PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

CHARLES GIBSON:
All right. Thanks, Tony. We're gonna turn again now to our exclusive interview with President George W. Bush.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Everybody knows it now, one of the tightest presidential races ever. And over the weekend, I had some time to spend with the president and the first lady at their ranch down in Crawford, Texas.

CHARLES GIBSON:
And we covered a wide range of personal, sensitive subjects, including religion and their views of homosexuality.

CHARLES GIBSON:
I want to ask you about one social issue, 'cause you gave an answer that I thought was really interesting in the third debate. Bob Schieffer asked you if you thought homosexuals were born that way ...

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES:
Yeah.

CHARLES GIBSON:
... or became that way. And you said you didn't know.

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Right. I don't.

CHARLES GIBSON:
So, the possibility, it's a nature-nurture argument. So, the possibility exists in your mind that it could be nature.

PRESIDENT BUSH:

Sure.

CHARLES GIBSON:
They could be born that way. If that's the case, just for sake of argument, that's an unalterable characteristic for them. That's like being black or being a woman. So, how can we deny them rights in any way to a civil union that would allow, give them the same economic rights or health rights or other things?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
I don't think we should deny people rights to a civil union, a legal arrangement, if that's when a state chooses to do so.

CHARLES GIBSON:
But the platform opposes it.

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Well, I don't. I view the definition of marriage different from legal arrangements that enable people to have rights. And I strongly believe that marriage ought to be defined as between, a union between a man and a woman.

CHARLES GIBSON:
So, the Republican platform on that point, as far as you're concerned, is wrong?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Right.

CHARLES GIBSON:
How about the constitutional amendment on marriage?

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY Well, I think it gives the United States a chance to debate the issue. I think it's an issue that people want to talk about. But with respect to everyone involved, and with respect to people.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Do you agree with him on the constitutional amendment?

LAURA BUSH I'm not really sure about it. I think it's important to have the debate.

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Look, if, if you're, if you're interested in preserving marriage as a union between a man and a woman, there is one way to do so without the courts making the decisions, that's through the constitutional process.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Let me ask you some questions about faith which is a tough suggest to talk about. You have called at times this battle against terrorism a crusade.

PRESIDENT BUSH:
I, I said it once and probably shouldn't have used that word.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Do you think God is involved in this conflict?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
I don't think this is a religious war. I think this is a war between evil people that are willing to kill on a mass scale. People that would like to end up with weapons of mass destruction and even kill more than they did in New York City and Washington ...

CHARLES GIBSON:
But you've used a phrase that interests me, which is, you said, freedom is a gift of the Almighty.

PRESIDENT BUSH:
It is.

CHARLES GIBSON:
And if you're the agent of freedom, or consider yourself so in this, does that indicate in your mind that the Almighty is on our side in some way?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Charlie, I think that you shouldn't try to read too much into what I'm -what I'm saying is a truth. And the truth is people yearn to be free no matter who they are or what their religion is. Freedom is ingrained in people's souls. Freedom was not placed there by the United States. It was, in my judgment, it was placed there by something greater, the Almighty.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Do we all worship the same God, Christian and Muslim?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
I think we do.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Does ...

PRESIDENT BUSH:
We have different routes of getting to the Almighty.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Does bin Laden? Does Abu Musab al-Zarqawi pray to the same God that you and I do?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
I think they pray to a false god otherwise they wouldn't be killing innocent lives like they have been.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Do Christians and non-Christians and Muslims go to heaven in your mind?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Yes, they do. We have different routes of getting there. But I will, I, I want you to understand, I want your listeners to understand, I don't get to decide who goes to heaven. The almighty God decides who goes to heaven. And I am on my personal walk.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Let me turn to some health issues for a moment, the flu shots. Did you have no clue this was coming?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Didn't.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Is that a fault or a failure of the FDA?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
No. I think it's, I think the FDA, actually, did a good job of making sure that contaminated -vaccine didn't come to the United States. They followed up very quickly on what was a, what was a surprise to everybody.

CHARLES GIBSON:
And there were some hints to the FDA early on that there was a problem with, with Chiron's vaccine supply. Shouldn't you have known about that? Shouldn't we have known about that?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Well, the FDA reacted very quickly to a, what -turned out to be a contaminated supply, a manufacturing defect.

CHARLES GIBSON:
And we also got caught by surprise that Vioxx is a drug on the market that may not be totally safe. Is the FDA, or I'm really, I guess asking, too close to the drug companies?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
I would certainly hope not. The FDA's job is to make sure that the American consumer is protected. And I think they do a fine job.

CHARLES GIBSON:
A couple of quick political questions.

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Sure.

CHARLES GIBSON:
If there is a second Bush term, will Don Rumsfeld be secretary of defense?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
I'll answer those at the appropriate time after November the 2nd.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Will there be changes in the Bush cabinet at the top levels?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
You know, again, I know this is kind of fun speculation amongst the, amongst the people who follow politics closely, but we're nine days away from the vote and that's where I'm focused.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Final question. What the hell is that on your back in the first debate?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Well, you know, Karen Hughes and, and Dan Bartlett had rigged up a sound system ...

CHARLES GIBSON:
You're getting in trouble.

PRESIDENT BUSH:
... (inaudible). I don't know what that is. I mean, it is, it is a, yeah. It's, it's a, I'm embarrassed to say it's a poorly tailored shirt.

CHARLES GIBSON:
It was the shirt?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Yeah, absolutely.

CHARLES GIBSON:
There was no sound system?

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Of course not.

CHARLES GIBSON:
There was no electrical signal? There was ...

PRESIDENT BUSH:
I mean, what is, how does an electric -please explain to me how it works so that maybe if I were ever to debate again I could figure it out. I guess the assumption was is that if I were straying off course they would, kind of like a hunting dog, they would punch a buzzer and I would jerk back into, into place. It's just absurd.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Mr. President, you are gracious to give up your time, it's very close to the election and rest is at a premium, and you're nice to take the time.

PRESIDENT BUSH:
I'm thrilled you're here. Thanks for coming. It's been my honor to welcome you to a place Laura and I love.

CHARLES GIBSON:
It's a beautiful spot. Thank you, sir.

PRESIDENT BUSH:
Enjoyed it.

CHARLES GIBSON:
Thank you.

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