Bush Feels Your Pain At the Pump: Tax Cuts = Cheaper Unleaded

TRANSCRIPT OF FEBRUARY 28 PRESS CONFERENCE

REPORTER: What's your advice to the average American
who is hurting now, facing the prospect of $4 a gallon
gasoline, a lot of people facing --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Wait, what did you just say? You're
predicting $4 a gallon gasoline?

REPORTER: A number of analysts are predicting --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Oh, yeah?

REPORTER: -- $4 a gallon gasoline this spring when
they reformulate.

PRESIDENT BUSH: That's interesting. I hadn't heard
that.

REPORTER: Yes, sir.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes. I know it's high now.

REPORTER: And the other economic problems facing
people. Beyond your concern that you stated here, and
your expectations for these stimulus checks, what kind
of hope can you offer to people who are in dire
straits?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Permanent tax -- keep the tax cuts
permanent, for starters. There's a lot of economic
uncertainty. You just said that. You just said the
price of gasoline may be up to $4 a gallon -- or some
expert told you that -- and that creates a lot of
uncertainty if you're out there wondering whether or
not -- you know, what your life is going to be like
and you're looking at $4 a gallon, that's uncertain.
And when you couple with the idea that taxes may be
going up in a couple of years, that's double
uncertainty. And therefore one way to deal with
uncertainty is for Congress to make the tax cuts
permanent.