Text 2361, 927 rader
Skriven 2006-03-23 23:33:32 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0603232) for Thu, 2006 Mar 23
====================================================
===========================================================================
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 23, 2006

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
James S. Brady Briefing Room


  þ Immigration Reform
      þ Reference B
      þ Reference C
  þ Speeches on war on terror/questions
      þ Reference B
  þ Troops in Iraq/length of stay
  þ New government in Iraq
      þ Reference B
      þ Reference C
  þ Louisiana/Voting Rights Act
  þ Afghanistan/religious freedom
  þ Hostage release in Iraq
  þ Upcoming elections/President's agenda
  þ Media coverage of the war

12:18 P.M. EST

MR. MCCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everyone. I don't have anything to begin
with today. You've heard from the President about his immigration reform
meeting earlier today. So I'll go straight to your questions.

Q Let me ask you about that immigration. When he says he doesn't want to
pit one group against another, what is he talking about?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think what he was making was the point that this is
an important debate, it's a serious debate, and he wanted to remind all of
us in the country to elevate the discourse, to proceed forward in a civil
and dignified manner. There are a lot of strong feelings on the issue of
immigration reform, on all sides of the issue, and we should make sure that
we proceed forward in a way where we don't ratchet up the rhetoric, that we
don't let that rhetoric become too charged.

We've got an immigration system that is broken, it needs to be fixed. It
starts with securing our borders. As the President made very clear earlier
today, America is a country of laws and America is also a country of
immigrants. And we need to continue to act to strengthen our borders and
better secure our borders. That's what we are doing. That's why we've
increased the number of Border Patrol agents; that's why we're using new
technology to better detect people coming into this country for the wrong
reasons. We also need to continue to enhance interior enforcement of our
immigration laws.

And that's where it really starts, with those issues. But when you have an
immigration system where there's an estimated -- and I stress "estimated"
-- some 12 million undocumented illegal immigrants in the country, you have
a problem and it needs to be fixed. And that causes great strain on the
borders, as well, because our Border Patrol agents are having to go after
people who are coming here simply for the reason of feeding their families
back home and to fill jobs that Americans aren't filling.

So there's an economic need, and there's also the issue of how do we better
secure our borders, and this fits into that. By having a guest worker
program, temporary program, you're allowing our Border Patrol agents to
focus where they should be on drug smugglers or criminals that are coming
-- people that are coming here for the wrong reasons. So that's why the
President emphasized his commitment to comprehensive immigration reform.

Q What rivalries, though, is he talking about -- about the groups against
one another? I'm just trying to clear that up, that thought.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, like I said, this is an issue that sometimes the
rhetoric becomes heated and charged because of the strong feelings, and the
President was just emphasizing that this is a very important issue. It's a
top priority. It's been a priority for the President for a long time. And
we need to look at all issues involved here in a comprehensive way and work
together to move forward.

Q Does he support the Frist bill that is coming up next week, or the one
that the Majority Leader wants to bring up?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the President is committed to comprehensive
immigration reform. We've spelled out very clearly what our views are: We
need to continue to take steps to secure our borders, we need to continue
to improve interior enforcement, and we need to move forward on a temporary
worker program. That's how you address this broken system and fix it in a
comprehensive way.

Now, there's a lot of different ideas being expressed. We've been in close
contact with leaders both in the House and the Senate, Democrats and
Republicans, talking about how we can move forward. The House has moved
forward on a bill. It didn't include the temporary worker program. The
Senate is now discussing the issue. There are a lot of different ideas.
There are a number of people that want to see a guest worker program put in
there. And we'll continue to work with them going forward. But they know
what our views are and our strong belief in comprehensive reform.

Q By what measure, or what indicators, is the President judging the success
of the questions and answers he's been taking over the last several days
concerning --

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't think he looks at it that way. I mean, he recognizes
that one of his most important responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief is to
keep the American people informed when we are at war. And that means
playing the role as Educator-in-Chief, as he has talked about over the last
few days. So it's important for the President to directly engage the
American people and talk to them about our strategy for victory, and talk
to them about why he is optimistic about how things are going.

Now, he's also realistic. He talked very clearly in the last few days, as
he has over the course of time -- doesn't always necessarily get covered,
but throughout the time period we've been in Iraq, he's talked about
difficulties that remain, the challenges that remain.

This is a particularly difficult period. This is a tense period. This is a
period when the terrorists are trying to do everything they can to derail
the transition to democracy. Every step of the way, though, the Iraqi
people have shown they are determined to live in freedom, most recently
when more than 11 million people showed up at the polls. And now you have
the Iraqi leaders, elected political leaders, under a constitutionally
approved system, working to move forward on forming a unity government that
represents all Iraqis. And that's important that they move forward as
quickly as possible.

So the President is continuing to talk about where we are, and continuing
to talk about how we've adapted and adjusted to circumstances on the ground
to better address some of those circumstances and to change our tactics in
order to meet the changing tactics of the enemy, as well. But he also
believes it's important to talk about why victory is important in Iraq. And
the more the American people can hear from him directly, the better. And so
that's the purpose of these discussions.

Q How will he know if his attempt to be persuasive is working?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that you have to look at circumstances on the
ground as they proceed forward. There's been a lot of real progress made.
It's not something that always gets the most attention when you're covering
events on the ground because you have the dramatic images of violence. And
the terrorists know that those car bombings and attacks on innocent
civilians will get a lot of attention. And it is newsworthy; it should get
attention. The President talked about that over the last few days, as well.

But there's also real progress going on in spite of the violence. Slowly
but surely we're seeing steady progress, and we are moving forward toward
victory. And it's important that we continue to support our troops. I think
the American people want our troops to succeed. And the President is going
to continue emphasizing the stakes involved here. The stakes are very high
in Iraq. It is a central front in the war on terrorism; it's important that
we win because a free Iraq will help inspire reformers in the broader
Middle East. It's a troubled region of the world and that ties directly to
our own security.

This is about laying the foundations of peace for our children and
grandchildren. And the President believes very strongly in what we are
doing. I think the American people, in the forums he's participated in over
the last few days, have the opportunity to better understand his thinking
and better see the principles behind his decisions, the principles that
guide his decisions, and why he believes so strongly in what we're doing,
and why he's confident that we will succeed.

The terrorists' only weapon is to shake our will and break our resolve. But
they cannot. We are determined to win. Our troops are doing a great job,
they're making sacrifices, there's tough fighting ahead, there are going to
be continued sacrifices ahead, but there's also real progress being made.
And it goes directly to our own security here at home.

Q At what point did the President decide that during his watch there would
be no major withdrawal from Iraq? And what did he --

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't think that's what he said.

Q What?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't think that's what he said.

Q Well, he said, future Presidents will have --

MR. McCLELLAN: In fact, a couple of things. First of all, the President was
asked a very specific question, when will there be zero or no troops in
Iraq. So he was responding to that specific question. But we are already
seeing a reduction in our troop levels. Our commanders on the ground -- the
President has made it very clear repeatedly that our commanders on the
ground will make the determinations about our troop levels, based on
conditions. And General Casey, just the other day, talked about how we're
in the process of coming down from around 138,000 to 130,000 or so, and he
also talked about how he expected, as we move forward into 2006 and then
into 2007, that we would continue to see a reduction in -- hang on -- in
troop levels.

And now, he said that he would evaluate it based on conditions, and
continue to do that. And that's what's important. The President is looking
to his commanders, the people who are on the ground, to make those
determinations. The other aspect of this is the reason why General Casey
was saying he expects those troops to continue to come down, the reason why
is because the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces is going
well. They are showing that they can help provide for the defense and
security of the Iraqi people. They are taking more of the lead in the
fight, they're controlling more of the battle space. And so that's why it's
so important that we continue to move forward on the training of the Iraqi
army, as well as the Iraqi police, which is where a lot of effort is being
focused these days, too.

Q Well, my point is at what point -- I mean, what has been the reaction?
The headline was that we were going to stay there well into another
presidency, possibly.

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't write the headlines, and I think it's wrong for any
--

Q This is the impression the President left.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, no --

Q You say no?

MR. McCLELLAN: I disagree. There were some articles that put it in -- in
some of the coverage -- that put it in the full context. If you look at
exactly what he said and exactly what he was asked --

Q -- future presidencies and new Iraqi --

MR. McCLELLAN: That's what I'm getting to, Helen. It would be wrong to
suggest that he was saying that there would still be a substantial number
of troops in Iraq after he is out of office. That's not what he was asked.
That's not what he was talking about. What he emphasized again was that
troop levels will be based on the decisions of our commanders who will look
at conditions on the ground.

Q I'm not talking about troop levels. I'm talking about American presence.
And we certainly will have troops there, and he certainly indicated that
well beyond his own presidency we'd be there.

MR. McCLELLAN: We're in Afghanistan -- we've been in Afghanistan since
2001. There's still troops there, but it's substantially down from where it
was initially.

Q The political process has now dragged on for three months in Iraq. Should
the President get more personally involved in trying to get a government
there?

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me correct you a little bit, first of all. You say it's
dragged on for three months. This is a new and emerging democracy. This is
a country that has been under the brutal fist of a dictator for some three
decades. So this is a country that is learning how to compromise, learning
how to engage in politics through a democratic system, and really learning
the habits of democracy. This is a new thing for the people of Iraq and so
they're learning all those aspects.

Remember, way back, three, four months ago, we said that after the
elections take place, that they will move forward on putting a government
in place, and that there would be a lot of political debate, there would be
a lot of back-and-forth -- we're seeing that go on. But we also said that
it's going to require some patience and that it will take some time.

Now, I think in the aftermath of the sectarian strife that we've seen of
recent weeks, the Iraqi leaders recognize the importance of coming
together, setting aside their political differences, setting aside their
religious or ethnic differences, and forming a government that represents
all Iraqis. And they recognize the importance of moving forward as quickly
as possible. That's what they're working to do. And we are continuing to
urge them to move forward as quickly as possible, because as you move
forward on the political process, it helps improve the security situation
on the ground, as well.

Q Should the President get more personally involved in it?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, our Ambassador has been very involved in supporting
the efforts of the Iraqi political leaders and helping them to come
together and discuss how to move forward as quickly as possible. And he's
been -- he has expressed how he has been encouraged by the discussions that
have been going on over the recent days. And the President has heard
directly from him. And that's why you also hear the President here at home
continue to urge that the political leaders in Iraq move forward as soon as
they can to form that government.

Q But they're not operating under any specific deadline.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think, though, it's important to recognize what they
have said. They've talked about how they looked into the abyss and they
didn't like what they saw in the aftermath of some of the attacks. And so
they recognize the importance of coming together and working to move as
quickly as possible to form a government of national unity. And that's what
they are doing.

Q You were asked about the President's reaction to the Frist bill. If the
Frist bill doesn't have anything about the guest worker program in it, why
can't you say he doesn't like that bill, or can you tell me -- or is he
moving away from the guest worker program?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think there's some aspects in that -- in what he's
proposing that are a good start. But the President, yes, believes that it
ought to be comprehensive and that there should be a guest worker program,
for one of the key reasons that I stated. One, you meet an economic need;
these are jobs that Americans are not filling. And, two, it helps us better
secure our borders because it lets our Border Patrol folks focus where they
need to, on those who are coming here for the wrong reason. And it really
shuts down the industry of illegal activity that is going on, when you have
coyotes smuggling people into the country, treating people inhumanely and
leaving them in the desert to walk in very hot -- more than 100-degree
weather, and leaving them in the back of trucks. And so it helps shut down
some of this illegal activity that's going on -- the forgery of documents
and stuff, too. And that's why he believes that's an important aspect.

But our most important responsibility is to secure our borders. And that's
why the President has acted and taken a number of steps to do so. Secretary
Chertoff has talked about our Secure Border Initiative, how we've ramped up
the number of Border Patrol agents, how we moved from a -- we are moving
from a catch-and-release program to a catch-and-return program, meaning
people that come here are not released within our country, but they're
returned back to their country of origin.

And so it's important for the American people to know that our top priority
and highest priority is enforcing our laws. But we are also a country that
has always welcomed immigrants, and we need to be welcoming. And so the
President is going to continue pushing for comprehensive reform. There are
other senators that are talking about moving forward on legislation that
includes comprehensive reform, so we're working with all those leaders on
how to move forward.

Q Can I ask one more question?

MR. McCLELLAN: This is part of the legislative process, too. And the
President is going to be talking more about this next week, as well.

Q But when the President first proposed this immigration overhaul, he
focused on the guest worker program. He wasn't talking about border
enforcement. He's changed a lot. Is that because of pressure from
Republicans --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I disagree. I think that he was focusing on all aspects.
I'm not sure that all aspects were getting the kind of attention that maybe
it should have. And that's probably, from a communication standpoint,
probably our fault. We recognize the importance of talking about each
aspect and talking about how they all work together to help fix our
immigration system. We have a broken immigration system. That's what I
talked about at the beginning.

And so the President recognized the importance of talking in greater detail
about how we're working to secure our borders, because there are number of
steps we've been taking, and he was talking about it, but I think more of
the emphasis was being focused on the guest worker program. And some people
were not hearing what we are doing to enforce our laws and strengthen our
borders.

And if you look at the funding for border security, it's increased some 66
percent since 2001. Since 2001, border agents have apprehended and sent
home more 5.9 million people coming into the country illegally. So the
Secure Border Initiative is something that we have moved forward on, and
he's going to continue to talk about how we need to build upon that, too.
There's more we need to do.

Go ahead, Elaine.

Q Scott, in his remarks, the President said a debate over immigration
reform needs to be civil. What kind of rhetoric was he cautioning against?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Terry brought that question up earlier. I don't know
if you were in here at the time, but I talked about that.

Q Specifically, though --

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't think he was trying to --

Q Was there something that he heard --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- single anybody out. I think what he was trying to say is
that he recognizes there are a lot of strong feelings on this issue, but
that we need to find a way to move forward by working together, and that we
need to do so in a civil way. This is a serious issue, and we are a country
of laws and we're a country of immigrants, and we need to keep in mind the
values that we believe strongly and the values that have been at the
bedrock of this country.

Q Is he concerned that perhaps some of the debate might be taking on an
anti-immigrant tone?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'll leave it to what he said, and like I said, he wasn't
trying to single out any particular people. There are strong feelings on
this issue. He's not suggesting that by any means. But he does recognize
that sometimes people on each side of this issue, or on the more extreme
sides of the issue, tend to get heated in the rhetoric sometimes, and he's
just reminding people that we're all committed to securing our borders.

There's some different views when it comes to how we go about fixing the
immigration system and moving forward on a guest worker program. The
President spelled out very clearly that any guest worker program would not
include amnesty. That's his position, that anybody involved in that guest
worker program has to -- it's temporary, one; two, they have to get in line
just like everybody else. They don't get to go up to the front of the line,
they have to get at the back of the line just like anybody else, and that
there should be no automatic path to citizenship. This is a temporary
worker program to meet some of our economic needs, and also to show the
compassion of America and address the issue of treating these people more
humanely.

Q On Iraq, can I ask you about -- the President -- has he formed a view on
whether or not it might be helpful to get other voices, other countries
involved, to impress upon the Iraqis the importance of forming a unity
government?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think there are other countries involved. There are
a number of countries that have been involved for some time. And I think
everybody recognizes the importance of the Iraqi political leaders moving
forward to form a government of national unity. But we also recognize that
it's been a very short amount of time since the elections took place, and
that this was going to take a little bit of time. Now, with the recent
violence, it has only increased the sense of urgency for Iraqi leaders to
continue moving forward as quickly as they can.

Q Can I just follow up quickly? Elaine said, was he not suggesting
anti-immigrant tone. You said, no, he wasn't suggesting that at all. But
really, isn't that code for what he was saying? He said this debate has to
recognize our own history. The country's history is one of we're all
immigrants. So what was he saying? Can we just get to who was he talking
about?

MR. McCLELLAN: It's not just we're all immigrants, we're also a country of
laws, and that those laws need to be enforced. So the President, again, I
stress to you, was not trying to single any group out or single any people
out. What he was saying is that this is an issue that is difficult to
address; otherwise, we would have solved it a long time ago. Remember,
there had been steps taken back in 1986 to address some of these issues.
But we still have a system that is broken. We still have a problem with our
borders. I think when you have a 3,000-mile border, you're going to -- and
you have people from the southern part of our hemisphere wanting to come
here to support their families back home, you're going to have some
problems there and you need to address that.

But you also have people that are coming here and engaging in a lot of
illegal activity. And they're taking advantage of that broken system, and
the people who suffer are good people who are coming here for the right
reason. And so the President was emphasizing that, look, we can all work
together to secure our borders, and we also need to work together to fix
this immigration system, but we should do so in a civil and dignified way.
If he --

Q Wasn't his warning about don't bash immigrants?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, if he had wanted to single anybody out, I think he would
have. That was not at all what he was saying. But sometimes, as you know,
covering this issue, the rhetoric can get very charged.

Q Scott, I've seen studies that say we need PhDs from overseas for Silicon
Valley, but I've also seen studies that say that the illegals coming across
the border are taking jobs from Americans and they're depressing wages in
industries like construction. So when you say that there's an economic
need, who are you citing?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the President met with a very diverse group of people,
people from the -- that represent the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, represent agricultural interests, people that
-- religious leaders and faith-based leaders. So he had a diverse group of
people he met with earlier today. You've got the list of the people that he
met with, and you saw them when he spoke earlier.

But what he's referring to, in terms of a temporary worker program, is jobs
that Americans are not filling. That's specifically what he was talking
about earlier. These tend to be unskilled or lower-skilled jobs. And that's
the economic need that needs to be met -- when there's a willing worker and
a willing employer, trying to match those people together.

Q So you don't have a study, you're just citing anecdotal information from
interest groups?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, this is actual facts. This is hearing directly from
people on the ground. The President was governor of Texas; he knows
firsthand the situation when it comes to our borders and people coming here
to work and they're illegal. He knows firsthand this issue very well and
it's been a top priority for him a long time. But I dispute your
characterization, because you can go around the country and talk to people
and they'll point out the need that is not being met here.

Q I've talked to contractors; they tell me that the wages in their industry
are being depressed by illegal --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I would point out to you that we've got a very strong
economy because of the policies that we've put in place. This is a growing
economy. And there are a lot of high-paying, high-growth jobs that are
becoming available. And so --

Q I don't dispute that --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I know, but I think it's important, if you're going to
bring up the economic aspect of this. What we're talking about -- I think
we may be talking past each other a little bit here -- what the President
is talking about is jobs that Americans are not filling, whether they're
jobs in the agricultural sector, the hotel sector, or what have you. That's
what the President is referring to.

Q Scott, the Democratic leadership has threatened to do everything possible
to stop certain facets of the legislation moving through Congress, relative
to immigration reform right now. Yesterday Senator Clinton suggested that
she found it hard to understand how a Republican Party that prides itself
on talking about values could support legislation that, in her estimation,
would criminalize even the assistance of people in need who happen to be
illegal. She said that it would essentially criminalize Samaritanism and
would effectively make Jesus a criminal, to paraphrase what she said.

Is that the kind -- I mean, a couple questions related to that part of the
debate here. Is the Republican Party in jeopardy of being seen as
anti-immigrant, and might that be what the President is warning about with
his cautions? And how can the administration navigate this multitude of
proposals now and ensure that there is a border protection that does not
send the message that Clinton is warning about?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, the first part of your question. The
President is talking about people on all sides of this issue, or both sides
of this issue, and he's saying, let's move forward in a civil and dignified
way. Let's work together to solve this problem that faces this country and
address all aspects. So that's what the President is referring to.

Now, you're talking about the legislative process. There are different
ideas that are out there. We have had a number of discussions with
Democratic leaders and Republican leaders who are working to move forward
on immigration reform. They are good discussions. We continue to have those
discussions with them to find a way we can move forward. And it's also an
election year, and we should put aside politics and work together to get
this done for the American people. And that's another thing the President
has been emphasizing.

Now, the second part of your question on -- what was it?

Q Is the President concerned that some of the intense advocacy of stricter
border patrols run the risk of making the party appear anti-immigrant?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that you've seen the President express his
views on this issue and emphasize that we are a nation of immigrants and we
have been a welcoming country, going back to our founding. And the
President believes we should continue to be a country that welcomes people
who are coming here for the right reasons. And that's one of the aspects
that ties into this comprehensive immigration reform.

You've got a lot of Republican leaders in Congress that are committed to
moving forward on comprehensive immigration reform. And there's going to be
a lot of back-and-forth on this issue. It is a difficult issue. But the
President is committed to getting it done, and that's why he is continuing
to raise the profile on this issue.

This is an area where I think a lot of people recognize the system is
broken, it needs to be fixed. Now, there are a lot of different ideas about
how to go about that. The President has spelled out very clearly what his
views are. And we will continue to work with members who are committed to
getting this done.

April.

Q Scott, tomorrow, Reverend Jessie Jackson, Bruce Gordon -- and Al Sharpton
are holding a press conference basically saying the Justice Department
blessed an illegal election, an illegal arrangement, saying that the
Justice Department violated Section II in the Voting Rights Act, and
Section V, basically that the voting rights extension next year means
nothing without voting rights enforcement this year. And what are your
thoughts as to his statement from Reverend Jessie Jackson, as this
administration is for the extension --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, by law, Congress made the Justice Department the
agency to review these election issues. And the state of Louisiana came
through -- came forward with a plan -- this was last week, we've talked
about it before -- they presented a plan, and the Justice Department
reviewed it and signed off on the plan that leaders in Louisiana came
together to develop.

So I think if you have further questions about it, you ought to talk to the
Department of Justice, because they looked at these issues to make sure
concerns were being addressed and that the elections could proceed forward.

Q This department is under the auspices of this administration where the
Justice Department's boss is the President of the United States, who has
said that he wants to extend the Voting Rights Act, and not only that, he
supports certain sections of it and he wants to tweak it to make it
stronger. Now, how can that be -- it seems like it's a conflict within this
administration when you have a President saying --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, the President strongly supports reauthorization of the
Voting Rights Act, and the Justice Department is committed to the
administration's position. This is a specific matter relating to Louisiana.
There was a plan that Louisiana -- state of Louisiana brought forward for
review by the Department of Justice, and they reviewed it and approved it.

Go ahead.

Q Scott, just to come back to reading the tea leaves on the President's
statement, Senator Reid has threatened a filibuster of immigration
legislation. Was he referring to that? Would that be something that would
not be a civil --

MR. McCLELLAN: He was talking broadly about people on all sides of this
issue.

Q Does he think that would uncivil to -- that that would not be civil way
to --

MR. McCLELLAN: You're trying to get me to engage and point at specific
people. What the President wants to do is get this done. It's an important
priority. It's a priority that the American people care about. We've got to
continue to do more to secure our borders. We've got to do a better job of
enforcing our laws in the interior. And the President believes strongly
that we need to have a temporary worker program as part of comprehensive
immigration reform. And so he's reaching out to all those who want to get
this done, and looking for solutions.

Q So he wasn't referring to anyone specifically then.

MR. McCLELLAN: That's right.

Q And just one last thing. Does he think some of the criticism has been
racially motivated of his --

MR. McCLELLAN: This question came up earlier. I think I've addressed these
issues.

Go ahead.

Q Well, my question was about immigration, but enough has been said
already.

MR. McCLELLAN: There you go. Everybody hear that? (Laughter.)

Q Next question. Will the President continue his meetings with citizens
around the country in support of his position on the war? If so, what's
next?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we remain a nation at war. The President is
Commander-in-Chief; he's going to continue to talk directly to the American
people and update them on our strategy for victory and talk to them about
why victory in Iraq is critical to our overall efforts to win the war on
terrorism. The terrorists have made Iraq the central front in the war on
terrorism, and they recognize how high the stakes are. We recognize how
high the stakes are. And that's why it's critical that we prevail. And we
will prevail, because the President has made it very clear the terrorists
cannot shake our will or break our resolve. We are going to win. There's
real progress being made on the ground, and there's also a lot of
difficulties. And we've got to continue to adjust and adapt to the
situation on the ground. And that's exactly what we will continue doing,
and supporting our troops.

Go ahead.

Q Scott, Bradley Belt resigned or quit from the Pension Benefit Guaranty
Corporation. Do you know why? Can you fill us in?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I don't have any more on that. I mean, I'd be glad to
take a look at it, but I imagine it's probably in his letter why he left.

Q Forgive me, I was thinking about what the President said yesterday about
the Iraqi government not being formed yet, and listening to your answers to
Steve -- I'm still not clear. Yesterday the President said it's time --
it's time these Iraqi politicians come together. Was he not telling us that
he's --

MR. McCLELLAN: That's not the first time he's said that, Mark. He's been
urging the Iraqi political leaders to move ahead as quickly as possible to
form a government of national unity.

Q -- not satisfied with the rate at which they --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I'm not saying that at all, either. He wants to continue
to move as quickly as possible and get this done, but he also recognizes
that there's a lot of compromise and back-and-forth that goes on in
politics. This is a democratic system. And I think the leaders have
expressed their commitment to coming together and setting aside differences
and getting a government in place.

Q But Steve has used the words "dragging on," and you disagreed with him.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I don't think -- yes, I did, because he said for three
months it's been dragging on. Three, four months ago, we said this is going
to take some time and it's going to require patience, because democracy is
new to Iraq, after three decades of a brutal dictator and being repressed.
The Iraqi people are still forming the habits of democracy, and they're
learning how to compromise through politics rather than through violence.
But, I mean, the President wasn't trying to set any timetable. He made that
clear, I think, as well. He's saying it's time to get it done and move
forward as quickly as possible.

Q Scott, what specific steps have been taken to date on Abdul Rahman in
Afghanistan, the Christian?

MR. McCLELLAN: What steps have been taken?

Q Yes.

MR. McCLELLAN: Secretary Rice, earlier today, spoke with President Karzai.
She made very clear what our views were in the strongest possible terms.
And she stressed the importance of Afghanistan finding a favorable
resolution to this matter. The President, yesterday, talked about how
deeply troubled he is about this case. This case clearly violates the
universal freedoms that democracies around the world hold dear, and we are
watching it very closely. We are in very close contact with the government
of Afghanistan.

Yesterday the Secretary spoke with the Foreign Minister; today she spoke
with President Karzai. And we are going to stay in close contact with them
and work with them to make sure that people's religious freedoms are
protected. Not only does this violate universal freedoms of democracy, it
also clearly violates the Afghan constitution, which, in it, talks about
the right of individuals to worship freely. Freedom of worship, tolerance,
freedom of expression are at the foundation of democracies.

Q Can you tell us what responses she got from Abdullah Abdullah --

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't have a full readout of her call. I think the State
Department is briefing right at the same time I am, and they can probably
provide you a little more detail.

Go ahead, Rick.

Q Scott, you're saying that the President's statement on the Iraqi
politicians forming their government, that he had said before that patience
would be needed because it would take time. Can we, though, read his
statement yesterday very much as conveying a sense of frustration on how
long it is taking, given the --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think it conveys exactly what he said, that it's
time for the government to come together and get this done. We want to see
that happen as quickly as possible. That's what we've been emphasizing.
That's why our Ambassador on the ground is working very closely with the
political leaders in Iraq.

But what I'm doing -- when I referred back to how patience would be
required, that was specifically relating to Steve's question, that the
President said that months ago. And sometimes that gets lost as we move
forward, or people tend to forget about what has been said. So I'm just
putting that in perspective and putting it in a context.

Q -- mounting frustration within the administration at the amount of time
--

MR. McCLELLAN: We want to see the Iraq leaders move forward as quickly as
possible. They've said that they recognize the importance of moving as
quickly as possible. That's why we're continuing to urge them to get it
done.

Q Thank you, Scott. South Korean Foreign Minister, Mr. Ban, said today
North Korea wants and will return to the six-party talks, that is certain.
Has the United States any message from North Korea?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't have any update. We know that they've said that a
number of times before and nothing has happened. It's time for North Korea
to come back to the talks. All parties are ready to move forward on the
six-party talks. There were very clear principles that everybody agreed to
at previous rounds of the talks. And we want to move forward in a
substantive way based on those principles. And we've said we'll come back
with no preconditions, and North Korea needs to come back with no
preconditions so that we can move forward to resolve this issue.

Q Scott, you and the President both have said in the past that democracies
in other countries, especially in the Middle East, may not have -- may not
look like America's democracy. Is that what we're seeing in Afghanistan?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there are certain universal values that all
democracies have. And the President has talked about that, as well. So I
think you're confusing two issues. There are certain universal values that
you see in any lasting democracy. And those are ones that I've talked about
earlier: freedom of worship, freedom of expression, freedom of the people
in this room, tolerance. Those are all universal values of freedom.

And we made it very clear that -- the President did yesterday -- about what
our expectations are, that we fought and sacrificed in defense of freedom
and to provide freedom to some 25 million people in Afghanistan. Great
sacrifices have been made. And we have reminded the Afghan government of
that.

Q Is it reasonable, though, for -- to expect that non-Muslims would be
treated the same as Muslims in a government that's based on Islamic law?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you should look at the Afghan constitution. It
was a constitution that was widely praised for how forward-looking it was
and the values that are enshrined in that constitution. And it's important
for the government of Afghanistan to reaffirm the bedrock principles in
that constitution, one of which is freedom of religion.

Ken, and then David.

Q This morning, you welcomed the news of the release of the two Canadian
and one British hostage in Iraq.

MR. McCLELLAN: Your question, I bet.

Q I am wondering what the administration, what the President thinks of
people like these who go over there on missions they feel are important,
but, perhaps predictably, become people who require the attention and
energy and resources of our military. Do these people serve a legitimate
purpose, or do they just get in the way? And would the President discourage
Americans who feel these missions are important -- discourage them from
going over there?

MR. McCLELLAN: No one's questioning their motives. We question the motives
of the terrorists, the terrorists who recognize that kidnappings and car
bombings and attacks on innocent civilians can generate a lot of coverage
and a lot of attention. And that is designed to try to shake our will. That
is designed to intimidate and spread fear and chaos.

Q I understand that, but what does the President --

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me back up. I think, first of all, on the hostages that
were rescued, this was a coalition effort, including American forces. It is
good news. We are pleased to see that they are safe and that they have been
freed. And now there are American hostages that are still held, not only in
Iraq, but elsewhere. Those hostages are a top priority for this
administration, and they will remain a top priority until their safe
return. We want to -- we continue to urge the safe return of all hostages
wherever they are, and we continue to stay focused on all the American
hostages.

Q What do you urge about Americans who might feel the need to go over there
and pursue some mission they feel is important? Do they get in the way, or
are they serving a purpose?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I don't know that I can make a broad characterization.
That's a very broad statement, Ken. So I think if you want to break it
down, that's one thing. But there are a lot of people that are providing
humanitarian aid to the people of Iraq. The people of Iraq are very
grateful for all the assistance that people from countries around the world
are providing to help them move forward on building a peaceful and
democratic future.

Q When these people start sapping resources from the military and from the
effort over there, do they get in the way?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry? You say "these people" -- I don't know you're --
that's a very broad characterization and I don't want to engage in broad
characterizations. I mean, I think there are a lot of people that go there
for reasons they believe in.

Q Scott, earlier this week in here the President said that he understood
the midterm election year jitters of some in his party. Will he have any
reassurance as he hits the campaign coffer trail again tomorrow when he
goes to Indiana and Pennsylvania for the party faithful?

MR. McCLELLAN: I want to try to avoid getting too far into the political
cycle. We're focused on getting things done for the American people. We've
got an agenda that we're pursuing, that builds upon the many
accomplishments we have achieved over the last several months. And the
President talked about a number of those in the press conference the other
day. We've gotten a lot done for the American people. We just recently got
the Patriot Act renewed. We've got important priorities that we need to
build upon -- the President outlined those in the State of the Union. I'll
save you from going back through them --

Q Is that what he's going to tell these people tomorrow?

MR. McCLELLAN: He's going to talk about the agenda that we have, the
hopeful agenda that we have to continue to expand our prosperity here at
home and continue to extend the peace abroad. So he absolutely will talk
about the agenda. That's where his focus is.

Now, it's also an election year and the President is glad to go around the
country and help the Republican Party and help individual candidates. And
there are a lot of requests for him to do so, and, obviously, we have to
prioritize. But there are many Republicans that are very appreciative of
him coming in there and helping them raise the kind of resources they need
to be able to wage an effective campaign. And I think if you look back, the
President has been a great draw to those events.

Q Why is the Santorum event closed?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q Why aren't reporters allowed to cover the Santorum event?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know. It may be at a private residence. I'll have to
check. I don't know the specifics of it, but if it's a private residence,
that's the way it's always been.

Q Just to clarify an issue of context in Iraq. What is the specific
frustration that the administration -- you, the President -- has with the
broadcast coverage of the last couple of weeks?

MR. McCLELLAN: We don't. I don't think the President has suggested that. So
I don't know specifically what comments you're referring to.

Q Well, I guess I'm referring to his news conference the other day when he
talked about the images -- that the insurgents know that the images end up
on TV shows. I mean, clearly, there's a frustration with the process.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I think the President specifically said that, I'm not
saying you should not cover this violence or cover the car bombings or
things of that nature. And he said, do not take this as criticism. There
are horrific images of violence that we see on our TV screens. Those are
newsworthy items to cover, and we have made that clear repeatedly. But
there is more to the situation on the ground, and if you're going to have a
complete picture it's important to look at the progress that's being made.

There is real violence that is occurring and the situation remains tense.
But there's also real progress that is being made toward victory. And I
think the President was emphasizing the importance of taking into
consideration what the enemy knows and looking at the motivation of the
enemy. The enemy knows -- the terrorists, they know that when they carry
out these kind of attacks, or car bombings, or kidnappings, or beheadings,
that it's going to generate attention. And so as Commander-in-Chief it's
important for the President to put it all in context and also to talk about
the broader context and talk about the progress that's being made. That's
one of his responsibilities.

And that's why he's going around the country talking to people and talking
about why victory is important and reminding them that despite the
violence, there is a lot of real progress being made, and that a free Iraq
is going to help improve our security here for generations to come. A free
Iraq will help change a troubled region of the world and inspire reformers
throughout the Middle East who want to live in freedom.

And so the President is talking about it in that respect. The President is
focused on victory. The Iraqi people have shown that they want to live in
freedom and chart their own future. And it's important for the American
people to hear about that progress that's being made.

But I've seen some of the coverage try to suggest that there was -- that we
were blaming the media; far from it. The President specifically said -- and
you heard again from him yesterday -- what the President is saying is that
there is real progress in spite of the violence; look at the rest of the
story. And that's part of his job, is to talk about the rest of the story
and why it is so important.

So sometimes when I see these stories, it makes me think that the media
doth protest too much.

Thank you.

END 1:00 P.M. EST

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060323-2.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)