President's expectations for
the Olympics? Does he have any security concerns, and how
much can you tell us about his participation?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, his participation will be limited
to speaking. He will not be
competing. (Laughter.) The President looks
forward to going to Utah tomorrow. It's one of the real
honors of the presidency to be able to participate in something as
momentous and glorious as the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,
which only come every, of course, four years. He's a
sportsman, so I think he'll have particular interest in meeting the
athletes and visiting with them.
But as for the security, this is a very large undertaking, and the
President and Homeland Security Director Ridge and all the officials of
the government are working very hard with Utah officials and Olympic
officials to provide for the safety of the area. They are
satisfied that every precaution has been taken. And the
President looks forward to heading out to the games.
Q Ari, as the President meets with the
religious leaders, is he going to be talking -- obviously, his welfare
proposals -- in particular this idea of trying to --
MR. FLEISCHER: I'm sorry, you said with the religious
leaders?
Q Yes, with the leaders this afternoon.
MR. FLEISCHER: Two senators.
Q Okay, I'm
sorry. (Laughter.) My mistake. But
anyway, is he going to be talking up this proposal about promoting
marriage in the welfare proposals?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'd be surprised --
Q How can the government promote marriage,
and is there an example of a state that has had some kind of program
that has really worked?
MR. FLEISCHER: One, I'd be surprised if that issue comes
up. It's a separate topic. The goal is the same,
which is to help people who have been left behind. This is a
different way to do it. You're talking about the
reauthorization of the 1996 welfare law, which is up for this
year. I don't think that's going to come up this afternoon.
But the authors of that law, which passed with huge, overwhelming
bipartisan votes in 1996 and was signed into law by President Clinton,
of course, were concerned about promoting stable families and less
reliance on welfare through increases --
through marriage. The tax act, interestingly, that the
President signed in June of this year, adjusted the income brackets for
the earned income tax credit program, recognizing that low-income
Americans suffered a marriage penalty, and that anything that
discourages marriage -- whether it's through the tax code or through
other social aspects of welfare laws -- needs to be addressed to give
people encouragement to come together, not be driven apart.
Q Ari, I have a couple more questions about
this decision that you have yet to announce, whether or not you have
anything to announce. Should the Taliban prisoners, however
you want to characterize them, unlawful combatants, whatever, be given
full provision under the Geneva Convention, what changes for
them? Do they get stipends for cigarettes? Do
they only have to give name, rank and serial number? Will
they be released when cessation of hostilities is officially
declared? What changes if you fully apply the Geneva
Convention to them?
MR. FLEISCHER: One of the interesting issues of Article
4 of the Geneva Convention deals with if you were to deem somebody as a
prisoner of war, the United States government would be obligated to pay
them a monthly stipend. The United States government would
be obligated to give the al Qaeda or the Taliban detainees, the al
Qaeda terrorists in Guantanamo musical instruments. Those
would be obligations imposed upon a government under the prisoner of
war aspect of Article 4 of the Geneva Convention.
And that, as I mentioned, is a settled issue. There is
no dispute about it. They are not, will not be considered
prisoners of war, neither the al Qaeda or the
Taliban. That's an example.
Q So you don't change their classification,
but if you decide to fully apply the Geneva Convention to them, even
though you don't declare them prisoners of war, what changes for them?
MR. FLEISCHER: Let me -- once the decision is released,
you will be informed of it fully. I just -- I have to leave
it at that.
Q Ari, can we go back to the Middle East for
just one second? This morning you said the United States
would continue to remain engaged with the Palestinian
Authority. By using that phrase, Palestinian Authority,
rather than explicitly saying Chairman Arafat, were you trying to
suggest that the United States may reach out to other officials there,
or is it still the position now that the United States will keep
engaged with Arafat himself?
MR. FLEISCHER: Keep in mind, of course, I also indicated
this morning
that Secretary Powell has talked with Chairman
Arafat. And so it remains at the same level that it's been.
Q Tom Daschle has written a letter to the
President asking his help in getting the House to pass the 13-week
unemployment insurance extension that the Senate has just
passed. Daschle is saying that there are problems in the
House. How does the President feel about
that? Would he lend a hand?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, of course, the House has already
passed a stimulus that includes the 13-week unemployment
extension. So the fastest way for Senator Daschle to have
gotten a 13-week extension would have been to agree to what the House
passed. Of course, he has put the Senate on a different
path, which is complicating matters. But in all cases, the
President will continue to work with both the House and the Senate, so
that people who are unemployed can be given help.
But the President thinks that the Senate has missed a golden
opportunity to help people so they can keep their jobs -- not only to
help people who have lost their jobs, but what about helping people
keep their jobs? It's important not to turn your back on
those people. And the President was disappointed that the
Senate failed to take action more broadly.
Q Ari, Ankara's Turkish Daily News, and
other Turkish newspapers, as well as Germany's -- have reported numbers
of al Qaeda have arrived in the Gaza Strip and made contact with the
Palestinian Authority. And the President -- my question is,
the President's State of the Union promised, we must pursue them
wherever they are. He makes no exception for the Gaza Strip,
does he?
MR. FLEISCHER: Les, as you know, the President has
indicated that this is a war against terrorism wherever it
is. The United States will continue to work with various
entities around the world to fight terrorism.
Q Good. (Laughter.) The
New York Times has editorially --
MR. FLEISCHER: Can we stop at the good?
Q No, no, I just want to say, I think that's
wonderful. The New York Times has editorially denounced
Governor Jeb Bush because he supported the President at the University
of South Florida for firing a professor who called for death to Israel,
and who brought Islamic Jihad leaders on the campus. Does
the President support his brother's decision?
MR. FLEISCHER: I have not followed that issue, Les, and
so I really couldn't answer the question.
Q Since it has been two weeks, could I --
just one last one?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, you cannot. You only get
two today. It's a strict policy.
Q Can I go to my second one?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, that would be three for you, and then
I'd be in trouble with Les.
Q My second one.
MR. FLEISCHER: You had two.
Q He had two. If he has three,
you'll be generous.
MR. FLEISCHER: Has anybody not had one?
Q On Arafat, the United States position on
Arafat will always be relevant, not irrelevant, as the Israelis say, as
long as he holds the title he now has?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, if you're asking about "always," I
can't answer any question that begins with a premise about
"always." But the President's position is clear, and that is
that the burden remains squarely upon Chairman Arafat to do more,
because the President thinks he can do more. And the
President views this as a matter of importance, not only to help and
protect innocents in Israel who are losing their lives, but also to
protect the Palestinian people, who don't gain from the constant
fighting, and who need leadership that concerns -- is concerned with
protecting them, as well. And this is where some new
thinking is required by Chairman Arafat, so we can take action against
those terrorists, who, after all, also present a real threat to his
authority.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
MR. FLEISCHER: Thank you.
END 1:28
P.M. EST