White House Press Corps.org: December 2008

Q Have you seen any ramped up activities from Iran towards Israel? President Ahmadinejad today said the Arab world was not doing enough related to the Gaza strikes.

MR. JOHNDROE: Have I seen any ramped up activity from Iran towards Israel. I've seen no change in their position in their desire to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, which they have stated a couple of times before. So I haven't seen anything new on that front.

I think Hamas is pretty well-supplied by Iran, and to a certain extent, Syria. I mean, these two countries, Iran and Syria, supply Hamas and Hezbollah. I mean, they're basically their proxies in the region and in other parts of the world. And so I don't think Iran or Syria -- neither Iran nor Syria have been playing a helpful role, they are not playing a constructive role in this current crisis, which is pretty typical for their actions with regards to Hamas and Hezbollah. They continue to supply them.

Q When you say "supply," what are you talking about -- supply them with what?

MR. JOHNDROE: Weapons. Weapons. So we'd like to see -- there are some Arab states that are stepping forward and saying, we want peace in the Middle East. You have Egypt playing a positive role; Jordan; Saudi Arabia is very concerned. And then you have countries on the other end -- Iran and Syria -- who seem to want to continue to foment violence. And we'll see.

Laurent.

Q Have you seen supplies increasing to Hamas during the current crisis?

MR. JOHNDROE: I'm not going to get into any specifics on supplies from Iran and Syria that we've seen over the last few days, but there is no doubt that Iran and Syria are the ones who have assisted Hamas with their weapons acquisition, and that's a problem.

Q Hamas today said that they were prepared to study proposals for a cease-fire. Basically, the United States and Israel are not taking that seriously or --

MR. JOHNDROE: I don't know what Hamas needs to study. I mean, I'm not sure -- I don't get what Hamas needs to study. Hamas needs to stop firing rockets into Israel. It's very clear.

Labels: Ahmadinejad, Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Press Briefing, Syria, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:31 PM

Hamas Leadership by Rockets - Western White House Press Briefing by Gordon Johndroe 12/30/08
— Tuesday, December 30, 2008 —

MR. JOHNDROE: Patty.

Q There are reports out today that the Israeli cabinet is considering a 48-hour ceasefire truce to allow humanitarian aid in. Has the Bush administration been told that they are considering that, and what would be the U.S. position on that? Would you urge Israel to allow the humanitarian aid in?

MR. JOHNDROE: I would say that both Secretary Rice and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley have been in touch with Prime Minister Olmert and his staff. But beyond that, I'm not going to get into those discussions. As you said, the Israeli cabinet is supposed to meet tomorrow. Let's let the cabinet meet, and then go from there.

Q Would you be in favor, though, of a truce to allow -- what is the humanitarian situation? What is the U.S. intelligence on the humanitarian situation? We've all seen the pictures. Would you be in favor of that?

MR. JOHNDROE: Well, as I've said, as President Bush told Prime Minister Fayyad and President Abbas, the United States is concerned about the humanitarian situation. That's why we released $85 million today, although this money has been in the pipeline as part of our 2009 commitment -- but just a reminder of the U.S. commitment to helping the people of Gaza.

The President is concerned about the citizens of Gaza, but not the Hamas terrorist leaders who are doing this to the people of Gaza. It's my understanding that dozens of truckloads have come in into Gaza in the last 24 hours to 48 hours to bring relief supplies, medical supplies and food. But we remain concerned about it. And we're going to keep on working with the U.N. agency and the ICRC to make sure that the innocent people of Gaza are able to get food and medical supplies.

Q But will that concern translate into you pushing Israel toward the 48-hour ceasefire?

MR. JOHNDROE: I'm not going to get into any private discussions, but our message to Israel has been the same that I've said here, our message to everyone, and that is that the only way this is going to stop is if Hamas stops firing rockets and everyone agrees to a sustainable ceasefire.

Nelson.

Q Given that Israel yesterday declared all out war on Hamas, would the administration object to the crippling of that organization?

MR. JOHNDROE: I think that a Hamas that is unable to rain terror down on the people of Israel is probably a Hamas that is better, even for the people of Gaza. If Hamas is not able to carry out terrorist activities, hopefully they would see the light and start to serve the people of Gaza better. Instead, they have -- they bring them nothing but continued poverty.

Labels: Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Israel, President Bush, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 3:23 PM

Israeli Response to Hamas Rockets - Western White House Press Briefing by Gordon Johndroe 12/29/08
— Monday, December 29, 2008 —

MR. JOHNDROE: Deb.

Q What does Israel hope to achieve by this? I mean, what's the end game?

MR. JOHNDROE: Israel is responding to a barrage of rocket and mortar attacks that increased substantially last week, following Hamas's refusal to renew the ceasefire. Israel has made clear that they do not want to retake Gaza, that they simply want the people of southern Israel to be able to live in peace, free from this barrage of rocket attacks.

And that's what we expect. We also want to see, as I've said, the ceasefire restored in a sustainable and durable fashion, so that we can get back on the road map, work towards the goals of the Annapolis process, which, again, is two states living side by side in peace.

Q -- I mean, is just going to rekindle radicalism, isn't it?

MR. JOHNDROE: You know, it's hard for me to speak to specific casualty numbers. We have urged the Israelis to avoid civilian casualties. But they are working on decreasing the number of Israeli citizens that are vulnerable. And we know -- I believe someone died this morning, a couple of people a couple of days ago. The Israelis are working to reduce the threat against their own people.

So they're going to continue, it appears at this time, to deal with this Hamas terrorist threat. But ultimately, we want a sustainable and durable ceasefire.

[...]

MR. JOHNDROE: John.

Q Israel is amassing tanks and troops along that border. Is the President urging them not to launch a ground invasion? Is he urging restraint already now, in his diplomatic efforts?

MR. JOHNDROE: The discussions that we've had with the Israelis are ones that everyone needs to recognize that the ultimate goal here is to get to a ceasefire. I can't speak to any potential ground operation. I think that any ground operation, according to the Israelis, would be part and parcel of the overall operation, given their statements saying that they don't want to retake Gaza, that they simply want to protect their people.

So we'll just have to see how this unfolds. Obviously, as I've said, we don't want them -- we want civilian casualties to be avoided. But it's is unfortunate as Hamas, as we've seen in the past, tends to base its people and some of its rockets in civilian areas. So we'll see.

Go ahead.

Q Is it fair to say that the U.S. would prefer not to see a ground operation, but defends Israel's right to do that? What exactly is the U.S. position?

MR. JOHNDROE: I'm not going to speculate on a ground operation. Let's just take this one day at a time, all right.

Labels: Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:17 PM

The Secret About Presidential Press Conferences - White House Press Briefing by Tony Fratto 12/23/08
— Tuesday, December 23, 2008 —

Be vewy vewy qwiet, we're hunting Pwesidential Pwess Confwences!

Q Tony, obviously the President is not going to have any press conferences this year, for the remainder of the year. But in 2009 will he commit to having one before he leaves office? Can he at least --

MR. FRATTO: The truth is we get asked about this a lot, and I think I was asked about it yesterday and noted the number of interviews the President does, and he may do some additional interviews.

The secret about presidential press conferences is we never make the final decision until the day of. There's always lots of speculation, I know, on the part of all of you when you see a day on the -- without public events, and we begin getting calls wondering if there's going to be a press conference. We'll make those decisions as we get into the new year, whether we see a good reason and an opportunity to do one. But those are game day decisions and so we'll have to wait until the day.

President Bush | Presidential Press Conference | Press Briefing | Tony Fratto | White House Press Corps

Labels: President Bush, Presidential Press Conference, Press Briefing, Tony Fratto, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:10 PM

Joe "Absolutely Tanking" Biden - White House Press Briefing by Tony Fratto 12/22/08
— Monday, December 22, 2008 —

MR. FRATTO: Yes, John.

Q Joe Biden said yesterday that -- a couple things on the economy. He said the Obama administration will probably inherit the largest deficit in American history, probably more than a trillion dollars, and that's why we need a second stimulus package in the range of $600 billion to $700 billion -- some people are saying more than $700 billion, as you know. Two questions --

MR. FRATTO: I'm sorry, he said that we need a --

Q He said that's why we need a second stimulus package.

MR. FRATTO: Because of the size of the deficit?

Q Because in the long run, it would bring the deficit down because -- it's sort of Republican thinking, actually. (Laughter.) Do you agree that by January 20th, the deficit could bust a trillion dollars? And secondly, what's the latest thinking on a second stimulus package -- in the administration?

MR. FRATTO: Well, I don't think there's any chance of a second stimulus package at the end of this administration in the days that we have remaining. I know that the next administration and congressional leaders are discussing what they intend to do and what their plans are, but it's not something we'll be doing. Look, the size of the budget deficit, whatever the number is, I can't predict whether it's going to be $1 trillion or something less than that. It's going to be large. And it's going to be a very significant number.

And I think it's going to reflect two things. One, is the downturn in the economy, and the slowing of receipts coming into the federal government. It's also going to reflect the large increase in spending over the short term to deal with the financial crisis. And on the front end, the $350 billion that have been committed so far, and other funds for the financial crisis are -- they show up on the books as straight expenditures, money going out the door to financial institutions.

As we've said, these funds are actually investments in these institutions. Some of them are equity positions and other ways of holding assets in some form that will return back to the taxpayer. So over time, we believe that if it works, and if the financial institutions are as successful as we hope they'll be over time, that it should be, at worst, a wash for the taxpayers and those deficit numbers will come down.

Economy | Press Briefing | Tony Fratto | Vice President-Elect Biden | White House Press Corps

Labels: Economy, Press Briefing, Tony Fratto, Vice President-Elect Biden, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:21 PM

Tranche Warfare - White House Press Briefing by Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Joel Kaplan 12/19/08
— Friday, December 19, 2008 —

Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to drive forever?

Q Can you give us a breakdown of who's getting what out of the first $13.4 billion? And is there a distinction of how much you're making available in, say, loan guarantees, which is something Ford was more interested in, versus outright cash out the door?

MR. KAPLAN: Yes. The loans that are being announced today are for the GM auto manufacturer and Chrysler auto manufacturing company. Ford, in Treasury discussions with them, I believe does not believe that it needs a loan today.

Out of the total -- I mentioned that the total is $17.4 billion -- $13.4 billion of that is going to be made available to these two companies in December and January, and $4 billion is needed in February by GM. So if I do my math correctly, I think that means that $13.4 billion also happens to be the number, coincidentally, that is going to GM, and $4 billion is the number that is going to Chrysler.

Q And how do--

MR. KAPLAN: But it's a little confusing because these numbers just -- literally coincidentally happen to be the same, the total -- the total that --

Q So some of it will be in the $4 billion that is the post -- or second tranche amount?

MR. KAPLAN: Right, the February tranche of $4 billion is for GM. So $13.4 billion is being divided by GM and Chrysler in December and January.

Q Evenly, like --

MR. KAPLAN: No, not evenly.

Q Okay.

MR. KAPLAN: I believe that it is $4 billion for Chrysler and the remainder, which would be $9.4 billion in December and January for GM, with the remaining $4 billion in February for GM. I apologize, I know those -- it's a little confusing just because of the coincidence of the numbers.

Q And how do you resolve the Cerberus issue, because they are a private company -- it calls for warrants, the loans. How does the administration -- or the loan terms deal with that?

MR. KAPLAN: Yes, the specifics of how the Treasury intends to get warrants from Chrysler, which is privately held, I'm going to have to rely on Treasury to give the details on. But these loans are to the auto manufacturing companies of GM and Chrysler.

Labels: Automobile Industry, Joel Kaplan, Legislation, Press Briefing, Treasury Department, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:23 PM

Dana Perino Interview by Juan Williams on The O'Reilly Factor 12/18/08

Dana Perino | Iraq | Media Bias | White House Press Secretary

Labels: Dana Perino, Iraq, Media Bias, White House Press Secretary

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:11 AM

Afghanistan Press - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 12/18/08
— Thursday, December 18, 2008 —

Q My name is Nazira Karimi, correspondent for Ariana Television from Afghanistan. This is the first time that I've been here.

MS. PERINO: Welcome.

Q Thank you. Women in Afghanistan -- I am a woman, I know the situation, women feeling out of the (inaudible) but still they are worried about the Taliban. And they say, why the Taliban get more power and we are (inaudible) power. So what is going to be the next policy of the United States?

MS. PERINO: Well, you'll get to hear from the President soon. He's having the event today. The President was just in Afghanistan this weekend, and I had the pleasure of being able to be there.

There's remarkable changes that have taken place since 2001. The fact that you're here today I think is a testament to that. And we have all of NATO agreeing to be a part of a effort to try to beat back the Taliban. I think that one of the things that we need to remind people of is that Afghanistan is the fourth poorest country in the world. They have a 78 percent illiteracy rate. When we go to try to train their troops, it's not like you can hold a class. You have to go out in the field and do a lot of repetition. And they're good soldiers and good fighters, but they just need a slightly different type of training than you could maybe do in someplace else like Iraq.

So there's a lot to be done, but we've come a long way, especially when it comes for little girls being able to go to school. And the President and Mrs. Bush have both said in recent days that they plan to remain involved in Afghanistan. And Mrs. Bush in particular has a soft spot in her heart for the women of Afghanistan, and she'll continue to work on their behalf.

Afghanistan | Dana Perino | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps

Labels: Afghanistan, Dana Perino, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 11:15 PM

Dana's Shoe-venir - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 12/16/08
— Tuesday, December 16, 2008 —

MS. PERINO: Ann.

Q How is your eye?

MS. PERINO: Fine.

Q Does the President think that, had the gentleman thrown something other than a shoe, or thrown his shoe more accurately, that he was well enough protected, standing as he was, at that news conference?

MS. PERINO: Well, it was just a shoe, and the President saw it from his vantage point. He felt fine about it. I think you saw he let the Secret Service know he thought he was okay, and the Secret Service jumped in as quickly as they thought they needed to. And then they were able to back off and let the Prime Minister of a duly -- the duly elected Prime Minister of a sovereign Iraq taking questions from journalists there who never would have been able to do that five years ago. And the President just thinks it was just a -- it was just a shoe.

People express themselves in lots of different ways. Obviously he was very angry. I can't think -- I don't -- I can't tell you exactly what the shoe thrower was thinking, but I can tell what the President thought, was that he was fine. And he said immediately -- you saw his reaction was, don't worry about it; it was okay.

So we hold no hard feelings about it, and we've really moved on.

Q And he's satisfied with the -- satisfied with the protection -- had it been something other than a shoe?

MS. PERINO: Look -- yes, he is satisfied that he was well protected by the Secret Service, as he always has been.

Q Dana, specifically, does the President --

Q -- in the aftermath concerning the punishment?

MS. PERINO: No, the only thing that he's -- what he said publicly is what he said privately to Prime Minister, was, don't worry about it, that he was fine.

Q Why not worry about it? Doesn't it reflect the feelings of the people?

MS. PERINO: I don't think that you can take one guy throwing his shoe as representative of the people of Iraq. And I will tell you that Prime Minister Maliki and the journalists who were there in the room, who apologized on behalf of the Iraqis, saying this is not how they would treat a guest -- I know that there are people in Iraq who are angry -- angry at their situation. It's been a very rough five years. What we were there talking about, though, is how much progress Iraq has made because of our troops and because of the wonderful work of the Iraqi security forces and their military, and how their economy is coming back. And they've grown in leaps and bounds, and so the country is on its way to becoming a wonderful country that can govern, sustain and defend itself, and they will be an ally of ours in the war on terror.

Q But he wasn't a guest. It was occupied.

MS. PERINO: No, we're not, Helen. We are absolutely a guest.

Q It was occupied.

MS. PERINO: We all went there and he signed the agreement, the status of forces agreement. If the Iraqis didn't want us there, we wouldn't have been signing that agreement that allows our troops to operate there for the next three years.

Q -- a bunch of people self-picked by us who run the country.

MS. PERINO: Are you suggesting that Prime Minister Maliki was not elected by the people of Iraq? That's preposterous.

Q Why?

MS. PERINO: Because there was an election and they -- he was elected.

Q When you have an occupation, can you really have a free election?

MS. PERINO: I have never once heard somebody suggest that that was not a free and fair election in Iraq. It was one of the highlights of the last several years that they were able to pull off an election like that, and how many people came out to vote. And absolutely, Prime Minister Maliki is their duly elected Prime Minister.

Labels: Dana Perino, Democracy, Helen, Iraq, President Bush, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:02 PM

MSNBC Finds a New Host - Presidential Press Conference in Baghdad
— Sunday, December 14, 2008 —

Iraq | President Bush | Presidential Press Conference | White House Press Corps

Labels: Iraq, President Bush, Presidential Press Conference, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:47 PM

Automakers Bailout Up in the Air - Air Force One Press Gaggle by Dana Perino 12/12/08
— Friday, December 12, 2008 —

Q Will you start using TARP money now? Are you going to direct the Treasury --

MS. PERINO: I didn't say that. I didn't say that. I said that given the current state of the U.S. economy, we'll consider other options if necessary, and I said including use of some of the TARP; that's one of the options.

Q How soon -- walk us through his thought process right now. Who does he need to talk to first? What decisions need to be made before he decides --

MS. PERINO: He's in regular contact with all of his economic advisors. And so we'll be weighing all of the options and making decisions as soon as we need to.

Q How soon does he feel he needs to make a decision?

MS. PERINO: We didn't discuss that. I mean, obviously we have talked about he urgency of the situation. We have been pushing to get this done; we wanted to get it done last night. Both Congress and the -- the House and the Senate had bipartisan majorities supporting our approach, but they didn't get it over the goal line. And so we have to consider what other options we would take. But I don't have a time frame on it.

Q Are you basically saying that you are going to make the decision -- it's not Congress now? I mean, basically, you are going to make the decision on what to do --

MS. PERINO: Congress spoke. Congress spoke last night. They don't have the votes to do anything, despite having majorities in both the House and the Senate supporting a reasonable approach that we put forward. We thought that the legislation could have even been improved. We thought that senators were making good progress last night and talking about the Corker amendment. But again, it just -- it didn't get the votes that it needed to pass the Senate. They needed 60; I think they had 53.

Q You mentioned the use of -- you mentioned TARP funds as one option. Are there any other options?

MS. PERINO: We're going to weigh all options. I mentioned TARP, as that's been something that you all have been asking about for weeks. And it's just one of the options that's out there, sure.

Q Can you describe the other options?

MS. PERINO: No.

Q Is the Federal Reserve -- cash from the Federal Reserve an option?

MS. PERINO: I don't know.

Q Will the decision be made this week? I mean, it's Friday today. Or is next week --

MS. PERINO: I don't know.

Labels: Air Force One, Automobile Industry, Congress, Dana Perino, Legislation, President Bush, Press Gaggle, TARP, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:45 PM

Kicking the Can - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 12/11/08
— Thursday, December 11, 2008 —

Typical problem solving technique of the United States Congress

Q Dana, one of the concerns of some Republicans is this doesn't solve the automakers' problem. Bob Corker says you're just kicking the can down the road. With $14 billion you really only get them into the Obama administration. Is that the solution to -- is this only a matter of holding off for a few months the ultimate collapse of one or more of the auto companies?

MS. PERINO: Well, I don't think that the companies think that they have a few months. That's why we are trying to act now. I will let them speak for themselves, but I think they've been very open about the difficulties that they're having right now. And that is why they've come and asked for help. It's not an easy thing or a thing to do to come and ask the federal government for help. You have to put away your pride and say, we want these -- we want our companies to be able to be successful; here's what we're going to be willing to do.

Now, the auto czar that we would put in place would have the opportunity to make them -- force them to make really tough concessions. But the other thing is, is that if we don't act and these companies go away, we could wake up and not have any domestic auto industry, which is certainly not the outcome that this President wants and I would think that most members on Capitol Hill don't want it either.

But here's the thing, Wendell -- for those members who think that, I would ask them just to look at this legislation because there's really only one of two outcomes: either fundamental restructuring that will make them viable in the long term, or an orderly bankruptcy filing. And we're just asking for a little bit of help from money already appropriated to help the automakers in order for them to be able to either make their companies profitable or to go into an orderly bankruptcy. Those are the two outcomes that we're seeking.

Q And the idea that you're kicking the can down the road?

MS. PERINO: I don't see how that -- we're trying to pass legislation today. I don't understand how that's kicking the can down the road. Plus, we have also been working with the Obama administration, as you heard -- I'm sorry, Obama team, not quite administration yet -- but we've been working with them, making sure that they understood the actions that we are wanting to take. And I think that they've been at least generally supportive -- I won't speak for them -- but generally supportive of the measures we're taking, because they recognize the ramifications of not acting.

Labels: Automobile Industry, Congress, Dana Perino, Legislation, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:52 PM

Car Czar - White House Press Briefing by Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Joel Kaplan 12/10/08
— Wednesday, December 10, 2008 —

After I'm elected its 50-50 on all the graft I take.

MR. KAPLAN: Ann.

Q What kind of person is the President going to look for as this designee? I mean, someone from outside of government; how skilled and knowledgeable within the auto industry; and someone who would serve past this administration?

MR. KAPLAN: It's a good question, Ann. The legislation provides a great deal of flexibility on who could fill the post of President's designee. And that will be flexibility that this President will have the ability to exercise for the next 41 days, and flexibility the next administration will have. And that's something that we will want to be in continuing contact with the President-elect's team on to figure out what's the best way of doing that to achieve everybody's goal here in the legislation, which is to empower the person and make them successful, but recognizing that there will be a new President on January 20th, and a new team, and we want to make sure that however we proceed, it's consistent with the President-elect's view on how that can be most effective, because it will be under their administration that this decision will ultimately get made.

Q It sounds like you want -- that he is thinking of somebody, because of the time frame, who would not be serving just for a few days and then someone else coming in. Would it be the President's intention to try to find someone who would remain, who would be acceptable to the new administration?

MR. KAPLAN: I'll just reiterate, we'll -- we expect to work closely with the President-elect's team in figuring out, once this legislation is passed, what the most effective means possible is of implementing this legislation, recognizing that we've got a transition.

Q Would the designee work for the White House or be in one of the Cabinet departments?

MR. KAPLAN: As I said, the legislation provides a great deal of flexibility, and right now we're focused on getting that legislation enacted so that we have that flexibility. When we're prepared to exercise it, we will let you know how the President intends to exercise it.

[...]

Q And what does the President think of Paul Volcker for this car czar?

Q I was going to ask the same thing.

MR. KAPLAN: Really? Well, that's funny because I was going to dodge it when she asked it. (Laughter.)

Look, we're -- as I said to Ann, we're focused on getting the legislation passed. Obviously Paul Volcker is a person of tremendous stature and gravitas. But I have no reason to believe that there's been any decisions about who the person would be, if it would be a person from the outside. We're going to -- we're just going to reserve all flexibility on that until we actually get the legislation, until we have a chance to consult with the members of Congress and with the President-elect's team.

Q A quick follow on that, Joel. How quickly after the legislation passes would you be looking to name the car czar?

MR. KAPLAN: Quickly. Obviously --

Q Days?

MR. KAPLAN: We would look to move as quickly as we could. We will obviously want to consult with members of Congress and with the President-elect's team. I can't tell you exactly how quickly that will be. Besides this briefing, I'm mostly focused on working with the Congress on the legislation itself so that we're in a position to have that -- to have the luxury of moving quickly on the person.

[...]

Q With the President's designee getting so strong authority on the plans, et cetera, how much does this run counter to what the President has said for years, that it is not the role of the government to run private companies?

MR. KAPLAN: Yes, it's not the intention in this bill of this President's designee to run the private companies; it's the purpose to empower somebody to sit down with the private companies and all of their stakeholders, who so far have not, apparently, been capable of making agreements that would render them a viable entity going forward, which is why they've come to the government and to the Congress looking for assistance.

So this is not somebody who is going to run the companies; it is somebody who is going to be empowered to, like I said before, bring them around the table, knock heads, and tell them, if you want assistance from the taxpayer going forward you're going to have to make some difficult concessions. Now, what are those concessions you're prepared to make, and show me how that adds up to a plan for financial viability.

It's not something you would want to do in normal times, and it's not something you would normally do with another company or industry. We're in very challenging economic times. It is our view that to have a uncontrolled bankruptcy in the next couple of weeks in these firms could have very significant and damaging consequences for the economy. So we think there is a rationale for providing them temporary bridge financing, as I started the briefing with, if you can have some reassurance, some very substantial reassurance that the taxpayers' investment in these companies is going to be protected. And that's why you have an empowered President's designee to ensure that that investment is protected. And that's what I've tried to describe.

Labels: Automobile Industry, Car Czar, Joel Kaplan, Legislation, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:13 PM

Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant! - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 12/8/08
— Monday, December 08, 2008 —

Q What about this idea of an oversight board? Is the White House okay with that?

MS. PERINO: One of our ideas was a financial viability advisor. They gave me an acronym of FVA, if you want to add one to your list. (Laughter.) This is a person who would be named by the President with the authority to negotiate a credible viability plan with automakers seeking assistance. So, for example, if an automaker comes to the government seeking assistance, we will make short-term financing available, providing that the automakers and the stakeholders, like the UAW, agree to negotiate with the advisor in good faith and on a credible plan for long-term viability.

Near the end of that short-term period, the FVA will report on whether the automaker is executing a credible plan for long-term viability. And if he or she determines that they are indeed -- and progress is being made in negotiations, then additional assistance could be made available at that time. If the talks, however, are not headed in that direction and if that fails, then the FVA will submit an alternative viability plan that would involve restructuring through Chapter 11, and require automakers to repay the government the amount of their short-term bridge financing. Long-term financing in this case would only be made available subject to the approval of this new advisor.

Q So -- and that's different from what they're talking about is an oversight board?

MS. PERINO: Not necessarily. Again, we don't know what the legislative language is going to show. I think that the key is advisor, more than one, but an entity that would serve as a viability validator.

Q But what you're talking about are conditions for oversight to work, not necessarily if it's this particular person or board or whatever.

MS. PERINO: Right. Our idea was one person that would serve as an advisor, somebody appointed by the President. Of course when you're working on a negotiation, you talk to them about their ideas, as well; we'll see what they come back with. But our concern right now is on the process, because we haven't seen the legislation, so we can't give you any more details.

Labels: Automobile Industry, Congress, Dana Perino, Legislation, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 8:27 PM

Facing Economic Facts - White House Press Briefing by Scott Stanzel
— Friday, December 05, 2008 —

MR. STANZEL: Jim.

Q Scott, when you enter a laundry list of things that the President had to deal with, it sounds like you're claiming victimhood, that the administration has had nothing to do with the blowup of our economy. Is that what you're trying to say, or do you admit that --

MR. STANZEL: I said nothing of the sort. It is a statement of fact that those are the challenges that this President has faced. We have faced the largest terrorist attack on our economy ever. We have faced the largest natural disaster in the last hundred years. We have faced the largest crisis in our financial markets in a hundred years. That's statement of fact.

The President has taken on those big challenges and taken swift action to address them. So I don't think you can dispute any one of those facts, that they're -- they simply happened.

Q But what did the President do that contributed to the current economic blowup? Nothing?

MR. STANZEL: Well, the President has been working to address the economic situation for years. The President, I will remind you, put in place tax relief when he inherited a recession at the beginning of his first term. He put in place tax relief, the largest tax relief in a generation, that spurred 52 straight months of job growth. That is a record. That's a statement of fact, as well.

The President has put in place policies to try to get our economy moving and try to make sure that people who want to find a job can find a job. So the President has worked hard to make sure that we can take action to keep our economy moving, but many of these problems that we have seen -- in the financial markets, in the housing markets -- are many, many years in the making.

Labels: Bush Administration, Economy, President Bush, Press Briefing, Scott Stanzel, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:29 PM

The Consequential Presidency - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 12/4/08
— Thursday, December 04, 2008 —

Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh/European Pressphoto Agency

Q Dana, to pick up on this a little bit, the President clearly is a little more reflective as you enter the final weeks of the presidency. Do you sense a different mood in him? And does that permeate the entire White House?

MS. PERINO: I think that it has. I mean, it's inevitable that when you're getting towards the end -- and as I can tell you every day, I know how many days we have left -- and that's because we don't have a lot of time to get a lot of the important things done that we would like to be able to do, which is to make sure that we resolve the auto issue if we possibly can, and continue to work on the economy.

You know, on Wednesday night, right before -- the day before Thanksgiving, as everyone is getting ready to spend time with family, we have a horrible terrorist attack in which six American citizens were killed. And so the work of the White House never really stops.

But, yes, I would say the President and Mrs. Bush, as they start to realize that in just a month and a half they'll be saying good-bye to a lot of people who have helped make this house a home for them over in the Residence, senior staff who have been with them -- some for 14 years that the President has been in public office -- so I do think that he's thinking a little bit about saying good-bye.

There's a lot of things that end up being your "last," like this will be the last time he participates at the National Christmas Tree lighting. There's that, and there's also the last time that you'll give your -- a speech at UNGA as President of the United States. And as we've been working through this transition, the President has set the tone for all of us that we will have a smooth, unprecedented, professional transition to make sure that the next President of the United States, President-Elect Obama, will be able to take the baton, keep running.

And he's going to have a lot of issues to deal with. And if you look at what happened today, we finalized the Iraq agreement, which puts that in a better place for the Obama team when they take over. And on the economy, we're going to be continuing to work every single day that we can. There's no road map for the problems that we're dealing with, but the President is committed to trying to deal with them.

But I think that you're right, he is a little bit more reflective now. And I think that's just because we're getting -- now we really can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Q In your day-to-day interactions with him, what's different?

MS. PERINO: Not a lot. I think that we've been -- I'm fortunate to be able to see the President quite often, sometimes several times a day; sometimes I don't see him for a day. But we still have a lot of work to do.

Q Join the club.

MS. PERINO: Yes.

Q Many days we don't see him either.

MS. PERINO: I'll let him know you miss him. (Laughter.)

Q Do you, when you walk out of the Oval Office, or when you conclude an interaction, do you sometimes think to yourself, he seems somehow -- his affect, his mood seems different?

MS. PERINO: Well, sometimes. Like, for example, when we did the Charlie Gibson interview last week, and I saw the President and Mrs. Bush talk about what their biggest accomplishments were during the past eight years, you realize the momentous presidency that this has been, the consequential presidency that it's been. And all of us are thinking a little bit about that.

But I will tell you that just when you think that you're going to be able to be reflective and relax, something else happens. And so the President learned that you have to expect the unexpected when you're President, and that's true for the staff, as well. So we have to continue to get up every day, work hard, and make sure that we're doing the work that we need to do on behalf of the American people.

Q What did they say was their biggest contribution?

MS. PERINO: Well, Mrs. Bush said, for what she hears people say to her around the country, is that since 9/11, that the President has kept the nation safe.

Q Follow-up on that, Dana. We've seen the President doing a lot of these -- sort of a farewell tour, going to different agencies, and even to military bases, and thanking people. How important does he think that is? And I don't know really how unique it is for Presidents to do that. And do these events bring him up, or down, because you do often see him getting a little emotional.

MS. PERINO: I think they absolutely inspire him. He has been so honored to be the Commander-in-Chief, and so, for example, last week when we went to Fort Campbell, the President -- of course, you saw he got a little teary-eyed. When he said thank you to the staff out here the day after the election -- or two days after the election, he got a little teary-eyed. Look, the President is always about right here in terms of the tears -- or, it doesn't take much, and he has admitted that over the years.

But it is a little bit of an emotional time, but at the same time we have a lot of work to do, so it's very much mixed, a mix of emotions. But we'll have plenty of time to say good-bye. It's only December 4th.

Dana Perino | Bush Administration | President Bush | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps

Labels: Bush Administration, Dana Perino, President Bush, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:33 PM

The Big 3 Bailout Request - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 12/3/08
— Wednesday, December 03, 2008 —

What do I have to do to get you to buy a car company today?

MS. PERINO: Matt.

Q The automakers' funding request, in their just-presented plans, totaled $34 billion in loans and credit lines, and that would be above and beyond the $25 billion in the Energy Department technology improvement funds that were already appropriated by Congress. That's quite a big sum over and above what the White House has shown a willingness to agree to or to support.

MS. PERINO: Good point, right.

Q What's your -- what's the White House --

MS. PERINO: Well, that's a good point, and we'll have to -- again, we're going to have to look at the plans and see what may or may not be able to be supported by us for those companies as they move forward.

We have said that we want to try to help the automakers, and we've put forward a plan that we think that can get bipartisan support. But we need to look at each of them and see if what we would be able to support could actually be a good investment for the taxpayers, and we just don't know that yet.

Q But you had said yesterday that $25 billion sounded -- the technology funds alone sounded pretty generous.

MS. PERINO: Well, I think that to the American people, that giving $25 billion in taxpayer dollars to a specific industry is generous. But these are very serious times, and I'm sure the companies have spent a lot of time thinking through what they think they will need. And we'll have to wait and see what their plans say. Give us a chance to look through them. Let's see what they have to say tomorrow, and let's see what kind of support they can get on Capitol Hill tomorrow, as well. I think that remains a little bit of a mystery.

Labels: Automobile Industry, Congress, Dana Perino, Legislation, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:38 PM

The Bush Legacy - Air Force One Press Gaggle by Dana Perino 12/2/08
— Tuesday, December 02, 2008 —

President Bush at the roundtable on mentoring children of prisoners initiative

Q Dana, can you talk about the event yesterday, the event today, and I think there's going to be a lot of stuff coming up where the President -- is he intending to highlight some of the successes of his tenure? I mean, is there a concerted effort to do that? There seems to be now a lot of events looking at --

MS. PERINO: We have thought about it.

Q We've done the 2 million plus for the AIDS program, the 110,000 here --

MS. PERINO: Yesterday was World AIDS Day.

Q Yes, I realize there are other reasons. But I'm just saying, is there --

MS. PERINO: Yes, over time we've done different speeches since I think August, talking about the President's record on judicial nominees, and on keeping America safe, on the faith-based -- remember we did the faith-based conference. So, we have looked to opportunities for the President to be able to talk about some of his legacy items, some things that he will be remembered for. He talked about that a little bit yesterday. You saw the Charlie Gibson interview.

So, now is the right time for us to be able to identify some opportunities where the President can either give a speech, or do a roundtable like he's doing today. We don't expect the children, the mentoring of children to be front-page news, but we do want to highlight some of these programs that the President has conceived and announced, and then the goal was exceeded. And we think that it's important for people to realize that while the President of the United States on any given day works on a variety of issues that are pressing and front-page news regarding the economy or terrorist attacks, there are other programs like this one that are changing people's lives one at a time. That's one of the things the President wanted to do through the faith-based initiative.

So we'll talk about this one. He's giving a speech on the Middle East on Friday. So there's a lot of different opportunities, and you'll sort of see them between now and, I guess, 49 days from now.

Air Force One | Dana Perino | President Bush | Press Gaggle | White House Press Corps

Labels: Air Force One, Dana Perino, President Bush, Press Gaggle, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:29 PM

The Pakistan Connection - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 12/1/08
— Monday, December 01, 2008 —

MS. PERINO: Let me just do Goyal then, and I'll come back.

Q Just two quick questions. According to the Indian officials, and also press reports in India, they are saying that there is a clear-cut Pakistan connection because there is a most wanted terrorist, Dawood, they're seeking in Karachi. He's wanted by the U.S. and in India and the international community, and he had a link with this terrorist attack in India.

But as far as Dr. Rice visit is concerned, because attacks took place many in the past, and many visits from Washington to New Delhi. But nothing had happened. Pakistan just keeps saying that we are not in war, but then after two months again it happens.

MS. PERINO: We have consistently encouraged both India and Pakistan to increase their cooperation, and increase their dialogue. There is something that the State Department had created called the composite dialogue that we have been working on. We have provided technical assistance in order to support confidence-building measures between the two countries, and we will continue to do that.

I'm not going to comment or confirm this allegation that you made at the beginning of your statement/question. So we'll just let the investigation continue to play out.

Q And one more.

MS. PERINO: Okay.

Q This is the 9/11 of India. How the President, Washington is taking this seriously after the U.S. 9/11, because what they are saying, we have trained almost 500 people who are ready to strike anywhere in the world, including in the U.S., and they are well trained.

MS. PERINO: Well, we -- India has been the victim of terrorist attacks before, but so has Pakistan. One of the things that is different in this attack is that six American citizens were killed. But you'll remember the terrorist attacks on the Parliament building several years ago fostered a lot of tension between Pakistan and India, as well. They've been able to have cooperative conversations, even though they might be tense. That's the kind of diplomatic solution-making that we're trying to foster here.

Labels: Dana Perino, Goyal, India, Pakistan, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps

Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:41 PM