For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 2, 2001
Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer
Kingsmill Resort Williamsburg, Virginia
12:00 P.M. EST
MR.
FLEISCHER: Hello, everybody. Good
morning. Welcome to Williamsburg. This is my
sixth year in a row coming to this retreat, although I must say it
feels a little different this year.
Let me give
you a little bit of information about what took place this morning at
the Library of Congress. I want to give you an update for
the President's schedule next week, and then see if I can't help and
answer some questions. And then the President is speaking in
a little while, so we can't be too long.
The
President's remarks lasted 12 minutes to the Library of
Congress. He said that "It is a time for
policy." He said that he will "present the exact plan I
campaigned on." And then he proceeded to discuss Medicare
reform, Social Security reform, defense budget, tax relief, and
education.
He brought
the room to a rather -- the whole meeting was attentive and
silent. But he really, I think, created an emotional point
in the meeting when he talked about former Lt. Governor of Texas Bob
Bullock. And he talked about when Bob Bullock was on his
deathbed, in the last 24 hours of Bob Bullock's life, the President was
called to Bob Bullock's deathbed and summoned there by Governor
Bullock. And the President said that when he was first
elected as governor of Texas, some people said that Bob Bullock
wouldn't be able to stand him. And he said that throughout
the course of their working relationship they established together, how
well they were able to do business and put Texas first and partisanship
second, and that on his deathbed, Bob Bullock said to him, I want you
to be President and I want you to eulogize me. And 24 hours
later, Bob Bullock passed, as the President put it. And he
said, "That's a lesson I carry with me." And I think the
Democrats understood the point the President was making, about the
importance of working with the other party, to put the nation first.
The final
item is, at the end of the President's remarks, he said that, in terms
of wanting people to run for office, he cited specifically wanting
people to run for the Senate -- he said, "I want people to look at the
system and say what a grand system it is." The President
took five questions, and then he stayed and mingled for about 10
minutes or so on his way out, and then came down here, as you all
know.
Q Can
you just quickly reread that quote about, "it's a time for policy," and
then you said, I'm going to present something --
MR.
FLEISCHER: He said, "It is a time for policy." He
said, "I will present the exact plan I campaigned on."
Q Is
that meant to be a line in the sand?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That's not a line in the sand. That's
just a reaffirmation of the promises he made during the campaign.
Q Ari,
the last quote you were talking before you ended, "I want people to
look at" -- the last quote.
MR.
FLEISCHER: "I want people to look at the system and say what
a grand system it is." He said he wants people to run for
office, he wants people to feel good about serving their country.
Next week
-- the focus of next week will be on tax cuts. On Monday,
the President will have an event with four Americans, each of whom will
fall into the new lower brackets the President is proposing to create.
On Monday, he will travel to the Department of Commerce for the
swearing-in of his friend, and now Secretary of Commerce, Don
Evans. And of course, we will have the working visit of
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
On Tuesday,
the President will have an event, also on taxes, that focuses on
creating jobs, job growth. And he will take a trip to a
local small business to discuss the importance of small business in job
creation and how they will be aided by his tax cut.
On
Wednesday, the President will host a reunion of the tax families that
those of you who may have traveled with us during the campaign will
recall. Many people from across the country joined the
President on the campaign trail to talk about their individual tax
circumstances. He will host a reunion for those people on
Wednesday.
And on
Thursday, the President will send his tax legislation up to the
Hill. That will be the general outlines of a tax proposal,
the type of proposal that you've been getting used to, like education,
disability. It will have a lot of specific information in it; it will
not be bill language.
And that's
the rundown for the week.
Q Can
you talk about the Chretien meeting and how big a role trade policy is
going to play in those talks?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, Canada, of course, is our nation's number
one trade partner. And the purpose of the meeting is have a
get-to-know-you, get acquainted session, and you can anticipate that
any number of issues could come up on the agenda.
Q Is
trade definitely going to come up?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, I'm not going to preview what the agenda
will be for a get-acquainted session of this nature. But I
think any number of issues could come up.
Q Ari,
tell us about the questions -- five questions you say. What were the
subjects?
MR.
FLEISCHER: All policy oriented -- questions about energy,
questions about coal, questions about education. Every one
was a very policy-oriented question.
Q --
of yesterday's vote? Anyone express --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Not a one.
Q Ari,
a question on Iraq. Does the $4 million authorized for use
by the Iraqi opposition represent a stepped-up U.S. effort against
Saddam Hussein?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The $4 million grant to the INC that was
mentioned in the article you reference was initiated and appropriated
in 1999. This was FY 2000 money intended to help the INC to
gather information inside Iraq to help build a case against Iraqi
leadership for crimes against humanity. A license
application was submitted to OFAC under the previous administration to
spend the money inside Iraq. And since passage of the Iraq
Liberation Act in 1998, the United States has worked to try to improve
the capabilities of the Iraqi opposition. This is a further
step in that process, and it is consistent with President Bush's
support for the Iraqi opposition. So this ties back to the
previous legislation.
Q It's
not a stepped-up effort, then?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, this is in accordance with previously passed
legislation.
Q And
what was the title of that legislation again, please?
MR.
FLEISCHER: This was an appropriation item --
Q But
since passage of the what act in 1998?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Appropriated in '99 -- let me refer you back to
Mary Ellen for a little of the background on the
legislation. The part I'm more familiar with is the
appropriated funds that passed in the Congress and was signed by the
previous President.
Q And
at that appropriation were those funds appropriated for use within the
national boundaries of Iraq, and this does not represent a new policy
in the Bush administration?
MR.
FLEISCHER: It is consistent with the legislation previously
passed and signed into law.
Q Ari,
are there any meetings planned at Camp David, or is this purely
relaxation, break?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, the President is always free to work the
phones or talk to people as he sees fit, but the purpose is
relaxation. He will be joined there by his brother Marvin
and his sister Doro, and their spouses.
Q Is
National Security Advisor Rice going to be there?
MR.
FLEISCHER: She is.
Q Anybody
else?
Q Any
other Cabinet members?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That's the only one I'm aware of.
Q He
is going to return Sunday afternoon after his visit to Pennsylvania?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Go to Pennsylvania, and depart from Pennsylvania,
come back to Washington.
Q Why
is Rice going to be there?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Because she'll be traveling with the President.
Q Ari,
what was the President's -- how does he feel he was
received? Any sense of how he feels the meeting went this
morning?
MR.
FLEISCHER: He was received very, very well. And
he was thanked by a number of senators for coming and joining with
them. He was thanked by a number of senators for all the
efforts that he's displayed since he was elected. In fact,
one senator pointed out that the President actually began this effort
before he took office, that this senator had been invited down to
Austin to participate in bipartisan meetings with President Clinton --
whoops -- with President Bush. And I think there was just a
note of -- stop laughing. (Laughter.)
Q In
the spirit of bipartisanship. (Laughter.)
Q Just
to follow up, though, some were saying that this meeting today is all
part of more symbolism than substance, that this is sort of not really
the substance yet --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Who has said that?
Q Senator
Baucus has described this as all form, no substance, this meeting this
morning.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think when you hear the conversations, it was
so substantive, the number of discussions, the issues addressed, the
meetings he's had at the White House with members of Congress, the
legislation he has sent up -- it's two things. It begins
with ideas and the power of his ideas; and the second thing is
bipartisan cooperation to get it done.
Q Ari,
Democrats in the Senate voted 42 against Ashcroft
yesterday. Did the President acknowledge that in any way
when he met with them this morning, or was it sort of --
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, as I indicated, it did not come
up. The President, after the vote yesterday, called Senator
Lott and called now Secretary Ashcroft and thanked them, congratulated
them. The President is very pleased with the vote and
bipartisan support.
Q Daschle
said the Democrats were trying to send a message. Does he take any
message from that split?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President is very pleased with the entire
process by which is Cabinet was chosen -- I mean, was confirmed, the
speed of which his Cabinet was confirmed. And the White
House views yesterday's vote as a bipartisan showing of support.
Q It's
the largest number of "no" votes against a sitting, confirmed Attorney
General in history. Is that meaningful --
MR.
FLEISCHER: There have been other instances in which the
opposite party joined ranks and voted against President Cabinet
selections before. I think you just see the numbers are what
they are in terms of the split in the Senate, 50-50. But,
again, it was at 58; that means by definition 8 Democrats joined not
only with every single Republican in the Senate, but they joined with
the Executive Branch -- that is the definition of
bipartisanship. And we're pleased.
Q Can
you tell us anything about the meeting so far here with the
Republicans?
MR.
FLEISCHER: It's all been mix and mingle right now.
Q Can
you give us a sense how movie night went last night?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I didn't ask him.
Q Not
even if he liked it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: He was here on the helicopter; I was there; we
were talking deep policy, wonk -- I didn't ask him.
Q Ari,
some of the House members here today are pushing for an even larger tax
package than the one the President is calling for. What is
the White House position on that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The plan we will send up will be the plan on
which he campaigned. He will stress that today, and then I
think you will also hear the President say that he understands the
President proposes, the Congress disposes -- or as he says, the
President suggests, and then Congress acts. And he'll look
forward to working with the Congress.
Q What
does he think of Clinton calling Vajpayee?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President has already taken a number of steps
to help the Indian government, and the government is doing -- our
United States government is being very helpful in doing what it
should. He has no further thoughts on the subject.
Q But
did it annoy him at all?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No further thoughts.
Q Ari,
reaction from the administration to the increase to 4.2 percent in the
unemployment rate for January?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Kelly, that's another reminder why it's important
that the Congress pass the President's tax plan and recovery
plan. The President has been indicating for a considerable
period of time that the economy was softening, to the point where it
should worry all Americans. This morning's increase in unemployment is
another reminder that we need to work in a bipartisan fashion to pass
President Bush's tax plan so we can help strengthen the economy.
Q The
President has met with over the last two weeks, as you pointed out,
dozens and dozens of members of Congress. In the events next
week, does he continue to plan to meet with a number of lawmakers?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I took a quick glance at the schedule next week;
I don't recall how many congressional meetings are on
there. He'll continue, yes. But the pace may slow
down. We've got a few more members to meet with, of course,
but he's obviously meeting with everybody in these sessions, as well,
though it's a different style meeting.
Okay. Thank
you.
END 12:15
P.M. EST
|