THANKS FOR SHARING A FEW MOMENTS WITH US THIS MORNING.
I APPRECIATE.
I APPRECIATE. >> IT THANK YOU, CHUCK.
>> AS I SAID, THE MAN JOINING ME
NOW WAS PRESIDENT BUSH’S
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AND HE WAS
HIS SON’S VICE PRESIDENT.
MR. VICE PRESIDENT, WELCOME BACK
TO "MEET THE PRESS," SIR.
>> GOOD MORNING, CHUCK.
GOOD TO BE BACK.
>> I WANT TO PLAY FOR YOU A CLIP
FROM MY COLLEAGUE, JENNA BUSH,
OF AN INTERVIEW SHE DID WITH HER
GRANDFATHER.
GRANDFATHER. TAKE A LISTEN.
>> WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR LEGACY
TO BE?
TO BE? >> WELL, I WANT SOMEBODY ELSE TO
DEFINE THE LEGACY.
I’VE KIND OF BANNED THE USE OF
THE "L" WORD, LEGACY WORD.
THAT WAS PAST, NOW THIS IS
PRESENT.
PRESENT. I THINK -- I THINK HISTORY WILL
GET RIGHT AND POINT OUT THE
THINGS I DID WRONG AND PERHAPS
SOME OF THE THINGS WE DID RIGHT.
>> MR. VICE PRESIDENT, IT’S THE
LAST THING HE SAID THERE.
PEOPLE WILL POINT OUT THINGS I
DID WRONG BUT THEY’LL POINT OUT
SOME OF THE THINGS WE DID RIGHT.
HE’S PUT THE BLAME ON ME, SHARE
THE CREDIT WITH EVERYBODY ELSE.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. NO, HE WAS A REMARKABLE MAN.
I, OF COURSE, WAS HIS SECOND
CHOICE FOR SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.
BUT I WAS ASKED TO TAKE THE JOB
AFTER HIS ORIGINAL NOMINEE HAD
FAILED.
FAILED. IT WAS A TREMENDOUS PRIVILEGE TO
BE ASKED TO JOIN THE TEAM.
PARTLY IT WAS A GREAT TEAM WITH
THE PRESIDENT AS COMMANDER IN
CHIEF, BRENT SCOCROFT, NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISOR, JIM, THE
SECRETARY OF STATE AND MYSELF.
WE ALL WORKED TOGETHER IN THE
FORD ADMINISTRATION SO YOU WERE
PUTTING THE OLD TEAM BACK
TOGETHER TO SOME EXTENT.
IT REALLY WAS, AS JIM SAID, JUST
A REMARKABLE TIME IN TERMS OF
WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE WORLD.
THERE WAS A LOT OF TIMES BEING
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WAS A REAL
BUMMER.
BUMMER. IT HAPPENED TO BE IN MY OPINION,
I’M ALWAYS ASKED WHICH JOB I
LIKED BEST OF THE ONES I HAD AND
I ALWAYS CITE THAT PERIOD OF
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR GEORGE
BUSH.
BUSH. >> YOU TALKED ABOUT HIM AS JUST
BEING A GREAT BOSS.
WHEN MADE HIM A GREAT BOSS TO
WORK FOR?
WORK FOR? >> WELL, FOR EXAMPLE, WHENEVER
IT WAS TIME TO PUT THE BUDGET
TOGETHER, DEFENSE CAME FIRST.
WE’D DECIDE WHAT THE TOP LINE
WAS GOING TO BE FOR DEFENSE.
I WAS FREE TO GO SPEND THAT AND
EVERYBODY ELSE GOT WHAT WAS
LEFT.
LEFT. THAT’S A GREAT WAY TO OPERATE IF
YOU’RE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.
>> I’M SURE YOU LOVED IT.
>> WELL, WE NEEDED IT.
OF COURSE WARTIME TOO.
BUT THE OTHER THING THAT WAS
NOTICEABLE, AT ONE POINT --
DEFENSE WAS A HUGE PLACE.
IN THOSE DAYS I HAD 4 MILLION
PEOPLE WORKING FOR ME, 2 MILLION
ACTIVE DUTY, A MILLION
RESERVISTS AND A MILLION
CIVILIANS.
CIVILIANS. AT ONE POINT I HAD TO RELIEVE
ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE JOINT
CHIEFS.
CHIEFS. HE HAD DONE SOME THINGS THAT
WEREN’T ETHICALLY BAD BUT JUST
TOTALLY OFF COURSE FROM THE
DIRECTION I WANTED TO GO IN.
I CALLED THE PRESIDENT AND ASKED
IF THAT WAS OKAY, ANY PROBLEM.
GOT HIM OFF THE TENNIS COURTS UP
AT CAMP DAVID ON A SUNDAY.
HE SAID, DICK, YOU DO WHATEVER
YOU NEED TO DO AND I’LL BACK YOU
TO THE HILT.
DIDN’T ASK WHY OR ANYTHING ELSE.
GAVE ME HIS WHOLEHEARTED SUPPORT
AND ENDORSEMENT AND LEFT ME TO
RUN THE SHOW.
THERE’S NO BETTER WAY TO OPERATE
FOR A BOSS IN TOUGH
CIRCUMSTANCES.
CIRCUMSTANCES. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I’VE
READ THAT YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT
THAT YOU THINK ONE OF HIS
PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS IS, IS
THE IDEA OF PEACE THROUGH
STRENGTH.
STRENGTH. THAT THAT ADMINISTRATION, YOUR
ADMINISTRATION IS THE EPITOME OF
THAT.
THAT. IT DOES SEEM AS IF THE WORD
"RESTRAINT" IS A POSITIVE WHEN
DESCRIBING PRESIDENT BUSH AND
FOREIGN POLICY.
FOREIGN POLICY. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT?
>> WELL, I THINK IT CLEARLY WAS.
PARTLY WE BENEFITTED FROM THE
REAGAN BUILDUP AND A LOT OF GOOD
THINGS THAT HAPPENED DURING THE
REAGAN YEARS, BUT WE INHERITED
THAT SITUATION.
THAT SITUATION. AND THE THINGS THAT HAD BEEN
DONE DURING THE REAGAN YEARS I
THINK CONTRIBUTED DIRECTLY TO
THE ULTIMATE DEMISE OF THE
SOVIET UNION, GETTING READY TO
GO OUT OF BUSINESS.
THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WERE
ESTABLISHED THEN WITH GORBACHEV,
FOR EXAMPLE, AND THE WAY THAT WE
OPERATED, WE HAD THE MILITARY
CAPACITY, WE GENERATED
SIGNIFICANT SUCCESS IN THE
DESERT WHEN WE WENT TO THE GULF
WAR, AND AT THE SAME TIME THAT
SORT OF BACKED UP EVERYTHING
ANYBODY EVER THOUGHT ABOUT US,
INCLUDING OUR ADVERSARIES.
THERE WASN’T ANYBODY THAT WANTED
TO MESS WITH THE UNITED STATES.
OVER TIME, THAT ULTIMATELY,
OBVIOUSLY, LED TO THE DECISION
BY THE SOVIETS TO SHUT DOWN
THEIR OPERATION.
THEIR OPERATION. >> WHAT WAS INTERESTING, AND I
THINK SECRETARY BAKER SAID
PRESIDENT BUSH WAS INSISTENT
THAT AS THE SOVIET UNION WAS
FALLING, AS EASTERN EUROPE WAS
FALLING, DON’T POKE GORBACHEV.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. I CAN REMEMBER, I’D GET INTO A
LITTLE BIT OF A TUG AND PULL
BACK AND FORTH WITH BRENT
SCOCROFT.
SCOCROFT. I WAS INTERESTED IN GETTING
MILITARY ATTACHES IN ALL OF
THOSE SOVEREIGN STATES AND BRENT
WANTED TO GO SLOW.
HE WAS OBVIOUSLY SPEAKING TO THE
PRESIDENT AND I DID IT THE WAY
THEY WANTED IT DONE.
ON THE ONE HAND THERE WAS GREAT
TEMPTATION TO MOVE AGGRESSIVELY
TO MAKE SURE WE CONTROLLED AND
MAINTAINED THE ENORMOUS SUCCESS
OF THE COLLAPSE OF THE OLD
SOVIET EMPIRE.
SOVIET EMPIRE. ON THE OTHER HAND, AND THE
PRESIDENT LED THE CHARGE,
OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS HIS CALL, BUT
HE DID IT IN SUCH A WAY AND
INSISTED THAT WE DO IT IN SUCH A
WAY THAT WE WERE NOT
UNSYMPATHETIC TO THE POLITICAL
PROBLEMS, IF YOU WILL, OF MR.
GORBACHEV AND WE COULD OPERATE
IN A WAY THAT WOULD MAKE IT
EASIER FOR HIM TO DO WHAT WE
WANTED HIM TO DO, NOT BY BRUTE
FORCE, NOT BY THREATS, NOT BY
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF DANCING ON
THE BERLIN WALL AS IT CAME DOWN.
IT WAS MASTER FULLY HANDLED.
>> YOU WORKED FOR THE FATHER,
YOU WORKED FOR THE SON.
I’M SURE EVERYBODY ASKS YOU TO
COMPARE THEM AS BOSSES, THIS OR
THAT.
THAT. WHAT PARTS -- WHAT WERE THE BEST
ATTRIBUTES THAT YOU FEEL AS IF
THE FATHER PASSED ON TO THE SON
THAT MOST IMPRESSED YOU?
>> WELL, HE HIRED ME.
FOR ONE THING.
>> THERE’S ONE THING, OKAY.
>> LIGHT HEARTED.
>> I HEAR YOU, I HEAR YOU.
>> NO, THEY WERE VERY DIFFERENT.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS DIFFERENT
TIMES, DIFFERENT ISSUES.
I HAD A JOB IN ONE AS SECRETARY
OF DEFENSE AND THE OTHER AS VICE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. WE HAD LEARNED A LOT FROM THOSE
EARLIER YEARS.
EARLIER YEARS. WHAT I HAD DONE FOR HIS FATHER,
I THINK HAD A LOT TO DO WITH HIS
DESIRE TO PUT ME ON THE TICKET
AS HIS RUNNING MATE.
>> WHO WAS EASIER TO DISAGREE
WITH?
WITH? OR WHO WAS HARD ERDER TO DEBATE?
>> AS VICE PRESIDENT, THEY
COULDN’T FIRE ME SO I COULD BE A
LITTLE BIT MORE FORTHRIGHT IN
SPEAKING.
SPEAKING. BUT THEY WERE GREAT GUYS TO WORK
FOR.
FOR. VERY PROUD OF WHAT I WAS ABLE TO
DO WITH BOTH OF THEM, THE FACT
THAT I WAS ASKED TO SERVE.
THOSE WERE REMARKABLE YEARS.
AND THERE WERE DIFFICULT TIMES,
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT, IN BOTH
ADMINISTRATIONS.
ADMINISTRATIONS. BUT IT WAS A -- WELL, THE
HIGHLIGHT OF MY CAREER.
>> ALL RIGHT.
MR. VICE PRESIDENT, IT’S ALWAYS
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANKS FOR COMING IN.
>> GOOD TO BE BACK, CHUCK.
>> YOU LOOK HEALTHY.