For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 12, 2004
Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Knoxville, Tennessee
President's Schedule
Libya
War on Terror
New CIA Director
Gay Marriage
9:50 A.M. EDT
MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, before he departed, the President had his
usual briefings. When we arrive back from Tennessee the President will
meet with President Saca of El Salvador in the Oval Office.
Now let me give you a read out on our trip today, as we head to the
home state of one Steve Holland. The Freedom Corps greeter is Jim
Richardson. He will be there upon arrival. And for the past two years
he's been an active volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Assistance
Team in Maryville, Tennessee. It provides emergency shelter, triage to
the injured and assistance to emergency workers during a crisis.
Then we will go to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and when we
arrive the President will participate in a tour. He will go to --
there will be three stations and the pool will be there to cover all
these stations. Let me give you a quick read out of each of the
stations. The first station he will visit has three different
components to it. The first component will display a symbol, gas
centrifuges for uranium enrichment. The second component will display
miscellaneous centrifuge components, and then the third component will
display frequency converters, which change the electrical frequency to
run the centrifuge motors at high speeds. And this station is
important because the motors were purchased on the black market for --
Q Motors or rotors?
MR. McCLELLAN: Motors. The motors were purchased on the black
market for the specific purpose of running centrifuges for the
development of nuclear weapons. And then station two will show vacuum
cases, which form the outer shell of centrifuges. And then station
three will show two balancing machines, and the machines balance
centrifuge rotors to allow them to run at high speeds. And again,
these machines were obtained by Libya on the black market, the black
market of the proliferation network.
Q Scott, when you say the black market, do you mean directly
from Abdul Khan, or do you mean through --
MR. McCLELLAN: Let me double check that.* Let me give you a read
out of the remarks today. I'll double check that specific -- but as
part of the proliferation network, where it was obtained.
In his remarks, the President will talk about how America is
providing strong leadership as we wage a broad war on terrorism and an
active campaign against the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
He'll talk about how we're making steady progress and we are achieving
clear results.
Some of this you've heard, where the President will talk about how
September 11th made us determined to confront these threats that we
face. And he will talk a little bit about the new approach that we
have been taking in the post-September 11th world to overcome the
dangers of our time. He'll talk about how our goal is a lasting
democratic peace, where nations do not have to live under the fear of
sudden attack from terrorists.
And he'll go over the outline for our strategy for peace, which has
three basic commitments: one, taking the fight to the enemy, two,
working with our friends and allies and international organizations to
isolate and confront terrorists and outlaw regimes, and how America is
leading in that effort -- it's a global threat that requires a global
response -- and then third, he'll talk about extending the peace by
supporting the advance of democracy in the broader Middle East.
Democracy is the alternative to hatred and terrorism. And he'll talk
about how we're following this strategy and it's leading to clear
results.
And the new part of the speech is really how he walks through the
different areas where we are achieving these clear results. He'll talk
about where we were three years ago in Afghanistan. Three years ago
Afghanistan was a base for al Qaeda. It was ruled by one of the
world's most brutal regimes. Today, the people of Afghanistan have
been liberated, and that threat has been removed.
He'll talk about where we were in Pakistan three years ago. Three
years ago in Pakistan it was one of the few governments that recognized
the Taliban and you had really little opposition to al Qaeda in
Pakistan. Today Pakistan is working with us to win the war on
terrorism. He'll talk about Saudi Arabia, how al Qaeda three years ago
was receiving financial assistance and logistical support from
organizations and people within Saudi Arabia, and there was little
opposition to al Qaeda. Today Saudi Arabia recognizes that al Qaeda is
their enemy and they are fighting the war on terrorism within their own
country.
And he'll talk about what we've achieved in Iraq, where we were
three years ago in Iraq, where Iraq was a sworn enemy of the United
States. Iraq was a country that was a safe harbor for terrorists and a
country that -- a regime that had used weapons in the past. Today that
threat has been removed, and we are better off for it. And he'll talk
about where we were in Libya. And obviously, since we're going to Oak
Ridge, he'll cite the Libya example during different parts of his
speech. He'll talk about how three years ago in Libya it was a country
that was spending millions to acquire chemical and nuclear weapons. It
was a country that was supporting terrorism. And today, Libya is
seeking a -- has made a strategic choice; they're seeking a better
future and they're dismantling their programs.
And he'll also talk about where we were three years ago with the
proliferation network. Three years ago you had the A.Q. Khan network
doing business around the world. Today that network has been broken
up.
So this is showing the clear results and the steady progress that
we're making in the war on terrorism. And he will talk about how the
world was a very different place three years ago. Today, because
America has acted and led, we are -- the world and America are safer.
The terrorists, three years, ago believed that they could carry out
their terrorist activity with little fear of being confronted or
discovered. And today we are taking the fight to the enemy.
And then he'll talk about the duties and difficulties that lie
ahead for us as we continue to wage the war on terrorism. He'll talk
about North Korea and Iran; he'll talk about the importance of fighting
poverty and disease so that we don't have failed states; he'll talk
about the importance of the Broader Middle East Initiative; he'll talk
about the importance of building a Palestinian state that lives
side-by-side in peace with Israel; and he'll talk about our ongoing
commitments to help Iraq and Afghanistan build democratic futures. And
he will remind the American people that we are still a nation at risk,
we are still a nation at war, and -- but throughout history, we have
risen to the test and met these challenges in the past, and we will
prevail in this war on terrorism, as well.
So that's kind -- that's the general outline of his remarks. I
think it's a fairly important speech. And like I said, the new part of
it is really talking about where we were three years ago to where we
are today, and the results that we're achieving and the progress that
we're making.
Q Scott, is it -- is the President going to argue that
diplomacy that took place before he came into office did not play a
role in Libya's decision to give up its nuclear weapons?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I -- actually, I think that, one -- I'll go
back to what I said a minute ago. Libya made a strategic choice.
Certainly, countries saw what happened in Iraq. Also, what he will
talk about is how, in the fall of 2003, there was a dramatic
breakthrough when it comes to Libya. The United States and the United
Kingdom alerted German and Italian authorities about a ship that was
headed to Tripoli with nuclear materials on it. And the German and
Italian authorities interdicted that ship, and that was a dramatic
breakthrough to convince Libya that they should seek a better future
and they should abandon their ambitions.
Q But there was a lot of diplomacy in the 1990s, including by
European allies, to try to convince Libya to come back and rejoin the
international community. Is the President not going to mention that or
highlight that?
MR. McCLELLAN: He'll talk about how the proliferation efforts that
we undertook working with the -- the United Kingdom was key, very
involved in this, and they were a key to helping with convincing Libya
to change their ways. And that interdiction of that ship was a
dramatic breakthrough. And certainly, Libya saw what occurred in Iraq,
and Libya made a strategic choice.
Q And then in the three points that you said the President is
going to emphasize and how we're dealing with the threat. The middle
one was working with allies. Is that any -- I don't recall the
President highlighting that in the past when he's talked about these
issues.
MR. McCLELLAN: Actually, he's talked about these three commitments
previously and --
Q Was that -- is that an increase in emphasis on that
particular point?
MR. McCLELLAN: Actually, it's always been a part of our strategy,
the importance -- America is leading, but we're -- if you look at North
Korea, you look at Iran, those are multilateral approaches. If you
look at what we did in Iraq, we pursued a solution through
international organizations, namely the United Nations, and there was a
broad coalition that agreed with the action that we took in Iraq.
So that's what he's talking about, the importance of America
providing strong leadership as we wage a broad and global war on
terrorism. And, in fact, there -- the cooperation in the global war on
terrorism has really never been stronger, when you look at what we're
doing on the proliferation side, when you look at what we're doing
around the world in places like Saudi -- what's going on in Saudi
Arabia, what's going on in Pakistan and their efforts to combat
terrorism. And that's why he'll talk about where we were three years
ago and the progress we've made today in those different areas.
Q How similar is this tour, component-wise, to what we saw with
Spencer Abraham on the tour a few months ago? Is it additional
materials or the same things that have already been shown to the press
through Spencer Abraham?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I guess there are a couple shipments of
materials that went from Libya to Oak Ridge -- one back in January, and
another, I think, back in March. So I imagine -- I wasn't on that
trip, so I don't know exactly what you saw on that trip, but I imagine
it's similar to some of what you saw. But you all will be there to
cover it and be able to make that determination on your own.
Q -- about this contingency plan to postpone the elections if
we had an attack on America, like, say, right before November?
MR. McCLELLAN: I really haven't had a chance to see what's in the
Newsweek report, I think is what you're referring to. But I haven't
heard any real suggestion that there would be a delay in the
elections.
Q Scott, if the President is comparing where we are now in the
war on terror with where we were three years ago, isn't this really a
campaign speech and not an official event?
MR. McCLELLAN: He's the President of the United States regardless
of the fact that we're in an election year, and he's talking about the
approach that we've been taking over the last few years. There are,
obviously, clear choices in the war on terrorism and how we wage that
war on terrorism. I think the American people recognize that the
President's most solemn obligation is their safety and security. And
the President is going to continue talking about this highest of
priorities, regardless of whether or not it's an election year.
Q Is the President doing any work today on naming a CIA
Director? Is he talking to anybody? Is he meeting with anyone?
MR. McCLELLAN: Let me give you a readout of the progress on the
CIA Director.
Q Oh, okay.
MR. McCLELLAN: Just kidding. (Laughter.) Everybody was looking.
Put your pens down. (Laughter.)
Q Who all -- who's been interviewed for that job?
Q Is that going to take up any of his time today?
MR. McCLELLAN: The candidates are as follows. No, no --
(laughter.)
Q Is he going to be doing it?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, we have a problem with the recording
here. Sorry. (Laughter.)
Q Is he going to be doing any work on this today when he gets
back?
MR. McCLELLAN: The President will name a permanent CIA director in
due course. We have a very strong and capable leader in the acting
Director. And beyond that, I'm just not going to speculate about it.
Q Any response to Mrs. Cheney's remarks last night in which she
disagreed with the President's position on the marriage -- the
amendment to the Constitution on gay marriage?
MR. McCLELLAN: I guess I haven't seen exactly what she said.
Q She said she thinks it should be a state's issue and not a
constitutional issue.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think you heard the President's views in his
radio address. You've heard it going back for quite some time. There
is activist judges and local officials that sought to redefine the
definition of marriage. And the President feels strongly that the
people's voice ought to be heard in this debate. And the only way for
the people's voice to be heard is through the constitutional process.
And the President believes strongly in protecting the sanctity of
marriage. And this is the only recourse that we have, given the
actions by these activist judges.
Q Is it appropriate for the wife of the Vice President to take
a different public position on it?
MR. McCLELLAN: I haven't seen exactly what she said. I'll be glad
to take a look at it, though. I'll be around later.
Okay, thanks.
END 10:03 A.M. EDT
* See pool report.
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