in their own words
 |
|
|
|
 Washington As Usual - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 1/30/09 — Saturday, January 31, 2009 —  Q And on another issue, I think it was yesterday or the day before yesterday, when you were asked about these outside groups that are running these attack ads -- you said the President didn't want to referee, I guess. MR. GIBBS: Still doesn't. Q Well, let me -- let me try to get at it at a different angle. You have these groups going after people like Senator Gregg, a Republican, who has admitted that the President is looking at him for Commerce. Is this sort of Washington old -- MR. GIBBS: I'm wondering which question we're trying to get at. Are we trying to get at Ann's question or are we trying to get -- (laughter.) Q It's not -- I'm not trying to get at that question. It's just, is this sort of Washington as usual where you have the Democrat or liberal groups attacking Republicans, and this is someone who the President is reaching out to? MR. GIBBS: Well, I mean, as I said yesterday, the President has a lot on his plate. I think refereeing what this group or that group is doing to this group and that group might not be something that encompasses a lot of the President's daily schedule. Q But is this more Washington as usual? It's not the tone that the President wants to see here. MR. GIBBS: Well, I think the President feels like the efforts that he's made, and will continue to make on this, will live up to what he wants to do to reach out to Democrats and Republicans. Again, this is -- it's not just being nice to be nice; it's being nice to get something done that's important for the American people. I think that's what the focus of the President's efforts are, and he'll continue it. I don't know if we sent the list out -- and he'll have more members of Congress over here Sunday to watch the Super Bowl and, again, reach out to and get to know in a better way members on both sides of the aisle to see where we can work in concert to improve the lives of the American people. Bipartanship | Obama Administration | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: Bipartisanship, Obama Administration, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 8:05:00 PM  The Ways of Washington - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 1/29/09 — Thursday, January 29, 2009 —  MR. GIBBS: Sheryl.Q Robert, something you said earlier struck me. You said that it's going to take longer than 10 days to sort of change the ways of Washington. Does the President believe that the vote in the House was the result of sort of the deep ingrained patterns of the parties voting along party lines, or does he think that it was the result of philosophical differences over whether this bill would in fact work? MR. GIBBS: Well, I think that's in many ways a question to ask those that exercised that vote yesterday. Q Well, no, you're assessing the bill and the vote and the way -- MR. GIBBS: It's hard for me to speak to the mindset of -- either collectively or individually -- members of Congress. The President and his team formulated a proposal that they thought, and a framework and principles, that they thought would put money back in people's pockets and spend money to create jobs. That's what we endeavor to do, and what the process endeavors to do as it moves forward. Q Can I follow on that, though? Q Robert, you're the one that said, "changing the ways of Washington." What did you mean by that? MR. GIBBS: Well, I think there's any number of ways. I mean, obviously we've had a several-day discussion about bipartisanship. We've had -- we've talked about different vote counts. We've talked about nominations and confirmations. And we've seen somebody -- certainly some people in this room seem surprised at the lengths the President will go to to reach out to the other party, regardless of the results that happen on any given day. But that's not going to change the President's desire to do that reaching out, and to try, as I said earlier, figure out a way that even while we disagree we don't have to do it in a way that's disagreeable. Q Well, I guess the question is, doesn't your statement imply that it was politics as usual? If you say, there were no Republicans, it's going to take awhile to change the ways of Washington, doesn't that imply that it was a political move by the Republicans? MR. GIBBS: Again, I'd leave it some to them to figure out motivations. I think we all believe -- Democrat or Republican, Congress or the executive branch -- that we're going to be held accountable to the American people to get something done. Again, whether it's unemployment claims, whether it's GDP numbers, whether it's layoffs, we're in a crisis that requires us acting quickly to get something done. Bipartanship | Congress | Economy | Legislation | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: Bipartisanship, Congress, Economy, Legislation, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:14:00 PM Animal House - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 1/27/09  Q At the meeting today Congressman Pence, among others, expressed concern that they had been shutout of this process when it comes to negotiation on Capitol Hill. Does the President think that Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Obey have been bipartisan the way he likes to hold out bipartisanship as a goal? MR. GIBBS: You know, Dick, I have not been in meetings about the stimulus bill. I can only talk most substantively about the viewpoint of the President and his involvement in this. And I think on any number of occasions -- whether it's going up there when he was President-elect, whether it's bringing a group down here last week, whether it's going back up there today -- that the President believes honestly that we can put something together with input from both parties that will most benefit the American people. Q But is he, for want of a better word, leaning on Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Obey and others to be more bipartisan? You're probably not going to get more than a dozen Republican votes tomorrow -- that's hardly bipartisan. MR. GIBBS: You know, I think we've all seen votes in this town where a few Republicans sometimes are hard to come by or a few Democrats are hard to come by. We'll take what we can get tomorrow. I think the most important thing about tomorrow is keeping this process going. Because again, the American people deserve a process that understands the severity of the crisis that they're involved in, not to get involved in some "Animal House"-type food fight on Capitol Hill about what's going to happen up there. I think what's most important is that we move this process along. The President was willing to go up there today and do what he can to help move that process along and get something quickly for the American people. Congress | Economy | Legislation | Press Briefing | Republicans | Robert Gibbs | Stimulus Package | White House Press Corps Labels: Congress, Economy, Legislation, Press Briefing, Republicans, Robert Gibbs, Stimulus Package, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:15:00 PM White House Press Briefing Transcripts Available on whitehouse.gov The Press Briefing Transcripts have been released after 06 Days, 20 Hours, 35 Minutes, 29 Seconds. The clock has stopped and the wait is over. For the last several years of the Bush administration whitehousepresscorps.org has provided selections from daily press briefings, with the intent of highlighting the relationship between the White House and its press corps. This was made possible by the Press Office's prompt posting of full transcripts in a public section of the White House website. The new administration has finally released press briefing transcripts to the public on the new whitehouse.gov site after 6 days. The archive can be found at the following URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/PressBriefings/ We applaud the Obama Administration for fulfilling, in this matter at least, their promise of openness and transparency by releasing the press briefing transcripts to the public. A special thanks to Master Transcription, a great company, for providing unofficial transcripts of the press briefings for the past week. Obama Administration | Open Government | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps | White House Press Office Labels: Obama Administration, Open Government, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps, White House Press Office >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 2:36:00 PM Misconstruing Things - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 1/28/09  Q Senator Mitchell, in fact, right now is in the Mideast, and Bloomberg has reported that the firm that he chaired -- they have all kinds of lobbying clients in the Mideast, for example. So how can he go to the Mideast when his -- the firm -- MR. GIBBS: Let's not take a lot of things and misconstrue, right? You know, let's not take -- Q Which part is misconstrued? MR. GIBBS: Well, has Senator Mitchell lobbied? Q He is not registered lobbyist, but he is chair -- MR. GIBBS: Okay. So let's not -- Q -- business, so isn't that another way to get around it? MR. GIBBS: I assume that maybe media organizations are owned by different businesses that conduct different things that might not altogether represent the interests of the media interest in general. But let's not take a group and an example and try to squish it into something that it's not. Lobbyists | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: Lobbyists, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 3:37:00 AM A Victim of Disorganized Thinking - A Press Briefing Transcript Lands at whitehouse.gov  Professor Marvel never guesses. He knows! Over 6 days since the debut press briefing by Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Office has finally released a full transcript of a press briefing for the first time. We welcome this move to match the transparency of previous administrations. A transcript of the the 1/28/09 Press Briefing appeared on the whitehouse.gov's blog channel in the late evening. The top of the blog article consists of the Obama Administration narrative highlights followed by a full transcription of the day's press briefing. We're uncertain if any of the previous or future briefings will be posted in full, so we'll keep the ticker going for a bit longer until we know if this turns into a lasting trend. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we're clicking our heels and wishing... Open Government | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Office Labels: Open Government, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Office >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 2:23:00 AM Transparency, Please! — Wednesday, January 28, 2009 —  Facebook users can now lend their voices in support to a return of the White House Press Office releasing daily briefing transcripts by joining the site's new Group @ Transparency, Please! Obama White House should publish the Press Briefings.Excellent. Tip o' the hat to Ken Shepherd. UPDATE: 1/29/09 - Just to be clear, Andrea Wojtanowicz Dvorak started the facebook group to raise awareness of the missing Press Briefing transcripts. Good job! Facebook | Obama Administration | Open Government | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps | White House Press Office Labels: Facebook, Obama Administration, Open Government, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps, White House Press Office >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:03:00 PM The More Things Change... - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 1/26/09 — Tuesday, January 27, 2009 —  Full 1/26/09 Press Briefing Transcript GIBBS: Helen?Q: [Helen Thomas] Why is the President sending more troops… wants to send more troops to Afghanistan to kill people? GIBBS: In the campaign, the President talked about the fact that we'd largely taken our eye off the ball in Afghanistan and moved direct resources to Iran – I'm sorry, to Iraq, to fight there. We've seen in that intervening time a significant deterioration in the situation in Afghanistan and along the border. I think the President has said that many of the people, or the same people that planned terror attacks in this country, are alive and well, likely, in those hills, planning more. And that if... Q: Do you – how do you know that? GIBBS: That's told to me and told to many of the American people through intelligence reports and good reporting. The President has started a process, with Secretary Gates, with the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with military commanders in the individual countries of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the wider region, to evaluate our posture as it relates to Afghanistan. He said during the campaign that we ought to move additional troops to Afghanistan... Q: [Helen] Why? GIBBS: Because we have a very dangerous situation there. Because we've got, as I said, terrorists that planned horrific acts here in 2001... Q: [Inaudible] come here and bomb us? GIBBS: ...likely planning – likely planning again. We're going to ensure the safety of the American people and make sure that Afghanistan doesn't deteriorate any further. Afghanistan | Helen Thomas | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Afghanistan, Helen, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:58:00 PM whitehouse.gov Finally Releases Transcripts of a Press Briefing - Sorta Kinda 1/26/09 — Monday, January 26, 2009 —  After 4 days and 4 hours the whitehouse.gov web site finally released transcripts of a press briefing. Well, not exactly, as it turns out."Selected responses" to Monday's (1/26/09) Press Briefing at long last appeared on the blog portion of the White House web site in more of an apparent effort to control the narrative than to live up to the promise of open transparency much ballyhooed by the Obama Administration. And if that weren't bad enough, the blog entry claims that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' third press conference held today is his "second press briefing." Careless in small things, careless in great things. So far, a major FAIL by the White House Press Office in providing information to the public in a timely and open manner. Obama Administration | Open Government | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs Labels: Obama Administration, Open Government, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 8:46:00 PM The War on the Economy - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 1/23/09 Transcripts provided by Master Transcription Full 1/23/09 Press Briefing Transcript M. Garrett: [Major Garrett, FOX News] President Bush, after 9/11, said the United States and its government was engaged in a war on terror. Is that what this administration calls it, and if not, why? Secondarily, on your point about stimulative, the CBO has said that $219 billion of the $825 billion in the House bill cannot be spent and will not be spent until 2011 at the earliest. How is that…? Press Sec.: Is this the CBO report that came out earlier this week? M. Garrett: Yes. Press Sec.: Okay. M. Garrett: Yes. What is the President's appraisal of that CBO analysis, and what do you know here that the Congressional Budget Office, a neutral observer, doesn't know? Press Sec.: Well, let me outline what we know. M. Garrett: Don't forget the first question. Press Sec.: The first question I think I alluded to some yesterday. Look, I would point you to the words that the President said in his inaugural address about the challenges that we face. On the stimulus package – and I've got a letter that we'll make sure that each of you have that our OMB Director sent to the Senate Budget Committee Chairman, Kent Conrad – we believe, looking at the packages that exist, that 75 percent of the money will be spent out in an 18-month period of time, with great stimulative effect. The CBO report looked at a… only a portion of the legislation and looked at that portion of the legislation before it began the committee process that Jake was talking about – a snapshot in time that's long past. It doesn't reflect increased spend-out rates. The letter that Mr. Orszag sent to Conrad states that the administration will hold the line on ensuring that at least 75 percent of that money is spent out over an 18-month period. And there are things that can be done in the legislation to ensure that that happens. Let me give you an example, just so you know. There's a provision to speed the money that says if in -- I think in the CBO analysis was 120 days on some projects -- if the money is not spent, then that money is basically reshuffled to other projects. They found that the spend-out rate on 120 days was actually less than a spend-out rate on 180 days – right? So that legislation gets tweaked to 180 days, because the CBO determined that that reshuffling of money would delay its spend-out rates. So those tweaks can be made, and have – I think in some cases have been made, to ensure that three-quarters of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are spent in the first year and a half. That will create jobs; that would get people working again; get the economy moving again. That's what the President set out to do, and that's what this bill does. M. Garrett: If I could follow up, since you mentioned Christine Romer. She has a very substantial body of written work as an economist, assessing what brought the United States out of recession and depression. And in each of those reports, she concluded it was monetary policy that was a driving force in lifting the U.S. economy, not direct government spending. She said that about the Depression and subsequent recessions. What is it about this circumstance that gives you greater confidence than she found, looking at all of those economic circumstances that direct spending can turn the tide? Press Sec.: Well, I'm not an economist and I don't play one on TV, and I won't play one on TV today. Obviously, the Fed and a number of other places have taken a lot of monetary steps that I think many have commented – we have very few of those left. The report that she prepared for the President, based on the package that we were putting together, did show that the plan would create jobs, would stimulate the economy, would make important and necessary investments for our long-term growth. She's confident, the economic team is confident, and most importantly, the President is confident, that this is a package that will help turn our economy around. Things will likely get worse before they get better. But I believe, and the President believes, that Congress has to act quickly to ensure that this package gets on his desk by President's Day recess, so that we can begin turning the economy around. Congressional Budget Office | Economy | Major Garrett | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Stimulus Package | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Congressional Budget Office, Economy, Major Garrett, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Stimulus Package, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:33:00 PM Monday Roundabout Briefs - 1/26/09  We start a new feature with Roundabout Briefs to highlight current and developing narratives involving the Obama Administration, the Press and information technology. First up, information wants to be free or, at the very least, available in transcript format.
Obama Administration | Roundabout Briefs | Technology | White House Press Corps Labels: Obama Administration, Roundabout Briefs, Technology, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 12:18:00 PM Video - Getting to Know the Robert Gibbs Family — Sunday, January 25, 2009 — A friend of the Gibbs family gives us some background details on Robert "Bobby" Gibbs and his family. Robert Gibbs | Video | White House Press Secretary Labels: Robert Gibbs, Video, White House Press Secretary >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 8:42:00 PM Robert Gibbs Provides Transparency - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 1/22/09 Transcripts provided by Master Transcription Full 1/22/09 Press Briefing Transcript Press Sec.: Bill – I'm sorry – yes?Bill Plante: [CBS] How is it transparent when you control the only image of the reswearing. There's nobody in there [before] press reporters; there's no stills; there's no television. And the only recording that comes out, as I understand it, is one that a reporter made, not one that the White House supplied. And how is it transparent when it looks like pay-to-play when the President gives his only interview on inauguration night to a network which paid $2 million for the privilege of exclusive coverage of an event – the [neighborhood] ball? Press Sec.: Let me take your questions separately there. I think that – again, I think the procedures yesterday with which we brought in a print pool and released a photo provided the documentation of exactly what happened yesterday afternoon. Bill Plante: But it's your photo. It's not a photo made by the journalists who cover the White House. Press Sec.: No, but I think that...I encourage you to speak to any of the four journalists that were in there. I think the pool report accurately reflects the events and the time [that] was in there. I think that's what the pool is normally charged with doing. Bill Plante: No argument. Press Sec.: Good. [All right.] Bill Plante: But we have a tradition... We have a tradition here of covering the President. Press corps: [Speaker unidentified] _____ only had four people at an event that everyone _____. Press Sec.: Well, we'd had to get a bigger room. Press corps: [Speaker unidentified] Well, you could've had more than four. Press Sec.: Well, let... Yeah. Let me...the second question – you know – the.. We've done interviews throughout the transition process. We've done...we've answered questions from reporters, and no interview is decided on by me or anybody else who works for the President based on who might sponsor an activity. Bill Plante | Open Government | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: Bill Plante, Open Government, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:39:00 PM Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton Fries Press Briefing Room Door - 1/23/09 — Saturday, January 24, 2009 — Coverage: Jake Tapper of ABC News Christina Bellantoni & Jon Ward of the Washington Times Kyle Trygstad & Mike Memoli of Real Clear Politics Bill Burton | James S. Brady Press Briefing Room | White House Press Corps Labels: Bill Burton, James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:46:00 PM Photo - Must... check... whitehousepresscorps.org 1/23/09 @cassbh  The President on Blackberry One. Blackberry One | Photos | President Obama | White House Labels: Blackberry One, Photos, President Obama, White House >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 12:34:00 AM First Press Briefing of the Obama Administration by Robert Gibbs 1/22/09 — Friday, January 23, 2009 — As of this posting the Obama Administration has yet to provide public transcripts of any press briefings on whitehouse.gov. Obama Administration | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: Obama Administration, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:50:00 PM Obama Administration Twitter Coverage Obama Administration | Twitter | White House Press Corps Labels: Obama Administration, Twitter, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 1:10:00 PM Mr. President, Meet the Press - 1/22/09 — Thursday, January 22, 2009 — Politico | President Obama | White House Press Corps Labels: Politico, President Obama, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 11:45:00 PM The Promise of Transparency in Government 1/20/09 — Tuesday, January 20, 2009 —  Please be aware all hyperlinks to the archived Bush Administration press briefings have been expunged from the new whitehouse.gov web site by the Obama Administration.At this time, it is unclear if the Obama Administration will continue the practice of providing full transcripts of daily press briefings and conferences to the public. Bush Administration | Obama Administration | White House Press Corps Labels: Bush Administration, Obama Administration, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:46:00 PM Final Press Briefing of the Bush Administration - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 1/16/09 — Friday, January 16, 2009 — Q What is the message that you are leaving for your successor? MS. PERINO: For Robert? Well, he doesn't need a lot of advice from me. This is a fabulous job. It is a great opportunity to work with all of you. And I will certainly miss the back-and-forth, as I hope you will, too. But it's really good to have -- get new energy and new blood in here. And I think that they've shown that they're a good, professional organization, and he'll have, I think, absolutely no problems. He won't miss a beat when he gets up here. Q Dana, speaking on behalf of the President, is there anything that you feel that perhaps the American people or the press corps has misunderstood about the administration, or about his goals, or something that you would hope would have been clearer in conveying from where you sit? MS. PERINO: Well, I think we've done -- you know, over the past couple of months we've had a strategy to try to get the President out there and talk to the American people on a range of issues, all the consequential decisions he's made and the progress that we think that we've made, accomplishments that we've made. And last night was the President's farewell address and a chance for him to talk to the American people. I don't know whether this is lost on people or not, but let me just repeat it; that one of the things that I've always admired about President Bush is that no matter what anyone says about him, he lets all of the negativity roll off his back, and he cares deeply about every single American, no matter what they believe, if they support him or not. And he has made decisions based on the best interests of the country. Q Do you have any regrets or anything that -- or things you're particularly proud of or -- MS. PERINO: I'm sure that that I'll have -- I'm going to go on a six-week trip with my husband, and I'm sure there will be long enough flights for me to think about all the things we could have done better. Any press secretary always wants to be more proactive, but news happens all over the world. And now with the 24/7 news cycle, in many ways sometimes you feel like you're just trying to keep up with that. And so it's not a regret or a disappointment, it's just a fact of life. I told someone earlier today that on Friday, I had finally cleaned out my in-box, got it down to 997 emails. And when I got here on Monday morning, over the weekend -- and I had been working over the weekend -- I had then 2,172 emails. So it's a brutal pace and a lot of information coming at you. And that was just on a weekend where we didn't have a lot of news. So I think it's time for me to exit stage left. Q Right. MS. PERINO: Right -- thank you. Q What about -- what are your thoughts about us, in terms of -- (laughter.) What are your thoughts about the coverage President Bush got? Do you think -- I'm just interested from your perspective, do you perceive a bias? Do you think he was treated fairly? Do you think that other Presidents have gotten an easier deal? I was just wondering what your thoughts are. MS. PERINO: Well, the tribute today was all in fun, so I hope that no one took it the wrong way. Q Give us something to take the wrong way. (Laughter.) MS. PERINO: Here's the thing. I don't think that I would always be asked about my feelings about liberal bias in the media if there wasn't any liberal bias in the media. If it was a moot question, then we wouldn't always have the discussion. But I will say this about the reporters -- Q For the record, I just asked about bias. (Laughter.) MS. PERINO: For everybody that's in this room, I think that -- and I was on a panel with Mike McCurry about a month ago and we both had the same feeling -- that in this room, and the reporters who show up every morning and are here late at night and work the weekends, that the people that are covering the President out of here, and the presidency, strive so hard to be fair. And you have to fight for us with your other bureaus and with your other reporters, and I really think that everybody in this room, on a scale of one to ten, I give you a nine in terms of fairness and -- in fairness in working with us and then listening to us. I do think that outside of the White House briefing room, think the -- but I think the increase in the amount of commentary, I just think it's quite remarkable that everyone says they want to add more commentary to their news pages. In some ways, I think, well, how is that even possible? It seems sometimes that that's all that there is. But I do think that in this room I think that that's true, and Mike McCurry said the same thing. So I think by comparing Presidents and presidencies, I think it's probably similar. But there's no doubt that your industry is going through a change and a transition and a transformation, and I really do think for the sake of democracy and the sake of our country we need to have more of you. And good, tough reporting takes a lot of money and it takes investment, it takes time, and it takes the willingness from your editors to be willing to go off on assignment and to really hold your elected leaders to account. I don't think that journalism is dead, but I think that we all have a responsibility to make sure that it survives. Bush Administration | Dana Perino | Media Bias | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps | White House Press Secretary Labels: Bush Administration, Dana Perino, Media Bias, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps, White House Press Secretary >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:57:00 PM Turning Down the Lights - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 1/15/09 — Thursday, January 15, 2009 —  MS. PERINO: Jennifer. Q Can you talk just a little bit -- nuts and bolts -- about the next two days? I think you've said that the Press Office is going to get pared down to basically Stuart. MS. PERINO: Yes, a little bit. Q Can you talk a little bit about the whole apparatus that will be around the President, say Monday and Tuesday? It will be pretty pared down, right? MS. PERINO: Yes. So we'll have -- the President will be fully staffed to the extent that he needs help. There will be those of us around to do it, there just might be fewer of us, because there is quite an elaborate checkout system. You have to turn in all of your equipment. There is the ethics debrief. You have to turn in any keys that you might have, your parking pass. You have to go through all of that process. And so in order to make sure that that's done in an orderly fashion, some people will have to start checking out. And that really started around Monday of this week. We're going to say good-bye to three of our staffers tonight, although it's not good-bye forever -- they're going to be tomorrow for the press briefing -- but Carlton Carroll, being one of them, who has been fantastic, and he has really -- rose to the occasion. A lot you knew him when he just started out as a press assistant, and now he is a fantastic on-the-record spokesperson. We couldn't be more proud of him. Q Which one is he again? (Laughter.) MS. PERINO: We needed Ken Herman to get us through that moment. But Anthony Warren and Matthew Drummond will also check out this afternoon, a few more tomorrow. Stuart Siciliano and I will be here through -- and I think Gordon, because he checks out through NSC, will be here on Tuesday. Ben Chang, thankfully, will be here for you and help the Obama team transition, as previous deputy national spokesmen have done before. And so you'll have some continuity. But we'll be available, Tony Fratto and Stanzel and I, through the weekend. So the President will do the farewell address tonight. Tomorrow he'll leave for Camp David. It will be a small group at Camp David. I expect that he'll have his daughters there. Secretary Rice usually heads up; the Hadleys; Chief of Staff Josh Bolten. But it won't be a large affair. They had that at Christmas time. And we're going to allow -- I believe we're going to allow that final departure and the final arrival on Sunday, when they come back from Camp David, to be taken live for those of you who care about that. And he'll have his radio address on Saturday; I think he'll tape that in the morning. And then Monday -- we'll be here to provide you some information. I think there are some requests for some world leaders to be able to call and say good-bye to President Bush. We'll let you know about that. So, Olivier, who -- but only if you shave those things off by Monday. (Laughter.) Q No guarantees. I'm the decider. (Laughter.) MS. PERINO: You can make that decision if you'd like. Q And the other offices in the White House that are going to be pared down, too, just like -- MS. PERINO: Yes. Everybody -- everyone has to go through that same process. The Chief of Staff made sure that everything was done in a systematic fashion. We're not going to be running around here like chickens with our heads cut off on Tuesday morning. We're going to try to do this in a real good way. Then there will be some staff that goes out -- as many staff as possible -- go out to Andrews Air Force Base where they will be able to say good-bye to the President. The President will probably make some closing remarks to them, but they will be not open to the press. It will just be a private moment. Then he'll get on the plane and head to Midland, where he will give an -- he'll give remarks at an open press event in the town square there, and then head to Waco, and then on to Crawford. And that'll be it. Q What do you mean by debriefing? You said for debriefing. Can you give us -- MS. PERINO: Oh, those are things that you have to do in terms of making sure that you sign off, that you haven't -- that you know you have to keep the secrets that you were told, and things like that. Q (Inaudible.) MS. PERINO: No. (Laughter.) Bush Administration | Dana Perino | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps | White House Press Secretary Labels: Bush Administration, Dana Perino, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps, White House Press Secretary >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:38:00 PM What a Secretary of State Does - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 1/14/09 — Wednesday, January 14, 2009 —  Q Okay. On Gaza, I'm assuming that the President is not trying to wrap or push for a resolution before he leaves office, but, I mean, is he okay with this conflict continuing as he leaves office or is there any kind of sense within the White House that he'd like to wrap things up or at least achieve a resolution before -- MS. PERINO: This is not -- President Bush didn't want the situation to arise in the first place. But given where we are I think that he has exercised the appropriate authority that he can over what the United States can do. And the United States is not there pulling any triggers. But what we have done, the United States has done is tried to work with the Israelis to provide more aid for the humanitarian crisis that's occurring. And we'd like to see a durable cease-fire established as soon as possible, but we're not -- I know there's a lot of countdowns that are going on around here, but when it comes to protecting innocent people and caring about the people of the Palestinian Territories, especially those in Gaza, the President has no time limit on that. Q Dana, on that, the President has said numerous times that he's sprinting to the finish in these final days and weeks. On that point, then, when's the last time he was working the phones on this situation? MS. PERINO: President Bush every morning is working with his intel advisors, and obviously works with Steve Hadley every morning at 7:00 a.m., and Secretary Rice and he talk several times a day. And we keep you updated when appropriate on phone calls; we don't read all of them out to you. Q But when is the last time he had direct conversations with people brokering the Egyptian-French cease-fire -- MS. PERINO: The President isn't doing that; he has a Secretary of State who he has working on that and that's who should be -- that's absolutely appropriate, is to have his Secretary of State working on that. Condeleezza Rice | Dana Perino | Gaza | Israel | Middle East | President Bush |Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Condeleezza Rice, Dana Perino, Gaza, Israel, Middle East, President Bush, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:39:00 PM Family Showdown - White House Press Briefing by Tony Fratto 1/13/09 — Tuesday, January 13, 2009 —  MR. FRATTO: Yes, Mark. Q Tony, the President-elect's decision, impending decision, to close Guantanamo -- the Vice President has just given an interview in which he says, "I think it's a bad decision." He says it's a first-rate facility, it's a good facility, there's a reason why it's there. I thought President Bush wanted to close Guantanamo. MR. FRATTO: When you say -- first, when you say "close Guantanamo," Guantanamo is a base. You're talking about the detention facility? It's obviously our position, you've heard the President say this many times, that over time it's a goal to close the Guantanamo facility also. I didn't see the interview that you're referring to. But I think what everyone has realized -- I've seen it in a lot of the reporting, some of it today and in recent weeks -- is the incredible complexity of actually closing Guantanamo, the legal and national security concerns that people are noticing now. It's complicated. And it would take a great deal of time to do it, and you do have the problem of what do you do with known and hardened and experienced terrorists. Where do you put them? I would agree with the Vice President that, for now, Guantanamo is the place to keep them until we can find other solutions. Q The President doesn't think it's a bad decision to close Guantanamo. He wants to do that. MR. FRATTO: Well, like I said, I don't know the context of Vice President's reaction with the -- whether it was referencing a time frame or something else. Dick Cheney | Guantanamo | President Bush | President-Elect Obama | Press Briefing | Tony Fratto | Vice President | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Dick Cheney, Guantanamo, President Bush, President-Elect Obama, Press Briefing, Tony Fratto, Vice President, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:49:00 PM George We Hardly Knew Ye - Press Conference by the President 1/12/09 — Monday, January 12, 2009 —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Tapper. We have been through a lot together. As I look through the room, I see Jake, Mike, Herman, Ann Compton. Just seemed like yesterday that -- that I was on the campaign trail and you were analyzing my speeches and my policies. And I see a lot of faces that travel with me around the world and -- to places like Afghanistan and Iraq and Africa. I see some new faces, which goes to show there's some turnover in this business. Through it all, it's been -- I have respected you. Sometimes didn't like the stories that you wrote or reported on. Sometimes you misunderestimated me. But always the relationship I have felt has been professional. And I appreciate it. I appreciate -- I do appreciate working with you. My friends say, what is it like to deal with the press corps? I said, these are just people trying to do the best they possibly can. And so here at the last press conference, I'm interested in answering some of your questions. But mostly I'm interested in saying thank you for the job. Ben. Q Thank you for those comments, Mr. President. Here's a question. I'm wondering if you plan to ask Congress for the remaining $350 billion in bail money. And in terms of the timing, if you do that before you leave office, sir, are you motivated in part to make life a little easier for President-Elect Obama? THE PRESIDENT: I have talked to the President-elect about this subject. And I told him that if he felt that he needed the $350 billion, I would be willing to ask for it. In other words, if he felt it needed to happen on my watch. The best course of action, of course, is to convince enough members of the Senate to vote positively for the -- for the request. And, you know, that's all I can share with you, because that's all I know. Q So you haven't made the request yet? THE PRESIDENT: Well, he hasn't asked me to make the request yet. And I don't intend to make the request unless he specifically asks me to make it. He's -- you know, I've had my third conversation with him, and I genuinely mean what I say. I wish him all the very best. I've found him to be a very smart and engaging person. And that lunch the other day was interesting, to have two guys who are nearly 85, two 62-year-olders, and a 47-year-old -- kind of the classic generational statement. And one common area, at least the four of us, we all had different circumstances and experiences, but one thing is we've all experienced what it means to assume the responsibility of the presidency. And President-Elect Obama is fixing to do that. And he'll get sworn in, and then they'll have the lunch and all the -- you know, all the deal up there on Capitol Hill. And then he'll come back and go through the inauguration and then he'll walk in the Oval Office, and there will be a moment when the responsibilities of the President land squarely on his shoulders. Toby. Yes, we'll get everybody. Q Thank you, Mr. President. Do you believe that the Gaza conflict will have ended by the time you leave office? Do you approve of the way that Israel has conducted it? And why were you unable to achieve the peace deal that you had sought? THE PRESIDENT: Remind me of the three points, will you, because I'm getting -- Q Will it end -- THE PRESIDENT: -- I'm getting a little older. Q Will it end by the time you leave office? Do you approve of the -- THE PRESIDENT: I hope so. I'm for a sustainable cease-fire. And a definition of a sustainable cease-fire is that Hamas stops firing rockets into Israel. And there will not be a sustainable cease-fire if they continue firing rockets. I happen to believe the choice is Hamas's to make. And we believe that the best way to ensure that there is a sustainable cease-fire is to work with Egypt to stop the smuggling of arms into the Gaza that enables Hamas to continue to fire rockets. And so countries that supply weapons to Hamas have got to stop. And the international community needs to continue to pressure them to stop providing weapons. Hamas, obviously, if they're interested in a sustainable cease-fire, needs to stop arming. And then, of course, countries contingent to the Gaza need to work to stop the smuggling. And it's a difficult -- difficult task. I mean, there's tunnels and, you know, great opportunities for people who want to continue to try to disrupt democracy to provide the weapons to do so. Second part of your question, please, ma'am? Q Do you approve of the Israeli conduct in this? THE PRESIDENT: I think Israel has a right to defend herself. Obviously in any of these kinds of situations, I would hope that she would continue to be mindful of innocent folks, and that they help, you know, expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid. And third, why haven't we achieved peace? That's a good question. It's been a long time since they've had peace in the Middle East. Step one is to have a vision for what peace would look like. And in 2002, on the steps of the Rose Garden, I gave a speech about a two-state solution -- two states, two democracies living side by side in peace. And we have worked hard to advance that idea. First thing is to convince all parties that the two states were necessary for peace. And one thing that's happened is, is that most people in the Middle East now accept the two-state solution as the best way for peace. Most Palestinians want their own state, and most Israelis understand there needs to be a democracy on their border in order for there to be long-lasting peace. The challenge, of course, has been to lay out the conditions so that a peaceful state can emerge -- in other words, helping the Palestinians in the West Bank develop security forces, which we have worked hard to do over the past years. And those security forces are now becoming more efficient, and Prime Minister Fayyad is using them effectively. The challenge is to develop -- help the Palestinians develop a democracy -- I mean, and a vibrant economy in their -- that will help lead to democracy. And the challenge, of course, is always complicated by the fact that people are willing to murder to stop the advance of freedom. And so the -- Hamas, or for that matter al Qaeda, or other extremist groups, are willing to use violence to prevent free states from emerging. And that's the big challenge. And so the answer is -- will this ever happen? I think it will. And I know we have advanced the process. Yes, Suzanne. Finally got your name right, after how many years? Six years? Q Eight years. (Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: Eight years. You used to be known as Suzanne. Now you're "Suz-ahn." Q "Suz-ahn." Thank you. (Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: I'm "Gahge." (Laughter.) Q In your 2002 State of the Union address, you identified U.S. threats as an axis of evil -- Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Iraq is relatively calm; North Korea is no longer on the terrorist threat list. How would you define, if, in fact, there is an axis of evil? And what is the greatest and most urgent threat when it comes to security that Barack Obama has to deal with? THE PRESIDENT: The most urgent threat that he'll have to deal with, and other Presidents after him will have to deal with, is an attack on our homeland. You know, I wish I could report that's not the case, but there's still an enemy out there that would like to inflict damage on America -- Americans. And that will be the major threat. North Korea is still a problem. There is a debate in the intel community about how big a problem they are. But one of my concerns is that there might be a highly enriched uranium program. And therefore it is really important that out of the six-party talks comes a strong verification regime. In other words, in order to advance our relations with North Korea, the North Korean government must honor the commitments it made to allow for strong verification measures to be in place, to ensure that they don't develop a highly enriched uranium program, for example. So they're still dangerous, and Iran is still dangerous. Yes. Q You said in an interview earlier this weekend, one of these, I guess, exit interviews, that -- THE PRESIDENT: This is the ultimate exit interview. Q -- that you think the Republican Party needs to be more inclusive. Who needs to hear that message inside the Republican Party? THE PRESIDENT: You see, I am concerned that, in the wake of the defeat, that the temptation will be to look inward and to say, well, here's a litmus test you must adhere to. This party will come back. But the party's message has got to be that different points of view are included in the party. And -- take, for example, the immigration debate. That's obviously a highly contentious issue. And the problem with the outcome of the initial round of the debate was that some people said, well, Republicans don't like immigrants. Now, that may be fair or unfair, but that's what -- that's the image that came out. And, you know, if the image is we don't like immigrants, then there's probably somebody else out there saying, well, if they don't like the immigrants, they probably don't like me, as well. And so my point was, is that our party has got to be compassionate and broad-minded. I remember the 1964 elections. My dad happened to be running for the United State Senate then and, you know, got landslided with the Johnson landslide in the state of Texas. But it wasn't just George Bush who got defeated; the Republican Party was pretty well decimated at the time. At least that's what they -- I think that's how the pundits viewed it. And then '66 there was a resurgence. And the same thing can happen this time, but we just got to make sure our message is broad-gauged and compassionate; that we care about people's lives, and we've got a plan to help them improve their lives. Jake, yes. How you doing? Q I'm good. How you doing, sir? THE PRESIDENT: So what have you been doing since 2000 -- never mind. (Laughter.) Q Working my way to this chair. THE PRESIDENT: So are you going to be here for President Obama? Q I will. I will. THE PRESIDENT: That's a pretty cool job. Q It's not bad. THE PRESIDENT: Yes. (Laughter.) Q Yours might be better. THE PRESIDENT: Yes -- what, retirement? (Laughter.) Q In the past, when you've been asked to address bad poll numbers or your own popularity, you've said that history will judge that you did the right thing, that you thought you did the right thing. But without getting into your motives or your goals, I think a lot of people, including Republicans, including some members of your own administration, have been disappointed at the execution of some of your ideals, whether Iraq or Katrina or the economy. What would your closing message be to the American people about the execution of these goals? THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, hard things don't happen overnight, Jake. And when the history of Iraq is written, historians will analyze, for example, the decision on the surge. The situation was -- looked like it was going fine and then violence for a period of time began to throw -- throw the progress of Iraq into doubt. And rather than accepting the status quo and saying, oh, it's not worth it or the politics makes it difficult or, you know, the party may end up being -- you know, not doing well in the elections because of the violence in Iraq, I decided to do something about it -- and sent 30,000 troops in as opposed to withdrawing. And so that part of history is certain, and the situation did change. Now the question is, in the long run, will this democracy survive? And that's going to be the challenge for future Presidents. In terms of the economy, look, I inherited a recession, I am ending on a recession. In the meantime there were 52 months of uninterrupted job growth. And I defended tax cuts when I campaigned, I helped implement tax cuts when I was President, and I will defend them after my presidency as the right course of action. And there's a fundamental philosophical debate about tax cuts. Who best can spend your money, the government or you? And I have always sided with the people on that issue. Now, obviously these are very difficult economic times. When people analyze the situation, there will be -- this problem started before my presidency, it obviously took place during my presidency. The question facing a President is not when the problem started, but what did you do about it when you recognized the problem. And I readily concede I chunked aside some of my free market principles when I was told by chief economic advisors that the situation we were facing could be worse than the Great Depression. So I've told some of my friends who said -- you know, who have taken an ideological position on this issue -- why did you do what you did? I said, well, if you were sitting there and heard that the depression could be greater than the Great Depression, I hope you would act too, which I did. And we've taken extraordinary measures to deal with the frozen credit markets, which have affected the economy. Credit spreads are beginning to shrink; lending is just beginning to pick up. The actions we have taken, I believe, have helped thaw the credit markets, which is the first step toward recovery. And so, yes, look, there's plenty of critics in this business; I understand that. And I thank you for giving me a chance to defend a record that I am going to continue to defend, because I think it's a good, strong record. Jim. Q Thank you, Mr. President. I'd also like to ask you about your critics. THE PRESIDENT: Sure. You know any? (Laughter.) Q Well, a couple years ago, Charles Krauthammer, columnist and Harvard-trained psychiatrist, coined a term, "Bush derangement syndrome," to talk about your critics who disagreed with you most passionately -- not just your policies, but seemed to take an animosity towards you. I'm just wondering, as you look back, why you think you engendered such passionate criticism, animosity, and do you have any message specifically to those -- to that particular part of the spectrum of your critics? THE PRESIDENT: You know, most people I see, you know, when I'm moving around the country, for example, they're not angry. And they're not hostile people. And they -- we never meet people who disagree, that's just not true. I've met a lot of people who don't agree with the decisions I make. But they have been civil in their discourse. And so, I view those who get angry and yell and say bad things and, you know, all that kind of stuff, it's just a very few people in the country. I don't know why they get angry. I don't know why they get hostile. It's not the first time, however, in history that people have expressed themselves in sometimes undignified ways. I've been reading, you know, a lot about Abraham Lincoln during my presidency, and there was some pretty harsh discord when it came to the 16th President, just like there's been harsh discord for the 43rd President. You know, Presidents can try to avoid hard decisions and therefore avoid controversy. That's just not my nature. I'm the kind of person that, you know, is willing to take on hard tasks, and in times of war people get emotional; I understand that. Never really, you know, spent that much time, frankly, worrying about the loud voices. I of course hear them, but they didn't affect my policy, nor did they affect -- affect how I made decisions. You know, the -- President-Elect Obama will find this, too. He'll get in the Oval Office and there will be a lot of people that are real critical and harsh, and he'll be disappointed at times by the tone of the rhetoric. And he's going to have to do what he thinks is right, Jim. And if you don't, then I don't see how you can live with yourself. I don't see how I can get back home in Texas and look in the mirror and be proud of what I see if I allowed the loud voices, the loud critics, to prevent me from doing what I thought was necessary to protect this country. Mike. Q Mr. President, thank you very much. Since your philosophy is so different from President-Elect Obama's, what concerns you the most about what he may attempt to do? THE PRESIDENT: You know, Michael, I'm not going to speculate about what he's going to do. It's going to be -- you know, he's going to get in the Oval Office, he's going to analyze each situation, and he's going to make the decisions that he think is necessary. And the other thing is, when I get out of here, I'm getting off the stage. I believe there ought to be, you know, one person in the klieg lights at a time, and I've had my time in the klieg lights. You know, I'm confident, you know, you'll catch me opining on occasion, but I wish him all the best. And people say, oh, you just -- that's just a throwaway line. No, it's not a throwaway line. The stakes are high. There is an enemy that still is out there. You know, people can maybe try to write that off as, you know, he's trying to set something up. I'm telling you there's an enemy that would like to attack America, Americans, again. There just is. That's the reality of the world. And I wish him all the very best. And of course, he's going to have his hands full with the economy. I understand. It's tough for a lot of working people out there. The people are concerned about their economic future. You know, one of the very difficult parts of the decision I made on the financial crisis was to use hardworking people's money to help prevent there to be a crisis, and in so doing, some of that money went into Wall Street firms that caused the crisis in the first place. I wasn't kidding when I said Wall Street got drunk and we got the hangover. And -- but nevertheless, President-Elect Obama will find the problems and the situations surrounding problems sometimes cause people to have to make decisions that they, you know, weren't initially comfortable with. And there was such a decision when it came to Wall Street. I mean, I had a lot of people -- when I went out to Midland that time -- say, what the heck are you doing? Those people up East caused the problem. I said, I know, but if we hadn't worked to fix the problem, your situation would be worse. And -- anyway, I really do wish him all the best. Sheryl. Q Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, in recent days, there's been a fair amount of discussion in legal circles about whether or not you might give preemptive pardons, pardons in advance, to officials of your administration who engaged in anything from harsh interrogation tactics to perhaps dismissing U.S. attorneys. I'd like to know, have you given any consideration to this? And are you planning on it? THE PRESIDENT: I won't be discussing pardons here at this press conference. Q Can I have a follow-up? THE PRESIDENT: Would you like to ask another question? Q Yes, I would, sir. Thank you. Four years ago -- THE PRESIDENT: That's the spirit, isn't it? (Laughter.) Q I appreciate that. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Laughter.) Q Four years ago, you were asked if you had made any mistakes. THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Q And I'm not trying to play "gotcha," but I wonder, when you look back over the long arc of your presidency, do you think, in retrospect, that you have made any mistakes? And if so, what is the single biggest mistake that you may have made? THE PRESIDENT: Gotcha. I have often said that history will look back and determine that which could have been done better, or, you know, mistakes I made. Clearly putting a "Mission Accomplished" on a aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message. We were trying to say something differently, but nevertheless, it conveyed a different message. Obviously, some of my rhetoric has been a mistake. I've thought long and hard about Katrina -- you know, could I have done something differently, like land Air Force One either in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. The problem with that and -- is that law enforcement would have been pulled away from the mission. And then your questions, I suspect, would have been, how could you possibly have flown Air Force One into Baton Rouge, and police officers that were needed to expedite traffic out of New Orleans were taken off the task to look after you? I believe that running the Social Security idea right after the '04 elections was a mistake. I should have argued for immigration reform. And the reason why is, is that -- you know, one of the lessons I learned as governor of Texas, by the way, is legislative branches tend to be risk-adverse. In other words, sometimes legislatures have the tendency to ask, why should I take on a hard task when a crisis is not imminent? And the crisis was not imminent for Social Security as far as many members of Congress was concerned. As an aside, one thing I proved is that you can actually campaign on the issue and get elected. In other words, I don't believe talking about Social Security is the third rail of American politics. I, matter of fact, think that in the future, not talking about how you intend to fix Social Security is going to be the third rail of American politics. One thing about the presidency is that you can make -- only make decisions, you know, on the information at hand. You don't get to have information after you've made the decision. That's not the way it works. And you stand by your decisions, and you do your best to explain why you made the decisions you made. There have been disappointments. Abu Ghraib obviously was a huge disappointment during the presidency. Not having weapons of mass destruction was a significant disappointment. I don't know if you want to call those mistakes or not, but they were -- things didn't go according to plan, let's put it that way. Anyway, I think historians will look back and they'll be able to have a better look at mistakes after some time has passed. Along Jake's question, there is no such thing as short-term history. I don't think you can possibly get the full breadth of an administration until time has passed: Where does a President's -- did a President's decisions have the impact that he thought they would, or he thought they would, over time? Or how did this President compare to future Presidents, given a set of circumstances that may be similar or not similar? I mean, there's -- it's just impossible to do. And I'm comfortable with that. Yes, Mike. Q One of the major objectives that the incoming administration has talked frequently about is restoring America's moral standing in the world. And many of the allies of the new President -- I believe that the President-elect himself has talked about the damage that Gitmo, that harsh interrogation tactics that they consider torture, how going to war in Iraq without a U.N. mandate have damaged America's moral standing in the world. I'm wondering basically what is your reaction to that? Do you think that is that something that the next President needs to worry about? THE PRESIDENT: I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged. It may be damaged amongst some of the elite, but people still understand America stands for freedom, that America is a country that provides such great hope. You go to Africa, you ask Africans about America's generosity and compassion; go to India, and ask about, you know, America's -- their view of America. Go to China and ask. Now, no question parts of Europe have said that we shouldn't have gone to war in Iraq without a mandate, but those are a few countries. Most countries in Europe listened to what 1441 said, which is disclose, disarm or face serious consequences. Most people take those words seriously. Now, some countries didn't -- even though they might have voted for the resolution. I disagree with this assessment that, you know, people view America in a dim light. I just don't agree with that. And I understand that Gitmo has created controversies. But when it came time for those countries that were criticizing America to take some of those -- some of those detainees, they weren't willing to help out. And so, you know, I just disagree with the assessment, Mike. I'll remind -- listen, I tell people, yes, you can try to be popular. In certain quarters in Europe, you can be popular by blaming every Middle Eastern problem on Israel. Or you can be popular by joining the International Criminal Court. I guess I could have been popular by accepting Kyoto, which I felt was a flawed treaty, and proposed something different and more constructive. And in terms of the decisions that I had made to protect the homeland, I wouldn't worry about popularity. What I would worry about is the Constitution of the United States, and putting plans in place that makes it easier to find out what the enemy is thinking, because all these debates will matter not if there's another attack on the homeland. The question won't be, you know, were you critical of this plan or not; the question is going to be, why didn't you do something? Do you remember what it was like right after September the 11th around here? In press conferences and opinion pieces and in stories -- that sometimes were news stories and sometimes opinion pieces -- people were saying, how come they didn't see it, how come they didn't connect the dots? Do you remember what the environment was like in Washington? I do. When people were hauled up in front of Congress and members of Congress were asking questions about, how come you didn't know this, that, or the other? And then we start putting policy in place -- legal policy in place to connect the dots, and all of a sudden people were saying, how come you're connecting the dots? And so, Mike, I've heard all that. I've heard all that. My view is, is that most people around the world, they respect America. And some of them doesn't like me, I understand that -- some of the writers and the, you know, opiners and all that. That's fine, that's part of the deal. But I'm more concerned about the country and our -- how people view the United States. They view us as strong, compassionate people who care deeply about the universality of freedom. Roger. Q Thank you. Mr. President, you spoke a moment ago about using taxpayers' money for the TARP program. THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I did. Q The first $350 billion is out the door, it's been spent. Are you satisfied that it's been spent wisely? And for the second $350 billion that's under consideration, do you think -- are you supportive of Congress putting some restrictions on it? THE PRESIDENT: I'm supportive of the President-elect working out a plan with Congress that best suits him -- and Congress. That's what he's going to have to do. He's going to have to go up there and he's going to have to make his case as to why the $350 [billion] is necessary. And he knows that. This is nothing new. And in terms of the first $350 [billion,] I am pleased with this aspect of the expenditure, and that is that the financial markets are beginning to thaw. In the fall, I was concerned that the credit freeze would cause us to be headed toward a depression greater than the Great Depression. That's what I was told, if we didn't move. And so, therefore, we have moved aggressively. And by the way, it just wasn't with the TARP. If you think about AIG, Fannie and Freddie -- a lot of the decisions that were made in this administration are very aggressive decisions, all aiming at preventing the financial system from cratering. Q Mr. President, you spoke of the moment that the responsibility of the office would hit Barack Obama. The world is a far different place than it was when it hit you. When do you think he's going to feel the full impact? And what, if anything, have you and the other Presidents shared with him about the effects of the sometimes isolation, the so-called bubble of the office? THE PRESIDENT: Yes, that's a great question. He'll -- he will feel the effects the minute he walks in the Oval Office. At least, that's when I felt. I don't know when he's going -- he may feel it the minute he's -- gets sworn in. And the minute I got sworn in, I started thinking about the speech. (Laughter.) And so -- but he's a better speech-maker than me, so he'll be able to -- he'll be able to -- I don't know how he's going to feel. All I know is he's going to feel it. There will be a moment when he feels it. I have never felt isolated and I don't think he will. One reason he won't feel isolated is because he's got a fabulous family and he cares a lot about his family. That's evident from my discussions with him. He'll be -- he's a 45-second commute away from a great wife and two little girls that love him dearly. I believe this -- the phrase "burdens of the office" is overstated. You know, it's kind of like, why me? Oh, the burdens, you know. Why did the financial collapse have to happen on my watch? It's just -- it's pathetic, isn't it, self-pity. And I don't believe that President-Elect Obama will be full of self-pity. He will find -- you know, your -- the people that don't like you, the critics, they're pretty predictable. Sometimes the biggest disappointments will come from your so-called friends. And there will be disappointments, I promise you. He'll be disappointed. On the other hand, the job is so exciting and so profound that the disappointments will be clearly, you know, a minor irritant compared to the -- Q It was never the "loneliest office in the world" for you? THE PRESIDENT: No, not for me. We had a -- people -- we -- I had a fabulous team around me of highly dedicated, smart, capable people, and we had fun. I tell people that, you know, some days happy, some days not so happy, every day has been joyous. And people, they say, I just don't believe it to be the case. Well, it is the case. Even in the darkest moments of Iraq, you know, there was -- and every day when I was reading the reports about soldiers losing their lives, no question there was a lot of emotion, but also there was times where we could be light-hearted and support each other. And I built a team of really capable people who were there not to serve me, or there to serve the Republicans, they were there to serve the country. And President-Elect Obama will find, as he makes these tough calls and tough decisions, that he'll be supported by a lot of really good people that care -- care about the country, as well. John. Q You've talked a lot about your concerns over the rise of protectionism in the current -- THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Q -- economic environment. What do you think the future holds for that? Do you think the trend is a good one or a bad one? THE PRESIDENT: I hope the trend is bad against protectionism. A disappointment -- not a mistake, but a disappointment -- was not getting the three trade bills out of Congress on Colombia, Panama and South Korea. That was a disappointment. I actually thought we had a shot at one time, and then I was disappointed that they didn't move out of the House. And I am concerned about protectionism. In tough economic times, the temptation is to say, well, let's just throw up barriers and protect our own and not compete. That was the sentiment, by the way, that was in place during decent economic times. After all, we got CAFTA out of the Congress by one vote. And it would be a huge mistake if we become a protectionist nation. And that might be a good thing for the Bush center to do at SMU, is to remind people about the benefits of free and fair trade -- benefits for our own workers, benefits for workers overseas, and benefits when it comes to promoting development and helping lift people out of poverty, in particularly, third world countries. The best way to enhance economic growth in a third world country and to give people a chance to realize a better future is through trade. It's been proven, it's a fact. And I'm hopeful that the country doesn't slip into protectionist policy. April, yes, ma'am. Q Thank you, Mr. President. THE PRESIDENT: Yes. You were sound asleep back there, so I decided -- (laughter.) Q No, I wasn't. There was a whole clear row before me. I thought you were going to go there. But either way, thanks for the surprise. Mr. President, on New Orleans, you basically talked about a moment ago about the photo opportunity. But let's talk about what you could have done to change the situation for the city of New Orleans to be further along in reconstruction than where it is now. And also, when you came -- or began to run for the Oval Office about nine years ago or so, the James Byrd dragging death was residue on your campaign. And now at this time, 2009, we have the first black President. Could you tell us what you have seen on the issues of race, as you see it from the Oval Office? THE PRESIDENT: Sure, thanks. First of all, we did get the $121 billion, more or less, passed, and it's now being spent. Secondly, the school system is improving dramatically. Thirdly, people are beginning to move back into homes. This storm was a devastating storm, April, that required a lot of energy, a lot of focus and a lot of resources to get New Orleans up and running. And has the reconstruction been perfect? No. Have things happened fairly quickly? Absolutely. And is there more to be done? You bet there is. Q What more needs to be done? THE PRESIDENT: Well, more people need to get in their houses. More people need to have their own home there. But the systems are in place to continue the reconstruction of New Orleans. People said, well, the federal response was slow. Don't tell me the federal response was slow when there was 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed. I remember going to see those helicopter drivers, Coast Guard drivers, to thank them for their courageous efforts to rescue people off roofs. Thirty thousand people were pulled off roofs right after the storm moved through. It's a pretty quick response. Could things have been done better? Absolutely. Absolutely. But when I hear people say, the federal response was slow, then what are they going to say to those chopper drivers, or the 30,000 that got pulled off the roofs? The other part of the -- look, I was affected by the TV after the elections -- when I saw people saying, I never thought I would see the day that a black person would be elected President, and a lot of the people had tears streaming down their cheeks when they said it. And so I am -- I am -- consider myself fortunate to have a front-row seat on what is going to be an historic moment for the country. President-Elect Obama's election does speak volumes about how far this country has come when it comes to racial relations. But there's still work to do. There's always going to be work to do to deal with people's hearts. And so I'm looking forward to it, really am. I think it's going to be -- it's going to be an amazing -- amazing moment. Michael Allen -- yes, Michael Allen. Q Mr. President -- THE PRESIDENT: Who would be you. Q Mr. President, often Presidents go -- leave here; they say they're going to decompress, and then pretty soon they're right back in their office. I wonder how quickly you think you're going to be back at it, whether it's writing your book, whether it's speaking, whether it's traveling, whether it's -- THE PRESIDENT: You know, Mike, I don't know. Probably the next day. I'm a Type A personality, you know, I just -- I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach. (Laughter.) Q No one else can, either. THE PRESIDENT: So -- (laughter.) Particularly since I quit drinking. Anyway, so I predict to you that -- first of all, I'm not sure what to expect. For the last eight years I've had a national security briefing every day but Sunday. And when you get a national security briefing, it is a reminder of the responsibilities of the job. It's just a daily reminder about what may or may not happen. The interesting thing about this job, by the way, is it's one thing to deal with the expected, what you anticipate; the real challenge is to be in a position to deal with the unexpected. And that's why those intel briefings are so important, because there is -- there's an awareness in the briefings by the analyst to try to help anticipate problems. And of course you hope they don't arise, but you better be prepared when they do. And that in itself creates a -- you know, gets your attention, when you start thinking about what could happen. And the key there, of course, is that -- to take these different analyses seriously, and then have a structure so that your team will be in a position to analyze and then lay out potential avenues for the President -- from which the President can choose. I say all that because that's -- this has been -- this notion about being briefed and thinking about this issue or that issue has been just a part of my life for eight years. People say, well, there you are in Crawford on vacation. You never escape the presidency. It travels with you everywhere you go. And there's not a moment where you don't think about being President -- unless you're riding mountain bikes as hard as you possibly can, trying to forget for the moment. And so I wake up in Crawford Tuesday morning -- I mean, Wednesday morning, and I suspect I'll make Laura coffee and go get it for her. And it's going to be a different feeling. And I can't -- it's kind of like -- I'll report back after I feel it. Last question. Ann -- since you've been there from day one. Q Thank you -- and I wanted to ask you about day one. You arrived here wanting to be a uniter, not a divider. Do you think Barack Obama can be a uniter, not a divider? Or is -- with the challenges for any President and the unpopular decisions, is it impossible for any President to be uniter, not a divider? THE PRESIDENT: I hope the tone is different for him than it has been for me. I am disappointed by the tone in Washington, D.C. I tried to do my part by not engaging in the name-calling and -- and by the way, needless name-calling. I have worked to be respectful of my opponents on different issues. There -- we did find some good common ground on a variety of issues -- No Child Left Behind, Medicare/prescription drugs, PEPFAR, in the end, the funding for troops in Iraq. Tax cuts, to a certain extent, got some bipartisan votes on them. There had been areas where we were able to work together. It's just the rhetoric got out of control at times -- Q Why? THE PRESIDENT: I don't know why. You need to ask those who -- those who used the words they used. As I say, it's not the first time it's ever happened -- as I think I answered that to Jim, there. It's happened throughout our history. And I would hope that, frankly, for the sake of the system itself, that if people disagree with President-Elect Obama, they treat him with respect. I worry about people looking at our system and saying, why would I want to go up there and work in that kind of environment? And so I wish him all the best. And no question he'll be -- there will be critics. And there should be. We all should welcome criticism on different policy -- it's the great thing about our democracy; people have a chance to express themselves. I just hope the tone is respectful. He deserves it -- and so does the country. It has been a honor to work with you. I meant what I said when I first got up here. I wish you all the very best. I wish you and your families all the best. God bless you. Bush Administration | Democracy | President Bush | Presidential Press Conference | White House Press Corps Labels: Bush Administration, Democracy, President Bush, Presidential Press Conference, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 3:00:00 PM A Full Panoply of Tactics - White House Press Briefing by Scott Stanzel 1/9/09 — Friday, January 09, 2009 —  Q The administration has been boasting about the success of the President's war on terror, yet data compiled by the RAND Corporation show that the global rate of terrorism, as measured by the number of people killed per year, increased by almost fivefold during the Bush presidency. And according to the government's own terrorism statistics, 2007 was the worst year ever, with over 22,000 people killed worldwide. Does the President consider that record a success? MR. STANZEL: The President considers it very much a success that we have kept this nation safe since the devastating attacks of 9/11. The magnitude of the attacks on 9/11 were unprecedented, unseen, when 19 individuals armed with box cutters flew airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and were fought and died in a field in Pennsylvania. We have taken the fight to the terrorists. It has been this President's sole mission throughout his presidency to confront those threats where they are. He has a much talked about Bush Doctrine. The President has made it very clear that if you aid, abet, house, feed, fund a terrorist, you are just as guilty as the terrorist, and that we will also confront the challenges where they emerge so we don't have to face them here at home. And we will work to spread an ideology of hope and freedom, which will be the ultimate tool in combating terrorism around the world. So I'll move on. Yes, go ahead -- Q But shouldn't the anti-terrorism efforts reduce terrorism rather than increase it? MR. STANZEL: Well, I guess you should ask the question, have terrorists -- do terrorists continue to try to kill innocent civilians around the world? Yes, they do. Should we then just take a step back and decide, no, we shouldn't confront those challenges? Q But you can try a -- MR. STANZEL: I'm done, I'm going to move on. Q -- you can try a different tactic. MR. STANZEL: Which is -- we have a full tactic, full panoply of tactics that we use, on the diplomatic side, on the defense side, on the homeland security side, and terrorist financing side. So the President is very proud of his record in defending this country and taking the fight to terrorists for the past two terms. Yes, sir. Q Back to Gaza and the U.N. resolution yesterday, can you expand on why the White House opted for abstention rather than voting with the rest of the Security Council? MR. STANZEL: Sure. Did you have an opportunity to see Secretary Rice's remarks last night? So I would just refer you to those. The discussions between Israel and Egypt we believe hold great promise of providing a way to a durable and sustainable cease-fire. And as Secretary Rice said, that is a resolution -- that resolution that passed last night, we believed it should have just been postponed to allow those discussions between Egypt and Israel to go forward so it could be more informed by those discussions. However, I would note in the resolution and in Secretary Rice's remarks, she talked about we agreed with the text, we agreed with the objectives, and we agreed with the goals of that resolution. We just happen to believe that there should have been a different timing for it. Yes, sir. Q With Israel as our ally, how influential is the United States in pushing Israel towards a cease-fire? And have there been any more conversations about sending additional aid to Palestinians? MR. STANZEL: Well, we have I believe earlier in the week, or maybe even last week, we talked about the $85 million that we have provided through the U.N. in terms of aid to the Palestinians. But the cease-fire will come when terrorists stop lobbing rockets at innocent civilians for the desire to kill to advance their ideology. When Hamas attacks Israel they're not only hurting the Israeli people, but they are hurting the Palestinian people because they are also attacking the two-state solution, which is the ultimate solution for the Palestinians and the Israelis living side by side in peace. Q As the humanitarian crisis grows there, will the United States send more aid? I know the -- MR. STANZEL: I don't have anything to announce for you, but obviously we've indicated our deep concern about the humanitarian situation, and that's something that the State Department and the leaders there have talked about at length, as well. Steve. Q The French and the Egyptians have tried to broker a peace deal. Has the U.S. lost its leadership role in any kind of negotiations in this regard? MR. STANZEL: I wouldn't say that. I think that the United States has a unique role around the world and a unique relationship with Israel. We have a very strong bond with Israel. This is a challenge that has unfortunately gone back many years and many decades and -- but, no, we are working with our international partners at length. The resolution that was passed, Secretary Rice had a very much -- a very strong involvement in that resolution, and she's been in New York working round-the-clock to try to bring a solution to this problem that, again, is durable and sustainable. Al Qaeda | Bush Administration | Gaza | Israel | Press Briefing | Scott Stanzel | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Al Qaeda, Bush Administration, Gaza, Israel, Press Briefing, Scott Stanzel, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:56:00 PM WHPC Flashbacks - Tony Snow vs. Helen Thomas 7/18/2006 — Thursday, January 08, 2009 — MR. SNOW: Helen. Q The United States is not that helpless. It could have stopped the bombardment of Lebanon. We have that much control with the Israelis. MR. SNOW: I don't think so, Helen. Q We have gone for collective punishment against all of Lebanon and Palestine. MR. SNOW: What's interesting, Helen -- Q And this is what's happening, and that's the perception of the United States. MR. SNOW: Well, thank you for the Hezbollah view, but I would encourage you -- Q Nobody is accepting your explanation. What is restraint, a call for restraint? MR. SNOW: Well, I'll tell you, what's interesting, Helen, is people have. The G8 was completely united on this. And as you know, when it comes to issues of -- Q And we stopped a cease-fire -- why? MR. SNOW: We didn't stop a cease-fire. I'll tell you what -- Q We vetoed -- MR. SNOW: We didn't even veto. Please get your facts right. What happened was that the G8 countries made a pretty clear determination that the guilty party here was Hezbollah. You cannot have a cease-fire when you've got the leader of Hezbollah going on his television saying that he perceives total war -- he's declaring total war. When they are firing rockets indiscriminately -- Q We had the United Nations -- MR. SNOW: Please let me finish. I know this is great entertainment, but I want to finish the answer. The point here is they're firing rockets indiscriminately into civilian areas. The Israelis are responding as they see fit. You will note the countries that disagree with the -- Q -- bombardment of a whole country -- MR. SNOW: -- that disagree with the government of Israel in terms of its general approach on Palestine, many of our European allies agree that Israel has the right to defend itself, that the government of Lebanon has the right to control all its territory, that Hezbollah is responsible and that those who support it also bear responsibility. There is no daylight between the United States and all the allies on this. They all agreed on it. This was not difficult -- Q At that point, why did we veto a cease-fire? MR. SNOW: We didn't veto a cease-fire. Q Yes, we did. MR. SNOW: No, we didn't. There was -- there was no cease-fire. I'm sorry -- Q Wasn't there a resolution? MR. SNOW: No. Q At the U.N.? MR. SNOW: No -- no. You know what you've -- I see what you -- what happened was that there was conversation about "a cease-fire" that was picked up by some of the microphones when some colorful language made its way into the airwaves yesterday. And the President was continuing a conversation he'd had earlier with Prime Minister Tony Blair about staging. Would we like a cease-fire? You bet, absolutely. We would love to see a cease-fire. But the way you stage is that you make sure that the people who started this fight -- Hezbollah -- take their responsibility -- Q There was no veto at the U.N.? MR. SNOW: No, there hasn't been a resolution at the VN -- U.N., whatever it is. (Laughter.) There hasn't been -- I was in Germany too long. There's been no resolution at the U.N. Q Why aren't we proposing a truce, no matter who is to blame? At least stop the killing. MR. SNOW: Because it wouldn't stop the killing. What it would do is it would say to the killers, you win. Q Might save lives. MR. SNOW: No, I don't think so. And I'm glad you raised this. You do not want to engage in a cease-fire that has a practical -- when you say to the Israelis, you guys just stop firing, when you have Hezbollah saying, we're going to wage total war, because Hezbollah would read that as vindication of its tactics, and the idea that if you get the right sort of videos on television, and you get the right things going on, you can allow them to behave with impunity. Even though they are weakening the sovereign government of Lebanon, they are acting independently; even though they have -- Q And bombarding Lebanon -- MR. SNOW: Even though they have received -- Q -- wipes out infrastructure. MR. SNOW: All right, this is hectoring now. Go ahead. Bush Administration | Helen | Hezbollah | Israel | Lebanon | Middle East | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Bush Administration, Helen, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Press Briefing, Tony Snow, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:19:00 PM Two to Tango - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 1/7/09 — Wednesday, January 07, 2009 —  Q A follow-up to the Mideast question. Is there anything more that the U.S. can do to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza? MS. PERINO: What we are looking -- the United States is deeply concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. And that's one of the reasons that Secretary Rice has been working around the clock, and especially last night, literally around the clock, to work with the Israelis and also her counterparts around the world. We need urgently to conclude some sort of a cease-fire agreement that will be lasting, that would endure, and that would make sure that we can identify the three things that we wanted to do yesterday, that I mentioned yesterday, which is stop the rocket attacks, stop the smuggling, and also figure out a way to reopen that border in a way that's consistent with the 2005 access agreement. Q Do you have a timeline at all in mind? MS. PERINO: Look, she worked around the clock. We're working to do it as fast as we possibly can, but there's a lot of other actors here, as well. The easiest thing to stop the situation would be for Hamas to stop sending rockets into Israel. I think there were 35 that were sent from Gaza into Israel yesterday, and if that was to halt, I think a cease-fire would be something that would be achieved much more quickly than if they don't. Q -- stop the bombarding of the innocent Palestinians. The U.S. has not called for anything and the President gave the green light for this slaughter. MS. PERINO: First and foremost, the Israelis did not ask the United States' permission. I do not believe that the -- Q They didn't ask permission, but they got the backing. MS. PERINO: I do not believe the that Israelis are targeting innocent civilians. But we do know that innocent civilians have been caught up in this fighting, and that's why we are concerned about it. And they have halted -- Q They're not caught up, they're being bombarded. MS. PERINO: I think they are caught up in it. And I -- it's a terrible situation. You have one -- I think over a million people living in a very small area. The best thing that they could do for themselves is to have their leaders make a decision to renounce terror and violence, and at least, at the very least, to stop sending the rockets right now so that a cease-fire could be put in place that could be lasting. Q How about the U.S. vetoing any attempt for a cease-fire? MS. PERINO: What we are seeking is a cease-fire that would actually last. I think the worst thing that we could have is to have this vicious cycle continue. Q Why? Stop the killing. MS. PERINO: Well, would you say the same, that Hamas should stop the killing of innocent Israelis? Q Of course. MS. PERINO: Okay. Well, it's going to take two to tango here. And we need Hamas to make a decision -- Q But you won't even to talk to Hamas. MS. PERINO: Well, as you know, the Egyptians have been and we've been working with them, and Secretary Rice is talking with all of her counterparts. We do have, right now, a lull in the fighting, a halt to the fighting, so that more humanitarian aid can get to the people -- because it's not just the United States that's concerned about the humanitarian situation. Clearly the Arab world is -- but so are the Israelis. And that's why they're allowing humanitarian aid to get there. I think one of the things that they've been concerned about is that Hamas has been known to commandeer this aid and send it directly to their forces and not to the people who actually need it. Q They're the elected government there. MS. PERINO: They are neglecting to govern there. Q They are elected, but the Israelis continue to occupy all the checkpoints. MS. PERINO: But they -- they can be elected to govern, but they are neglecting to do so. And that is why the Gazans have been held hostage for the past year and a half, ever since Hamas decided to take over Gaza in the coup in 2007. And the humanitarian situation there was not great before this. Q And the U.S. broke off all relations once they won an election. MS. PERINO: No, we didn't talk to -- well, we didn't break off relations then, we have never had a relationship with Hamas. Q All aid, all aid. MS. PERINO: That is not true. The United States does provide aid through the United Nations for the people of Gaza, a lot of it. Dana Perino | Gaza | Hamas | Israel | Middle East | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:10:00 PM Asking the Tough Questions in Troubled Times - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 1/6/09 — Tuesday, January 06, 2009 —  MS. PERINO: Ann. Q Hi. According to a release from Laura Bush's office this morning, there's going to be a set of George W. Bush state china. Any idea why it's being delivered two weeks before he leaves office? MS. PERINO: No time like the present. (Laughter.) I think that it just took a while for them to figure out the design that they wanted. Then it was produced and it has arrived at the White House. And so Mrs. Bush will be happy to share that with everybody soon. Q Do you know anything about it or why they're doing -- because not every President does this kind of thing. MS. PERINO: I haven't seen it yet and I'll let her talk about that. I'll see if I can get some more information. I just know that it has arrived. Q Is it a good expenditure for an administration when the economy is in the kind of state it is? MS. PERINO: I think that it was probably done within the White House budget, but we'll check for you. Q Got pictures of them? What does it look like? MS. PERINO: I'll check with Mrs. Bush's office. I just -- I haven't had the pleasure of seeing it yet. Q Do you know those Obama plates you see on television? (Laughter.) Q Yes, I know, I'm wondering. (Laughter.) Dana Perino | Economy | First Lady | President-Elect Obama | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Economy, First Lady, President-Elect Obama, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:34:00 PM The Definition of a Cease-Fire - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 1/5/09 — Monday, January 05, 2009 —  MS. PERINO: Well, as I just said, Secretary Rice has been on the phone working with her allies and her partners around the world to try to establish this. She's been working with the United Nations. I'll leave it to them to detail all of them out. But you also know who the President has called, because we've let you know. It's going to take a commitment on behalf of Hamas to reject terrorism and violence and to accept that they could try to find a political way forward. That way we can get to a point where we can establish a two-state solution. Q There can't be a cease-fire unless Hamas agrees. MS. PERINO: Well, wouldn't that be the definition of a cease-fire? Q Yes, but agrees to stop firing rockets. MS. PERINO: Well, yes, I just don't understand why it would be okay that we say it's okay to have a cease-fire but they can -- they're allowed to continue to fire rockets into Israel. I mean, that's the very definition of a cease-fire. Hamas is the one who brought this situation on themselves. Q Some would say to stop the killing that is occurring. There are a lot of civilian casualties. MS. PERINO: Well, I just wonder where all the voices were, being -- voicing concern about the Israelis who are being terrorized. And I just think it's a double standard to say it's okay for Hamas to be able to send rockets into Israel. One of the biggest problems is that Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, hides amongst innocent civilians. And I do think that all due care should be taken to make sure that innocent civilians are properly protected. Q Yes, but let's be real, it's a question of scale. Everybody agrees that it's bad for Hamas to send rockets into Israel, but they have generally killed relatively fewer people than this invasion is killing. MS. PERINO: Just think -- put yourself in that situation. If rockets were coming into the United States from Canada, do you think that we would just say, well, it's okay, because they really haven't hurt or killed that many people this week? We would never stand for it. And we have an ally in Israel, and we're trying to work with the international community to establish a durable cease-fire so that this vicious cycle can end. Q But you're not talking to the Hamas at all. MS. PERINO: We are -- but the people that we -- Q You could call anyone a terrorist organization -- MS. PERINO: Egypt has been working with Hamas -- or talking with Hamas, and that's -- we have obviously very good relations with Egypt, as well. Q Egypt is not the United States. MS. PERINO: I'm not -- we're not going to change policy here, under this administration, to all of a sudden start to talk to terrorist organizations. Dana Perino | Gaza | Hamas | Israel | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:59:00 PM Hamas as a Humanitarian Organization - White House Press Briefing by Gordon Johndroe 1/2/09 — Friday, January 02, 2009 —  MR. JOHNDROE: Jeremy. Q A couple questions. One, is there any progress to report, incremental or otherwise, of reaching a cease-fire at this stage? MR. JOHNDROE: Well, we're not seeing Hamas stop its rocket attacks. And that's something that we're going to need to see them do. And I know that we've been engaged in a lot of diplomacy. I know that Foreign Minister Livni is traveling in Europe right now, and they've signaled that this is not an operation that they're going to stop right now because they have to protect their people. Israel has a right to defend itself from these rocket attacks. And so we'll see. We want a cease-fire as soon as possible, but we want one that is durable and lasting and won't be broken right away again by Hamas, one -- a cease-fire that Hamas respects. Q Secondly, has the U.S. fielded any requests from Israel for additional arms or munitions? MR. JOHNDROE: None that I'm aware of. Q Gordon, recently Foreign Minister Livni told the French Foreign Minister Kouchner that there is no humanitarian crisis. Is that a characterization that the administration agrees with? MR. JOHNDROE: Well, we want to make sure that there isn't a humanitarian crisis. Israel has allowed -- I think yesterday's count was 93; before that there were dozens of truckloads of humanitarian supplies that entered into Gaza. We want to make sure that flow continues. And we want to make sure that that, the food and medical supplies, reach the people of Gaza. The Israelis are reporting that Hamas hoards the humanitarian supplies and doesn't allow them to reach the people of Gaza, to create the idea of a humanitarian crisis. I can't speak to the exact situation on the ground. I can't speak to their allegation. I can't speak to Hamas's allegation that humanitarian supplies are not flowing in fast enough. We've seen humanitarian supplies flow into Gaza. We want to see them continue to flow into Gaza. Q But, Gordon, on that point, the official evidence coming from Gaza would indicate that there is already a crisis in terms of hospital treatment, doctors, civilian casualties. So how can you say there is not a humanitarian crisis? MR. JOHNDROE: No, I -- Gaza has been under the rule of Hamas now for 18 months or so. And Hamas has done nothing particularly good for its own people. That is why the United States has pledged nearly $200 million over the last year and a half for humanitarian assistance in to the people of the Palestinian Territories. The United States is the largest donor through the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, as well as the ICRC. We are very concerned about the people of Gaza. We are concerned about the humanitarian situation on the ground there now. I also know that Israel is permitting humanitarian shipments to go into Gaza. I also know that Israel alleges that Hamas is hoarding the humanitarian shipments, the food and medical supplies, to make the humanitarian situation worse and to blame the Israelis. I cannot speak to the specific facts on the ground. There is obviously a problem with the ability of the citizens of Gaza to be able to access everything as quickly and easily as they want, whether it's medical supplies or food. And we want to make sure that they do have access to it. Gaza | Gordon Johndroe | Hamas | Israel | Middle East | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 3:23:00 PM
|
|
