Exchange With Reporters at Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers' Final Press Briefing

The President. I thought I should come in and get you out of hot water, since that's what you've been doing for me for years. [Laughter]

What I want to know is, why didn't our Hearts games make this list?

Press Secretary Myers. That's the things I will not miss.

The President. Oh. [Laughter]

Press Secretary Myers. Because that would be on my top 10 list of things I will miss.

Q. Do you have a list, Mr. President?

The President. Well——

Q. Favorite questions?

The President. Favorite questions? No, I— Dee Dee is my best Hearts partner. That's a trauma I'm trying to deal with here at Christmas time.

No, I have nothing to say about this business work. I just wanted to come in here and say in front of all of you how very grateful I am for everything Dee Dee has done for me since long before I became President, starting in our campaign. I reminded her of the first trip we took together was on a little bitty airplane, and I fell asleep, which was some sort of omen about how helpful I would be in answering difficult questions. And we've had a wonderful professional relationship. We've had a good personal friendship. I think she is one of the best people I have ever had the privilege of working with. And I'm really going to miss her. And I'm especially going to miss the card games. And Air Force One food is not all that bad. [Laughter]

Q. Who is going to replace her?

The President. No one is going to replace her.

And I want you all to—I'm going to cut you some slack. We don't have to talk anything serious today. This is Christmas season. And I wish you all a very merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful holiday. I hope you get some rest. And consistent with this entirely fiscally and otherwise responsible moment in our history, within those limits, I hope you have a little fun at Christmastime. [Laughter] And I hope you come back full of energy and brighteyed and everything, because it's going to be a very interesting year next year. [Laughter] And I am really looking forward to it, more every day. [Laughter]

Q. Are you going to spend some more time with us in these kinds of informal Q&A sessions?

The President. Yes. [Laughter] Sure.

Q. Do you have an attitude about the Gingrich book?

Q. When you came in, we were just asking Dee Dee about that.

The President. You know, I made $36,000 a year for 12 years and was glad of it. I don't even know how to think in these terms. [Laughter]

Thank you very much. Merry Christmas.