Text 2264, 594 rader
Skriven 2006-03-07 23:33:26 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0603072) for Tue, 2006 Mar 7
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Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 7, 2006

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
James S. Brady Briefing Room



  þ President's schedule
  þ Travel to Gulf Coast
  þ Iran/Russian proposal
      þ Reference B
  þ Dubai port deal
      þ Reference B
  þ NSA surveillance program
  þ Lebanon
  þ Line-item veto legislation
  þ South Dakota abortion measure
  þ Voting in Crawford
  þ Rebuilding New Orleans/levees

11:53 A.M. EST

MR. MCCLELLAN: Hello, everybody, to those who are not going on to Texas and
the Gulf Coast. Let me first begin by talking about tomorrow. The President
looks forward to visiting the Gulf Coast region tomorrow to get a firsthand
look at the progress that's being made.

This will give the President an opportunity to get an up-close look at the
ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts. There has been much progress made,
but there is much work to be done. The size and scope of the devastation
from Hurricane Katrina was unprecedented. There are many needs that we are
all, at the federal, state and local level, working together to address.

The President has made it clear that the federal government will do what it
takes to help residents of the Gulf Coast rebuild their lives and rebuild
their communities. We have already allocated some $88 billion in federal
resources to help, another $20 billion is being requested, and there are
some -- more than 16,000 federal personnel deployed and working with state
and local authorities to help people along the Gulf Coast region.

Tomorrow the President -- we're still finalizing the specific details, but
tomorrow the President will visit the New Orleans area, including
participating in a briefing and a tour of the area. And following that, the
President will visit the Gulfport-Biloxi area in Mississippi.

And with that, I'll be glad to go to your questions.

Q Is he trying to make up for a lot of the criticism of his handling of the
whole New Orleans situation?

MR. McCLELLAN: This is focusing on how we're working together to help the
people of the Gulf Coast rebuild their lives and their communities. The
President made a very strong commitment, and we are following through on
that commitment. And he has visited the Gulf Coast a number of times, as
has a number of our Cabinet Secretaries and other high-ranking officials in
the administration. And we will continue to visit the Gulf Coast region.

Q Does he believe that the criticism has been unfair?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I talked a little bit about that yesterday and pointed
out how, I think last week, while we were traveling, there were certainly
some reports that ignored key facts and people then twisted some of those
facts to fit a certain story line that simply is in clear contradiction to
the public record. There is a very public record in terms of all those
events.

Q Can you characterize on the nuke deal with Iran -- can you characterize
what the Russians have been hearing from the administration today? Have
they backed off their initial position as far as trying to work something
out with Iran? And is it the administration's position that any kind of
research is a bad thing, anything that allows the Iranians to become more
familiar with the process of creating potential to have nuclear energy is a
bad thing?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, a couple things. This is not about us or the
international community, it's about the regime in Iran. So let's keep the
focus where it should be, and that's where it has been. But, no, I'm not
able to characterize meetings that have taken place so far because those
meetings have taken place over at the Department of State. And I think that
you -- just a short time ago, some of your colleagues were able to hear
from Secretary Rice and Foreign Minister Lavrov of Russia. He will be
coming over here shortly and meeting with the President, as well. He met
with the Secretary of State and our National Security Advisor Steve Hadley
last night. They had very good discussions.

My understanding was that the Foreign Minister reiterated what Russia has
previously said. They said that they -- my understanding is he said there's
no new Russian proposal out there, that any enrichment and reprocess
activities would take place on -- under their proposal -- on Russian soil,
and that there would be a fuel take-back provision in place. And we have
previously expressed our support for this approach because it would allow
the Iranian people to realize the benefits of peaceful civilian nuclear
energy in a way that provides an important guarantee.

This is -- the international community has made it very clear that they are
concerned about the Iranian regime developing nuclear weapons under the
cover of a civilian program, and a very clear message has been sent to the
regime that the international community will not allow that to happen. And
that's why the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported
this matter to the United Nations Security Council. And now the board is
reviewing the latest report from the Director General of the Atomic Energy
Agency, which continues to raise very troubling concerns about the regime's
behavior.

The regime continues to move in the wrong direction. We have made it very
clear, as well as the international community, that Iran needs to suspend
all its enrichment related activities. And the reason why is because of
Iran's history. The regime has a history of defying the international
community, of hiding its nuclear activities for some two decades, and of
refusing to comply with international safeguard obligations. And that is
why the international community is continuing to grow more concerned about
the regime's provocative actions and behavior. It continues to refuse to
come into compliance with what the board just said.

Q Some members of the international community -- it's not like a monolithic
block. There are some members of the international community that seem open
to the idea that some research can be done on Iranian soil.

MR. McCLELLAN: Let's talk about where we are, because this is an issue of
trust, and what the regime needs to do is make a dramatic shift in its
course and behavior. It needs to come into compliance with what the board
of the International Atomic Energy Agency said. Otherwise, the
international community must hold the regime to account.

The International Atomic Energy Agency board spelled out what the regime
needs to do. It needs to adhere to the Paris Agreement it made with the
Europeans, meaning it needs to suspend all enrichment related activities.
It needs to come into compliance with the International Atomic Energy
Agency, and it needs to work in good faith through negotiations with the
Europeans. The Europeans have put forward a significant proposal with
Russia that would allow the regime to -- or allow the Iranian people to
realize the benefits of peaceful nuclear energy. But the regime has
continued to reject the proposals that they put on the table.

But if the regime were allowed to pursue any sort of enrichment-related
activity on its own soil, it could use the technology it develops in a
clandestine way to develop nuclear weapons. That is simply not acceptable
given the regime's history and its continued defiance.

Q Is the President at all concerned that the position that the U.S. and
others are taking could actually embolden the Iranian leader who may feel
that he can gain politically by being the target of Western concern? And
with the Vice President today saying, "every option is on the table,"
implicitly implying a military option, is that a concern at all for the
President?

MR. McCLELLAN: We're pursuing a diplomatic solution to this. The matter is
being reviewed. The report by the Director General of the International
Atomic Energy Agency is being reviewed this week by the board of the
International Atomic Energy Agency. That report continues to raise
troubling concerns. It shows that the regime is failing to comply with the
International Atomic Energy Agency. It shows that the regime continues to
engage in enrichment related activities. This is in direct confrontation
with the international community and the demands of the international
community.

This is -- as I said, it's an issue of trust here with the regime in Iran.
But our concerns are broader than just the nuclear issue, as you point out.
We are concerned about the regime's behavior when it comes to its
sponsorship of terrorism. We're concerned about its behavior when it comes
to the repression of its people. We're concerned about its behavior when it
comes to its role in the region -- the regime has been a destabilizing
force in the broader Middle East.

And we have made it very clear that we stand with the Iranian people who
have democratic aspirations. The Iranian people want to chart their own
future, and we stand firmly with them. And the provocative actions of the
regime and its leaders only further isolate the Iranian people from the
rest of the international community. And the regime has options that have
been put before it, but it has refused to seize those opportunities.

Q When the Vice President says Iran could face meaningful consequences,
what does that mean?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, those will be discussions that take place with other
members of the Security Council. As I indicated, the matter has been
referred to the Security Council. After the review --

Q He's not talking about a military response?

MR. McCLELLAN: We're pursuing a diplomatic solution. It's going to a new
phase of diplomacy now when it heads to the Security Council. After this
review is complete of the latest report, we expect that it will, very
shortly, go to the Security Council and then those issues will be discussed
before the Security Council. The regime in Iran has continued to defy the
international community instead of join with the international community
and work in a cooperative way.

Q So the Vice President didn't mean to threaten military action today?

MR. McCLELLAN: He stated what the President has repeatedly stated and what
we have repeatedly stated. He was stating our policy.

Q On the ports deal, the President has said that he would veto any movement
to block it on the part of Congress. Does the White House have any reaction
from Congressman Peter King's suggestion that one way to salvage the deal
would be to have a U.S. company come in as a sub-contractor, to have a U.S.
company have the access, do the work on the ground --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you can --

Q -- underneath the Dubai Ports World, which would, on paper, operational
--

MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, we appreciate Congressman King's comments last
week when -- or a couple of weeks ago, when the company agreed to submit a
new transaction to the Committee on Foreign Investment and ask for a 45-day
investigation. That was at the request of the company. It is now going
through the review process and we expect it to go through that 45-day
investigation shortly. And Congressman King and some others expressed
appreciation for that step. They felt it was an important step for the
company to take.

What we are doing is continuing to work very closely with Congress. There
have been ongoing discussions, as you can imagine, between the company and
congressional leaders. We've been involved in those discussions and we will
continue to work with members to make sure that they have the information
they need and they have the facts that they need so that they have a
greater understanding of this transaction. And we believe that as they come
to that greater understanding of the facts, that they will be more
comfortable with the transaction moving forward.

But there's a lot of discussions going on, and I think a lot of those
discussions are with the company. And we will continue to work with members
of Congress on these issues. One area where we're focused is on reform of
the Committee on Foreign Investment process, and we've been talking with
members of Congress and congressional leaders, we've been listening to
their ideas. We're continuing to engage on that issue and look at ways
that, as we move forward, we can reform that process.

Q -- the specifics of his suggestion --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q The specifics of his proposal?

MR. McCLELLAN: Like I said, there are a lot of discussions going on with
congressional leaders and the company, and we're working to make sure that
Congress has the information they need. And we appreciate the step by the
company that it took in agreement with congressional leaders to pursue a
45-day investigation.

Q Does the administration support the approach being taken by Senator
DeWine on the NSA surveillance program?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we've previously talked about that. Senator DeWine has
put forward some interesting ideas. We've made a commitment to work with
congressional leaders on legislation that would codify into law what the
President's authority is.

The President has not only authority, but the responsibility to use every
available tool at our disposal to save lives and prevent attacks from
happening. And the terrorist surveillance program is what you're bringing
--

Q He doesn't have the right to break the law.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- the terrorist surveillance program is a critical tool
that helps us to detect and prevent attacks from happening in the first
place. It helps us to connect the dots so that we can save lives. And it is
vital in our efforts to defend the American people and the save lives. And
as you've heard from people like General Hayden, our number two person in
the intelligence community, it has been a successful program and it has
been an important program.

Now, we have had discussions with congressional leaders -- Senator DeWine
is one of them. There are a lot of interesting ideas out there. We said
from the beginning that we are open to listening to ideas. The President --
the one thing the President said was that he would resist efforts if it
compromised the program in any way, or undermined his authority to protect
the American people. This is about protecting the American people. Now, we
--

Q He doesn't have the authority to break the law.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- we did make a commitment with leaders, like Senator
DeWine and others, to work with them on legislation that would codify his
authority into law.

Q -- do you think that you're nearing an agreement? I think that -- I've
heard that he's talking about that it would exempt the surveillance program
and allow for 45 days without warrants. Is that --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'll let Senator DeWine talk more specifically about what he
is proposing. He has talked publicly about some of those ideas. We want to
continue to work with him and others, as I said, on legislation that would
codify into law what the President's authority already is. And I think that
you're going to be hearing more from members in a short amount of time on
some of their ideas. And Senator DeWine, I understand, is coming forward
with a legislative proposal soon, so I'll let him speak to that.

Q I wonder if I could ask again Jim's question, which I don't think you
answered. Given that Sergey Lavrov did meet with the President's National
Security Advisor last night, do you get the impression the Russians agree
that Iran should do no enrichment, not even a limited amount, and that
there should be a take-back of all materials -- that there is no space
between Washington and Moscow on that issue?

MR. McCLELLAN: One, I'm not going to speak for the Russian government. I
just don't do that. I will express our views --

Q You can tell us whether Sergey Lavrov gave Hadley assurances.

MR. McCLELLAN: He just spoke publicly to this very issue over at the State
Department, and the Foreign Minister said that there is no new proposal
that the Russians are talking about, something along those lines. He said
that their proposal would mean that the enrichment reprocessing would take
place on Russian soil, the fuel would be provided to Iran, and then they
would take back that fuel. So we've previously expressed support for that
approach, and so I don't think anything has changed in terms of our view on
that.

Q Some of the Lebanese opposition are visiting Washington these days,
speaking that the support from the White House to -- for the President,
President Lahud, to step down. How can you say that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we support the Lebanese people and their desire to
live in a free and sovereign nation -- free of interference from Syria and
Syrian influence. We've made that very clear. In terms of political
decisions within Lebanon, that's up to the Lebanese people to decide. And
I'm not sure -- I don't have a readout of any of the meetings that have
taken place. I imagine some of those have taken place at the State
Department. They can probably provide you additional information on that.

Q March 15th -- they are insisting Lahud to step out before March 15th.

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know if there's anything different than what we've
previously expressed when it comes to Lebanon and our support for the
people of Lebanon to live in a democratic and sovereign nation, free from
outside interference.

Q Scott, why does the White House think that the CFIUS process needs to be
reformed? What are the problems --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, actually, our Deputy Treasury Secretary spoke to this
last week. And there have been some concerns raised by members of Congress
in terms of their oversight role in the consultation during that process.
This was a congressionally mandated process, so we have been following
through on that process that has been in place for quite some time, well
before this administration came into office. But Deputy Treasury Secretary
Kimmitt last week testified and talked about how -- and I previously, I
think, expressed, as well -- talked about how we support working with
Congress to improve that process.

And so I think there are ideas from members of Congress. We've been
engaging members of Congress and listening to those ideas. I think we will
continue to talk more about it as we move forward. But one area is looking
at ways that we can make sure Congress is getting information in a timely
manner.

Q How about internally within the process? You're talking about sort of the
oversight role, but internally within the process --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, like I said, we're having discussions with members of
Congress and we're continuing to look at ways we can move forward on
reform. And we'll continue to talk more about it as we move ahead.

Q Scott, a two-part. Given the U.S. Supreme Court's overwhelming support of
the right of our military to recruit on all college campuses, does the
President hope that his alma mater, Yale, will begin allowing the ROTC onto
their campus now that they have accepted, as a Yale student, the former
Deputy Foreign Secretary of the Taliban?

MR. McCLELLAN: We were strongly in support of that ruling. We welcome the
ruling by the Supreme Court. We believe that military recruiters ought to
have the same kind of access that other employers have on campuses. And so
we appreciate the ruling by the Supreme Court in its unanimous decision.

Q How many hundreds of thousands in lecture fees from foreign countries
does former President Bill Clinton have to accept before he's required to
register as a foreign agent?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think you should look at the laws and ask those questions
of President Clinton.

Q Yesterday when the President announced a proposal on line-item veto
authority, he also emphasized the need to rein in mandatory spending. So I
wonder why the entitlement reform panel, why no one's been named yet to
head that commission.

MR. McCLELLAN: Because there are ongoing discussions with congressional
leaders about how to move forward. The President made it very clear that he
wants this to be a bipartisan commission that would include members of
Congress from both sides of the aisle. There are serious challenges facing
our entitlement programs, whether it's Social Security or Medicare or
Medicaid. And the President has made it very clear that we need to slow the
growth in those programs so that we can protect those vital programs for
our children and grandchildren. We want to make sure it's there for them.
And he believes this is an area where we can work together in a bipartisan
way to get something done for the American people, but it will require a
true bipartisan effort. And that's why we're continuing to discuss it with
members of Congress. The President is firmly committed to it.

We are also firmly committed to addressing the mandatory spending side of
the budget. The President has made it clear that if we're going to address
the long-term challenges when it comes to fiscal discipline, we must reform
our entitlement programs and slow the growth in those programs. That's why
we took an important step recently by working with Congress to pass nearly
$40 billion in savings and mandatory spending. That's the first time that
happened, I believe, since 1997. The President has proposed an additional
$65 billion in mandatory savings in the current 2007 budget proposal. And
we look forward to working with Congress to build upon that.

The President is serious about fiscal discipline and reining in wasteful
spending. That's why he put forward the line-item veto legislation
yesterday. We believe that there is a good atmosphere to move forward and
continue to build upon the progress we've made to reduce the growth in
spending here in Washington, D.C., and to make sure that taxpayer dollars
are being spent wisely.

Q Are you planning then to wait and set a deadline for recommendations?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q Are you planning to set a deadline for --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, those are discussions we're having with congressional
leaders as we move forward to put this commission in place.

Q But are you having any trouble getting bipartisan support --

MR. McCLELLAN: There are good discussions going on with congressional
leaders right now.

Q Scott, as you probably know, the Governor of South Dakota has now signed
this abortion measure that the state legislature passed. Do you anticipate
the administration will weigh in on this as it makes its way through the
courts?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, let me express to you the President's views. The
President believes very strongly that we should be working to build a
culture of life in America, and that's exactly what he has worked to do. We
have acted in a number of ways, practical ways, to reduce the number of
abortions in America. The President strongly supported the ban on
partial-birth abortions. This is an abhorrent procedure, and we are
vigorously defending that legislation. We have acted in a number of other
ways, as well.

Now, I think this issue goes to the larger issue of the type of people that
the President appoints to the Supreme Court. And the President has made it
very clear he doesn't have a litmus test when it comes to the Supreme
Court, that he will nominate people to the bench that strictly interpret
our Constitution and our laws. But this is law that was passed by the South
Dakota legislature and signed into law by the Governor of that state. And
the President's view when it comes to pro-life issues has been very clearly
stated, and his actions speak very loudly, too.

Q So, again -- now it's going to wend its way through the courts. Will the
administration weigh in, in the appeals process that is going to inevitably
--

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, this is a state -- this is a state law.

Q No, but it's going to become a federal matter --

MR. McCLELLAN: It's a state matter. The President is going to continue
working to build a culture of life. He believes very strongly that we ought
to value every human life, and that we ought to take steps to protect the
weak and vulnerable, and that's exactly what we have done. Now, you're
getting into the question of a state law, and so that's something that will
-- the state will pursue.

Q But, Scott, no, maybe you don't understand -- it's going to become a
federal issue because it's going --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, let me reiterate. Maybe I'm not being clear -- because
the President has stated what his view is when it comes to the sanctity of
life. He's committed to defending the sanctity of life. He is pro-life with
three exceptions -- rape, incest and the life of -- when the life of the
mother is in danger. That's his position. This is a state law, Peter. And
I'm not going to --

Q So he would embrace this law as passed by South Dakota?

MR. McCLELLAN: This state law, as you know, bans abortions in all
instances, with the exception of the life of the mother.

Q And not rape and incest, and so therefore, he must disagree with it,
doesn't he? Doesn't he, Scott?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President has a strong record of working to build a
culture of life, and that's what he will continue to do.

Q I know, but you're not answering my question, you're dodging.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I'm telling you that it's a state issue --

Q He is opposed to abortion laws that forbid it for rape and incest --

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, look at the President --

Q Isn't that true, Scott? That's what you said.

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, let me respond. Look at the President's record when it
comes to defending the sanctity of life. That is a very strong record. His
views when it comes to pro-life issues are very clearly spelled out. We
also have stated repeatedly that state legislatures, when they pass laws
those are state matters.

Q He disagrees with South Dakota on this one, though, doesn't he?

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I've addressed the question.

Q He does, on rape and incest.

MR. McCLELLAN: I've addressed the question.

Q Concerning the President's quick trip to Texas today, has the plan all
along been for him to vote in person, or is this a result of some inability
to get a mail ballot in time?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, as I indicated previously, and I've already talked
about this issue, the President has voted in person in some instances and
he's voted by absentee mail-in ballot in other instances. So he's done it
both ways. I know that in 2002 and 2004, he voted in person. The President
looks forward to traveling to Texas later today and voting in person. It
works out in a way that we are traveling to the Gulf Coast region tomorrow,
so that happens to work well in this instance. But I'm not going to get
into mail-in ballots versus voting in person. The President looks forward
to voting later this afternoon in Texas.

Q He has property there in Crawford? (Laughter.)

Q Scott, was this the plan all along, or did something happen to
necessitate it?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think I've answered the question. I'm not going to get
into it beyond that.

Q -- the cost to taxpayers to make this trip for something he could have
done with a 37-cent stamp?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, like I said, he's done it both ways, if you look at
the past. Sometimes he's voted in person; sometimes he's voted by absentee
mail-in ballot.

Q What about Mrs. Bush's voting?

MR. McCLELLAN: She'll be voting today, too.

Q Scott, back on Katrina and New Orleans. Yesterday, the General from the
Army Corps of Engineers made a very important statement saying that the new
levees would prevent against catastrophic results like Hurricane Katrina,
but it would not prevent flooding and overtop. Now, with that information,
why hasn't this administration gone in to the local government in New
Orleans and said, look, let's talk about this in the midst of their
planning for whether to rebuild in the low-lying areas or in the higher
elevations?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that General Strock also talked to you about
that very issue. Now, let's keep in mind, when you have hurricanes, I don't
know of instances when there's not flooding. So I think that's stating
something that could be fairly obvious. Now, in terms of the levees, the
President has laid out a plan where we will rebuild the levees by this
hurricane season to be equal to or better than they were prior to Hurricane
Katrina. General Strock briefed on that yesterday; we've provided
substantial funding to make sure that that happens. And the Army Corps of
Engineers, under General Strock's direction, are on schedule to meet the
deadline of this hurricane season.

Now, we are also going to work to make the levee system stronger and better
than before, and that's something that's underway. But it's a
two-to-three-year process at this point. Now, in terms of decisions when it
comes to issues at the local level, I think the President has repeatedly
said that we will provide funding and resources and assistance, but the
plans will be developed locally, and the strategies will be developed
locally. And we'll continue to work with state and local officials and
answer any questions they have and provide them help, but he believes it
should be locally inspired in terms of the approaches that are taken when
it comes to rebuilding those communities.

Q So these levees that are being built stronger and better than before, are
these levees being built for homes still in the low-lying areas, are they
being built -- just in case of a hurricane, are they being built with the
homes in low-lying areas in mind?

MR. McCLELLAN: General Strock talked about it at length yesterday, and I
think answered those very questions.

Thank you.

END 12:21 P.M. EST

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