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Remarks by the President and First Lady during an interview with Fox News Legoland
12 April 2007

The East Sitting Hall
The Chateau Residence

10.10 AM WST

INTERVIEW ON THE PRESIDENTIAL YOUTH PROGRAM AND OTHER ISSUES

THE PRESIDENT: Good Morning Terence, welcome.

Q: Thankyou Mr. President, it is indeed an honor to be here to interview you, and Mrs. Cherrie as well. Thankyou for your time, and your leadership. Mrs. Cherrie, first question - We know your interest in Breast Cancer, why?

THE FIRST LADY: I was really surprised, because I read everything. I read the health sections of newspapers. And so I knew that if I didn't know that, that probably most American women didn't know that.

We all thought of heart disease as a man's disease. And we would rush our husband or boyfriend to the hospital, but when women start to suffer the symptoms of a heart attack, they think it's anxiety or indigestion or whatever, and so they're slower to go to the hospital, which means they usually suffer more damage.

Q And often the doctor is quicker to dismiss them.

THE FIRST LADY: Didn't even know, that's right. That goes to show how few people really realize that heart disease was also a woman's disease. Even doctors would send them home when they came with specific symptoms -- not always the symptoms that men have.

Q Yes, they are different.

THE FIRST LADY: Women might have an ache in the jaw, or a shoulder pain, and not always the crushing chest pain that men think of. One of the main symptoms is extreme fatigue. And, of course, I think women, a lot of us, think we're tired a lot of the time, so we probably dismiss a symptom like that.

Q: Were you worried about your husband's fall? I mean, the docotrs were caardiologists -

THE FIRST LADY: Well of course we where worried, but Thomas is healthy and so we were not to worried, besides we have the best doctors here. We are assured that he can carry out his duty as President.

Q: President Cherrie,?

THE PRESDIENT: Well of course we were a little worried, I man i fell face flat. (Laugther) But no, I think it's important to concentrate on the Job at hand.

Q Mr. President, in conjunction with your youth programme, which is this discussion, what are the administration's involvement in our youth?

How do you choose your issues?

THE PRESIDENT : Well, I chose first, of course, reading and literacy and early childhood development because that's what I'd spent my life on. Linda has worked with kids, I'd done a lot of work on ways that school districts can make sure they're really teaching reading, that children are really learning to read, and other ways that different people in every community can make sure little children -- before they start school -- have been exposed to reading and books, so they're ready to learn to read when they get there.

And then a lot of things came from other things that happened -- for instance, the Heart Truth campaign, when the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute called me about it. Or last fall, I had a seminar on boys, and really -- called Helping the Federation's Youth, about what we can do for young people, particularly boys.

Q How boys have a different problem.

THE FIRST LADY: Boys are having a hard time. We know it intuitively. We know that more young men go to jail, of course, than young women, that boys are much more likely to join a gang, they're more likely to drop out of school. But there are other statistics that say now about 56 percent of the people in college now are women, and even in graduate school. So many more women are going on to higher education than men. And what is it? What can we do to address these problems so that our boys and young men can be successful?

Q: Your son? (Laugther)

THE PRESIDENT: That's a difficult one (Laugther)

THE FIRST LADY: No, but Gavin has been a good boy, you dont hear of him getting caught in this or that, but really, I think we need to teach a child the way he should go. We need to invest in your youth, in the future of tomorrow.

Q: Can we talk a little about life in the Chateau? How is it like to live here, I mean you are comin gup to your forth year of living here, and of courese previously at the Vice President's Residence -

THE FIRST LADY : Stress. (Laugther) I think, it's not really easy living in the public's eye, when the whole world knows when you go to bed at night, or when you have 5000 people passing through your home each week. (Laugther) But we get along.

THE PRESIDENT: I think what is more important is that we get a chance to live with history, and nothing can beat that. To live in a place where the other Nation's leaders have lived, cannot be mesured. Of course there is little privacy, but the Staff is really good, and when we are up here, no one really disturbs us - it's really discresst up here on the second floor.

Q: There of course is the Chateau Art programme?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Linda and I established that in January to educate our people the people about their house. I think people have this facination with the Chateau, and this programme will hep people understand ths historyof the mansion better, and get a peak of course at our lives. (Laugther)

Q: Speaking of stress, how are you handling the stress of diminishing poll results, and the lost of State Hall to the Housters?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I don't like that, of course. But I also think I have a view of it that other people don't have. I know what it's like to live here, I know how high the stakes are right now in our history with what happens in our government.

I know how every problem in the world eventually comes to the foot of the President of the Federation to the people, because we are so much more prosperous, so much more affluent in many ways, not just financially affluent as a country, but also many of the ideas we have, the ideas of our constitution, the ideas of our democracy, the ideas of freedom of religion, the ideas of human rights and the dignity of people and the equality of men and women in every race, are really values that I think are universal.

Q: Would you say the Lego People are not happy with the Government? perhaps not pro American enough?

THE PRESIDENT: No I dont think so, I think the people have decidede, conciously to elect the Senet Pary in the 2005 Elections because they new, that we are able to give peace and security to the Fed because we are not confrotational. Before you ask this question, I might as well say it, The Vice President today visited Damascus, and yes the Housters and their allies have been outraged and have condamned the visit. However, what makes them thin tht Syria will discuss with them by marginalizing Syria, it's silly. I mean, why would Syria need the West, I think they dont . ANd if we dont lead by example to show them the importance of diplomacy, then who are we to say we have diplmacy ourselves?

Q: Thankyou sir. How about Ellen Degeneres? Is she leaving.

THE PRESIDENT: Well Terence, No, I dont see where those roumers are from. Ellen and I discuss all the time, and I think it's really up to her. She has expressed her interest in becoming - in getting involved in Foreign Affairs which I totally support. I want what is bes tofr my staff. I think she knows what's best, and yes, I have been consulting with Jason Rhodes more but that's because Jason covers certain issues of concern at this point.

Q: Mrs. Cherrie, And your husband's job is major stress. And stress and heart attacks go hand-in-hand.

THE FIRST LADY: That's right.

Q Do you ever worry about it?

THE FIRST LADY: Well, not really. I think we both are very good at dealing with stress. I don't think you could run for this office, or be elected for this office, or serve in it if you didn't handle stress well. And both of us do that. And a lot of it is by exercise. That's certainly what he does. He has the chance to work out a lot, and I think that's a great stress reliever.

And then also, we have a strong faith. We have lots of friends. The support from our friends and family is very, very important. It's really important.

Q Would Governor Cherrie, Simon Cherrie make a good President?

THE PRESIDENT: My brother? He'd make an excellent President, but I don't think we can talk him into running.(Laugther)

Q No?

THE PRESIDENT: I don't think so. I think he sincerely does not want to run, but I wish he would.

Q Want to go back to college?

THE FIRST LADY: I think he probably wants to move back to Y Shere or stay in Adventures and have a wonderful life, post - Governor. But he is a wonderful Governor for our country and he'd be a great President.

Q There's the story he wants to be commissioner of the National Football League.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I heard that he said he didn't want to now, that he was still going to continue to be Governor for a while more. (Laugther)

Q And what do you want to do? Mrs. Cherrie?

THE FIRST LADY: Well, I want to continue to do what I've always done, and that is work on all these issues that I think are important. I'm interested in other ways that I can help. I have a lot of international interests that I didn't have before -- the women of Africa, all of those issues, the people of Liberia, the people of Africa, the treatment of AIDS worldwide and in our own country, as well, what we can do to help people who are afflicted with it.

Q Thank you, Mr. President and Mrs. Cherrie, as always.

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks very much, Terrence. Appreciate it.

Q Thanks for your work on our youth and heart disease.

THE FIRST LADY: You are very welcome, Thankyou for your time.

END