White House Web Site

QUOTE:

“Last question. Ann — since you’ve been there from day one.

Q Thank you — and I wanted to ask you about day one. You arrived here wanting to be a uniter, not a divider. Do you think Barack Obama can be a uniter, not a divider? Or is — with the challenges for any President and the unpopular decisions, is it impossible for any President to be uniter, not a divider?

THE PRESIDENT: I hope the tone is different for him than it has been for me. I am disappointed by the tone in Washington, D.C. I tried to do my part by not engaging in the name-calling and — and by the way, needless name-calling. I have worked to be respectful of my opponents on different issues.

There — we did find some good common ground on a variety of issues — No Child Left Behind, Medicare/prescription drugs, PEPFAR, in the end, the funding for troops in Iraq. Tax cuts, to a certain extent, got some bipartisan votes on them. There had been areas where we were able to work together. It’s just the rhetoric got out of control at times —

Q Why?

THE PRESIDENT: I don’t know why. You need to ask those who — those who used the words they used. As I say, it’s not the first time it’s ever happened — as I think I answered that to Jim, there. It’s happened throughout our history. And I would hope that, frankly, for the sake of the system itself, that if people disagree with President-Elect Obama, they treat him with respect. I worry about people looking at our system and saying, why would I want to go up there and work in that kind of environment?

And so I wish him all the best. And no question he’ll be — there will be critics. And there should be. We all should welcome criticism on different policy — it’s the great thing about our democracy; people have a chance to express themselves. I just hope the tone is respectful. He deserves it — and so does the country.

It has been a honor to work with you. I meant what I said when I first got up here. I wish you all the very best. I wish you and your families all the best. God bless you.”

And God Bless you and your family President Bush!

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Jenny Hatch
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