For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 11, 2004
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
12:30 P.M. EST
MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon. I'd like to start with giving you
a little preview of the President's speech this afternoon. He looks
forward to returning to National Defense University to make remarks on
the dangers we face from weapons of mass destruction.
As you all will recall, in May 2001, the President gave a speech at
National Defense University in which he talked about the dangers posed
by the spread of weapons of mass destruction and the high priority he
would place on confronting this threat. Today the President will talk
to the American people about some of our successes in confronting that
threat, and additional steps we're calling on our friends, allies, and
others around the world to take to stop the spread of weapons of mass
destruction.
He will talk about why September 11th underscored the need to
confront this threat. During the Cold War, we lived under the threat
of large armies, and the hope that weapons of mass destruction would be
used only as a last resort. We can no longer count on such hope, and
we must now confront an enemy that might use weapons of mass
destruction as a weapon of first resort.
One source of these weapons is secretive regimes that attempt to
build such weapons away from the eyes of the world -- regimes such as
those found in North Korea, Iran, and formerly, in Iraq. In each case,
the regimes posed different challenges that required different
strategies. And I expect the President to talk about that.
The other potential source for materials and know-how to build the
worst of these weapons is the shadowy nuclear underground of weapons of
mass destruction entrepreneurs -- people like A.Q. Khan. And the
President will discuss our ongoing efforts to put his network out of
business. He will also talk about the intelligence successes that
ultimately played a role in Libya deciding to give up its weapons of
mass destruction programs. The President will also outline his
proposals for the world to work more closely together to address what
is truly a global issue that requires a global solution.
And with that, I will be glad to go to questions. Okay, thanks.
(Laughter.)
Q -- after yesterday, we're spent. (Laughter.)
MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead.
Q To follow up on the initiative -- to follow up on what you
just said, a follow-up. Is the President, in his speech, going to get
tough with Pakistan and President Musharraf? Since you singled out the
nuclear scientist Khan, is there going to be any attempt to force
Musharraf to take positive action to get rid of the weapons of mass
destruction on the black market?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Pakistan is continuing to investigate the
activity that they undertook -- that A.Q. Khan undertook previously.
So Pakistan is continuing their ongoing investigation. We appreciate
the efforts by Pakistan to break this network up. They have disrupted
a network of weapons of mass destruction. And they are a strong
partner in the global war on terrorism, and we will continue to work
closely with them on a number of fronts.
But President Musharraf has given us assurances that he is
committed to continuing to stop the spread of weapons of mass
destruction. And the results, I think, speak clearly to his
commitment.
Q Scott, on the issue of gay marriage, is the President
prepared to issue a declaration of support in favor of a constitutional
amendment on gay marriage?
MR. McCLELLAN: John, the President is continuing to look closely
at this issue. There are some ongoing events in Massachusetts,
certainly. We continue to monitor those events in Massachusetts. The
President does find the recent court ruling in Massachusetts very
troubling. The President believes very strongly that marriage is a
sacred institution, and that we should do what is needed to protect and
defend the sanctity of marriage. He has made it very clear, going back
most recently to his State of the Union address that activist judges
are seeking to redefine marriage, and if they continue to seek to
redefine marriage without regard for the voice of the people, then the
only alternative would be the constitutional process.
Q What's the political benefit to him of supporting the
constitutional process?
MR. McCLELLAN: This is a principled issue. That's the way the
President looks at it. This is an issue of principle. In fact, he
talked about that in his State of the Union address. The President
believes very strongly that everybody should be treated with dignity
and respect. And I think his record reflects that. But this is about
an enduring institution in America, and in order to have a strong
America, we should work to make sure that that institution continues to
endure.
Q It's difficult to ignore the potential implications of a
head-to-head race between a person who supports a constitutional
amendment on gay marriage and a person who voted against the Defense of
Marriage Act.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, John, this is a view that the President has
always held. That is the view that marriage is a sacred institution
between a man and a woman. He believes very strongly that we should
protect and defend the sanctity of marriage. And it's an issue of
principle in his view. The President makes decisions and takes stands
on principle, and based on a clear philosophy. He does what he says
he's going to do, and he's always said that he will work to protect and
defend the sanctity of marriage.
Q Are you saying the President hasn't decided yet what he is
going to do on this?
MR. McCLELLAN: That's -- what I'm saying is that we continue to
look very closely at it, yes.
Q But he's made no decision about the need for a constitutional
amendment, whether he should intervene, whether he should make a public
statement? You're saying that he has not yet reached that point?
MR. McCLELLAN: What he has said is that, if necessary, he will do
what is legally needed to protect the sanctity of marriage. He has
indicated that the legislation by Congresswoman Musgrave reflects the
principles that he could support. And that's what he has said.
Q But he's not prepared at this point to go beyond what he has
said previously?
MR. McCLELLAN: At this point, we continue to look very closely at
this issue. And obviously, we'll keep you updated if there are any new
developments. But it's an issue of great significance. He talked
about that in his State of the Union.
Q The country already has a Defense of Marriage Act that's on
the books.
MR. McCLELLAN: That relates to federal law.
Q That's federal law. So why is a constitutional amendment
necessary? Why does the President believe it would be necessary, if he
ultimately decides to do that, as opposed to leaving it to the states?
MR. McCLELLAN: I understand. For the reasons he discussed in the
State of the Union. You have some activist judges that are seeking to
redefine marriage, and if -- this issue is about protecting the
sanctity of marriage. The President believes very strongly that we
should protect and defend it. It is a sacred institution. And when
you have activist judges seeking to redefine that institution, the
issue of marriage, then the only alternative may be the constitutional
process, because they're not taking into account the voice of the
people when they make these decisions.
Q When you say you're watching developments closely, it
suggests you're watching what's going on in Massachusetts. If
Massachusetts successfully passes an amendment that would overturn what
you describe as an activist judge's decision, would that suffice?
Would that then clear it up for the President, that a constitutional
amendment to the federal Constitution is no longer necessary?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that's one area where we're, obviously,
looking at closely. I mean, there are other court decisions that have
been out there, but we will continue to look at this issue in terms of
the nation.
Q But if the principle here is that it's got to be up to the
people, so if the people of Massachusetts take action here, would that
obviate the need for the administration --
MR. McCLELLAN: What we said is it's important for the voice of the
people to be heard. I think that the American people support the
President's view that marriage is a sacred institution and that we
should work to protect it.
Q But what I'm asking, do you need to do anything if
Massachusetts changes this?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I can't get into saying that one particular
issue will necessarily drive that decision. This is an issue --
Q But you're saying, before he makes up his mind --
MR. McCLELLAN: But Massachusetts is -- Massachusetts is something
we are looking at closely in the overall context of this issue. We
continue to look closely at this issue because it's a very important
matter, and it's an important debate, as the President said in the
State of the Union.
Q Some conservative leaders say that they've gotten an
iron-clad pledge from the White House that the President will, in fact,
support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Are you saying
that they have misinterpreted or somebody went too far, there's a
misunderstanding?
MR. McCLELLAN: I can't speak for those groups. I don't know what
individual gave them that assurance. The President has stated his
position very clearly, publicly. And his position remains what I just
outlined to you.
Q One account that I saw identified the senior official as Karl
Rove, said that he was the one who delivered a pledge.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think that the White House has said what the
President has said, which is that, if necessary, he would be prepared
to support a constitutional amendment that would protect the sanctity
of marriage.
Q But the "if necessary" trigger has not been met yet?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, obviously, if the President has something
further to say on this, then we will let you know at that point.
Q You said that the President supports the proposed language of
an amendment that Congresswomen Musgrave has introduced. That language
seems to leave open the possibility that states could allow for these
civil unions, to provide equal rights to benefits and other things for
homosexuals.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the President has previously said that states
certainly have the right to enter into contractual -- legal contractual
arrangements on issues such as visitations and insurance benefits. But
this issue is about the sanctity of marriage, and the President
believes that we should protect the sanctity of marriage.
Q It's also about the Constitution. And my understanding of
one of the reasons that opponents of gay marriage think a
constitutional amendment is necessary is because the Constitution
requires states to recognize the contractual arrangements of other
states. Just as states have to recognize divorces in Nevada as
legitimate in North Carolina, so, too, would they have to recognize,
under that full faith and credit clause, civil unions in Vermont or
Massachusetts? Is he okay with that?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think the Defense of Marriage gets into some of
those issues. What he's focused on is the issue of marriage and that
marriage should be protected, because he believes strongly that it is a
sacred institution, it is an enduring institution in this country.
Q If I could just press you once more, that there are a lot of
people who think that the Defense of Marriage Act is constitutionally
vulnerable because of that full faith and credit clause, that Congress
can't amend the Constitution that way. Would the President be opposed
to civil unions in Vermont or Massachusetts being recognized through
court action in Ohio, or Missouri, or elsewhere? Would that be a
problem for him?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, again, I think the issue that is before the
country is the issue of the sanctity of marriage, and should we protect
that institution, the institution of marriage. The President -- he
went back -- if you go back to during the campaign, he said he would
not have supported it for the state of Texas. And I think the Defense
of Marriage Act gets into defining for federal law that marriage is
between a man and a woman. And then it goes on to say that states
don't have to recognize other states' laws on that issue.
Q Scott, you used some pretty tough language this morning about
those who are saying that the President has not answered all of the
questions about the National Guard. You accused them of gutter
politics and trolling for trash. As you know, back in the '92
campaign, then Governor Clinton's Vietnam-era history came up. And
near the end of the campaign, then President Bush, this President's
father, in a speech used the words "Slick Willie," talking about
Governor Clinton then, and talked about the controversy, that the
Governor had promised to release all his draft records, but had not.
And he said, "He ought to level with the American people on the
draft." He referred again to the records controversy, and he said, "He
ought to level on these kinds of things." Is that trolling for trash?
MR. McCLELLAN: John, we released documents showing that the
President fulfilled his duties. Some people are calling on us to
release documents. The documents spell out that the President
fulfilled his duties. I think that you expect the garbage can to be
thrown at you in the 11th hour of a campaign, but not nine months
before election day. And I certainly hope that this level of discourse
is not a reflection of what the American people can expect from the
Democratic Party over the duration of the campaign.
Q You also mentioned this morning that the Pentagon had
requested the full personnel file, and that you expected it to be
shared by the White House --
MR. McCLELLAN: By the way, on that time period, there are -- a
lot of people said things that are one way and certainly saying other
things these days.
Q I understand that to be the case, and I assume that will all
come up in the campaign, as well. When you get the President's full
file, what will be the standard for deciding whether additional
information will be released?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, one, we would have to see if there is any new
information in that. Like I said yesterday, we thought we had all the
information that was relevant to this issue. So we haven't even seen
that information at this point.
Q Again, when this controversy came up 10 years ago, the then
Bush-Quayle campaign, on October 15, 1992, put out a press release
saying that because of the controversy and the questions, that Governor
Clinton should release all documents relating to his draft status, and
went on to list letters to the Selective Service system, to the Reserve
Officer Training Corps, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines,
the Coast Guard, the Departments of State and Justice, any foreign
embassy or consulate. Was that a fair standard?
MR. McCLELLAN: This is 2004, I would remind you. But let me point
out to you that the issue that was before us was whether or not the
President had served. There had been some who made an outrageous
accusation that the President was AWOL, or that he was a deserter.
Just outrageous and baseless accusations. And there was a call for
more documents to be released, specifically payroll records. We didn't
know that they previously existed still. But we found out that they
did, and we provided that documentation. That documentation clearly
shows that the President fulfilled his duties.
I think what you're seeing now is that some are not interested in
the facts. Some are more interested in trolling for trash for
political gain. And that's just unfortunate that we're seeing that
this early in an election year. This is nothing but gutter politics.
The American people deserve better. We are facing great challenges in
this nation, and the President is focused on acting decisively to meet
those challenges.
Instead of talking about the choices we face in addressing our
highest priorities, some are simply trolling for trash for political
gain. The American people deserve better. The American people deserve
an honest debate about the choices we face. The American people
deserve an honest discussion about the type of leadership their
Commander-in-Chief is providing in a time of war, at a time when we are
confronting dangerous new threats.
I began this briefing by talking about the importance of
confronting the spread of weapons of mass destruction, about the
importance of stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction. This
President, from very early on in his administration, has made it a high
priority to confront the dangerous new threats we face in this day and
age. These are threats that did not come to us overnight. But
September 11th taught us that we must confront these threats. Let's
have an honest discussion about the type of leadership people are
providing to confront those threats. That's what the American people
deserve.
Q On "Meet the Press," the President was asked, "When
allegations were made about John McCain or Wesley Clark on their
military records, they opened up their entire files. Would you agree
to do that?" And the President replied, "Yeah." Is that still your
position?
MR. McCLELLAN: The President -- the specific question was about
service, whether or not he had served in the military, if you go back
to look at the context of the discussion. And the President said, if
we have them, we'll release them, relating to that issue. We have
released what additional documents came to our attention.
Q Scott, today it was made public -- the International
Commission on Human Rights and the Organization of American States said
that the United States was in violation of international law. It said
that, "No other federal state in the Western Hemisphere denies the
residents of their federal capital the right to vote for
representatives in the national legislature." It also went on to say
that, "The U.S. had violated provisions of the American Declaration,
the Rights and Duties of Man, which the United States is a signer."
The President has steadfastly been for democracy in Iraq, but not
democracy for the residents of the District of Columbia. Has he
changed his position on that?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think you know why: Washington, D.C. was set up
as a district, as it is. And the President's views -- he has already
previously addressed this issue -- they remain the same.
Q Congressman Davis -- hold on just one second. Congressman
Davis is offering a bill to provide representation in the House of
Representatives. Would the President be for that bill?
MR. McCLELLAN: I understand. The President's position has
previously been stated and it remains the same.
Q Thank you. Let me follow on John's question. Since we're
quoting people --
MR. McCLELLAN: You're quoting John?
Q No, no. Following up on his question, since we're quoting
people. In 1992, John Kerry stood on the Senate floor and said, "I am
saddened by the fact that Vietnam has yet again been inserting into the
campaign and that it has been inserted in what I feel to be the worst
possible way." And he went on to say later on, "We do not need to
divide America over who served and how." Are you going -- is this
White House and this candidate, President Bush, going to hold him to
those remarks and put an end to this now?
MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, this President is focused on our
nation's priorities. He is focused on confronting the threats that we
face, as I spoke about earlier. And he's going to be talking more
about that this afternoon. Obviously, there continues to be a
Democratic primary going on, and the Democrats will select their
nominee. And I think the American people, right now, want this White
House to continue to do what it is doing, which is focusing on their
priorities. Like I said, we are some nine months out from election
day. There's going to be plenty of time to -- plenty of time --
Q Don't you regard his statements from his --
MR. McCLELLAN: Hold on. There's going to be plenty of time to
talk about --
Q -- likely challenger to be the end of this all?
MR. McCLELLAN: There's going to be plenty of time to talk about
the choices we face and the statements people have made. The President
certainly is someone who does what he says he is going to do and
someone who means what he says. And I think that's reflected in the
actions he takes.
Q Is he offended by the accusations and insinuations from
people who have never served in the military? And especially from
leaders of a party who nominated a candidate in 1992 and 1996 that
avoided military service altogether?
MR. McCLELLAN: I would just say, again, that it is sad to see some
stoop to this level, to say anything or try to do anything for
political gain. The American people deserve better.
Q Two questions, please. The first one has to do with Haiti.
The situation there is deteriorating rapidly, a civil war is going on.
A lot of people have been killed already. How concerned is the White
House about the situation there?
MR. McCLELLAN: We are extremely concerned about the wave of
violence spreading through Haiti and we certainly deeply regret the
loss of life. We call on the government to respect the rights,
especially human rights of the citizens and residents of Haiti.
Q My next question is more on the economic side. You know that
poultry flu that has hit some poultry farms in the United States has
caused a lot of other countries to stop importing American poultry
products -- chickens -- and that is going to be a devastating blow to
the economy if this continues. What is the White House doing, or the
government doing to try to stop this -- try to contain this disease and
to get their exports going again?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think that -- one, I can get you some more facts
from the Department of Agriculture on some of the actions that we are
taking. But I think in terms of the economy, it has been very clear
the steps that we're taking to strengthen our economy even more here at
home. But that specific one, I can get you more information on that,
probably, from the Department of Agriculture.
Q You've spoken today about the threat that this country
faces. Last month, in referring to the threat posed by Iraq, you said,
"I think some in the media have chosen to use the word, 'imminent.'
Those were not words we used."
MR. McCLELLAN: That's correct.
Q When, in fact, a year ago, you said, in referring to the
threat posed by Iraq, "This is about imminent threat." So which is
it?
MR. McCLELLAN: Russell, did you not read that transcript?
Q I actually have it in front of me.
MR. McCLELLAN: What does it refer to?
Q Well, here we go. You were talking about Turkey requesting
aid from NATO.
MR. McCLELLAN: That's right.
Q And you were talking about the threat --
MR. McCLELLAN: In the lead-up to a decision that -- in the
immediate lead up to a decision that was made to go to war.
Q Well, I'm just reading --
MR. McCLELLAN: It wasn't talking about the threat posed by Iraq to
the world and to the international community overall. We said it was a
grave and gathering threat.
Q You said -- we have the transcript, I have it. Can I read
it?
MR. McCLELLAN: You may. Go ahead, read the whole thing.
Q "And I think it's important," -- this is about the threat
Iraq poses to Turkey -- "And I think it's important to note that the
request from a country --
MR. McCLELLAN: It's about a NATO request. Let's just sum this up
right now. It wasn't relating to --
Q No, it's about --
MR. McCLELLAN: No, you're trying to take things out of context
now. I appreciate it --
Q No, this is exactly the transcript.. It's not out of
context, it's the transcript. You're talking about the threat Iraq
posed to Turkey -- isn't that right?
MR. McCLELLAN: In the immediate lead-up to the war in Iraq.
Q And you said, "imminent threat."
MR. McCLELLAN: And you're taking everything out of context here.
I think everybody in this room has seen that transcript.
Q Two quick questions. One, before the President speaks this
afternoon on this issue of nuclear technology -- India is starting a
thoroughly investigating report on the -- one that the scientists in
Pakistan have been made scapegoat by the military government in order
that they will not be blamed. And, two, the story --
MR. McCLELLAN: What's your question here, Goyal?
Q The question -- and number two, that many -- in Pakistan and
in India and the U.S. believe that when President said that in Iraq
there were weapons of mass destruction, we believe the U.S. President
was right, but those weapons were moved by Khan to Pakistan. They are
now in Pakistan, according to the investigative report. What does the
President have to say about that?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know about that. The President said over
the weekend that there were a lot of theories that exist about what
happened to the weapons of mass destruction, and we'll find out. We'll
find out.
Q Coming back to John's question real briefly. One of the
questions that remain after the release of the documents yesterday
involves the President's physical in 1972. Are you guys talking about
what happened there and why he didn't take --
MR. McCLELLAN: I think this was all addressed previously. I think
that, again, this goes to show that some are not interested in the
facts of whether or not he served; they're interested in trolling for
trash and using this issue for partisan political gain.
Q What was the answer previous to this?
MR. McCLELLAN: What's the question?
Q On the question of --
MR. McCLELLAN: See, I mean, there are some that want us to engage
in gutter politics. I'm not going to engage in gutter politics. I'm
going to focus on what we're doing --
Q But you were suggesting you'd answered the question
previously.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- to address the priorities for the American
people. We went through this in 1994, I believe again in '98, 2000.
Now some are trying to bring it up again in 2004.
Q Scott, can I ask, in 2004, just again, why did the President
miss his physical?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?
Q Why did the President miss his physical?
MR. McCLELLAN: Are you talking about when he -- whether or not he
-- I put out a response to that question yesterday, about whether or
not he was rated by his commanders as a pilot.
Q Can I just ask you today, in 2004 --
MR. McCLELLAN: No.
Q -- why he missed his physical?
MR. McCLELLAN: Elisabeth, there are some that -- again, this is a
question of whether or not he served. That question has been answered
through the documents that were released yesterday, and released
previously.
Q I just want to hear from the White House Press Secretary --
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not -- no, there are some -- Elisabeth, we've
already addressed this issue. I'm not going to engage in gutter
politics. I'm going to focus on what we're doing to make the world
safer, to make the world a better place, and to make America more
prosperous. If others want to engage in gutter politics, that's their
choice. But I think that --
Q How is asking that question engaging in gutter politics?
MR. McCLELLAN: But I think the American people -- I think the
American people deserve better.
Q Scott, how does that engage in gutter politics if I ask that
question?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we've been through these issues. I wasn't
accusing you. I'm accusing some -- (Laughter.) But, you see, we went
through --
Q -- the answer to that question today?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, we went through these -- no, we went -- we've
already addressed this issue. We went through it previously. We went
through it four years ago, for sure.
Q Scott, may I ask on another topic. We haven't talked about
Israel or the Palestinians for a while. Two questions. Are you -- is
the U.S. investigating Yasser Arafat's money? Apparently he's got a
bank account of $11.5 million. Do you know if any of that money came
from U.S. funds to the Palestinian --
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry. Say the first part of your question
again, Connie?
Q Is the U.S. joining with the French investigation of Yasser
Arafat's $11.5 million in bank accounts?
MR. McCLELLAN: I would have to get an update to see if there's
anything there on that.
Q While you're at it, do you have any thoughts now on the
situation with Israel's security fence? And are you going to meet with
Prime Minister Sharon?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there's no update on the President's schedule
to announce at this time. Of course, we've made our views very
well-known when it comes to the fence.
Q Have they changed, or have things changed?
MR. McCLELLAN: We've previously expressed our views. We continue
to discuss those issues with the government of Israel. And our views
are the same as they've always been.
Q If you can, get us an update on Arafat, please?
Q Scott, two questions. In his speech this afternoon, is the
President looking to get beyond the Iraq intelligence matter by
bringing up nuclear proliferation? Is he looking to move on? And --
smooth segue here -- speaking of Move On and Win Without War, yesterday
they had a full-page ad in The Washington Post calling for the censure
of the President over the Iraq intelligence matter. I'm wondering if
you have any reaction to that.
MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, what the President is looking to do
is to continue to confront a very dangerous threat to the world and to
America. And that's what he'll be talking about later today. This is
an
issue that we have been working to address through the
Proliferation Security Initiative, and through other efforts where
we've been working with countries to stop the spread of weapons of mass
destruction. That's what the President is doing. And, look, no, I'm
not going to engage in all the politics that's going on right now.
Q Scott, in the President's remarks today and possibly later,
is he going to name some of the countries involved in manufacturing
certain devices that were used in this nuclear black market?
MR. McCLELLAN: Stay tuned. He's going to talk about this network
that A.Q. Kahn was involved in, and we're going to have a fact sheet to
release later today, as well.
Q Is the administration going to push other countries to
actually prosecute these organizations?
MR. McCLELLAN: We're working with a lot of countries to stop the
spread of weapons of mass destruction and to go after those shadowy
networks that exist that are seeking to spread these types of weapons.
Q A follow-up on the Haitian question. Besides to be extremely
concerned of this situation, is the U.S. government planning to do
something to help the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, as
President Clinton did in 1994?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, what we do -- I think I addressed this a
little bit previously; let me go back to some of what our concerns are
and address that issue. One, we fully support the efforts of the
Caribbean countries and the Organization of American States to promote
a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Haiti. So that's what we're
doing. We do remain extremely concerned about the violence that is
spreading in Haiti, and so we'll continue to support the efforts of the
Caribbean community, as well as the Organization of American States to
help bring about a peaceful resolution.
Q But it seems that the President Aristide doesn't put any
attention to the OAS court or the Caribbean countries trying to help
the situation with his political enemies. Do you think Aristide has
been in government after a corrupt election supported by --
MR. McCLELLAN: You heard, going back to Mexico, where the
President talked about the need to fight corruption and the need for
all countries to take actions to fight corruption and promote the rule
of law, promote democracy. And that's the President's view on those
issues.
Q But do you consider Aristide's government a corrupted one?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, again, right now our focus is on supporting
the efforts going on in the region to help bring about a peaceful
resolution to the situation. Any time there is corruption anywhere,
we are concerned. And that's why we have taken action to work with
countries to fight corruption and to promote rule of law.
Q Thank you.
MR. McCLELLAN: Thank you.
END 1:02 P.M. EST
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