For Immediate Release
July 16, 2004
Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan
Aboard Air Force One
PRESS GAGGLE BY
SCOTT McCLELLAN
Presidents Schedule
Budget
Terror Warning
Reference B
NATO
Arrest of Abu Hazma/Britain
Brahimi/Interim Government
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Nashville, Tennessee
12:28 P.M. EDT
MR. McCLELLAN: All right, good afternoon. Let me run through the
President's day. He began with his usual briefings. Then the
President welcomed his good friend, President Flores, to the White
House. The two leaders had a very good discussion. The President
thanked President Flores for his strong leadership, and wished him well
as he leaves office. The President expressed his appreciation for El
Salvador's strong support for our efforts in Iraq. They had a good
discussion about the President's five-step plan for success in Iraq,
and the way forward to a free, democratic and peaceful Iraq. They also
discussed hemispheric and bilateral issues. And the President said he
looked forward to building upon our strong relationship with El
Salvador with President Flores' successor.
Upon landing here in Nashville, the Freedom Corps greeter is Phuong
Le, who for the past six years has been a volunteer with the Siloam
Family Health Center in Nashville. She volunteers every Saturday
morning, and after school two nights a week, by staffing the front
desk, organizing charts and patient flow and serving as an interpreter
for patients with limited proficiency in English.
Then following that, the President will go to Vanderbilt University
Medical Center. The President will participate in a tour of the
Children's Hospital and he will receive a briefing there, as well,
about the way they are applying health information technology at the
children's hospital. Then he looks forward to participating in a
conversation on the benefits of health information technology. The
people involved in that conversation will be the National Health
Information Technology Coordinator, Vanderbilt's Assistant Chief
Medical Officer, an Emergency Medicine Physician from Indianapolis and
a Vanderbilt University Medical Center patient and the mother of a
patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. And you all have the
fact sheet on that.
Following that, the President will participate in a Victory 2004
reception in Nashville at a private residence. And I think that's all
I've got.
Q Is the President going to support an across-the-board cut
in domestic spending in his next budget?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, any speculation at this point
about the 2006 budget really has no basis in fact, because no decisions
have been made, and they won't be made for months. This President will
continue to work to make sure we fund our highest priorities, while
restraining spending elsewhere in the budget. And he will continue to
work to cut the deficit in half over the next five years. But any such
speculation, like we've seen in some media reports about the 2006
budget, simply has no basis in fact at this point.
Q So there was no memo, because that story is based off of a
memo.
MR. McCLELLAN: Sure, and that's all part of the normal, routine
budget process that goes on in every administration.
Q So there was a memo, then.
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. But it --
Q And it accurately quoted --
MR. McCLELLAN: -- but the suggestion that Dick was bringing up,
about possible cuts in the 2006 budget, that's what I was referring
to. That kind of speculation has no basis in fact, because the policy
decisions have yet to be made, and they won't be made for months.
Q But why, then, does the memo instruct the budget planners
to assume that there will be cuts?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think -- and you're certainly one who has
an understanding, Dick, of the budget process. Anyone who understands
the budget process knows that there is routine guidance like this sent
out in every administration to agencies, but it does not represent any
policy decisions, because those policy decisions won't be made for
months.
Q The President has, over the past couple of years, talked
about restraining spending to roughly the level of what household
budgets increase by. Is that still an operative framework for what he
is looking for in terms of spending increases?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, right now, right now, we're continuing to
work on the 2005 budget and we're pleased the Congress is moving
forward on a budget that funds our priorities and restrains spending
elsewhere in the budget, as the President has proposed. The House has
passed the budget framework. We'll continue to urge the Senate to act
on this 2005 budget. But the President, as he has in past budgets,
will continue to work to fund our priorities and hold the line on
spending elsewhere in the budget, as he has done.
Q The Kerry campaign is saying that the President's speech on
Monday and the warning on Wednesday is an attempt to change the subject
and is politically motivated --
MR. McCLELLAN: The speech on Monday is what?
Q And the terror warning on Wednesday -- the timing of it is
politically motivated to change the subject.
MR. McCLELLAN: We are waging a global war on terrorism to make the
world safer and make America more secure. This President knows that
his highest responsibility is the safety and security of the American
people. And there are terrorists who hate freedom, who continue to
want to harm Americans. We are continuing to dismantle and disrupt the
al Qaeda network and the al Qaeda is desperate to try and attack
America. I mean, we've seen public comments from al Qaeda that they
have made that they want to attack America. They have said that they
are 90 percent complete in their preparations to strike America. And,
you know, this President will continue to act at home and abroad to
protect the American people.
Q But the timing is not -- you're saying the timing --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well -- in terms of the Homeland Security
announcement. I mean, the people who the Attorney General and the FBI
Director reissued bulletins for yesterday are real people who represent
a real danger to America. And that's why I said this President will
continue to act at home and abroad to protect the America people.
And -- well, go ahead. Do you have a follow-up, or --
Q All of the men and the one woman who are in there, have
been long sought, according to news reports, except for this one guy
from southern California. Do you know anything more about him and why
he was recently added, why he's the -- become a recent --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think they put out information about those
people yesterday and the FBI Director spoke about it as well. So
that's what -- and what they put out is what I know of as well.
Q Senator Kerry's going to --
MR. McCLELLAN: As they pointed out, these are people associated
with al Qaeda that pose a danger.
Q Senator Kerry is calling again today for NATO to make Iraq
part of its mission. Can you talk a little bit about the President's
thinking about NATO's role in Iraq, as he prepares to go to the NATO
summit next month?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yeah, we are actually -- well, those are
discussions that have just really gotten underway, in terms of NATO's
role in the future of Iraq. There are 15 or so NATO countries who are
already participating in our efforts in Iraq and helping provide for
the security of the Iraqi people. And we appreciate that, those
countries being involved in helping to build a free and peaceful and
democratic Iraq. And we will continue to have discussions with NATO
members going forward, as we head into the summit in Turkey. And we'll
have further discussions at that summit. But those discussions are
just in the early stages and they'll have further discussions at NATO,
at the NATO summit.
Q But, I mean, based on your experience with France and
Germany, in particular, is it realistic of Senator Kerry to expect NATO
to take this on as a full-fledged military mission?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, I think he needs to do a better
job of explaining his own contradictions. But, you know, that --
Q On what?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, when it comes to Iraq. Because he's someone
who's been on all sides of the issue when it comes to Iraq. But, you
know, this President has worked to build a strong coalition in Iraq and
has long called for the United Nations to play a vital role going
forward, and we are continuing to move forward as part of the
President's five-step plan for success in Iraq to broaden the
international support for the efforts that are going on there.
Q But is it realistic and proper for NATO to consider Iraq --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I understand. I'm not, you know, I'm not
going to try to speculate about it at this point, speculate about what
future role NATO may or may not play, because those discussions are
really just getting underway. We need to let those discussions
proceed. But that's why I pointed out that you already have many NATO
countries involved in our efforts in Iraq.
Q Any reaction of the President on the arrest of Abu Hamza in
Great Britain?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, any --
Q Any reaction from the President on this? It sounds like
it's been a year in the works, lengthy negotiations to try to get the
Brits to arrest this man and they finally have done so?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yeah, we have, obviously, you have comments from
the Attorney General earlier today, but this, you know, we continue to
be at war on terrorism, and this administration is waging this war on
many different fronts. This is a global war that we are fighting in
close cooperation with many nations, and we will continue to do so.
While it's fought on many fronts, the war on terrorism is won on the
offensive, and going after those who seek to do us harm and bringing
them to justice before they can carry out their attacks. And that's
what -- and this is part of the continuing war on terrorism.
Q Forgive me if you're already responded to this, but there
was a report out by the British Institute a couple days ago saying that
the war has spawned thousands -- is it like 18,000 or something like
that -- new terrorists, as a result of the war. Did you have any
response to that?
MR. McCLELLAN: I didn't see -- I haven't seen the report. I don't
know exactly --
Q The British Institute for Strategy, or something like
that.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- what it said, but, you know, terrorists, there
are terrorists out there who hate freedom and the only way to defeat
the terrorists is to take the fight to them and bring them to justice
before they can attack. This is a global war on terrorism. We are at
war and if the terrorists weren't carrying out their evil in one place,
they'd be carrying it out somewhere else. I just reject that idea.
Q Any reaction to Gore's speech?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think everyone is entitled to their
opinions even when they are wrong.
Q Is he going to mention Iraq at all today?
MR. McCLELLAN: It's a conversation focusing on health information
technology. But you'll get -- it's not a formal speech, per se. But
you'll be there to cover it.
Q Is the administration going to be okay if the names Brahimi
puts forward are all in the expert category, the technocrat category?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, one, Mr. Brahimi has been in close contact
with Iraqis as he's worked to form the interim Iraqi government. He's
also been in close consultation with Ambassador Bremer and others in
the region. So we are very well aware of the process as it moves
forward. And we look forward to his announcement on who those members
of the interim government will be.
Q -- more about when that might be?
Q Is it going to be this week, as the President said?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, he's -- I think you've heard from Secretary
General Annan. Earlier this week he had expressed hope that it would
be this week. And we know that Mr. Brahimi is continuing to make
progress and move forward on the names. And we expect he'll be coming
back soon with an announcement.
Q This weekend, maybe, still?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'll let him to refer to more of a specific date,
but we expect it will be soon.
Q Is there any concern that Shahristani has taken himself out
of the running to become Prime Minister?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, one, I think you ought to look back to what
-- I don't know if it was Mr. Brahimi or a spokesman for him said on
that matter, but it's still my understanding that he has not made any
final recommendations on exactly who will make up the interim
government.
Q Does the administration have any feeling about the idea
about having a U.N. high commissioner after this interim government is
named?
MR. McCLELLAN: A high commissioner for?
Q An international high commissioner.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think right now where our focus is, is on moving
forward on getting an interim government in place and transferring
sovereignty and moving forward on a new resolution at the United
Nations that would recognize that interim government and encourage even
broader international support, and a resolution that would also support
the electoral process that is ongoing right now in Iraq. So that's
where our focus is right now. And we'll continue to --
All right, thanks.
Q Scott, is there -- is there any concern the administration
is sending out mixed signals yesterday by, one hand, the AG and the FBI
Director putting out the list of seven Iraqis we're looking for, and at
the same time, Governor Ridge, going on a lot of the shows yesterday
and sort of downplaying the threat and making the point we haven't
raised the threat level. What should we make of these conflicting --
MR. McCLELLAN: -- agree with your term "downplaying." Secretary
Ridge has been out there talking about the current threat period that
we are in prior to yesterday. And he's been talking about how these
high profile events we come -- we have coming up over the summer and
fall time period certainly present an attractive target that terrorists
might want to strike. And that's one of the reasons he's out there
talking about the importance of people being on a heightened state of
awareness and being vigilant as we enter this serious threat period.
And I think from the law enforcement stand point, you're seeing the
law enforcement officials talking about their role in protecting the
homeland and the steps that they are taking to find and apprehend the
individuals they mentioned yesterday. So I think that what you're
seeing is that these officials are talking about it from their own
positions of responsibility.
All right, thanks.
END 12:43 P.M. EDT
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