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Skriven 2006-04-27 00:07:48 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0604264) for Thu, 2006 Apr 27
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Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 26, 2006

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
James S. Brady Briefing Room



12:18 P.M. EDT

MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everyone. I want to begin with tomorrow's
trip to the Gulf Coast. Let me just give you a little bit of a preview of
the President's visit.

The President is looking forward to going back to the Gulf Coast region
tomorrow. This week is National Volunteer Week, and the President and
members of his Cabinet are participating in volunteer service activities
across the country, and recognizing volunteers who have answered the
President's call to service.

There's no better place to highlight volunteer service than in the Gulf
Coast. Since last year's hurricanes, volunteers have brought hope to their
neighbors in need and helped bring real progress to the rebuilding effort.

Let me just give you a couple of statistics. More than 21,000 national
service members have served nearly 1 million hours and coordinated another
31,000 volunteers in the Gulf Coast rebuilding effort. USA Freedom Corps,
an office of the White House, continues to serve as the information
clearinghouse for those interested in helping those affected by the
hurricanes. The Freedom Corps website, volunteer.gov, lists nearly 500,000
volunteer opportunities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Overall volunteer service in America continues to rise. This past year,
more than 65 million Americans volunteered, a 5.6 million increase since
the President issued his call to service in January of 2002.

And as you all know, when the President travels across this great nation,
he regularly honors outstanding volunteers, including the USA Freedom Corps
greeters, by presenting them with the President's Volunteer Service Award.
The President will soon be recognizing the 500th USA Freedom Corps greeter.

And with that, I am glad to go to your all's questions today.

Q Scott, Karl Rove is making his fifth appearance in front of the grand
jury today. And I'm wondering how you would characterize its effect on the
administration? Is it a disruption, a distraction?

MR. McCLELLAN: Jim, I have no new information on that matter, and even if I
did have new information, I wouldn't be in position to share it with you,
as you know.

Q We have confirmation that he's making his appearance, so I'm just
wondering if you can tell me, not in any kind of judicial way, but if you
can tell me just in terms of its effect on the business of the
administration?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, as you know, there's a policy we have in this
administration. That policy hasn't changed. Does anyone else have questions
on this topic matter?

Q Yes, Scott, I'll jump in on that one. I think the question is just if you
can give us a comment, just the daily workings and whether this --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, my answer is what I just -- my answer is what I just
gave you. This administration remains focused on the priorities of the
American people.

Go ahead.

Q Rumsfeld is in Iraq. Did the formation of the unity government -- how
does that affect the timetable for bringing troops home? Does it bring you
a step closer to bringing them home or --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, as you make progress on the political front, it helps
to address the security front. The formation of a national unity government
is a real blow to the enemy. It's a real blow to the terrorists. A national
unity government that represents all Iraqis is an important milestone for
the Iraqi people and for the future of Iraq.

The President has talked about how this is a hopeful moment. Earlier today,
he met with a number of bipartisan House leaders. They received a briefing
from General Casey and from Ambassador Khalilzad, who were on via video
conference from Iraq. Yesterday, we had a briefing with some members of the
Senate.

Now there is still going to be violence; the violence is not going to stop
overnight. But the formation of the new government was a significant step
forward on the political process, and putting in place a government that
represents all Iraqis really helps to lay the foundation for further
political progress.

On the security front, General Casey provided an update today. There are
more than 250,000 Iraqi security forces that are trained and equipped.
There are an additional 17,000 that are in the process of being trained.
And then there's the police training. The military is really focusing on
training the police and addressing some of the problems that have been
there and spending more time on that effort, as well, over the course of
this year.

And the Iraqi forces are continuing to take more and more of the lead in
the fight. General Casey updated some of the numbers there, where we are
today, from where we were a year ago. And there is real progress being
made, in spite of some of the violence that has taken place. We saw that
the last 60 days was a tough period; there were some tough days. But the
Iraqi leaders and the Iraqi people showed once again that they reject the
terrorists and they reject those who want to turn back to the past. They
have continued to defy the terrorists every step of the way.

Q Did General Casey say that the situation was such that you might be able
to pull some people out of there?

MR. McCLELLAN: The decisions that the military is going to make is going to
be based on conditions and circumstances on the ground. We will look to our
military leaders to make those decisions. And I think our military leaders
have talked about how we have already been drawing down some troops because
there has been significant progress being made and the Iraqi security
forces are controlling more territory, they're taking more and more of the
lead in the fight.

We're there to continue to support them as they move forward so that
they'll be in position to be able to defend the Iraqi people, themselves.

We are on the path to victory. I think that the latest video and statements
from Zarqawi is another indication that the terrorists are losing. The
formation of a unity government is a real blow to their ambitions to foment
sectarian strife or civil war. And one of the Iraqi leaders I saw earlier
today talked about how the terrorists, under Zarqawi, fear the new
government because it is a government that represents all Iraqis, and it is
a blow to their ambitions to spread violence and create chaos.

Q Would you mind my going back to Rove for just one brief moment? Had Mr.
Rove alerted Josh Bolten prior to his decision to change Rove's duties here
at the White House --

MR. McCLELLAN: He already answered that. I told you I didn't have any new
information on it.

Q My question is had he notified him of today's appearance prior to the
change in his duties?

MR. McCLELLAN: That decision was made based on what I told you all
previously.

Q Scott, two questions. One, as far as this U.S.-India civilian nuclear
agreement is concerned, Dr. Malhotra, of the Indian National Congress in
the U.S. is leading the Indian American community's effort to reach those
lawmakers on the Capitol Hill. And also Ambassador Mulford is here in
Washington, U.S. Ambassador to India, and also Minister for Power, in the
Indian government, they're also lobbying for this effort. But my question
is that, is the President going to meet with lawmakers and senators like he
met on immigration?

MR. McCLELLAN: On the nuclear agreement?

Q On the nuclear agreement.

MR. McCLELLAN: He already has. In fact, when he returned from his trip, one
of the first things he did was sit down with some of the key leaders on our
foreign policy in Congress, a bipartisan group, and talked to them about
the importance of this agreement. And I think you've seen there's been very
good response from members of Congress and positive feedback about this
significant agreement.

This is an agreement that will really help us move forward on the energy
front, and help bring India -- at least its civilian nuclear programs --
under the NPT obligations for the first time. And so it's a significant
development. And it's based on a practical approach. And it's based on our
relationship with India, a country that has not engaged in proliferation.

Go ahead.

Q Second on immigration --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, let me keep going. I'll try to come back.

Q Nancy Pelosi says that having Tony Snow now behind the podium there is
not going to make much difference. What would you say to that?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think Tony Snow is going to do a great job for the
President. I saw him earlier today, and looked up at him and told him, "I
used to be your height before I started in this position." (Laughter.)

Q We'll do that for him.

MR. McCLELLAN: He's someone who brings a good outside perspective. He's got
a lot of diverse experience in the media, which will be very helpful. He's
spent 25 years in the media, the print side, the radio and TV broadcast
side of things, as well. He's also someone that's worked in the government.
And he's certainly got some strong views, and I think that's a good thing.

Q But what about specifically that point that Nancy Pelosi is making, she
thinks it's not going to be --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that Tony Snow is going to do an outstanding
job for the President. And the President looks forward to him joining the
team here shortly, and I look forward to doing all I can to help him.

Q Given the fact that you've been in this job now for almost three years,
what advice do you have for him?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I had a good conversation with him over the weekend,
and we talked about this position. And I provided him some of that advice.
And I did so in private. I look forward to continuing to provide him some
of my thoughts and insights into this position.

Go ahead.

Q Thank you. Scott, the President's four-point plan to lower the price of
gas is being criticized as merely window dressing. And most of what he
proposes will take years. Is there really anything he can do to ease the
pain now?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, the President actually yesterday talked about every
little bit can help. Now, you bring up a very good point -- the underlying
problem is that we are dependent on foreign sources of energy. We are
dependent on foreign oil. And the President made it very clear that we have
got to address that root cause of why we have high gas prices. This is
something that has been building for decades. And that's why the President
outlined a four-point plan yesterday.

We're taking a number of actions on the short run side of things because we
can provide some help. But, ultimately, this is a problem that must be
solved in a comprehensive way. And that's why the President outlined his
advanced energy initiative to really transform the way we power our cars
and homes, and lessen our dependence on foreign sources of oil -- by making
use of ethanol and hydrogen and pursuing other ways to promote alternative
sources of energy. And that's what we have to do in the long run.

In the short run, again, there are steps that we can take to help, but we
also have to continue acting on solving the root cause. This is a supply
and demand problem. We have tight supplies right now, and that's pushing
the price of gas up -- it's pushing the price of oil up, which pushes the
price of gas up. So that's why the President announced several steps that
we're taking to help address the supply side in the short-run. But this is
a problem that we see recur year after year, and it's because of our
increasing dependence on oil, particularly foreign sources of oil.

Q Scott, if domestic oil drilling was approved in ANWR, would there be any
laws in place that would say you can only sell it to the American public
and that the big oil companies could not sell that oil to the highest
bidder in China, or India -- because if the free market system worked, it
wouldn't relieve the prices at the pumps for Americans.

MR. McCLELLAN: It would be one step that could help. In fact, it passed a
decade ago, but the President's predecessor vetoed the ANWR legislation. It
would have opened up a small part of ANWR to environmentally-responsible --
or environmentally-sensitive drilling. And we have a lot of new
technologies that we can use to minimize any impact. And it would only be
on a small portion of that area.

Q No, but the question --

MR. McCLELLAN: And so if you couple that with other steps that you're
taking, you would have more supply available, and that would help address
high gas prices. Now, many Democrats have opposed those efforts to expand
domestic production. The President believes that while we're working to
invest in new technologies and promote alternative sources of energy, we
also need to be expanding domestic production. And we can do so with
respect for our environment, particularly with new technologies that are
available to us in this day and age. And there would have been a
significant amount of additional oil that would be available today if that
had been signed into law.

Q What's to prevent oil companies drilling in ANWR to extract that oil and
sell it to China and India, rather than keep it --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you bring up a very good point, over the long haul,
that -- I mean, there is increasing demand for oil, particularly coming
from countries like China and India. That's why we have to address the
underlying problem, which is our dependence and our addiction to oil, as
the President has talked about. It's not a solution, but it's one of the
steps we can take, that it can have a more immediate impact in the short
run.

Q Going back to Karl Rove, was the decision made it was potentially too
embarrassing to keep him in the position of the policy portfolio, as well
as the politics portfolio, and that that was why he was moved out of it --
knowing that these grand jury appearances and what might follow was coming
up?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, he remains very involved in the policy
aspect of things. I have made that very clear. And the reasons why the
decision was made, in terms of now having three deputy chiefs of staff, as
opposed to previously, when we had two, were for the reasons that I talked
to you about on that very day.

Q Coming back to the trip tomorrow, is the President going to talk about
the supplemental spending bill, to which other things have become attached,
and his objections --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I don't think he necessarily has formal remarks. I'm
sure you all will hear from him while he's down there participating in
volunteer projects, both in Louisiana and in Mississippi. We put out a
statement of administration policy. It's something that we worked on with
Senate leaders, and that policy says that the cap for the emergency
spending legislation ought to be at $92.2 billion, excluding any funding
for pandemic influenza. Now, we put, I think, $2.3 billion in our '07
budget for pandemic influenza preparedness, and we would be fine with that
being included in the emergency spending.

But it's important that Congress move forward on the emergency spending and
get it passed as quickly as possible, because it provides important
resources, vital resources, for our troops who are waging the war on
terrorism abroad, and important funding for the Gulf Coast recovery and
rebuilding efforts.

The President, this afternoon, is going to be participating, or hosting a
meeting to talk with his key leaders about where we are on the recovery and
rebuilding efforts and the progress that we've made, as well as looking
ahead to the additional steps that we're taking.

Q Scott, can I follow? Can you tell us anything about the specific stops
tomorrow?

MR. McCLELLAN: These are considered OTR, so we'll keep you posted as we get
down there.

Go ahead, Les.

Q Scott, a two-part.

MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on, you've got two parts. Let me go to Carl, he has one
part. (Laughter.)

Q Just to follow up on the question -- how did the administration plan to
combat the perception that it's against spending more to support the
troops?

MR. McCLELLAN: This President has made sure that our troops are fully
funded. If you look at our defense budgets, they have significantly
increased under this administration, because we are trying to accomplish
two things. One, we're working to win the war on terrorism, and we are
winning. But this is a long struggle that we're engaged in, and we've got
to continue to stay on the offensive and take the fight to the enemy, and
that's exactly what we are doing.

And, two, we have passed a number of emergency spending bills during this
time of war to make sure our troops have everything they need to carry out
that war and to protect and defend themselves. So I think all you have to
--

Q So the --

MR. McCLELLAN: Wait -- I think all you have to do is look at the record. We
also have a defense appropriations that is going before Congress. And we
have called for additional increases in the defense spending, while holding
the line on spending elsewhere in our budget, because that is a top
priority item. The number one priority for this President is the safety and
security of the American people, and that means continuing to take the
fight to the enemy abroad, to win the war on terrorism.

Q But the advocates of additional spending --

MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, a three-part question. (Laughter.)

Q But the advocates of additional spending say that it's necessary to
support the troops in this way. So is the White House's position that, in
fact, that spending is either unnecessary or wasteful?

MR. McCLELLAN: Look, I think that we share a goal of making sure our troops
have everything they need as they carry out the war on terrorism. And we
have met that commitment and we will continue to do so. And that's why they
need to move forward and pass this emergency spending legislation, and move
forward and meet the President's priorities for the Defense Department that
we outlined in our budget.

Go ahead.

Q Scott, a two-part. A citizen project affiliated with the Minutemen Civil
Defense Corps has announced that it is planning to build a physical fence
along virtually the entire expanse of the U.S.-Mexico border. Since the
federal government is reluctant to do the job itself, the group also says
the fence, which is modeled after Israel's security fences in the West Bank
and Gaza, will cost them about 1/400 of what it would cost the government
to put up the same fence.

And my question, would the President support such an effort if it costs the
government nothing in labor or material, if it stemmed the massive flow of
illegal immigrants daily crossing our southern border?

MR. McCLELLAN: I have not seen what they have said, but what we are doing
-- let me tell you what we are doing. We are deploying new technologies
along the border to stop people from entering this country illegally. We
are ending the catch and release program and moving to a catch and return
program. The President has called on Congress to add more manpower -- that
means more Border Patrol agents.

We've already added a significant number since the President has been in
office, to deploy new technology along the border, such as infrared cameras
and motion sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles, and also to work to
strengthen the infrastructure along the border, as well, with some
state-of-the art fencing in some of the urban areas where we have already
put some state of the art fencing in some of those urban areas. And there's
some areas where we might need to put some additional fencing. The
President has talked about that.

Q The fact that Tony Snow is now, as I understand it, a talk radio host,
means that the President --

MR. McCLELLAN: You were not considered, Les. (Laughter.)

Q -- recognizes that talk radio is, along with the Internet, America's new
major media thrust, replacing most newspapers and old liberal TV and
magazines, doesn't it? (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: I think it's healthy to have a diversity of viewpoints from
within the media.

Q The Washington Post reported on Sunday that according to intelligence
officials the White House has recently been asking the CIA questions about
the political affiliations of some of its senior intelligence officers. Has
the CIA been complying with the White House's requests?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know anything about that report. Maybe I missed it
when we were in California.

Peter, go ahead.

Q Scott, as the President heads down to the Gulf Coast area tomorrow, what
does he think are the biggest challenges still facing the region, and
challenges facing the government?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think to some extent it's different in Mississippi
from Louisiana. And to another extent, there are similar issues that we're
continuing to deal with -- continuing to support the rebuilding efforts and
help people get back on their property and rebuild their homes. The debris
removal, there's a lot of progress that has been made in Mississippi.
There's good progress that's been made in Louisiana, but there's much still
to do in terms of the debris removal.

So we've got to continue to support the people along the Gulf Coast. The
President is going to be hearing more about where we are in some of these
efforts, and I'm sure asking a lot of questions, to make sure that we're
doing everything we can from the federal level to work with the states and
local communities to help them as they rebuild those communities.

Q Is he frustrated with the pace?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, this was a hurricane of unprecedented proportions. And
it was a catastrophic natural disaster, one like we haven't seen before,
that covered a large area of the Gulf Coast, some 90,000 square miles of
devastation. And so I think you have to look at in perspective. It's going
to take some time to fully rebuild the Gulf Coast region.

But the President has made it very clear that the federal government is
going to do its part to help. We have a responsibility to do so, and we are
going to meet that responsibility. And that's why the President has
provided well over $80 billion already allocated in funding to help with
those rebuilding efforts. We've asked for an additional, I believe it's
more than $19 billion in the emergency spending legislation.

So we're talking about providing already over more than $100 billion in
funding from the federal level to help with those efforts. And we've worked
to expedite the process in terms of loans from the small business
administration. We immediately worked to get assistance to people in the
region, cash assistance because of the unprecedented nature of this
hurricane. And there's much more work to do.

But it is something we have remained focused on, on a daily basis. And
that's why the President tapped Don Powell, the chairman of the FDIC, to
coordinate our recovery efforts under the direction of Secretary Chertoff.

Q One more related question. As you may know, House Republicans are
debating whether to keep FEMA under Homeland Security or to return it to an
independent status. What's the administration's current thinking?

MR. McCLELLAN: Our view hasn't changed, and we support it being where it
is. And there's a number of steps I think that you will want to go back to,
that the Department of Homeland Security has taken to strengthen FEMA and
improve its response efforts.

Go ahead.

Q Scott, is the role and scope of the Press Secretary's job going to be
fine tuned or changed at all with the change, or is it status quo?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think any Press Secretary brings their own unique
style and perspectives to the position. And so I think that if there are
any changes to announce, Tony will do that as he gets in here and starts to
begin his work. And so I think those are questions best directed to him.

Q What is your unique style? (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: Putting up with you. (Laughter.)

Q Scott, many of the North Korean defectors at the U.S. Embassy in China,
they want to come to United States. Do you have anything on that, that what
kind of legal process going on --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry? What kind of legal process is going on?

Q Yes.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there are legal processes in place for addressing
those issues. Certainly, when it comes to the humanitarian situation in
North Korea, we are very concerned about the plight of the North Korean
people and the suffering that they face under this regime that is in power.
We've spoken out about that many times.

It is a very high priority for the President, something he brings attention
to. Every time he sits down and meets with a world leader, he brings this
subject up, because this is a repressive regime that is violating people's
human rights, and it's a situation that the President believes the world
should not tolerate. And we will continue calling attention to it. And we
will continue to do what we can to help those people.

Go ahead, Rick.

Q Scott, two questions. First, Iran is threatening -- or is saying it
intends to share its nuclear knowledge with other countries, which I guess
could be in violation of the NPT. How can we view that particular threat?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think Secretary Rice spoke about it yesterday. She
talked about such comments and threats only further isolate the regime and
the people of Iran from the rest of the world. We are pursuing a diplomatic
solution to prevent the regime from having a nuclear weapon know-how,
capability, or weapon.

This is a regime that continues to defy the international community. It
continues to ignore and refuses to abide by its obligations. The Security
Council, the United Nations, and the Board of the International Atomic
Energy Agency has called on Iran to take specific steps, to come clean and
to comply with its obligations. This is a regime that continues to further
isolate itself from the rest of the world, by its statements, by its
threats, and by its actions.

And that is why we are working with other members of the Security Council,
it's why we are working with friends and allies, to make sure that action
is taken on the diplomatic front to prevent this regime from obtaining
nuclear weapons or nuclear weapon know-how.

And the proliferation issue that you bring up, or concern that you bring up
only further increases the concern of the international community about
this regime's intentions.

Q Well, so far there's all this great concern everywhere. Every week,
people are wringing their hands in concern over Iran. And there's always
the diplomatic methods being pursued, but they don't seem to be getting
anywhere. And if anything, Iran --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Secretary Rice has talked about looking at a chapter
seven resolution under the Security Council so that we will have more
diplomatic tools available to us to pressure the regime to change its
behavior. And we remain engaged in discussions. The Security Council --
remember, this matter moved from the Board of the International Atomic
Energy Agency to the United Nations Security Council.

The Security Council put out a very strong presidential statement, asked
for a report back from the Secretary General of the International Atomic
Energy Agency. That is coming later this week. I think it's pretty clear
what that report is going to say, which is that this is a regime that is in
noncompliance with its obligations, this is a regime that is not abiding by
the agreement it made with the Europeans to suspend all its enrichment and
enrichment-related activities.

And that's why we have said it is time to act and look at what other tools
are at our disposal to force this regime to change its behavior.

Q One last question. Given its threat or hinting that it may use oil as a
weapon if sanctions are imposed and so forth, what extra steps has the
United States taken on its own or with its allies in the Gulf to protect
the Straits of --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, this is a problem that the regime has with the
international community, with the world. So we are working with all our
partners in the international community to address the threat posed by this
regime and address this regime's pursuit of nuclear weapons under the cover
of a civilian program. And those are discussions we continue to have with
our friends and allies and with members of the Security Council.

Q Scott, a question about the polls. On many occasions you've told us that
the President does not lean on or base his decision-making --

MR. McCLELLAN: Doesn't make decision based on polls.

Q On polls, right. But I'm wondering, with many poll and approval numbers
stuck in the 30s for the President, I'm just wondering, do these issues
come up at the senior staff meeting? What does it do for morale for the
advisors working with the President?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think there are a number of important priorities
that the American people are concerned about, and they are priorities that
we are acting on. I think the American people are looking at what is taking
place in Iraq, and they see the violence that has taken place. But now they
also see that the Iraqi leaders and the Iraqi people have come together and
formed a government of national unity that is representative of all Iraqis,
so this really puts forward a hopeful moment for us to move forward in
Iraq, and continue to support the Iraqi leaders and the Iraqi people.

The Iraqi people have shown at the polls time and time again that they are
determined to chart their own future, that they want to live in freedom.

Other issues that I think the American people are concerned about are high
gas prices, are rising health care cost. That's why we're acting to address
those issues, as well. We've taken steps on both those fronts, but there's
more that we need to do.

Now, we have a very strong economy. One thing you didn't point out is that
consumer confidence is at a four-year high. The numbers came out just
yesterday. We've seen more than 5.1 million jobs created since August of
2003; the unemployment rate down to 4.7 percent. So there is a lot of good
economic news out there. But high energy prices and rising health care
costs do put a strain on family budgets. And that's why we need to continue
to address those issues.

Q So are you saying the poll numbers -- whether positive or negative --
don't have any impact?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm saying we'll leave the political analysis to everybody
else. What we're going to keep doing is focusing on the priorities the
American people care most about. They're priorities that they share with
the President of the United States. And we are acting, and we are getting
things done. We have a record of accomplishment. And this President is
determined in the remaining thousand days of this presidency to continue to
get things done for the American people, and continue to build a more
prosperous America, and make the world a safer place.

Q The President is going down to the Gulf area, and there has been some
discussion that people who are now back in Ward 9, trying to rebuild their
homes, and that they have not gotten access to -- whether it's bottled
water or whatever -- supplies, sort of may be because they don't want
people to rebuild in Ward 9, so that's sort of part one. What's the
President's position about rebuilding Ward 9?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we just revisited that area not long ago, and they're
working away on the levees and repairing those levees in that area. There
are a number of volunteers -- in fact, we saw it on one of our most recent
visits down there, there are a number of volunteers that are working in
that area to help clear the debris and to help people rebuild their homes
in that area.

In terms of the President's view, the President's view is that it needs to
be a locally inspired vision for the city of New Orleans. And that's why he
looks to those leaders to develop the plan, and then we are there to
support them as they move forward on that plan.

Q And secondly on again, the same Gulf area, the insurance industry is not
federally regulated, but there have been a lot of problems with the
insurance agencies and the insurance companies. Has the President had any
private conversations, or even group conversations with some of the
insurance companies?

MR. McCLELLAN: He's had numerous conversations with leaders in the region,
and with people in the region about those issues. If you're talking about
flood insurance and whether it's wind or water damage that was caused,
that's something this President has been talking about from the very
beginning and visiting with officials about, and that leaders in the area
have made a priority and been working to address, as well.

And also you look at the cash assistance we've provided, and the loans
we've provided, and the way we've worked to speed that process up to help
in those efforts, and the community development block grants that we've
provided so that those leaders in those areas can help address some of
these issues.

Connie, go ahead.

Q Just a personal question, just wondering how you're feeling today with
this transition, what your plans are for the future? What do you want to do
when you grow up?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't think today is the day to get into all the
reflecting. It's not the couch trip day yet. I'm still here for another
week and a half, two weeks, and I think we can talk about that as I start
walking out the door. Right now I just see the door. But I'm looking
forward to it. My wife is looking forward to it, as well. In all our time
together, it has only been in this position, so we're looking forward to
starting that next chapter in our life together, and spending a little more
time with her.

Q Thank you.

MR. McCLELLAN: Thank you.

12:50 P.M. EDT

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