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Skriven 2005-11-29 23:33:02 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0511291) for Tue, 2005 Nov 29
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Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 29, 2005

Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan
Aboard Air Force One
En route El Paso, Texas



8:16 A.M. MST

MR. McCLELLAN: Good morning, everybody. I want to first run through the day
real quick, and then talk a little bit about tomorrow's speech for you all.

First of all, when we land we're going to be in the El Paso sector and the
President will be touring the El Paso sector, along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Traveling with us today are Secretary Chertoff and Attorney General
Gonzales - they're up visiting with the President right now. And then
following the tour, I expect the President to make some remarks to you all
about our immigration - our comprehensive approach to immigration reform.

Then from there we'll be going to Denver and the President will be
participating in a fundraiser for the re-election of Congresswoman
Musgrave. And that's expanded press pool coverage. Following that, he has a
meeting with one family of a fallen soldier, and then we'll be returning
back to D.C. this evening.

Q Iraq or Afghanistan?

MR. McCLELLAN: Iraq, yes. In terms of tomorrow, it's an important speech.
It's the first in a series of speeches that the President will be making
between now and the December 15th elections about our plan for victory in
Iraq. We are pursuing a comprehensive strategy to defeat the terrorists and
those trying to prevent democracy from advancing in Iraq. And the President
believes that the American people should have a clear understanding of our
strategy. And that means how we see the enemy and how we define and achieve
victory. So as part of the speech tomorrow, we are going to be releasing a
document called the "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq." It's an
unclassified version of the plan that we've been pursuing in Iraq, and it
will be made available to the American people. I think we'll also be
posting it on our website, as well.

Q When is that -

MR. McCLELLAN: Early tomorrow morning is the goal, before the networks go
on the air.

Tomorrow's speech, as I said, it's one in a series of speeches the
President will be giving between now and the December 15th elections.
Tomorrow's speech will focus in great detail on one element of the
strategy, and that is the training of Iraqi security forces. One important
part of success is based on the training and capability of the Iraqi
security forces. And the President will discuss the training not just in
terms of numbers and capability, but also in terms of the territory that
Iraqi forces are controlling. Iraqi forces are controlling more and more
territory, and the President will talk about that in his remarks tomorrow.

He will touch on the other elements of the strategy, the political side and
the economic side, but he will really spend a good bit of time focusing
tomorrow on the security side, specifically the training of those Iraqi
security forces. And he'll talk about where the progress is being made and
how progress is being made. I noticed today there was an op-ed in The Wall
Street Journal by Senator Lieberman, who has just returned from Iraq, and
he talked about the real progress that is being made on the ground in Iraq
and talked about his visit there, his travel there and his visits with
Iraqi officials and his meetings with commanders, as well.

And I think the President will also talk about how our strategy is a
dynamic one. It's a dynamic strategy that is based on adapting to the enemy
and adapting to conditions on the ground. It's important that our tactics
be flexible and dynamic and that as conditions change on the ground, we
change with them. And so he'll talk about how the training of Iraqi forces
has changed and adapted to meet the circumstances on the ground, in his
remarks. And he'll talk about the progress that our commanders are seeing,
in terms of the training of Iraqi security forces.

And I expect he'll talk about as the Iraqi security forces increase their
experience and capability and the Iraqis make progress on the political
front, then we will be able to reduce the number of our troops in Iraq, as
well, but that that will be based on conditions on the ground. It's a
conditions-based approach. I expect the President will argue against
setting arbitrary timetables or a precipitous withdrawal, and he'll talk
about that in the remarks, as well.

So that's really the focus of the remarks for tomorrow. I expect in other
speeches that the President will focus more on other elements of that
strategy. As I mentioned, there are really three elements to our strategy:
the political side, the economic side and the security side.

Q The President's other speeches, do we know roughly when, where? MR.

McCLELLAN: We'll keep you posted. Between now and the December 15th
elections.

Q How many? Roughly how many?

MR. McCLELLAN: This is the first in a series; I'd just leave it at that.

Q Is the President going to talk specific numbers, in terms of U.S. troop
levels?

MR. McCLELLAN: What do you mean, "talk specific numbers"?

Q In recent days the Pentagon has said post-election, assuming everything
goes okay, they're going to draw down by -

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that's an important point. I mean, we have increased
our troop levels ahead of the elections to address concerns about an
increase in violence that might come around at the time of the elections by
those who are seeking to stop the advance of democracy in Iraq. And I think
we've always expected that as we get by those elections and conditions on
the ground change, that we'll be able to reduce some of those numbers.

Q But he's not going to go beyond that, talking about other units that will
come home?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think he'll talk about it in the way I described it.
He'll talk about it in terms of as the conditions on the ground permit and
as the Iraqi forces are able to take control of more territory and the
political process moves forward, then we'll be able to lower the number of
troops we have in Iraq. In 2006, I think, you know, the expectation is that
conditions will be changing on the ground. We've been making real progress
with the training of Iraqi security forces and that conditions will permit
us to be able to reduce our presence.

But, again, it will always be based on conditions on the ground, and it
will be based on what our commanders say. We will look to our commanders -
and I think that's one thing the President will emphasize in his remarks,
that it's our commanders who should be determining what our troop levels
are in the country, and they make those decisions based on the conditions
and circumstances on the ground and that those decisions should not be made
by politicians in Washington.

Q This document that's coming out, can you just tell us a little bit more
about what might be in that, that we haven't seen before?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think just, generally, it'll outline our strategy for
victory in Iraq and talk about the three different elements within that
strategy that I just mentioned. Beyond that, wait until it comes out.

Q Who wrote the -

MR. McCLELLAN: Our National Security Council, obviously, has taken a lead
in this effort. But, I mean, various people within the White House have
been involved in this. The Department of Defense obviously has been very
involved in it, as well. As I said, it's an unclassified version of the
plan that we have had in place and the plan that we've been pursuing.

Q Are we going to be shocked by anything in it? I mean, the President has
outlined the strategy before, right?

MR. McCLELLAN: What's that?

Q Are we going -

MR. McCLELLAN: I think one purpose of providing this document is so that
the American people can have a clear sense of our strategy for success in
Iraq, and so that they can see how we look at the enemy, the nature of the
enemy that we're facing and they can see how we define success in Iraq and
how we are going about achieving victory in Iraq. And that's an important
thing for the American people to be able to look at and understand.

Q Might he take questions today?

MR. McCLELLAN: I haven't really talked to him about it. I think it's set up
as kind of just make some brief remarks to you all, but let me check.

Q Thank you.

END 8:25 A.M. MST

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