Text 1220, 856 rader
Skriven 2005-07-26 23:43:42 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0507262) for Tue, 2005 Jul 26
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Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 26, 2005

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
James S. Brady Briefing Room

Press Briefing
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  þ NASA/Space Shuttle Discovery
      þ Reference B
  þ Judge Roberts/attorney-client privilege
      þ Reference B
      þ Reference C
  þ Bolton nomination/recess appointment?
      þ Reference B
  þ CAFTA
      þ Reference B
  þ Muslim leaders asked to denounce terrorism
  þ President of Iran/past history
  þ Valerie Plame issue/concerns of agents in the field
  þ Osama bin Laden
      þ Reference B
  þ North Korea
  þ Boys Scouts Jamboree/accident

ÿ

1:16 P.M. EDT

MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everybody. Let me begin with a statement by
the President.

"On behalf of all Americans, I wish the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery
a safe and successful mission. Today's launch marks NASA's return to
flight, following the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia crew in
February 2003. I thank the men and women of NASA who have dedicated
themselves to putting our space program back on track. Our space program is
a source of great national pride, and this flight is an essential step
toward our goal of continuing to lead the world in space science, human
space flight, and space exploration."

The President, earlier today, did catch the launch. He was watching it from
his private dining room next to the Oval Office. The President took a
moment to applaud after the launch and reflect on what an exciting day this
is for all of us, to see the space shuttle return to flight.

And with that, I'll be glad to go to your questions.

Q Scott, in the post-launch press conference, NASA officials said that they
welcomed the Discovery's return to space and sort of renewing the vigor of
the space program, the ultimate goal of which would be to land a crew on
Mars. Would you like to comment on that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Sure. That's -- the President outlined a vision, a long-term
vision, for our space program, and NASA is working on moving forward on
that vision that he outlined. The President --

Q So the President supports a Mars mission?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, this is a long-term mission that the President
outlined, John, so I think you have to look at the overall perspective in
what the President said. But he wanted to make sure that there's a clearly
defined mission for our space program, and there is. And he believes it's
important to continue to advance space exploration and for the United
States to continue to lead the way. And that's what we are doing, and
today's launch is an important first step to put us back on track.

Q And how is the Mars program going?

MR. McCLELLAN: NASA can probably update you on the effort. Again, this is a
long-term program, and you can sit there and smirk about it, but the
President felt it was important -- (laughter) -- the President felt it was
important to outline a clearly defined mission for NASA. And we're all
excited about today's launch and we wish the --

Q Will he be speaking about it --

MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on -- we wish the crew all the best.

Q Will he be speaking about it --

MR. McCLELLAN: NASA is working on implementing it, John. Thanks for
starting out the briefing on such -- (laughter.)

Q Thought maybe you missed me.

Q On Judge Roberts, you're claiming attorney-client privilege. Do you have
any plans to claim any executive privilege with those documents?

MR. McCLELLAN: A couple things. Let me, first, give everybody the overall
picture of what we are doing. We committed to working closely with the
Senate to make sure that they have all the appropriate information that
they need to do their job. The decision that we have made to provide them
with all of that appropriate information I think goes above and beyond what
the Senate needs to do their job. It's more than what they need.

We are going to -- and let me tell you why -- we are now working with the
Reagan Library to expedite the process for the release of all documents
related to Judge Roberts' time as a staff member in the White House
Counsel's Office. That is a process that typically takes months to go
through. About 10 percent of those documents have already been made
available publicly. We're working to make sure that the rest of that
information is made available publicly, with the exception of issues where
there might be national security concerns or privacy concerns. So I think
this is a step that goes above and beyond what any reasonable person would
expect.

There will be -- I have a more precise estimate from earlier today now from
the Archives. We're talking about some 62,000 to 65,000 pages of documents
that will be made available, when you also include the documents from the
Justice Department archives. Now, in terms -- your question was?

Q Do you plan to make any claims for executive privilege for any of those
documents? We know you're -- you have some attorney client privilege
concerns.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, this was something we consulted with Chairman Specter
about and Chairman Specter expressed his appreciation for what we are
doing. We wanted to make sure that all appropriate information was getting
to the Senate, so that they could move about in a timely and fair fashion
on Judge Roberts' nomination. I think you need to look back at what you're
referring to. There are seven former solicitor generals who have publicly
expressed concerns when it comes to information related to attorney-client
privilege. They rely on open, candid and thorough assessments or advice
from their attorneys during the decision-making process, and you cannot
have that if attorneys in the Office of the Solicitor General fear that
that information might be disclosed.

This is part of the confidential deliberative process. And I would also
point out that Judge Roberts has been through a previous confirmation
hearing, and the Senate had all the information they needed about his views
on the role of the judiciary, and he was someone who was approved with
unanimous consent -- that means not a single senator raised an objection to
moving forward on his nomination.

Q But none of this falls under executive privilege, is what you're saying?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I'm talking about that this is attorney-client
privilege, and it relates to the deliberative process. And seven former
solicitor generals have -- and they come from Republican and Democrat
administrations, including people like Seth Waxman of the Clinton
administration -- and they publicly talked about why it's important to
protect this attorney-client information and the reasons for so doing.

Q What's the case law that establishes attorney-client privilege for the
work of the Solicitor General's Office?

MR. McCLELLAN: There is ample case law that is available that --

Q Specifically.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- talks about the importance of government attorneys having
attorney-client privilege. And I'll be glad to provide you that
information. There is ample case law available.

Q Seth Waxman, himself, argued that the attorney-client privilege applies
to the White House Counsel's Office, under the Clinton administration, and
the courts found that that was not the case. So why is there -- the White
House Counsel isn't compromising its sort of integrity of the process --

MR. McCLELLAN: The Solicitor General's Office comes under the Federal
Records Act. The White House Counsel's Office comes under the Presidential
Records Act. And under the Presidential Records Act, there is a presumption
of disclosure. All of us who come here and work at the White House know
that what we are doing is going to be disclosed publicly.

Q So that doesn't compromise the integrity of the discussions within the
White House Counsel's Office, but it does the Solicitor General's Office?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I'm saying there are two different acts that govern
these issues, and that's why I was pointing back to what the solicitor
general said when it came to the decision-making process in their office.

Q Does the solicitor general work for the people or the President?

MR. McCLELLAN: The solicitor general represents the U.S. government in
issues. And so they are the attorney for the U.S. government.

Q How many documents fall under this category, and what are they?

MR. McCLELLAN: Fall under what category?

Q The attorney-client privilege. How many are you holding back, and what do
they consist of, exactly?

MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, we're providing all appropriate information to
the Senate. And I wanted to make that clear. That's why we went ahead and
made this decision so that we could expedite that process at the Reagan
Library to make that information available --

Q Right, but how many are you holding back?

MR. McCLELLAN: Wait, hang on -- available before they return so that they
can get about moving forward on the confirmation process in a timely
manner. We think that's important. And much of this information may not
have been made available if it had gone through the normal review process.

Q How many are you holding back and what does it consist of?

MR. McCLELLAN: But in terms of the Solicitor General's Office, the White
House hasn't seen or reviewed any of those documents. It wouldn't be
appropriate for us to do so, for the reasons I just stated.

Helen, you had something, go ahead.

Q Last week you sort of indicated that there was no recess appointment for
Bolton in the works. Now there seems to be a change in the atmosphere. Can
you clear that up? Is he going to get a recess appointment?

MR. McCLELLAN: Nothing has changed in terms of our views about John Bolton.

Q That you want an up or down vote?

MR. McCLELLAN: We believe he ought to have an up or down vote. Nothing has
changed in terms of that view.

Q So he's not going to get one?

MR. McCLELLAN: Nothing has changed at this point.

Q On the Roberts documents again. Can you understand that people would say
that the work he did as an assistant solicitor general, because it was his
more recent work, would be a better representation of his more mature legal
thinking, as compared to when he was a young staffer working for the Reagan
administration, and that it would be, perhaps, a better indication of his
views or his qualifications by seeing those documents?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, remember, the D.C. Circuit of Appeals is a court that
many people refer to as the second highest court in the land. Judge Roberts
was nominated to that court back in 2001, as part of the President's
initial nominees. And he went through a confirmation process. People on the
Judiciary Committee and members of the Senate had ample information that
was available to them to understand his views on the role of a judge and
the role of the judiciary. And that's why they moved forward and approved
him by unanimous consent.

Now, since that time, Judge Roberts has served on the D.C. Circuit Court of
Appeals and we have seen that he is someone who is impartial and fair, and
a judge that is committed to applying the law, not trying to make law from
the bench.

Q Wouldn't his later work be more relevant than thousands of pages of what
he did 25 years ago?

MR. McCLELLAN: His work on the court is absolutely something for people to
look at, the last two years that he has served on the D.C. Circuit Court of
Appeals. And that's why I pointed back to the confirmation hearing process
that he had been through previously.

Q Senator Leahy responded to this. He said if it's --

MR. McCLELLAN: I keep saying, Judge Roberts, and I keep looking at John
Roberts. (Laughter.)

Q He said, if this is meant to be a dialogue, he welcomes it. But he said,
"if it is intended to unilaterally preempt a discussion about documents the
Senate may need and is entitled to, then this is a regrettable beginning."
And he also said, it is for the Senate and not the White House to decide
what documents the Senate will need to fulfill its responsibilities in the
confirmation process.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you've heard from a number of senators who
have said that the attorney-client privilege is something that's important
to protect, for the reasons that those seven bipartisan former solicitor
generals said. And I want to go back to something I said a minute ago. The
White House has not seen or reviewed the documents from Judge Roberts' time
in the Solicitor General's Office. There was ample information that was
available on Judge Roberts during his previous confirmation hearing for
members of the Judiciary Committee and members of the Senate to understand
his views on the role of a judge and the role of the judiciary. And since
that time, as I just pointed out to Kelly, Judge Roberts has shown he is
someone who is committed to applying the law in an impartial and fair and
open-minded way. He is not someone who is going to legislate from the
bench.

Now, I hope Senator Leahy is not trying to demand documents that the
President has not even seen as part of their lines of attack against the
President. You'll recall that back prior to the President even making a
decision on a nominee, that the Democrats had outlined a political strategy
based on three lines of attack. The first was that they were going to say
that there wasn't enough consultation. Well, I think since that time we've
seen that -- the consultations that we've engaged in are unprecedented,
according to longtime members of the United States Senate.

The second line of attack was that the nominee is an extremist. Before the
President even made a decision, this was all reported in the media and
outlined in the media. Well, what we know about Judge Roberts is that he
comes from the mainstream of American law and the mainstream of American
values. He is someone who believes in interpreting law, not making law.

The third line of attack that the Democrats said that they were going to
engage in, even before the President had made a decision, was that the
White House hasn't provided a sufficient amount of documents. It's not
appropriate for us or for others to have these documents, and it has no
bearing on Judge Roberts' suitability to serve on the Court.

Q But if you haven't seen the documents and the President hasn't, either,
how do you know if it has any --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, he's gone through a confirmation hearing previously,
as I just pointed out. And that's why I said we hope Senator Leahy is not
demanding to see documents as part of their lines of attack against the
President's nominee -- something that they said they were going to engage
in even prior to the President making a decision.

Q Just one other follow-up, based on what Senator Leahy said. This is it --
I mean, this is your decision and it's non-negotiable, correct?

MR. McCLELLAN: What we wanted to do was to make sure that we did our part
to provide them all the appropriate information, and that's why we moved
forward and had consultations with Chairman Specter, who expressed his
appreciation for what we are doing. And that's why we're moving forward in
expedited fashion to get these documents released from the Reagan Library.
So I don't look at it in those terms.

Q On the solicitor general documents, which you are not going to release,
that is non-negotiable, the end of story, as far as the White House is
concerned?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think we've made our views known.

Q Scott, on CAFTA, senior administration officials have let it be known
that they're willing to negotiate side agreements and even entertain
requests for special projects in members' districts to get those last few
votes that are needed for passage. Why would the President feel it
necessary to engage in that kind of deal-making, rather than just selling
CAFTA on its merits?

MR. McCLELLAN: There is deal-making that goes on in the United States
Congress?

Q So I hear. (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, the President believes -- and I'm not going to
accept the premise of your question -- but the President believes it's very
important to pass this free trade agreement. This is a free trade agreement
that will help level the playing field for American producers and American
farmers, and for our products.

It is also a free trade agreement that will help us from a geopolitical
standpoint because it will show our support for young emerging democracies
in Central America. They need our support, and the President is a strong
believer in free and fair trade. Right now you have 80 percent of the goods
coming in from Central America that are duty-free. We want to make sure
that that playing field is level for our products and goods to be able to
go to Central America. And that's why this is so important.

In terms of discussions that go on amongst members of Congress, I think
those are best directed to those members of Congress. And our Trade
Representative obviously can talk to you about any issues that relate to
this specific piece of legislation, as well.

Q You say you don't buy the premise of the question -- does that mean there
won't be any special deals made?

MR. McCLELLAN: I can't speak for members of Congress and all the
discussions that go on there. I think you recognize the congressional
process.

Q Back to Roberts and the documents. Does the White House maintain that
what it's doing now related to the DOJ and the Counsel documents is, in
effect, expediting the process? It's not that these documents wouldn't be
available to members of Congress in the absence of the White House's
assistance?

MR. McCLELLAN: We are expediting the process when you're talking about the
Reagan Library documents, absolutely.

Q Democrats are arguing that, in effect, however, those documents were in
the process of being made public anyway, and that the documents at the
Archives were available, thank you very much, and their argument is that
they haven't gotten anything that they couldn't have gotten under
themselves, and what they're seeking in the solicitor general's documents,
they're being denied.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, on the Reagan Library documents, there
is a process that they are going through to make those documents available
publicly, but it is a process that tends to make months. At a minimum, it
takes weeks and weeks and weeks. I think everybody recognizes the
importance of moving forward in a timely manner on this confirmation
hearing.

And this is documents that we're talking about from 20 years ago . I mean,
these documents essentially show a young White House staffer providing his
legal analysis to support the President's agenda at the time. That's what
these documents are. But we wanted to make sure that they had all the
appropriate information they needed. And that's what this is about.

Q And what about the Justice documents at the --

MR. McCLELLAN: The fact that we're moving forward and expediting that
process so that they could have it in the next few weeks, versus months,
will help them have what they need to

do their job.

And? I'm sorry.

Q And the Justice documents at Archives.

MR. McCLELLAN: Right, those are all -- those are all available publicly for
people to review and we're going to make sure that the Senate Judiciary
Committee has copies of that information.

Go ahead, Goyal.

Q One, when Prime Minister of India was last week in town -- he told me
that President Bush may visit India, looked like in January of next year.
And Congressman Bobby Jindal also told me on the Hill that he's interested
not once every five years, but on a continued basis to foster the
India-U.S. relations. My question is that if President visits India in
January of next year, he will become the first Republican President to
visit India in over 40 years. And Prime Minister Singh was -- his visit was
five years ago, the Prime Minister of India visited the White House. So
where do go from here as far as -- why are you taking so long to visit the
world's largest democracy?

MR. McCLELLAN: I know the President looks forward to visiting India next
year. He certainly had a very good visit with Prime Minister Singh. But the
official visits that you're talking about are not the only times that these
two leaders meet or visit. There are -- oftentimes they'll meet on the
sidelines of other meetings, whether it's during our time in Russia or on
the G8 summit. The President meets with world leaders on a frequent basis
and has opportunities to visit individually with world leaders at these
various summits or forums that are going on. So he looks forward to being
there next year, as well.

Go ahead, April.

Q Scott, on another topic, former President Bill Clinton spoke to the
"Today Show" recently and he basically called the CIA leak issue terrible.
And he said, "Rove is a brilliant political strategist and he's proved
brilliantly effective at destroying Democrats, personally." He says, "I
mean they've gotten away with murder and he's really good at it. He's good
at playing psychological head games that damage our side." What are your
comments to that?

MR. McCLELLAN: What I've said previously, and I don't have anything else to
add to what I've said previously.

Q Former President Clinton, a friend of the first President Bush and a
friend of this President Bush, has said "they've gotten away with murder."

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, thank you. And you know our response on questions
related to the investigation.

Q This is not a question. I'm asking you what are your thoughts as it
relates to this quote from a former President of the United States.

MR. McCLELLAN: That's a question.

Go ahead, Connie.

Q Thank you. The President has often said that Islam is a religion of
peace. Does the President plan any new initiatives to encourage American
Muslims and those around the world to denounce terrorism and to actively
rout out any terrorists who may be in their ranks?

MR. McCLELLAN: There are a number of Muslim leaders who have spoken up and
spoken out against the barbaric attacks that took place in London and Sharm
el-Sheikh. I think Prime Minister Blair has referenced a letter from some
500 Muslim leaders, I believe -- I'd have to double-check that number. But
we appreciate Muslim leaders stepping up and speaking out against these
murders of innocent civilians. All of us need to work together to defeat
the ideology of hatred that the terrorists seek to spread. That's the way
that we will prevail in the war on terrorism, by working together to spread
freedom and hope.

The President believes strongly that all people want to live in freedom. He
had a good meeting earlier today with some local leaders from Iraq, from a
province in Iraq. They were here as part of a delegation that's learning
about state and local governments. And the President talked to them about
his strong belief in freedom, and how free societies are peaceful
societies, and how free societies are committed to the betterment of the
people in those societies.

Q Has the President detected any positive changes in American Muslim
schools or charities?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you point out that the President has talked about how
Islam is a religion that teaches peace. It is a great religion, as the
President has said before, and it's important to remind people of that.
There are terrorists who seek to hijack that religion and use it to spread
an ideology that isn't based on any religion; it's based on their own hate
and views that -- of wanting to dominate the Middle East, and to dominate
people that hold to a great faith like Islam. And all of us must work to
reject that ideology and work together to defeat it. We will prevail by
going after those who seek to spread violence and fear and chaos and kill
innocent civilians, by bringing them to justice before they can carry out
their attacks, and by spreading freedom and democracy.

You bring up a very good point. This is an ideological struggle that we're
engaged in and it's much broader than just a military effort. It involves
many different fronts that we have to wage this on. And it's important for
all communities to work together to spread an ideology of hope and
opportunity that is founded in freedom.

Q Scott, where do we stand on what the State Department said would be a
government-wide search for information about the President of Iran's past,
specifically whether or not he was one of the hostage-takers --

MR. McCLELLAN: I did a quick check on it. We're still looking into it.
That's where it stands at this point.

Q Scott, in the wake of the Valerie Plame incident, on which you will not
comment, intelligence officials have indicated there's a growing concern
among operatives in the field, a fear that they might be the targets of
political manipulation. And they have indicated that something must be done
on the part of the White House to help allay these fears. And given that
these people are in the forefront of the war on terror, isn't it necessary
to do something more than simply stonewalling all discussion of the
incident in order to restore confidence?

MR. McCLELLAN: And I'll reject your characterization. What we're doing is
helping to advance the investigation forward. And the President said he's
not going to get into trying to draw conclusions based on reports in the
media. Let's let the investigators complete their work. And that's what
we've said, so I'll reject your characterization. We have for a long time
said that we want to help them get to the bottom of this and the best way
to do that is to cooperate fully in that investigation. And that means not
commenting on it here from this podium.

Q Well, Senator Lautenberg, yesterday in a press conference, indicated that
there is probably more concern in the White House about the men in uniform,
our operatives in uniform than those who are not in uniform. Is there any
justification for that?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, he said what?

Q He said that there's more concern for the people in uniform who are
fighting this war, rather than the operatives --

MR. McCLELLAN: That's all part of the politics. Again, these are all
questions you're bringing up related to an ongoing investigation, and the
President has expressed our views on where we are right now.

Q Scott, just back to the documents, just to clear up one thing. All the
documents that are being released now are those that would have been
released anyway or are available to the public -- is that correct?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I wouldn't agree with your characterization. I mean, the
process for releasing all those documents at the Reagan Library -- there's
about 10 percent of those documents that are currently available publicly.
So you're talking about an additional 90 percent of documents. It takes
months sometimes to go through and review that information as part of the
process for making it available publicly. We are now expediting that
process. We're going to bend over backwards, and the Reagan Library is
committed to working with us to move that process forward and get those
documents out in a much shorter period of time.

Q A follow-up, though. Did you waive any attorney-client privilege in the
documents that are being released?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, the documents that are being released?

Q Correct.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the documents in the Archives are all available
publicly and the documents -- like I said, the documents at the Reagan
Library, I mean, they're covered under the Presidential Records Act, and I
think only documents that you're talking about that might not be disclosed
would be related to issues of national security concerns or privacy
concerns.

Q But you can't waive any attorney-client --

MR. McCLELLAN: Which is the usual part of the review process.

Q And you can't waive any attorney-client privilege under the solicitor
general's documents -- is that right?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, again, I expressed the views of the former solicitor
generals and why they believe it's important to protect the attorney-client
privilege, and members of the Senate have expressed that, as well.

Q But you would have the authority to waive it if you chose to do so?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, what we're doing is moving forward and making
available all appropriate information for the Senate to do their job and do
it in an expedited fashion.

Q Can I just ask a quick follow-up on that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Quick.

Q Do you consider Iran-Contra a national security issue?

MR. McCLELLAN: I haven't even thought about that, Dana, to tell you the
truth.

Q Scott, one question and a follow-up. Recent reports suggest Osama bin
Laden has continued to finance his terrorism, including attempts, perhaps
successful, to secure nuclear weapons by taking control of the Afghan poppy
crop. Since we invaded Afghanistan to get bin Laden and decapitate al
Qaeda, what steps are we taking to stop him from benefiting from the
harvest and sale of drugs originating in occupied Afghanistan?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that is a concern of ours, and it's been a concern of
ours. I know it's a concern of President Karzai, as well. And President
Karzai was here not too long ago; he and the President talked about it and
he talked about the steps they're taking to crack down on the trafficking
in illegal drugs, and to track down -- crack down on the drug trafficking
networks inside Afghanistan. I don't have the latest update in terms of the
progress that's been made. I'll be glad to check on that for you, if you
want. That is a concern, and it's something that we continue to urge the
government of Afghanistan to move forward on, and that we're working
closely with them to address, as well. And the British government has been
very involved in that, as well.

Q Scott, when the Reverend Jesse Jackson admitted that he fathered a child
out of wedlock, the President, as you remember, telephoned him after this
admission. And since Karen Stanford, the mother in this case, has just
stated, "I was attacked by friends, strangers in the black press without
mercy and labeled by them a political stalker, gold digger and
opportunist," will the President now telephone Jesse's victim, as he did,
Jesse?

MR. McCLELLAN: I appreciate your question, Les, and I don't have --

Q You appreciate the question?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. Les --

Q Do you think I could appreciate an answer?

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I don't think it's worthy of an answer.

Q You don't think it's worthy of an answer?

MR. McCLELLAN: Because your characterization is not accurate.

Q It's not? How is it inaccurate?

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead.

Q Scott, first of all, to all those involved with today's launch of the
Shuttle Discovery, to the astronauts aboard, and to all of us, isn't this a
great country, or not? (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: It absolutely is. I know all of us in this room share in how
proud we all are to see the Space Shuttle Discovery return to flight. We
all remember well the tragic day of February 1, 2003, when we lost the crew
of the Space Shuttle Columbia. That was a great tragedy, and I know many of
you in this room were here on that day when that occurred, or after that
occurred. Today is a day to honor the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia by
returning to flight. That's what they would have wanted, and we are very
proud of Commander Collins and her crew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Q I have a question. It's related to his question on CAFTA. In its lead
editorial today, The Washington Post calls attention to something many
Latinos have known for some time, that is, if CAFTA is not passed by the
Congress, it would play into the hands of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and his
anti-American attempts. Does the President plan to make that clear to the
Congress and to the American people?

MR. McCLELLAN: He has, and he will continue to talk about it in the
meetings he's having this afternoon with some Republican members of the
House that are coming to the White House. The President has had meetings
with many members of the House of Representatives to talk about the
importance of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, not only from the
standpoint of expanding opportunity and trade, and making sure that we have
a level playing field, but particularly from the strategic importance.

It's important that we support these young emerging democracies in Central
America as they move forward to put in place the institutions for a lasting
democracy. It's important that while we're talking about the advance of
freedom abroad that we're also working to strengthen democratic
institutions in our own neighborhoods. And this agreement is a good way to
show our support for those young democracies that are emerging and have a
strong commitment to the betterment of their people.

Q Even if the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved at the six-party
talks, on the other hand, North Korean human rights issue is not promoted
at all. What would happen to the six-party talks?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I don't know that the expectation is as you outlined
it for the six-party talks that are going on right now. What we want to see
is important progress made toward the goal of a denuclearized peninsula.
All parties to the talks have said they share the commitment to a
denuclearized peninsula. We have a proposal on the table and I expect that
soon they will begin talking about that proposal.

We certainly are waiting to hear from North Korea about their response to
how we move forward on the proposal that we outlined. Our Assistant
Secretary, Chris Hill, is leading our delegation there. They continue to
have some discussions today with the various delegations, and I think they
had the preliminary meeting of the six-party group to talk about their
ideas about how to move forward, and they will begin some of the plenary
sessions, I think, tomorrow for moving forward.

In terms of the human rights situation in North Korea, the President has
made our views very clear. Secretary Rice has made our views very clear. We
are concerned about the plight of the people in North Korea. And North
Korea needs to make a strategic decision to abandon their nuclear
ambitions. Then they can start to realize better relations with the
international community and start to realize some of the benefits from the
international community.

Q Scott, can I follow up on that? Kim Jong-il recently suggested that his
father may have sought as an ultimate vision for the peninsula a
denuclearization. What does the administration think of Kim Jong-il's
comments about what his father's apparent vision might have been?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think we need to let the six-party talks continue to move
forward. I think you'll hear more from our delegation that is in Beijing
during those talks. I know Chris Hill has continued to talk about the
meetings that have taken place, and let's let those meetings take place. I
think that's the best thing to do at this point.

Q Scott, following up on Helen's question, it appears that you are at least
considering a recess appointment for John Bolton. Is there any concern at
all that such a move might poison the waters over at the Senate just in
time for the Roberts' confirmation process?

MR. McCLELLAN: So you're asking me a "what-if" question or a hypothetical
question? I told you nothing has changed in terms of our view.

John, go ahead.

Q You said a little while ago that there was plenty of information out
there during Roberts' 2003 confirmation process to determine his
suitability for the bench. Do you agree or disagree with the Democrats'
contention that the bar for the suitability of a nominee is higher for the
Supreme Court than it is for the Court of Appeals, even the District of
Columbia Circuit?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that's why we're moving forward in an expedited way,
to make sure that they have all these documents that I just talked about.

Q Right. So you do agree --

MR. McCLELLAN: This is the highest court in the land --

Q So you do agree that the bar is higher?

MR. McCLELLAN: -- it is the highest court in the land, and the President
has appointed someone that all of us can be proud of, and someone who has
shown his judicial temperament over the course of his time on the D.C.
Circuit Court of Appeals.

Q Right. So if those documents were enough to determine his suitability for
the D.C. Circuit, do you believe that they are enough to determine his
suitability for what you just --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think we have a responsibility not only to preserve the
attorney-client privilege for this administration, but also for future
administrations. And I spelled out the thinking of solicitor generals who
have already served for Democrat and Republican administrations, and their
concerns about this information being disclosed, because it does relate to
attorney-client privilege.

I think that if you step back and think about it, future solicitor generals
might as well put up a "need not apply" sign if people believe that they
may someday go through a Senate confirmation process, and it would stifle
the candid, honest, and thorough advice that solicitor generals depend on
from their attorneys if that privilege was not protected.

Q Okay, let me also get one other opinion from you here. You said that the
documents are being released from the Reagan Library and from the National
Archives show a staff attorney providing legal analysis in support of then
President Reagan's agenda. Do you believe, even without having seen them,
that the memos and other documents from this time as the deputy solicitor
general represent his legal analysis in support of government policy, or
would they represent potentially his judicial philosophy?

MR. McCLELLAN: Two things: One, he was an attorney representing a client
when he was at the Solicitor General's Office. Second, I think that the
members of the Senate were well able to see what his views are in terms of
judicial philosophy and the role of judges when he went through his
previous confirmation hearing.

Q There is a report of an explosion in central Istanbul. Have you had any
confirmation of this or any comment?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I've been out here briefing you and that's the first
I've heard about it.

Q -- information when you have it? Thank you.

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead, Nedra.

Q Can you talk to us about how the President's plans have changed for the
Boy Scout Jamboree tomorrow in light of the tragedy there yesterday?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I'd say we're all deeply saddened by the tragic
accident that took the lives of four of the parents from Alaska. And these
parents were there doing their part to help their children have a better
understanding of service and leadership and making the right choices in
life.

The President is going to be going to the Jamboree tomorrow night in Fort
A.P. Hill, Virginia. And the President, I'm sure, will talk about this
tragic accident that occurred just yesterday. I also expect in his remarks
he will talk about the important -- the importance of the Boy Scouts and
the importance of Boy Scouts to helping to positively influence young boys.
I expect he'll talk about the importance of service and how the Boy Scouts
helps to shape young boys to be good leaders later in life, and talk about
the importance of -- how it teaches the importance of making the right
choices in life. And I'm sure he will thank the Boy Scouts for all they do
to support our troops who are in harm's way. They do a great job doing
that.

But this was a tragic accident that took place yesterday. And I think that
those parents would want the Boy Scouts to continue forward with their
important work. And the President will talk about that important work in
his remarks tomorrow night.

Q We're approaching the four-year anniversary of 9/11. And right after 9/11
the President said he wanted Osama bin Laden dead or alive. Do you consider
it a failure by either the military or the intelligence that four years
later Osama bin Laden is not only on the loose, but is still being tied to
terrorist activities extending into Spain, Egypt, Iraq and England?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, I don't think you're trying to draw
conclusions about who exactly is responsible for those attacks. Those
investigations are continuing, and I don't think they're -- we're in
position to draw final conclusions about who exactly is responsible for
those attacks, and what people in other parts of the world -- what role
they may or may not have had.

In terms of Osama bin Laden, he is someone that is on the run. We have made
significant progress in dismantling the al Qaeda network. We continue to
pursue him. He will be brought to justice. We have brought to justice a
number of his leaders, and that has been an important success in our
efforts to better protect the American people and to prevent attacks from
happening in the first place. We have learned a lot of valuable information
from some of the leaders that we have gone after and captured to help us
disrupt attacks or prevent attacks from happening in the first place.

But there has been significant progress. The war on terrorism is broader
than any one person. But he is someone we continue to pursue, and he will
brought to justice. And you have to look at the overall progress that we've
made in the war on terrorism. We've made substantial progress to prevail in
the war on terrorism.

But this is a long-term ideological struggle. We are up against a group of
people who have no regard for human life. They seek to spread an ideology
that is based on hatred and based on fear and chaos and violence. They seek
to dominate a part of the world and dominate people of a certain religious
background. But they don't represent any religion; they represent a hateful
ideology that will be defeated as we work to spread freedom and democracy.

All right, thank you.

END 1:57 P.M. EDT
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