Defending foreign policy:

“the world is more peaceful and more free under my leadership”

On raising money:

“Right now, I’m - yes, no question, I’m going out to our friends and supporters and saying, ‘Would you mind contributing to the campaign for the year ‘04?”‘ he said. “To me, there’s a difference between that and actually engaging potential opponents in a public discourse in a debate. … In terms of the balloon drops and all that business, it will be a little while for me to be catching the confetti, as they say.”

Regarding campaigning during a struggling occupation of Iraq:

Bush said he isn’t worried that Americans’ patience would run out as the death toll ticks upward, even if it continues during the election year.

“They tend to be able to differentiate between politics and reality,” he said. “There’s no question politics can - will - create … a lot of noise and a lot of balloon drops and a lot of hot air. I’ll probably be right in the mix of it, by the way.”