For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 12, 2001
Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
Listen to the Briefing
12:40 P.M. EST
MR. FLEISCHER: Good afternoon. Let me discuss
the President's schedule today, and I have a statement about something,
and then I'd be happy to take questions.
The President today again hosted a bipartisan meeting of the
congressional leadership as part of his effort to work with the
Congress to help the Congress to break the logjam that is present in
the Senate right now on the economic stimulus. Following the
meeting, the President had his regular rounds of briefings from the
CIA, from the FBI, and he convened a meeting of the National Security
Council to discuss the latest information in the war effort.
Following that meeting, the President convened a meeting of his
economic team, including Secretary O'Neill, Secretary Evans, Glenn
Hubbard, Larry Lindsey, and others, to discuss the latest information
about the state of the economy. The President remains deeply
concerned about the number of Americans who are unemployed and the
status of the economy and a potential recovery. And this is
again why he is working as diligently as he is to help the Senate to
figure out a way out of the logjam that they're currently
in. And he urges and calls on the Senate again to pass a
stimulus to help the economy to grow and recover.
Following that, the President signed into law legislation called
the Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of 2001, which will provide
health care and educational assistance to the women and children of
Afghanistan.
The President this afternoon will have a meeting here at the White
House on one of the signature issues of his presidency, and that is
improving education particularly for those in public
schools. He will meet with the leaders of the education
issue in the Congress -- Congressman Boehner, Congressman Miller,
Senator Kennedy and Senator Gregg.
And on that point, I want to read a statement by the President
about the education conference agreement, which was entered into
yesterday. And unless something -- the House is scheduled to
vote on this this week; the President believes and hopes that the
Senate will also vote so education reform can be passed into law.
The following is a statement by the President: The
education of every child in America must always be a top
priority. I commend the conferees for agreeing on a series
of profound reforms to help provide our children the best education
possible.
I also thank the bipartisan leadership of the conference chair,
Congressman Boehner, as well as Senators Kennedy, Gregg, and
Congressman Miller, for taking major steps toward improving education
throughout our country.
The conference agreement will ensure that no child in America is
left behind, through historic educational reforms based on real
accountability, unprecedented flexibility for states and school
districts, greater local control, more options for parents, and more
funding for what works. I urge members of the House and
Senate to act soon and send me this legislation, so that states and
school districts can begin implementing these important reforms.
That is a statement by the President. I read that
because I think it is an important reminder of, even in a time of war,
where the President's priorities lie. And he understands the
importance of education not only to uplifting people from poverty, in
terms of helping improve the future of our economy, but also just as a
simple matter of doing what he promised as a candidate and focusing on
education. He is very pleased and thankful to the Congress
for the actions they have taken this year.
One final point. In a similar spirit, the Senate Finance
Committee just moments ago passed, by a bipartisan vote of 18 to 3,
trade promotion authority. And the President is very
grateful to the leaders of the Senate Finance Committee and the members
who voted for this important action. The President thinks
this also will help improve the economy long-term, that this is good
for America's workers, and is helpful for developing nations around the
world.
Finally, when you take a look at what is happening in the Congress
on education and trade promotion authority, it's a clear sign that if
there is a will there's a way in the Congress. And the
President hopes that that same spirit on education, on trade promotion
authority, where Congress is getting the people's business done, will
be extended to the economic stimulus.
If ever there was an issue that proves that if there's a will,
there's a way, it's the economic stimulus. If the will is
there in the United States Senate, the votes are there. The
President met last night with a group of Democrat and Republican
moderates; clearly the votes are there to pass an economic stimulus and
to help America's workers. The only question is, is the
Senate leadership interested in following the will of the Senate to
find a way to pass it. The President hopes so.
Q Ari, on the tape, what are the translators
doing now? What seems to be the delay? Can you
describe that process? And will it, in fact, be released
this afternoon?
MR. FLEISCHER: The tape of Osama bin Laden bragging
about the killing in the United States is roughly one hour
long. The audio and the video quality are not
good. And as a result, to be thorough, to be accurate,
before anything is released to the world, the Defense Department has
brought in four translators from outside the government to listen to
every word and to make certain that there is agreement on what is said
on the tape. We're very comfortable with the translation
that we already do have, but prior to its release, which we're all
hopeful will still take place, the review is underway. So,
literally, four translators are listening carefully to it to make
certain that every word is an accurate interpretation of the Arabic
language.
Q Does today look improbable, then?
MR. FLEISCHER: I have to rely on DOD to inform you about
it. The process is that the President has asked for the
advice of his advisors about the release of the tape, and the President
and his team will make the final decision about whether it should be
released or not.
But, clearly, the President hopes that information can be shared
with the public. The only thing that would stand in the way
is if there is anything from intelligence or security that could be
compromised. That's not looking like it's likely, so it
really is just a matter of being diligent, thorough and accurate prior
to releasing something to the world.
Q Ari, is it just a matter of it's taking so
much time for these four translators to go through this, or is there
some disagreement among the translators about what they hear on the
tape?
MR. FLEISCHER: I have not heard anything about any
disagreements. I think you can presume it's the usual
conversation you would have with four translators about, do we hear it
exactly right, is that syllable exactly right, and they're just going
to be thorough and careful.
And we recognize that as soon as the tape is released, you all are
going to take it to your translators, too. And I think
you'll be, at that point, satisfied that the government diligence in
preparing it will match the diligence that you bring to it, too.
Q If I could just follow up on
that. The fact that the White House is going to sanction the
release of this bin Laden videotape after counseling various and sundry
news organizations to be very careful about what they air, does that
lead you to want to be extra careful to make sure you've dotted all the
'i's and crossed all the 't's before you put this out there?
MR. FLEISCHER: No. Because this videotape
does not fall in the same category as the prepackaged, prerecorded
videotapes that Osama bin Laden, himself, distributed as a way to
communicate with the world. Clearly, this was a tape that
was left behind in Afghanistan with no intention of being released, and
it does not fall into the same category. That's why the
White House does, indeed, look at this very differently from the
category in which Condoleezza Rice called the networks and asked them
to exercise their judgment and discretion.
Q But certainly, you can see the issue there
in the inherent appearance, at least, of a contradiction in that.
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I can't, because I see the tapes as
totally different. And I think most observers agree with
that.
Q Ari, reaction to the violence in the
Middle East today?
MR. FLEISCHER: The embassies on the ground are
collecting the facts about the most recent violence in the Middle
East. It took place shortly before this briefing, in terms
of the reports coming in.
The latest violence underscores the need for Chairman Arafat and
the Palestinian Authority to take every step possible to reduce the
violence and bring an end to the terrorism that is plaguing the
region.
Ambassador Zinni, or General Zinni remains in the region, committed
to helping the parties find a way to begin the security talks, and the
President remains hopeful that the talks can begin.
Q Ari, is there any doubt now that Arafat
can't control the violence?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think that this is a process that
can't be measured in a day or two, this is a process that will be
measured over time. But it is imperative that Chairman
Arafat take every step possible to stop the violence, to stop the
attacks. It's hard to imagine how a peace process can be
fruitful and take hold if there is no peace, if there's killing.
Q Why are we condoning the bombing of his
headquarters and police quarters and so forth? I mean, is
that helpful to the Palestinians?
MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, as you know, after the series of
suicide attacks took place in Jerusalem and Haifa last week, the
President has made it clear that he understands Israel has a right to
defend herself.
Q They are trying to get Arafat, aren't
they? I mean, would that be helpful?
MR. FLEISCHER: The United States has not seen any
indication that Israel is trying to get Yasser Arafat.
Q Ari, if I could reclaim my
time. On the tape, a couple questions. Is it
clear from the tape that bin Laden is aware he is being
taped? Or is it the assessment of those who have seen it
that he is not aware that he is being taped? And that is the
central distinction that goes to what John's question was about, that
it's not a propaganda machine, because he doesn't know he's being
taped. And secondarily, as the translators go over this, are
they debating the meaning of certain words, or is it just very hard to
hear the words and it's the difficulty of hearing that's slowing it
down?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think you need to ask that to DOD,
itself. I did not ask that question to DOD. I
know it's a matter of the audio quality, means you really have to play
the tape over again, listen to it, listen to it over again to be
certain about the words. But that's a DOD.
On the first question again?
Q Is he aware, based on those who have seen
it, and does that make it essentially different from something that he
was clearly aware --
MR. FLEISCHER: No, it appears he was
aware. It's hard to imagine somebody was in the room without
him seeing.
Q Can I just follow up on Helen's
question? Does the President believe that the specific
response of Israel to the suicide attacks has been helpful, has been
productive of a climate in which peace can take hold?
MR. FLEISCHER: I don't think the President looks at
things in literally the light that you raise it. I think the
President looks at it as a matter that, given what took place in
Israel, Israel had a right to defend herself. And the
President understands that.
The President is also calling on all the parties to work with
General Zinni. General Zinni remains in the area for the
express purpose of helping the two, Israel and the Palestinians, to
find a way to begin the security dialogue once again that they both
still say they are committed to.
Q And is the President looking for Israel to
take any steps? Because it may be that it's not just Arafat's
inability or refusal to control violence, but that there are other
factors which contribute to these attacks -- the crackdown, continued
crackdown in Palestinian areas, which many people say sponsors some of
the frustration which leads to this.
MR. FLEISCHER: The President understands that the
ability of the parties in the conflict to take the next steps first
depends on the ability of violence to be reduced. It's very
hard to begin a political dialogue when people are still being killed
in the streets and wounded in the streets on an almost regular
basis. And that's why the President has focused so strongly
on calling for Chairman Arafat to reduce the violence, to take
responsibility.
And it's also important to recognize for the future of the region
that these are attacks on Chairman Arafat's authority,
himself. These attacks undermine his ability to be a leader
in the Palestinian cause. And that's important to recognize
as well.
Q Is the President that American arms are
used?
Q Ari, has Arafat taken any steps that you
can see as positive?
MR. FLEISCHER: The Chairman has made several statements
which are positive statements. The Chairman has arrested
individuals, although still there is the issue of after arrests are
made, people are frequently returned right to the
streets. So it is a difficult situation for one and all, but
that does not change the responsibility on a leader of a would-be state
to demonstrate that he is capable of demonstrating the leadership
required to end the violence.
Q Ari, why wasn't the President able to
close the deal on a stimulus during the breakfast he had with
congressional leaders this morning?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I don't think that when it comes to
Congress scheduling a vote, it's something the President
controls. The determination of when to schedule a vote is
uniquely an issue or a decision made by the Senate leadership.
The President, as he said today, had a very productive meeting with
enough senators last night in both parties to put this over the
top. So the House of Representatives has shown its ability
to pass a stimulus; the President has shown his ability not only to
propose a stimulus, but to then subsequently modify it in an effort to
break the logjam. The only group left in town that has shown
no ability so far to pass a stimulus is the Senate leadership.
There is enough votes to pass it. If there's a will,
there's a way. And that's the only question that remains now -- will
the Senate show the will to find the way.
Q If I could follow on that, is the
President still insisting that speeding up the tax cut passed earlier
this year must be part of the stimulus plan?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President feels very strongly that it
must be stimulative. And he is heartened to see that there
are a majority of senators in both parties who
agree. Senator Breaux was eloquent last night on the point
of supporting an increase in the acceleration of the marginal income
tax rate from 27 percent to 25 percent.
Clearly, the majority of the Senate agrees with the President that
we have a need to do two things, stimulate the economy and protect
unemployed workers. And the President just cannot imagine
that the Senate would leave town without addressing both those
important priorities. And there's still time for it to be
done, and he hopes that it will be, but much of this is up to the
Senate leadership.
Q Ari, what else is the President doing
today in and the next day to get this through? Is he making
calls today? Is he meeting -- having other meetings?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think the President has brought it to
the point where it is very close to getting done. Keep in
mind that a stimulus was originally the President's idea. He
proposed it during the summer. The House passed
it. The President then has worked with the Senate, modified
it. I don't know what more a President can do, other than to
meet with the leadership as he did this morning, to meet with the
bipartisan group as he did last night, the statement the President made
this morning again calling on the parties to get
together. But at the end of the day, it is still the Senate
that governs itself. And this is a real test of the new
leadership of the Senate.
You know, I just remind you that it wasn't so long ago that the
Senate was led by Senator Lott, with a very close
margin. And there still is a very close margin in the
Senate. But that doesn't change the responsibility of the
leaders of the Senate to, in the end, deliver for the American people.
Q There has been a decline in contributions
to Muslim charities in the United States. Do you have any --
does the White House have any reaction to that? I think
there's a fear that these charities are somehow fronts for terrorist
organizations.
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the President has addressed this
before, when he's called on groups to continue to donate to
charities. And the President would hope that donations would
continue to all charities that do good works, and that, of course,
includes Muslim charities.
And because you've raised it, I would remind people that the
President's legislation that is still pending in the Senate for the
Armies of Compassion initiative does provide incentives for people to
give increased money to charity; that does find a role for Muslim
groups, for Islamic groups, for groups of all religious denominations
to receive federal funding for their charitable efforts and their
social efforts in the way to alleviate poverty. And that
would, of course, include Muslim, Islamic groups.
Q Ari, you said this morning that the
Pentagon was handling the videotape. You just told us that
four independent translators were working on it as an advisory
panel. My question is, will the President make the final
call whether the tape will be released or not?
MR. FLEISCHER: Yes. Ultimately it is the
President's decision. The President will make the decision
in concert with his security team.
As I reviewed earlier, the only criteria he is concerned with are,
is there any intelligence that would be compromised, or national
security implications to releasing the tape? It's fair to
say with each passing day there appear to be fewer and fewer things
that are imaginable like that. But again, the President will make that
final determination, and then if that determination is made, the
release will come from the Department of Defense.
Q Can I ask you another
question? On the free trade, you said the Senate Finance
Committee has approved 18 to 3. When do you expect the whole
Senate to vote on it? The House has already approved it.
MR. FLEISCHER: That's a question that can only be
addressed to the Senate leadership.
Q Well, do you think you might get it this
year?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think the President would be delighted
if he could get it this year, because the President believes very
strongly in the power of trade to improve the lots of people around the
world, to provide products for the American consumer, and to provide
high-paying jobs for American workers.
Q Ari, back on the tape, is there concern
about body language, as well, other than the phrasing and the wording
of bin Laden? Is there concern about his body
language? I mean, you're talking about coding with words,
possibly, but what about the body language?
MR. FLEISCHER: In terms of coding, there's nothing that
has been brought to my attention on that, April. So, again,
that's why I said that with each passing day as it's reviewed, there
are fewer and fewer concerns about the security implications of
it. In terms of Osama bin Laden's body language, he appears
-- if you can believe it -- happy, comfortable, and joyous with the
fact that he was able to take lives.
Q So you have seen the tape?
MR. FLEISCHER: I have been briefed on the
tape. I will watch it later. And I've read the
entire transcript, though.
Q Another question about September 11th,
real quick. Apparently, one of the 19 hijackers was stopped
in the state of Maryland by a state trooper and was let go because they
did not know about the fact that he was on the CIA terrorist watch
list. Why is not there an interface system right now in
place, and why was there not a system in place at that time, for
someone to be a major criminal, or a major threat to the United States,
for no other state entity or local government to know? There
was a major -- it seems like there was a major mixup or a problem --
MR. FLEISCHER: April, I'm not aware of the facts in the
case you're citing, so I'll be happy to take a look at
that. But, clearly if a police officer pulls somebody over,
it's not as if there's one central computer database for the entire
country that runs every highway stop into a system.
Q But do you think there needs to be now,
especially since this guy could have been stopped before --
MR. FLEISCHER: Let me take a look at the facts in this
particular case. You may also want to address it to DOJ or
to the local authorities who may have been involved in this
stop. Because I don't have any information on that.
Q Is the White House recommending that they
use the --
MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, we'll come back to you.
Q Why did the President consider but then
reject the idea of having Moussaoui go before a military tribunal?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President, two days ago, discussed
with Attorney General Ashcroft during an Oval Office meeting what the
best venue would be to bring Mr. Moussaoui to justice. And
as the President said when he created the military tribunals, he wanted
to have the option of a military tribunal for those limited number of
cases where the national security of the United States or our ability
to continue to obtain intelligence information without compromising
sources or methods would be achieved as a result of going to a military
court as opposed to a civilian court.
So during his meeting with the Attorney General, the President
asked a series of questions about civilian versus military trial, and
asked if this were to be decided in a civilian court, a civilian
criminal court, would national security be in danger, would sources or
methods be compromised. The President was satisfied that the answers
to those questions were no. The Attorney General recommended that this
go to a civilian court; the President concurred. And so,
that's what took place.
Q And is that final? Is that a
final decision?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I should add one caveat, and is
it's based on all the information that has been received at this
time. If subsequent information were to be received in the
course of developing facts and information, the President's options
remain open. But you clearly have heard an announcement by
the Attorney General, you've received the indictment from the
Department of Justice. This case is proceeding in criminal
court on the civilian side.
Q Let me follow up, though. The
President also asked whether there's any concerns about security at the
courthouse, which is another reason for --
MR. FLEISCHER: Clearly, I don't have every question the
President asked, Ron. But I think it's fair to say that if
there had been sufficient concerns raised about security, another
decision could have been made. No such decision was made.
Q Ari, on the tape, how long have these four
interpreters been at work? And how long did it take the
administration to produce the transcript? If one exists, it
would seem that it wouldn't take as long as it is taking for the new
people to review what already is in print. Could you please
talk about that?
MR. FLEISCHER: I believe -- and you'd have to check with
DOD to be final -- but the interpreters at DOD started working on it
yesterday or the day before, one of those two days. And as I
said at the top of the briefing, we are comfortable with the
translation that we currently have, that it's accurate. The
question is, before something is released to the world, and so people
can see it and read a translation for themselves, we're dotting every
'I" and crossing every 'T' in the interest of
thoroughness. And if it is exactly as I indicated, that
there are no intelligence, no security concerns brought up, it's just a
matter of time. As soon as they're done with the due
diligence. And then the world will have it and the world
will form its own judgments. And I think you'll be satisfied
that the diligence that we brought to the translation was productive,
and that way people can say this is, indeed, authoritative, accurate,
and represents what people can view. Because this is Arabic
and we want to be careful and accurate.
Q The young Taliban -- American Taliban
fighter has apparently been debriefed and is suggesting that he had
some knowledge of the next phase in the terrorist attacks against the
United States. One, what is he saying to U.S.
authorities? And two, how much credibility do you assign to
this young guy, who did not seem to be in the senior al Qaeda
leadership?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, it is hard to imagine how somebody
who was in a position that he was, how somebody in that position could
obtain information that is credible or reliable about a future
action. As you know, clearly in the case of the September
11th attacks, that information was extraordinarily limited in the
number of people that the al Qaeda or Osama bin Laden informed ahead of
time. So that's the answer in terms of the question about
Mr. Walker.
It does remain a concern, of course, for the
government. This is why you've heard Governor Ridge and
others urge vigilance, urge people to maintain the alert status because
of the general threats that we have received about anything that may be
potential in the future. Risks do remain, unfortunately.
Q On the tape from bin Laden, I gather that
he makes clear that not even some of his most senior lieutenants were
aware of what was going to unfold on September 11th.
MR. FLEISCHER: That's correct.
Q So, making it even more difficult to
believe that some guy in the middle levels or at lower levels of the
Taliban --
MR. FLEISCHER: As I indicated, it is hard to imagine how
Mr. Walker could be in possession of such specific information or
knowledge. But having said that, beyond him, the government
does have concerns, and that's why alerts have been made and the nation
does need to continue its vigilance.
Q Ari, is the President willing, on ABM, to
give Russia until January 1st before formally starting the six-month
clock? And secondly, if Russia did jointly withdraw, would
that give them a greater role, perhaps at least in terms of
consultations when it comes to shaping a missile defense shield?
MR. FLEISCHER: Let me say, in terms of consultations,
the consultations with Russia on the topic of missile defense have been
strong. And I think you've all seen that with your own eyes in the
course of the many discussions the President has had with President
Putin throughout the year. The whole dialogue about a
missile defense has taken an interesting turn where, at the beginning
of the administration, people reacted and said that this will lead to a
resumption of the Cold War, this would be a monumental mistake, said
the critics, to a real diminution of those type of arguments now, as
the President has quietly and patiently made his case to European
leaders and to other leaders.
As for the timing, I'm not in a position to make any predictions.
When the President has something to say, he'll say it.
Q I was just wondering if there was any
motivation for them to jointly withdraw, because that would give them
something to have where they can say, well, now we are a partner in
this and we are going to shape or at least be consulted more on missile
defense. Or, is it the President's position that he would
like to consult with them regardless of whether they withdraw?
MR. FLEISCHER: Bill, I'm not going to make any
predictions about what the future will hold, other than to say that
that the President has made it abundantly clear throughout the year
that he thinks that the best way to preserve peace and to promote it is
to move beyond the ABM Treaty.
Q Two follow-ups. First of all,
on the tape. Is there any arrangement for people who want to
translate it from Arabic to another language to hear the tape, or will
they have to take it from the English? And on the ABM Treaty, do you
have any indication whether Russia will go along with the abrogation of
the treaty?
MR. FLEISCHER: The tape, if and when it is released,
will be released in Arabic and with an English
translation. And then at that point it will be in the public
domain, and translators will be free to translate it.
And I cannot presume to speak for Russia. I would remind
you of what President Putin said in Crawford, when he was asked a
question by a high school student about if the United States were to
unilaterally withdraw from the treaty, what his reaction would
be. He said at that time that the United States'
relationship with Russia is a very broad one, that there are many
constructive avenues that we will continue to pursue in all cases, no
matter what the President does or decides to do. But I do
not presume to speak for what he would do, given any hypothetical thing
that the President would do in the future.
Q Ari, has the President talked to Putin in
the last couple days about this, or does he plan to talk to him before
he makes any public statement?
MR. FLEISCHER: This is Wednesday; he has not talked to
him in the last couple days.
Q A couple of questions on the speech the
President gave today at the signing of that Afghan women and children's
measure. He said, "We learned our lessons from the
past. We will not leave until our mission is
complete." What was the reference to there? Is he
talking about the Persian Gulf
War? Vietnam? What's on his mind when he says
that?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think what's on his mind is the
previous lesson of Afghanistan, and perhaps elsewhere in the
world. And as you know, in recent years the United States
has been the number one donor of food to the people of Afghanistan,
even before September 11th. The United States will continue
to be, even during this war and after the war, the number one provider
of food and economic assistance to the people of
Afghanistan. The President has always said that we would be
engaged in the political future of Afghanistan, helping Afghanistan to
find security and also protect, so they don't engage in terrorism.
And it's clear from the actions the President has taken in sending
an ambassador to the region, and the discussions that have been held
under Secretary Powell's leadership on reconstruction of Afghanistan,
that the United States takes its commitment seriously to a future of
Afghanistan once the war is won.
Q Are you saying that was not a military
reference, "getting the job done"?
MR. FLEISCHER: Oh, no, it's not a military
reference. The President
has been crystal-clear on military. Nothing has changed
his views that the purpose of the military is to fight and win
wars. Having said that, the President understands there are
many other things that you can do to help achieve stability once the
war is won, through aid and through diplomacy and through politics.
Q He also said that we won't rest until we
bring these people to justice. What's the level of concern
here about the number of Taliban and al Qaeda leaders who have escaped
already, they've gotten away from there?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, we don't know. We don't
know, Secretary Rumsfeld has said, how many people have or may have
escaped. No hard way of knowing. But the
President's message is clear to the world: Wherever there
are people who are engaged in terrorism which would threaten the lives
of people in this country, or terrorism that has a global reach, the
United States will take whatever action is required on a host of fronts
-- on economic fronts, on political fronts, perhaps on military
fronts. He's not ruled it out.
Q The House is supposed to be taking up the
Ney-Hoyer election reform bill today. Is this legislation
that the administration supports? And also, I'd like to know what, if
anything, the White House is doing to try and get some election reform
enacted before the next elections.
MR. FLEISCHER: The President believes that the Ney-Hoyer
election reform legislation is a positive step forward. In
July, the President announced a series of principles that he supported
for election reform. And if you remember, President Carter, President
Ford, came out with a series of principles that they believed needed to
be carried forward in order to secure accurate
elections. The President met with President Carter in the
Oval Office and with a representative of President Ford to discuss
those.
Since then, the President's staff has been discussing with the
House of Representatives and the Senate, election reform
issues. The President's principles remain clear, and this is
why I said it's a positive step forward, that the federal government
has a responsibility to provide limited, but effective assistance and
help to state and local governments in elections; that state, county,
local governments remain and must remain the primary method of
conducting elections in this country, and their primary role has got to
be respected by the federal government. He's pleased with
the legislation on that front.
The President wants to make certain that we have a system that
respects the rights of everyone to vote, including minorities,
including members of the military, and that's why I said this is a
positive step forward.
Q Do you want to see something enacted this
year?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think if that were doable, the
President would be pleased. But realistically now, when you
start to take a look at all the various items, I'm not even aware that
there's discussion in the Senate that they might be able to do
that. But if they could, the President would be pleased.
Q Back on the stimulus, is the President
ruling out a payroll tax holiday as a substitute for the accelerated
tax cuts?
MR. FLEISCHER: What the President is ruling in are
things that can pass. And there obviously is a bipartisan
majority that can pass a reduction in income tax rates. Why
would anybody pursue something which lacks the votes? There
are more than 50 senators who are willing to vote for a reduction in
marginal income tax rates on an accelerated basis, from 27 percent to
25 percent.
You heard Senator Breaux and the other Democrats here say that last
night. You heard Senator Breaux and some others give some
reflections about whether there is the will in the Senate to change the
payroll taxes. There are other issues that are presented when you
change payroll taxes involving Medicare and Social
Security. There are senior groups that have some concerns
about that. So the President's focus is on what can pass,
not what can hold up a project.
Q Secondly, does the President need Senate
approval to withdraw from the ABM Treaty?
MR. FLEISCHER: No.
Q Ari, regarding the Middle East again,
General Zinni's plan was, he called now yesterday I believe, for 48
hours of quiet in order to get security talks moving. There
were talks Friday and Saturday between some of the
parties. And the Israelis responded with these night
attacks, targeting Arafat's intelligence and security
forces. The head of public security, Uzi Landau, made the
statement saying, "They can talk about security all they want, but it's
forbidden that these talks will prevent us from taking more action
against the terrorism of Arafat. We must strike all the time
at the infrastructure of terrorism." Aren't they really
thumbing a nose at the efforts of Zinni and others to try and get
discussions going on the security precautions?
MR. FLEISCHER: Really, there's nothing I have to change
what I said previously on the topic.
Q Tom Daschle said this morning that he was
told by the President that the President had actually decided to
withdraw from the ABM. We had been told previously that he
had been thinking about it, that he thought it was
outdated. Can you confirm that that decision has actually
been made now?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, what I can confirm is the President
has been saying publicly for a number of years that the United States
needs to move beyond the ABM Treaty. Beyond that, the only
thing I can offer you is that when the President has something to say
publicly, he'll say it.
Q Can you acknowledge Tom Daschle was told
that this morning?
MR. FLEISCHER: I can just simply suggest to you once
again that when he has something to say publicly, he will.
Q On the technology advisory panel, is the
President going to meet with that group today? And what kind
of initiatives is the White House putting together to help deploy
technology?
MR. FLEISCHER: Let me check on that and try to get back
to you on that topic.
Q Ari, in light of Congressman Armey's
retirement announcement, would the President prefer a new GOP leader in
the House with the conservative credentials of somebody like Armey, or
somebody who is more moderate?
MR. FLEISCHER: As you know, internal elections in the
House are matters for the House to judge, not for the Executive
Branch.
Q If the remaining logjam to the stimulus
package is the individual rates -- acceleration of the individual
rates, why doesn't the administration offer to remove that from the
table? Wouldn't that move the process forward, and wouldn't
you end up with a stimulative bill --
MR. FLEISCHER: That's clearly not the
logjam. Clearly, there is a bipartisan majority of senators
who support the proposal the President has made. The logjam
is in the Senate leadership, which needs to schedule a vote rather than
obstruct the bipartisan majority of the Senate.
So the will is there. The number of members is
there. The question is does the Senate leadership want to
find a way to match the will? And the President believes
this is a classic issue of where there's a will there's a way, and he
is doing everything he can to help the Senate to help itself.
Q But I thought the next step rested in this
negotiating -- and to decide on one of these proposals.
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the discussions are
ongoing. People are continuing to talk. But
obviously, when you have a bipartisan majority ready to take action,
the time has come, either action can be taken or reasons will be found
to stop the action from moving forward. But the President is
hopeful, as he said, that the Senate will agree and move
forward. There will be continued conversations with the
Senate about that.
Q Ari, did the President talk to Dick Armey
about his decision? And what is his reaction to the retirement?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President will have a statement -- I
will have a statement out from the President a little later today about
it.
Q The Pentagon, Ari, has just confirmed that
an Air Force bomber has gone down in the Indian Ocean. This
is somewhat of a late-breaking story; I'm not expecting you to be aware
of it now. But I was curious if, in fact, you had heard anything coming
down here about it. And do you know if in any way the
President has been informed? If you don't know, can you
promise to get back with us on those details today?
MR. FLEISCHER: We will get back to you on that.
Q Did you know anything about it?
MR. FLEISCHER: No. First I've heard.
Q Back on ABM withdrawal for a
moment. Despite the statement that you quoted, that
President Putin made in Crawford, the critics of this decision say that
it will undermine President Putin and strengthen the hardliners in
Moscow, who are very skeptical about his whole policy of improving
relations and cooperation with the United States. They also
say this is the first time a major nation has ever withdrawn from a
major arms control treaty, and that it will open the door on other
nations doing the same thing. Could you respond to those
criticisms?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think it's fair to say that the
President has long believed that the best way to promote and protect
the peace is by allowing the United States to develop a missile defense
system that can protect itself from accidental or rogue nation launch
of an individual or two nuclear weapons. And given the
events of September 11th, the President believes in that even more
strongly, given the fact that we have seen that our enemies, when they
can get their hands on a weapon, do not hesitate to use it.
The President is worried that it is only a matter of time and
technology before terrorists or others are able to get their hands on a
weapon that they would use. And the President is determined
to protect this nation, to protect the people of our country, as well
as others, from that eventuality. And so the President
believes very strongly in this, and he does so because he believes it
protects the peace.
Q Could you respond to the specific
criticism that doing this now will undermine Putin and strengthen
hardliners --
MR. FLEISCHER: The President does not share that view.
Q Why?
MR. FLEISCHER: Because the President believes that
anything that protects the cause of peace protects people around the
world who are dedicated to peace.
Q Ari, people say that the opposition forces
in Afghanistan are offering a deal to the al Qaeda, surrender Osama bin
Laden and go free. Is such a deal acceptable to the
President?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President has made it very clear that
this is about much more than Osama bin Laden. And this is
about the destruction of the al Qaeda in its entirety, so they cannot
engage in terrorism anymore, or that they cannot flee Afghanistan to
find safe harbor in another nation, to create a new cell that could
engage in terrorism once more. This is about protecting
America from those who would do us harm.
Q If your initial translation of the tape
was good enough to have the Vice President talk about it publicly and
then show it to members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees
and have them talk about it publicly, why do you need to go through it
one more time? And secondly, if the White House is trying to
show that it's not trying to enhance in any way, editorially, this
tape, why even provide a translation? Why not just give it
to us and have our people go through it?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the President -- I mean, the Vice
President, of course, was asked about it on a show. The Vice
President went on the show to talk about a number of issues, and the
topic came up. He responded. He did not provide a
translation of the tape, he gave his impressions of what the tape
showed, based on the translation -- which I said, the translation is an
accurate one, we're comfortable with it. But again, this is
a matter of verbatim, and to be completely thorough before we hand out
a verbatim transcript that the world will review. Again, I
just think this is really -- this is a matter of time, and --
Q Well, why even provide a
transcript? Why help in the editorial process, as opposed to
just giving us the raw tape?
MR. FLEISCHER: You are under no obligation, if and when
it's released, to accept the translation. I just think the
administration's point of view is that it's best to provide information
that can be understood, rather than providing something in another
language.
Q In that context, does the White House hope
that the networks will show the whole thing, the hour-long program, or
is there any caveat on the use of the tape once they get it?
MR. FLEISCHER: That's a decision that the networks will
make, and other stations will make.
Q So they're free to --
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, they always have
been. Again, this is a totally different tape from the one
that Dr. Rice called the networks about, a totally different type of
tape because of -- it is not the prepackaged, preprogrammed tape that
they wanted to get out deliberately, especially the one immediately
after the September 11th attack -- or the United States retaliation
after the September 11th attack.
You recall in that context, what happened was the United States
took action against Osama bin Laden, the military campaign, the bombing
began, and low and behold, all of a sudden, a prepackaged tape comes
out that could have been viewed -- was viewed, likely -- by many people
around the world to see what Osama bin Laden had deliberately wanted to
get out to the world in the immediate aftermath of the
bombing. I mean, you couldn't have asked for a more
prepackaged, prepositioned tape. This is not that type of
tape.
So it is different. But even in that phone call, these
are decisions that news organizations make, not the
government. Dr. Rice asked the networks to exercise their
discretion. She raised her concerns about what could be on
those tapes. But the decision is made by the government.
Q You don't think they were intimidated at
all?
MR. FLEISCHER: I know those people. They're
hard to intimidate. But they are reasonable, and they do
listen to the government's point of view, and then they make their
judgments.
Q Very quickly, on al Qaeda leadership
escaping Afghanistan, is the administration seeking basing rights in
Somalia, particularly in the port of Berbera?
MR. FLEISCHER: You would need to talk to DOD about
anything operational.
Q Are they considering any kind of blockade
or screening of Somalia?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, let me just say broadly on the
question you're asking, this remains focused on phase one, and I'm not
going to get into anything along the lines of speculating about if
other phases may take place.
Thank you.
END 1:20
P.M. EST
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