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Declaring war on undeclared war
A lawsuit could force President Clinton to get Congress' OK on Kosovo.
By Jake Tapper
[05/06/99]

Endangered congressman?
Former allies target a term-limit promise-breaker.
By Jake Tapper
[05/05/99]

Will Macedonia unravel?
Imagine 26 million Cuban refugees on the shores of Miami, and you'll understand how NATO's mission in Kosovo has destabilized the region.
By David Rieff
[05/05/99]

White lies
Asking "How could it happen here?" reveals the racism behind our thinking about violence
By Jill Nelson
[05/04/99]

Crazy as they wanna be
Black people take secret -- and unwarranted -- comfort in the fact that mass killers tend to be white.
By Debra Dickerson
[05/04/99]

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First, I did in office what I said I would do. I campaigned on school reform, accountability, charters and choice. And I signed bills to that effect. I campaigned on tort reform, juvenile justice reform and welfare reform, and on all I signed bills. And shared credit. I didn't try to take all the credit, I shared credit with the people, both Republicans and Democrats, who helped achieve these reforms.

Second, I showed the people of Texas that I'm a uniter, not a divider. I refuse to play the politics of putting people into groups and pitting one group against another.

Third, during the course of the campaign, I didn't talk about the past; I talked about the future. I laid out additional plans for tax cuts, for school reforms like ending social promotion, by initiatives that would say to kids that if you carry a gun illegally there will be a consequence, and I think the people of Texas listened, because I had credibility, and had done what I said I would do.

And how did you approach minorities?

First of all my message during the campaign was to make sure that people from all walks of life knew that the Texas dream was available for them -- that when I talked about education, I wasn't just talking about suburban education, I was talking about high standards for kids from all walks of life. I said that leaving children behind as a result of simply shuffling kids through the school system was not the Bush way, nor was it the Texas way. I talked about entrepreneurship.

In terms of Hispanics, I talked a long, long time about making sure that we had what I call a system of "English-plus," not "English-only." English is the gateway to freedom -- plus we respect your heritage. I worked closely with the Mexican government to solve common problems Texas shared with them.

But the main thing is, David, I started my campaign in the minority communities the day I got elected the first time, when I said, "Many of you did not vote for me -- I'm still your governor and will be your governor."

Ronald Reagan had the only successful two-term presidency since Dwight Eisenhower. Part of the secret seems to be that he focused his attention on two important goals -- lowering taxes and winning the Cold War. What are your priorities?

One is prosperity: to make sure that we continue to be prosperous by lowering taxes and by fighting off isolationist and protectionist policies and politics. A second priority is to make sure that we educate children. A third priority is to promote the peace. America must be strong enough and willing to promote peace. One way to do so is to bring certainty into an uncertain world, and I support the development of anti-ballistic missile systems to do so. These are three priorities.

President Clinton has shown Americans that character counts and that moral values are important. But an important part of the electorate is wary of Republicans with strong moral convictions because they fear politicians who want to impose their values on them and on the rest of us. Abortion is a case in point. What is your answer to these fears, or how do you deal with them?

The answer to anybody's anxiety about me is in my deeds and actions. I have a strong faith. I am a religious man. I believe in Christ, and therefore my actions hopefully reflect a heart that cares for others. I understand good people can disagree on issues. I am a pro-life candidate, but there are pro-choice governors who are my friends, and who support me, and for that I am grateful.

My goal is for every unborn child to be protected in law, and welcomed in the world. But I recognize that we don't live in a perfect world, and I also recognize that good people can disagree on this issue. What America should focus on is banning partial-birth abortions and passing parental notification laws. That's where we can find common ground. Americans can find common ground on adoption initiatives as well.

Let me ask it another way ...

You don't like the answer? (laughing)

There's another dimension. There are roles that politicians can play, and roles that they shouldn't get involved in. Pronouncements on what is and what is not a sin might be an example.

Here's my view of government. Government is really about laws and justice. The frustration many people may have with government is that they look toward government to change people's hearts. Hearts aren't changed by law -- hearts aren't changed by man-made law -- hearts are changed in churches, in synagogues, in mosques. Hearts are changed because people who have good hearts persuade others who don't. You don't have to go to church to have a good heart. But the agent of change for a heart is not in a government subcommittee, or in government legislation. It's in civil society -- it's loving people, helping others in need. Only when you change hearts and attitudes will the laws also change.

So you're not going to use the government to force a change in attitude ...

Well, government can't change attitude. Government can lead -- a leader can lead and convince people, but there's no law that makes people love each other.

OK. You've taken a forthright position of tolerance toward discriminated groups, including homosexuals. Would you like to elaborate?

I think that each person ought to be judged by their heart and by their soul and by their contribution to society. Group-thought will balkanize our society, and I have rejected the politics of pitting one group of persons against another.

You said that education is the most important thing that a state does, and you've made that your priority. Foreign policy is the most important thing that a president does. Will you make that a priority?

Absolutely. It is essential that the next president be someone who understands America has an important role to play in promoting peace and to encourage others to understand the value of freedom, of free speech, free religion and the importance of the rule of law.

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