For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 14, 2002
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
1:10 P.M. EST
MR. MCCLELLAN: Good afternoon. I have a couple of world leader
phone calls I'd like to start off with. The President made these calls
earlier this morning. The President and President Aznar had a good
conversation earlier this morning. President Aznar congratulated the
United States on the unanimous United Nations Security Council vote on
the Iraq resolution. Both leaders expressed full solidarity in
demanding the Iraqi regime disarm. The two leaders underscored that
the upcoming NATO summit in Prague will be a major step forward for the
Alliance in its new tasks for the 21st century.
The President also spoke with President Arroyo of the Philippines
this morning. The two leaders discussed the current situation in the
war on terrorism and the President expressed appreciation for President
Arroyo's leadership in combating terror in the Philippines, and pledged
continued U.S. support for her government's efforts.
Later this afternoon the President will meet with the President of
Bolivia, President Sanchez. And following that, the President will
participate in a meeting with members of Congress on NATO and his
upcoming trip.
A couple more things I'd like to talk about. A little more than a
week ago the American people went to the ballot box and said they
wanted their elected leaders to work together, Democrats and
Republicans alike, to get things done. The President called on
Congress to work in a bipartisan way to act on important priorities for
the American people. We are encouraged by the tremendous progress
Congress is making during this lame duck session, in a very short
amount of time, particularly on the top priority of creating a
department of homeland security so that we can continue doing a better
job of protecting the American people.
Congress also appears to be moving forward on terrorism insurance
legislation, with the House scheduled to act on that today. This
legislation will put hard-hats back to work, create construction jobs,
improve the legal process, and protect taxpayers. And passing this
legislation would create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and billions of
dollars in new investment, and help with economic security.
Also today, the Senate Judiciary Committee moved forward two of the
President's circuit court nominees: Michael McConnell and Dennis Shedd
are both extraordinarily well qualified nominees who have been pending
since May of last year. And we are very pleased that they have been
voted out of committee and are now headed for a floor vote to be
confirmed by the Senate. And as the President said, all judicial
nominees, now and in the future, deserve consideration by the full
Senate. The voice of the entire Senate deserves to be heard.
One item that was unfortunate -- earlier today in the Senate,
the Senate refused to take up legislation to address the crisis facing
America's charities, legislation the House passed more than a year
ago. This legislation would help charities by encouraging more
charitable giving. The legislation would help people in need,
low-income Americans have a better quality of life and have a better
economic shot at making in America. And the President remains
committed to reaching out to faith-based organizations, charities and
community groups to help people in need. And we will continue working
to rally the armies of compassion that exist in communities all across
America.
We appreciate the work of Congressman J.C. Watts, Senator Santorum
and Senator Lieberman on this initiative. They have worked tirelessly
to move it forward. But again, we have made some important progress on
other initiatives. And the President is pleased that Republicans and
Democrats, together, are moving to get things done for the American
people.
And with that I will be glad to take your questions.
Q Scott, the Senate homeland security debate began again in the
Senate this afternoon. And Senator Daschle and, just shortly, Senators
Schumer and Clinton are again criticizing the administration for not
supporting an independent commission to investigate the events of
9/11. Any reaction?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, we would disagree with that
characterization. The administration -- the President strongly
supports a bipartisan commission to expand on the work that has already
been done by our intelligence committees and look at a broad range of
issues. The President believes that's important. We are continuing to
work closely with Congress. We've had discussions over the last few
days since they've been back in town. We'll continue to talk with
them, and we hope we can resolve the remaining issues.
Q Will the President support the move to eliminate the
commission from the bill of creating the department of homeland
security?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, as you know, that currently is not a part of
the legislation. The President made it clear that it's important --
Q It was.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, there are different versions in the House and
Senate, if that's what you're referring to. But the President believes
the number one priority for unfinished business is to pass the
department of homeland security so that we can better protect the
American people. But, at the same time, he remains committed to a
strong bipartisan commission. And there are a couple of issues that
have been outstanding that have not been resolved. We're going to
continue working with Congress to resolve those and get this moving and
up and running as quickly as possible.
Q So he's happy to see the department of homeland security
created without a provision in it creating this commission?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, again, that legislation -- the
legislation is still being debated. But we're pleased that they're
moving forward on creating the department of homeland security. We
also want Congress -- we want to continue to work with Congress on a
strong bipartisan 9/11 commission.
Q If I could just follow up on something I asked this morning.
The Israeli army has been in Nablus now in what is a major incursion
after another incursion into Jenin. And we haven't heard a word from
the President on this. Last spring he was out in the Rose Garden
demanding Israelis pull out of those areas. Has he just given up
trying to influence the Sharon government?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Terry, I think the President's views are very
clear, as you pointed out, in the June 24th speech. He's been working
on this, working on the road map he has outlined to get us to two
states living side by side in peace. And the President remains
committed to that. But the President's views are very well-known and
oftentimes, we receive questions from you and others. And we've made
our position very well-known when asked. I made it known earlier, when
you asked me about it, stated the President's views. And I think his
views are pretty clear to everybody, both here and in the region.
Q But since a road map is dead letter between Palestinians and
Israelis, not going anywhere, and this is an issue that requires
presidential leadership, it seems pretty clear, and there isn't any.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, I disagree. Sometimes in the region you take
two steps forward and one step back. But we can't lose sight of the
end goal, and that is two states, living side by side in peace. We're
going to continue working on the road map, working with all parties in
the region to implement that road map. It's important, it's important
to the region, it's important to security and stability.
Q Senator Daschle was expressing doubts about progress in the
war on terrorism, Scott. How do you respond to him?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, first of all, I think the American people
recognize that the war on terrorism is not -- it is a long war.
There are thousands of killers, in over 60 countries, that hide and
run, that want to continue to carry out their evil acts not only
America, but on our friends and allies, and the international
community.
And the President is patient. The President knows that this is a
long war. But we are making tremendous progress. There is a global
coalition of more than 90 countries in this war against terrorism
working to find, to hunt down and bring those terrorists to justice,
wherever they are. And so we've got a great global coalition across
the globe.
I would add that we are also, not only on the diplomatic front,
working closely together, on the terrorist financing front there are
some 167 countries that are blocking terrorist assets; $113.5 million
in terrorist assets have been frozen worldwide in over 500 accounts
-- over $35 million in the United States, and over $78 million
overseas. So the flow of terrorist money through a number of funding
pipelines has been cut.
I would also point out, on the military side, that we have more
than 60,000 troops deployed around the world against terrorism, 9,000
just in Afghanistan, others in the Philippines and Georgia and Yemen,
to mention a few. More than 30 nations have deployed more than 14,000
troops in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
So we're making tremendous amount of progress. And on the law
enforcement front, you've heard a number of announcements, both here
and across the world, from law enforcement officials, of people that we
are tracking down and bringing to justice. So we're pleased with the
progress that's being made. But this is going to be a long war. And
we will continue to wage it with our global coalition.
Q Do you envision that one day it will be over, or is it going
to be --
MR. MCCLELLAN: Let me come back to the front row, and we'll get
back there in a minute.
Q Despite all that, Osama bin Laden, the man who masterminded
the killings of 3,000 Americans is still on the loose. Isn't that
frustrating? I never hear anybody in the White House express
frustration with the fact that bin Laden is still apparently on the
loose.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Ron, this war has always been about more than one
man, and it will continue to be --
Q But I'm asking about this one man. Is there frustration that
the guy who masterminded the killings of 3,000 Americans is still
taunting us?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Let me put it this way. If Osama bin Laden is
alive, we know he's on the run. We have dismantled his terrorist
network. And we are going to continue tracking down these trained
killers and their leaders and their networks, wherever they are, in
bringing these people to justice. They can hide and they can run. But
we will not stop in pursuing them and bringing them to justice.
Q Scott, the editorial in the leading Iraqi newspaper today is
reaching out to French -- France, China and Russia. Do you expect
that Saddam is going to try to split the U.N. Security Council and play
for time?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I have never tried to predict what he might do.
But one thing I know he better not do is that -- and that is play
games. He better not go back to his history of cheat and retreat and
deceive and deny and playing rope-a-dope in the desert with
inspectors. Saddam Hussein needs to cooperate and he needs to comply.
And he needs to move to disarm. We are very serious about this. I
think that's very clear. And the international community is speaking
with one voice. The United States is speaking with one voice. And
this is about disarmament and he better not start playing games.
Q Let me just go back to what Randall was asking. Despite all
of the progress that you've made in the war on terror, is Senator
Daschle right in his characterization that it's difficult to say that
we're winning the war on terror?
MR. MCCLELLAN: What was his characterization?
Q That it's difficult to say that we're winning -- it may
be difficult to say that we're winning the war on terrorism.
MR. MCCLELLAN: I just think I addressed that with the tremendous
progress we are making. And I think you look back -- you look
back, and what we have done in Afghanistan, we have removed the
repressive Taliban regime from power. We have chased down members of
al Qaeda and brought them to justice. They are on the run. And they
will try to run and they will try to hide, but we will continue to
pursue them. So we're making a tremendous amount of progress in
winning the war on terrorism. And we will continue to work with our
coalition partners -- over 90 countries -- to bring these
people to justice and defeat and disrupt these networks.
Q Just to clarify one thing -- you said two questions ago
that we have dismantled his terrorist network. In the past, I've only
heard you talk about disrupting the terrorist network. What's the
difference?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I think we have disrupted, we have dismantled the
terrorist -- his terrorist network. There are cells, as you know,
in some 60 countries. We've used those words many a time about
disrupting and dismantling. And we're continuing to work to defeat
these networks, wherever they exist.
Q Second question, Mr. ElBaradei, the head of the IEA, is in
town. He was speaking earlier this morning and said that the standard
that he would use for determining material breach would not be, say, a
single error in the Iraqi declaration, but rather a pattern of
obstruction or of errors. Does that sound roughly to you like what the
White House has in mind?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Our view is zero tolerance when it comes to
complying and cooperating with this resolution. And that continues to
be our view. And it spells clearly out in the resolution what the
regime in Iraq needs to do to disarm. And if they start playing games,
the resolution calls for discussions to be had with the Security
Council. If there are violations, they'll be reported back to the
Security Council. But that does not preclude if the Security Council
or the United Nations does not take action, the United States, working
with like-minded nations, acting to disarm Saddam Hussein.
But, again, the President seeks a peaceful resolution. War is a
last resort. But the choice is Saddam Hussein's. And we don't want
any game playing, and we've made that abundantly clear. And it is his
choice; he needs to follow through.
Q Scott, two quick questions. One, tonight Kasi will be
executed in connection with the CIA shootings. But it is weird that
the terrorist connection with Osama bin Laden, that his government in
Pakistan, General Musharraf's government is asking for mercy, a
government which has been sponsoring and harboring terrorism. If
President Bush has received any request for mercy from the government
of General Musharraf or anybody?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Goyle, let me just say this. Our thoughts, first
of all, our thoughts and prayers go to the families of the victims.
Secondly, this is a criminal justice matter and the decision of the
jury is being carried out, and that's really all I have to say about it
at this point.
Q And second, if you can confirm a letter to India Globe
written by Congressman Gary Ackerman to President Bush in connection
with the Pakistan and North Korea connection, in which he said there's
very serious -- in the administration because it should be treated
the way we are treating Saddam Hussein because there might be, like you
said yesterday, Saddam Hussein is trying to get nuclear weapons --
connection with General Musharraf, that he called on the administration
to stop the aid to Pakistan in connection with what Pakistan has been
doing as recently as three months ago, not before 9/11. Yesterday you
said that --
MR. MCCLELLAN: Do we have a question?
Q The question is, yesterday you said that General Powell spoke
to him and he made all the pledges. But question is now. We're not
talking the past, we're talking last month, not before 9/11 but after
9/11. Anything, any country, anybody who harbors terrorism or
sponsoring terrorism after 9/11 will be treated as a country --
MR. MCCLELLAN: I understand. I think I addressed this fully
yesterday. I think Secretary Powell has addressed it and that's where
things stand.
Q John Poindexter is coming up with a program to computerize
data through the Defense Department which would require commercial
transactions like bank deposits, websites, along with government
information -- that would be driver's license, documents of that
nature -- there are critics, including William Safire, who are
saying this goes beyond the USA Patriotic Act, that this is not --
this is Orwellian, if you would. Is there any response to the
critics -- certain sense that the standard has change in terms of
privacy that Americans have for the sake of national security?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I've seen the report you're talking about. I've
not been informed about any of the information. I think you need to
direct your question to the Pentagon.
Q Does the President support total information awareness
through data mining?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I've seen the reports, but I think you need to talk
to the Pentagon. This is a question related to something that the
Pentagon may be looking at, so I would refer you to the Pentagon.
That's what I have at this point.
Q You say that if Osama bin Laden is alive that you know that
he's on the run. How do you know he's on the run? How can you
possibly know what he's doing if you don't know whether or not he's
dead or alive? If he's making these audio tapes, taunting the
administration --
MR. MCCLELLAN: I think it's pretty clear to most people that they
know -- that if he is alive he is on the run. The operations --
Operation Enduring Freedom that we began in Afghanistan, that's what I
go back to about dismantling terrorist network and disrupting their
network. That has been a significant accomplishment in the war on
terrorism. And if he is alive, I assure you he is on the run and he is
hiding.
Q What evidence do you have at this point that that's true?
MR. MCCLELLAN: That is his pattern. That is his past history,
too.
Q Intelligence officials now point to what they call increased
chatter in the system by potential terrorists, a level that is similar
to that before 9/11. One, what do you have to say about that? And
two, is there any consideration being given to raising the threat
level?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I appreciate you bringing that up. A lot o you
-- there has been a lot of attention focused on the current threat
situation, and some of you have been asking me about that. While there
is no plan at this time to raise the threat level, we do remain
concerned about recent intelligence reporting, as well as the audio
tape received earlier this week, no matter whose voice it is that is on
that audio tape.
Because of this concern, federal agencies are taking a variety of
additional steps to ramp up our protection and prevention measures, as
well as communicating with state and local law enforcement and the
private sector to inform them of our assessment of the latest
information.
If you'll recall, in early October, there was a release of tapes
recorded by bin Laden, as well as Zawahiri, and increased intelligence
reporting against our critical infrastructure, transportation systems,
and the American people and our friends and allies. That led us to
issue several public warnings about the heightened possibility of
either a large-scale or several small-scale attacks on the United
States at home or against our interests abroad. At that time, we began
a coordinated effort among all levels of the government and the private
sector to reduce our vulnerability and increase our preparedness
levels, based on the new threat information. And that information has
not stopped and will be ongoing for the foreseeable future.
Q So at the moment you're saying -- you're proceeding on
the basis of the notices that go among governmental agencies and to
particular sectors of the economy?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, you asked about the threat level. I would
remind you that the threat level remains at the elevated level, which
means the possibility of significant attack. And that threat level has
not changed. But while we are not raising the threat level, we are
taking additional precautions to meet the threats.
So -- and as the President pointed out yesterday, the most
recent audio tape, we take it very seriously when someone threatens the
international community and threatens the world. And we are going to
take the steps to be prepared.
Q One other question for you. Maura Hardy, who is the
administration's nominee to head Consular Affairs at State, is up for
confirmation, perhaps this week, perhaps later. Some Republicans are
apparently trying to either delay or block the vote. Does the
administration have any feelings about what is being done to her?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I don't have information on that specific nominee,
but I did make some remarks about moving forward on our nominees, that
there are a number that are being held up. And we hope the Senate will
move forward on the nominees.
Q Scott, the President has said he wants to fill the SEC
chairmanship quickly. Does he want to make an announcement before he
leaves for Europe?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, I don't think we ever speculate about the
timing of personnel announcements or put artificial deadlines out
there. That is an important position. And we're just not going to
speculate about the decision or the timing of the decision. The
President said he wants to move as quickly as possible. I think our
personnel office understands that, as well. So we are moving as
quickly as possible. When the President has something to announce,
then he will do so at that time.
Q Is the White House trying to recruit Assistant Attorney
General Michael Chertoff for the job?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, now that's getting into speculation, and I
think I just addressed that. We went through this earlier this morning
with some others, and we just simply don't speculate on personnel.
Q Scott, earlier you said that there's still some issues that
remain on the 9/11 commission. Several families -- several vocal
families of some of the victims say that they had a deal, and that's
what's happening right now is essentially a deal-breaker. But in
particular, they go on to say that the White House right now is
actively trying to recruit less vocal victims' families to support a
watered-down version of a commission. Could I just get your comment,
either one way or the other whether that is, in fact, true, that the
White House is trying to reach out to some of the families at this
point?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I disagree with the characterization or the premise
of what you're saying. We have been working not only with members of
Congress, as I pointed out, but we've been working closely with family
members, as well, who want to see a strong bipartisan commission. It's
important to look at a broad range of issues related to the September
11th attacks. And we will continue talking with members of Congress.
We will continue talking with the families of victims, as well, so that
we can move this forward. We want to get this going as quickly as
possible. And the President remains firmly committed to a strong
bipartisan commission.
Q Just to make sure I understand, so you're saying that the
passage of the House bill yesterday is not tantamount to a
deal-breaker, in your opinion?
MR. MCCLELLAN: The passage of the department of homeland security
bill?
Q Exactly. The fact that the commission was stripped from it.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, we're continuing to work with members to get
this done. There are other ways to get that commission up and
running.
Q If I can follow up, because that brings up a very good
point.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Last one.
Q Senators Lieberman and McCain have introduced an amendment in
the Senate that would restore the 9/11 commission to the homeland
security legislation. Does the White House support that?
MR. MCCLELLAN: As I said, there are other ways to get it down.
But there are still some remaining issues that need to be resolved. We
want to resolve those issues and move forward on this as quickly as
possible. We think we can get this up and running as quickly as
possible. But first, we need to resolve these issues that will make
sure that this is a truly bipartisan commission.
Q Scott, I would like to talk a little bit about how we define
winning the war on terrorism. Shortly after the attacks last year, the
President said his goal was to dismantle terrorist organizations that
have global reach. Now, obviously the Taliban were taken out. That
was a government. But we have a report from the U.N. in August saying
that al Qaeda has, in fact, relocated, but still poses a very serious
and dangerous threat, that they're well-funded and are prepared to
strike at any time. You say that they have been dismantled and
disrupted, but we have warnings from foreign governments and even from
our own government that, in fact, they remain a serious and viable
threat. Do we define winning the war on terrorism essentially by
having so far prevented any further attacks on the U.S.? Because quite
clearly, al Qaeda and lots of other groups that have global reach have
not, in any way, been taken out of the ball game?
MR. MCCLELLAN: David, I think I just look at it a different way
and go back to what we've said from day one, that this war will be a
long war, that -- and as we're talking about threat levels and
everything else, I think it's important to keep in mind that the best
way to protect the American people -- not only do we have to secure
the homeland, but the best way to protect the American people is to go
after these terrorist networks and their leaders wherever they are and
bring them to justice, and that's what we are doing.
As I mentioned, we knew from the beginning that this was going to
be a long war, but the President is a patient person, and he will
continue to lead this global coalition in winning the war on
terrorism. And we've made a tremendous amount of progress, as I
pointed out. But we're going to continue working with our global
coalition until we've disrupted and defeated these terrorist networks
and these trained killers in over 60 countries.
Q Scott, could you tell us about this initiative which I guess
is going to be published in the Federal Register later today, to
subject something like half the civilian federal work force to
competition? What's the idea?
MR. MCCLELLAN: The proposal that you referenced is part of the
President's plan to make government more efficient and more effective,
and the proposal is being put forth today would open certain non-core
government functions to competition. As a result, we will save
taxpayer money and make government more efficient. Public/private
competitions save in excess of 30 percent on each competition according
to various reports.
Q Presumably, though, you realize that you're going to get a
fight from the unions on this. Does the President think that the
election gave him a mandate to pick a fight with the unions?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, I think that the President from day one has
talked about making government more efficient and more effective and
making government work better for the American people. We'll always
remain committed to those principles.
You might want to walk out of here and go jump on -- there is,
I believe, a conference call briefing by OMB right now on this. You
might get a little bit more news there.
Q Well, that's fine if it were on tape, but it's not.
(Laughter.) Forgive me, but does the President just basically not care
what the unions feel about this?
MR. MCCLELLAN: No, of course, we do. We welcome the input of
people on all issues from across the spectrum.
Q Scott, the Weekly Standard quotes the State Department
spokesman as saying on March the 8th of this year, "We've made clear
that actions like targeted killings need to be halted now." And my
question, is that State Department statement in accordance with Bush
policy, or was it wrong, and should the State Department retract and
apologize? And I have a follow-up.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Gosh, Les, I'd have to go back and look at the
specific statement before I would want to do that. I would want to do
that before I jump into that.
Q When our Predator aircraft targeted a Hellfire missile that
killed al Qaeda leader Abu Ali in Yemen, was that acceptable for us to
do it, but not acceptable for Israel to do it?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Les, I think that this issue was addressed last
week and was addressed on the weekend shows, as well, by administration
officials. I don't think I have anything to add to it.
Q I'd love to hear from you, as an administration official --
what's the story here? Is the State Department wrong, or is this --
what is our policy? I'd like to hear it from you.
MR. MCCLELLAN: The war on terror, as we've been talking about, is
being fought on many fronts. And the President has directed our
government to work to help us track down the killers and trained
terrorists all across the globe.
Q And give them hellfire. But the Israelis, we don't want them
to do it, is that right?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I'm not getting into discussions. I'm telling you
--
Q -- don't want a discussion.
MR. MCCLELLAN: I'm not getting into discussions on operational
issues that we've previously addressed, as well.
Q It's been reported that the National Security Council has
decided that the fuel oil supplies to North Korea should be cut off
after this last shipment. How is this sitting with our allies? Have
we discussed this with Japan and South Korea? And if so, what are we
doing to bring them along on this?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, first of all, there is a board meeting of
KEDO going on right now -- the Korean Peninsula Energy Development
Organization -- and they are talking about this issue that you
bring up. And I think we need to wait to let them have their meetings
before -- I've seen news reports, but then there will be more to say
at that point.
And I would go back, however, to the points that we have made.
North Korea needs to understand that this is not business as usual.
They need to dismantle their nuclear weapons program. This is a
serious issue and we are continuing to work toward a peaceful
resolution with our friends and allies in the region.
Q -- the idea of turning off the spigot as an indication of
our pique with maybe some recalcitrance on their part?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I'm sorry, say that last part again?
Q The fact that we now appear ready to turn off the oil spigot,
is that an indication that we're getting kind of fed up with their
unwillingness?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Without getting into something that may or may not
be announced later, I think I made it clear this is not business as
usual. But at the same time, we are considering together what the next
steps are
to take. So when there's something more to say on that, it will be
after the KEDO meeting.
Q Just a couple of followups. First, on the Pitt nomination
you said you're going to work as quickly as possible and you don't want
to speculate about any personnel matters. But is it at least safe to
say that you're going to do it faster than you did Pitt's nomination
first time around?
And the secondly, the war on terrorism, you said it's going to be a
long war. But do you envision someday seeing an end of that war, or is
it going to be a constant struggle, winning --
MR. MCCLELLAN: On the first question, again, I'm just not going to
speculate on personnel matters. We never do. And those are decisions
that the President will make, and he will announce when he's ready to
do so. But we are moving as quickly as possible.
The second part of that, on the war on terrorism, what was your
question?
Q Do you envision someday saying it's won? Or is it going to
be a constant struggle where you say, we're winning, we're making
progress, you're in a better situation than you were before --
MR. MCCLELLAN: Let me put it this way. As long as there are
trained killers, wherever they are, trying to harm America, harm
Americans, we will continue waging this war.
Q Scott, I also have two follow-ups. First of all, on this war
against terrorism, has any progress at all been made on public
diplomacy, or is the White House just giving up on trying to win hearts
and minds when people hate the United States?
MR. MCCLELLAN: No, actually, I think I referenced some of our
diplomatic efforts and I talked about how we have a global coalition of
90 other countries, more than 90 other countries, I might add. But are
you talking about the humanitarian -- humanitarian assistance we're
providing, the reconstruction assistance?
Q Trying to get people to understand America and not hate us.
So, I mean, we talk about it every once in a while. I haven't heard
any reference to it for ages, though.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Let me point out what we're doing on the
humanitarian front, as well, because there are many fronts to this war
on terrorism. Humanitarian aid to Afghanistan started on day one of
the war with 37,000 humanitarian daily rations air-dropped while those
attacks were underway, and more than 575,000 metric tons of food been
delivered since the start of the war. We're providing -- Secretary
Thompson has been in the region to work on health care initiatives with
people of Afghanistan. And we are undertaking a number of
reconstruction projects, 211 infrastructure projects in 10 provinces in
Afghanistan, training people for an Afghan national army; and
rebuilding -- as we've talked about -- roads and bridges and
highways.
We had a statement on that earlier in the week. So there's a lot
we're doing on the humanitarian front. There's also a lot we're doing
about promoting freedom. Let's not forget that we liberated the people
of Afghanistan from the repressive Taliban regime, and that is
something we will continue to promote.
Q I want to follow up on the Israel question. Has the White
House condemned the latest terrorist action against the Israelis?
MR. MCCLELLAN: We condemn all terrorist attacks against Israel.
And we've pointed out that Israel has the right to defend herself, as
they do so, and as I've mentioned, they need to keep in mind the
consequences of actions they do take, as we are also working on the
road map toward two states living side by side in peace.
Q Scott, when the President goes to the NATO summit in Prague
next week, how much time will he spend trying to line up alliance
support for a possible coalition against Iraq?
MR. MCCLELLAN: NATO -- we are actually -- and I'm glad you
brought that up. We are going to have a briefer tomorrow to talk more
specifically about the upcoming trip and what we hope to accomplish,
and walk you through some of the meetings and some of the discussions
that will take place. So I don't want to jump ahead of the briefer for
tomorrow. Save something for tomorrow.
But as we do go on to NATO, we continue to work to strengthen our
efforts to -- and both domestically and internationally for a
robust enlargement of NATO, as well as look at transforming NATO to
meet the threats of the 21st century.
Q Without restating why it's a good policy, could you just tell
850,000 federal employees around the country whether or not their jobs
now are at risk?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Whether their jobs are what? I'm sorry.
Q Are at risk. Are they about -- are they in danger of
losing their jobs under this proposal?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Again, I think I go back to what I pointed about
-- what the proposal does is simply open it up, these non-core jobs
open it up to competition.
Q -- for those 850,000 people?
MR. MCCLELLAN: If the government agency can provide the best
service in the most cost-effective manner, then the government agency
is poised to win that contract. And this goes back to some core
principles of governing and how we approach governing. And I think the
American taxpayer and the American people appreciate that.
Q Have you, in effect, put several hundred thousand federal
employees on notice that their jobs are now up for bid?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, what we're trying to do is make government
work better for the American taxpayer.
Q Scott, I just wanted to ask you, follow up on the Catholic
bishops and a couple of actions they took. One was, they raised
questions about whether we should -- there was justification for
preemptive action against Iraq without further evidence, I wonder if
the White House has any comment on their statement.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, I think the United States and the
international community were all speaking with one voice when it comes
to the importance of disarming Saddam Hussein. This threat is real,
and it must be addressed. The risk of inaction is too great. So we
are going to continue work with the United Nations and work with our
friends and allies to disarm Saddam Hussein. It's about protecting not
only America, but the region and the world from the risks that he
poses.
Q I wanted to ask you on their new policy about priests whether
the President or the White House feels that that will rebuild some of
the public support behind the church that the President discussed with
the Pope when he was in Vatican City.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, I think it is important that the Catholic
Church address this issue, and they are working to do that. The
President raised his concerns about this issue in a visit with the
Pope, in fact.
Q On Cyprus, is there any readout on the Cyprus issue from
yesterday's meeting between President Bush and the U.N. Secretary
General Kofi Annan here at the White House?
MR. MCCLELLAN: What about it?
Q Cyprus, do you have anything?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I believe it was discussed. I'll see if I can get
you more of a readout on that.
Q -- by Kofi Annan yesterday that it was discussed
extensively.
MR. MCCLELLAN: That's why I said, I believe it was discussed.
I'll see if I can get you more of a readout. We'll get you some
information on that.
Q Scott, during the discussions on the U.N. resolution and Iraq
last week, Mexico opened the possibility of lifting the sanctions
against Iraq. Would that be acceptable by the United States, but just
as a -- some sort of a -- for Iraq to comply with international
community. Would that be acceptable by the United States?
MR. MCCLELLAN: What we're focused on is disarmament, and the
disarmament of the Iraqi regime of weapons of mass destruction. That's
what we're working with the international community to achieve. So
that's where our focus is.
Q Just to follow up, Scott -- France and Mexico continue to
oppose any unilateral action against Iraq on behalf of the United
States and Britain. Are you guys continuing to talk with your allies
and with the Security Council members?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Look, this is all a choice that Saddam Hussein has
to make. We seek a peaceful resolution, but the choice is his. But if
he does not disarm peacefully and voluntarily, then we are prepared to
work with our friends and allies, like-minded nations who understand
the importance of disarming Saddam Hussein and reducing this risk that
he poses.
Q -- be an immediate attack?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I'm sorry?
Q What will be the trigger for an immediate attack?
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, I've gone back through this, and I think the
statements I made earlier today address that, that they're addressed in
the resolution, as well. In terms of if there are violations, it goes
back to the Security Council. That's what the resolution spells out
-- for the Security Council to determine serious consequences that
follow. But it does not preclude the United States and our friends
from acting if we need to. And we will if we need to. But this is a
choice of Saddam Hussein -- this is the choice of Saddam Hussein to
make.
Q Ari -- I'm sorry. Scott.
MR. MCCLELLAN: With hair.
Q I got your attention. (Laughter.)
Q Oh, that's on the record. (Laughter.)
MR. MCCLELLAN: I'm -- he put it on the record last week, or a
couple weeks ago. He just didn't put it on camera.
Q I like your new 'do. On the growth package, Treasury
Secretary O'Neill yesterday indicated that he's reviewing several
stimulus options, including accelerating the marriage penalty and
child-care tax credit. Are those two provisions part of the growth
package the President wants to announce?
MR. MCCLELLAN: You're not asking me to speculate about something
the President hasn't announced. Surely.
Q I'm asking you to confirm what Secretary O'Neill said
yesterday.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Again, the President is working on a new growth and
economic package, a new growth and jobs package to lay out and pass
early next year. And he's working with Congress on that. We're
looking at additional ideas. The President also would remind Congress
that they need to move forward on this terrorism insurance. They
appear to be doing that and we're encouraged. And we hope they will
continue working together to get this passed. There are also other
initiatives that he's outlined that are important to get done, such as
making the tax cuts permanent.
Let me go all the way to the back.
Q Thank you, Scott. If the North Koreans are not listening or
not agree to any dialogue with the United States, does the United
States exert aggressive pressure on North Korea?
MR. MCCLELLAN: I'm sorry, what was the question about North
Korea? I didn't get the first part of your question.
Q If North Korea is not listening or not agree any dialogue
with the United States, does the United States assert any aggressive
pressure on North Korea?
MR. MCCLELLAN: We need to continue. We are -- continue to
work to keep maximum pressure on North Korea with our friends and
others in the region. That's what's going on right now. North Korea
needs to understand the importance of dismantling its nuclear weapons
program, and we're working through diplomatic channels to achieve a
peaceful resolution.
Thank you.
END 1:55 P.M. EST
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