For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 27, 2003
Press Gaggle by Claire Buchan
Crawford Elementary School
Crawford, Texas
12:40 P.M. CDT
MS. BUCHAN: Good afternoon, everybody. Let me tell you a little bit
about the President's day. He began his day with his usual intelligence
briefing. He also had a videoconference meeting with senior national
security advisors, and he has been out working on the ranch most of the
morning since then. And he looks forward to hosting you all tonight, to
his ranch.
And also I just want to get you a little bit of information on
departure. We'll be leaving on Saturday -- I know a lot of you were
interested in that. So with that, I'll be happy to take your
questions.
Q Is the President considering asking Congress for money for Iraq
before the budget?
MS. BUCHAN: The President has said that we will do everything to
ensure that our military troops and that those who are responsible for
the reconstruction in Iraq have all the resources necessary to get the
job done and to do it effectively. So we will be listening to the
military commanders, we'll be listening to Ambassador Bremer and
working with Congress on that.
Q -- met with Bremer yesterday -- I mean, Condi was meeting with
Bremer yesterday --
MS. BUCHAN: Who met with Bremer?
Q I believe that Bremer was at the White House yesterday, and I was
wondering if that came up in the conversations?
MS. BUCHAN: I believe he met with Dr. Rice. I don't have a readout
of their meeting. But as I said, the President has said, he said
yesterday that victory in Iraq is critical, it's critical to the war on
terrorism and that we will do everything to ensure that the resources
are there to finish the job and to do that effectively.
Q I assume that that's not -- the supplemental is not off the
table? Is that --
MS. BUCHAN: Well, he said, and Director Bolten has said, Secretary
Wolfowitz has said that we will be going to the Congress for a
supplemental for the '04 budget. We've made that very clear. We don't
have the numbers at this point, and until we have responsible numbers,
we're not going to go to Congress with them.
Someone call me from over here?
Q Claire?
MS. BUCHAN: Yes.
Q Will there be an emergency supplemental -- supplemental?
MS. BUCHAN: At this point, we are working with Ambassador Bremer.
We're talking with the military commanders. And we will ensure that the
resources are there, and that we have what it takes to get the job
done. We have said that there will be a supplemental for '04.
Q But he says he needs money now. Everyone says the supplemental --
to deal with the Pentagon, everything else is a couple of months away
from being ready.
MS. BUCHAN: -- will listen to him.
Q There will be two requests?
MS. BUCHAN: I think that you should wait and see . The President
said yesterday that victory will require substantial resources and
time, and that we are committed to providing both of those and that we
will not retreat; that this is an important war, or front in the war on
terrorism, and that we are committed to seeing it through to a
successful end.
Q But you won't rule out that there could be an immediate request
for an infusion of money, just for administration costs in Iraq.
separate from what the rebuilding may require in a separate
supplemental?
MS. BUCHAN: I will rule in that the President has said that we will
have -- that the troops and that the people who are in Iraq responsible
for the reconstruction will have everything that it takes to get the
job done.
Q Claire, there were criticisms from lawmakers yesterday, following
the President's speech, who said he was still not being specific enough
to inform the American people about what was expected in Iraq. They
say, you know, tens or hundreds of billions of dollars, tens of
thousands of more troops would be necessary and that the President
needs to explain this.
Do you -- do you think -- will he be continuing to talk about this
in the future? And what is your reaction to that criticism?
MS. BUCHAN: Well, a couple of things. With regard to the money, as
we've said, when we have an accurate estimate, a responsible estimate,
we will go to the Congress, we will work with Congress -- and we've
repeatedly said that. So expect that to come, but when the information
is ready.
With regard to your second question, will the President be
continuing to talk about this, yes, of course, He has been talking
about it, it is a high priority for the President and he believes it's
important to communicate with the American people and you heard him do
that yesterday, talking about why this battle against terrorism is so
important and how Iraq is an important front in the war on terror.
Q Why does he think support is slipping, as measured by polls, that
Americans are showing more doubts about the purpose of the mission and
its ultimate success or its ability to succeed? Why does he think
that's happened?
MS. BUCHAN: Well, the President knows that the American people are
patient. He has communicated from the beginning that this is a
different kind of war and that it will require patience and he believes
that the American people are patient.
Q Claire, is there not a sense of urgency about getting Bremer more
money for his operation, or could it wait weeks or even longer?
MS. BUCHAN: We'll listen to Ambassador Bremer to determine what his
needs are.
Q To your knowledge, is there a sense of urgency about it?
MS. BUCHAN: This is a very important mission and if Ambassador
Bremer or the military commanders in the field believe that they need
more resources, we will work with Congress to ensure that they get them
in a timely fashion and in the time table necessary.
Q On this morning's videoconference with the national security
advisors or aides, did the topic of North Korea come up? Has the
President been briefed at all by people who were taking part in the
talks, like Mr. Kelly? And what does he hope will come out of these
talks?
MS. BUCHAN: On national security discussions this morning, as you
know, we don't talk about the contents of those meetings. On the talks
more generally, the six party discussions on North Korea, which were
convened in Beijing today, and they're scheduled to continue through
the 29th of the month, the President has long said that this is a
multilateral issue. And we are pleased that the meetings have begun and
we welcome them.
We understand that all the parties delivered their opening
statements of their positions. Besides the United States, the
participants, as usual, are China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and
North Korea. All of them began with their opening statements. Assistant
Secretary of State Kelly reiterated that our top priority remains the
complete, verifiable, and irreversible elimination of North Korea's
nuclear weapons program.
Q You can't say whether Mr. Kelly has spoken to the President? You
can't say that?
MS. BUCHAN: I don't believe he has, no.
Q Is he getting any readouts on what's going on in Beijing?
MS. BUCHAN: He had his national security meetings today. He also
had his intelligence briefings. So I think it's safe to assume that
he's being updated as necessary, yes.
Q Was the one-on-one discussion between North Korea and the United
States that occurred on the sidelines, was that planned or scheduled or
--
MS. BUCHAN: Well, what we've always indicated is that these will be
multilateral discussions, and nothing precludes a conversation across
the table between two parties. But that's always been what we've said
on that. But there are not separate and individual bilateral
discussions going on.
Q Claire, Paul Bremer said yesterday that Iraq is going to need
several tens of billions of dollars over the next year, so he has said
more or less what's required there. Is the administration prepared to
provide that kind of money?
MS. BUCHAN: As I've said, I think here repeatedly, the President is
committed to ensuring that Ambassador Bremer and our troops on the
ground have the resources that they need to do the job.
Q Do you agree with his "several tens of billions"?
MS. BUCHAN: We will talk with him, we will work with Congress.
We'll talk with the military commanders, and we'll make decisions. And
when we have responsible, good estimates, we will go to Congress with
those.
John, did you have a question?
Q Before the war, and immediately after the war, there was talk
about reconstruction being largely paid by Iraqi oil revenue. Since the
war, there have been a lot of oil line disruptions, there's been
sabotage -- there was just apparently in the last 24 hours some. Is
this causing a change in the administration's estimate of what it's
going to cost, in terms of the American and other -- contribution from
other countries? In other words, is the oil revenue that the United
States hoped would be coming in to the Iraqi people from the pipelines,
are you having to downgrade that now because of sabotage?
MS. BUCHAN: A couple of points. We have said, and sort of to Dana's
point, there are variables, which is why we are working through them to
determine what is the accurate number. How many countries participate,
what those countries participate in, how fast the Iraqi oil will flow
-- all of these things are variables that contribute to what the costs
will be and what the amount is that we'll need to seek from the
Congress. That's one aspect.
Secondly, I think the point you make is one that the President
makes, which is that those remnants of the former regime, those
terrorists who are attacking the Iraqi's resources are attacking the
Iraqi people, themselves, and they are harming the ability of the Iraqi
people to more quickly achieve the success that will ultimately come.
Q Claire, has the United States given up on the idea of that new
U.N. resolution?
MS. BUCHAN: Given up what?
Q On a new U.N. resolution to make --
MS. BUCHAN: No. No, no. We continue to talk. Secretary Powell
continues to talk with his Security Council colleagues and we continue
to listen to other nations, many of whom are already participating.
There are 31 countries already participating in the recovery of Iraq.
We continue to talk to more and --
Q But last week the President said confidently that there will be
more foreign troops, more countries in Iraq. When might we see that?
MS. BUCHAN: We'll keep you posted. Conversations are ongoing, they
continue.
Q Is the President at all surprised by the fact that we've now lost
more troops in Iraq since he declared an end to major combat operations
-- granted, not all of those are combat related. And does he feel any
obligation to speak out to the American people about expectations and
about how much longer we can expect these types of attacks on our
troops?
MS. BUCHAN: A couple of things. To that specific question, you
might want to look at the President's interview with the Armed Forces
Radio. He was asked that exact question, so you can have it in his
words, exactly. But the President appreciates the sacrifices that are
being made by the men and women in America's military, and by their
families. And he believes that they are bravely serving a good cause
and that it is a battle against terror that we cannot retreat from. And
that while major combat operations have concluded, a battle still goes
on.
Q The report yesterday on the Columbia disaster was very critical
of the White House. Does the President --
MS. BUCHAN: Was what?
Q Was critical of the White House's stewardship of the space
program. Is the President going to ask for more money for the space
program, or any changes?
MS. BUCHAN: As you know, the President has put forward a budget
request for '04. The President very much appreciates the work of the
commission and we will be working with NASA Administrator O'Keefe as we
go forward on this. They're analyzing all of the recommendations and
yesterday, I believe, indicated their desire to do everything that they
can possibly do to improve the safety of the space program.
Q Does that include asking for more money?
MS. BUCHAN: The President's budget stands as it is and, obviously,
if there are changes to that, we'd let you know. But the President's
budget stands as it is.
Q If I could follow-up on that point --
MS. BUCHAN: I can't hear you.
Q What general view does the President have of where the space
program should go from here? What vision does he have? What should its
purpose be?
MS. BUCHAN: The President very much believes that space is an
important frontier and that the space program should go forward.
Q Where? To what end?
MS. BUCHAN: I'm sorry?
Q Where and to what end?
MS. BUCHAN: Well, we will be working with Administrator O'Keefe on
the specifics that were put forward by the accident investigation
board. They worked very hard, and they put forward a very, very
comprehensive report, which is being reviewed as we speak. And NASA is
committed to working through it, and we will look to Administrator
O'Keefe for his leadership.
Q Claire, can you say if the President has a point of view about
the controversy over the Ten Commandments monument?
MS. BUCHAN: It is important that we respect our laws and our
courts. In some instances, the courts have ruled that the posting of
the Ten Commandments is okay. In other circumstances, they've ruled
that it's not okay. In either case, there's always opportunity for
appeal of the court's decisions. But we believe that it's important to
respect the laws in the courts.
Q Is that the President's view, or the White House view? How would
you characterize that?
MS. BUCHAN: I'm not sure they're different. At least I hope they're
not. (Laughter.)
Did you have a question? I think you had your hand up. Okay.
Anybody else? Okay, thank you.
Q Does the White House have any reaction at all to Arafat asking
the militant groups to reinstate the truce?
MS. BUCHAN: The way forward in Israel, in the Middle East, is by
dismantling terrorist networks, by dismantling terrorist
organizations. And one of the first steps in the road map is the
consolidation of the security forces under Prime Minister Abbas. That
must happen. The terrorist networks must be dismantled. And Arafat has
once again shown himself to be part of the problem. He is not part of
the solution. And the security forces need to be consolidated under
Prime Minister Abbas.
Q He's asked the militant groups now to reinstate the cease-fire,
basically.
MS. BUCHAN: Well, actions to dismantle terrorist organizations and
to dismantle terrorist networks are what is needed and what's most
important.
Thank you, all.
END 12:55 P.M. CDT
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