CNBC Press Releases

BARTIROMO: Did you see the Republican candidate debate? What did you think? Who came out a winner?

Pres. BUSH: Were you there?

BARTIROMO: Yes, I was. I was the co-host.

Pres. BUSH: So you're trying to hoax me into saying--yet brilliant question.

BARTIROMO: No, that's not what I'm looking for, Mr. President.

Pres. BUSH: I didn't watch, I didn't watch. I was...

BARTIROMO: What did you think of Fred Thompson joining this...

Pres. BUSH: Didn't watch, and you know, people are going to try to get me to comment on the primaries and I'm not going to do it. I will tell you I believe that whomever we nominate will win the general election. Our candidates are going to be talking about being tough on these terrorists and keeping taxes low, and that's a winning message.

BARTIROMO: Any advice for them?

Pres. BUSH: I just tell people what's in their heart, you know.

BARTIROMO: Let me ask you about oil, Mr. President. Clearly, a worry about $80 a barrel. Why is it that we really have not seen a substantial energy plan? We all know that we have to be reliant on foreign oil, but should there me more incentives for hybrids, perhaps a gasoline tax, something?

Pres. BUSH: I think we have had a significant energy bill pass that is comprehensive in nature, that couples good conservation policy with diversification away from oil. One of the things that has taken place in our country that doesn't get much notice is the advent of ethanol. Right now, ethanol is mainly created through the use of corn. And we've...(unintelligible)...a billion gallons of ethanol to eight billion gallons of ethanol on an annual basis, and we're spending a fair amount of taxpayers' money on research and development on cellulosic ethanol, which is a fancy word for using like wood chips to make ethanol or corn--or stalks or switchgrass. The whole purpose is to incent people to develop the technologies that will enable us to get off of oil. You can't get off oil overnight but you can diversify away from oil over time, and that's precisely what we're doing now in the most substantial ways of any administration in history.

Secondly, we've got to figure out new ways to produce electricity. And I actually use old ways in a safe way to produce electricity where I'm for clean--you know, new nuke, new nuclear power plants, because I believe the engineering is safe, and I know that, you know, nuclear power is good for the environment.

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