For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 10, 2004
Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan
Aboard Air Force One
En route Huntington, West Virginia
President's Schedule
Zell Miller
National Guard Documents
Republican Convention
Campaign 2004
9:59 A.M. EDT
MR. McCLELLAN: Let me start off with the President's day. The
President spoke with President Mbeki this morning. The two leaders
shared their views on the need to take strong action against
proliferation. The President thanked President Mbeki for the recent
steps South Africa has taken to pursue individuals and firms associated
with the A.Q. Khan network. The two leaders also discussed Darfur and
they discussed the African Union efforts in the Darfur region. They
also discussed President Obasanjo's meeting with President Bashir and
both leaders agreed on the need to move forward on completion of a free
trade agreement between the United States and the Southern African
Customs Union. And they also discussed the importance of addressing the
situations in the Congo and Zimbabwe.
Then the President had his usual briefings this morning.
We will be going to Huntington, West Virginia, where he will make
remarks at a Victory 2004 Rally. Following that, the President will
participate in an "Ask President Bush" event in Portsmouth, Ohio. And
on the bus trip from Portsmouth to Chillicothe, the President is going
to meet with some union members and employees -- four, altogether --
Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. They're expressing their support
for them. I think the campaign can probably give you more information
later about that -- Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and, like I
said, the campaign can get you a little bit more information on the
plant and the employees a little bit later.
Q Is there a dispute of some sort?
MR. McCLELLAN: What's that? No, no, no. He's visiting with them and
they are going to be expressing their support for his re-election.
Then he's got the remarks, and that's the President's schedule. We
return to D.C. this evening. He's also got a photo opportunity with a
Make-A-Wish Foundation child prior to departure from Ohio, back to
D.C.
Q I saw Zell Miller getting on board this morning with Senator
DeWine, will -- MR. McCLELLAN: Senator DeWine, Senator Miller,
Congressman Portman are all on board.
Q Will Zell Miller be making remarks at the rallies, introducing or
--
MR. McCLELLAN: Let me double-check that. Obviously, you'll be there
to cover it. Let me double-check it with the campaign.
Q Is there sort of an energy theme today, at all?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think he'll continue to talk about his agenda for
the future and talk about some of the priorities he mentioned in the
convention speech.
Q Highlight energy --
MR. McCLELLAN: He may talk a little bit more about the differences
on Iraq. So you might want to pay attention to those remarks.
Q On Iraq?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes.
Q On the National Guard documents --
Q Can you talk about tomorrow --
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm going to get to the week ahead at the end, but
what we've laid out for tomorrow is what he's doing tomorrow, and then
he'll go to Camp David.
Q He is going to Camp David? Okay, thanks.
MR. McCLELLAN: Following the radio address.
Q Scott, on the National Guard documents, do you have any
suspicions about their authenticity?
MR. McCLELLAN: We don't know whether the documents were fabricated
or are authentic. You know, the media has talked to independent experts
who have raised questions about the documents. CBS has not disclosed
where the documents came from. But, regardless, it does not -- the
documents do not change the facts. The President met his obligations
and was honorably discharged. And the one thing that is clear is the
timing and the coordination going on here. There is an orchestrated
effort by Democrats and the Kerry campaign to tear down the President
because of the direction the polls are moving. And it's not surprising
that we're seeing the same old recycled attacks. The Democrats are
determined to throw the kitchen sink at us, and I suspect this is just
the beginning.
Q When you use the word "coordination," it seems to suggest in a
legal sense that the Kerry campaign is illegally coordinating with the
527 --
MR. McCLELLAN: It's clear. I mean, look at the media reports,
they've documented the coordinated efforts by Democrats to tear down
the President here, because they're falling behind in the polls. You
look at the -- The Washington Post had a story about it today, talking
about the multi-front effort by the Democratic National Committee,
other Democrats. You have outrageous comments being made by Senator
Harkin. You have the Democratic National Committee using the term
"Operation Fortunate Son." "Fortunate Son" was the name of a book by an
ex-convict that was widely discredited in the 2000 campaign.
Q But what I'm saying is, you're essentially accusing Mr. Kerry of
violating McCain-Feingold, it sounds like.
MR. McCLELLAN: What I'm saying is that the Democrats are seeing the
direction the polls are moving and they are now -- and they are
determined to tear down the President, they are determined to throw the
kitchen sink at us.
We're focused -- the President is focused on his agenda for the
future and where he wants to lead this country. The Democrats are
focused on tearing down the President with the same old recycled
attacks, because they're falling behind.
Q Are you guys doing a -- are you doing an analysis of your own
about the documents, to see if they're fake or not?
MR. McCLELLAN: No. I don't know that we have any way to verify
that. I mean, these are serious allegations and they are being looked
into by others.
Q Two questions. Does the White House regret handing out those
documents, taking CBS's word on their authenticity, without checking
them, themselves?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, we -- you know, we released all the President's
personnel -- or made available publicly all the President's personnel,
medical and payroll files in their entirety. The Department of Defense
has continued to go back and look for additional documents that weren't
in those files.
It was an issue of openness. CBS provided us with those documents
and --
Q Did you ask --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we did ask, and CBS did not disclose to us,
either, where they obtained those documents from. We wanted to be open
about it, so we provided that information, as we have other documents
to the media.
Q Were you duped, do you think?
MR. McCLELLAN: Bill, that's assuming a lot of things. Like I said,
we don't know whether the documents were fabricated or authentic.
Q Have you been in contact with CBS since this question about their
authenticity has arisen, in terms of their internal investigation, et
cetera?
MR. McCLELLAN: In terms of their internal investigation?
Q Have they notified you --
MR. McCLELLAN: CBS put out a statement yesterday, I noticed. So you
all are very aware of the --
Q But have they contacted you directly and said, we may have given
you bogus documents?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, not that I'm aware of. You all were very well
aware of what their position is. They put a statement out.
Q Scott, is the President at all troubled by the distinctly
negative tone the campaign seems to have taken since the convention and
going forward in these last few --
MR. McCLELLAN: That's why -- I mean, you're seeing a real contrast
here. The President went to New York and outlined a positive and
hopeful vision for the country. He talked about where he wants to lead
this country in the war on terrorism, and our efforts here at home to
provide more opportunity for all Americans. And the Democrats are
resorting to recycling old attacks from the past to tear down the
President. I think we have great confidence in the American people to
see through these kind of attacks.
Q How did the Vice President's comment fit into that description
you just gave?
MR. McCLELLAN: What do you mean?
Q His comment, when he basically said that voters have a choice in
the election, and if they make the wrong choice, that we could get hit
by a terrorist attack.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think the Vice President actually -- I think you
all have something on the wire now, talking about his interview with --
I believe it was a Cincinnati paper.
And he --
Q The President has not --
MR. McCLELLAN: -- I think he made it very clear in his remarks the
other day, and he also made it clear today. He said that he wanted to
make it clear that he was talking about the different strategies for
fighting the war on terrorism. Having an effective strategy to win the
war on terrorism is a critical issue in this race, and there are some
clear differences on how you fight and win the war on terrorism. And
those issues should be discussed. I think our opponent has shown a
fundamental misunderstanding of how you wage the war on terrorism. And
the President has a very clear strategy for waging and winning the war
on terrorism. It's fought on many fronts, and it's also fought by
spreading freedom, to defeat the ideologies of hatred. And that's the
strategy this President is pursuing. Senator Kerry has a different
strategy, and we should discuss and debate those issues and
differences.
Q Are you glad that the Vice President walked that back a little
bit?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the Vice President said what he said -- said
what he was talking about the other day; he was talking about the
different approaches to the war on terrorism in this race. That's a
very important issue before the American people, and it's a choice that
should be discussed and debated, so that the American people will know
exactly where everybody stands on that highest of priorities.
Q Scott, Senator McCain the other week made clear that he thought
that it was appropriate to examine Senator Kerry's behavior in the
anti-war movement, not questioning his service, but what he did when he
came home. There are now Republican-funded groups are starting to air
advertisements looking at some of those issues. Does the President
think that that's appropriate for --
MR. McCLELLAN: The American people will make decisions about the
public comments that he made after the war. We recognize there are a
lot of strong feelings among veterans about some of the comments he
made after the war. But this race is about the future and about our
different agendas for the future. The President has outlined a clear
agenda, a clear and positive agenda for the country. Senator Kerry does
not want to discuss his out-of-the-mainstream record in the Senate, and
he does not want to discuss his out-of-the-mainstream views, and he has
done nothing to offer the American people an agenda for where he wants
to lead the country.
Q But does the President think that that -- what Senator Kerry's
anti-war action is, is an important part of his record for the American
people to know --
MR. McCLELLAN: He made public comments. You cited what Senator
McCain said. Those were public comments made by the senator. There
are, obviously, very strong feelings within the veteran community about
some of those comments. The American people will make those decisions.
The President is going to continue to focus on his agenda for the
future. That's what the President believes the focus -- where the focus
should be, and what this should be.
All right, I'll do the week ahead real quick. On Monday, September
13th, it's a bus tour. He'll participate in a "Focus on Health with
President Bush" event in Michigan -- we already announced that one,
actually -- remarks at a Holland, Michigan, Victory 2004 rally, remarks
at a Battle Creek, Michigan Victory 2004 rally, overnight in Aurora,
Colorado on Monday.
Tuesday, the 14th, the President will make remarks at Arapahoe
County, Colorado, Victory 2004 Rally. Then he'll make remarks at the
General Conference of the National Guard Association of the United
States in Las Vegas, and return to the White House. On Wednesday,
September 15th, he makes remarks at the Hispanic Heritage Month Concert
and Reception at the White House. And on Thursday, the 16th, he'll make
remarks at a St. Cloud, Minnesota Victory 2004 Rally. He'll participate
in a "Focus on Health with President Bush" event in Blaine, Minnesota,
then he'll make remarks at a Rochester, Minnesota, Victory 2004 rally.
Then on Friday, September 17th, he'll make remarks at a Victory
2004 reception in Washington, D.C. And then he'll make remarks at a
Victory 2004 and Burr for Senate Reception in Charlotte, North
Carolina. We overnight in Kennebunkport. And then Saturday there are no
public events scheduled. He'll be in -- we overnight in Kennebunkport.
And on Sunday, the 19th, he'll participate in the opening of the
Sylvania 300 NASCAR race in Loudon, New Hampshire, and then he'll
participate in an "Ask President Bush" event in Derry, New Hampshire.
We overnight in Kennebunkport. And then on Monday, the 20th, we travel
to New York City, where the President will remain until the 22nd. Also
on Monday, the 20th, the President will participate in a Victory 2004
dinner. He will remain in New York City until the 22nd, for the United
Nations General Assembly. And we will announce for the United Nations
when we get closer to the event.
END 10:14 A.M. EDT
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