Mokhiber: Ari, one of your predecessors, Jerald terHorst, resigned as President Ford's press secretary, he said, as a matter of conscience - because he couldn't defend President Ford's pardon of President Nixon. I was wondering, is there anything President Bush has done as President, that made you think, even for a moment, that you would resign as a matter of conscience?

Ari Fleischer: No.

Mokhiber: Not for a moment.

Fleischer: Not for a moment. Why should there be?

Mokhiber: Well -

Fleischer: Like I said, this is a man in whom I believe deeply. One of the things that is so fascinating about this job is that is a job that is very hard to leave. There is a tremendous attraction to the White House, there is a tremendous sense of worth, of serving the President of the United States - any President. It is a hard place to leave, because it such an attractive place to be, and especially when you work for a man, like President Bush, in whom I believe so deeply. But ultimately, it still comes down to having a sense of yourself and knowing when it is time to go. And like I said this morning, I never intended to be a government for life type. After 21 years, I'm looking forward to pursuing different adventures, different chapters, spending more time the way most Americans do - which is quietly with your family.

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-Thanks to Russell Mokhiber

White House reporter Russell Mokhiber is the editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter - www.corporatecrimereporter.com. He co-authors the weekly Focus on the Corporation column with Robert Weissman which Common Dreams publishes. He can be reached at: russell@nationalpress.com