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Skriven 2005-12-07 23:33:48 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0512072) for Wed, 2005 Dec 7
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Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 7, 2005

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

Press Briefing
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12:30 P.M. EST

MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everyone. I want to make one announcement.
Our economic team is having their weekly luncheon here today at 1:00 p.m.,
and following that luncheon, Secretaries Snow and Gutierrez will go to the
stakeout and talk about the state of the economy and take some of your
questions. And that should be around 2:00 p.m., and we'll announce it.

Yes, Terry, you will have to put on your jacket.

Q Why can't it be in here?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'll get to your questions in a second.

Secondly, the President was pleased to speak before the Council on Foreign
Relations today to continue talking to the American people about our
strategy for victory in Iraq. The President today focused in on how our
integrated approach is working, and he talked about two specific areas,
Najaf and Mosul, where significant gains are being realized by the Iraqi
people on the ground. The Iraqi political leaders and Iraqi forces are
providing for the Iraqi people in those cities, and the Iraqi people are
starting to see real benefits of democracy.

And there are challenges that remain -- the President talked about that --
real challenges, and we've got to continue to adapt and adjust to the
circumstances on the ground as we help the Iraqi people build a free and
democratic and peaceful future. It is critical that we succeed in Iraq. The
President knows that we will win because when we succeed in Iraq, we will
have an ally in the war on terror and we will have a country in the heart
of the Middle East, a troubled and dangerous region, that can help inspire
reformers in Iran and Syria and other countries throughout the Middle East.
And that's important, as well.

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

Q Scott, at these CFR sessions, it's traditional for the guest speaker to
be involved in a question-and-answer session at the end of their speech.
Why did the President forego that today?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, this was set up as a speech from the beginning.

Q Scott, in the Iraq's reconstruction costs, how much of that should be
paid for by Iraq with its oil revenues?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Iraq's oil revenues are for the Iraqi people. It is
overseen by an Iraqi ministry, and all those revenues go to help the Iraqi
people. And as we move forward on the reconstruction process, what we're
doing is providing support and help to Iraqi leaders and residents as they
move ahead on reconstruction and economic reforms. And that's what we will
continue to do.

But as we get that oil -- those oil revenues coming in more and more, and
protect that oil infrastructure, that goes to help them build a brighter
future. Iraq is a country with vast resources and great economic potential,
and that's why it's important that we continue to address the challenges
posed to its oil sector. There are those who target the oil sector, and
that's why we're training Iraqi battalions to help patrol and protect the
pipelines and the oil refineries and so forth.

Q But the reconstruction is for the Iraqi people, too, so how much of that
reconstruction cost --

MR. McCLELLAN: And it's not just -- and I'll point out, it's not just
Americans helping, it's the international community that is stepping
forward and helping. And the President touched on that in his remarks, as
well.

Q So are oil revenues excluded from reconstruction?

MR. McCLELLAN: No. I mean, it's for the Iraqi people.

Q Right. So how much of the reconstruction costs --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you might want to go and look at our National Strategy
for Victory in Iraq. You can go to the White House website, whitehouse.gov,
and look it up. And it talks about the oil sector and the progress that's
being made there. And it talks about electricity, as well, within there,
and it lays out some of the challenges that lie ahead. In terms of specific
amounts, I mean I think the oil production recently has been relatively
steady, but there are challenges we still need to address with that.

Q How much do the American oil companies expect to get out of this oil? I
understand they're negotiating for about 66 percent, a lion's share of
being able to take it over.

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't speak for those companies, you'd have to ask them.

Q You don't speak for them, but would they be -- are they negotiating now?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think it's up to the Iraqi government and the Iraqi
people to determine what relationships and partnerships they build.

Q But they're not free to determine it, we're in control of Iraq, right?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, they are in control of their oil resources.

Q And I have one more question. How do you define "complete" -- how does
the President define "complete victory in Iraq"?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, he actually defines "victory" in his remarks. He
talked about that today. Victory is when the terrorists and Saddam
loyalists no longer threaten Iraq's democracy. Victory is when the Iraqi
security forces can protect their citizens. And victory is achieved when
Iraq is not a safe haven from which terrorists can plot attacks against
America and others in the civilized world.

Q -- people defending their own country, aren't they? Are they all
terrorists?

MR. McCLELLAN: No. The President actually talked about the enemy. They fit
into three different categories. And he talked abut the Saddam loyalists
who want to return to the past, the dark past. We're seeing the brutalities
of the past come out now in a trial that's being held to hold Saddam
Hussein and his leaders accountable for the atrocities they committed --

Q We didn't go in there to save them --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and we're also seeing that the Iraqi people are
determined to build a democratic future. And so the terrorists -- the
terrorists are the smallest, but most lethal group, and the President
talked about that in his remarks. And then there's some rejectionists or
fence-sitter types that are -- that, more and more, are being won over to
the political process. They are largely Sunni Arabs who, before, realized a
lot of power because they were the privileged -- they had privileges of the
few. But a democracy gives everybody a voice. And that's what -- I think
people around the world want. They want to live in freedom.

Q -- being killed in their own country, aren't they, a lot of them?

MR. McCLELLAN: The Iraqi people have made tremendous sacrifices. Our troops
have made enormous sacrifices to lay the foundations of peace for
generations to come and help transform the broader Middle East, which has
been a dangerous region of the world that has been a breeding ground for
terrorism. That's why it's so important --

Q It wasn't a breeding ground before we went in.

MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, if we weren't fighting the terrorists in Iraq, they
would be planning and plotting to attack America.

Q How do you know that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Because they attacked us on September 11th, they attacked us
-- they attacked people in London, they attacked people in Madrid, they
have attacked people across the civilized world.

Go ahead, Martha.

Q Scott, the President, I don't believe, mentioned the word "insurgency."
And going back to what Donald Rumsfeld said the other day, saying he
doesn't think it's an insurgency -- why doesn't the President say that? He
outlined the enemy, he never mentioned --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think it's important for the American people to
understand exactly who the enemy is in Iraq, and they're defined in really
three categories. And so I think he was laying out what we view the nature
of the enemy to be in Iraq.

It's not -- I don't think the President is trying to debate over words. The
President was just trying to define clearly for the American people who the
enemy is, and what we're doing to bring some of those into the political
process -- or the Iraqi people are doing to bring them in the political
process, what we're doing to marginalize others, and what we're doing to
defeat those who have come into that country seeking to create a safe
haven.

Q Is it an insurgency?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q Is it an insurgency?

MR. McCLELLAN: I would define it the way the President did in his remarks
today. I think that's --

Q So you don't want to call it an insurgency anymore?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, no, I think that's the most -- that's the best and
most descriptive way to explain it to the American people. And I think the
American people ought to have a clear understanding of the nature of the
enemy. That's very important. In a time of war, it's important to talk to
the American people and make sure they have a clear understanding of our
strategy for succeeding. We are going to win. Our troops are going to
succeed. And part of having a clear understanding of that strategy is
knowing who the enemy is. And that's what the President was talking about
again today in his remarks.

Q One of the things about an insurgency, of course, is that most experts
will tell you, it takes nine, 10 years to defeat an insurgency.

MR. McCLELLAN: I think our military commanders have talked about that
before Congress.

Q So there's no effort not to use that word because of a time --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that the best way to describe it again is to
break it into those three categories -- that's who the enemy is in Iraq --
and what we're doing to address those challenges from the threats that the
Iraqi people face.

Q One more thing. The President said that, it used to be after American
troops cleared the terrorists out of a city and moved on to the next
mission, there weren't enough forces, Iraqi forces to hold the area; we
found that after we left, the terrorists would re-enter the city. The
President specifically mentioned Iraqi forces not being able to hold these
areas. Were there not enough U.S. troops to stay in those areas and hold
them?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the decisions --

Q It makes it sound like it would be up to the Iraqis that the Americans --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think that the point that we've made for quite some time
is that Iraqi security forces are the solution. It's Iraqi security forces
that are best suited to hold cities. They know the territory, they know the
people, they know who the terrorists are. And I think the Iraqi citizens in
those cities and areas want Iraqi security forces patrolling their streets
and protecting their lives. And training and equipping the Iraqi security
forces is the way to achieve that goal. And that's why, as the President
pointed out in his remarks, we've taken steps to change and adjust to
circumstances on the ground, and improved the training of Iraqi security
forces so that they're capable enough to hold those areas. That's the way
to resolve this.

And in terms of the troop levels, the President has always made those
decisions based on the commanders in the ground. If Vietnam taught us
anything, it was that we shouldn't try to micromanage things from here in
Washington, D.C. We should look to our commanders on the ground and let
them make the decisions about what is needed, and then do everything we can
to make sure they have what they needed complete the mission.

Q But, essentially, you're saying that there were plenty of American troops
to hold these cities and there was just a decision made not to hold those
--

MR. McCLELLAN: No, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is -- no,
what I'm saying is that Iraqi security forces are the solution. And that's
why we've taken steps to improve our training of those security forces and
adjusted to circumstances on the ground.

Q The President mentioned corruption. How much in American taxpayer money
is being wasted on corruption in Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, in terms of updates, our military and I think our
State Department provides regular updates. I didn't bring a figure with me
that could pinpoint any of that. I don't know if there's a figure on that
or not. But one of the --

Q -- certain percentage being wasted on corruption.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, one of the points the President emphasized about a
young democracy -- and this applies to young democracies around the world
-- is that it faces problems. Democracy, as the President said, is
difficult and it's challenging when you're helping to build an emerging
democracy, and you face problems like this in emerging democracies,
problems of corruption. And that's why the President emphasized we need to
have transparency and openness. That's why we've helped the Iraqi leaders,
the Iraqi government that was elected by its people, to set up an auditing
board and to set up ways to investigate corruption and hold people to
account so that that money isn't being spent improperly.

The Iraqi citizens, I think, expect the money to be spent wisely. I know
the American people expect that our dollars be spent wisely. If there's
problems, we investigate it; and if there are problems with Iraqi money,
they are now investigating. They're learning the importance of cracking
down on corruption. There was widespread corruption and fraud, I think, in
the previous regime. That was the nature of -- one of the aspects that
defined the nature of the regime. And they put -- what the regime did was
take the money and use it to build palaces and not to help the citizens of
its country.

Q Scott, could you tell us about -- well, two things on another subject.
Could you tell us about this meeting with civil rights leaders and other
black leaders that are meeting here on the Katrina aftermath? Is it more so
about lessons learned, or is it into concrete details of solutions --

MR. McCLELLAN: Actually, this is a meeting -- the President has met with
African American leaders on a frequent basis, and this was a meeting that
was set up mutually -- in a mutual way. I think that everybody who helped
set up this meeting agreed that we'd keep it a private discussion. And if
there's anything else to add after it, I'll be glad to do that. I'll be
attending the meeting here shortly, if I can get out of this room in time.

Q Well, why private when it's been so public, all the problems that have
happened --

MR. McCLELLAN: Because a lot of times you can discuss shared priorities and
how to move forward on those better in a quiet way. And I think the
decision was just made that this would be a private discussion.

Q So we should not expect them to come to the stakeout?

MR. McCLELLAN: My understanding is, no, but I think it's up to those
individuals to make that decision.

Q And, also, on another subject somewhat related, during the Rosa Parks
event, many of the civil rights leaders were very pleased, they gave the
President a standing ovation on the issue of voting rights. And from that,
Reverend Jesse Jackson wants a meeting, he wants to call a meeting with the
President and other civil rights leaders to talk about the renewal of the
Voting Rights Act, the three sections. Have you received that letter? And
is the President --

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know, I was checking on that, but I haven't heard
back.

Q Is the President amenable to talking with these civil rights leaders in
reference --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, he spoke about it in front of some of those civil
rights leaders that you mention right now. And he talked about that at the
Rosa Parks bill signing tribute. And he talked about how we need to move
forward on reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act. That's an important
priority. It's up for reauthorization, I believe, in 2007, and we look
forward to working with Congress on it. And so I'm sure he'll continue to
talk with people about it as we move forward. I just don't know about the
specific letter.

Q So what are the components of the Civil Rights Act that he wants further
study on?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q The components. We understand that he's for it, but he wants to study it
to see if there's --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, again, this is still a ways off before it's up for
reauthorization, but the President made it very clear what his view was.

Q Scott, on the Hurricane Katrina topic, what is the status of the
administration's investigation of what went wrong with the response --

MR. McCLELLAN: It's moving forward. Hopefully, we'll be able to provide you
more of an update soon. I think we'll be updating members of Congress, as
well. And the lessons learned review is an important aspect of -- or an
important aspect of making sure that we are learning everything we can to
do a better job next time. The President felt that all levels of government
had a responsibility and that all of us could have done better. There are
many examples of great work -- from the first responders to federal
authorities, the Coast Guard personnel rescuing people off rooftops -- and
we can't ignore all of the great work that was done by those who were
working 24/7 to help the people in the immediate aftermath of what was an
unprecedented natural disaster.

But the President was not satisfied with the response, and that's why he
directed Fran Townsend, the head of the Department of -- I mean, our
Homeland Security Advisor, to move forward on a lessons learned review. And
we talked about that previously with you all. It's moving forward. The
Cabinet agencies have all been providing help so that we can pull those
lessons together and do a better job in the future.

Q Do you have a sense of a time frame on when there might be some kind of
an announcement or some --

MR. McCLELLAN: We'll keep you posted about it. It's been moving along and
we're making good progress on it.

Q Scott, the audience that watched the President's speech today was more
subdued than some that he's appeared before recently, where there were --
to use the phrase -- a lot of applause lines in front of military crowds
and so forth. Did the President have any reaction to how he was received
today, and the absence of those kind of "hoo-hah" lines?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President appreciated his reception. I don't know why
we're having a discussion about that when there are so many important
elements that he was talking about in his remarks that I think the American
people care about. This was a very important speech about real progress
that we're making on the ground, and I don't think any of us here at the
White House get caught up in those things.

Go ahead, Goyal.

Q Scott, so much has been written and said about torture. And I've been
talking with Prime Minister of India and -- in the U.S. What they're saying
is that torture means only that when terrorists are being tortured are the
victims, and that families, thousands and millions have been killed by the
terrorists, including now four being held in Iraq, including an Indian --
they're also being tortured by the terrorists. And also Abu Salem in India,
and terrorists here are on trial, they are saying that they have been
tortured. What message do you think the President will have to those
families --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, who was being tortured? I didn't quite --

Q -- one terrorist on trial in India, Abu Salem, and other terrorists --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- allegations of torture?

Q Yes, they are claiming they have been tortured. But how about those
families and the victims are being killed and tortured by these terrorists
--

MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, I hear what you say --

Q -- you have those left behind?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we face a very dangerous and deadly enemy. We have
been talking about that for some time. There's been some issues that have
come up recently that we've talked about in more detail; Secretary Rice has
been talking about it. And we have to realize that we're in a different
kind of war. And we need to do everything we can lawfully to protect our
citizens, and that's what this President is committed to doing.

We all remember very well what happened on September 11th, and the
President said he will never forget. Some will tend to forget, but he will
not. This is a long struggle we're engaged in against an enemy that
espouses a very hateful and oppressive ideology. And the President talked
about, in his remarks today, how today is the anniversary of the attack on
Pearl Harbor. And he talked about how that generation rose to the challenge
and met it, and we are safer for it. This generation now is rising to the
challenge that we face to make America safer for generations to come.

Q May I follow --

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me keep going and I'll come back to you. I'll come back
to you if I can.

Sarah.

Q Thank you. Scott, I have two questions. And the first one is on Pearl
Harbor.

MR. McCLELLAN: The first one is what?

Q Pearl Harbor Day.

MR. McCLELLAN: Oh, Pearl Harbor Day, okay.

Q -- 64 years, and members of the 9/11 Commission say we are just as
vulnerable to attack now as we were then. Why aren't the recommendations of
the committee members already enforced? And what else does the
administration plan to do to prevent another 9/11?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, a couple of things. We are acting on the
recommendations that the Commission made. We are implementing 37 of 39 of
the recommendations that relate to the executive branch. There's some
additional recommendations that relate to Congress. The best way to make
America safer and protect the American people is to engage the enemy
abroad, to stay on the offensive, to fight them abroad so that we don't
have to fight them here at home. And that's what this President has done.

He has led and made sure that we're taking the fight to the enemy now.
Before September 11th, the enemy was taking the fight to us, but we didn't
respond in a comprehensive way. We've got to fight on many fronts. And
another front we've got to fight on is the home front. And that's why the
President moved forward quickly on one of the critical recommendations that
was made by the 9/11 Commission; that was the creation of the Director of
National Intelligence. And we have a great Director in place, Director
Negroponte, who is doing a great job.

We, as the Commission said, are safer, but not yet safe. We are still
engaged in a war. We have an enemy that is determined, that is ruthless,
and that wants to continue to attack innocent civilians. That's why it's so
important that we succeed in Iraq. That's why it's so important that we
continue to help to spread freedom in the broader Middle East and change
that dangerous breeding ground.

Q I have another question, please, and this one is also on Hurricane
Katrina. It's three months since Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans
and the Gulf Coast, and many thousands of people are still homeless and
desperate. There are experts who say the administration will have to attack
the problem with the same intensity as it's engaging in, in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and that it's not enough to say -- are in the hands of local
and state officials. Does the President realize the scope of the problem?
And does he have any new plans to --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, absolutely. The President is very focused on -- and,
in fact, just yesterday he met with Secretary Chertoff and other
administration officials and White House officials that are responsible for
overseeing these different matters from the federal government standpoint.
And, in fact, there are two important issues that came up yesterday in
their discussion. These are ongoing problems that need to be addressed. One
is the issue of the levees and rebuilding those levees. The other is the
issue of housing.

We want to make sure that everybody is getting the help they need. And many
people have been put into transitional housing. They have trailers that
have been set up -- at their companies, in some instances; on their old
property, in other instances. There are others, a smaller number now that
is still left in hotels. We're working to transition them out of those
hotels and get them into apartments. We're going to make sure that they're
taken care of. That's the President's commitment and that's what he's
directed his administration to follow through on. And so this is very much
a priority that we are focused on and that we're continuing to work to
address with state and local authorities.

Q Since the administration opposes tax increases, and there are several
provisions that expire this year, including your alternative minimum tax,
and things like welfare-to-work, work opportunity tax credits, would you
support a bill that handles those separately?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think Congress is working to address the alternative
minimum tax. The President wants to make sure that more middle-income
Americans are not being hit by the alternative minimum tax, and that the
tax relief we provided to those Americans, all Americans, is not taken away
because of the alternative minimum tax.

We've talked about it in the context of tax reform, that it ought to be
looked at in the context of tax reform, and that's something that the
bipartisan advisory panel was charged with doing. And Secretary Snow is now
looking at the recommendations that it made. But on the issue, right now,
before Congress, we're working with them on it, and that's where it stands.

Q But some of these other extenders are actually in the reconciliation
bill, and it looks like that might not happen this year. Would you support
those extenders being separated --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the President very clearly stated our position the
other day. We support making the tax relief we put in place permanent. It's
very important. The last thing we need to do right now is raise taxes on
the American people. Our economy is strong, and this would significantly
hurt workers and families if we were to raise taxes at a time like this.
The way to keep our economy growing stronger is to keep those pro-growth
policies in place and to build upon those policies with additional steps to
help workers address their health care needs and their energy needs. That's
what we're doing, that's what we're committed to doing, and that's what
we're working with Congress on.

And remember, we've had 4.5 -- nearly 4.5 million jobs created since May of
2003, and an unemployment rate that is down to 5 percent. We have a solid
foundation for growth in place. Now we need to continue acting on that to
make people's lives even better, and to also address those who are not
realizing some of the benefits of our strong economy through job training
and education initiatives.

Q Right. But if you don't support -- or Congress doesn't support extending
cap gains, it's still going to be around until 2008, versus these other
extenders, which expire this year, including your work opportunity --

MR. McCLELLAN: The President talked about the importance of making the
capital gains and dividend tax cuts permanent, because it provides
certainty so that people can plan. And that's an important aspect of
keeping our economy growing strong. And I don't know of any additional
update we have, in terms of what we've already stated on those other
issues.

Q It sounds like you're saying it's okay for these other ones to expire,
which they do --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I didn't say that. I said I don't know of anything
additional that we've said recently, beyond what we've previously stated.
I'll check into it.

Q Scott, just one question today. At yesterday's briefing, the transcript
records my quoting the President in his saying, "Each year we gather here
to celebrate the season of hope and joy and to remember the story of one
humble life that lifted the sights of humanity. Santa, thanks for coming."
When I asked you WorldNet Daily's question, will the President apologize to
Christians offended by his referring to Jesus as Santa, you responded, "The
President meant exactly what he said, Les." But last night, I received an
email which had your name on it, which said there were two separate --
(laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: Keep working on my emails, sending you things.

Q There were two separate thoughts --

MR. McCLELLAN: Must have been a little -- must have been a little elf.
(Laughter.)

Q Well, wait a minute, let me just tell you what was on the email --

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead. I want to give you the stage.

Q -- which it said, there were --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think I know where you're going with this.

Q -- two separate thoughts -- after he spoke about the meaning of
Christmas, he then recognized Santa. And first of all, I want to ask, was
that your email? And was it your final and conclusive answer rather than,
the President meant --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, it was my email. He wasn't, as you phrased it
yesterday, comparing the two. Santa was at the event for the children that
were there, and I don't think you want to take Santa away from all those
children.

Q Oh, no, no, I just want to clarify that the President did not mean
exactly what he said, and your good correction.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, the President -- that's what the President was saying in
his remarks. He was changing topics in his remarks. He stated the meaning
of Christmas --

Q But you didn't say he was changing topics in his remarks, yesterday, did
you?

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I actually did not attend the event. I looked back at
the remarks after the briefing to see exactly what it was --

Q But it's all clarified now.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- but what the President said stands.

Q Can I ask a related question? (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: No, no. (Laughter.)

Brendan, go ahead.

Q Senator Carl Levin of Michigan is interpreting Secretary Rice's comments
today about the treatment of detainees as what he calls an "almost total
reversal of the Bush administration's policy." Could you clarify -- you
mentioned this earlier, but could you clarify the intent of Secretary
Rice's comments today?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, she spelled out in a comprehensive way what our views
were when it comes to the treatment of enemy combatants. And I was asked
earlier, is this existing policy -- and as I stated earlier, yes, it is
existing policy.

Q Existing policy since September 11th?

MR. McCLELLAN: And I don't know what -- you said Senator Levin was making
these comments?

Q That's right.

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not sure what he's referring to, but I'll be glad to
take a look at it.

Q Just a follow-up. Could you comment on these reports that the White House
is dropping its demands that the McCain provision on this topic not apply
to the CIA?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, one of the things we talked about recently is that we
are in a different kind of war, facing a different kind of enemy. There are
some difficult issues relating to how we go about dealing with people that
have been captured on the battlefield, because our traditional criminal
justice and military systems were not necessarily set up to address these
matters. We all have a responsibility to do everything within our power,
that is legal, to protect our citizens. And we need to work together to do
that because we face such a determined and ruthless and deadly enemy. And
that's what we're committed to doing.

The issue here is how do we deal with terrorists that are captured on the
battlefield. And there are some difficult issues relating to this, as we've
talked about previously. We've been working with Senator McCain -- those
discussions with his office are ongoing -- so that we can come up with good
solutions. And that's something that we've talked about at length recently.

Q Scott, can I follow up what Martha was asking about, the use of the word
"insurgents"? We use that term all the time. Are we wrong to do so? Is that
not appropriate for what we're facing in Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I'll let others make those judgments; that's up to you
all to make a determination in terms of what you use. But I think it's
important for the American people to have a clear sense of who the enemy
is. And that's why the President has been spelling out exactly who it is
and how it breaks down into really three categories.

Q So does he think it's not -- I mean, does he -- is he not planning to use
that word? Does he want you guys not to use that word?

MR. McCLELLAN: I haven't heard any discussion about it here, Mark.

Q Is "rejectionist" a replacement word for "insurgent"?

MR. McCLELLAN: I just said, I haven't heard any such discussion about that.
I think that this is what the military commanders would tell you how they
would define the enemy, and it's important to have that clear understanding
of who the enemy is.

Q Do you know how long "rejectionist" has been used to describe the
insurgents?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think probably people have been using it for quite some
time. It's not -- I think you've got to look at "rejectionist," you've got
to look at "Saddam loyalist," and there are the "terrorists." And so I
don't think you can limit it.

Q Have you used it before?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, I think so. But I think the best way to describe the
enemy is the way the President did. And that's why I've often described it
as "Saddam loyalist" and "terrorist."

Q Scott, last week in Annapolis, the President talked about, in terms of
military -- Iraqi military and security forces training, that changes had
to be made because what was being done was not effective. Today, talking
about infrastructure, he made the same comment saying, changes have got to
be made because what was being done was not effective. Today, you used the
phrase, adapt and adjust. Are all these the administration's way of saying
mistakes were made?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think the President quoted Senator Lieberman in his
remarks earlier today, and he talked about how Senator Lieberman said
mistakes have been made. But then Senator Lieberman went on to say the
bigger mistake would be that we not follow through on what we're trying to
accomplish in Iraq. That would be a colossal mistake, and we would create a
safe haven for terrorists to plan and plot attacks against Americans. And
--

Q Does the administration believe mistakes --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and the President, in his remarks, said in that whole
portion that Senator Lieberman is right in terms of decisions that have
made, and historians are going to look back and make judgments in terms of
the decisions that were made in the aftermath of going into Iraq. And the
one thing you -- in a time of war, that you have to be able to do is adjust
and adapt and make changes to circumstances on the ground. And that's the
point the President was making. We have learned from experience. And he
talked about how bringing in a new democracy after decades of oppression
and brutality is difficult, and he talked about how it sometimes can be
chaotic.

Q So will you state from that podium that this administration has made
mistakes in pursuing this war?

MR. McCLELLAN: In pursuing this war?

Q In prosecuting --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I mean, the President talked about how we'd learned
from experience, and he said, as Senator Lieberman said that we've made
mistakes, and he said he's right. And so, yes. I mean, but in terms of
making judgments about what those are, I don't think you can judge that at
this time. Historians over time will be able to look back and make
judgments about the decisions and --

Q In acknowledging and agreeing with Senator Lieberman, what mistakes do
you believe this administration has made?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, we'll let the historians look back and make those
judgments. I don't think you can do it in the current time. This is
something that will be looked back over the course of history. What we will
do is continue to help the Iraqi people build a brighter future and adapt
or adjust to the circumstances on the ground as needed. And that's what you
have to do.

We have a dynamic strategy in place. That's important for the American
people to understand. I think sometimes over the course of this discussion
on Iraq that has been lost. But our commanders have often talked about it;
we've talked about it for some time. And so this is not new, but, of
course, in a time of war, there are going to be changes and adjustments you
have to make and you're going to have to make improvements. Not everything
is going to go the way you expect. Not everything is going to be -- go
exactly as you planned it, but you have to be flexible and be able to
adjust.

Let me go -- last one.

Q Yesterday some African American Katrina survivors said that they have
felt that racism played a role in the government's response. Is this
something that's frustrating to the President? Is that one of the reasons
why the President has these African American leaders here today?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't think --

Q And also who called the meeting, please? Who made up the list?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think it was mutually agreed to between our office and
others. Some of these people we have -- some of these individuals we have
met with previously, and so it was a mutually agreed to meeting to talk
about important priorities.

Q Who requested the meeting?

MR. McCLELLAN: Who first requested it?

Q Yes.

MR. McCLELLAN: I'll have to go back and look, but I'll be at that meeting,
and if there's additional information we can provide, I will. But I think
everybody wanted to kind of talk about priorities and keep this meeting a
private discussion. If there's more to say afterwards, I'll be glad to do
that.

In terms of the issue you brought up, I think the President has previously
talked about that. When the Coast Guard personnel were in their helicopters
pulling people off roofs, they weren't discriminating, they were going to
save lives. They were going to help people on the ground. I think that the
deep history of injustice has been exposed by the hurricanes. There has
been inequality and injustice in that region and it's something that needs
to be addressed.

This President has been acting to address that deep history -- injustice
and inequality by moving forward on important initiatives like the No Child
Left Behind, and helping making sure that every child can learn and
succeed; by moving forward on important pro-growth policies that lift
people out of poverty and give them the opportunity to realize a prosperous
life; and by moving forward on an ownership society, because more people
who have ownership in a society, the better off they're going to be; and by
moving forward on faith-based and community initiatives to help those
people who are in need.

Okay, thank you.

END 1:05 P.M. EST

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