 I'm very sorry that I'm leaving, but I am too, but thank you for all the years of a good service. Well, thank you. It's been my pleasure. And wish you well. Thank you, sir. Can I get a photograph of the... Terribly happy we're all off, isn't it? Yep. Let me just one thing before you go. You know, when you left here, you forgot these. Thank you very much, sir. Thank you very much. They're the only ones he forgot, this friend. We have a lot of these over at Treasure. Thank you, sir. You're the luckiest. I have a brief statement here. The first thing I think I should explain is, no, I have not been cleaning out my desk. These stacks of paper contain the federal budget for 1988, represent a lot of hard work to forge an agreement between the administration and the... and the Congress to place our country on the right course toward reducing the federal budget deficit and continuing the longest peacetime expansion in history. The bipartisan leadership in the House and Senate is to be commended, not just for reaching a two-year deficit reduction agreement on November 20th, but for implementing the first installment of that $75 billion plan. On October 21st, I issued a call for action on the federal budget deficit, and together my representatives and those from the Congress spent the next four weeks forging this package. That agreement was a first step toward placing our country on a reliable and credible budget course, but there's still more to be done. My pledge to you then and now is to move forward with our deficit reduction plan. So today I'm signing these bills. The first contains the 13 regular appropriations or spending bills, and the second includes the necessary revenue and entitlement changes, but there are several other items about these bills that are extremely important. First, funding for those fighting for freedom in Nicaragua will be continued. As the Central American Peace Plan enters a critical period early next year, it's important that our support for the freedom fighters in Nicaragua not waver, particularly when the Sandinistas have confirmed plans to build up to a 600,000-person military force in that country. Second, efforts to legislate the Fairness Doctrine, which would dictate to broadcasters how they cover controversial issues, were not successful. So while I agree with these bills at this time, it must be said that wrapping up the entire legislative business of our country into 2,000-page bills on the eve of Christmas is not the way to do business. The normal legislative process should have produced 13 separate appropriation bills. It did not. Instead, we ran the government on a string of stop-cap funding measures, pushing the government right to the brink of defaulting on its commitments to the American people. As we look forward to the new year, our commitment should be to correct the inequities and the deficiencies in the federal budget process. The foundation has already been laid with this two-year budget plan, and I hope that Congress will join me in building for the future prosperity of our country. As a matter of fact, these bills are so big that it's going to take four pins to sign each one of them. That is the budget signed, and this is the reconciliation bill. The deed is done. Mr. President, do you find any justification at all for the actions the Israelis have taken in Gaza and the West Bank? Well, we think it is regrettable, and our people from our State Department have been talking to both sides in this trying to get both sides. There has been prohibition on both sides to get completely deceased. Israel's leaders say they're not concerned, Mr. President, about how the world views the situation, so how do you pressure them, sir? Well, they might maybe be concerned, but maybe the world... Mr. President, on the budget, sir, this whole exercise was designed at one point to send a signal to Wall Street of confidence in the economy and confidence in the way that the administration and Congress are going to attack the deficit. Yet the markets went down again today, the dollar was still going down today, and the verdict seems to come back of one a failure or at least of having done too little, too late. I hardly think that that looks like too little. It's been several months too late. I said no to the budget last January. Mr. President, a special prosecutor says questions remain about Attorney General Meesa's involvement in the Webtec scandal, sir. Do you have any questions? No. Are you concerned? Are you concerned about the number of administration officials who have resigned under a cloud or worse, sir? Meaningless, and have no foundation. That appears to be 29. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Good morning, Mr. President. Good morning, Mr. President. Yes, hello there. Merry Christmas to you, sir. Merry Christmas to you. Make life a lot more comfortable for some of us lazy people. You're welcome. Thank you.