Eyes on the Prize: Bush and Schwarzenegger Team Up
NewsMax.com Wires
Friday, Oct. 17, 2003
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – President Bush and California Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger met privately Thursday, then praised each other in a joint appearance. The movie actor called Bush "the greatest ally this golden state has in Washington."
For his part, Bush said he was glad to have met Schwarzenegger, then joked about "how much we have in common."
Both "married well," said Bush, and "some accuse both of us of not being able to speak the language."
Bush and Schwarzenegger met privately in the president's hotel suite in Riverside before they rode together in the president's limousine to nearby San Bernardino, where Bush gave a speech designed to set the stage for his Asia trip, which will focus on trade and the war on terror.
Later, Schwarzenegger said he tried to use their meeting to "create a great relationship with the White House" rather than ask Bush for specific favors. "It was not the right time to do that," he said at a news conference after Bush departed. He said they did not talk about politics or next year's campaign.
Bush and Schwarzenegger drew tumultuous applause as they were introduced at an economic forum.
"Thirty-five years ago, I never imagined I would be standing in front of you as governor of California introducing the president of the United States," Schwarzenegger said.
California, he said, is "a place where dreams come true," though its staggering budget deficit made for "serious challenges."
In addition to marrying well and being accused of not speaking the language, Bush joked that he and Schwarzenegger shared a third thing in common: "big biceps." When the laughter subsided, Bush suggested that "two out of three isn't bad."
Bush said he was "confident about the future of our economy" and noted that he had the responsibility to govern wisely from Washington, while "Governor Schwarzenegger has the responsibility to set good policy in Sacramento."
On other issues, Bush said he welcomed Thursday's unanimous vote by the U.N. Security Council aimed at attracting more money and troops to stabilize Iraq, a big diplomatic victory for the administration after a string of recent setbacks.
"I want to thank the United Nations Security Council for unanimously passing" the resolution, Bush said.
"America must never forget the lessons of Sept. 11," Bush said. "America will never retreat ... We will fight this war against terror until it is won."
At the private meeting, lasting about half an hour, the two talked about their "shared views of governance and how to approach issues," said White House communications director Dan Bartlett. He said the meeting "set a positive tone for a good working relationship going forward."
"It was a good, substantive conversation," Bush said.
As Bush and Schwarzenegger waited just offstage to be introduced, they could be overheard by reporters joking about how neither one had a good grip on pronouncing the California city Rancho Cucamonga.
Bush is hoping that an alliance with the movie actor turned GOP politician will help him build re-election support in the state, with its huge prize of 55 of the 270 electoral votes needed for victory. Bush netted about $1.75 million with a fund-raising luncheon in Fresno and a dinner fund-raiser here, bringing his overall re-election war chest to roughly $84 million.
California has undergone an extreme period of political turbulence between Bush's 2000 loss here to Democrat Al Gore, and the recall earlier this month of Democrat Gov. Gray Davis and the election of Republican Schwarzenegger to replace him.
While Bush came to talk about the economy and events in postwar Iraq, Mideast violence hung over his visit. Three Americans were killed in the bombing of a U.S. diplomatic convoy in the Gaza Strip.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, "terrorists have taken lives in Casablanca, Mombasa, Jerusalem, Amman, Riyadh, Baghdad, Karachi, New Delhi, Bali, Jakarta," Bush said in a speech in the central California town of Dinuba outside a food producing company. "Today, Americans died as the result of a terrorist attack in Gaza."
Warning that terrorists still pose a danger, Bush said: "They continue to plot. They continue to plan against our country and our people. America must not forget the lessons of Sept. 11."
Bush's speech was his last event in California before leaving on a six-country trip to Asia and Australia, stopping first in Japan.
© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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