For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 12, 2004
Press Gaggle with Scott McClellan
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Monterrey, Mexico
12:03 P.M. (Local)
MR. McCLELLAN: All right, good morning, everybody. I hope
everybody is looking forward to traveling to Monterrey today. The
President had his usual briefings this morning before departing the
ranch. Right now he is participating in a briefing on the Special
Summit of the Americas with others including Dr. Rice and Secretary of
State Powell.
And then, when we arrive in Monterrey this afternoon, the President
will participate in a bilateral meeting with President Fox, and they
will participate in a press availability afterwards. Then the
President will participate in a brief meeting with the Caribbean
leaders -- we'll have a photo release from that. It's really pretty
much just a photo opportunity with those leaders.
Then the President has a bilateral meeting with President Lagos of
Chile later this afternoon, and we will have pool at the bottom for
that coverage. Then he will go over and participate in a greeting to
the United States Mission in Monterrey. Then he will participate in
the inauguration ceremony of the Special Summit of the Americas, before
beginning the first plenary session, which today will focus on economic
growth and reducing poverty by creating opportunity for all.
Following that plenary session, the President will participate in a
bilateral meeting with President Lula of Brazil. That will be pool at
the bottom. And then this evening he participates in a dinner being
hosted by President Fox of Mexico. And that's the general schedule for
today.
Let me just kind of go back over the goals of the Special Summit of
the Americas. The Special Summit of the Americas will focus on
creating opportunity for all by strengthening democracy and promoting
greater prosperity. We will be working with other nations in the
hemisphere to look at ways to sustain economic growth, reduce poverty,
invest in people through health and education, strengthen democratic
institutions, and encourage greater governmental transparency in the
fight against corruption in our hemisphere. So we'll be looking to
build a consensus on specific commitments to achieve measurable
progress in our collective neighborhood.
As I said, first we need to promote growth and reduce poverty by
creating jobs. We need to work together to significantly reduce the
time required to start a business. We need to expand access to credit
by small and medium-size businesses. As you've heard the President
repeatedly say, small business is the backbone of economic growth. We
should also work together to lower the cost of remittance transfers, so
that people can more easily send money back home to their families and
local communities.
We need to -- secondly, we need to work to invest in people. Each
country has to work to improve health and education if we're going to
improve the quality of life in the hemisphere. When it comes to
education, we'll be focusing on accountability. You've heard the
President often talk about the importance of measuring progress so that
we know where we need to improve. And on health, there's nothing more
important than working together to combat HIV/AIDS, by expanding
prevention programs and providing treatment for more people.
And finally, we will work together to increase accountability and
reduce corruption. Corruption remains an impediment, an obstacle to
economic growth and to strengthening democracy and improving
hemispheric security. And so we believe governments need to set high
standards to be more transparent and accountable to the people. And we
will work to have a strong commitment at this summit to fight
corruption together.
And I would just say that the United States has committed hundreds
of millions of dollars to the summit agenda, and worked hard at
achieving our common summit goals, which are strengthening democracy,
creating prosperity and realizing the full potential of humans. This
summit represents an important next step towards realization of this
shared hemispheric vision.
So the President looks forward to spending today and tomorrow in
Monterrey participating in these bilateral meetings and continuing to
build on the progress we're making in this hemisphere on those issues.
Q Before I ask my question, the key phrase, if I heard you
right, as you previewed the plenary session remarks was "property
rights"?
MR. McCLELLAN: Today is focused on economic growth and reducing
poverty.
Q Did you not say the words, "property rights"?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't believe I specifically did. I mean, but,
obviously, we're talking about private sector growth, and issues such
as you're mentioning are important parts of all that.
Q The President meets with Fox for almost an hour today. It's
one of the longest bilateral meetings of the whole summit. Is this a
chance to air out some old grievances? Will they iron out some of the
details of the immigration proposal today?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I do expect that they will talk about the
President's temporary worker program that he proposed last week. I
also expect they'll continue to talk about building upon the progress
we're making to strengthen our borders by border security. And I think
they will talk about continuing to build on economic growth and the
free trade -- our shared commitment to free trade.
Q Will they talk about older disagreements at all?
MR. McCLELLAN: What's that?
Q Older disagreements at all?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, look, we have a good relationship with
Mexico. President Fox is a good friend of the President's. They have
a long relationship that started when the President was governor of
Texas. And whatever differences have been there in the past, we have a
lot of common challenges that we're working very closely together on,
some of which I just mentioned. And we will continue to have a close
and good friendship with Mexico and a good working relationship with
them on our shared challenges.
Q Scott, on the O'Neill book, did the former Treasury Secretary
make false claims or accusations? And if so, what were they?
MR. McCLELLAN: David, you've heard me say repeatedly that we're
not in the business of doing book reviews. I don't get in the business
of selling or promoting or critiquing books. I would say that you all
are well aware of a lot of these facts on issues that have been raised
over -- that some of you raised over the weekend.
But this -- I think it appears to be more about trying to justify
personal views and opinions than it does about looking at the results
that we are achieving on behalf of the American people. And the
President is someone who is always forward looking, and he's going to
continue to be forward looking. He's going to continue to focus on the
results that we are achieving and building upon those results, to
strengthen our economy even more and to make our world -- continue to
make our world a safer and better place.
Q You're declining to take on specific assertions, such as --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, one, you didn't make any -- you didn't ask a
specific question. But again --
Q I asked you if you if he made false accusations -- like on
Iraq, he claims at the very first national security meeting, there was
a discussion about targeting Saddam Hussein and that it was his
impression and interpretation that, essentially, the President wanted
to find a way to make that happen. Is that --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, let me remind you of a few of the facts.
First of all, the President exhausted all possible means to resolve
this -- resolve the situation in Iraq peacefully. You will recall that
he went to the United Nations Security Council and they passed a 17th
or 18th resolution giving Saddam Hussein one final opportunity to
comply. He was given a final opportunity to comply. He continued to
defy the international community and was in material breach of Security
Council Resolution 1441, which called for serious consequences.
And the President believes, in the aftermath of September 11th,
that it's important to confront threats before it's too late. And,
certainly, I think everyone recognizes that Saddam Hussein has been a
dangerous man for a long time, and his regime -- the international
community recognize that his regime was a threat for a long time.
Q Does the President consider Paul O'Neill's book an act of
disloyalty?
MR. McCLELLAN: Look, people -- one, people have the right to
express their views. That's one of the strengths of our democracy.
And the President is going -- as I said, the President is going to
continue to be forward-looking. He's got plenty to focus on, on behalf
of the American people, and he is someone who focuses on getting things
done, and focuses on the results that we're achieving.
Q But he's not holding a grudge against Paul O'Neill?
MR. McCLELLAN: Look, that's -- like I said, that's just not the
way the President looks at this. The President is someone that is
forward-looking.
Q Can I just ask a follow-up on that? One of -- the portrait
O'Neill seems to portray, at least in the excerpts that we've seen on
TV or seen in print -- I haven't read the book, so I have to make that
clear -- but he paints a portrait of a President who is somewhat
disengaged, whether it's in Cabinet meetings or other discussions on
policy. One of the strengths that the White House has always said that
the President has is his leadership, his sort of setting an agenda and
following it. Do you think O'Neill -- this portrait that O'Neill
presents -- do you have any concern that it might change that
perception of the President as a strong leader?
MR. McCLELLAN: As I just said, I don't get into book reviews. But
I've known the President for a long time, and I think the American
people know this President well. The President is a strong leader who
acts decisively on our big priorities. The President is someone who
asks tough questions and makes tough decisions to make America more
prosperous and our world more safe, and to make our world a better
place.
Q Did O'Neill or anyone acting on his behalf make any effort to
contact the White House or administration officials in advance of the
publication of the book?
MR. McCLELLAN: Look, I understand that there is a media interest
in this book. But it's just not something this administration gets
caught up in. We are focused on what we are trying to accomplish on
behalf of the American people. And that's what we will continue to
do.
Q So there was no effort?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know what contacts may or may not have been
made. But I can tell you what I know speaking for the White House.
Q But he chose O'Neill to be part of his administration. So you
may have known him a long time, but why shouldn't the public believe
what the former Treasury Secretary of the United States says about the
President?
MR. McCLELLAN: And, David, we very much appreciate his service.
That's the President's view. We appreciate his service. Again, I
think I would say what I said a minute ago, that while I certainly
haven't seen the book, I've just seen what you all have seen, but it
just appears to be more about trying to justify personal views and
opinions than it does about looking at the results we're achieving on
behalf of the American people. And that's where the President is going
to keep his focus, on the results we're trying to accomplish for the
American people.
Okay, thank you, everybody. See you in Monterrey.
END 12:16 P.M. (Local)
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