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White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 4/23/08 (Helen and Torture)
— Wednesday, April 23, 2008 — MS. PERINO: Helen. Q The President has said publicly several times, in two consecutive news conferences a few months ago, and you have said over and over again, we do not torture. Now he has admitted that he did sign off on torture, he did know about it. So how do you reconcile this credibility gap? MS. PERINO: Helen, you're taking liberties with the what the President said. The United States has not, is not torturing any detainees in the global war on terror. And General Hayden, amongst others, have spoken on Capitol Hill fully in this regard, and it is -- I'll leave it where it is. The President is accurate in saying what he said. Q That's not my question. My question is, why did he state publicly, we do not torture -- MS. PERINO: Because we do not. Q -- when he really did know that we do? MS. PERINO: No, that's what I mean, Helen. We've talked about the legal authorities -- Q Are you saying that we did not? MS. PERINO: I am saying we did not, yes. Q How can you when you have photographs and everything else? I mean, how can you say that when he admits that he knew about it? MS. PERINO: Helen, I think that you're -- again, I think you're conflating some issues and you're misconstruing what the President said. Q I'm asking for the credibility of this country, not just this administration. MS. PERINO: And what I'm telling you is we have -- torture has not occurred. And you can go back through all the public record. Just make sure -- I would just respectfully ask you not to misconstrue what the President said. Q You're denying, in this room, that we torture and we have tortured? MS. PERINO: Yes, I am denying that. Dana Perino | Helen | Interrogation | President Bush | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Helen, Interrogation, President Bush, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:03 PM  Air Force One Press Gaggle by Dana Perino 4/21/08 (Hamas "Peace" Deal) — Monday, April 21, 2008 —
 MS. PERINO: Any other topics?Q Israel, and Hamas's reported willingness to engage in a peace deal. Do you have any reaction on that? MS. PERINO: Well, I think that -- you're referring to what President Carter said about what he was told? I think that what you have to do is look at -- it's possible that that was whispered in his ear in a private meeting. We did not support the private meeting, a meeting with a terrorist organization. And I think you have to look at the public comments of Hamas, and beyond that, look at the behavior, and just look at what happened over the weekend in terms of the very sophisticated attacks around the border crossings, and the people -- innocent people, who were killed right there. So I take it with a -- we take it with a grain of salt. And we have to look at public comments, and we also have to look at actions. And actions speak louder than words. Air Force One | Dana Perino | Hamas | Israel | Jimmy Carter | Middle East | Press Gaggle | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Air Force One, Dana Perino, Hamas, Israel, Jimmy Carter, Middle East, Press Gaggle, War on Terror, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:09 PM White House Press Briefing by Tony Fratto (Gas Prices) — Saturday, April 19, 2008 —
 MR. FRATTO: Les.Q Tony, thank you very much. Two questions. First, could you briefly summarize the White House reaction and proposed solution to reports from California of gasoline now selling at $4.00 a gallon or more? MR. FRATTO: Briefly summarize? No, I don't think that's possible, and you're not going to have immediate short-term solutions on things like gasoline prices. It took us a long time to get to a place where the price of gasoline is where it is. It's going to take us a long time to get off of oil as much as possible. We've already taken steps through the energy act in terms of conservation and increasing CAFE standards, and also replacing oil with alternative fuels. And so that will continue and we hope it does bring down the price of gasoline. We'd also like to see increased production from oil producers. Q That's a good answer. How -- MR. FRATTO: Thank you. Q Yeah. (Laughter.) Q Congratulations. Q Yeah, nice job. MR. FRATTO: Do I get a star for that? (Laughter.) Les | Oil | Press Briefing | Tony Fratto | White House Press Corps Labels: Les, Oil, Press Briefing, Tony Fratto, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 12:29 AM Press Gaggle by Tony Fratto 4/17/08 (British Prime Minister Gordon Brown) — Thursday, April 17, 2008 —
 MR. FRATTO: Any other questions?Q Yes, the Gordon Brown. So last time the President told us, no, he's not angry at Gordon Brown for pulling troops out of Iraq; Gordon Brown has since said, since the fighting erupted around Basra, the clampdown on the Shiite militias -- attempted clampdown, he's going to put those withdrawal plans on hold. Is the President going to say "I told you so" today? MR. FRATTO: No, look -- we think that the British have been very responsible -- (Announcement interruption.) MR. FRATTO: Maybe someone could tell our staff that a gaggle is still ongoing. (Laughter.) No, look, we have a -- we think the British have been very responsible in their operations in Basra. Their support for the Iraqi-led operation a couple weeks ago was impressive, even heroic, flying helicopter runs evacuating injured soldiers from the fighting, was -- under fire -- was very impressive. They're performing their overwatch mission we think with great courage and distinction. And of course we expect that Iraq, Afghanistan and other operations that we're involved with with the U.K. will be discussed today. And so you'll have a chance to hear from the President and the Prime Minister this afternoon on that. Q Does the President have any feelings about Gordon Brown meeting with the -- his would-be successors this morning? Does he feel that's good, a problem? What's his reaction to that? MR. FRATTO: We don't think it's a problem. I haven't asked the President on that, but I can tell you, you know, generally we think it's probably a wise move by the Prime Minister to get to know who -- one of the individuals who will likely be President in a year from now. So it makes sense. We think it's -- we certainly have no objections to it at all. Afghanistan | Gordon Brown | Iraq | President Bush | Press Gaggle | Tony Fratto | United Kingdom | White House Press Corps Labels: Afghanistan, Gordon Brown, Iraq, President Bush, Press Gaggle, Tony Fratto, United Kingdom, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:37 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 4/16/08 (President's Remarks on Climate Change) — Wednesday, April 16, 2008 — Q Dana? MS. PERINO: Anybody else? (Laughter.) Q Dana? MS. PERINO: It is hot in here. (Laughter.) Okay, I'm going to go to Elaine since she hasn't had one at all. Q Well, can I just go back to -- I know Jim is not here, but just on sort of the timing of the climate change speech, the announcement today, was there any thought that perhaps the message on that might be overshadowed on such a day as this? MS. PERINO: We worked hard to figure out a day that we could do it, and the policy process was -- it's a complex issue and one that we were working on for quite a while. And we were not ready to go, but we knew we needed to get it done before the meeting tomorrow in Paris, in which Dan and Jim will be there. But the President wanted to make this announcement before they went to this major economies meeting so that we could continue to show the leadership and encourage other countries that, when they're ready, to put forward their national goal. Q And can I just clarify something that Jim said? So he was essentially saying, if I understood him correctly, that the practical effect in the administration's eyes of the President setting this national goal today, even though he does have less than a year in office, is to basically provide a place for the next President to kind of take over, the thinking being, what we've heard on the campaign trail is that the next President will be willing to sort of pick up where this President leaves off. Is that what the administration believes will happen here? MS. PERINO: Well, I think, Elaine, just look -- we're mindful of the clock. But look back to May -- last May, 2007, when the President first announced that he would start this post-Kyoto conversation. And he said, I will lead this effort, and I will lead it in a way that keeps China and India at the table, which is critical for having the political consensus, for everyone to have the will to actually move forward and get this done. Otherwise it is going to fall apart. We said at that time, and then in September 2007, that we want every country to agree to establish intermediate and then a long-term goal, and then that the plans of those goals would not be finalized until the end of 2009. So we had already said last May and then in September that we knew that this was going to be a process that would take a while, but it is a post-2012 conversation. And so, yes, the next President is going to have to deal with this. But so is the Congress. I mean, this is just something that the world is going to have to deal with for quite a while to come. Q Again, a non-binding goal -- I mean, some people might look at that -- MS. PERINO: You need to look back at the September 2007 statement because through the major economies meeting process, in order to keep this process on track, and by having China and India at the table, that's how you do that. We will be able to collectively agree on a goal that all of us will be held accountable by under the United Nations framework. Dana Perino | Global Warming | President Bush | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Global Warming, President Bush, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:42 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 4/15/08 (OPEC, Gas Taxes and McCain) — Tuesday, April 15, 2008 —
 Q Dana, another visitor to the White House this week will be British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and he's coming at a time when oil prices are hitting a new peak. Brown is also pushing for oil-producing countries to increase production, rather significantly, to ease prices. Is the President ready to join in a concerted effort, a new push for OPEC, by oil-consuming countries? MS. PERINO: I think it's a little premature to say exactly what the President and Prime Minister Brown will talk about, but certainly economic issues is sure to be high on the agenda. And within that, energy is one of the issues. Let's, I think, let the meeting take place and see if anything comes out of that in terms of a concerted effort. But I think that if you look back to what the President has said, and then the Vice President, across the board, the administration, along with other countries that are dependent on foreign sources of energy, we do believe that because there is a supply and demand problem, that we would like to see more supply. OPEC has disagreed and they think that the market is well-supplied. So, at the same time, the other thing that we have to do as developed countries is to work on technologies that will reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy, but also be clean-burning so that we can prevent pollutants from going into the air, as well as combat the problems -- the challenges that are posed by global climate change. So let's let the meeting take place. Q And what does the President think about Senator McCain's proposal for a gas tax holiday during the summer? MS. PERINO: Well, as I said this morning, I'm not going to comment specifically on the proposal. I know in the world of -- in a campaign, everybody wants a quick reaction. The White House, when new policy proposals are poised to the White House, it's not always necessarily the quickest way to get an answer. In theory and in our philosophy, we are always for lower taxes. And I think what John McCain has laid out is his proposal for how he would get there. But anytime there's a proposal such as that, whether it would come from Senator McCain or Senator Kennedy or Senator Dodd, there's a policy process we go through to look at that. So I'm not going to comment on that one in particular, but I will say that as we near the November time frame, as has happened with other presidential elections, the distinctions between the two parties become very clear, and taxes is going to be one of those core issues that Americans are going to be thinking about, especially in a time when they feel economic uncertainty. And what John McCain is showing today is that he is representing the party for lower taxes. And I think your question is best posed to his opponents. Dana Perino | John McCain | OPEC | Press Briefing | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, John McCain, OPEC, Press Briefing, Taxes, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:29 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 4/14/08 (Jimmy Carter meeting with Hamas Terrorist Organization) — Monday, April 14, 2008 —
 MS. PERINO: Matt.Q Yes, what does the President think of Jimmy Carter's planned meeting with Hamas during his Middle East trip? And is there any concern at the White House that Israel has so far declined to provide any kind of assistance to the Secret Service agents who are guarding Carter? MS. PERINO: I hadn't heard about the second part regarding Secret Service agents. The President believes that if President Carter wants to go, that he is doing so in his own private capacity as a private citizen. He is not representing the United States in those meetings, and the President is not a supporter of having conversations with Hamas. And we have made that known. Q Does he see -- does the President see this in any way undermining his own efforts to isolate Hamas? MS. PERINO: I think Hamas has done a good enough job of isolating itself. We don't think that it's helpful, no. Dana Perino | Hamas | Israel | Jimmy Carter | Middle East | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Hamas, Israel, Jimmy Carter, Middle East, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 11:49 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 4/9/08 (President Bush and China's Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies) — Wednesday, April 09, 2008 —
 MS. PERINO: Bret., Press Briefing, Tibet, White House Press Corps, Q Dana, in an interview with EWTN, the President was asked specifically, "You are now planning on going to the Olympics, to be at the Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics. How can you in good conscience go to that ceremony, Mr. President?" He answered, "Because I -- I'm going to the Olympics, for starters, and my plans aren't -- haven't changed." Dana, is he going to the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games? MS. PERINO: I would just leave it as the how the President stated it. We haven't announced the President's schedule. Q So you can't say right now whether he's going to the Opening Ceremonies or not? MS. PERINO: I cannot. Q You can only say that he is going to the Olympics? MS. PERINO: Yes, but I'm not trying to signal anything by saying that -- I don't have the President's schedule. It is way too far in advance for us to announce the President's schedule. Q Nancy Pelosi said today that -- about the Opening Ceremonies and the party -- that she hopes the White House realizes there's not a party going on in Tibet, saying that you shouldn't go to the Opening Ceremonies. MS. PERINO: Well, maybe she should check out what the President just said on camera about pressuring China, both publically and privately, before, during and after the Olympics. He just said it, just now in the meeting with the Senior Minister from Singapore, in which they spent a lot of time talking about China and human rights and Tibet. And particularly -- in particular, the President said that China would be in good stead if it would just reopen the dialogue that it had with the Dalai Lama or the Dalai Lama's representatives. Q One last thing. For people who are reading between the lines here that you're not being -- able to be pinned down on this, is it possible that the President could go to the Olympics but not go to the Opening Ceremonies? MS. PERINO: I'll refer you to my first answer. (Laughter.) Q But this is different, Dana. If we asked you this question a couple of weeks ago or a couple of months ago, you would have said he's going to the Opening Ceremonies. Does this suggest -- MS. PERINO: That's not true. Did you ask me that? Did I say that? Q I think it's been pretty clear that he was planning on going. MS. PERINO: No. He said he was going to the Olympics. We have not given out the President's schedule. And even before -- I've not given out any details about the President's schedule when it comes to Olympics. So it's wrong to say that I have changed my story. Q Since this issue has become -- sort of moved to the forefront here, is there any reexamination, recalibration, or rethinking of the dynamics that would have the President at the Opening Ceremonies? MS. PERINO: Not that I'm aware. Q Dana, what sports -- what Olympic sports might the President be most interested in, and might his journey center around those? MS. PERINO: I don't know. He's a sports fan, he likes it all. Q Is it true he's going to the shot-put? (Laughter.) You won't discuss that, will you? MS. PERINO: I don't have any details on his schedule. It's premature for me to -- Peter. China | Dana Perino | Olympics | President Bush | Press Briefing | Tibet | White House Press Corps Labels: China, Dana Perino, Olympics, President Bush, Press Briefing, Tibet, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:39 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 4/8/08 (China's Olympic Games) — Tuesday, April 08, 2008 —
 MS. PERINO: Les. Q Thank you, Dana. MS. PERINO: Sorry, then I'll come over here. Q Two questions. First, since we presume the President is as devoted to human rights as any world leader, why has he failed to join the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, and now the Prime Minister of Canada in their announced refusal to appear at China's Olympic Games? MS. PERINO: I actually don't think that they have announced that they are going to do that. I think they announced that they are considering it. Q It's been reported that they have. MS. PERINO: That's not exactly true, Les. The President's position on this has been very clear. But the key part of what the President can do as the President of the United States is before, during and after the Olympics, push very hard for increased human rights, press freedoms, and political freedom in China. Q A follow-up: In New York, attorney Bill Donohoe, who is the President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said yesterday, "China can't pretend to be religion-friendly while routinely censoring religious liberty. Senator Clinton gets it just right when she urges President Bush to boycott the Opening Ceremony, saying 'Americans will stand strong in support of freedom of religion and" -- MS. PERINO: What's your question? Q -- "political expression and human rights.'" And my question -- MS. PERINO: Question? Q -- does the President believe that both the Catholic League and Senator Clinton are wrong to make such a request? MS. PERINO: No, they can make any request that they want. But I just told you what the President's position is. China | Dana Perino | Les | Olympics | Press Briefing | Tibet | White House Press Corps Labels: China, Dana Perino, Les, Olympics, Press Briefing, Tibet, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 11:11 PM White House Press Briefing by Tony Fratto 4/7/08 (General Petraeus Iraq Testimony) — Monday, April 07, 2008 — MR. FRATTO: Yes, Helen. Q You acted like the President wouldn't know what Petraeus and Crocker are going to testify. Do you mean he's going to be surprised tomorrow -- MR. FRATTO: No, I hope I didn't leave -- Q -- when they say the surge is working and all? MR. FRATTO: No, I hope I didn't leave that impression. I think he has a good sense of what the thinking of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker is. Obviously they speak on a fairly regular basis and the President is briefed by General Petraeus. And he's also briefed by lots of -- Q But he's the President, isn't he calling the policy? I mean, we don't have President Petraeus, do we? We have President -- MR. FRATTO: No, we don't. We have commander Petraeus, who is running the operations on the ground in Iraq and he's closest to the military operations. He knows the capabilities of his forces, the coalition forces, and what the Iraqi security forces can do, and has a good sense of what's needed to complete his mission. And it's a mission that he designed. So we want to look forward to his testimony and hear how he thinks it's going and what the requirements are to complete that mission for the remainder of the year. Q What is the mission? MR. FRATTO: Well, it's pretty clear, says to bring -- is to bring -- Q Are you asking -- to continue the occupation of Iraq? MR. FRATTO: -- security in Iraq, sufficient security, so that the political leadership can continue to make gains. And they've made some very impressive gains, whether it's with the budget and reconstruction funding and the Baathist legislation and provincial elections. These are all very, very important elements of political reconciliation in Iraq. We'd like to see more. We want to see more action on oil revenue law. And so there's more to be done. We're going to keep a very close eye on implementation of the laws that have been passed. But I think it's clear General Petraeus's mission was to reduce violence in Baghdad and in Iraq, more broadly, and I think it's hard to deny -- it would be hard for anybody to deny that he hasn't been successful in that mission. Now, we know that it's a -- the reduction of violence is fragile and it's reversible, but we like the trend and we like what the Iraqi political leadership has shown about their ability to take action. Q And paying off 90,000 Iraqis not to fight? MR. FRATTO: Kathleen. General Petraeus | Helen | Iraq | Middle East | President Bush | Press Briefing | Tony Fratto | White House Press Corps Labels: General Petraeus, Helen, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Press Briefing, Tony Fratto, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:55 PM Press Briefing by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley 4/3/08 (NATO Summit Results) — Thursday, April 03, 2008 —
 Q With these decisions today by NATO, do you think that President Bush and President Putin will be able to settle their differences this weekend on missile defenses, or do you think it could be more of a broad, strategic statement that they're going to come to?SECRETARY RICE: Well, I certainly think that there will be a -- we expected that there would be a strategic framework about which we've talked. And a part of that has to be some discussion of missile defense. We are hopeful that Russia will take the opportunity to express the views that have actually been expressed to us about the usefulness and the importance of the measures that the United States has been willing to take, concerning the third site in the Czech Republic and Poland, that are meant to allay Russian concerns that somehow this missile defense system, the nine interceptors and radar sites, are somehow aimed at the Russian deterrent. And so that opportunity obviously arises, and already when we were in Moscow the Russians said that these were useful and important. We hope that we can move beyond that to an understanding that we will all have an interest in cooperation on missile defense, but we will see. Yes. Q As far as Afghanistan is concerned, are you -- you said you're satisfied with the result. But is this the end of your pressure of the other allies to provide more commitment, more troops, and I think about Italy, Germany and Spain, or you just satisfied with this result, and that's the end of it? MR. HADLEY: Well, interesting your question is -- "the end of our pressure." I think one of the things that was interesting about that meeting today was the NATO allies are all putting pressure on themselves. And NATO ally after NATO ally said, we have got to succeed here; it is important for the credibility of the Alliance; more to the point, it's important for the security of our people, and we need to succeed and we need to do more. This isn't just President Bush's line. This is now the line of everyone there. It's what we heard of President Karzai: a lot of progress was made; we all have to do more. Same thing from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon: progress -- need to do more. And as you know, the United Nations is stepping up. So I think everyone recognizes we need to do more. And it's not like we're going to come to a level and that's it, success is around the corner. This is going to be a long commitment. This is a hard fight. We are going to have to assess our requirements, modify our forces, modify our tactics and strategy, and do it over the long term. So I think what you are seeing is a much more focused engagement in Afghanistan, and a commitment that we cannot fail, and therefore are going to have to, in a very focused way, do more, and work more effectively with the forces that we have, both military and civilian. Afghanistan | Condeleezza Rice | NATO | President Bush | Press Briefing | Stephen Hadley | White House Press Corps Labels: Afghanistan, Condeleezza Rice, NATO, President Bush, Press Briefing, Stephen Hadley, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 8:00 PM Press Gaggle by Dana Perino 4/1/08 (Ukraine and Georgia Membership Action Plans) — Tuesday, April 01, 2008 —
Q Is there any compromise -- short of a MAP plan -- that would be acceptable, that would still be a positive signal, but that everybody might get on board with?MS. PERINO: Certainly not one that we're focusing on. The President was very clear today in response to a question at the press conference that while some might have suggested that the President would trade MAP for better relations with Russia, that he was very clear to President Putin that he supports Ukraine and Georgia being given MAP; this is their chance for NATO membership, it is not NATO membership. At the end of that process, those countries might decide that it's not for them. And so he thinks that they should be given a chance. And so we're not focusing on anything short of that, but continuing to have discussion with our allies across the board, both from the State Department level all the way up to the President. Q What are the odds at this point? I mean, the Germans have been pretty strong on this, saying they don't think this is appropriate, this morning. Q And the French, as well. Q And the French, too. MS. PERINO: I saw one of the things that the French Foreign Minister said today, that -- something along the lines that Europe and Russia need to have discussions about possible MAP for Ukraine and Georgia. The last time we checked, Russia didn't get a vote. And this is a NATO discussion, a NATO exercise, and it will be a NATO decision. And again, the President's position is very clear. We understand that other people may have disagreements, but we believe that giving these two states that want to be democratic, independent and sovereign a chance to join NATO is important and it should not be derailed. Q What does it say about the state of the Alliance today, that they're probably not on the same page when it comes to this next step, that the future is still under some debate within the -- especially between East and West? MS. PERINO: I couldn't tell you about all the NATO summits going all the way back. These are healthy, independent, sovereign countries that get together and have robust debates about various issues. And so I think that the fact that we can all have these frank and open discussions is a good sign. And that's one of the reasons the President enjoys coming to these meetings, because they're clarifying moments where people can fully express themselves and lay it out on the table. The President has made himself very clear, that the door to NATO should remain open, and especially for countries that have shown that they have the will and the determination, and they, on the merits, deserve to be considered for membership -- a Membership Action Plan. Dana Perino | Georgia | NATO | Press Gaggle | Ukraine | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Georgia, NATO, Press Gaggle, Ukraine, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:08 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 3/24/08 (4,000 U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq) — Monday, March 24, 2008 —
 Q The 4,000 U.S. deaths in Iraq -- does the President regard that as a significant milestone? What's it mean to him?MS. PERINO: President Bush thinks that every single loss is tragic, from the very first several years ago to the ones that sacrificed yesterday. And he's extremely proud of the courageous men and women in uniform and all that they've done to help protect Iraqis, to protect each other and to protect this country. Most of the families of the fallen that he meets with have one request of the President, which is: Do not let my loved one's sacrifice be in vain. And the President assures them that he is committed to staying and fighting and winning. And one of the reasons he's taking such careful deliberation over the next few weeks as we lead up to the April time frame is because he wants to make sure that the gains that we have secured over this past year are cemented and that we lay the foundation for Iraq to have a democracy where they can govern, sustain and defend itself right there in the Middle East. The enemy we face is brutal. They have killed thousands of people around the world, innocent men, women and children. And they have killed our soldiers as well. And the President believes that taking the fight to the enemy is the best way to combat them for our own national security. But he definitely feels the loss. He gets a report about every single soldier who passes away, and he always pauses a moment to think about them and to offer a prayer for their loved ones and their family and friends. Q Aren't there also families of the bereaved who ask him to stop the war? MS. PERINO: There have been, but the vast majority have all asked him not to allow that sacrifice to be in vain. But certainly there are some. Q The "vast majority"? Can you say that with certainty? MS. PERINO: Well, he has said that repeatedly, and that is true for the I think almost nearly a thousand families of the fallen that he's met with. Q Does he take responsibility for a war he started without provocation that led to 4,000 deaths and 30,000 dramatically injured for life? MS. PERINO: Helen, as you know, as he said many times, he was the one responsible for making the decision to go to war. He didn't make it lightly. And as Commander-in-Chief, the hardest thing that you do and that he's done, and that any Commander-in-Chief before him and those in the future, the hardest thing that they will do is decide to commit our men and women to harm's way. Q Did he foresee this kind of catastrophe? MS. PERINO: I think that he knew that the war was going to require sacrifices and that -- Q By who? MS. PERINO: Well, of course by our soldiers. Q There's nobody in his family or this administration in this war. MS. PERINO: Helen, these are all questions we have dealt with before. I've given you an answer in the President's reaction to the 4,000 and I'm going to move on. Dana Perino | Helen | Iraq | President Bush | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Helen, Iraq, President Bush, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:57 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 3/20/08 (Government by Public Opinion Polls) — Thursday, March 20, 2008 —
 Q Dana, can I just follow on our colleague Martha Raddatz's interview with the Vice President? Let's set aside the meaning of the word "so" for a second, and get to something the Vice President then said about fluctuations in the public opinion polls: "You can't be blown off course by fluctuations in public opinion polls." That would suggest that at any point in recent memory that the American public has been behind the war. It's not that there's been fluctuations in polls; it's been different degrees of opposition to the war. So is the Vice President saying it really doesn't matter what the American public thinks about the war?MS. PERINO: No, I don't think that's what he's saying, and obviously I haven't spoken to the Vice President since he's traveling today and was in Kabul visiting with President Karzai at the request of the President. But what he went on to say is that President should not make decisions based on polls. And we fully recognize that people across America are unhappy with the war; possibly they didn't agree with the decision in the first place. They might have been unhappy with the conduct of the war. They might have disagreed with the President's decision to send in more troops, which was a very unpopular decision across the board. But what the President has said is that while people might not like the decisions that he makes, he has to do what he thinks is right for the country, and he cannot try to chase an opinion poll and try to make things better that way. He has to act on what he thinks is right, and that's what he's done. Q So at what point -- I mean, I guess I just -- there is the impression that the Vice President doesn't care about what the American people think in policy like that. Is that a wrong impression? And does the President share that impression? MS. PERINO: I think that is the wrong impression. I think that the Vice President and the President both, together, all of us across the administration, would like for people to support the President's decisions. We realize that that's unrealistic, especially in a time of war -- and in particular this war. And while we're not able to change public opinion, we also have to follow a principle and stand on principle. And you have to ask yourself, what kind of a person do you want in the Oval Office? And America will have this choice to make in November of 2008 -- before I get ahead of myself. So we believe that the President stood on his principle. He hasn't chased public opinion polls. He's aware of them, but he hasn't made decisions because of them, and I think there's a distinction. Just because you don't make decisions based on opinion polls doesn't mean you don't care what people think. We are all Americans. We care deeply about what people think. Helen. Q The American people are being asked to die and pay for this, and you're saying they have no say in this war? MS. PERINO: I didn't say that, Helen. But, Helen, this President was elected -- Q Well, what it amounts to is you saying we have no input at all. MS. PERINO: You had input. The American people have input every four years, and that's the way our system is set up. Q Every four years. MS. PERINO: And we listen to -- Q It sounds familiar. MS. PERINO: -- different points of view. The President, in fact, had many meetings with members of Congress leading up to his decision about the surge. Q Supposed to be a government for the people, of the people, by the people? MS. PERINO: I would submit to you that people across America, if asked what type of a President do you want: one that stands on principle or that one that chases polls? And I think that they would want -- Q What's the principle of going to war against the people who did nothing to us? MS. PERINO: Helen, the President went to war to remove Saddam Hussein. He talked all about this yesterday in his speech. I'll refer you to that. Dana Perino | Dick Cheney | Helen | Iraq | Polls | Press Briefing | Vice President | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Dick Cheney, Helen, Iraq, Polls, Press Briefing, Vice President, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:34 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 3/19/08 (Iraqi Political Reconciliation) — Wednesday, March 19, 2008 —
 Q The President had a lot to say about the surge, but he didn't say much about the reason that the surge was put into effect, which was to create some breathing room for political reconciliation, which really hasn't happened. He didn't mention that at all.MS. PERINO: I realize some people think that that hasn't been anything that happened, but I think if you look at the facts, Bill, I think -- Q Well, why didn't he mention it? MS. PERINO: In terms of the political reconciliation that they've had? Q Yes. What is there to brag about? MS. PERINO: Well, they've passed a lot more laws than this Congress has this year, and they've worked very hard. I mean, they're going from a complete dictatorship where they have no trust of one another -- they've never had democracy, and just in January, late January, they finished passing four -- three or four pieces of -- major pieces of legislation. And they're continuing to work on more. Politics is alive and well in Iraq. And just today we hear reports that it's possible that the constitutional process that was working its way through, where Vice President Mahdi had suggested a veto against a provincial powers law that -- it looks like that will be withdrawn, which would be a good step. And then you have -- what you have is Iraq actually trying to function as a democracy. And I think some people who are throwing stones ought to look at the primary system in our own country, especially on the Democratic side, where you have two states where -- Florida and Michigan, where they're figuring out whether or not to seat those delegates. Politics happens. And that's what -- it happens in the United States and it's certainly happening in Iraq. It's not a bad thing that they're having debates about their constitution. Q So you think that the Democrats should seat the delegates from Florida and Michigan? (Laughter.) MS. PERINO: I don't really have an opinion, but I'm really interested in the story. (Laughter.) Dana Perino | Iraq | President Bush | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Iraq, President Bush, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 11:45 PM Dana Perino on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 3/13/08 — Saturday, March 15, 2008 —
Dana Perino | Jon Stewart | The Daily Show Labels: Dana Perino, Jon Stewart, The Daily Show
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:10 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 3/10/08 (Cheney's Trip to the Middle East) — Monday, March 10, 2008 — MS. PERINO: John. Q Has the President given the Vice President any specific benchmarks he's looking for from his trip to the Middle East? The President outlined a little bit, but you had made it clear earlier this morning that he wanted things to hurry up in the Middle East peace process. MS. PERINO: No, I wouldn't say that the President has to give the Vice President any benchmarks. The Vice President understands fully what we're trying to achieve there, and the President is grateful that he's agreed to go. He has an ambitious trip, starting this Sunday. He'll travel to several different countries, and he has many different topics that he will cover. One of the most important is certainly trying to help the Israelis and the Palestinians as they continue to talk with one another to get to a point where they could define what a state would look like. And in addition to that, he'll travel to Saudi Arabia; I'm sure that energy issues will come up there. He'll be talking about Iraq and the progress of the surge and the importance of making sure that the security gains that we've had do not reverse themselves. So he's got a wide range of topics that he'll cover on his trip. Q But not anything specific, like, let's have the settlement issue resolved by this date, for instance. MS. PERINO: If there is, I'm not aware of it and I don't -- they have private conversations. Q Will he repeat the request to the Saudis to ask OPEC to raise oil production, a request which was made by the President and turned down by our friends, the Saudis? MS. PERINO: I'll refer you to the Vice President's office for exactly what he will bring up. But certainly the position of the United States and the President is that we believe that more supplies should be out there on the market. And the President does want OPEC to take into consideration that its biggest customer, the United States, that our economy is weakened, and part of the reason is because of higher oil prices; we think that more supply would help. And I don't anticipate that the Vice President would have any other message than that one. Q So he will, obviously, then, have that message. MS. PERINO: I'm not -- I can't tell you exactly what the Vice President is going to say and I'm not going to -- I'll let him have his meetings and then they can read them for you while you guys are on the road. Dana Perino | Dick Cheney | Middle East | Press Briefing | Vice President | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Dick Cheney, Middle East, Press Briefing, Vice President, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:48 PM Press Conference by the President 2/28/08 (Al Qaeda and Iraq ) — Thursday, February 28, 2008 —
 THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Jonathan.Q Mr. President, do you believe if we have the kind of rapid pull-out from Iraq that Democrats are talking about, that we would be at greater risk of a terrorist attack here at home? And when Senator Obama was asked a similar question, he said, "If al Qaeda is forming a base in Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American homeland and our interests abroad." So I'm wondering if -- THE PRESIDENT: That's an interesting comment. If al Qaeda is securing a al Qaeda base -- yes, well, that's exactly what they've been trying to do for the past four years. That's their stated intention, was to create enough chaos and disorder to establish a base from which to either launch attacks or spread a caliphate. And the intent of the surge was to send more Marines into the area that -- where they had proclaimed their desire to set up a base. That was Anbar province. And so, yes, that's one of the challenges we face, is denying al Qaeda a safe haven anywhere. And their intentions -- that's what they said, that they would like to have a base or safe haven in Anbar province. Yes, Bill. Q But -- THE PRESIDENT: No, next turn. Q But the question about -- THE PRESIDENT: Nice try. (Laughter.) Q Mr. President -- THE PRESIDENT: You obviously haven't been here long. Al Qaeda | Democratic Candidates | Iraq | President Bush | Presidential Press Conference | White House Press Corps Labels: Al Qaeda, Democratic Candidates, Iraq, President Bush, Presidential Press Conference, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 8:34 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 2/27/08 (Chinese Imports, Obama & Farrakhan ) — Wednesday, February 27, 2008 — MS. PERINO: Go ahead, Les. Q Thank you, Dana; two questions. WorldNetDaily has reviewed Consumer Product Safety Commission reports confirming that two of every three products recalled for safety concerns during 2007 were Chinese imports. And my question, what are U.S. regulators doing to hold Chinese manufacturers to their promises of higher safety standards? MS. PERINO: Secretary Leavitt led a group by the President and a task force in order to help address these issues. And we know that right now, up on Capitol Hill, they are about to take up a reauthorization of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. So we're working with Congress on that. Q Thank you. When asked last night about the endorsement of him by Louis Farrakhan, Senator Obama replied that Farrakhan's anti-Semitism is, "reprehensible," and that he had not sought Farrakhan's endorsement. And my question: This statement by Senator Obama deserves White House approval, doesn't it? MS. PERINO: I'm not going to comment in any way on the '08 election. Q You're going to avoid this? Won't you commend him? Don't you think he should be commended? MS. PERINO: If you want to ask two questions, you should make sure they're two that I can answer. (Laughter.) China | Dana Perino | Democratic Candidates | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: China, Dana Perino, Democratic Candidates, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 8:09 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 2/25/08 (FISA Bill and Telecom Retroactive Immunity) — Monday, February 25, 2008 — Q Is the President's position that he would veto it without retroactive immunity? MS. PERINO: That has been his position for a long time, and the reason is because you can't have -- without the cooperation of the companies, we won't have a program. You know, if we had a nationalized telecommunication system, then we -- the government could do it on its own, but in our system of government and the way that we are set up as a capitalist-style country, we have to have the cooperation of the private sector. They have the technology, they have the means, and they want to cooperate, but they have been burdened with over 40 lawsuits, class-action lawsuits that would -- that, one, already are costing them lots of money to deal with. And if the suits were to go forward, it could cost them possibly billions. And that cost is going to be borne by the consumers of those businesses, the customers of those businesses. But more importantly, the companies at this point are saying that they are growing increasingly reluctant to continue to work with us because, even though they want to, they are concerned about the trial lawyer lawsuits that are pending. Q Dana, critics would say that -- MS. PERINO: Reluctantly so. And it took a lot of work on behalf of the Justice Department and the office of Director of National Intelligence to work with the companies to work with companies to -- work with them to tell them what we need, and to tell them that we are going to continue to push for prospective and, more importantly, retroactive liability protection. Q Who gave them the right to break the law? MS. PERINO: Nobody broke the law, Helen. That might be your opinion, but nobody broke the law. Q When these companies -- when no warrant is given, and they didn't break the law? MS. PERINO: Helen, you're entitled to your opinion, but you're not entitled to your own set of facts. Q Oh, come on, let's -- MS. PERINO: And the facts are that companies were asked to help, and they were helped -- Q Why can't they get -- MS. PERINO: -- and they allowed -- they helped with a legal program that has helped save lives. Q Who told them they could break the law? MS. PERINO: That is just -- that's not true, Helen. Q Is it not the case, as the writers of the op-ed in today's Post claim, that the law protects all of this until August? MS. PERINO: There are -- it's a little bit more complex than that, but there are certainly directives that were approved last August when the Protect America Act was passed. Q For how long? MS. PERINO: For one year. But it's not for -- it's not necessarily -- that does not necessarily apply to all the new targets. And it doesn't apply necessarily to maybe new companies or new providers that we would need to work with in the future, that might not already be under a directive that we're -- Q But one of your complaints of prospective. They don't affect anything that's going on right now. MS. PERINO: That's not necessarily the case. As you heard in the letter -- you didn't hear from him, but in the letter that Attorney General Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence McConnell sent on Friday -- that there were several days last week where we lost information. Late Friday night there was a company that agreed reluctantly to continue to cooperate with us. But one of the things you have to understand is in the world -- Q They lost information because companies wouldn't cooperate. MS. PERINO: Correct. There was -- they are reluctant to cooperate. And during that time frame when they were trying to work with them to get them to cooperate, and to give them the comfort that they needed to be willing partners, it just took a little while. And then once that was given on Saturday morning, that the Justice Department and the Office of Director -- the DNI, put out a statement saying that they had gotten this cooperation. But this is not the kind -- this is not the way we should be running an intelligence program where you are trying to track terrorists who are calling into or out of America. We don't want to have to be having our lawyers and other professionals in the intelligence community having to coax companies to cooperate. These companies want to cooperate. I mean, all they're saying is that they want the retroactive liability protection which passed the Senate 68-29. Dana Perino | FISA | Helen | President Bush | Press Briefing | Vetoes | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, FISA, Helen, President Bush, Press Briefing, Vetoes, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:14 PM Air Force One Press Gaggle by Dana Perino — Monday, February 18, 2008 — Q What do you have on his downtime today? MS. PERINO: Yes. I wanted to let you know that the President and Mrs. Bush had the opportunity to visit with Ellie Leblond -- that is their niece -- Doro Koch's niece(*). Q How old is she?  MS. PERINO: She's 19, and she's here in the country for a few months working with a group called the Tanzanian Children's Fund. And a woman named India Howell, who is the founder and director, joined them for the visit, as did Nano Chatfield -- she's the president of the board of directors of the Tanzanian Children's Fund. India Howell is the founder and director. I would encourage you, if you have a chance, to look up the Tanzanian Children's Fund website, because they do some really great work with orphans. And India Howell has been in Africa since -- well, she first climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 1998, and she says in her bio that it changed her life and that she wanted to fulfill a lifelong dream of doing something to help orphans. And so she started an orphanage first in her own home, and then expanded it, and now she serves over 40 -- 41 children are living here with her right now at what they call a children's village. That was as of March 2007, there were 41 children living with her in the children's village. And so Ellie is there volunteering for a few months. (*) Ellie Leblond is Doro Koch's daughter Africa | Air Force One | Dana Perino | Doro Koch | Ellie Leblond | India Howel | President Bush | Press Gaggle | Tanzanian Children's Fund | Tanzania | White House Press Corps Labels: Africa, Air Force One, Dana Perino, Doro Koch, Ellie Leblond, India Howell, President Bush, Press Gaggle, Tanzania, Tanzanian Children's Fund, White House Press Corps
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:26 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 11/15/07 (President's Federalist Society) — Thursday, November 15, 2007 — Q The President's Federalist Society remarks tonight, which you've sent us excerpts of -- I'm interested in his attack on those who advocate the living Constitution, and saying that in practice, the living Constitution means whatever these activists want it to mean. The President presumably is aware that Justice Stephen Breyer has a book out on this subject. Is he attacking Justice Breyer directly here? MS. PERINO: No, I don't think that there was anything specific, and I don't think -- in discussions, I don't believe it came up. But what I can say is that the President has for many years said that what his position is on judicial nominees is that he looks for someone who believes like he does; that the Constitution is the Constitution and it shouldn't evolve based on different public policy positions. I'm not aware -- I wasn't aware that Justice Breyer had a book. Q In a larger sense, though, does he believe that Justice Breyer and other advocates of this policy, to quote him from elsewhere in the speech, are -- pursue judicial lawlessness in a way that is a threat to our democracy? MS. PERINO: The President does not believe that we should have a living Constitution. He believes the Constitution is the Constitution. Dana Perino | Federalist Society | Judiciary | Justice Stephen Breyer | President Bush | Press Briefing | United States Constitution | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Federalist Society, Judiciary, |