'Meet the Press' transcript for Nov. 30, 2008

MR. BROKAW: Mr. Ambassador, a couple of tough questions about your government. As you know, you've been reading the press, President Karzai said recently that he would like to explore the possibility of opening negotiations or talking to the Taliban. So if I'm a rural villager and the Taliban are coming around and I hear my president is going to be talking to them, I'm thinking maybe I should make my own kind of accommodation here.

AMB. JAWAD: No. At the same time what the Taliban are telling to the villager is that there's no future for you. The Afghan government is after you, the international community is after you, so we would like to give them an assurance to the villager that if you're not actively involved in any kind of crime, there is a future for you to join the political process in Afghanistan. That the purpose of the talk is to bring over some of the more moderate elements of the Taliban to join the political process, because we cannot have another circle of revenge and violence in Afghanistan. It's going on for a long time.

Alongside the pressure on the military front, we have to make sure that we bring into the fold those elements who have been--joined the Taliban because of ignorance or money or other reasons.

MR. BROKAW: But do you honestly think you could ever make--strike a deal with the Taliban to share power in Afghanistan?

AMB. JAWAD: No. We are not--we will not share power with them. We will not compromise on the values of the Afghan constitutions, but if they realize that there is no future for them in Afghanistan through military operation, they will come to the table and talk to us.

MR. BROKAW: I think the other issue that troubles a lot of people who've been there, including a lot of our very senior American military and diplomatic officials, is that they see a very high level of corruption in Kabul in the central government, that billions of dollars have been spent, and it's not getting out to all those parts of Afghanistan that so desperately need it.

AMB. JAWAD: Well, most of the money is being spent outside the Afghan government budget, so there is--there is serious efforts in Afghanistan to address this issue. In fact, we have removed a number of the ministers, we have sacked one of the ambas--ministers very recently for lack of proper performance. It is a partnership between the Afghan government and the international community and where we have worked together we have been provided the resources, we have made tremendous progress. In the areas that has been less investment we are still having challenges, but we're determined to overcome those.

MR. BROKAW: Let me just share with you as we talk about this, the quote of David Petraeus, who is our most successful military commander in Iraq, now in charge of the southern command, which includes Afghanistan. He said, "The effort in Afghanistan is going to be the longest campaign of the long war."

Do you think the American people, especially given the economic difficulties that we have here at home now, Mrs. Bush, have the patience for that?

MS. BUSH: I hope so. I hope they do. I mean, our tendency in the United States is to, you know, become isolationists, become protectionists, but our world is just this small now. We're so aware of what the problems are in every corner of the world. And so I hope people in the United States will look outside of our life here in the United States and do what they can both financially, to be able to support the people of Afghanistan, and then every other way.

I remember shortly after September 11 when people would--church groups or Girl Scout troops would collect school supplies to send to Afghanistan for the children there, because people were so shocked and amazed that a government would forbid their children from being educated, or their children from even playing or flying a kite. And so I know that it's wearying, I'm sure it's wearying for the people of Afghanistan, but it's really important for us to continue to support the people of Afghanistan, to look outside ourselves. And I do know, and I know you know this from your children as well, that young people in the United States do have the energy and do want to help and they do--their world is small. They're well-traveled. They've traveled to many places, and they want to keep continue helping. And so I urge the people of the United States to do that.

MR. BROKAW: The time is winding down for you at the White House.

MS. BUSH: That's right.

MR. BROKAW: You'll soon be in your post-White House years.

MS. BUSH: That's right. The after-life.

MR. BROKAW: And what will be your role in Afghanistan?

MS. BUSH: Well, I hope to continue to work on this. The Afghan American Women's Council has--will move to Georgetown--has moved to Georgetown University. I hope to continue my role with that. The president is going to build a freedom institute with his presidential library and museum at SMU in Dallas and that'll be a really good vehicle, I think, for me to continue to work with especially women and children in Afghanistan.

MR. BROKAW: Mrs. Obama visited you at the White House recently. The question that I always have in mind when we see these kinds of transitions take place...

MS. BUSH: Mm-hmm.

MR. BROKAW: ...could you share with her anything that was a big surprise to you when you arrived there that you said to her, "You have to be prepared for this?"

MS. BUSH: Well, I didn't say anything like that to her about something she had to be prepared for. I'll be perfectly frank. What we talked about were things like closets, you know, what the children can do. Barbara and Jenna came home to--when the little girls, when Malia and Sasha came to have their tour of the--of the White House and they showed them the fun things that they remembered doing. Running down the main hall as an obstacle course, crawling underneath the Partner's desk in the middle that they did when they were seven, when they first came to the White House when their grandfather was president, showed them how to slide down the ramp from the solarium and all of the fun things. I mean, the main point I wanted to say to her is that this is a--the White House is a home and it can be a very happy home for her and for her children and her husband and it certainly has been for us.

MR. BROKAW: Had you met her before that?

MS. BUSH: Yes. I'd met her before. When they were freshmen senators, they came to the events that freshmen senators and their spouses came to.

MR. BROKAW: And when you first met them, did you see in them a prospective president of the United States and first lady?

MS. BUSH: Well, I don't know if I would say that, but I certainly saw somebody who was very ambitious and accomplished in both of them.

MR. BROKAW: And what did you think of the election?

MS. BUSH: Of the election? I think it's a major, historical event for the United States and I think that's very good.

MR. BROKAW: And did you talk to Mrs. Obama about raising children in the White House and protecting them from us?

MS. BUSH: We did talk about that and I know you and all the rest of the press will, of course, you know, defer to all common sense with little girls, especially. And I appreciate the way most of the press let Barbara and Jenna make all the mistakes of growing up out of the limelight and I appreciate that very much.

MR. BROKAW: I remember one of your daughters saying to me one time when I suggested to her that she just have a good time during the campaign. She said, "Does that mean I can stick out my tongue again?"

MS. BUSH: They learned some lessons the hard way.

MR. BROKAW: And did you talk at all about the other perks of being in the White House? Like Camp David? The two of you, the president and Mrs. Bush, the two of you have gotten very fond of Camp David.

MS. BUSH: We're very fond of Camp David. We didn't, really, but the girls did tell the little girls about all the things you can do at Camp David like bowling and there's a great playground there for children and so they did tell them about it.

MR. BROKAW: I thought we would share with our audience, as well, an appearance that the president made this past week at Fort Campbell, the home of the 101st Airborne. They're going off to Iraq and the president addressed them and he was in a reflective mood and I think it's worth sharing with our audience today.

(Videotape, Tuesday)

PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH: You know, this is going to be my last Thanksgiving as president. Sometimes I am asked what I will miss most about the job. Well, above all, I'm going to miss spending time with men and women who have volunteered to serve the United States of America, the fine men and women who wear the uniform. We are blessed to have defenders of such character and courage. I'm grateful to the families who serve by your side and I will always be thankful for the honor of having served as the commander in chief.

(End videotape)

MS. BUSH: He made me weep, I can tell.

MR. BROKAW: What will you miss most?

MS. BUSH: Well, I'll miss being with the military, too, and that's one of the things about Camp David that we liked so much, and that's going to church at Camp David with the people who are posted there, who are stationed at Camp David. I met Marines and Navy personnel that are there. I'll miss a lot of things. I'll miss all the people that are around us all the time. From the ushers and the butlers who are there for every president and have been there four or five administrations, to our own staff, of course, that we love to laugh with and talk with and solve problems with. And so I'll miss the people the most.

MR. BROKAW: And final question, have you worked it out, the two of you, the president and you, more time in Dallas or more time in Crawford?

MS. BUSH: It'll be a split. We'll spend probably the weeks in Dallas, the weekdays in Dallas and the weekends at the ranch.

MR. BROKAW: Mrs. Bush, thank you very much for being here.

MS. BUSH: Thank you very much.

MR. BROKAW: And especially for your attention to what's going on in Afghanistan.

MS. BUSH: Thanks a lot.

MR. BROKAW: And Mr. Ambassador, thank you, as well, for being here.

AMB. JAWAD: Thank you.

MR. BROKAW: Thank you very much. Very important issues that we're talking about here today.

Coming up next, the one and only Ted Turner weighs in on the economy, foreign policy, his life and times. He'll even sing a little bit. His new book is called "Call Me Ted."

Plus our MEET THE PRESS minute with another first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, 51 years ago.

(Announcements)

MR. BROKAW: Ted Turner and his reflections on life, the economy and foreign policy, after this brief station break.

(Announcements)

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