Question 1 | Question 2 | Question 3 | Question 4

Question 2: What made you run for President?

President Bush's Answer: Well, I thought I could do a better job than anybody else who was running for President. I am concerned about a country that was becoming too bitter at times. I'm concerned that the American Dream--the idea that you can have a dream and work hard to achieve it--might not be bright for everybody in America. I'm worried that the education system in some places isn't working. I'm concerned that the morale in the military isn't high enough. I think we need to have a strong military to keep the peace. So I had some reasons for running, and now I'm working to achieve them.

One of the reasons I've come to your school is to be able to talk about education. I'm also talking about a budget plan. One of the things a President does is submit a budget to Congress--"here's where we ought to spend money"--and if you have any money left over, I'm arguing we ought to give it back to the people who pay taxes, like the teacher right here at your school.

Now, one other thing my wife is going to do, by the way, is to go around the country encouraging people such as yourself to think about being a teacher when you get older. There's nothing more important than being a teacher. So as you start to think about your ambitions and your possible careers when you get out of college, think about being a teacher. It's a very important profession.