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Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials 11/29/06 (Topic: Maliki Memo)
— Thursday, November 30, 2006 — Q Can I get back to something the senior official on the left said? SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Your left, or our left? Q It makes clear that the deficiency is capability -- my left -- the deficiency is capability, how to turn good intentions into concrete actions. Doesn't the memo itself say that there is a question about the Prime Minister's intentions -- one of three -- whether his intentions are at fault; whether he's being undermined; whether he simply doesn't have the capability -- isn't that a question? And two, is this meeting between the President and the Prime Minister, in fact, a response to the memo? Is Bush going to talk to the Prime Minister to try and answer this question about whether, in fact, he does have good intentions and they're simply being undermined? SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I'll help you -- even though I'm on your right and our left, I will take on the latter question, which is, no, this is not -- the President is convinced of Prime Minister Maliki's determination and good intentions. Again, you have a series of questions, which, within the context of the memo, represents a very hard look, a probing look at the situation in Iraq, and the one thing that has come up is that we believe that it is a capability problem, and that the Prime Minister understands a lot of the complexity of the situation that he faces and is eager to address it. Many of the joint collaborations that I and my fellow senior administration official have referred to have taken place subsequent to the writing of this memo. Q I'm sorry? SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The joint committees that were formed in the video conference -- that the two agreed to form, those activities have been ongoing. The bulk of those have occurred since the writing of the memo. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Iraq
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 1:45 AM  Press Briefing by National Security Advisor Steve Hadley 11/28/06 (Topic: Iraq) — Tuesday, November 28, 2006 — Q How can you say that we think the Maliki government is doing pretty well when, by all accounts, he would have no strength at all in parliament but for the bloc of votes that Sadr's party holds? It seems to be the majority view, in everything we read, that he has no power except the power which comes from his association with Sadr, who is inimical to U.S. interests. MR. HADLEY: I don't think that's how it works. I think there are about 270 members, maybe 275 members in the legislature. Sadr has a block of 50. So this is a unity government, drawing from Kurds, Sunni and Shia. It has a broader base of support. Secondly, Sadr is in the government. Sadr has some ministers that are part of the government. And one of the things that Maliki has been very clear about is trying to keep Sadr in that government and get Sadr to recognize that he has a role as part of the government, he has a role as part of the government to ensure that the government is the exclusive source of authority and force within Iraq. And that means going after the extremes, whether Shia extremists or Sunni extremists, those elements that are standing outside the government and are willing to use force against the government. He is trying to unite moderates in Sunni, Shia and Kurd communities into his unity, and give them, through the training of security forces, the strength to go after those elements that refuse to become part of the political process. That's what he's trying to do. He has said that the government needs to do better. We've said that the situation in Iraq is not proceeding well enough, fast enough. This is not -- I'm trying to give you a very candid assessment. But the question I got was, why isn't he doing better? And all I wanted to do was to remind everybody the situation which this unity government was presented, and the challenges with which they're having to deal. It is something one has to keep in mind when you evaluate what's going on in Iraq. That's my only point. Sir. Q Pretty well is relative, isn't it? MR. HADLEY: Pardon me? Q Pretty well, as you said, is pretty relative, isn't it? MR. HADLEY: It's very relevant, and my point -- Q Relative. MR. HADLEY: -- was not to -- I hope you don't sort of encapsulize what I've said by saying, Hadley says they're doing pretty well, because I think it would be unfair to what I've just described as a situation which is -- we're very concerned about, high levels of violence, sectarian violence that is a challenge for this new government, things proceeding not well enough or fast enough. All I'm saying is, they are not making the progress we would like, they are not making the progress they would like, and there's some reasons for that, because they face a very challenging situation. That's the best I can do, in terms of describing the challenge they face and where they are in that process. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Iraq
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 10:12 PM Press Gaggle by Tony Snow and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley (Topic: Iraq) — Monday, November 27, 2006 — Q Can I just follow on one area, which is the area of troops. Does the President feel like he has to send a message, a specific message to Maliki with regard to troops, either way, that we're keeping this level or might increase or decrease? Does he feel that's an important message to send? MR. HADLEY: I think the focus that Prime Minister Maliki has talked about is the desire to accelerate the enhancing of Iraqi security forces, giving them more, and the government -- the Iraqi government more responsibility over security, and more control over the forces. So it's interesting, the focus of Prime Minister Maliki in his comments has been less on our forces and more on his forces, because he's made clear that the unity government, which he heads, and the unity government which we fully support, wants to be in a position to take more responsibility for security. That's what he wants, that's what the Iraqi people want, that's what we want. Q But it's not happening. MR. HADLEY: They are taking more responsibility for security. As you know, there are provinces that have been handed over to Iraq, to Iraqi forces. There is a process by which Iraqi divisions are now coming under the Iraqi national command structure. There are more instances where Iraqi forces are in the lead. But, obviously, the situation in Baghdad and the situation in Anbar is much more difficult. And one of the things I'm sure they will talk about is what are the strategies that will work in those two areas. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Iraq
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 11:56 PM Press Gaggle by Tony Snow and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley 11/21/06 (Topic: Iraq, Iran, & Syria) Q Let me ask one thing. What do you think about the warmth of relations between Syria and Iraq, and Iraq and Iran? MR. HADLEY: Well, we have said that it is important for those two countries to be supportive of the Iraqi government. There have been ongoing relations between, obviously, Iraq and Syria, and Iraq and Iran. There have been visits between the leaders, between -- the Prime Minister has gone to both countries. And we think it is important that Iraq be speaking directly to these countries and making it clear to them that they need to play a positive role in seeking security, stability and democracy in Iraq. So we think that -- and we are supportive of Iraqi government officials as they deliver that message, and that is the message they've been delivering, as you know, both privately and publicly. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Iraq
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 11:55 PM Press Gaggle by Tony Snow 11/19/06 (Topic: Vietnam) — Sunday, November 19, 2006 — Q Tony, tomorrow, of course, the President wraps up his visit to Vietnam. Are you getting a sense of how he's feeling about what he's accomplished, in terms of putting the past behind and looking forward? MR. SNOW: Again, you know, what's interesting is that the Vietnamese have said on a number of times, we're looking forward. This seems to be of much greater interest to the American press than it does to the Vietnam delegation, because they didn't talk about it hardly at all. Instead, what you saw is a real eagerness to build closer relations with the United States and a real warmth about -- they like Americans, and they want American business, and they also want expanded cultural and educational ties and they're going to get them. The President also -- as you've seen, just making your way around Hanoi, and I suspect we'll see the same thing in Ho Chi Minh City, there really is a sense that this is a country that is really -- it's not only growing very rapidly, but there's this sense of vitality. And the President has expressed regret that he can't be a tourist right now, because he'd love to spend more time seeing it. It's a fascinating place, but the meetings went very, very well. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | News Media | Bush Administration | Vietnam
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 5:40 PM Press Briefing by National Security Advisor Steve Hadley 11/18/06 (Topic: Elections & Foreign Policy) Q In any of these contacts here has anyone asked about the impact from the elections and the President's -- the loss of the President's party in Congress? MR. HADLEY: It's come up. These are -- a number of leaders are people who the President knows well. They are politicians. They have known situations -- they have been in situations in which -- like what he is in. He, of course, reassured them that, in terms of the foreign policy of the country, he was firm in his views and would be continuing that foreign policy along current lines. He also, of course, indicated that there were some opportunities here to make progress on some important issues for the country, and he's, of course, talked publicly about that. So he didn't say anything to these leaders that he hasn't talked about publicly to the American people as he's assessed the outcome of the elections in November. Q Did it seem to you that any of them were concerned or were looking for reassurance? MR. HADLEY: I didn't have any sense of that. It didn't seem to have any impact on the discussions, the substance of the issue, so I don't think it was a source of concern by anybody. They know the President to be a very strong leader, a man of conviction, a man of principle, and I think they know where he stands on the issues and understand the role the President plays in foreign policy under our system. Q Could you say who raised the issue, which of the leaders? MR. HADLEY: I can't. Actually, I don't -- I couldn't give you an accurate list. It was raised maybe a couple instances -- not a big theme, quite frankly. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Steve Hadley | News Media | Bush Administration | Midterm Elections
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 5:36 PM President Bush Q&A 11/17/06 (Topic: Vietnam & Iraq) — Saturday, November 18, 2006 — Q Thank you, sir. What does it mean to you, personally, and what do you think it means to other Americans who experienced some of the turbulence of the Vietnam War that you're here now, talking cooperation and peace with a former enemy? PRESIDENT BUSH: You know, Laura and I were talking about -- we were talking about how amazing it is we're here in Vietnam. And one of the most poignant moments of the drive in was passing the lake where John McCain got pulled out of the lake. And he's a friend of ours; he suffered a lot as a result of his imprisonment, and yet, we passed the place where he was, literally, saved, in one way, by the people pulling him out. I guess my first reaction is history has a long march to it, and that societies change and relationships can constantly be altered to the good. And I'm looking forward to my meetings with the President and the Prime Minister here shortly. I found it really interesting, for example, that the Prime Minister's children were educated in the United States. The Prime Minister of Vietnam who, as I understand it, was part of the Viet Cong, sends his children to our country to get educated, and one of his children ended up marrying a Vietnamese American. And it shows how hopeful the world can be and how people can reconcile and move beyond past difficulties for the common good. Vietnam is an exciting place. It's a place with an enormous future, and they obviously have got to work through difficulties like religious freedom, for example, but nevertheless, there's certainly a new hopefulness to this country. And so I'm -- thought a lot about what it was like, what my impressions of Vietnam were growing up, and here I am in this country today, and I guess my answer is, it's very hopeful. Q Are there lessons here for the debate over Iraq? PRESIDENT BUSH: I think one thing -- yes, I mean, one lesson is, is that we tend to want there to be instant success in the world, and the task in Iraq is going to take a while. But I would make it beyond just Iraq. I think the great struggle we're going to have is between radicals and extremists versus people who want to live in peace, and that Iraq is a part of the struggle. And it's just going to take a long period of time to -- for the ideology that is hopeful, and that is an ideology of freedom, to overcome an ideology of hate. Yet, the world that we live in today is one where they want things to happen immediately. And it's hard work in Iraq. That's why I'm so proud to have a partner like John Howard who understands it's difficult to get the job done. We'll succeed unless we quit. The Maliki government is going to make it unless the coalition leaves before they have a chance to make it. And that's why I assured the Prime Minister we'll get the job done. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | News Media | Bush Administration | Vietnam
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 3:46 AM Press Briefing by Press Secretary Tony Snow and David McCormick, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs 11/17/06 Q Tony, I have one for you, and one for David. The one for you is, did the President give the Prime Minister a gift today for his birthday? MR. SNOW: No. At least there -- but on the other hand, we have a state dinner tonight; maybe there will be something then. Q And tomorrow, at ASEAN, do you expect either Thailand or Burma to be present in the room with the President? MR. McCORMICK: Certainly Thailand I expect to be there. I'm not sure -- Q I know there was talk of the Vietnamese of trying to get Burma into this meeting, over objections from the United States. Do you know if that -- MR. McCORMICK: Not to my knowledge. I don't know. MR. SNOW: Don't know. No? Gordon Johndroe says Burma will not be there. We will count that as definitive. Q What will be the message to the Thai Prime Minister, given the recent coup? MR. SNOW: Well, what we have said is we expect and encourage Thailand to return to democracy as soon as possible. That's been the message from day one; that hasn't changed. Q Did the North Koreans express -- did the Vietnamese express any opinion about the U.S. view on North Korea? MR. SNOW: Yes, they share it. They do not want a nuclear peninsula and they have been supportive of our view, and the President thanked them for that. Q Do we know the agenda of the President's meeting with President Putin on Sunday? MR. SNOW: Well, obviously, there will be discussion -- generally, the war on terror. There will clearly be discussions of Iran. But I think rather than my trying to set an agenda for the two, we'll let the leaders do that and once they've done it, we'll tell you about it. Q Are there plans for a North Korea statement out of APEC this year? MR. McCORMICK: Certainly that will be an agenda item and there was discussion of whether there will be an actual statement or not. To be determined. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | David McCormick
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 3:37 AM Press Gaggle by Tony Snow 11/16/06 (Topic: Africa) Q The Sudanese accepted a presence of a U.N. force in Darfur -- any reaction from the President? MR. SNOW: Well, I think the most important thing to do is to have an effective force in Darfur that can protect the people. We are aware of Secretary General Annan's comments on this today and we think that the region and the people in Darfur deserve an effective protection of force and we hope that that is going to be the case. Q Reaction to the election results in Congo? I see you've got it right there. (Laughter.) MR. SNOW: Well, I've got it right here, got the election results in Congo. (Laughter.) Well, obviously, you're going to make sure if there is any challenge, they be done in the established electoral process. Q There's no topic that we can throw at you that you're unprepared for. (Laughter.) MR. SNOW: I just wanted to make sure, yes. (Laughter.) Anything else, guys? If you've got some specifics, or any of you guys have specifics over the meetings for the next couple of days that you want to let me know about, I'll try to be helpful. And I'm honestly going to try to -- tomorrow, I'll be in on the bilats, but when they go off to the APEC meetings, I think I may have to do one thing in town, but I'll get to the file and try to be as helpful as I can. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Africa
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 3:33 AM Press Gaggle by Tony Snow and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley 11/15/06 (Topic: Iraq Strategy) — Wednesday, November 15, 2006 — Q But in the past, you were willing to talk to Iran about Iraq. It sounds like you're not willing to do that now. MR. HADLEY: Well, we've talked about that in the past. We had an offer to do that, in a kind of discreet discussion that would be productive. The Iranians went public with it, clearly had an objective or an agenda to do something else with it. And, therefore, it was clear that it wasn't going to serve the purposes we had in mind, so we pulled it down. There's been a lot of talk now -- some people say Iran wants to talk; we're hearing from other channels Iran doesn't want to talk. What I would say to you is, look, it's not the -- what we need is less talk and more action by Iran. May I say a word, by the way, about the press reports today about looking -- and reviews, with respect to the way forward on Iraq? I just wanted to set that in a little broader context. We have been doing, within the government, reviews on the way forward in Iraq: where we are, what have been the barriers to success, what do we need to do to have a way forward. As the President said, things are not going well enough or fast enough. That's been clear for a while. So for many weeks we have been doing a series of reviews, fairly discreetly. JCS has been doing a review, State has been doing a review, NSC has been doing our own internal review, as well, to try and get a sense of where we are, where we need to be and how to get there. Not surprisingly, the President has met with his national security principles yesterday; thought it was high time that these reviews be brought together and put in an integrated form so he can get a look at it and begin getting in his own mind what the way forward needs to be in Iraq. And that's what he's asked to get done. And he chartered yesterday. And it will be, obviously, coordinated within the NSC, because that's what we do -- we coordinate inter-agency activities. And it will draw on the work that will be done. The point I want to make though, of course, is this is not -- this is to try and figure out how we can support the Iraqi government and Maliki in his view of the way forward in Iraq. We think we have a common view on the way forward strategically. We've been hearing from Prime Minister Maliki some of the things he thinks: he wants more control over security forces, he wants to move more aggressively to stabilize the security situation, he wants to accelerate training and maybe enhancing the capabilities of forces. All of these are good things. So he's beginning to articulate what he thinks is the way forward; we need to figure out how we can support, as a partner with Iraq, an agenda for achieving our common objectives in Iraq. And that's what we're trying to do. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Steve Hadley | Iraq
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 10:00 PM Press Briefing by Tony Snow 11/13/06 (Topic: Iraq Strategy) — Monday, November 13, 2006 — MR. SNOW: David. Q I just want to try to clarify this point. Are you saying that the President is, as we sit here today, opposed to the idea of a phased troop withdrawal that has behind it the intention of pressuring the Iraqi government on the idea that U.S. troops are not there for good? For or against that proposition? MR. SNOW: Well, why don't we wait until somebody actually proposes it, other than a couple of sentences -- Q Well, actually, it's more than a couple of sentences. I mean, the campaign is over -- MR. SNOW: No, it's -- the campaign, that's right, the campaign -- well, the campaign is over. But Democrats now have to put meat on the bones. And so all I'm saying, David, is that if there is a proposal that would succeed in laying out the proper ways of an Iraq that can sustain, govern, and defend itself -- but the President has also said, and I'll reiterate -- Q -- this is not a new idea. MR. SNOW: It's an idea that still doesn't have any detail in it. It isn't fleshed out. It is not something that allows you to have any metric by which somebody does this. And, furthermore, David, there are more than -- there are a whole series of Democratic proposals. I think before you start getting into the position of trying to get me to respond, you probably need to get the Democrats, those doing the speaking, to fix on what they think the proper counterproposal, if there is one. Our view is let's figure out how to work together on this. But I'm just not going to get into the position of going in and responding to things that, again -- if you can show me -- Q Tony, wait a second. You're casting this off as slogans, quoting The New York Times. There's a serious idea on the table. It's not just Carl Levin's, it is others within the Democratic Party. It is a serious idea. It's one that presumably the Iraq Study Group is studying, and that is the notion of a phased withdrawal with some benchmarks. Is the President opposed to that, or supportive of that? MR. SNOW: Like I said, as I said -- what are the benchmarks? Q I'm asking you a question -- MR. SNOW: No, no, no, I just made the point that what you have is something that's nonspecific. So what are the benchmarks? If you -- see, this is why I'm not going to answer the question as you framed it. Q I'm asking you a direct question, which is -- MR. SNOW: No, I'm giving you a direct -- let me do it and then you can come back at me, okay? Q No, Tony, because you're interrupting the thought. You're asking me questions. I'm asking a direct question: There is an idea on the table that is not willy-nilly, that is not opaque, it is specific. It is the idea of phased troop withdrawal that Republicans and Democrats have referred to, that has behind it the notion of pressuring the Iraqi government. Yes, there are details to be worked out, but it is still a proposition that is a serious -- oh, you can laugh. I mean, I don't know how many people in the public think that's a funny idea. The point is this is a serious point, and you either have a position, or you don't. Is the position of the President that he has no position on it? MR. SNOW: No, the position is -- as I think I succeeded in making the point when I asked you what the benchmarks were and you said you didn't know. You give me a proposal that's got something to react to. If the conditions on the ground do not merit withdrawal, the answer is, no. Furthermore, the Iraqis have plenty of incentive. The idea that somehow you have added incentive -- these are people who are dying in large numbers. They understand what the incentives are. And they are the ones going out and risking their lives to vote, and they are the ones who are committing blood and treasure to this. They are the ones who have spent every day and night worrying about it because their very existence depends upon it, David. So as far as trying to get me to, again, respond to something that is an idea -- but it's a caricature of a plan because it doesn't have any meat and bones on it. When somebody comes back and has benchmarks and that sort of thing, then we'll be happy to talk. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Iraq
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 5:33 PM Press Briefing by Tony Snow 11/10/06 (Topic: Budget Deficit) — Friday, November 10, 2006 — Q Yesterday, former Treasury Secretary Bob Rubin said that you cannot solve the nation's fiscal problems without increased revenues. I'm sure you'll be happy to share with us the administration's objections to tax increases, but would you also explain, is the President at all concerned about the ballooning deficit, and what does he propose to do about it? MR. SNOW: Well, the deficit is down, Jessica, and revenues are up. So I think maybe I should read that as a note of congratulation from Secretary Rubin. Q The deficit is down from what? MR. SNOW: Well, the deficit has been cut in half. The President had proposed to do it by 2009, and here is it 2006, and you look at the trends, and you look at also the fiscal discipline that this administration intends to impose, and you're going to have a falling deficit. And you're going to have increased revenues. Also, look at the revenue path, because you will find the revenues have been increasing at a double-digit pace. So what our view is, is that economic growth -- and you saw this in the Clinton years -- economic growth creates a burst of revenue that will enable you to close the deficit. You put that together with fiscal discipline. And Democratic leaders have talked about fiscal discipline, as well. So our objection to tax increases is, number one, they're bad for the economy. And, number two, they're unnecessary from a revenue standpoint. Q So the President is happy with the state of the deficit? MR. SNOW: The President -- no. The President has already talked about reducing the deficit. Did you not hear that he is happy that we have cut the deficit in half, in far shorter than we thought we could? But on the other hand, he wants to continue fighting the deficit. And I would point you -- I tell you what, you can look back at last year's economic message from the President, or look forward after the State of the Union this year, where you will see benchmarks for the deficit, and they go down. Q Tony, can I ask another question on a different topic? MR. SNOW: Please. Q Whatever -- you're on the record on that, so it's fine. We'll go on. MR. SNOW: Well, I'm -- well, tell me -- wait, wait -- what on Earth did that mean? That was a little catty. (Laughter.) I'm on the record because it's true. Revenues are up and the deficit is down. Do you deny that? Q It's down from perhaps your projections, but it's not down -- MR. SNOW: Is it down from last year? Q The deficit continues to grow out of control in a way that -- MR. SNOW: I think you're talking about national debt. There's a difference. The deficit has been declining and will continue generally to decline. Q And you think that Bob Rubin has no -- there's no merit in his comments? MR. SNOW: I think Bob Rubin is right. You want enhanced revenues and you want lower deficits, and we pursue the same goal. Q But, wait -- you want enhanced revenues and lower deficits, but not through tax increases? MR. SNOW: Correct. You don't need them. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Budget Deficit
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 10:18 PM Press Briefing by Tony Snow 11/9/06 (Topic: Rumsfeld) — Thursday, November 09, 2006 — Q What other statements did he make during the campaign that we should consider to be inoperative at this point because he didn't want to inject them in the middle of a campaign? MR. SNOW: None. Q None? They're all going to stay, they're all going to stand? They all stand up? MR. SNOW: Yes. Q Because, I mean -- MR. SNOW: Let me ask you, Peter, again -- the answer is, I think what you're saying is, even though the President had made no decisions and even though there had been no conversation with Bob Gates, he should have said, I don't know, get back to me. Q He wasn't asked if he made a decision. He was asked if he wanted him to stay until the end, and he said yes, which in fact he didn't, because he wanted to find a replacement. MR. SNOW: No, you don't -- no, you don't know. Q He was looking for a replacement, by his own account, at that point, and he could have answered the question, I don't do hypotheticals, which he says all the time. He could have said, I have great confidence in Don Rumsfeld, and every Cabinet Secretary serves at my pleasure. MR. SNOW: Okay, well, we'll invite you to the next pre-brief. Q -- this is not a very straightforward answer. MR. SNOW: You know what? Thank you for the editorial. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Rumsfeld
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 9:27 PM Press Conference by the President 11/8/06 (Topic: Rumsfeld decision) — Wednesday, November 08, 2006 — Q Thank you, Mr. President. Last week you told us that Secretary Rumsfeld will be staying on. Why is the timing right now for this, and how much does it have to do with the election results? THE PRESIDENT: Right. No, you and Hunt and Keil came in the Oval Office, and Hunt asked me the question one week before the campaign, and basically it was, are you going to do something about Rumsfeld and the Vice President? And my answer was, they're going to stay on. And the reason why is I didn't want to inject a major decision about this war in the final days of a campaign. And so the only way to answer that question and to get you on to another question was to give you that answer. The truth of the matter is, as well -- I mean, that's one reason I gave the answer, but the other reason why is I hadn't had a chance to visit with Bob Gates yet, and I hadn't had my final conversation with Don Rumsfeld yet at that point. I had been talking with Don Rumsfeld over a period of time about fresh perspective. He likes to call it fresh eyes. He, himself, understands that Iraq is not working well enough, fast enough. And he and I are constantly assessing. And I'm assessing, as well, all the time, by myself, about, do we have the right people in the right place, or do we -- got the right strategy? As you know, we're constantly changing tactics. And that requires constant assessment. And so he and I both agreed in our meeting yesterday that it was appropriate that I accept his resignation. And so the decision was made -- actually, I thought we were going to do fine yesterday. Shows what I know. But I thought we were going to be fine in the election. My point to you is, is that, win or lose, Bob Gates was going to become the nominee. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | News Media | Bush Administration | Rumsfeld
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 11:18 PM Press Gaggle by Tony Snow 11/7/06 (Topic: Midterm Elections) Q What is the President's mood like today about the election? MR. SNOW: The President is in a good mood. Let me tell you what will be going on with the President today, because a lot of you are interested in that. No planned public events. He'll be having dinner with Brad Freeman and some members of staff. Karl Rove and a few others will be up in the Residence tonight. The President will be making phone calls. But we are not anticipating any public statements out of the White House. Look instead for the Republican National Committee or the House or Senate committees in terms of responding to what's going on with elections. They're the ones that will be handling state-by-state, return-by-return, and so on. You can expect to hear from the President tomorrow, details TBD. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Midterm Elections
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 11:16 PM Press Gaggle by Tony Snow 11/6/06 (Topic: Bush Campaigning) — Monday, November 06, 2006 — Q Any new red meat today in the speech? New red meat in the speech today? MR. SNOW: No, actually, I think what you're going to see is, obviously he'll be comparing and contrasting. But the other thing is, at the end of a campaign like this, people ought to feel good about living in America. There are a lot of good things that have going on in this country. And on the economic side, and also on fighting a war on terror, our people have done some pretty astounding things over the last five years. So it's also a time to remind Americans to be proud of who they are and what we've accomplished. Q No attacks on Democrats? MR. SNOW: There will be conversations about Democrats. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Midterm Elections
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 9:34 PM Press Gaggle by Tony Snow 11/5/06 (Topic: Saddam Verdict) — Sunday, November 05, 2006 — Q Will the President mention the Saddam verdict? MR. SNOW: In the speech? Yes, there will be a little bit of language on it. Q Do you think his death really matters, in a country so mired in turmoil? MR. SNOW: What do you mean, does his death really matter? Q You know, the death penalty. I mean, wouldn't a guilty verdict have been enough? Does he have to be put to death? And does it really matter in a country like Iraq? MR. SNOW: Well, I'm not going to second-guess the people of Iraq. You might want to keep in mind that this is a guy who's on trial right now for killing, in a separate incident, 180,000 people, and killed hundreds of thousands of his own citizens. And there are people who will forever bear the scars, real and psychological, for the way he brutalized the country over a long period of time. I think we owe them our respect for having conducted a trial of this sort in an orderly manner, while there were threats of violence throughout on both sides. And the judges are going to be releasing all of the evidence and all the deliberations that led them to this verdict, so that their own process will be completely transparent. I think we ought to respect that. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Iraq
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 9:36 PM Press Gaggle by Tony Snow 11/4/06 (Topic: Bush Campaigning) Q Has the President talked at all about being on his last campaign and how it feels to be out again on the trail? MR. SNOW: I know you guys are desperate for, you know, the President sort of putting on the spurs and walking off into the sunset, but there's also a 2008 campaign to come and two more years of this presidency. Trust me, you guys need to strap on your running shoes, because it's going to be a busy two years. Q He actually seems as if he's got an awful lot of energy. I mean, is he energized by this and feels like it's going well and optimistic coming into the election? MR. SNOW: Yes. Absolutely. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Midterm Elections
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 2:48 PM Press Gaggle by Tony Fratto 11/3/06 (Topic: Iraqi Nuclear Program Documents) — Saturday, November 04, 2006 — Q Any comment on the report about posting of plans for building nuclear weapons on the Internet? MR. FRATTO: Obviously, there was some -- something unfortunate occurred where certain documents were placed on an Internet site. I know the DNI is dealing with it. They took down the site. They're reviewing the other documents that would be available to be seen on the site, were it still up, and doing the forensic testing to determine who might have accessed those documents since they were posted. And they're also reviewing the procedures to make sure -- to see what happened in this case and to make sure that it doesn't happen again. I think it is important that we remember, this is a stark reminder of what Saddam Hussein's nuclear ambitions were. He certainly had the know-how, he had scientists who were knowledgeable. And I think that's something just to keep in mind here. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Fratto | News Media | Bush Administration | Iraq
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 1:35 AM Press Gaggle by Tony Fratto 11/2/06 (Topic: Bush Campaign Scheduling) — Thursday, November 02, 2006 — Q Could you talk about the districts that he's going to be going to in these last few days of the campaign? These are all red states. Why were they chosen that way? MR. FRATTO: The President is going to districts where we know that he can make a difference and where he knows that he can make a difference. These are all very contested races. Each one of them we consider necessary for our strategy of keeping the Senate and the House in Republican hands. They're all very tough, very difficult, contested races, and that's where -- that's where we're going to go, wherever they are. Q There are some tough, contested races in blue states, as well. Is it because the White House is afraid that the President could become a liability in those? MR. FRATTO: Not at all. We haven't cancelled any events. We go where we think we can have the biggest impact in winning these seats. Q But it is striking, Tony, that here you are a few days from the election, and the President is spending his last several days in 10 states, all of which he won in 2004. So now, what does it say about the vulnerability of the party that this is where the President has to spend his time? MR. FRATTO: It says that there are particular races where this President could make a particular impact in keeping control of the House and the Senate, and nothing more than that. Midterm elections are always very tough, as you've heard others talk about. Elections are always close, they're always tightly fought. And we feel very confident with the way things are going to turn out on Tuesday. We have more money, we have a better ground game, we have outstanding candidates, and we're being very strategic in where we go. And we think you're going to see those results on Tuesday. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Fratto | News Media | Bush Administration | Midterm Elections
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 2:51 PM Press Briefing by Tony Snow 11/1/06 (Topic: Iraq) — Wednesday, November 01, 2006 — Q There is a report in today's New York Times that Central Command had drawn up an analysis showing that the U.S. and Iraq is one step closer to chaos -- the situation in Iraq is one step closer to chaos. This was drawn up before the President said in his last press conference, "We are absolutely winning." Was the President aware of this report saying Iraq is closer to chaos before he told the nation we're winning? MR. SNOW: I don't think he was, but you know, what you're probably not aware of is that these are done regularly, and that was a snapshot taken at the height of the Ramadan violence. If you got the same report last week, you would have found out that national sectarian incidents from the 21st to the 27th dropped 23 percent; casualties nationwide dropped 23 percent; incidents of sectarian violence in Baghdad dropped 23 percent; sectarian killings in Baghdad dropped 41 percent. You had a snapshot at a single point when it was violent. What the President understands is that in a war on terror where we have not lost a single combat engagement, he's made the point, the only way we'll lose is if we give up, if we walk out before the job's done. He's got confidence in the troops. He's also got confidence in the fact that the Iraqi people, out of their own self-interest, know that they have to tamp down sectarian violence, and they got to go after al Qaeda, which is busy trying to foment the sectarian violence because they understand that if you get a failed state in Iraq, they have a launch pad. Q But just to be clear; what the commanders on the ground tell the President, "in the large picture, we are stepping closer to chaos," he believes that can also be a picture of winning? MR. SNOW: Yes, because -- you know what the President understands -- do you understand, Jessica -- Q "Closer to chaos" is the same as winning? MR. SNOW: No, because what you have just done is you've attached your interpretation to a single chart. It doesn't say devolving into chaos. And furthermore, I've just told you, since then, you've had a pretty dramatic reversal. Does this mean that now that you've had national sectarian incidents, casualty from sectarian violence, incidents of sectarian violence in Baghdad all down 23 percent, and the deaths and casualties down 41 percent, that you do a victory lap? No. It's a war, Jessica, and sometimes things get worse, and what you do is you adjust to make sure that you win. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Iraq
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