For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 10, 2003
Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Little Rock, Arkansas
11:25 A.M. EST
MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, let me run through the President's day. The
President had his usual briefings before departing. And when we land in
Little Rock the Freedom Corps greeter will be Dr. Michael Quick, he's
an orthodontist who has practiced for some 20 years now, and has been
offering free orthodontic care to patients in need who cannot afford
dental services. He's also an active volunteer with Donated Dental
Services, which provides free dental care to seniors and people with
disabilities and low income Americans.
Following that, the President will participate in the Bush-Cheney
2004 luncheon in Little Rock. Then we depart for Greer, South Carolina.
The Freedom Corps greeter in Greer, South Carolina, will be Robin
Longino, L-o-n-g-i-n-o. She's been an active volunteer since 1999, with
Hands On Greenville, which is a nonprofit organization that creates
meaningful and flexible service opportunities for those with busy
schedules. So if any of you are interested in volunteering, maybe you
want to talk to this woman.
The President, also there, will meet briefly with Ben Comen,
C-o-m-e-n, he is the high school cross country runner with cerebral
palsy, who has recently been featured in Sports Illustrated, so that
might be something of interest to you all.
Q Where?
MR. McCLELLAN: At the airport, yes. Then the President will go to
the BMW plant in Greer, where he will participate in a conversation
with workers and employers on our economy. As you've heard the
President say, the economy is moving in the right direction, but we
cannot be complacent, there is more to do. The President is not
satisfied because there are people who are still looking for work who
cannot find a job. And today the President will specifically highlight
his six-point plan to strengthen our economy even more so that we can
create a robust environment for job creation. He will focus on the
importance of expanding free trade and opening markets. Free trade, as
you all are aware, is the central component of his economic agenda and
one of the key components of his six-point plan.
The conversation will include workers from the BMW plant in Greer,
as well as from one of the plants suppliers, Spartanburg Steel
Products, which is a supplier to the BMW plant.
Q Can you spell that?
MR. McCLELLAN: Spartanburg, S-p-a-r-t-a-n-b-u-r-g, S-t-e-e-l --
just kidding. Spartanburg Steel Products.
Q -- by the end of the day sort out for us how Spartanburg Steel
did with the steel sanctions, whether they --
MR. McCLELLAN: You might have an opportunity to ask some of them
that are there, but I'll see what I can do.
Q Obviously, if they were doing imports or got an exemption, we'd
want to know.
MR. McCLELLAN: Understood. BMW is one of 330 -- some quick facts --
BMW is one of 330 foreign companies that operate in South Carolina and
employ some 80,000 workers. This is the first BMW plant outside of
Germany, and it employs 4,700 people. And as I mentioned, with
Spartanburg Steel Products support -- the BMW plant supports a local
network of suppliers, who employ another 12,000 workers.
Just to mention one other fact, the export of U.S. goods and
services supports at least 12 million American jobs, including one in
five manufacturing jobs in the country.
And then following the conversation, the President will attend the
Bush-Cheney 2004 reception in Greenville, South Carolina, and then we
return to Washington, D.C. this evening.
Q How much of the conversation is two-way?
MR. McCLELLAN: Sorry? It will be similar to the one on Friday. I
expect he'll go around and hear from each of the individuals that are
participating, and the President will interact with them along the
way.
Q Open press?
Q Scott, the WTO, officials there are saying that the WTO will
declare steel -- our steel tariffs illegal. Is that what you're
hearing?
MR. McCLELLAN: I believe that the WTO report has now been publicly
announced. Our response is that the steel safeguards that the President
imposed were to provide our domestic steel industry an opportunity to
adjust to import competition, the safeguards were put in place to give
our domestic industry an opportunity to restructure and consolidate and
become stronger and more competitive, and we believe that they are
fully consistent with WTO rules --
Q Are consistent --
MR. McCLELLAN: That they are fully consistent with WTO rules. We
will carefully review this decision and we do --
Q -- from this decision, and this is the final body?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there is a process where they have to adopt it
in the coming days.
Q The sanctions, as they were originally written, diminished each
year for three to five years -- I can't remember exactly how it sorted
out. One of the theories at the time that the President imposed the
safeguard was that even if you lost the ruling, which many thought was
possible, that you would get the space you needed to restructure. Do
you believe that enough time has passed that you've gotten that space
so that you can safely not appeal this and still have gotten --
achieved your objective?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that's kind of a creative way to get into a
decision that the President is still reviewing with the ITC report. The
WTO rules do allow for safeguard measures to be put in place for the
purpose that we did. That's why I said that we disagree with the
overall WTO report. Again, we are going to study it, look at its
implications and go from there.
Q What's the timetable for a decision?
MR. McCLELLAN: On?
Q -- decision.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you're talking now about a decision on the
actual safeguard --
Q What's the timetable for -- what's the timetable for whether to
keep them in place?
MR. McCLELLAN: The ITC report remains under review. I'm not going
to speculate about the timing of any decision or any decision, itself.
We continue to listen to all interested parties -- consumers, producers
and members of Congress and others, as well. And so it continues to be
under review.
Q You seem to go out of your way to highlight this steel consuming
company that supplies BMW. Why?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there are one of the suppliers that has
benefited from our efforts to open markets. They have increased the
number of employees over the past couple of years as a result of this
BMW plant being located in Greer, South Carolina.
Q Do you know whether BMW, as a consumer of steel, has been hurt?
MR. McCLELLAN: Whether it has been hurt?
Q Right.
MR. McCLELLAN: You'd have to ask BMW those questions.
Q -- it would be great if the White House could get for us is
whether BMW is one of those consuming companies that got an exemption,
several hundred companies did. That would be important to know before
the President went. And, also, the total number of exemptions the
President issued would be a great thing to know -- he had to sign-off
on the list that USTR gave him.
MR. McCLELLAN: USTR is putting out -- and also you should know USTR
will be putting out a statement, if they haven't already, on the WTO
report. And I'll see --
Q Is Zoellick --
MR. McCLELLAN: Talk to USTR about that, I don't know what his
schedule is today, but they'll be putting out a statement and be ready
to respond to questions. And they might be able to provide some more of
that information, as well. But I'll see what I can do on my end, too.
Q Scott, the President has also got two fundraising stops. Is John
Dean's decision to forego public finance --
MR. McCLELLAN: John? Who's John? (Laughter.)
Q Howard.
MR. McCLELLAN: It's Monday. (Laughter.)
Q Is that decision --
MR. McCLELLAN: We'll leave the reporter unnamed. (Laughter.)
Q -- any impact on your fundraising, your campaign strategy, your
targets for raising money?
MR. McCLELLAN: There is a democratic primary going on. There are a
number of candidates and we'll let them work out their differences
amongst themselves. The President is continuing to focus on the highest
priorities of the American people -- that's creating jobs at home and
making the world safer abroad. While, obviously, we continue to build
support for the campaign and work to get the necessary resources to
spread his message, the President is continuing to focus on the
people's business for now.
Q Would he -- the President's target was justified, in part, by a
need to match democratic expenditures. That justification came before
Dean's decision. Are you going to -- is there an arms race going on in
campaign financing? Are you going to have raise more money to meet what
you say is necessary to meet the --
MR. McCLELLAN: Obviously, they're still determining who the
democratic nominee will be. There will be a time when it will come down
to where there are two candidates. And we look forward to that
opportunity to -- obviously, our campaign, the President's campaign
will work to make sure he has the resources necessary to spread his
message. You might want to talk to the campaign about specifics on that
front.
Q On Iraq, Administrator Bremer said yesterday, I guess it was,
that he expects the situation there on the ground to get worse, that
they don't have the intelligence that they need to combat these
insurgents in the Sunni Triangle. And when the $87 billion starts
coming in he expects new, you know, infrastructure targets and signs of
progress that are going to be attacked. Does the President agree with
that assessment? And what does he tell people, you know, that they're
doing in order to make that not happen?
MR. McCLELLAN: We have essentially been saying the same thing for
quite a while now.
Q That it's going to get worse.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I didn't describe it in those terms. I
described it that there are difficulties that remain, that there are
people that will -- there are terrorists who are desperate and they
will continue to try to target the progress we are making. And the more
progress we make, the more desperate they tend to become.
Now, keep in mind that most of Iraq is secure and peaceful. But
there is a part of Iraq where dangers remain. It continues to be a
dangerous place. That's why our military continues to stay on the
offensive and take the fight to these terrorists. They will continue to
carry out targeted strikes to bring these people to justice. These are
people that are enemies of the Iraqi people, enemies of a peaceful,
free and prosperous future for the Iraqi people.
And we will also continue to work with the Iraqi people to improve
our intelligence gathering and act on that intelligence. And we also
work to continue accelerating our efforts to increase the involvement
of Iraqis in their own security. That's what we are doing. They're are
very -- there are more and more Iraqis involved in the police forces
and the border patrol in the protection of their critical
infrastructure and in their civilian defense forces. And so that number
is now -- I believe now some 100,000 Iraqis who are involved in those
efforts. They have --
Q -- is different than things getting worse. Does he not agree with
that prediction?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think that -- as we have said, the more progress
we make, the more desperate these killers become. They are remnants of
the former regime, they're the Baathists, and foreign terrorists.
They're also criminals that are in the country, as well. And they seek
to spread fear and chaos. And the Baathists are no longer in power, and
so they are becoming more and more desperate.
Q -- to go after these insurgents more? We saw bombing raids in
Tikrit and they caught these -- there are reports that they caught the
people responsible for the bombing at the Rashid. Was that a decision
that sort of went to the President to, sort of, you know, seemingly
increase the kind of punishment for these people if they try to mount
these attacks?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the President is in close contact on a regular
basis with his military leaders, including those in the region. I think
that the decisions on individual strikes are ones that are carried out
by military leaders in the region based on needs on the -- their
assessment on the ground. And I think that specific military action,
you need to talk to our central command leaders in the region.
Q Scott, has the President read McCain's interesting speech last
week arguing that we needed more troops and needed to configure them
differently? And, if so, is he either disgusted with McCain or
addressed --
MR. McCLELLAN: No, not all. I think that if you look back at his
remarks that --
Q I'm sorry, his remarks --
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, if you look back at the Senator's remarks,
there is a lot of shared priorities that we have.
Q There were a lot of shared priorities, but there was a difference
in tactics. And I want to know --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, in terms of the troop levels, the President
believes that our military leaders in the region are the ones who are
in best position to make those assessments. And our military leaders in
the region believe that they have the necessary troops to achieve our
objectives. But we have a shared goal of a peaceful, free, and
prosperous Iraq. And that's what we are all working toward.
Q Is Ambassador Blackwell in Iraq right now?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't get into all the specific travel of
individual NSC staffers. Obviously, we discuss Dr. Rice's travel and
keep you posted on that. But I just don't --
Q More broadly, there was some reporting over the weekend that --
MR. McCLELLAN: Deputy Secretary Armitage announced that he was
going to the region, and has been to Saudi Arabia.
Q Is the United States unhappy with the performance of the
Coalition Provisional Authority? Are we seeking to perhaps establish
some other organization there?
MR. McCLELLAN: We are continuing to work closely with the Governing
Council. Ambassador Bremer is focused on working closely with them
right now on meeting the Security Council deadline of December 15th for
the Governing Council to provide a timetable for drafting a
constitution and holding democratic elections under that constitution.
That's where our focus is.
Q We're going to stick with this group, then, and not seek to
establish another one?
MR. McCLELLAN: We're continuing to work closely with the governing
coalition. You're asking me to get into a bunch of speculation, and
that's not something I intend to do.
Q No, just a "yes" or "no" whether you're to establish another
group.
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, we continue to work closely with the
Governing Council and focus on the upcoming deadline by the Security
Council. Under Resolution 1511 that calls for the Governing Council to
submit a timetable for -- and for democratic elections.
Q Can I phrase the question differently? If the Governing Council
fails to meet the September 15th -- the December 15th deadline, or
fails to meet the administration's expectations in the next few months,
would the President consider an alternative structure?
MR. McCLELLAN: You can phrase it differently, and I will phrase it
the same. That's getting into a lot of speculation, and speculation is
just not something I intend to get into.
Q But is there any disappointment or sense that they have been
dragging their feet on some of these important efforts, such as writing
the constitution, setting elections?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, in terms of drafting the constitution, that's
-- I'm glad you brought that up. That's why there is a -- the Security
Council resolution deadline in place that calls for the Governing
Council to submit a draft -- a timetable for drafting a constitution, a
timetable for holding elections under that constitution. That's where
our focus is. We're continuing to work with the Governing Council on
meeting that deadline that's coming up very soon.
Q Are they going to meet it?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?
Q Are they going to meet it?
MR. McCLELLAN: That's what we're continuing to work with them on,
to make sure -- to work with them to make sure that they do meet that
deadline.
Q Al Gore, yesterday in his speech, said that that the
administration had used the war on terror as a way to grab power and
reduce civil liberties. What's your response to that?
MR. McCLELLAN: The action that the President is taking in the war
on terrorism is about making the world a safer and better place and
making America more secure. That's exactly what we are doing. We also
are working to better protect the homeland through a number of
initiatives that we're undertaking. The tools that were passed in
overwhelming bipartisan fashion by members of Congress in the aftermath
of September 11th are important in our efforts to make America more
secure and prevent terrorist attacks from happening in the first place.
And, again, they enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support.
Q In past wars, restrictions on civil liberties have eased after
the wars have ended. Do you anticipate that same cycle being followed?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, as you saw over the weekend in Saudi Arabia,
the global war on terrorism continues. You have seen, once again, the
true nature of terrorists who have no regard for innocent life. They
are willing to take the innocent life of men and women and children,
and the global war on terrorism continues. The President has always
said that it will be a long war and it will require sustained effort.
And the President has a responsibility to do everything he can to make
sure that we are doing everything possible to protect the American
people from future terrorist attacks. And that's what we are doing.
Q What's on the President's mind as he approaches Veterans Day
tomorrow? He's giving a Vet's Day speech.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, actually two speeches tomorrow. The President
will participate in the wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National
Cemetery. And he will make remarks on Veteran's Day to pay tribute to
our brave men and women who have served and sacrificed on behalf of
their nation. He will pay tribute to all those veterans who have served
in defense of freedom and making their nation -- making America a safer
place.
Q How is Iraq going to fit in the speech tomorrow?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the speech at the Heritage Foundation will
focus on the stakes involved in Iraq. The stakes are high in Iraq, and
I think the President will talk about what we are doing to achieve our
goal of a peaceful, free, and prosperous Iraq, and how that is central
to prevailing in the war on terrorism and making the Middle East a
place that is no longer a breeding ground for terrorism, making the
Middle East a place that offers hope and the President talked last week
about how free nations are peaceful nations.
Q Thank you, Scott.
MR. McCLELLAN: Thanks.
END 11:45 A.M. EST
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