For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 1, 2001
Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer
The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
- New Freedom Initiative/cost
- Weekend
retreats/coverage
- Ashcroft
nomination
- Foreign leaders/meeting with the
President
- Screening of Thirteen
Days/Kennedys
- Bipartisanship/conservative
grumbling
- Agenda/cost
- President Clinton/office
costs
- Black History Month/President's
plans
- "Hail to the
Chief"
- Cabinet
members/Democrats
- Israeli
election
- Radio
address
- Camp
David
1:50 P.M. EST
MR.
FLEISCHER: I have no prepared remarks to begin with, no
opening, so I am pleased to take any questions you may have.
Q Can
I just start with the event we just had, for the heck of
it? Is the cost figure for this proposal the same as
unveiled in the campaign back in --
MR. FLEISCHER: Ron, I have no information to the
contrary. What we're going to be doing is, as you know, when
the budget comes out in February, we'll have the official OMB numbers
in late February, we'll have the official OMB numbers for the cost of
the education program, for the cost of several other programs that
we've discussed. I think that's a good rough guide for you
to use.
Q We're
there any changes at all from the proposal that he unveiled today from
the campaign --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Scott, are you aware of any?
MR.
MCCLELLAN: No.
Q On
the retreat tomorrow, the retreats this week, can you give us an idea
what the President hopes to accomplish, what signals you're trying to
send?
MR. FLEISCHER: What the President seeks to accomplish at the
retreats this week, both the Democrat and the Republican, is to work
with members of Congress to get his agenda enacted into
law. And I think you're going to hear the President give the
same message to the Democrats that he does to the
Republicans. He's going to say the same
thing. And he will talk about the importance of improving
education. He's going to talk about the importance of
cutting taxes, of passing his faith-based initiative, rebuilding the
military, Medicare reform, Social Security. That will be the
agenda he lays out. It will be the same for one group as it
is for the next.
Q Let
me follow one more time. What does he hope that Americans
see out of this gesture of him going to meet with the Democrats?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think the President also hopes that by going to
the retreats of the other parties as well, of course, of his own party,
that people across the country will see our government works together
well. That's one of the lessons of the election. He said
that in the wake of a very close election he thought it was a signal to
all the politicians that they needed to work together, that they needed
to rise above the narrow margin and focus less on bickering and more on
working.
And that's
part of establishing a new tone in Washington. He's very
gratified that he's been invited to the retreats of the Senate
Democrats and the House Democrats. It's without modern
precedent for a President of the opposite party to go. It
may be without precedent entirely. We're trying to trace it
back, but that's what we found so far.
Q Senator Ashcroft is presumably about to be confirmed; the vote is ongoing right
now. Obviously, good news for this White
House. But is the President concerned that, given how
controversial Ashcroft is and presumably will remain, that his choice
as Attorney General undermines the President's attempts to build up all
of this goodwill across party lines with African Americans and others?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President believes that the United States and
all Americans, whether they voted for him or not, whether they support
Senator Ashcroft at this moment or not, are going to come to see an
Attorney General they can be proud of. And he thinks that in
time people will recognize that we have a non-political Attorney
General, an Attorney General who will enforce the law, an Attorney
General who we will all be proud of.
Q Do
you not concede, does he not concede that this has come at the expense
of a fair amount of political capital?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think he believes that he made the right
decision in picking Senator Ashcroft to be Attorney General, and that
as American people come to see the Attorney General who I just
described, they will recognize he, again, made a wise governing
decision, as he's done with the rest of his Cabinet and as he did with
the selection of Secretary Cheney, at that time, to be Vice President.
Q He
said he's been a great listener so far. What's he hearing --
what message is he hearing from Democrats on this move?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I talked to him a little bit about that this
morning, and I think that he felt the impassioned plea of members of
the Congressional Black Caucus last night to hear their voices and
understand why there is such sensitivity to who we are going to have
enforcing the laws, particularly civil rights laws and voting rights
laws, at the Department of Justice. And I think that had an
impact on him. I think he recognized how deep the passions
run.
I can tell
you, and I will say this, Congressman John Lewis made a very eloquent
and powerful case for the importance of voting rights in this
country. And that's something the President
shares. And I think that was a very healthy
conversation. And I think that that was time well spent, and
I think that's something you're going to see come out of this
Department of Justice. The healing process will continue,
and I think it's going to only grow better over time.
Q Will
this battle over the Senator in any way tie President Bush's hands when
it comes to making a Supreme Court nominee?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm not going to speculate about Supreme Court
nominees. There are no vacancies.
Q Ari,
a follow-up to Ashcroft. How is the healing process going to
continue when you have one group seriously saying that this man has
civil rights problems, and he's now the head of the Justice Department,
if that does happen in a matter of minutes? How is the
healing process going to begin?
MR.
FLEISCHER: April, differences of opinion are nothing to new
Washington. What we hope will be new to Washington is the
manner in which those differences are settled and aired. And
that is with civility, with respect for each other, with
listening. I can't remember a President of either party
inviting people over to the White House who have such a different view,
for the simple reason he wanted to hear their point of
view. And I think that's part of that process.
But there
will be no 100 percent -- seldom are there 100 percent issues in
Washington, D.C. But what can be done, what we can help to
heal is the listening process. Let me remind everybody of
one other thing -- and this is the way Congress has worked historically
and still does -- on any given day, somebody will vote with you in the
morning and vote against you in the afternoon. It's still
all our jobs to work together.
Q Ari,
a follow-up to that. So African Americans should not take it
as a slap in the face that after President Bush found out that there
were some things that he didn't know, and he did not withdraw Ashcroft,
that even though he's sitting as the head of the Justice Department,
that everything is still fine and civil rights will still be a
cornerstone of his administration?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Let me address that question. I think
there may have been some confusion last night and some misunderstanding
about what the President said. The President did not make
any such statement.
Q He
didn't? So you're saying Eddie Bernice is wrong?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President did not make any such statement.
The President said that he was listening, that he heard the
voices. That's what he said.
Q Ari,
there were members of the Black Caucus who didn't show up, that
intentionally boycotted the meeting. How did the President
feel about that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That was explained to him at the beginning of the
meeting, and it was part of a preamble, an explanation at the
beginning, and the President noted it.
Q What
are the chances we'll see or hear from the President after the
confirmation?
MR.
FLEISCHER: If there are any changes in the schedule, we'll
advise you.
Q You
expect that he will come out?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I just can't say.
Q May
I ask a foreign policy question? Thank you. It's
been an old American policy that America is a European power also; it
has become even a saying. Will the President uphold that
policy?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That we are a European power? I think
what you will see in the President's conduct of foreign policy in
Europe and around the world, that he wants to have a foreign policy
that is marked by a humble -- humble foreign policy, a humble nation,
that does not go around the world dictating to other nations what to
do.
Q But
America is involved in Europe?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Absolutely.
Q Is
Eastern Europe part of Europe?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I don't do pop quizzes.
Q Okay. There
are three Eastern European prime ministers in town today and
tomorrow. None of them will meet the
President. Why?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As you know, the President will be meeting with
foreign leaders at the times we announce, and there will be a series of
meetings as announced.
Q Back
on bipartisanship?
Q Will
Ashcroft be sworn in today, assuming this vote --
MR.
FLEISCHER: I don't know the exact date of the swearing-in.
Let's wait and see how the vote goes, what the vote is, of
course. We're confident he will be confirmed, and as soon as
we have something to set up as far as the swearing-in, we'll let you
know.
Q Now,
in the past, he is -- this is a serious question -- he's had himself
anointed with oil when he's been sworn in for previous
posts. Has he discussed whether he will follow that practice
in this post?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Nothing that I'm aware of.
Q Whose
idea was it to invite the Kennedys over, and what does he have to do
with it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: It was the President's.
Q His
personal idea?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Yes.
Q And
what does he want to get out of it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, it's because of the movie. I
noticed people referring to this as the "hug a Democrat a day"
administration. (Laughter.) I think if you recall, I
reminded people the President also has friends who aren't
Democrats. But it was the President's idea, and it really is
because the movie, Thirteen Days, is about the Cuban missile crisis,
and so he thought it would be very appropriate to have the Kennedy
family here to watch the movie in the White House where so much of that
movie took place.
Q Does
he have to watch his right flank on this, in getting so close to the
Kennedys and --
MR.
FLEISCHER: You mean in the theater
tonight? (Laughter.)
Q No,
but, seriously, there is some grumbling among some conservatives that
all this reaching out to liberals like Ted Kennedy, and the indications
that he might fold on vouchers or step back his tax cut, is a sign of a
President perhaps not as staunchly conservative as they would hope.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think what you're seeing is something very
healthy for the process; that in Washington we can work
together. And that is the way he is going to continue to do
it. And he's going to keep trying to build coalitions that
involve conservatives, that involve Democrats who are willing to work
with him. And I think, frankly, we've had some good success
so far, although there are still a lot of important tests to come. We
haven't had any votes yet. But he's beginning that process.
And I want
to say something -- whether the opposition or any hints of partisanship
come from either the Republican side or the Democrat side, this is very
much the way he governed in Texas, and it's very much the way a lot of
governors, Democrat and Republican, govern in state
capitals. And I've indicated this before -- it is a far, far
better thing for Washington to be less partisan, like our state
capitals, than people in the state capitals be more partisan like
Washington. And that is the spirit in which he will govern,
regardless of any criticism, left or right.
Q He
doesn't really think that you can have it all, do you? I
mean, you can't satisfy the conservative right with John Ashcroft
without alienating the left and the Congressional Black
Caucus. I mean, you can't have it all, can you?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, I think that you can have a very healthy
balance of support in building coalitions. We are a system
that enacts laws on the basis of a majority signed by the President;
that will always be our goal. Some issues will lend
themselves to 51 percent vote; some issues will lend themselves to
votes of a bigger margin.
Q Ari,
does the President see the Ashcroft vote as his first test of this
effort on his part to reach out and create a bipartisan
atmosphere? You're going to have almost 40 Democrats voting
against a former colleague even amidst all this conspicuous outreach
from the White House to be bipartisan. And yet, they're not
responding to it in this vote. Isn't this the very first
test, and doesn't that suggest it's not working?
MR.
FLEISCHER: In the event that the nomination is approved by
the United States Senate, I think by definition you will see a
nomination approved with a bipartisan vote. And that's
encouraging. By definition.
Q Ari,
in this weekend's meeting with congressional members of Congress, how
much of his time there is he going to use to nail down the details of
the tax plan and the budget plan?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, it's not a bill drafting
session. It's a retreat. And typically what
happens at these retreats -- I've retreated to a number of them myself
at the same facility in Williamsburg for many years. It's a
real good get-together. It's an opportunity for members to
just know that the Executive Branch is listening to them, and it's also
an opportunity for the President to set a tone and set a direction,
which is what he's going to do in his remarks to all those groups.
And it's
important that people hear that message directly from the
President. So far, we've had down to the White House -- I
looked at the list just a little while ago -- we had 90 last week; I
think we're up to about 150 or 160 members who were down here, and now
it's roughly even between the two parties. There are many
more members to go and he'll get to see a lot of them at the retreats.
Q Ari,
some Democrats are already starting to suggest that the administration
can't afford to pay for all the programs it wants and the tax
cut. How do you respond to that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Again, the math is simple. We have a
non-Social Security surplus over the next year of $3.1
trillion. And the President is offering a tax cut that some
have estimated over 10 years is $1.6 trillion. What we hope is that
nobody is saying that so that they can leave more money on the table,
because if they do, it will surely be spent. That's the way
Washington works.
Washington was built to spend. And that's true whether we've
had Democrats, Republicans. And that's one of the reasons
the President wants to cut taxes and hold the line on spending.
Q Does
that accommodate education, faith-based --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Absolutely, absolutely,
absolutely. The budget we laid out during the campaign was
fully paid for. And now, with the additional $1 trillion in
surplus projected over the next 10 years by the nonpartisan
Congressional Budget Office, we will make all our budgets with even
more room to spare, while paying down debt.
Q On
the tax cuts, does his tax plan include a cut in capital gains tax?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, the proposal the President made during the
campaign does not. The proposal he will submit to the
Congress will be based on his proposal during the campaign.
Q Do
we expect to have a nomination for ambassador to the United Nations
real soon?
MR.
FLEISCHER: On all the remaining personnel announcements, as
soon as things are announceable, I will indicate it, but I'm not going
to speculate on the timetables.
Q Go
back to tax cuts. When the Democrats talk about your tax
cuts, they add in the interest cost of the tax cut. That
money would otherwise go to paying down the debt, and since it's not,
there's an interest cost associated with that. Is that fair
to do? When they talk about your tax cut, they say when you
count that in, it's close to $2 trillion, instead of $1.6 trillion.
MR.
FLEISCHER: It's a wrong measuring stick. There is
some validity, of course, to including in budget costs interest costs
incurred. That is a valid measure. But to say that the tax
cut is, and then they add an interest expense, $1.9 trillion, for
example, is as wrong as wrong can be. The tax cut is the
amount of money of taxes cut for the American people.
And I would
just suggest that as people wrestle with this issue, and figure out how
to address it, it's a slippery slope, unless people are prepared to
ascribe an interest cost to each and every proposal made by Congress,
to either spend money or cut taxes.
For
example, if someone proposed a $500-billion expansion of Medicare for
prescription drug coverage, do you want to now add in the cost of
interest on that and say it's a $620-billion prescription drug
program. It's not. That would be inaccurate.
I think the
most accurate way to measure it is, the tax cut is the amount of taxes
that get cut. Spending increases, the amount of spending --
I think it's increased. There is legitimately a third budget
item that should be considered, which is the aggregate impact of tax
and spending decisions on the interest expenses that government will
incur. That should really be a third line-item to do it accurately.
Q So
adding those two together and then putting what the spending and taxes
are, and then saying there's an interest cost in putting that in the
budget as well --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Absolutely proper. And we have done
that, we will do that. That's the way budgets are typically
done. The other side of that, of course, too, is if somebody
comes up with a proposal -- for instance, Debbie talked about capital
gains before. In 1997, when capital gains was cut and
President Clinton signed it into law, the Clinton administration's
Department of the Treasury estimated that a 10-year cut in capital
gains actually raised revenue. So that raises
revenue. That means it lowers interest
expenses. Do you want to now add that into the cost of
anything that raises revenue for the government? It's a very
slippery slope for those of you who have to wrestle with
it. I submit that if it's applied only to tax cuts, it would
be inaccurate.
Q Speaking
of taxpayers, is it appropriate for taxpayers to pay three-quarters of
a million dollars for President Clinton's office space? I
ask this not to look back, but to look forward, because there's a move
afoot to limit that amount that's actually allocated.
MR.
FLEISCHER: And in that forward-looking spirit, the President
understands that it is the purview of the Congress to be responsible
for all appropriated items, and he understands congressional interest
in this matter.
Q But,
Ari, doesn't he have an opinion on this?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President has not weighed in on
that. He understands that Congress may look at it.
Q But
hang on here. Ari, can I stay on that for a second?
Congress has appropriated $228,000 for office space for former
President Clinton. The GSA is now about to enter into a
lease which would be at least double that amount of
money. That money would not come from Congress; that money
would come from General Services appropriated to the
funds. So they would have to shift and reallocate some
funds. Is the President concerned that money from other
programs that GSA already has earmarked will get pushed into this lease
without going through Congress?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I've addressed the question. That is
the President's response. I talked to him about it this
morning; that's his response.
Q You
said it's Congress' responsibility, but this may not go through
Congress. It will go through one of your agencies.
MR.
FLEISCHER: We discussed this morning a congressional inquiry
into this matter, and that is his response to the congressional
inquiry.
Q He's
going to be a former President one day, too; this is
relevant. Why won't he express his opinion?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I addressed that question. That was
the question I put to him --
Q He
has no opinion, or is he not sharing his opinion with us?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, no, no, that was the question I put to him
from your question this morning, and that was his answer.
Q Ashcroft
has been confirmed.
Q Anointed. (Laughter.)
Q Do
you have a reaction?
Q What's
the vote?
Q I
think it was -- I don't have the vote. Do you have the vote
there? (Laughter.)
Q This
just in, sort of. (Laughter.)
Q They
were still adding -- he has been confirmed, but they have to add it up
--
MR.
FLEISCHER: Are you saying this is a room full of reporters
without information? (Laughter.) As I indicated
earlier, the President will be very pleased to have his Cabinet in
place and ready to work for the American people. He's very
pleased with the entire confirmation of nomination
process. The votes have been bipartisan, and this vote, by
definition, too, is bipartisan.
Q By
definition? There were only six or seven Democrats.
Q On
the New Freedom Initiative, was Senator Cleland involved in the
process, since he -- he's a Democrat, but he's the only Senator in
wheelchair in the Senate, and he's a triple amputee, which is record.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'd have to find out from Congressional Affairs.
The process began during the campaign when the President made this
proposal. And this was something that the President wanted
to do, and any consultations I'm not aware of.
Q He
wasn't present in the East Room?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As I say, I'm not aware of any consultations.
Q Ari,
I want to go back to the lease. Let me try one last
time. Congressman Istook is making an inquiry, but there are
also indications this lease could be signed by an agency that is part
of this administration, within a matter of days. Does the
President not wish to give some signal to the GSA as to whether it's
okay to go ahead and sign such a costly lease?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That was the extent of my conversation on that
question with the President this morning, so I fully shared it with
you.
Q What
did he say exactly?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I talked to him about the
Congressman -- I took a question this morning at
the gaggle about Congressman Istook's request or suggestion that this
should be looked into. And the President indicated just what
I said.
Q Would
you take him a question about whether --
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'll see if there's anything further.
Q Ari,
a question about the disability event today. Has the
President expressed any concern about the Americans with Disabilities
Act's impact on small businesses or on proliferation of sometimes
frivolous lawsuits? And is there anything in the initiative
that would modify the ADA in any way?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, in terms of modify the ADA, it's a proposal
to add on to the ADA. And so the answer to that is yes, in
that sense. I have not heard the President address it in any
other manner than what he described today and what he described during
the campaign.
Q On
the theme of bipartisanship, is the President inclined to let
Democratic U.S. Attorneys fill out their terms, especially in places
like New York, where there's some precedent for that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Let me see what we're doing with the U.S.
Attorneys. Let me take that and get back to you.
Q February
1st, Black History Month.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Yes.
Q President
Bush is talking about inclusion, healing, civil rights are cornerstone
of his administration. Is he going to celebrate Black
History Month in a way of bringing initiatives and things of that
nature?
MR.
FLEISCHER: A proclamation is in the works and as soon as it
is done and final we will issue it and have it for you.
Q Will
John Ashcroft be part of that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I have not read the language of the
proclamation.
Q President
Clinton is giving an interview to Israeli TV at a very delicate
juncture in both Israeli politics and the peace process. Does the
President believe that's helpful?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I haven't discussed it with him.
Q Ari,
you said, by definition the Ashcroft vote would be
bipartisan. But also, by any mathematics, it is the least
bipartisan of all of the confirmation votes. What does it
say to you about the ability of this administration to communicate to
Democrats its message about a controversial nominee and their ability
to respond?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I've been in this town a long time and I've seen
a lot of votes in the Senate that had a small number of members of the
opposite party vote with someone, and those have been labeled
bipartisan in the past. So I think that same standard ought
to apply here.
Q Why
-- in the past or now?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Because I think it's accurate.
Q It's
accurate, but --
Q On
the congressional retreats, how did the invitations to the Democratic
retreats come about?
MR.
FLEISCHER: It was kind of a mutual thing. The
President let it be known that he would be willing to go, and he was
invited.
Q Will
he also be taking questions at the retreat in addition to just
providing prepared remarks? A couple House members said they
thought it was sort of a condition of him coming, that they would be
able to ask him policy questions --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Tradition of him coming? Presidents --
Q No,
no, an expectation of him coming.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Oh.
Q They
would want the opportunity and the opportunity would be provided for
them to ask questions of the President.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I haven't looked at the agenda in that detail.
I'll be there tomorrow.
Q Would
that surprise you?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'll be there, and so I'll find out.
Q There
are reports that former President Clinton is going to Israel a couple
of days before the election. Does the White House think that
is a proper role for him to be playing?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'd refer you to State as far as that goes.
Q You
don't have an opinion? You don't know whether or not he is
--
MR.
FLEISCHER: It's not been a topic of discussion.
Q --
getting involved in their election?
MR.
FLEISCHER: It's not been a topic of any discussions that
I've been involved in.
Q Can
you take the question?
MR. FLEISCHER: Let me see what I can do on that one, Ron.
Q Has
the President done away with the playing of "Hail to the Chief," at
routine events? Does he have a policy --
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, he has not gotten rid of that. It
will be played -- I think it will just be played at fewer occasions
rather than more occasions, but it will, indeed, be played.
Q Does
he not like the song, or what's the --
MR.
FLEISCHER: He likes the song a whole lot, as a matter of
fact. He worked hard to get it played. But it
will be played, just not at every occasion.
Q Why?
Q How
does he decide?
MR.
FLEISCHER: For example, there are some events that -- in our
first week, the room was filled up and we didn't have a band in there.
There will be other occasions where we will and we'll have it played.
There's really no rhyme or reason. It's just going to be an
occasional thing.
Q Has
it been played at any events, Ari, as far as you know?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I don't think. Not yet.
Q Has
he hummed it or whistled it on the way in -- (laughter.)
MR.
FLEISCHER: I don't know when he left campus -- on the
occasions when I was with him when he did, I didn't hear it played --
humming and whistling --
Q But
why --
MR.
FLEISCHER: I don't know.
Q Did
he dance to it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: He box--stepped to it.
Q Why
on fewer occasions? Was it used too much under Clinton and
you want to save it for --
MR.
FLEISCHER: No. Like I said, I think there's
really no fancy rhyme or reason to it.
Q Ari,
you have one Democrat in the Cabinet, Norman Mineta. Are there any
other Democrats in consideration, say, for example, the U.N., or some
of the other jobs that are still out there?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, of course, you notice that the person the
President chose to head his faith-based office is a
Democrat. As any other announcements get made, we will
report them and you'll be able to evaluate at that time.
Q Is
the President going to be paying any special attention to the Israeli
election as far as monitoring it, and if he is, in what way? And did
he ever mention of any special preference that he has in the outcome?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President, of course, is aware of this
election, but he's not going to involve himself in any way.
Q He
has never said any preference, like who he'd rather have --
Q Ari,
at the prayer meeting this morning, did he have any contact,
interaction with other foreign leaders?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I asked that, and I'm advised, no.
Q You
were going to give us a week ahead, since you're not going to be here
tomorrow.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm not prepared to do that
today. What I'm going to do is try to do that with the pool,
and then you'll get the pool report. It will be a week ahead
from Williamsburg.
Q Do
you know what the themes will be here, just in general, next week?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Taxes. Taxes and budget.
Q If
tomorrow morning's event at the Library of Congress is such an
extraordinary occasion, why is it closed? Why is the
coverage closed?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Retreats are traditionally closed events.
Q Except
for Williamsburg, which is open.
MR.
FLEISCHER: That's an usual event.
Q Ari,
what about the radio address? Is that going to be live or is
he going to tape it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: It will be taped.
Q With
enough time ahead of time to have a transcript?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'd like to, if I can.
Q Is
he still going to Camp David Friday night?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Yes, he is.
END 2:15 P.M. EST
|