For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 4, 2002
Press Gaggle by Ari Fleischer
Aboard Air Force One
En route Boston, Massachusetts
11:13 A.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: Good morning. The President began the day with his
usual intelligence briefings, followed by FBI briefing, intelligence
briefing. He has taped the radio address, which will be focused on the
situation concerning Iraq.
The President will arrive at the Seaport Boston Hotel, where he
will give remarks at the Mitt Romney For Governor Reception, and he is
expected to raise $1 million for Massachusetts Victory Tour 2002
Committee. And then he will depart for Kennebunkport. And of course,
tomorrow he will go to Manchester, New Hampshire.
I want to make two announcements for you, and then give you the
week ahead, as well.
One, let me just give you a situation, a personnel report. It is
with great sadness, but also happiness that I have to announce that
Anne Womack will be leaving the press office, where she has done an
outstanding job for the President, to begin a new job at the Security
and Exchange Commission, where she will be a senior advisor and
counselor to the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Anne I think has served the press very well and she has done such a
superb job for the President and I'm going to miss her very much. But
the Securities and Exchange Commission is going to be very fortunate to
have somebody as talented and qualified as Anne.
In addition, I want to announce that Suzy DeFrancis will be joining
the White House communications staff as a deputy assistant to the
President for communications, where she will assist in general
communications strategy, planning and execution of the President's
agenda.
Suzy currently is a vice president with Porter Novelli, and is a
former top aide at the Republican National Committee.
Q How do you spell it?
MR. FLEISCHER: I was speaking off memory. S-u-z-y,
D-e-F-r-a-n-c-i-s. We'll get that verified, and if there's a change
we'll correct it in the transcript.
Q Where does she fit in the hierarchy? Bartlett, Fleischer?
MR. FLEISCHER: She will -- technically she works -- she will work
in the communications office under Dan. She'll work in the office Dan
used to occupy.
Q She came from Porter Novelli?
MR. FLEISCHER: She's currently a vice president of Porter
Novelli.
Final announcement, and then I have the week ahead, we can do that
whenever you want to. As Congress begins an important week in which it
is expected to vote on the President's proposed resolution to authorize
the use of force in Iraq, the President will speak to the nation Monday
night in Cincinnati about the threat of Saddam Hussein and Iraq present
to world peace.
The President thinks the nation and the Congress will benefit from
a discussion of the issues involved and the important moment our nation
faces. The speech will be at 8:00 p.m., at the Cincinnati Museum
Center. And that will be Monday, Cincinnati.
Q Does he plan to have any new information about Iraq, any
new argument?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, let me put it this way, I think it's going to
be a newsworthy speech. Obviously, you all will be there and you can
make your own judgements about what is new, etc. But I think it will
be a notable and newsworthy speech.
Q Is it a forum where he'll be taking questions? I mean, why
Cincinnati? Why not do it from the Oval?
MR. FLEISCHER: It's a speech to a seated audience, it's going to
be some 400 to 500 people. It's hosted by the Chamber of Congress, in
conjunction with the United Way and the World Affairs Council of
Cincinnati.
And the President looks at the debate that is about to begin in the
Congress and the vote that is about to take place in the Congress as a
part of the great tradition of America's democracy, in which the
people's elected representatives speak from their heart, speak on the
basis of principle. And whether they agree or disagree with the
President, they inform the public about their views and why they hold
those views.
And the President sees this as his role as President to similarly
speak to the country through this audience in a way that is thoughtful,
that is deliberative, so that the issues that the country is asking
itself can be addressed by its elected leaders, including the
President.
We are not asking the networks for time. We are doing this at 8:00
p.m. at night because the President wants people to know what he is
saying. But, again, I think it will be a newsworthy speech. But just
so you understand the levels in which Presidents give speeches, it is
not a speech in which he is asking the networks for time.
Q Can this be prepared to the speech he made in Atlanta,
remember, on -- what was that, on homeland security at the time?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think that's a very good comparison.
Q It's obviously, the, we're not looking for any announcement
on war, whether or not we're committing American troops. It's not that
level of an Oval Office asking for time speech?
MR. FLEISCHER: This is not an Oval Office address to the nation.
Q Ari, should we expect to hear in that speech any arguments
that those of us who have been traveling with the President, hearing
him day in and day out have not heard before?
MR. FLEISCHER: Again, I'll just say I think it will be a notable,
newsworthy speech and you'll make your own judgments at the time.
Q Primarily, he'd like to influence the debate in Congress;
is that correct?
MR. FLEISCHER: well, the President thinks that, as Congress begins
the debate and as they're about to vote, that it's important and it's
helpful to members of Congress in both parties for them to hear what
the President thinks in the full fashion that a speech like this
affords. So I think it is fair to say that the President views this as
a way to communicate to members of Congress and to communicate to the
country.
Q Ari, how about Lindsey meeting with some of the
agricultural and manufacturing groups about this port dispute today?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I don't have Larry's schedule. I don't know.
Q Do you know who's meeting with them at 3:30 p.m.? There's
a meeting at 3:30 p.m.
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I don't know.
Q Have you reached an agreement with Daschle on legal
liability in the terrorism insurance bill?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, the talks are continuing up on the Hill, and
the President remains hopeful that it can be achieved. It's very close
and a lot of people on both sides are working hard to get it done. But
it's not done yet.
Q Any reaction to Pakistan test firing a ballistic missile?
MR. FLEISCHER: I've noted the reports about India and Pakistan's
tests and have no comment on them.
Q No comment on India and Pakistan? Why's that?
MR. FLEISCHER: We noted the tests, we noted the nature of the
tests. And we have no comment.
Anything else?
Week ahead. On Monday, as I indicated, the President will travel
to Cincinnati.
Q When?
MR. FLEISCHER: Late afternoon.
On Tuesday, the President will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee,
where he will make remarks at a Tennessee Welcome and attend a Van
Hilleary for Governor reception.
Wednesday, the President will make --
Q Lunch or dinner?
MR. FLEISCHER: Tuesday? Lunch. Well, is it lunch or just
mid-day? It's mid-day; it's not evening, I know that. There's a
Welcome Reception.
On Wednesday, the President will make remarks at a White House
reception for Hispanic Heritage Month.
And, on Friday, the President will make remarks on humanitarian aid
to Afghanistan in the Rose Garden. That afternoon, the President and
Mrs. Bush will attend the second annual National Book Festival in
Washington.
Q Ari, back to the speech, I've been asking about the speech
for a couple days now. And people have been cautioning against
describing it as a major speech. Would you still --
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I used the words I used because that's how I
think it's best to describe them, as a -- notable speech.
Q But as opposed to a policy-making speech? I mean, it's
newsworthy and notable because of the subject matter, because it
coincides with the debate in Congress. But we should not expect the
story to be moved ahead appreciably, should we?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, again, I'm going to hesitate in terms of
exactly how to describe something to you beyond what I have said,
because I think that different reporters may come to different
conclusions. But certainly, from the point of view for the American
people, I think it's a speech that they're going to want to watch. I
think that it's important for the --
Q Can't hear you.
MR. FLEISCHER: I think it's a speech that the American people are
going to want to watch. I think that, as the country thinks through
what is involved in protecting ourselves from the threat that Saddam
Hussein poses, the country has legitimate questions, the country, I
think, has some very strong feelings about this. And I think the
country will benefit from an opportunity to hear the President reflect
on the reasons that Saddam Hussein is such a clear threat to the United
States.
Whether reporters here will hear anything new, I think it is fair
to say that you will hear from the President a description of the
threat in a way that is pulled together for a speech of this nature.
Q Will there be new evidence against Saddam Hussein
specifically with regard to his -- his stockpiling of weapons of mass
destruction?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'm not going to go beyond what I've said.
Q Is the President in town next weekend?
MR. FLEISCHER: What?
Q Is the President going to be in town next weekend?
MR. FLEISCHER: Next weekend? We'll get that closer to the end of
next weekend.
Okay, thanks, everybody.
END 11:23 A.M. EDT
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