For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 19, 2003
Press Briefing with Ari Fleischer
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
1:20 P.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: The President began today the usual way -- had his intelligence briefing, FBI briefing,
followed by a meeting of the National Security Council. Then the President
greeted the President of the Philippines, President Arroyo, and welcomed her to the White
House. They have now concluded all but
the formal dinner tonight. They had a
meeting in the Oval Office, followed by an expanded bilateral meeting, and of
course, the news conference, which you all were there.
Later
today, the President will meet with the Secretary of State. And then in the evening will be the formal
state dinner with the President's guests, the President of the Philippines and her husband.
And
with that, I'm happy to take your questions.
Q Does the President also meet with
members of Congress on the tax cut at 5:30 p.m.
today?
MR.
FLEISCHER: If we have something to
update you on the schedule, we will.
We'll let you know.
Q There
have been some reports from the Secretary of Defense that there may be some al
Qaeda leaders hold up in Iran.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, we have had longstanding
concerns about the presence of al Qaeda in Iran. This is a topic that has been discussed and
has been communicated to the Iranian government. It is a serious matter and one the President
takes seriously.
Q Who do we think is there?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, I'm not going to name
names. But it's fair to say that it is a
serious matter of longstanding concern, and we will continue to make sure that
the Iranians receive the message about how seriously the President takes this.
Q -- the ones who we think are responsible
for the Saudi
Arabia
bombings -- do we think they're hiding in Iran?
MR.
FLEISCHER: We are still looking into all
the facts and circumstances as the investigation continues in Saudi Arabia. And I don't rule
anything out.
Q Do we need to change tactics? Because it seems like the most recent target
in Morocco was sort of an easier hit.
Does this suggest that al Qaeda is going after easier to hit targets?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, clearly, they have -- assuming that the attack in Morocco was al Qaeda, which we do have suspicions that it was, but
it is notable how we have, as a result of the ongoing efforts in the war
against terrorism, shored up many of the official government entities around
the globe. There are still risks to
those places, as you know, and we have an enemy that is dedicated to taking
their own life by taking innocent targets wherever they can find these innocent
targets. And they have found them,
unfortunately, in several of the places that you saw --
in Morocco over the weekend, and in Saudi Arabia last week.
Q Ari,
on the road map, the President said today that the road map still stands, that
it would not be put on hold in light of the violence over the weekend. What specifically is the administration
trying to do -- or planning to do over the course of the next
week, weeks, to try to see that there is some movement?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, first of all, I think
it's important to recognize that Israel has been repeatedly hit now by suicide homicide
bombings. And the first step is understanding that the reason for the postponement of Prime
Minister Sharon's visit. The President
respects this decision, understands it.
He looks forward to greeting Prime Minister Sharon at the first
opportunity.
But
as the President said today, what's important now is that all the parties still
have to focus on the fact that the road map is the vision that can establish
peace in the region. And the message, as
the President unequivocally carried it today, is that the peace process begins
best with the actions by Palestinian authorities to crack down on those who
would derail the peace. The President is
determined not to let the peace get derailed.
He will continue his quest to implement the road map, and sometimes it
takes a little bit of time. Sometimes it
also takes the resolve of the Palestinian Authority to crack down on terror.
Q Well, you've got a standoff right now
between Abu Mazen, the Palestinian Prime Minister, who's saying that he, in a
sense, doesn't have the authority to crack down until the road map is
accepted. You have Sharon saying he's not going to accept it as it is, that he wants
major changes.
MR.
FLEISCHER: And this is the history of
how negotiations begin. If this was a
case where the road map was issued and the Israelis said we're for it, the
Palestinians said we're for it and the deal was done, you wouldn't have had
decades-worth of conflict and lack of agreement. So this the
difficulties of dealing in the Middle
East, as the President put
it. It's a road that he will travel, and
it's a bumpy road.
Q When you say, crack down, do you expect
Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority to go out and arrest and end Hamas as a
viable organization in the Palestinian community? Because he is essentially
negotiating with them, trying to get them to recognize his authority.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, clearly peace-loving
Palestinians have an interest not only so that the negotiations with Israel can be fruitful, but also for the good of the lives of the
Palestinian people, to make sure that there are not terrorists who live among
themselves in the Palestinian areas who would carry out these homicide attacks
in Israel. So, of course, it
is the obligation, under Oslo and under the road map, for the Palestinians to crack down
on those who engage in acts of terror.
Q So he's not measuring up to that in his
approach so far?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'd just leave it as I said
it.
Q And
then on Iran. If al Qaeda is in Iran, and the
administration has communicated its concern for a while and they're still
there, is it fair to conclude that Iran is harboring terrorists?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, as I mentioned, we have
longstanding concerns. And we are
working now through the channels that are available to this government to
convey those concerns. And I leave it
there. That's where the matter stands
for now.
Q Doesn't the Bush doctrine call for
tougher action than that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think the Bush doctrine
still speaks for itself on this matter.
Q In
Baghdad, continued
lawlessness there. There's still a lot of resistance against
what some Iraqis are calling the American occupation. You're having to
bring in a lot more troops now. The
swiftness of the war aside, is there a chance that you win the battle, but you
lose the peace here?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, of course, there is a
very important objective to win the peace, because it represents the future for
the people of Iraq. And it is no easy
task. It is a task that will take some time. But it is a vital part of the mission. It was planned as part of the follow-on to
the military conflict, and it is not easy.
But, no, I don't think there's any chance of losing the peace, but it is
going to be a battle to continue to win the peace.
And
particularly, keep in mind when you look at Iraq, too -- and I think it's important to make
this distinction -- there are many areas of Iraq that are quiet,
that are calm, where electricity has been restored, where water is up and running,
where they even have more -- for example, in Basra --
more clean water today than they ever had even prior to the war.
There
are areas in Baghdad
-- not all of Baghdad, but areas in Baghdad which still lag far behind. And that's a big effort of the new security
effort that is being made in Baghdad today. So I think it's -- if history is any indication, you will hear
the worst stories, they will be told, but they're not indicative of what's
happening in the rest of the country or even other sections in the same city of
Baghdad.
Q Can you candidly say that the
administration has been somewhat surprised at how difficult it is to establish
the peace?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think the biggest surprise
we have realized since the hostilities ended and we were able to actually get
in on the ground and see the infrastructure of Baghdad and Iraq, generally, is just how poor the infrastructure actually
is. There are areas of Baghdad that have blackouts and did not have electricity even
prior to the war, in a modern city like Baghdad
-- there were areas like that. And much of it was because, while they had
the refinery capability, the generating capability, they did not have the
infrastructure of the electric grid. It
was an old, rickety infrastructure.
To
get spare parts, you're talking about getting spare parts for things that are,
in many cases, decades old. And if
anything, it was probably an over-estimation of the strength and stability of
the Iraqi infrastructure.
Q I
have a question on taxes, Ari. The
first time around, the first tax cuts the President sought, he and the White
House was saying that one of the reasons it was needed was to cut the surplus,
keep revenues out of the hands of government to spend it. And now you're saying that over time the tax
cut would lead to an increase in revenue.
So which is the impact of the tax cut?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Randy, you forgot to mention
the other two reasons that the President always cited for the tax cut in 2001.
Q Well, I see discrepancy in those two,
Ari.
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President always said
that there were three reasons for the tax cut in 2001, and this is his approach
to economic thinking. And one was just
as you indicate, at a time of surplus, which 2001 represented, to make certain
that the money didn't get spent on bigger federal programs,
that we all know that people here in Washington will do.
The
second reason was as an insurance policy, as the President said, against
economic slowdown. And thirdly, because,
as the President enjoys saying, you've heard it before, it's the people's
money, not the government's money, and they deserve to keep it. So in the current environment, the reason the
President gave as an insurance policy against a downturn has turned out to be
absolutely valid. The timing of the tax
cut in 2001 helped bring the economy out of the recession of early 2001, and
the economy has been growing slowly since then.
In the President's judgment, it still needs an additional boost.
Q And does he still believe it will lead
to an increase in revenues?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Unquestionably. What it will lead to is increased
growth. And as a result of growth, it
brings in revenues to the federal government, and the deficit, which was
created by the war and the attack and the recession, the deficit is indeed on a
downward trend now. And that's what
important. The deficit was on an upward
trend; that is now coming back down. And
that's what the President is focused on.
Q And secondly, does he support the
sunsetting provisions in the
-- on the dividend tax cut
as a way for the Senate to meet its self-imposed limit on the size of the tax
cut?
MR.
FLEISCHER: We'll still --
we'll work with the Congress to see what the final shape of the tax cut
will be.
Q Ari,
I'm going to ask about you. What was -- since you're leaving, what was your absolute
lowest moment? (Laughter.)
MR.
FLEISCHER: How do you know we have yet
reached it? (Laughter.)
Q Seriously, what would you say. With all the
tussles we've had.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, I think --
I don't really look at it as the lowest one, but I look at it as the
moment of the greatest national challenge, and how could it be anything other
than September 11th -- to travel on September 11th, the day just as
innocent as any other day, and to arrive at that school in Florida only to find
out our country was under attack. I
think that was a day that will be always remembered.
The
other difficulties, the whole series of anthrax attacks. You all remember what it was like in this room, and people who suffered from the attack and lost lives
will always remember it. That was a real
challenge to our country. And it was my
privilege to stand at this podium and do my best to explain what was happening
in each of these cases.
Q Why are you going back to Westchester,
eventually? Are you going to run for
office?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, I will not run for
office. If I were running for office, Elizabeth, I would not have an "R" after my name and move
back to New York.
"R." You know, I just
think you reach a point in your career where you have to examine what brought
you to Washington in the first place.
And I've been doing this business very happily for 21 straight years,
having done virtually nothing else other than government and politics. The last four wonderful
years, almost four, with Governor Bush, now President Bush. And you just reach a point where you have to
look into your heart that it's time to go.
And
what I enjoy so much about what I can say today is I will leave being able to
say that I love my job, I believe deeply in President Bush, the man and his
policies, but it's my time to go. Plus,
I'm looking forward to spending more time with my wife, Becki. That means a lot to me. And you look at all these factors and
circumstances, and it's with a lot of happiness, but a lot that I know I'm
going to miss, that leads me to say it's time to say good-bye.
Q Ari, that's not my question.
MR.
FLEISCHER: We still have the same bad
rules that I'm sure somebody will overturn.
Q I just wanted to wish you the best
wherever you go and whatever you do.
Q Ari, one thing, following up on Elizabeth's question, then I have another question, when is it too
much spin?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, you decide that. I mean, look, the job of anybody who is the
White House press secretary is to faithfully articulate what the President is
thinking and why he's thinking it. And
that's what I do for a living. The job
of the press corps is to try to find out everything you possibly can about
everything under the sun. And I try to
help you as much as I can, wherever I can.
And my job is to represent the President. And that's what I always remember when I come
to this podium.
Q Now my second question. President Arroyo made a very interesting
statement. She said, terrorism is like SARS, it's almost like SARS. Is it spreading because we still have yet to
find the core, Osama bin Laden?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, I think that, as the
President has said, the war is about more than one person. So even if Osama bin Laden had been captured
or brought to justice, or it was known what his fate was, there would still be
remnants of his organization still vying for power, that were still willing to
kill Westerners to carry out their missions.
That's the nature of terrorism.
It's the nature of hatred.
Hatred
doesn't exist only because of one person; hatred exists. In this case, it's the most virulent hatred
because it's carried out in the form of murder
-- murder against Americans;
murder against Westerners; murder in countries such as Morocco that are a
tolerant, open society. And that's why
you see two strong leaders like President Bush and President Arroyo who can
stand side by side to say they're united in the fight against it.
Q But a group is only as strong as it
leader, correct? Al Qaeda?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, I think when it comes
to being able to carry out bombings, they are able to
do it no matter what type of leadership they have. And this is why the President said that al
Qaeda has been diminished, but has not been destroyed. Those were the President's words from the
Abraham Lincoln.
Q Ari, one on the Middle East,
and then I'll try to come back to Elizabeth's question about you.
On the Middle East, the President
was very emphatic in the news conference today about how he views this as a
bump in the road, or it will be a bumpy
road, but that he will not be deterred and he will keep at this. I think people who hear that, and then see
what's going on in the region, look to see what specifically the President will
do. And we don't hear, at least from the
podium, of a phone call to Abu Mazen, saying, look, I know you're in a tough
spot, but you need to do this
-- a phone call to Prime
Minister Sharon, I know you couldn't come and I know you need to defend your
people, but don't go too far, try to keep an environment for peace. Why is -why do we not see personal diplomacy
if this is so important to him?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think, number one, the
reason that Abu Mazen is there is because of the President's personal
diplomacy. There was no Palestinian
Prime Minister who had different thoughts about the direction of peace. There was no meeting between an Israeli
leader and a Palestinian leader until the one that took place last week, thanks
in large part to President Bush's diplomacy.
And,
of course, Prime Minister Sharon was scheduled to be here just tomorrow for
more personal diplomacy. And I remind you, Secretary Powell just left the region. But, you know, when you look at the history
of the Middle East, what it often takes are strong visionary leaders who are
willing to fight those within who seek to oppose peace. And it is a sometimes lonely route. It can be a dangerous route. It's a route that often is beset with
violence before the peacemakers have their chance to act.
Former
President Sadat was a hero who emerged out of war with Israel to live for peace while he lived. He made peace with Israel. And he will always
be remembered as a hero who thought differently in the Arab world to bring
peace to the region. You see that now in
other leaders in the Arab world. And
others have made peace with Israel.
So
this is a difficult, difficult road, as the President said. If it was a road that could be influenced by
one phone call, don't you think the President would have done that a long time
ago? Don't you think every American
President would have? It's not just a
phone call. It's a series of actions
that have to take place on the ground, beginning with unequivocal steps by the
Palestinians to combat terror, and a willingness of the Israelis to work with
the Palestinians to achieve the political ends of the road map.
Q I think the question Elizabeth was trying to ask is, is there --
MR.
FLEISCHER: About Westchester?
Q Is
there one you wish you could take back?
You're in this job, and in live exchanges like this all the time, here
and on the road. I think her point is,
is th ere one, when you got back up to the office you thought, oh, boy, I wish
I could reel that one back in?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Oh, probably every day. No, there will come an appropriate time where
I'm going to think about things like that and have more of a chance to look
back. For today, all I can tell you is
when I look back and I think about the almost four years, I look back and think
what a period of time in our nation's history that this has been, and how
fortunate I am that President Bush asked me to stand at this podium and serve.
You
know, it was the closest election in modern history. It was a Supreme Court recount. In 2001, of course, one of the first actions
that took place was after the President's tax cut went through and education plans, there was an historic switch in the United States
Senate. September 11th, one war, the
anthrax attacks, another war, all of that has taken place in less than four
years. It's a momentous period of time
that I've had the privilege of standing here and serving this President. I think much of the reason it is such a big
era with big things happening is because President Bush has faced them and made
this a big era where he's willing to confront these challenges.
And
that's what I think about today. And I
also think, frankly, about the fact that all those items I just listed took
place while I was in the White House --
one war, two wars, the anthrax attacks.
But most importantly, what also took place here,
is I met my wife who worked in this White House. And I'm very much looking forward to relaxing
and spending more time with her.
Somebody
asked me what the definition of relaxing is after you go --
after you work in the White House, particularly after you work as press
secretary. And it occurred to me that
something more restful, more relaxing would be now to wrestle alligators for a
living. There's a lot more relaxation in
that then some of the things that you get to do here. So I'm looking forward to a little time off,
a little relaxing.
Q Ari, following
John's Q, one personal question and one foreign policy question. Let me start with the foreign policy
question. When do you expect a vote in the United Nations about the U.S. proposal to lift
sanctions on Iraq?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think the likelihood is a
vote will take place this week.
Resolution final language is being talked through, and I anticipate
there will be action on that matter this week.
Q The personal question. When
did you start thinking of leaving, when did you make the final decision, and
when did you inform the President?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I started thinking about it,
frankly, a few months ago. I really kept
it to myself, and then after a little while, started talking to my wife about
it. I've always made decisions, career
decisions, based on what was in my heart and what was in my gut. And I approached this the same way. You just have to have a sense of when the
time is right to make your decision about to serve or to go. And I made mine. I informed the President about it on Friday
in the Oval Office, and I had a wonderful conversation with him, and then made
the announcement public today.
Q Did he kiss you on the head, Ari? (Laughter.)
Q Answer the question.
MR.
FLEISCHER: You're asking me to disclose
private Oval office discussions. I'll
just say he's a very caring person. (Laughter.)
Q That's a yes.
Q You're leading us to believe, you
know --
let me ask you, while we're on that, what's the most ridiculous call
you've gotten in the middle of the night?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I don't know, because I was
asleep for it. I don't know, I'll have to think about that. Phones don't stop ringing. It's seven days a
week. Sometimes you get lucky and
nothing happens one day. But that's not
often.
Q A couple important
questions for you. One on Iran. Have
the Iranians responded in some way to these concerns that we have expressed and
communicated to them?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, we are going to play
close attention to what we hear and what we see. And I leave it at that for now.
Q But the hope, obviously, is that they
would turn over some of these people.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, clearly, if anybody can
play a role in fighting terrorism, it is important for them, no matter where
they are, to play that role.
Q Speaking
of playing roles, the President alluded to some role he is willing to play in
mediating between the Philippine government and MILF today. I didn't quite understand what it is that he
is willing to do.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, I think what the
President said on that today is, by making the Philippines a non-NATO ally,
that that helps them in their struggle against the MILF, as well as the Abu
Sayyef group and the resurgent communists in the Philippines. I think that's the tenor of what the
President was saying.
Q He's not offering, in some way, to do
something, to mediate?
MR.
FLEISCHER: There's nothing that I recall
of that nature, Jim, from the meetings that I was in. Let me see if there's anything more to it,
but I sure don't recall that.
Q Ari,
there are reports that the Senate language on the tax bill on dividends was
actually offered by the White House, basically.
Is that correct?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I haven't seen those reports,
so I wouldn't want to comment on them.
We're still working
--
Q But was it offered by --
I mean, is that the White House proposal, to temporarily eliminate
dividends?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, the White House
position was to eliminate dividends.
That is our preference, and working within whatever the aggregate amount
of the tax cut will be to help accomplish that goal for whatever period of time
that is accomplishable. But I am -- I'm just not aware of that report, so I don't
have anything to give you more specific on it.
Q Maybe this is a follow-up to April's
question about when is there too much spin, but what did you mean that the
deficit is on a downward trend? (Laughter.)
MR.
FLEISCHER: If you look over time over
the next several years
-- good one, Keith, very,
very well done. The out-years, the
projection for the deficit in the out-years, that is
indeed coming down, not going up.
Q But in the short run it's going up
still.
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, over the next several
years. It's expected to peak and is now
coming down in the out years.
Q Peak when?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think it's this very year.
Q Does
the President believe the new Palestinian Prime Minister has sufficient
authority to rein in the kind of terrorists who struck over the --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, that will be found
out. That will be tested. In the President's judgment, there is no
question that the new Palestinian Prime Minister thinks differently about peace
and about reform, that he is a reformer, he is a man who wants to move in the direction
of peace and work with Israel well.
Whether or not he has the ability to fight the terrorists or crack down
on the terrorists is an essential part that remains to be seen. But the President believes in him.
Q Does the fact that these attacks
occurred over the weekend say anything about his ability or lack of ability?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I hesitate to make that
connection. You know what you have in
this region are people who want to defy Abu Mazen. There are terrorists who reject the reformist
way of some of these new Palestinian leaders.
And they present just as much a threat to Abu Mazen as they do to the
peace process.
Q There's no question about the words
that he's spoken, they've certainly been in line with
what our government has requested. But
have we seen actions behind those words to lead us to believe --
MR.
FLEISCHER: That's what we need to see,
actions.
Q You haven't seen any yet.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Obviously, there have been a
series of homicide bombings.
Q The
President met with the President of South Korea last week. He is meeting with
Prime Minister Koizumi this week. Is the
President pushing for a new round of talks with North Korea in the near future?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, we're still talking
about the exact next steps to take. We
have never said that there won't be additional talks. In fact, I think that that is one of the
things we are taking a look at, is the possibility of additional talks, what
the appropriate time would be, and again, they would be multilateral forum if
they were to take place.
Q Is he, is part of the discussion on
Friday going to focus on that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I would anticipate, yes. That, of course, is going to be an issue that
comes up Friday.
Q Ari, new subject. Berney Kerik, who is a newly appointed White
House senior policy advisor for Iraq, allegedly was involved in a cover-up involving an aide
who was involved in an assault case. Is this -- do you have anything on this, and is this the
type of thing that could hurt the appointment?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Let me take a look. I don't have anything on the background of
this, so let me take a look and see if there is anything to this or not.
Q On
a lighter note, could you give us an idea of some of the things you're going to
be doing? And what were you thinking
when you made the announcement --
MR.
FLEISCHER: This must be a slow news day.
Q What were you thinking when you made
the announcement on a day that the Yankees are at Fenway Park and we're not
going to have much room for your story locally?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, the President did kid
me this morning. He said, the real reason you're leaving is because the Rangers
swept the Yankees. No, it's -- you know, I'm still hoping that I'll be able
to get to Yankee Stadium, take some grounders at short. Jeter is back, but we'll see what I can do
next.
Q You said a few minutes ago wrestling
alligators would be easier than this.
It's probably worth noting for the record that former Attorney General
Reno, who grew up in Florida wrestling alligators, has not ruled out a return
to politics, so that begs the question
-- (laughter.) Seriously,
the President, on the deck of the Lincoln, said that we'd
turn the tide in the war on terrorism and
pronounced also that eventually we would win it. Do the bombings that we've seen in recent
days, despite all the government's warnings, all the government's best efforts,
call into question the likelihood that we'll ever get
to a point where we've eliminated terrorism to the point where we don't have
bombings, whether they're hard targets or soft targets?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, we've talked about this
before, what's the definition of winning the war on terrorism. And this is why the President has warned the
American people it's a different kind of war, and it's going to be a
long-fought war. And as the President
has said, this is a war where sometimes you're going to see great periods of
time in which things are quiet, and then all of a sudden you're going to see
action. And in a war, unfortunately,
sometimes you see action from the other side.
Every step is taken to stop the other side from attacking, but it is,
unfortunately, the very definition and nature of war. We have an enemy that is still intent on
hitting us, which is why the President feels so strongly that every action must
be taken to continue the war to win it.
Q The
healthy forest initiative, assuming that's still on the schedule tomorrow,
can you remind us where we are on that, what the President's rationale is, and
what particular steps you would like to advance tomorrow on that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, the President, as he
visited some of the areas in the Western states that were hit hardest by the
devastating forest fires, came out with a new plan that would help the forests
and the forest managers to thin some of the land underneath the forest, to
clear out some of the old brush that has served as gasoline for the spread of
fires. And this has been an initiative
that has been hailed by many, particularly in the Western areas, as a way to
preserve and protect the forest that we have by avoiding the worst dangers of
forest fire.
All
the President had to do was meet with some of the victims in Arizona of the
rapidly spreading fires that took place there to know that we need to do, and
can do, a better job managing the forests.
So that is the initiative the President has launched. And hopefully, it will pass this week.
Q Is he planning to, like,
look ahead to the new forest fire season?
I'm just trying to figure out what the purpose is of doing something on
it this week.
MR.
FLEISCHER: There is --
of course, as summer approaches, the dangers of forest fires increase,
so it is a timely moment to do it. But
this is an initiative the President laid out last year. So it's time to move.
Q Ari, a question and
some personal comments. I don't
know how --
MR.
FLEISCHER: No personal comments,
Goyle.
Q I don't know really how I thank you for
your help and support, making me a better journalist. I learn every day from you. And you have been one of the best Secretaries
in my 20 years in the White House I have seen.
Smiling always, and always available and access
to the press. And we will miss you, and
especially I will miss you deeply. And I
hope maybe we'll meet some day somewhere, and it will be better than here.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Thank you.
Q The question is, is that --
and I hope President Bush knows that.
MR.
FLEISCHER: All right, thank you. (Laughter.)
Q The
question is that now we see that al Qaeda or Osama bin Laden and terrorists
have changed their tactics for killing and the freedom and peace-loving people
around the globe. And now we have
seen Saudi
Arabia and Morocco and all that. Do
you think the U.S. is going to change policy on terrorism, how to go after
the terrorists, and go to the root cause of terrorism, where they come from,
who's financing them, who's training them and harboring them?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As the President has made
repeatedly clear, this is a battle against people who
are just cold-blooded murderers who have no political agenda other than the
taking of lives. It's not a group of
people you can negotiate with, as the President said. And he will continue to pursue the war
against terror relentlessly.
Q Also, best of luck to you. We will miss you. Two questions on you, and one on Iraq
--
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm still here for a couple
more months.
Q Do you expect, or do you recommend that
Scott McClellan become your successor?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As you know, I just don't
speculate about personnel.
Q Do
you plan to write a book or consult the President?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think what I plan to do
next is, one, relax a little bit. And,
two, what I will most likely do is I will be in Washington for the next couple
years, maybe do a little speaking, maybe do a little writing, support in any
way I possibly can the President so he can run for reelection and win. And then, eventually, head into the private
sector; eventually, move back to Westchester to where I grew up.
That's probably what I'm thinking of today.
Q And
on Iraq, does the United States think Iraq should pull out
or stay out of OPEC, and that way undercut OPEC's strength?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, as the Iraqi
authorities form, they will have decisions to make about all their endeavors,
whether or not they want to have a nationalized oil company, or whether they
want to have a private company; what role it would play in the rest of the
world. These are decisions that free
nations make. We'll see what decisions
the Iraqi people want to make.
Q Ari,
regarding the road map, the President said --
and he was very firm, saying, now is the time for those who want peace
to stand up and join in the fight on terror. He made a point of singling out Europe. Can you elaborate more what the President
believes European leaders should be doing to help in the peace process?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, the President, one,
recognizes that Europe has played an important role in the formation of the road
map which is what is on the table now, and he appreciates that. Two, the President also thinks it's very
helpful for signals to be sent everywhere, including from Europe, that
in order to make progress on the road map, steps have to be taken to confront
and crack down and stop the terrorists.
That's a message he would like to hear the Europeans deliver
unequivocally.
Q Ari,
on the Philippines and
reestablishing the Philippines as a defense
ally, does the President see a day when it
would be a return of U.S. bases, permanent bases there in the Philippines?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That was not a topic, at
least in the meeting that I was in, that came up. And obviously, that was a decision that was
made by our two countries about one decade ago, to close down our base in Subic and Clark. And I think we are on a path to a different
relationship with the Philippine people, marked by economic ties and trade ties
and close ties now in the war against terror.
Q And if I could ask a
separate question, Ari. I know
you don't speculate on personnel matters, but what kind of an individual will the President be looking for to --
(laughter) -- what's the most important attribute --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Patience. No, those will be judgments that the
President makes. And whatever advice I
give the President I'll do so privately.
It's an important position. It's
an important matter for the President to consider, and he'll consider it. But I'm going to have to go by what I always
do, which is just not speculate about personnel.
Q As to a question, I will defer to the
lady on my left, but I do want to make a comment.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Now, wait a minute, you're
not allowed two people from the same bureau in here today. (Laughter.)
Q I'm only sitting here quietly because I
wanted to make a personal comment, not ask a question. But I go back and have dealt with press
secretaries since Jim Haggerty back under Eisenhower, and I'd just like to say
that you're very capable, good sense of humor, and foremost above all, you're a
nice guy and I shall personally miss you.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Thank you very much.
Q Ari,
President Bush and South Korea Roh agree to
achieve a peaceful solution of North Korean nuclear crisis. What would be the
real role of -- the United States expect from South Korea?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, the impact of resolving
this crisis would be the removal of a threat that endangers millions of lives
around the peninsula and in the neighborhood, including Japan and China and
Russia, everywhere where North Korea, with its possession of nuclear weapons
and its desire to acquire more nuclear weapons and its ability to have missiles
presents a threat to the neighborhood.
Also,
one of the greatest results that could come will be an improvement in the lives
of tens of millions of people who live north of the Demilitarized Zone on the Korean Peninsula. There are tens of
millions of North Koreans who are impoverished, who are famished, who live in -- there are large numbers who live in prison
camps that were created by a ruthless dictatorial North Korean government.
And
so, as a result of a North Korean government that honors its obligations to the
world, perhaps it can end its isolation in the world and do what free
governments should always do, which is serve the needs of their people. And the North Korean government has not done
that.
Q Thank you. First of all I want to wish you lots of
luck. Be happy, enjoy Becki, and get
whatever you desire. (Laughter.) Now, my question. Could it be the resumption of the Cold
War? Russian President Putin says
Russian vodka can cure SARS. Does the
President agree, and what about U.S. vodka or Kentucky bourbon?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm sorry,
I have not heard President Putin's statement about vodka. There is much that vodka can cure. I don't know about that.
Q One of your predecessors, Gerald
terHorst resigned as President Ford's press secretary, he said as a matter of
conscience, because he couldn't defend President Ford's pardon to President
Nixon. I was wondering,
is there anything President Bush has done as President that made you think,
even for a moment, that you would resign as a matter of conscience.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Never, no.
Q Not for a moment.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Not for a moment. Why should there be? This is man --
like I said, this is a man in whom I believe deeply. One of the things that is
so fascinating about this job is it is a job that is very hard to leave. There is a tremendous attraction to the White
House. There is a tremendous sense of
worth in serving a President of the United States, any President. It
is a hard place to leave because it is such an attractive place to be, and
especially when you work for a man, like President Bush, in whom I believe so
deeply.
But
ultimately, it still comes down to having a sense of yourself and knowing when
it is time to go. And as I said this
morning, I never intended to be a government-for-life type. I've done this for --
entirely now for 21 years, and I'm looking forward to pursuing different
adventures, different chapters, and spending more time the way most Americans
do, which is quietly with your family.
Q I'll save my platitudes for private, if
you don't mind. A question on Saudi Arabia and this idea of
the national guard supplying some of the arms to this
group of terrorists suspected in the bombings. Is that an
indication that Saudi
Arabia has
a much deeper problem with home-grown militancy than it even now is willing to
admit?
MR.
FLEISCHER: One, I'm looking into that
report. I can't confirm that
report. But, clearly, Saudi Arabia must look within, and they are looking within, as to what
steps they can take as our friend to continue in the fight against terror. And I think you're seeing that in the
statements they're making. And we're
pleased with the cooperation on the ground.
As you know, another team of FBI agents has been welcomed into Saudi Arabia. They are working
very hard on this with us. And we are
pleased by that.
Q Thank you, Ari.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Thank you, all.
END 1:58 P.M. EDT
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