WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Bush Recieves Honorary Degree To Mixed Crowd (New Britain-AP) _ Former President George Bush says he thinks a woman could win the White House, but won't predict when that might happen. Bush's son, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and Elizabeth Dole are exploring runs for the Republican nomination next year. The former president, in an appearance Thursday at Central Connecticut State University, was asked if he thought a woman could be elected president. "Oh sure, absolutely," Bush said. Then, he paused and added, "I don't know if there's going to be one, but, yes." Bush was at the school to lecture on foreign policy. He said he's concerned about North Korea's developing missile technology and thinks the relationship between the United States and China, if not handled with extreme care, could pose a serious threat to world peace in the next century. In the short term, Bush said he is concerned about the political vacuum created by the death of Jordan's King Hussein. He also said he's thinks that the Gulf War was such a technical and tactical success that it helped heal some of the wounds from the nation's experience in Vietnam. Bush was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree prior to his speech. School officials were lauding him as outstanding role model for today's youth when several young people stood up and screamed at Bush, calling him a "mass murderer" and a "war criminal" because of the nation's policy toward Iraq. Bush told the protesters that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein holds the key to lifting UN sanctions in his country. He said much the same thing earlier in the day while addressing an honor student seminar at the school. "I'm troubled by what's occurring there now, but the sanctions would end immediately if Saddam Hussein would obey international law," Bush said, when the student asked him about the suffering caused by the sanctions. Bush answered students' question on a wide variety of political topics, including the budget surplus and the recent impeachment of President Bill Clinton. He said he supports Clinton's efforts to use some of the surplus to bolster the Social Security system but also thinks some of it should be returned to the taxpayers. "After all, it's their money," he said. As for the impeachment, Bush said he thought both Clinton and Congress suffered. But he said Congress was within its rights to initiate the inquiry. Asked whether he thought Clinton's behavior was acceptable, he said: "I think it's unacceptable to lie under oath, it's unacceptable to obstruct justice and it's unacceptable to demean the office of the presidency with conduct your mother wouldn't condone." Bush had a brief exchange with a student who said the UN sanctions had caused 1.5 million deaths in Iraqi. He asked Bush to sign a resolution calling for an end to the "US inspired terror in Iraq." Bush declined, saying he disagreed with the student's assessment of the situation. Bush then asked the student to join him in urging Saddam Hussein to end the suffering of his people by obeying international law and ending his efforts "to proliferate weapons of mass destruction." The former president, now 74, said he doesn't regret not sending US troops into Baghdad in an effort to depose Hussein. Had he done that, he said, "the Gulf War coalition would have fallen apart and we'd have been bogged down in an urban, guerilla war with no guarantee that we'd ever find Saddam Hussein." Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Bush Recieves Honorary Degree To Mixed Crowd
(New Britain-AP) _ Former President George Bush says he thinks a woman could win the White House, but won't predict when that might happen.

Bush's son, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and Elizabeth Dole are exploring runs for the Republican nomination next year.

The former president, in an appearance Thursday at Central Connecticut State University, was asked if he thought a woman could be elected president.

"Oh sure, absolutely," Bush said. Then, he paused and added, "I don't know if there's going to be one, but, yes."

Bush was at the school to lecture on foreign policy. He said he's concerned about North Korea's developing missile technology and thinks the relationship between the United States and China, if not handled with extreme care, could pose a serious threat to world peace in the next century.

In the short term, Bush said he is concerned about the political vacuum created by the death of Jordan's King Hussein. He also said he's thinks that the Gulf War was such a technical and tactical success that it helped heal some of the wounds from the nation's experience in Vietnam.

Bush was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree prior to his speech. School officials were lauding him as outstanding role model for today's youth when several young people stood up and screamed at Bush, calling him a "mass murderer" and a "war criminal" because of the nation's policy toward Iraq.

Bush told the protesters that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein holds the key to lifting UN sanctions in his country. He said much the same thing earlier in the day while addressing an honor student seminar at the school.

"I'm troubled by what's occurring there now, but the sanctions would end immediately if Saddam Hussein would obey international law," Bush said, when the student asked him about the suffering caused by the sanctions.

Bush answered students' question on a wide variety of political topics, including the budget surplus and the recent impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

He said he supports Clinton's efforts to use some of the surplus to bolster the Social Security system but also thinks some of it should be returned to the taxpayers.

"After all, it's their money," he said.

As for the impeachment, Bush said he thought both Clinton and Congress suffered. But he said Congress was within its rights to initiate the inquiry.

Asked whether he thought Clinton's behavior was acceptable, he said: "I think it's unacceptable to lie under oath, it's unacceptable to obstruct justice and it's unacceptable to demean the office of the presidency with conduct your mother wouldn't condone."

Bush had a brief exchange with a student who said the UN sanctions had caused 1.5 million deaths in Iraqi. He asked Bush to sign a resolution calling for an end to the "US inspired terror in Iraq."

Bush declined, saying he disagreed with the student's assessment of the situation.

Bush then asked the student to join him in urging Saddam Hussein to end the suffering of his people by obeying international law and ending his efforts "to proliferate weapons of mass destruction."

The former president, now 74, said he doesn't regret not sending US troops into Baghdad in an effort to depose Hussein.

Had he done that, he said, "the Gulf War coalition would have fallen apart and we'd have been bogged down in an urban, guerilla war with no guarantee that we'd ever find Saddam Hussein."

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