US President George W. Bush on Monday offered a rosy outlook for the future of the United States, predicting that 2002 would be "a great year" for the nation.
"2002 is going to be a great year for America," Bush said here. "We will continue to pursue our mission in fighting terror. We'll work hard to make sure our economy rebounds."
He said the year would be "great" because people will once again be able to find jobs, the military will "do the job the Americans expect" and US citizens will be protected on the domestic front.
"And it's going to be a great year primarily because Americans have taken a look inward, reassessed their values, (and) have realized that some of the basics in life are that which is most important + love of faith, love of family."
The US president, vacationing at his ranch here since the day after Christmas, stopped to grab a cheeseburger at Crawford's only restaurant, a gas-station-turned-coffee-shop known as the Coffee Station.
Asked before lunch about his New Year's Eve plans, Bush, clad in jeans and a sport shirt with a brown jacket, said he was "looking forward to an early evening."
"I guess, at the age of 55, it's ... OK for a guy to go to bed at about 9:00 pm, maybe 10:00 pm. So I don't plan anything glamorous for New Year's Eve," he said.
He was less candid about his New Year's resolutions, however, quipping that he merely resolved to eat fewer cheeseburgers in 2002.
More than 100 locals and tourists gathered along the town's main road, across from the eatery, to catch a glimpse of the US president.
Bush told reporters he had spent the morning in a telephone briefing with his National Security Council and then spent "about three hours in the canyons" on his sprawling, 650-hectare (1,600-acre) ranch, clearing underbrush.
"I've got to tell you, there's nothing more relaxing than being in Crawford, Texas," Bush said before fielding questions from reporters on tense issues ranging from the hunt for Osama bin Laden to the economic and social crisis in Argentina.
(China Daily January 1, 2002)
