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Skriven 2006-10-11 23:32:36 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0610115) for Wed, 2006 Oct 11
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Press Conference by the President
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 11, 2006

Press Conference by the President
The Rose Garden

President's Remarks view


11:01 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Before I take your questions I'd like to discuss
a couple subjects. First I want to briefly mention that today we've
released the actual budget numbers for the fiscal year that ended on
September the 30th. These numbers show that we have now achieved our goal
of cutting the federal budget deficit in half, and we've done it three
years ahead of schedule. The budget numbers are proof that pro-growth
economic policies work. By restraining spending in Washington and allowing
Americans to keep more of what they earn, the economy is creating jobs and
reducing the deficit and making our nation a more prosperous nation for all
our citizens.

I'm going to talk about the pro-growth economic policies that helped bring
about the dramatic reduction in the deficit this afternoon, and I'm going
to remind our fellow citizens that good tax policy has a lot to do with
keeping the economy strong, and therefore, we'll continue to urge the
Congress to make the tax cuts permanent.

I also want to talk about the unfolding situation in North Korea. Earlier
this week, the government of North Korea proclaimed to the world that it
had conducted a successful nuclear test. The United States is working to
confirm North Korea's claim, but this claim, itself, constitutes a threat
to international peace and stability.

In response to North Korea's actions, we're working with our partners in
the region and the United Nations Security Council to ensure there are
serious repercussions for the regime in Pyongyang. I've spoken with other
world leaders, including Japan, China, South Korea, and Russia. We all
agree that there must be a strong Security Council resolution that will
require North Korea to abide by its international commitments to dismantle
its nuclear programs. This resolution should also specify a series of
measures to prevent North Korea from exporting nuclear or missile
technologies, and prevent financial transactions or asset transfers that
would help North Korea develop its nuclear and missile capabilities.

Last year, North Korea agreed to a path to a better future for its people
in the six-party talks -- September of last year. We had an agreement with
North Korea. It came about in the form of what we call the six-party joint
statement. It offered the prospect for normalized relations with both Japan
and the United States. It talked about economic cooperation in energy,
trade and investment. In that joint statement, North Korea committed to
abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, and to
adhering to the Treaty on Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to IAEA
safeguards. They agreed.

The United States affirmed that we have no nuclear weapons on the Korean
Peninsula. We affirmed that we have no intention of attacking North Korea.
With its actions this week, North Korea has once again chosen to reject the
prospect for a better future offered by the six-party joint statement.
Instead, it has opted to raise tensions in the region.

I'm pleased that the nations in the region are making clear to North Korea
what is at stake. I thank China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia for their
strong statements of condemnation of North Korea's actions. Peace on the
Korean Peninsula requires that these nations send a clear message to
Pyongyang that its actions will not be tolerated, and I appreciate their
leadership.

The United States remains committed to diplomacy. The United States also
reserves all options to defend our friends and our interests in the region
against the threats from North Korea. So, in response to North Korea's
provocation, we'll increase defense cooperation with our allies, including
cooperation on ballistic missile defense to protect against North Korean
aggression, and cooperation to prevent North Korea from exporting nuclear
and missile technologies.

Our goals remain clear: peace and security in Northeast Asia and a
nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. We will take the necessary actions to
achieve these goals. We will work with the United Nations. We'll support
our allies in the region. And together, we will ensure that North Korea
understands the consequences if it continues down its current path.

I'd like to discuss the latest developments in Iraq. This morning I just
had a meeting with Secretary Rumsfeld and General George Casey, who is in
town today. General Casey, as you know, is the top commander on the ground
in Iraq. The brutality of Iraq's enemies has been on full display in recent
days. Earlier this week, Deputy President Tariq al-Hashimi lost his
brother, Major General Hashimi, when gunmen dressed in police uniforms
broke into his house and shot him in the head. Only a few months ago, his
sister and other brother were assassinated. On behalf of the United States,
I express my heartfelt condolences to the al-Hashimi family. And we express
our condolences to all those who've suffered at the hands of these brutal
killers.

The situation is difficult in Iraq, no question about it. The violence is
being caused by a combination of terrorists, elements of former regime
criminals and sectarian militias. Attacks and casualties have risen during
the Ramadan period. A rise in violence has occurred every Ramadan period in
the last three years.

Attacks and casualties have also increased recently because our forces are
confronting the enemy in Baghdad and in other parts of Iraq. The past
weekend, U.S. and Iraqi forces engaged militias -- or members of an illegal
militia -- during a mission to capture a high-value target. The reason I
bring this up is that we're on the move. We're taking action. We're helping
this young democracy succeed. The reasons we went after the illegal militia
was to capture a man responsible for killing many innocent Iraqis, and we
accomplished that mission. Our troops have increased their presence on the
streets of Baghdad, and together with Iraqi forces, they're working to
ensure that terrorists and death squads cannot intimidate the local
population and operate murder rings.

Amid the violence, important political developments are also taking place.
The Iraqi legislature reached a compromise and set up a process for
addressing the difficult issues of federalism and constitutional reform. In
addition, the government of Prime Minister Maliki has taken three important
steps to build confidence in his government and in the Iraqi security
forces. First, Prime Minister Maliki announced a plan to bring together
Sunni and Shia parties and stop sectarian violence. The Prime Minister's
plan has received support from every major political group in Iraq,
including some hard-line Sunni elements that chose not to join the unity
government. Among the steps the Prime Minister announced is a new system of
local and neighborhood committees, made up of both Sunni and Shia members,
that will work directly with Iraqi security forces to resolve tensions and
stop sectarian strife.

Second, this past weekend Prime Minister Maliki met with tribal leaders
from the Anbar Province. These tribal leaders told him they've had enough
of the terrorists seeking to control the Sunni heartland, and they're ready
to stand up and fight al Qaeda. The Prime Minister told them that he
welcomed their support and would help them.

Third, Prime Minister Maliki's government suspended the Eighth Brigade,
Second Division of the national police after learning that this unit was
not intervening to stop sectarian violence in and around Baghdad. This
police brigade has been decertified by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior; it's
been removed from service; it's now being reviewed and retrained. With this
action, the Iraqi government has made clear it's not going to tolerate the
infiltration of the Iraqi security forces by militias and sectarian
interests.

The reason I bring this up, these examples up, is that there's a political
process that's going forward, and it's the combination of security and a
political process that will enable the United States to achieve our
objective, which is an Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself, defend
itself, and be an ally in this war on terror.

Iraq's government -- Iraq's democratic government is just four months old.
Yet, in the face of terrorist threats and sectarian violence, Iraq's new
leaders are beginning to make tough choices. And as they make these tough
decisions, we'll stand with them, we'll help them. It's in our interests
that Iraq succeed.

I fully understand the American people are seeing unspeakable violence on
their TV screens. These are tough times in Iraq. The enemy is doing
everything within its power to destroy the government and to drive us out
of the Middle East, starting with driving us out of Iraq before the mission
is done. The stakes are high. As a matter of fact, they couldn't be higher.
If we were to abandon that country before the Iraqis can defend their young
democracy the terrorists would take control of Iraq and establish a new
safe haven from which to launch new attacks on America. How do I know that
would happen? Because that's what the enemy has told us would happen.
That's what they have said. And as Commander-in-Chief of the United States
military, and as a person working to secure this country, I take the words
of the enemy very seriously, and so should the American people.

We can't tolerate a new terrorist state in the heart of the Middle East,
with large oil reserves that could be used to fund its radical ambitions,
or used to inflict economic damage on the West. By helping the Iraqis build
a democracy -- an Iraqi-style democracy -- we will deal a major blow to
terrorists and extremists, we'll bring hope to a troubled region, and we'll
make this country more secure.

With that, I'll take some questions, starting with Terry Hunt.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Democrats say that North Korea's reported test
shows that your policy has been a failure, that you got bogged down in Iraq
where there were no weapons of mass destruction while North Korea was
moving ahead with a bomb. Is your administration to blame for letting North
Korea get this far?

THE PRESIDENT: North Korea has been trying to acquire bombs and weapons for
a long period of time, long before I came into office. And it's a threat
that we've got to take seriously, and we do, of course.

In 1994, the government -- our government -- entered into a bilateral
arrangement with the North Koreans that worked to make sure that they don't
have the capacity to develop a bomb, and North Korea agreed that there
would be no program whatsoever toward the development of a weapon. And yet,
we came into office and discovered that they were developing a program,
unbeknownst to the folks with whom they signed the agreement, the United
States government. And we confronted them with that evidence and they
admitted it was true, and then left the agreement that they had signed with
the U.S. government.

And my point -- and then I -- as I mentioned in my opening statement, we,
once again, had North Korea at the table -- this time with other parties at
the table -- and they agreed once again, through this statement as a result
of the six-party talks, to verifiably show that they weren't advancing a
nuclear weapons program. And they chose again to leave. And my point to you
is that it's the intransigence of the North Korean leader that speaks
volumes about the process. It is his unwillingness to choose a way forward
for his country -- a better way forward for his country. It is his
decisions. And what's changed since then is that we now have other parties
at the table who have made it clear to North Korea that they share the same
goals of the United States, which is a nuclear weapons-free peninsula.

Obviously, I'm listening very carefully to this debate. I can remember the
time when it was said that the Bush administration goes it alone too often
in the world, which I always thought was a bogus claim to begin with. And
now all of a sudden people are saying, the Bush administration ought to be
going alone with North Korea. But it didn't work in the past is my point.
The strategy did not work. I learned a lesson from that and decided that
the best way to convince Kim Jong-il to change his mind on a nuclear
weapons program is to have others send the same message.

And so, in my phone calls that I recently made right after the test, I
lamented the fact that he had tested to Hu Jintao, and also lamented the
fact that Hu Jintao had publicly asked him not to test. I talked to the
South Korean President, and I said, it ought to be clear to us now that we
must continue to work together to make it abundantly clear to the leader in
North Korea that there's a better way forward. When he walks away from
agreement, he's not just walking away from a table with the United States
as the only participant; he's walking away from a table that others are
sitting at.

And my point to you is, in order to solve this diplomatically, the United
States and our partners must have a strong diplomatic hand, and you have a
better diplomatic hand with others sending the message than you do when
you're alone. And so, obviously, I made the decision that the bilateral
negotiations wouldn't work, and the reason I made that decision is because
they didn't. And we'll continue to work to come up with a diplomatic
solution in North Korea.

This is a serious issue. But I want to remind our fellow citizens that the
North Korea issue was serious for years. And I also remind our citizens
that we want to make sure that we solve this problem diplomatically. We've
got to give every effort to do so. But in my discussions with our partners,
I reassured them that the security agreements we have with them will be
enforced if need be, and that's in particular to South Korea and Japan.

Terry. I mean -- you're not Terry. You're Steve.

Q Thank you very much, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: -- insult, I know.

Q Senator Warner says Iraq appears to be drifting sideways, and James Baker
says a change in strategy may be needed. Are you willing to acknowledge
that a change may be needed?

THE PRESIDENT: Steve, we're constantly changing tactics to achieve a
strategic goal. Our strategic goal is a country which can defend itself,
sustain itself, and govern itself. The strategic goal is to help this young
democracy succeed in a world in which extremists are trying to intimidate
rational people in order to topple moderate governments and to extend a
caliphate.

The stakes couldn't be any higher, as I said earlier, in the world in which
we live. There are extreme elements that use religion to achieve
objectives. And they want us to leave, and they want us to -- and they want
to topple government. They want to extend an ideological caliphate that is
-- has no concept of liberty inherent in their beliefs. They want to
control oil resources, and they want to plot and plan and attack us again.
That's their objectives. And so -- and our strategic objective is to
prevent them from doing that. And we're constantly changing tactics to
achieve that objective.

And I appreciate Senator Warner going over there and taking a look. I want
you to notice what he did say is, if the plan is now not working -- the
plan that's in place isn't working, America needs to adjust. I completely
agree. That's what I talk to General Casey about. I said, General, the
Baghdad security plan is in its early implementation. I support you
strongly, but if you come into this office and say we need to do something
differently, I support you. If you need more troops, I support you. If
you're going to devise a new strategy, we're with you, because I trust
General Casey to make the judgments necessary to put the tactics in place
to help us achieve an objective.

And I appreciate Jimmy Baker willingness to -- he and Lee Hamilton are
putting this -- have got a group they put together that I think was
Congressman Wolf's suggestion -- or passing the law. We supported the idea.
I think it's good to have some of our elder statesmen -- I hate to call
Baker an elder statesmen -- but to go over there and take a look, and to
come back and make recommendations. Somebody said he said, well, you know,
cut-and-run isn't working. That's not our policy. Our policy is to help
this country succeed, because I understand the stakes. I'm going to repeat
them one more time. As a matter of fact, I'm going to spend a lot of time
repeating the stakes about what life is like in the Middle East.

It is conceivable that there will be a world in which radical forms,
extreme forms of religion fight each other for influence in the Middle
East, in which they've got the capacity to use oil as an economic weapon.
And when you throw in the mix a nuclear weapon in the hands of a sworn
enemy of the United States, you begin to see an environment that would
cause some later on in history to look back and say, how come they couldn't
see the problem? What happened to them in the year 2006? Why weren't they
able to see the problems now and deal with them before it came too late,
Steve?

And so Iraq is an important part of dealing with this problem. And my vow
to the American people is I understand the stakes, and I understand what it
would mean for us to leave before the job is done. And I look forward to
listening how -- what Jimmy Baker and Lee Hamilton say about how to get the
job -- I appreciate them working on this issue because I think they
understand what I know, and the stakes are high.

And the stakes are high when it comes to developing a Palestinian state so
that Israel can live at peace. And the stakes are high when it comes to
making sure the young democracy of Lebanon is able to fend off the
extremists and radicals that want to crater that democracy.

This is the real challenge of the 21st century. I like to tell people we're
in an ideological struggle. And it's a struggle between extremists and
radicals and people of moderation who want to simply live a peaceful life.
And the calling of this country and in this century is whether or not we
will help the forces of moderation prevail. That's the fundamental question
facing the United States of America -- beyond my presidency. And you can
tell I made my choice. And I made my choice because the most solemn duty of
the American President and government is to protect this country from harm.

Martha. I'm sure it was a profound follow-up. Okay.

Q Can we go back to North Korea, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: Please.

Q You talk about failures of the past administration with the policy
towards North Korea. Again, how can you say your policy is more successful,
given that North Korea has apparently tested a nuclear weapon? And also if
you wouldn't mind, what is the red line for North Korea, given what has
happened over the past few months?

THE PRESIDENT: My point was bilateral negotiations didn't work. I
appreciate the efforts of previous administrations. It just didn't work.
And therefore, I thought it was important to change how we approached the
problem so that we could solve it diplomatically. And I firmly believe that
with North Korea and with Iran that it is best to deal with these regimes
with more than one voice. Because I understand how it works. What ends up
happening is, is that we say to a country such as North Korea, here's a
reasonable way forward; they try to extract more at the negotiating table,
or they've got a different objective, and then they go and say, wait a
minute, the United States is being unreasonable. They make a threat. They
could -- they say the world is about to fall apart because of the United
States' problem. And all of a sudden, we become the issue.

But the United States' message to North Korea and Iran and the people in
both countries is that we have -- we want to solve issues peacefully. We
said there's a better way forward for you. Here's a chance, for example, to
help your country economically. And all you got to do is verifiably show
that you -- in Iran's case, that you suspended your weapons program; and in
North Korea's case, that you've got international safeguards on your
program -- which they agreed to, by the way.

And so my point is, is that -- to the American people -- I say, look, we
want to solve this diplomatically. It's important for the President to say
to the American people, diplomacy is what -- is our first choice, and that
I've now outlined a strategy. And I think it is a hopeful sign that China
is now a integral partner in helping North Korea understand that it's just
not the United States speaking to them.

And it's an important sign to North Korea that South Korea, a country which
obviously is deeply concerned about North Korean activities -- South Korea
is a partner, and that if North Korea decides that they don't like what's
being said, they're not just stiffing the United States -- I don't know if
that's a diplomatic word, or not -- but they're sending a message to
countries in the neighborhood that they really don't care what other
countries think, which leads to further isolation. And when we get a U.N.
Security Council resolution, it will help us deal with issues like
proliferation and his ability -- 'he' being Kim Jong-il's -- ability to
attract money to continue to develop his programs.

Q What about the red line, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, the world has made it clear that these tests caused us
to come together and work in the United Nations to send a clear message to
the North Korean regime. We're bound up together with a common strategy to
solve this issue peacefully through diplomatic means.

Kevin.

Q Thank you, Mr. President --

THE PRESIDENT: If I might say, that is a beautiful suit.

Q Thank you, sir. My tailor appreciates that.

THE PRESIDENT: And I can't see anybody else that even comes close.
(Laughter.)

Q Thank you very much. I'll be happy to pass along my tailor's number if
you'd like that, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: I'll take that back. I will recognize that -- please.

Q On May 23, 2003, sir, you said -- you effectively drew a line in the
sand. You said, "We will not tolerate a nuclear North Korea." And yet now
it appears that they have crossed that line. And I'm wondering what now,
sir, do you say to both the American people and the international community
vis-…-vis what has happened over the last 48 hours?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I appreciate that, and I think it's very important for
the American people and North Korea to understand that that statement still
stands, and that one way to make sure that we're able to achieve our
objective is to have other people join us in making it clear to North Korea
that they share that objective. And that's what's changed. That's what's
changed over a relatively quick period of time. It used to be that the
United States would say that, and that would be kind of a stand-alone
statement. Now, when that statement is said, there are other nations in the
neighborhood saying it.

And so we'll give diplomacy a chance to work. It is very important for us
to solve these problems diplomatically. And I thank the leaders of --
listen, when I call them on the phone, we're strategizing. This isn't, oh,
please stand up and say something; this is, how can we continue to work
together to solve this problem. And that is a substantial change, Kevin,
from the previous times.

Suzanne. First best dressed person here. Sorry.

Q Kevin and I coordinated.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. He actually looks --

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Back on Iraq. A group of American and Iraqi
health officials today released a report saying that 655,000 Iraqis have
died since the Iraq war. That figure is 20 times the figure that you cited
in December, at 30,000. Do you care to amend or update your figure, and do
you consider this a credible report?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I don't consider it a credible report. Neither does
General Casey and neither do Iraqi officials. I do know that a lot of
innocent people have died, and that troubles me and it grieves me. And I
applaud the Iraqis for their courage in the face of violence. I am amazed
that this is a society which so wants to be free that they're willing to --
that there's a level of violence that they tolerate. And it's now time for
the Iraqi government to work hard to bring security in neighborhoods so
people can feel at peace.

No question, it's violent, but this report is one -- they put it out
before, it was pretty well -- the methodology was pretty well discredited.
But I talk to people like General Casey and, of course, the Iraqi
government put out a statement talking about the report.

Q -- the 30,000, Mr. President? Do you stand by your figure, 30,000?

THE PRESIDENT: You know, I stand by the figure. A lot of innocent people
have lost their life -- 600,000, or whatever they guessed at, is just --
it's not credible. Thank you.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Since you last held a news conference here in
the Rose Garden, about a month ago, Republicans across the country have
seen races that were once safe tighten, with the tide turning, according to
several polls, towards the Democrats. Understanding that you don't lead by
looking at polls --

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, sir, thank you. Finally.

Q -- as you've said many times, are you still confident Republicans will
hold the House and the Senate?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I am.

Q If so, why? And do you believe that the biggest drag on the Republican
Party is the situation in Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: I believe that the situation in Iraq is, no question, tough
on the American psyche, like I said I think at this very spot last time I
faced the press corps. And it's serious business. Look, the American people
want to know, can we win -- that's what they want to know -- and do we have
a plan to win. There are some who say, get out, it's not worth it. And
those are some of the voices, by the way, in the Democrat Party. Certainly
not all Democrats, but some of the loud voices in the party say, get out.

And so, no question this is an issue, but so is the economy. And I believe
there'll be -- I still stand by my prediction, we'll have a Republican
Speaker and a Republican leader of the Senate. And the reason I say that is
because I believe the two biggest issues in this campaign are, one, the
economy. And the economy is growing. The national unemployment rate is 4.6
percent. We've just discovered, as the result of analyzing new data, that
we added 6.6 million new jobs since August of 2003. Gas prices are down.
Tax cuts are working.

And there's a difference of opinion in the campaign about taxes, and we
will keep them low. Matter of fact, I would like to keep the -- make the
tax cuts we pass permanent. And the Democrats will raise taxes. Now, I know
they say only on rich people, but that's -- in my judgment, having been
around here long enough to know, it's just code word. They're going to
raise them on whoever they can raise them on.

And then, on security, the American people know that our biggest job is to
protect this country from further attack, and -- because they know there's
an enemy that still plots and plans. And there is. There is. Recently we
learned that when British intelligence and U.S. intelligence -- with our
help -- broke up a plot to get on airplanes and blow them up, the planes
that were going to fly from Great Britain to here. And they want to know --
'they' the people -- want to know what are we doing to protect them.

There have been some votes on the floor of the Senate and the House that
make it abundantly clear we just have a different view of the world. The
vast majority of Democrats voted against a program that would enable us to
interrogate high-value detainees. That was the vote. It's wide open for
everybody to see: Should a CIA program go forward, or not go forward. The
vast majority of Democrats in the House voted against a program that would
have institutionalized the capacity of this government to listen to al
Qaeda phone calls or al Qaeda affiliate phone calls coming from outside the
country to inside the country.

It's very important for our fellow citizens to recognize that I don't
question anybody's patriotism, but I do question a strategy that says we
can't give those on the front line of fighting terror the tools necessary
to fight terror. I believe that in order to defend America we must take a
threat seriously and defeat an enemy overseas so we don't have to face them
here. I don't believe we can wait to respond after attack has occurred.

And so I think these are the two biggest issues, Brett. And Iraq is a part
of the war on terror. Now, I recognize Democrats say that's not the case,
and what I say to the American people when I am out there is, all you got
to do is listen to what Osama bin Laden says. Don't believe me that it's a
part of the war on terror; listen to the enemy, or listen to Mr. Zawahiri,
the number two of al Qaeda, both of whom made it clear that Iraq is central
in their plans. And I firmly believe that the American people understand
that this is different from other war because in this war if we were to
leave early before the job is done, the enemy will follow us here.

And so I believe, Brett, that we'll maintain control because we're on the
right side of the economic issue and the security issue.

Let's see. Yes, sir, Mr. NPR. Welcome to the front row. Yes, it's good.

Q Thank you. It's good to be here. Appreciate it. Following up on that
answer, one of the things Democrats complain about is the way you portray
their position --

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, really?

Q -- in wanting to fight the war on terror. They would say you portray it
as either they support exactly what you want to do, or they want to do
nothing. We hear it in some of your speeches. Is it fair to portray it to
the American people that way?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think it's fair to use the words of the people in
Congress or their votes. The vote was on the Hamdan legislation: Do you
want to continue a program that enabled us to interrogate folks, or not?
And all I was doing was reciting the votes. I would cite my opponent in the
2004 campaign when he said there needs to be a date certain from which to
withdraw from Iraq. I characterize that as cut and run because I believe it
is cut and run. In other words, I've been using either their votes or their
words to characterize their positions.

Q But they don't say cut and run.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, they may not use cut and run, but they say date
certain is when to get out, before the job is done. That is cut and run.
Nobody has accused me of having a real sophisticated vocabulary, I
understand that. And maybe their -- their words are more sophisticated than
mine. But when you pull out before the job is done, that's cut and run as
far as I'm concerned. And that's cut and run as far as most Americans are
concerned. And so, yes, I'm going to continue reminding them of their words
and their votes.

Jim.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. My best suit is in the cleaners.

THE PRESIDENT: That's not even a suit.

Q I know. (Laughter.) You got to give me more time in the morning with a
news conference.

THE PRESIDENT: I know you like to wake up about 8:30 a.m. (Laughter.)

Q I want to ask you --

THE PRESIDENT: High-priced news guys.

Q Yes, sure.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. (Laughter.)

Q I want to ask you a little bit about -- I want to follow on the criticism
that you've received for the suggestions from Senator Warner and from James
Baker, now Olympia Snowe. This is not exactly the board of directors for
MoveOn.org. Do you --

THE PRESIDENT: That's true.

Q Do you feel in some way that there is some shift going on in terms of the
general support for the war in Iraq, and your strategy specifically? And do
you ever feel like the walls are closing in on you in terms of support for
this?

THE PRESIDENT: (Laughter.) Jim, I understand how hard it is. And I also
understand the stakes. And let me go back to Senator Warner. Senator Warner
said, if the plan isn't working, adjust. I agree completely. I haven't seen
Baker's report yet, but one of the things I remind you of is that I don't
hear those people saying get out before the job is done. They're saying, be
flexible. And we are.

I believe that you -- you empower your generals to make the decisions --
the recommendations on what we do to win. You can't fight a war from
Washington. In other words, you can't make the tactical decisions necessary
to win. It just won't work. And I trust General Casey. I find him to be one
of the really competent, decent guys.

Q But --

THE PRESIDENT: Let me finish please for a second. Plus, I couldn't hear
you, but I saw you talking. Anyway, I think it's -- I value his judgment. I
value his -- I know he wants to succeed and I value his objectivity. And he
-- what's important for the President is when I open up that door in there
and General Casey walks in, he feels confident to tell me what's on his
mind, Jim -- here's what's going right, and here's what's going wrong, and
here's what we're doing about it.

And so, for those folks saying, make sure there's flexibility, I couldn't
agree more with you. And I think the characterization of "let's stay the
course" is about a quarter right. Stay the course means keep doing what
you're doing. My attitude is, don't do what you're doing if it's not
working; change. Stay the course also means don't leave before the job is
done. And that's -- we're going to get the job done in Iraq. And it's
important that we do get the job done in Iraq.

Defeat in Iraq will embolden an enemy. And I want to repeat to you the
reality of the world in which we live. If we were to leave before the job
is done, the enemy is coming after us. And most Americans -- back to your
question, Brett -- understand we've got to defeat them there so we don't
face them here. It's a different kind of war, but, nevertheless, it is a
war.

Go ahead.

Q I'm just wondering, two months ago Prime Minister Maliki was here, and
you talked about how we had to be nimble and facile in our approach. And my
question is, are we being nimble and facile in the right way? Is what
General Casey telling you the most effective advice? Because it would seem
in the two months since Prime Minister Maliki was here, things have only
gotten more bloody in Iraq.

THE PRESIDENT: No question, Ramadan is here; no question we're engaging the
enemy more than we were before. And by the way, when you engage the enemy,
it causes there to be more action and more kinetic action. And the
fundamental question is, do I get good advice from Casey, and the answer
is, I believe I do, I believe I do.

THE PRESIDENT: Please. Sanger.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. You spoke very passionately before about acting
before it was too late on major issues. You faced one of those moments in
early 2003. This was when the North Koreans had thrown out the
international inspectors, said they were going to go ahead and turn their
fuel into weapons. And you had a moment to tell them that they would face
serious consequences if they were going to do that. You also had what may
have been the last moment for any American President to destroy their fuel
supplies while they were all in one place.

THE PRESIDENT: You mean, bombing them?

Q Whatever action you might have needed to take, including military action,
against the site -- the one site at the time where they were getting ready
--

THE PRESIDENT: I just wanted to clarify. Sorry to interrupt you.

Q Yes. And you chose not to. And I was wondering whether, in retrospect,
you regret that decision at all; whether or not you think that, because of
the long history of deception that you pointed out before, you should have
acted differently?

THE PRESIDENT: I used the moment to continue my desire to convince others
to become equity partners in the Korean issue, North Korean issue, because,
David, I, obviously, look at all options all the time, and I felt like the
best way to solve this problem would be through a diplomacy effort that was
renewed and reinvigorated by having China and South Korea and Japan and
Russia joining us in convincing Kim Jong-il there's a better way forward.

And, frankly, I was quite optimistic that we had succeeded last September
when we had this joint statement, which you adequately covered. And yet he
walked away from it. He decided, well, maybe his word doesn't mean
anything.

And so we will continue to work diplomatically to solve the problem. That's
what I owe the American people, to come up with a diplomatic solution. I
also made it clear, and I will repeat, that we have security obligations in
the region that I reconfirmed to our partners.

Sir. Washington Post man.

Q Good morning, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: That would be Mike.

Q Right. I'd like to follow up on an earlier question about your rhetoric
on Iran and North Korea.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay.

Q You said yesterday in your statement that the North Korean nuclear test
was unacceptable. Your chief negotiator for the six-party talks said last
week that North Korea has a choice of either having weapons or having a
future. When you spoke a month or so ago to the American Legion, you talked
about Iran and said, there must be consequences for Iran's defiance, and we
must not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. I am wondering, sir, your
administration has issued these kinds of warnings pretty regularly over the
last five years, and yet these countries have pursued their nuclear
programs. I'm wondering if you -- what is different about the current set
of warnings, and do you think the administration and our government runs a
risk of looking feckless to the world by issuing these kinds of warnings
regularly without response from the countries?

THE PRESIDENT: That's a fair question. First of all, I am making it clear
our policy hasn't changed. It's important for the folks to understand that
we don't continually shift our goals based upon polls or -- whatever. See,
I think clarity of purpose is very important to rally a diplomatic effort
to solve the problem. And so I try to speak as clearly as I can and make
sure there's no ambiguity in our position. I also found that's a pretty
good way to help rally a diplomatic effort that I believe will more likely
work.

I know this sounds -- I'm just saying it over and over again, but it's --
rhetoric and actions are all aimed at convincing others that they have an
equal stake in whether or not these nations have a nuclear weapon, because
I firmly believe, Mike, that that is the best strategy to solve the
problem. One has a stronger hand when there's more people playing your same
cards. It is must easier for a nation to hear what I believe are legitimate
demands if there's more than one voice speaking. And that's why we're doing
what we're doing.

And to answer your question as to whether or not the words will be empty, I
would suggest that, quite the contrary, that we not only have spoken about
the goals, but as a result of working together with our friends, Iran and
North Korea are looking at a different -- a different diplomatic scenario.

I thought you were going to ask the question, following up on Sanger, how
come you don't use military action now. You kind of hinted it, you didn't
say it. And some wonder that. As a matter of fact, I'm asked questions
around the country, just go ahead and use the military. And my answer is
that I believe the Commander-in-Chief must try all diplomatic measures
before we commit our military. And I believe the diplomacy is -- we're
making progress when we've got others at the table.

I'll ask myself a follow-up. If that's the case, why did you use military
action in Iraq? And the reason why is because we tried the diplomacy.
Matter of fact, we tried resolution after resolution after resolution. All
these situations are -- each of them different and require a different
response, a different effort to try to solve this peacefully. And we'll
continue to do so.

The inability to convince people to move forward speaks volumes about them.
It ought to say to all the world that we're dealing with people that maybe
don't want peace -- which in my judgment, in order for there to be peace
requires an international response. It says volumes about a person who
signs an agreement with one administration and signs an agreement or speaks
about an agreement with another administration and doesn't honor the
agreement. It points up the fact that these are dangerous regimes and
requires an international effort to work in concert.

Roger.

Q Thank you. I'd like to turn back to North Korea for a bit. You've said
that bilateral talks didn't work. Secretary Baker has said that maybe they
should be considered, maybe at some point under certain conditions. Are you
prepared now to just take the possibility of one-one-one talks with North
Korea off the table?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm saying as loud and I can and as clear as I can that
there is a better way forward for North Korea and that we will work within
the context of the six-party talks.

People say, you don't talk to North Korea. We had a representative, a
United States representative at the table in the six-party talks. The North
Korean leader knows our position. It's easy to understand our position:
There is a better way forward for his government. And people need to review
the September '05 document, the joint statement that talked about
economics, and we won't attack North Korea. We agreed that we shouldn't
have nuclear weapons on the peninsula. I mean, there is a way forward for
the leader in North Korea to choose. We've made our choice, and so has
China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia. And that's what's changed.

I also am deeply concerned about the lives of the citizens in that country.
I mean there's -- and that's why I named a envoy, Jay Lefkowitz, to talk
about the human condition inside of North Korea. And the reason we did that
is we care about how people live. We care about people starving. We care
about the fact that there are large concentration camps.

You know, one of the most meaningful moments of my presidency came when a
Japanese mother came to the Oval Office to talk about what it was like to
have her daughter kidnapped by North Korea. You can imagine what that was
like. It broke my heart. And it should break everybody's heart. But it
speaks to the nature of the regime. And, therefore, we -- I am convinced
that to solve this diplomatically requires more than just America's voice.

Let's see here. Mark.

Q Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q Mr. President, with growing numbers of House members and staffers saying
that they knew of and told others about a problem with Mark Foley some
years ago, has House Speaker Hastert lost touch within his own ranks, and
has the scandal damaged Hastert's credibility and effectiveness in
maintaining party control in the midterm elections?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I think the Speaker's strong statements have made it
clear to not only the party members, but to the country, that he wants to
find out the facts. All of us want to find out the facts. I mean, this is
disgusting behavior when a member of Congress betrays the trust of the
Congress and a family that sent a young page up to serve in the Congress.
And I appreciated Speaker Hastert's strong declaration of his desire to get
to the bottom of it. And we want to make sure we understand what
Republicans knew and what Democrats knew, in order to find the facts. And I
hope that happens sooner rather than later.

Q And his credibility, sir --

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, Denny is very credible, as far as I'm concerned. And
he's done a fine job as Speaker, and when he stands up and says, I want to
know the truth -- I believe yesterday he said that if somebody on his staff
didn't tell him the truth, they're gone -- I respect that, and appreciate
that, and believe him. And -- no, I think the elections will be decided by
security and the economy. I really do, Mark. I know this is -- this Foley
issue bothers a lot of people, including me. But I think when they get in
that booth, they're going to be thinking about how best to secure the
country from attack, and how best to keep the economy growing.

I think the last time I was out here with you I reminded you that I
understand that the economy is always a salient issue in campaigns. We've
had some experience with that in my family, I think I said. I still believe
the economy is an important issue, and I believe on this issue there is a
huge difference of opinion.

The other day, by the way, Don, I did bring up the words of the leader of
the House when she said, "I love tax cuts." And I then reminded everybody
that if she loved them so much, how come she voted against a lot of tax
cuts? In other words, again, back to your question about whether it's fair
to use people's words -- I think to say I love tax cuts and then vote
against tax cuts it's just -- it's worthy, it's just worthy of people's
consideration in the political process -- I believe taxes are a big issue
in the campaign, Mark.

And I know how -- I know that -- how best to protect the country is a big
issue, a really big issue. And there's a kind of law enforcement mentality
that says, well, we'll respond after attack. It's not going to work. It's
just not going to work. We've got to deal with these problems before they
come to -- before they come to our territory.

I understand that some are saying, well, he's just trying to scare us. My
job is to look at the intelligence and to -- and I'm going to tell you
there's an enemy out there that would like to do harm again to the United
States, because we're in a war. And they have objectives. They want to --
they want to drive us out of parts of the world to establish a caliphate.
It's what they have told us. And it's essential that we listen to the words
of the enemy if we want to protect the American people.

And in this debate about which party can handle it better, I will -- it's
very important that no one question the patriotism or the loyalty to the
country. There is a different mind-set, however, that is worth discussing
in the course of a campaign. And I'm going to continue to do it. And I
believe those two issues will be the issues that drive the election.

April.

Q Thank you, sir. Mr. President, some in the national security community
are wondering if, indeed, you're ready to live with a nuclear North Korea?

THE PRESIDENT: No.

Q Well, they're saying that that is a possibility.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, they're wrong.

Q Well, can I give you --

THE PRESIDENT: Well, it was a short question and a short answer.
(Laughter.)

Q One, China is not ready to put teeth behind sanctions -- enough teeth to
really threaten the regime. And also, economic sanctions have limited
effect on North Korea.

THE PRESIDENT: We got to try it diplomatically first, April. And this is
back to old Michael's question about, am I serious about saying what I
mean. It's why I say what I say, because some people are beginning to
wonder whether or not it's the goal. The goal is no nuclear weapon. And
again, I think I've shared with you my views of diplomacy. Diplomacy is --
it's a difficult process because everybody's interests aren't exactly the
same. We share the same goal, but sometimes the internal issues are
different from ours. And, therefore, it takes a while to get people on the
same page, and it takes a while for people to get used to consequences.

And so I wouldn't necessarily characterize these countries' positions as
locked-in positions. We're constantly dialoguing with them to make sure
that there is a common effort to send a clear message.

And the other part of your question was?

Q And the follow-up, yes. Military options -- there are a menu of options
the White House is saying. Once diplomacy has run its course and you've run
through your timetable, what about military options against North Korea?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, diplomacy hasn't run its course. That's what I'm
trying to explain to you a la the Sanger question. And we'll continue
working to make sure that we give diplomacy a full opportunity to succeed.

Yes, David.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. You spoke of the troubles in Iraq. And as you
know, we have Woodward and we have a shelf full of books about Iraq, and
many of them claim that administration policies contributed to the
difficulties there. So I'm wondering, is there anything you wish you would
have done differently with regard to Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: Speaking about books, somebody ought to add up the number of
pages that have been written about my administration. There's a lot of
books out there -- a lot. I don't know if I've set the record, or not, but
I guess it means that I've made some hard decisions and will continue to
make hard decisions.

And, David, this is the -- this is about the fifth time I've been asked
this type of question. And as you know, there are some things that I wish
had happened differently -- Abu Ghraib. I believe that really hurt us. It
hurt us internationally. It kind of eased us off the moral high ground. In
other words, we weren't a country that was capable of, on the one hand,
promoting democracy, and then treating people decently. Now the world has
seen that we've held those to account who are -- who did this.

You know, there's just a lot of look-backs. Presidents don't get to look
back, but I will tell you, the deci