Tuesday, December 5, 2000
Following is the transcript of Texas Gov. George W. Bush's remarks to the press Tuesday morning.
TEXAS GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: Good morning. Had a good briefing this morning. I appreciate the administration's willingness to send a member of the intelligence community over to give me a security briefing.
Today, as you know, Secretary Cheney is at Capitol Hill, gathering information about our transition, and I appreciate the cooperative spirit from the leaders in Washington. Obviously, we've got a lot of work to do, and the secretary is doing a very able job of leading my transition.
QUESTION: Any announcement today?
BUSH: Pardon me?
QUESTION: Any announcement today?
BUSH: No. Today is going to be a busy day here. I've got some state work to do. Condi Rice will be coming into town. I'll be meeting with her this afternoon. But no announcements today.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
BUSH: You know, I don't know. I thought the judge gave a very thorough opinion yesterday. It was a definitive opinion. And we'll just have to see how quickly the relevant courts act in the state of Florida.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
BUSH: Well, that's a decision the vice president has to make. It's a difficult decision, of course. And I can understand what he may be going through. It's been a very interesting period of time for both of us.
It's been one month from today that the people actually showed up and started to vote, and here we stand--and here I stand, still, you know, without a clear verdict. Although, I must say that I am very encouraged by what's been taking place. Hopefully, the issue will be resolved quickly, so that we can start...
QUESTION: Are you ready to make an announcement, once these legal issues are cleared up?
BUSH: I think we'll be ready to make some announcements, I do.
And, as I say, I've been taking the transition very seriously. I've been in constant contact with people on my team, who are in Washington, D.C. I think it's going to be important to show some, once the election is over, to show the American people that this administration will be ready to seize the moment.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
BUSH: Haven't talked to him yet. I'm going to call him, here, in a minute. Thanks for asking. My dad underwent surgery today in Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. And I said a little prayer for him this morning, but I am confident that the surgery will go well.
My mother told me last night that he played in a tennis tournament with Chris Evert, I think it was over the weekend, and played quite well. And I can imagine what it's going to be like when he gets a new hip.
Thank you all.