that my mother
                 and dad gave for her.  And it's -- I found her to be a lovely, dignified, smart
                 lady.  And I look forward to representing my country in her presence.

                      My first trip to overseas was a successful trip.  I'm confident this will be, as
                 well.  It's such an honor to represent our nation in foreign capitals and to be with
                 foreign leaders.  I look forward to -- but I really look forward to making progress
                 on key issues, such as missile defense and world trade, working with nations who
                 are less fortunate than Great Britain and the United States -- nations in Africa.

                      We're going to have a very interesting session in Genoa with the leaders of
                 developing nations.  And the United States and Great Britain will take the lead in
                 helping convince all our friends and allies to provide support necessary to help
                 nations develop, starting with free trade.      Q    Mr. President, on energy, your
                 Cabinet is out today, pushing your energy plan.  Is it a tougher sell now, given that
                 gas prices have come down, we're not seeing the rolling blackouts in California
                 that we were just a couple of months ago?

                      THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think anytime there's not an immediate problem
                 that's apparent to people, it's tough to convince people to think long-term.  But it's
                 clear that there are warning signs.  It's clear -- it should be clear to the American
                 people that we're dependent upon foreign sources of crude oil, when every
                 quarter we worry about whether or not OPEC is going to run the price of crude
                 up.  It should be worrisome to people that the state that's had the best
                 conservation efforts is the state that's had brownouts.  And even though there
                 may not be a brownout today, it's an indication that we need an energy policy.

                      And so we're going to take a very strong effort to convince the American
                 people that we've got a plan that couples not only sound conservation, but the
                 need to develop new sources of energy.  And one of the primary topics that will
                 be on the agenda when the President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, comes after our
                 August recess, in the beginning of September, will be to continue to talk about the
                 hemispheric strategy to bring natural gas into the United States, and to Mexico,
                 for that matter.

                      I'm going to meet with Jean Chretien in Genoa, and we'll be talking about
                 energy, I can assure you.  Canada has got a lot of natural gas in the Northwest
                 Territories; we need to figure out how to get that gas into the United States.

                      And I think the American people will listen to a rational, logical approach
                 about how best to create energy security and diversification, as well as how to
                 promote conservation.      Q    Thank you, all.

                                                                    END
 

                 1:24 P.M. EDT