Text 216, 730 rader
Skriven 2004-12-21 23:33:18 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0412215) for Tue, 2004 Dec 21
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Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 21, 2004

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

Press Briefing
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  þ President's trip to Europe
  þ Russia/Yukos sale
  þ Recent killings in Mosul
      þ Reference B
      þ Reference C
  þ Strength of insurgency
      þ Reference B
  þ Prison abuse/FBI memos
      þ Reference B
  þ Meeting with Kweisi Mfume
  þ Reimportation of drugs
  þ Immigration reform
  þ Secretary Rumsfeld
  þ Palestinian state
  þ Fanny Mae/Frank Raines
  þ President's view on religious symbols
  þ Russia/nuclear storage in United States

12:35 P.M. EST

MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon. I want to begin with an update to the
President's schedule, and then give you a quick readout on a world leader
call from this morning.

The President will travel to Germany and the Slovak Republic, following his
meetings on February 22, 2005, with NATO and European Union leaders in
Brussels, Belgium. Chancellor Schroeder will host the President in Germany
on February 23rd. In addition to a bilateral program in the Slovak Republic
on February 24th, the President will meet with Russian President Putin.

The President has emphasized his desire to work with all of our friends and
allies in Europe to promote global development and prosperity, to defeat
terrorism, and to encourage freedom and democracy as alternatives to
tyranny and terror. This trip, which will be the President's first foreign
trip following his inauguration, will underscore the President's commitment
to building on our shared values of freedom, democracy and human rights,
and to work closely with European allies and friends on the 21st century
challenges that we face together.

Q Where in Germany, Scott?

MR. McCLELLAN: We'll get you more details later.

Q Can you talk about the agenda?

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me finish the President's call.

The President this morning spoke with Prime Minister Erdogan. The President
congratulated Prime Minister Erdogan on the European Council's December
17th decision that the European Union would begin accession talks with
Turkey on October 3, 2005. The leaders agreed on the EU's decision --
agreed that the EU's decision should help strengthen Turkey's relations
with both Europe and the United States. The two leaders also discussed the
need to increase security cooperation among the United States, Turkey, and
Iraq. The President and Prime Minister Erdogan talked about the importance
of moving forward on Iraqi elections in January, as well.

And that is all I have. I will be glad to go to your questions.

Q Do you have any concerns about the way Russia has handled the sale of
Yukos, and will this come up at the meeting on February 24th?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, we have previously indicated concerns about the
situation regarding Yukos. We are disappointed that Russia went ahead with
the auction of the Yukos subsidiary. We had hoped for a solution that would
allow for the legitimate enforcement of tax laws, but avoid harming
investors, especially American investors. And we have communicated to the
Russian government repeatedly that its handling of the Yukos matter could
have a chilling effect on the foreign investment in Russia, and affect its
role in the global economy. We continue to believe it's Russia's
responsibility to seek greater integration into the world economy, to
create an environment governed by the protection of property rights and
rule of law, and to restore confidence in its political, legal and judicial
institutions.

The United States supports the ability of investors to pursue interests in
Russia and believes that Russia should ensure a stable, predictable and
transparent environment for those investors.

Q Will the President raise this with Putin?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think the agenda is being worked out now, and the
President does bring up the concerns that we have when he meets with
President Putin. We have a very good relationship, as the President talked
about yesterday, and it's a relationship where we can talk about our
efforts to work together on shared priorities like the war on terrorism, as
well as talk about differences that we may have in a very open way.

Q The President also --

Q Scott, do you have anything on the Mosul attack?

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me keep going. Go ahead, John.

Q Anything on the Mosul attack?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, General Hamm just briefed a short time ago on that.
The President mourns the loss of life and prays for the families of those
who were killed. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their
families. The terrorists and Saddam loyalists are desperately seeking to
derail the transition to democracy and freedom in Iraq. The enemies of
freedom understand the stakes involved. You heard the President talk about
that yesterday. They will be defeated, and a free and peaceful Iraq will
emerge. When it does, it will be a major blow to their ambitions and the
ambitions of those who espouse hatred.

For too long, John, we ignored the Middle East and it became a dangerous
breeding ground for terrorism. A free and peaceful Iraq will help transform
the Middle East and make the world a safer and better place and provide
people with hope and opportunity, as opposed to oppression and hatred. So
it's critical that we continue to move forward on completing the mission in
Iraq. And we appreciate our troops who are serving and sacrificing for an
important cause.

Q The President also said yesterday that these insurgent and terrorist
attacks are having some kind of effect in Iraq, they are an effective
propaganda tool. Is this another example of that?

MR. McCLELLAN: John, what we are focused on is working with the Iraqi
people and the Iraqi security forces to defeat the terrorists and defeat
the Saddam loyalists. Our men and women understand the stakes involved.
They understand -- our men and women in uniform understand the importance
of the mission. They know that this mission is critical to the safety and
security of the free world. And we appreciate their service and sacrifice.
We are forever grateful for those who have fallen in defense of freedom and
building a better future for the Iraqi people.

And this afternoon the President will be visiting some of the wounded and
families at Walter Reed, and I'm sure that he will talk to them about the
important mission that they have served and sacrificed for in Iraq.

Q Scott, can I ask you, you have said for months, and the President has
said that they are trying to derail freedom, these insurgents, and that the
insurgents will be defeated -- as you just said. And, yet, you've said that
for months and, yet, the insurgency continues to grow stronger. This now
appears to be the most deadly attack against U.S. troops since the war
began. How can you show that progress is being made?

MR. McCLELLAN: Actually, General Casey briefed on it last week when he was
here in Washington, D.C. and he talked about the progress that had been
made in places like Fallujah and Najaf and Samarra. And he talked about how
even Iraqi security forces in those areas were partnering with us to
address the ongoing security challenges. There are tough challenges that
remain; the President talked about that yesterday. But we are making
important progress on the ground.

We also have to keep in mind that the terrorists and Saddam loyalists have
adapted and changed their tactics. We adapt and change with that, as well,
to meet those ongoing security challenges. We saw what was accomplished in
Fallujah. Security has been brought to the city of Fallujah, great progress
made there. There are other areas that we must continue to address some of
the ongoing security challenges. And it's important that we continue to
help the Iraqi people move forward on the political process, as well,
because as they move forward on holding elections next month, that will be
a significant blow to the ambitions of those who want to turn back to the
past. The terrorists and Saddam loyalists want to turn back to the past of
oppression and brutality. That will not happen. The Iraqi people have made
it very clear that they want a free and peaceful future and that they want
to move forward on elections.

Q Scott, what has the President been told about why this mess hall was
within range of the rocket fire and vulnerable to attack?

MR. McCLELLAN: This attack just occurred today. We know what you all know,
at this point. General Hamm briefed reporters a short time ago about the
situation on the ground, and that's what we know at this point. So we will
continue to be briefed about it as more is learned.

Q If the United States military can't completely secure an American
military base from this kind of attack, what does it say to Iraqis who are
expected to show up at 9,000 polling places next month?

MR. McCLELLAN: Terry, there -- as General Hamm and others -- I mean, as
General Casey, I believe, last week, and others have pointed out, in about
15 of the 18 provinces in Iraq, there is security and peace. There are some
provinces where there are security challenges that remain because the
terrorists recognize what a significant blow it will be when Iraq is a
democratic, free and peaceful state. It will be a major blow to the
ambitions of the terrorists. It is critical to our efforts to win the war
on terrorism. That's why they're desperately seeking to derail the
transition and attacking our forces, attacking the Iraqi people, attacking
innocent civilians. They will be defeated. We have seen progress made to
bring to justice those who are the enemies of freedom, and we will continue
to pursue them.

Q The message to the Iraqi people from this podium is, in most of your
country it's okay, go vote?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think the Iraqi people are grateful for the sacrifices
that coalition forces are making to help them move forward on a better
future, a future that is in stark contrast to the past, of oppression. And
that's what we will continue to do. The Iraqi people are registering to
vote. They're filing for office. As the President talked about yesterday,
you've seen a number of political parties that have already -- that have
filed for the election, to participate in the election with hundreds to
thousands of candidates that are involved in that election process. They
are determined to move forward on holding elections. We are determined to
help them move forward on elections, because moving forward on the
political process, as well as moving forward on the security front and the
reconstruction front will help defeat those who want to turn back to the
past.

Q Was the President aware of the FBI charges of abuse of prisoners at
Guantanamo by the Defense Department?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, I think what you're referring to is some
of the reports about some memos that have been publicly released now. And
some of this information dates back to previous periods of time. The
President expects that any allegations of abuse are taken seriously and
fully investigated, and that corrective measures are taken to make sure
that abuse does not occur again. That's what the President expects. The
President made it very clear yesterday again that we are a nation of laws
and a nation of values, and we adhere to our laws and values. And he
expects --

Q So you're sure now that it doesn't go on anymore?

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me finish. The President expects that there -- if there
are allegations of abuse, that those allegations need to be taken
seriously. They need to be fully investigated, people need to be held
accountable and brought to justice if they're involved in wrongdoing, and
that preventative measures and corrective measures are put in place to
prevent it from happening again. The Department of Defense has a number of
investigations ongoing into allegations of abuse. I think they show that
they take these allegations very seriously, and that's what we expect.

Q You've several times made the point that eventually you expect the
insurgents will be defeated. But this is a pretty sophisticated attack
today, apparently, from what we know of it. What does this attack say to
you about the resourcefulness and capabilities of the insurgents now, even
after Fallujah? And the President made a point yesterday of saying that the
elections at the end of January are just the beginning of a process, not
the end.

MR. McCLELLAN: That's correct.

Q Does that suggest that we should expect this kind of violence to go on
throughout the year?

MR. McCLELLAN: And I think we've addressed that previously, that as we
continue to move forward on helping the Iraqi people build a free and
democratic future, and a peaceful future. The enemies of freedom will
continue to seek to derail that transition. But as -- each step that we
move forward is another defeat for the ambitions of the terrorists and the
Saddam loyalists who want to return to the past. And the political process
is critical to moving forward toward a democratic and free and peaceful
Iraq for the Iraqi people.

Now, General Hamm, a short time ago, said that the investigation into the
attack today is ongoing. So I don't think it's appropriate for me to get
into talking about the specific attack. But we have talked about how some
of these terrorists that have come into the country and the Saddam
loyalists who fled the battlefield previously were changing some of their
tactics. And we are adapting to meet the challenges from those changing
tactics, as well -- and the military has talked about that -- and we will
continue to do so.

But we expect violence to continue as we move forward on helping the Iraqi
people build a free and peaceful future. But they will -- those who seek to
derail that transition will be defeated. We have seen in a number of areas
the progress that has been made. But we will also always remember those who
have served and sacrificed on behalf of the Iraqi people and on behalf of
building a better and safer world.

Q Scott, as you say, the violence -- you're expecting the violence to
continue. This goes back to the security for the military who is fighting
in Iraq. What is being done to fortify military bases over there? What's
being done to help these soldiers deal with these insurgents?

MR. McCLELLAN: A lot. Our men and women in uniform are performing superbly.
We are greatly appreciative of the service and sacrifice that they are
making in Iraq and Afghanistan and other areas of the world in the war on
terrorism. They understand the importance of their mission. And we will
always make sure they have what they need to complete that mission. That's
what the President has made clear repeatedly.

Q What's needed today? What's needed to fortify a U.S. military base --

MR. McCLELLAN: The military can talk to you about the specific steps that
they're taking. They're the ones who are in the best position to do that.
General Casey did that last week, and they will continue to keep you
updated on what they're doing to address the ongoing security challenges
and partner with Iraqi security forces to address those security
challenges.

Q And on another topic, real quickly. In a matter of minutes, the President
is supposed to meet with Kweisi Mfume, the head of the NAACP -- the
outgoing head of the NAACP. What is the President going to discuss and
what's on the President's civil rights agenda for his second term?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, this was a meeting that was requested by Mr. Mfume.
Mr. Mfume asked for the meeting to discuss ways we can work together in the
future. The President and Mr. Mfume have had a good relationship in the
past, and this meeting is an opportunity to talk about ways we can work
together in the future on shared priorities. The President is always open
to talking to people who want to work together on our common challenges and
our shared priorities. So he looks forward to the meeting here shortly. And
in terms of the actual meeting, I think we need to let it take place for
now.

Q So does this mean that the NAACP -- Kweisi Mfume is the outgoing head of
the NAACP. Does this mean the NAACP will now have an open door to come and
sit and talk with the President, after years of a chasm between the two
organizations?

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me repeat what I just said. The President is always open
to sitting down and visiting with and working with those who want to work
together on shared priorities. He has had a good relationship with Mr.
Mfume in the past. Today's meeting is a way to talk about how we can work
together in the future. Mr. Mfume sent the letter requesting the meeting
prior to his announcement that he would be leaving as president of the
NAACP. So we look forward to hearing what he wants to bring up. The
President, I'm sure, will have some things to say, as well, and talk about
ways we can work together.

Q Will there be a readout on that?

MR. McCLELLAN: This was scheduled as a private meeting. I will see what
else we can get you all later in the day, but the President felt this was a
good opportunity to sit down and talk in private about ways we can work
together in the future.

Q Can Mfume come to the stakeout?

MR. McCLELLAN: Anybody is welcome to go to the stakeout, April.

Q Back on Mosul, to follow up on April's question. Already the critics are
saying that this is another example that soldiers aren't protected, that
this was -- this mess hall was simply under a tent. How does the
administration respond to that criticism? And then, also, can you clarify
the Iraqi elections -- is that seen as really a benchmark when it comes to,
I guess, measuring just how much the violence will increase or what you
expect after those elections?

MR. McCLELLAN: It's an important step in the process toward a democratic,
free and peaceful Iraq. The President talked about yesterday how it's the
beginning of the process toward a free, democratic and peaceful Iraq. And
this election will be about putting in place a transitional government as
we move forward, from the interim government to a transitional government,
that will work on drafting a constitution, getting that to the Iraqi people
for their approval and then, ultimately, at the end of next year, they will
be able to hold elections to decide who their permanent representatives are
for their government going forward.

And it's important that we move forward on all fronts, because as we move
forward on the reconstruction front, the political front and the security
front, it helps defeat those who seek to derail that transition and it
helps defeat their ambitions. The Iraqi people are assuming more and more
responsibility for their future. And as they assume more responsibility,
those who seek to stop that from moving forward will see that their days
are numbered.

Q So the administration has been trying to prepare the American people for
the increase in violence leading up to the election. Do you think that that
will subside once the election occurs?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you have to adjust to circumstances on the ground. And
we always look to the commanders on the ground to tell us what is needed,
and then we work to make sure they have what they needed, in terms of the
best equipment and all the resources to complete the mission. And as
circumstances change on the ground, the military adapts to those
circumstances. And that's what they've been working to do with some of
these issues involving improvised explosive devices and RPG attacks.

Q The President, during the campaign, was pretty skeptical about
reimportation of drugs -- or sounded skeptical of the reimportation of
drugs from Canada. And he said he was awaiting a report, and it seems that
that report is going to come out today. Has he read that yet, and does he
have a position?

MR. McCLELLAN: He is familiar with the report. I believe there's a briefing
here shortly. The President's top priority has always been the safety of
the American people when it comes to drugs, and that will remain his top
priority. We have the strongest system of regulation of drugs of anyplace
in the world. And so let's let the briefing take place and then we can talk
about it further.

Q Scott, if I could go back to the FBI memos for a moment. Were the
concerns of the FBI, as communicated to the Director and other officials
there, from its agents who have been at Guantanamo Bay ever shared with any
officials at the White House?

MR. McCLELLAN: That's a broad question. I mean, I can go check specifics if
you want to bring it to my attention; I can see what else I can get for
you. We're aware --

Q The FBI agents are saying people in Guantanamo, military officials are,
one, posing as FBI agents, and two, doing things to prisoners that we are
not allowed to do, which they considered abuses.

MR. McCLELLAN: Generally speaking, we are aware of the allegations of abuse
that are being made available in some of the documents that have been
released. And I told you what the President's view is. Everybody knows what
the policy is. And we've made it very clear that we expect that policy to
be followed. And so, yes, we do stay in touch with the Department of
Defense on issues of this nature when they come up. The Department of
Defense has assured you, has assured the public that they take these issues
seriously, that they have investigations going on. There have been
instances where they have taken action to hold people accountable for
alleged abuse.

Q Right. But what I'm asking about in this particular case, you had the FBI
expressing specific concerns from people who had been down there and seen
what they considered abusive behavior. Are you saying, in that particular
instance, those particular concerns were expressed to the White House?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, in terms of specifics, this information is becoming
public so we're becoming aware of more information as it becomes public, as
you are. I think that these are matters that are typically addressed with
the Department of Defense, and the Department of Defense is the one who
takes action to look into those matters. So I can't say that specific
matters and memos, internal memos at the FBI, I can't say that we were
necessarily aware of those. I'd have to check on individual matters.

Q Well, the question would be whether the White House knew that the FBI was
concerned that there were abuses and that its name was being invoked in
perpetrating those abuses. If the White House didn't know, then we would be
led to believe that it was up to Director Mueller to go to Defense
Secretary Rumsfeld and say, hey, your guys are doing things that are wrong
and blaming my guys for doing it.

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, there's a lot of documents that have been released.
I'd have to check into specific instances and let you know on that.

Q So you -- would you clear up one thing? There was one story out there
that the President had signed some executive order that somehow dealt with
the interrogation of prisoners?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think that's already been cleared up by the Department of
Defense, as well as the Department of Justice, who said that that
individual was mistaken.

Q Well, would you just state for the record whether the President had ever
signed any sort of order dealing with interrogation?

MR. McCLELLAN: There is no executive order relating to interrogation
techniques. When it comes to military detainees and interrogation methods,
those are determinations made by the Department of Defense.

Go ahead, Sarah.

Q Scott, the President says he wants to see immigration reform in his
second term. He wants to see people who are willing to work be allowed to
enter the United States. But many thousands of hardworking people, some who
have been here for many years and who have families here, entered the U.S.
illegally. Has the President changed his position on amnesty?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, the President's position is very clear. I think you
heard him talk to this issue yesterday at length. He remains committed to
moving forward on his temporary worker program and working with Congress on
that matter.

Go ahead, Goyal.

Q Scott, Asia Today Magazine was searching the best man of the year. They
interviewed so many people here and also overseas, and most of the voices
came for President Bush. What I want to hear, really, is directly from the
President why and how he should be the man of the year, and best person for
--

MR. McCLELLAN: For -- for what award?

Q Asia Today Magazine.

MR. McCLELLAN: Those are determinations, obviously, for that magazine to
make, and they're very well aware of his record and his leadership and
we'll leave it to them to make that determination.

Q And secondly --

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me keep moving. Jacobo, go ahead.

Q Scott, yesterday, the President defended Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld
quite vehemently at yesterday's press conference. Is it just an open-ended
endorsement, or will the President continue to review the performance of
the Pentagon, especially when things are not going always well in Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President works very closely with Secretary Rumsfeld. As
we carry out the war on terrorism and as we move forward on transforming
the military, he will continue to do so. He appreciates the job that he is
doing. You heard directly from the President yesterday, and that's where I
would leave it.

Q Scott, to follow up on that, since both The Washington Times and The
Maryville, Tennessee Daily Times report that when Chattanooga Times Free
Press reporter Edward Pitts rehearsed Army Specialist Thomas Wilson of what
to ask Secretary Rumsfeld, the Pentagon had already up-armored 97 percent
of the vehicles in Wilson's regimental combat team, and the last 20 of
their 830 vehicles were in the up-armored pipeline, said General Speaks, in
a Pentagon briefing last week --

MR. McCLELLAN: And your question.

Q So my first question: What is the President's reaction to the fact that
all of this was ignored by the old big media, like The Washington Post, who
published a page one poll reporting a majority want Rumsfeld to go?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think the President was asked about this very issue in the
Oval Office, and he made his views very clear, that he could understand why
the soldier was asking the question that he did. He said, if I were in that
soldier's position, I would have asked the same question. The question came
from the soldier. It was his decision to ask the question. And in terms of
the increase of armoring Humvees, the military has worked to increase the
number of armored Humvees that are being produced a month, from 35 to 450.
Secretary Rumsfeld has talked about that, and the Pentagon has talked about
it, as well.

It's important that we make sure our troops have everything they need. And
when circumstances on the ground change, sometimes there's a need to change
what equipment and armor they have, and we need to make sure it gets to
them as quickly as possible. That's what the President expects.

Q Yesterday the President's said, there will never be peace until a true
democratic state emerges in the Palestinian territory. And my question: How
does he imagine that this can possibly take place when the lead candidate
to run this Palestinian state is a Holocaust denying, four-decade assistant
to Arafat, who now demands of Israel the right of Arab return?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President believes that we have a very unique
opportunity before us in the Middle East, and I think that all parties
recognize that this is an opportunity we need to seize. We have an
opportunity to move forward on a Palestinian state, and getting to a
Palestinian state living side-by-side at peace with Israel. That's the
President's two-state vision. All parties have responsibilities moving
forward. We need to continue to work together to put in place a strategy so
that the Palestinians can put in place institutions necessary for a
democracy to emerge.

The President knows that when you have democracies living next to each
other, that they're at peace with one another. And that's why it's
important to move forward on this. And it's important to let the
Palestinians choose who their leaders are. And in terms of the election
next month, that will be a step, but it is not the completion of a
democratic Palestinian state. There is much work to be done. And the
President talked about how he appreciated Prime Minister Blair's efforts in
that respect, as well.

Q For the last 18 months, Fanny Mae's CEO, Franklin Raines, has told
Congress, investors, taxpayers, that his company's accounting is sound. On
Wednesday, the SEC ruled the accounting is flawed and the company should
restate earnings by as much as $9 billion. Should the board of Fanny Mae, a
government-chartered company, remove Raines?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think that those are matters that the board will work to
address. In terms of the issues relating to Fanny Mae, there are some
ongoing investigations by independent agencies that I'm not going to get
into discussing. We've long talked about the importance of making sure that
government-sponsored enterprises, like Fanny Mae, have a strong regulator,
and some of the issues that have arisen recently underscore the need for
that. GSEs like Fannie Mae have an important role to play in increasing
home ownership opportunities for the under-served. And we believe there
should be vigorous oversight so that those enterprises serve their public
purpose and contribute to a sound and strong financial system. And that's
what our views are. But in terms of those matters, those are matters that
the board will address.

Q Scott, with regard to the attack in Mosul today, for the last two weeks,
we've been hearing about not enough armored Humvees being out in the field.
Now this attack has taken place at the base. A holiday is coming; insurgent
groups like to strike on symbolic days. What can you say to the parents of
American troops who are over there who are concerned, given the fact that
the holidays are coming and that these reports seem to be gaining critical
mass?

MR. McCLELLAN: We can say what the President says when he visits with the
families of those who are serving in places like Iraq and Afghanistan: Your
loved one is serving an important cause and an important mission. The
efforts in Iraq are critical to winning the war on terrorism, as the
President talked about yesterday. This is about transforming a dangerous
region of the world that for too long we ignored, and bringing hope and
opportunity to that region and defeating the ideology of hatred that the
terrorists in that region espouse and seek to advance.

And we can also say that we thank you for your service and your sacrifice,
as well. The families have made tremendous sacrifices, and we appreciate
all that they do. And the President also tells them that your loved ones
who are in harm's way will have everything they need to complete their
mission. We will make sure they have the best possible equipment and the
resources they need to carry out that mission. And that's what our
commitment is.

Q Are you ramping up force protection in light of this?

MR. McCLELLAN: The military has acted on a number of fronts. They talked
about those issues over the last few days, and they talked about the steps
they're taking to address some of the challenges that remain.

Go ahead, Connie.

Q Scott, what are the President's thoughts on restrictions on religious
symbols, especially during the holidays? After all, this is a nation that's
built on religion and relies heavily on God. And by the way, while we're at
it, merry Christmas.

MR. McCLELLAN: Thank you. Happy holidays to everybody here.

Q You can say, Christmas.

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not sure about what restrictions you're specifically
referring to. I think -- the President believes that we ought to be
welcoming of people of faith, and people ought to be able to express their
views freely and openly and -- whether they worship in a God or not. And
the President has talked about that.

Q But the challenge is specifically on Christmas symbols, on nativity
scenes and so forth.

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I'm not sure what you're referring to in terms of
restrictions. But the President believes -- we're a country that values the
ability of people to freely worship as they choose.

Q Do you mind looking into it and trying to --

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead. Go ahead.

Q Yes, I wanted to come back to the agenda of the meeting with Putin, if I
may, for a second. The meeting will happen two days before the new vote in
Ukraine. Do you expect that to be a major subject in the discussion? Also
the President yesterday mentioned --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, the meeting with Putin? That will be --

Q Yes.

MR. McCLELLAN: That won't be until February. When the vote -- the vote on
Ukraine will be --

Q All right, sorry, I don't know what I'm talking about.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- this week. That's okay, I don't either, so -- (Laughter.)

Q That is a moment of frankness in the briefing room. (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: -- then we can begin the holidays.

Q Apology made, apology accepted. The other subject that the President
himself mentioned yesterday was this idea of allowing the Russians access
to the nuclear storage facilities in the United States. Is this a new idea?
And, again, will it be a major subject of discussion?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, I think that is something that they will discuss when
they meet. The prevention of the proliferation of nuclear material is one
of our top security priorities. And he will likely bring that up with
President Putin when they meet. We have long-established cooperation in
this area, and the two leaders can discuss ways to improve that
cooperation, including through sharing ideas and ways to build confidence
that both countries are doing separately and together, and to make sure
we're doing all that is necessary to secure nuclear material.

Q Why was it needed? Why was this new initiative needed? Was there a lack
--

MR. McCLELLAN: We've done -- we've taken a lot of steps to work to address
some of the unsecured nuclear material in countries around the world,
including in Russia. And I think the President was talking about it would
be an opportunity for Russia to see how we address some of those issues,
too, and ways to improve some of that cooperation.

Q I'm going to follow up on Connie's question with specifics. The ACLU has
gone to court to prevent a 5th grade class in Oklahoma from singing
Christmas carols during a holiday program. Also, this is happening in New
Jersey. In Seattle, a city building, they had to take the Christmas tree
down because the city was being threatened by a lawsuit from the ACLU, and
Americans for the Separation of Church and State.

These are very important symbols to people of faith, not only Christians,
but members of other faiths. We know that the President is a man of faith,
and I'm sure that the faithful who believe they're being persecuted would
appreciate some strong support and encouragement from the President.

MR. McCLELLAN: I think the President has made it very clear that people
ought to be able to freely worship as they choose. And in terms of schools,
he's talked about those issues, as well. He has been a strong supporter of
voluntary efforts like voluntary student prayer. And so I think his views
are very clear on these issues.

Q Scott, just about all of us in this room are old enough to remember what
happened in 1983, with the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, and what that
one incident did to American resolve regarding that mission. I'm just
wondering if the President believes -- and I realize the Mosul thing is
quite different, the circumstances are quite different, but it's been
widely reported -- I'm wondering if the President worries that the American
people are going to continue to be accepting of the consequences of this
invasion ad infinitum or at some point --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, there -- a free and peaceful and
democratic Iraq is going to emerge. It's going to be an Iraq that is run by
the Iraqi people, as they choose to run that country. And we've made that
very clear. The President will continue to talk to the American people
about the challenges that remain. As he talked about yesterday, there are
still some tough challenges going forward. But he will also talk to them
about the importance of the mission we are working to complete in Iraq.

As I said, for some two decades at least, we ignored the Middle East while
terrorism was building and strengthening. And we saw what happened on
September 11th because of that. It was a threat that was emerging that was
not being confronted. This President made a decision after September 11th
that we are going to confront the war on terrorism on all fronts. This is a
struggle of ideologies; it's a struggle of the ideology of hatred and
tyranny and the ideology of freedom and democracy. And we must continue to
move forward to build a safer and better world, and Iraq is critical in
those efforts. And so that's what he will continue to talk about.

Thank you all. Have a happy holiday, and good luck to those in Crawford.

Q Will you be briefing tomorrow?

MR. McCLELLAN: I will not be briefing tomorrow. Thank you.

END 1:10 P.M. EST
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