Informal Exchange With Reporters
Aid
to the Contras
Q.
Mr. President, are you ready to give a figure on contra aid yet?
The President. That's what we're going
to discuss this morning, and you'll be hearing about it very soon.
Vice
President Bush
Q.
What do you think about last night's encounter between Vice President Bush and
Dan Rather?
The President. I am only going to talk
about the other encounter -- contra aid. [Laughter]
Q.
Do you think he upstaged your State of the
The President. No comment.
Q.
Do you think Rather was too tough on the Vice
President?
The President. That's, again, no
comment.
Q.
Well, could you tell us what the Vice President said to you in confidence and
help clear up some -- [laughter]. You could get him off the hook, Mr.
President, by telling us what the Vice President urged you about the Iranian
arms sales.
The President. No, I think he has been
exactly right, that that would set a precedent with regard to private
conversations between Presidents and Vice Presidents, and I don't think we have
a right to do that.
Q.
Was he present when Shultz and Weinberger expressed their objections to this
arms sale? There's some confusion about that.
The President. No, he wasn't.
Q.
He was not present?
The President. No.
Israeli
Response to Palestinian Protesters
Q.
Do you think it's civilized to break the arms and legs of protesters?
Senator
McCain. Are the Sandinistas still doing that? [Laughter]
Q.
He answered the question. The Sandinistas and the Israelis are doing it.
The President. That's one of those
questions that if I try to ignore it or something I look hard-hearted. And I'm
opposed to violence wherever it's possible to avoid violence.
Note: The exchange began
at