[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[March 29, 1991]
[Page 318]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Exchange With Reporters on the Death of Lee Atwater
March 29, 1991

    The President. Happy Easter, everybody.
    Q. Good morning.
    The President. Good morning. Happy holidays.
    Q. Mr. President, can you share your thoughts about Lee Atwater?
    The President. Well, I will make a comment on that because I'm very 
saddened. Barbara and I are heartsick about it. Our whole family is. Lee 
was a very close friend to my sons and daughter as well as to Barbara 
and me. He suffered a lot. But I guess what I'd like to say is that we 
extend our love and best wishes to his family and, on the professional 
side, say that I was very proud to have him at my side as I campaigned 
for the Presidency and, after I became President, to have him as head of 
the Republican National Committee. He was doing a superb job until he 
was stricken by this brain tumor.
    But I think now it's sadness and respect and giving the man credit 
for the job he did. He practiced the art of politics with zeal and 
vigor. And I was very proud of him, proud to serve with him.
    Q. What did you make of his Life magazine apology to Michael 
Dukakis?
    The President. Well, I found that very interesting and very 
enlarging. And I think, as he took stock of his life, he wanted to make 
things right, heal some wounds; and that was a very noble thing. And I 
salute him in death as I did in life.
    This is about a friend of ours who died today, who was head of our 
party.
    Q. ----in Moscow, Mr. President?
    The President. You want to turn this into a full-scale press 
conference? I've got to hear--I've got to learn something from our guest 
here.
    See how it works out. That's an internal affair.
    Q. What does ``seven'' mean?
    The President. What?
    Q. Your answer, ``seven''?
    The President. [Laughter] That's one more than six. [Laughter]
    Q. Is this from your CIA days?
    The President. That means I don't want to answer. What was the 
question--then I'll tell you what the answer means. [Laughter]

                    Note: The exchange began at 10:38 a.m. in the Oval 
                        Office at the White House, prior to a meeting 
                        with President Arnold Ruutel of Estonia. H. Lee 
                        Atwater was former chairman of the Republican 
                        National Committee, and Michael Dukakis was the 
                        1988 Democratic Presidential candidate. Earlier 
                        that morning, President Bush had responded to a 
                        reporter's question on the situation in Iraq by 
                        saying, ``Seven.'' A tape was not available for 
                        verification of the content of this
                        exchange.