For Immediate Release
July 20, 2006
Press Briefing by Tony Snow
James S. Brady Briefing Room
12:35 P.M. EDT
MR. SNOW: All right, hello and welcome. Let me run through some
events subsequent to this morning's gaggle. The President met with Vice
President Kiir of the government of South Sudan. They talked about a
comprehensive peace agreement in Sudan; the President also encouraging
Vice President Kiir to promote a government of national unity. The
President, as you know, is deeply concerned about what is going on in
Darfur, and also encouraged the transition from African Union forces to
United Nations blue hats. He encouraged the Vice President to work with
rebels to bring the rest of the rebel factions to the table. As you
know, there has been an agreement. They talked about the Lord's
Resistance Army. And that is generally what they did.
Also, the Iranian event I talked about in the gaggle actually is
taking place today. So that takes care of any questions.
Q Might the President be involved in that?
MR. SNOW: No, no. It's not on his schedule.
In addition, a couple of questions that arose this morning. No,
there have not been any contacts through the U.N. with the Iranians, but
there's a little coda to that that I'll add in a couple of minutes.
Also, President Bush this morning dropped by briefly at a meeting
between China's Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission,
General Guo, who was meeting with National Security Advisor Steve
Hadley. The President spent 10 minutes with the General. President
Bush noted the very positive working relationship that he's developed
with Chinese President Hu Jintao was demonstrated by the unanimous vote
at the United Nations last Saturday on a North Korean resolution. The
President also noted that the deepening of the relationship between the
two militaries was in the interest of peace and stability in East Asia
and the world, and that he was pleased to hear General Guo meeting at
the Pentagon had advanced the goal.
A further readout of this morning's conversation on the phone with
Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey. Now, the Prime Minister did, in fact,
initiate the call. They discussed the importance of addressing the
humanitarian situation in Lebanon and also supporting the Siniora
government. They discussed the fact that Secretary Rice would be
traveling to the region to work on a diplomatic path forward. The
President condemned Hezbollah for provoking the crisis and thrusting
Lebanon into a conflict that neither the government nor the people
wanted, and expressed his concern about Iranian and Syrian support for
Hezbollah. They also discussed recent PKK attacks against Turkey and
the need to work jointly to address that terrorist threat.
In addition, today, the House of Representatives will be taking up
the Oman Free Trade Agreement, and we hope the House will take the
opportunity to pass it. It's going to send the message that the United
States remains committed to opening markets and contributing to global
economic growth and development. The free trade agreement with Oman
would be our fourth such agreement with an Arab country.
And now I'm open for questions. Jim.
Q President Bush is condemning Hezbollah.
MR. SNOW: Yes.
Q Prime Minister Maliki of Iraq is condemning Israel.
MR. SNOW: Yes.
Q Is this a sharp break with the President?
MR. SNOW: No, it's an expression of opinion on the part of -- the
Prime Minister about his views.
Q Is the opinion troubling the President?
MR. SNOW: No. The President -- you've got to understand that
Prime Minister Maliki is running a unity government and he is going to
express the opinions of that government. The President is conversant
with those opinions, and he is -- you know, he respects it and he looks
forward to talking with Prime Minister Maliki about it when Prime
Minister Maliki comes to Washington next week.
You know, it's interesting because it is a democracy and they are permitted to disagree with us. That happens. And we have a
number of allies who has disagreed with us on a lot of other matters.
Q This could be the most significant issue facing the President
right now. It's a heck of a thing to be disagreeing about, isn't it?
MR. SNOW: No, because the primary point of emphasis in the
relations between the United States and Iraq right now is guaranteeing
the security of Baghdad, and also making sure that Iraqi democracy
works, and works effectively.
That's what they spend the bulk of their time working on, and that
the Prime Minister would express a contrary view is hardly new. The
President speaks quite often with people and works quite often with
people who disagree with him.
Q Last question on this.
MR. SNOW: Yes.
Q Is the administration at all concerned that the Prime Minister
either has any ties with Hezbollah, himself, or his party has ties with
Hezbollah?
MR. SNOW: No, I doubt it. I'm not aware of that, but, no, I
don't think so.
Q Tony, Kofi Annan called again for an immediate cease-fire. He
criticized both parties. He criticized Hezbollah for destabilizing the
region and making it hard to achieve peace, but he said Israel had
created a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon by what it's done. Does the
administration view it as a humanitarian crisis? And is it important to
move more quickly, rather than more slowly --
MR. SNOW: Well, nobody -- first, Tom, nobody is dragging their
feet. There is considerable activity on that front. If anybody is --
if there is a humanitarian crisis, it's the responsibility of Hezbollah,
which not only began this by crossing over into Israeli soil and
kidnapping soldiers and also firing rockets into Israel -- Israel does
have a right to defend itself -- but, furthermore, using the people of
south Lebanon, as I said this morning, as human shields, putting rockets
in their houses and radars on their barns, saying, in effect, if you're
going to fight against us, you're going to have to go after civilians.
And we are deeply, deeply concerned about the loss of civilian life.
And the President, as you gather from the conversation with Prime
Minister Erdogan, was talking about that. And the United States has
also said repeatedly to Israel, practice restraint.
So we certainly are aware of what's going on, in humanitarian
terms. And as I've said also, we'd love to have a cease-fire. But
Hezbollah has to be part of it. And at this point, there's no
indication that Hezbollah intends to lay down arms.
Q Is there a time frame here, or are we just willing to let the
string kind of play out?
MR. SNOW: Don't know. One thing is -- people want time frames for
wars? The fact is, human events are constantly shifting and changing
according to a variety of factors, internal and external. And the idea
of trying to impose a calendar on something like that is very difficult.
We want there to be peace and stability in Lebanon at the earliest
possible date. And as a consequence, we've been engaged diplomatically
with parties throughout the region and also around the world, trying to
get everybody to exercise what leverage they may, especially on
Hezbollah and its sponsors, Syria and Iran, to make sure that there can
be a peaceful resolution that also preserves the government of Lebanon
and creates the conditions in the long run to make sure that the
Lebanese people have a prosperous and democratic way forward.
Q Is the U.S. conducting its own assessment of how -- to what
degree Hezbollah's assets are being debilitated by this assault? Or is
it leaving that up to Israel?
MR. SNOW: I think we're looking at whatever intelligence we can on
it. But our people will conduct -- they obviously will be sharing
intelligence with a number of people in the region trying to get a gauge
on it. So it's kind of the standard exercise-gathering mission in that
sense. We're not relying solely on any single source.
Q And does the President have an opinion today about whether or
not he would be willing to contribute military resources to a
stabilizing force?
MR. SNOW: Again, that's something that's premature. As I've been
saying all week, and it's still true, people are trying to figure out
the proper way to do it. First thing you've got to do is to have a
cessation of hostilities so that you can bring forces into the region in
such a way as to allow the government of Lebanon to assert effective
control. And that is a key consideration.
Helen.
Q What is all this diplomacy? Does Secretary Rice have a
proposal she's taking when she goes on this trip?
MR. SNOW: Don't know yet. Secretary Rice is still working out
what may or may not be on her schedule. And I'm going to let State not
merely announce her travel plans, but also the intentions. I think
they're still working on it. And Secretary Rice, as you know, has been
very actively involved in talking with regional leaders, and not only
getting their views, but also expressing our concerns.
And again, they're pretty simple: We want the government of
Lebanon, we want the Siniora government to survive and thrive; we want
an end to hostilities; we want Hezbollah to take that first step of
returning the prisoners and stop firing the rockets.
Q You know, there is a perception that this is so one-sided for
Israel, and that we really are not trying to get a cease-fire. That's
the perception in the world.
MR. SNOW: Understood. And unfortunately, sometimes whatever the
perceptions may be -- whatever the perceptions may be, there are times
when you conduct diplomacy that you do it in a confidential manner for a
reason, you want it to succeed. And I am sure there are many
temptations for diplomats to go out and thump their chests and talk
about the wonderful things they're doing, but in the process, they may
unravel coalitions that may be forming and agreements that may be in the
offing. And therefore, just not going to say.
Q Can you say something is happening?
MR. SNOW: I'm saying that the United States has been expressing
its concerns to the government of Israel, and also been talking to our
friends and allies in the region.
Q But not very out loud.
MR. SNOW: Well, again, the thing is, do they want to make you
happy, or do they want to get something done? And that sometimes in the
choice.
Q I think it's a question of making the world happy, of stopping
the killing on all sides.
MR. SNOW: You know what, you're absolutely right, absolutely
agreed. To get the killing to stop would make the world happy, and
we've also indicated who we think needs to take the first step.
Ann.
Q NAACP -- the President has been President for five years now,
and he told them that he regretted the fact that many African Americans
distrust the Republican Party. What has he done for five years to
change that?
MR. SNOW: Well, for one thing, the President has done consistent
outreach with African Americans. Look, this is a President, you take a
look at his political career, what has George W. Bush done, he's tried
to do outreach. He understands that there was a history in which the
Republican Party was seen as the active enemy of black voters in this
country. It's one of the reasons why you have such lopsided Democratic
majorities.
As governor of Texas, between his first and second elections he
doubled the percentage of black voters. He considers that important,
not because he views black voters as a constituency*, but because he
believes that for an America to be whole and fulfill the American Dream
you can't be divided along racial lines. And so as a consequence, it's
important.
Now, the other thing is you need to realize that in trying to move
down the road of opportunity, a lot of the programs, a lot of the things
you do are common sense. For instance, he made the point today on
schools: a lot of minority kids, a lot of poor kids in this country are
stuck in second rate schools, and he considers that an absolute shame.
He's got No Child Left Behind, he's put together a number of programs.
That is not a program specifically aimed at African Americans.
Similarly, he put together an economic program that's designed to
create jobs for Americans. You also aim tax breaks at those in the
lower income levels. But the point is, a lot of these things are
necessary for all Americans, but they also help advance the original
civil rights agenda, which is equal opportunity for all.
Q What did the President think of his reception?
MR. SNOW: I haven't talked to him. I mean, he looked like he
enjoyed it. It was interesting. I guess there was a LaRouche who
disrupted things -- we were told that the disruptor was a member of
Lyndon LaRouche's whatever. And Julian Bond expressed some unhappiness
about that.
Q There were two of them.
MR. SNOW: There were two of them -- okay, the LaRouches.
(Laughter.) But in any event --
Q Could you characterize the reception?
MR. SNOW: I wasn't there. I'll leave it to people who were there
to characterize it. I was back here getting ready to deal with you.
Q Tony, I can just follow on that real quick?
MR. SNOW: Yes. Oh, by the way, happy birthday.
Q Oh, thank you, sir.
Q Did you want to have your picture taken? (Laughter.)
Q Anybody else have a birthday? (Laughter.)
Q You just said that the majority of the President's tax cuts
have actually been geared towards lowering --
MR. SNOW: The President's tax cuts, if you take a look at what the
President has been doing -- and this has been going on for a while here
-- is shifting the tax burden. And, as a matter of fact, if you take a
look at it, again, the upper brackets are carrying more of the burden
and he's been reducing taxes. And you take it as a proportion of
overall income, it is larger at the lower ends of the income scale.
Q Can I ask you about Iraq? A Republican Congressman, Gil
Gutknecht from Minnesota came back from a trip last week to Iraq, an
official trip, and came back and said he believes the conditions on the
ground are worse than the administration has been telling the public.
And he's also now calling for troops to start coming home. What's the
White House reaction to that?
MR. SNOW: The White House reaction is that, number one, we
understand that there is a real attempt, especially in and around
Baghdad, to create violence, create havoc, and weaken the government.
And the response to that is not to run away, but to figure out how best
to deal with the terror elements so that the Maliki government is going
to be able to operate effectively.
And I guarantee you, that's going to be one of the key things that
the President and the Prime Minister talk about next week.
Q But when John Murtha and other Democrats called for troops to
come home, Karl Rove and others have said that this is cutting and
running. Here you have a Republican Congressman in a tight re-election.
He's saying troops should come home, and that the conditions on the
ground are not as you're saying.
MR. SNOW: Well, we also disagree with him.
Q Is he waving the white flag of surrender?
MR. SNOW: No. He's expressing his opinion.
John.
Q Thank you, Tony. Two questions. First, following up on the
question of --
MR. SNOW: Actually, Mark, you'll have to ask him. Ask him.
That's the best way to get the good answer.
Go ahead.
Q Following up on the NAACP speech, while it is significant the
President addressed the group, and it is the oldest civil rights group,
it's also been a group that's been very critical of the President for a
lot of things. Has he ever considered addressing other groups, notably
the Congress of Racial Equality, headed by Roy Innis?
MR. SNOW: Well, he's spoken to the Urban League, and he will speak
to other groups. I'm not going to go through and now start trying to
tick off groups that may or may not be visited by the President. But
look, let's face it, this is a large and serious civil rights
organization, the oldest in the country. And he thought it was
important to address them.
Q But it's also been a group that's critical of him. CORE has
not been.
MR. SNOW: Yes, well, that's understood.
Q The other thing I wanted to ask, this morning you mentioned
the President was going to talk with Chairman Lugar, following Senator
Voinovich's decision to support --
MR. SNOW: Actually, the talks predate that. They've been talking
about this for some time, but go ahead.
Q Do we have any kind of a time frame when the President will
make a permanent appointment, if he'll make a permanent appointment of
Ambassador Bolton?
MR. SNOW: Well, he's already -- the nomination of Ambassador
Bolton is still before the United States Senate. He was renominated
right after the recess appointment. So that is a nomination that is
pending before the United States Senate, and the question now is whether
you move through the committee and have another set of hearings, or you
go to the floor. So it's a technical question. So he's already done
that.
Wendell.
Q The President has said that it's important to address the root
cause of the violence in the Middle East, which he describes as
terrorism, and the support by Iran and Syrian. Secretary General Kofi
Annan today said, you're right, you should address the root cause, the
absence of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Why is the
Secretary General wrong?
MR. SNOW: The Secretary General is not wrong, but the Secretary
General has taken a smaller bite at the apple. The point I made earlier
today is that you've got a lot of things going on right now. We want
Israel to practice restraint to achieve whatever it needs to do in the
way of national self defense, realizing that we also have a couple of
other goals that are important to achieve: one, the integrity of the
Siniora government, the elected government in Lebanon; number two, the
future prospects of a two-state solution between Israel and the
Palestinians. And it's important to get all parties in the neighborhood
working in the same direction. So those are considerations.
And I think what's happened is that Secretary General Annan has
taken a view that deals strictly with Israel and Palestine. I would
maintain that the war on terror is a little bit broader and actually
does jeopardize people throughout the region, and is an appropriate
target for everybody to gather around. I also think that there's
probably more agreement in the region about going after the war on
terror and Hezbollah than there is about the precise way to proceed on
some of the other problems.
Q Also, if I could, the President often talks about the need for
the international community to speak with one voice in matters such as
this. And Secretary General Annan agreed, though he says, the one voice
now should be, stop the violence. He is not hearing that so much from
the United States.
MR. SNOW: No, au contraire. What we have said --
Q Mr. Intercontinental.
MR. SNOW: Oui, oui. (Laughter.) No, what Secretary Annan --
Secretary Annan wants the same thing we want which is a cessation of
violence. And what we've done is we've said the people principally
responsible are Hezbollah, who started this. I don't think there is any
disagreement about the fact. So, no, I don't think there is a
disagreement on that. We agree.
Q Well, he agrees the people principally responsible are
Hezbollah.
MR. SNOW: Right.
Q But he says there are two parties involved in this now.
MR. SNOW: We agree with that. But there's one party that started
it, and one party that has also said that it is willing to wage "total
war" on the other party. That's not Israel, that's Hezbollah. And if
Hezbollah is willing to stop firing rockets and to return the soldiers,
then you've got a way forward. And you've got to keep your eye on the
ball here. We've been making that point, and we'll continue to. And I
think a lot of people certainly have agreed that was the position of the
G8.
Goyal.
Q Tony, two quick questions. One, there is already big tension
between India and Pakistan. Also there is the arms race between the two
countries, and I feel that they might go into war again. And today the
House is discussing -- the House International Relations Committee --
F-16 sale to Pakistan. Do you think the President favors or supports
that sale?
MR. SNOW: I'll have to double-check. I don't want to get off my
brief on this. I'll get you an answer.
Q And second, as far as terrorism in the Middle East is
concerned, first it was Hamas and Hezbollah and Syria, Iran, all these
people are supporting terrorism against Israel, against also India and
many of the countries and against the West. My question, why the Muslim
countries -- and these people are all Muslims, unfortunately. But
Muslim dictators and Arab leaders have not come out to speak against
terrorism or against terrorists. Why they have not come out, and why we
are not pushing? Why they are quiet on this issue?
MR. SNOW: Well, you've had a number of Arab and Muslim leaders
speaking out against terror at various times. And you certainly see
this with the Arab League shouting out Hezbollah last week. So I don't
think the premise is right.
Richard.
Q Tony, much of the reporting on the President's decision to go
to the NAACP convention has said in it one of the reasons why he's going
is because he wants to help Republicans running in November present a
friendlier face to the African American voters.
MR. SNOW: That was never part of the conversation. I mean, the
President -- he wanted to go to the NAACP and deliver a speech. I mean,
this is a President who really does believe that there has been too much
partisan acrimony when it comes to civil rights, and that a lot of the
important work ahead is intensely practical. It is things like
guaranteeing equal opportunity so that every child -- not just rich kids
-- get access to the best educations. It is taking a look, making sure
that the road to employment opportunity is open. It is trying to make
sure that the economy grows and creates opportunities for everybody.
And also, as the President indicated, there are still some -- there's
some racial tension in this country. And there are things that are not
always addressed by a government program but simply by setting the right
example. And I think you need to put all of those pieces together. And
that is kind of the commitment the President has made.
April is waving her hand. Yes, April.
Q Yes, Tony. Congresspeople like Charlie Rangel are saying that
it is an election year ploy, mid-term election year ploy. But wouldn't
it indeed help the Republican Party whose African American numbers have
dropped since the last election?
MR. SNOW: Look, we've always said good policy is good politics.
And what the President was -- the point the President was making is that
if you take a look at the unfinished civil rights agenda, the laws have
taken care of discrimination in the sense of saying, it is illegal to
discriminate on the basis of race -- a lot of things that were not
illegal in the '60s. I mean, Jim Crow was still legal in many parts of
this country for a long time. Those, at least on the statute books have
been taken care of.
But there are still lingering problems that have to deal with such
things as unemployment, poor education, single family households,**
families that have been splintered -- all problems that each and every
-- that affect Americans of all income brackets, but have a special
importance in the African American community.
And so the point he was making is that all of these things, all of
these obstacles to opportunity, are things that we can work together on
trying to accomplish and trying to eliminate.
Q And a follow-up. Bruce Gordon just gave the President a "B"
for his speech. But he says at issue, really, is the follow-up. What's
next? What happens next?
MR. SNOW: Well, you'll be hearing more. I mean, there will be
some speeches --
Q Hearing or seeing?
MR. SNOW: Well -- but the thing is, you have been seeing. And
that's one of the points the President was trying to make today. A lot
of times, what you have is -- when a President signs an education bill,
nobody says, well, who is this going to help the most? The way No Child
Left Behind works is that the people who for a long time have been left
behind by an education system that has betrayed poor Americans by giving
them second-rate educations -- and education, as you know, is the first
step out of poverty -- that is one of the things that the -- that was
one of the first agenda items for this President.
Trying to create an economy that grows rapidly enough to provide
employment opportunities, both at the starting end and also throughout
the income scale, is important. So not only to people who are in their
first jobs, they got an opportunity, but people also have the
opportunity to move up the income scale, as many people do, taking job
after job in the course of their lives and careers. Those are important
things.
Now, that seems to me to fit into the traditional civil rights
agenda of building a basis of prosperity and hope. When you talk about
family policy -- there is a story today, I believe it was in The New
York Times, that talked about the fact that policies designed to hold
families together in New Orleans seemed to be bearing fruit. That
reflects all of the research we have seen, which is that intact families
simply have a better record when it comes to a lot of the basics.
And so all of those things seem to fit the agenda. So part of it
is the President has been walking the walk, and that was one of the
points and the centerpieces of his speech today.
Q Tony, after the speech people said that the President said
what he needed to say about the Voting Rights Act and they were very
appreciative of that, but that the speech fell flat when he spoke about
education, jobs and other issues. And they felt very passionately that
on jobs, housing, education, affirmative action, this administration has
not put forth policies that have improved their lives. How do you
respond to that?
MR. SNOW: Two things. First, take a look at the economic data.
You have seen growing -- I guess I could put it this way -- income
equality has a better record in this administration than in previous.
There was this widening gap. It's not widening anymore.
The second thing is, when it comes to things like school choice,
it's an interesting -- a lot of times you'll find that if you go and
poll people who are in these lousy schools, guess what they want? They
want school choice. They want another option.
So I think the President may not have resonated with some of the
people who were speaking with you or others. It was certainly
resonating for people who live in this city. And it was certainly
resonating with people who live in a lot of cities -- Cleveland, Ohio,
where I think several years ago, thousands lined up for a school choice
program because they wanted a better option, they wanted their kids to
have the opportunity.
So again, I would argue that the President's policies have, in
fact, been pursuing it, and would encourage everybody to take a fair
look at the real record.
Q Just a follow up. Many African Americans have family members,
sons and daughters, or wives, husbands, serving in Iraq, and some after
the speech, including Congressman John Lewis, were surprised and
disappointed that the President did not mention the war. Why didn't he
make any mention of the war in Iraq?
MR. SNOW: I think he had a pretty full plate just walking through
domestic policy. There may be another time to address it. But I'll
tell you what, the President has mentioned the war many times, and not
only has he mentioned the war, but he's been out among those servicemen
and women, and he's thanked them personally. And you've seen the
emotion that overcomes the President when he's looking out there. I
mean, he's got a very deep commitment and attachment to the men and
women in the uniformed services. And I think Congressman Lewis
understands that.
You start getting into the game of, why didn't he address X, when
you have a 40-minute speech that addressed a whole lot of things. What
you have is the recipe for a three-hour speech. This is one where the
President was making some very clear points on the domestic policy side,
which is that there is plenty of room for us to work together. And
maybe this is a time for people with goodwill to start doing that.
This was not an attempt to curry votes for the Republican Party.
This was a reflection of a longstanding personal commitment to try to
lower the temperature when it comes to race relations so people really
can get along and work together, understanding that the same basic goals
really do unite us.
Q Tony, Israel --
MR. SNOW: Well, let's finish on the NAACP speech, and then we'll
move on. Is that all for the -- okay, so we go to foreign policy.
Q NAACP.
MR. SNOW: Okay, NAACP, okay. Good to see you, Ellen.
Q Thank you.
MR. SNOW: You colored your hair.
Q It's darker. It's Fox News channel. (Laughter.)
MR. SNOW: It looks good. That's all right, I mean well.
Q Yes, those stem cells -- (Laughter.)
Q There has just been a study that came out last week on private
schools, showing that students do not necessarily do better in private
schools. Yet you're talking about the equivalent of vouchers, et
cetera, related to the President's speech today. How do you justify
that?
MR. SNOW: A lot of times it's public schools. There are some
pretty good public schools where the doors are still closed to people
who just happen, by accident, to live in the wrong places. And there is
no prohibition when you're talking about school choice to move around to
public schools, as well. Again, the concept is real simple, and parents
are pretty smart shoppers about these things. If you want to find out
where your kid is going to get a good education so he or she may be able
to go to college, may be able to build a career, may be able to do
better than mom and dad did, they care about this. Attend any PTA
meeting in the United States and you'll get a feel for it.
So I think the notion behind school choice is not get every kid
into a private school, it's create not only the opportunity to go to a
better school, but also create pressure on the school your kids go to.
Because, let's face it, most people want the choice to go to the real
good school that's closest to their house. They don't want to travel a
long way. And so this also helps create healthy pressure on schools to
perform.
Q Related question. Does the President, perhaps with an eye
back to the ads that were run against him in 2000, view the NAACP as a
partisan political organization?
MR. SNOW: No, at this point -- as you know, that was an NAACP
legal defense fund, which is a separate but related entity. It's not
the same thing as the NAACP. And the President looks at the NAACP as a
venerable organization that he wants to do business with.
Q Related --
MR. SNOW: Yes, related?
Q Yes. Does the President think that he can keep diverse points
of view in his mind if his senior staff -- that means, assistant to the
President or the equivalent -- are more than 80 percent men, all white,
one Hispanic, four women, no blacks?
MR. SNOW: Yes.
Q Why?
MR. SNOW: He talks to his Cabinet, which is more diverse than any
--
Q He's talking to Caucasian Americans.
MR. SNOW: Yes, and he's also got Secretary Gutierrez, he has
Secretary Rice -- perhaps you've noticed. Look, I think it's insulting
to believe --
Q Jackson.
MR. SNOW: Thank you. Alphonso Jackson.
Q (Inaudible.)
MR. SNOW: Let me just make the following point. Skin color, in
fact -- one of the central insights of the civil rights movement is skin
color shouldn't matter. And when it comes to -- the President
understands people's discomfort about race. That's something you
probably share. You've probably walked in a room with a large minority
population and you think, you know, there's something in the air here.
What is this? It's something that every American has experienced,
whether we like to or not. We love to be color blind, but it's still
one of those things that we need to overcome, and I think we all need to
set an example.
But the one thing that does unite us is the same basic needs,
desires, and aspirations. And that's the point the President was making
today. You don't give a black speech because black folks have the same
needs and desires and wants as white folks, that we've taken legal
discrimination off the statute books, but we have to be honest about the
task that lies ahead, and that is intensely practical work that involves
government activity, but it also involves personal example, and the
President was trying to set that today.
Q If he's proud of the diversity in his Cabinet, could you
expect him to improve diversity amongst the White House staff?
MR. SNOW: What the President does is he looks for the best
available people.
Q And they're all white?
MR. SNOW: I don't know, why don't you tell me? (Laughter.) You
can come aboard and do personnel. You want to?
Q I'm asking you a question.
MR. SNOW: I know you are, but it's an argumentative question that
also applied to other previous administrations. Would we like more
blacks and Hispanics on? Yes, sure.
Q Any Asians?
MR. SNOW: Asians, too, yes, thank you.
Q Tony --
MR. SNOW: Let me leave no one behind. Every -- just every group,
raise your hand. We want you.
Q Can I ask one on stem cells?
MR. SNOW: Okay.
Q Thank you. Has the White House received much reaction to the
stem cell veto? And do you see a day when the President would believe
that embryonic stem cell research, which is private, becomes illegal?
MR. SNOW: The answer to the second is, no, and the answer to the
first is, what? I forgot the first.
Q Has he had much reaction to the veto?
MR. SNOW: I don't know. I haven't checked the switchboard. You
know, he said what he believed. It's not the sort of thing that we're
-- if you get a tide of phone calls or emails in one direction, then
he's going to say, oh, changed my mind. There was a campaign pledge,
and it's also doing what he thinks is the right thing to do.
Q Also on Iran and North Korea, there was testimony today that
Iranians were observing the missile test. Does the U.S. have proof that
the North Koreans were selling --
MR. SNOW: I believe this was a statement that, I think they might
have, or something. It is not something we can nail down.
Q Tony, following up Connie's first question. Yesterday in the
East Room, where no questions were allowed, the President said -- and
this is a quote -- "Each of these human embryos is a unique human life
with inherent dignity and matchless value. We all begin our lives as a
small collection of cells." My question: This means that the President
believes that all miscarriages should have both death certificates and
funerals, doesn't it?
MR. SNOW: The question hasn't come up. I know the parents grieve
them, if that's good enough for you, Lester.
Q This means also that the President believes that one's actual
age is determined not by birth date, but by estimated conception date,
isn't it?
MR. SNOW: No.
Q Thank you. Two questions, like Lester. How long will the
President allow international opinion to turn against Israel and the
United States before stepping in? Isn't it time now for active U.S.
diplomacy?
MR. SNOW: You've got to stop getting those questions. No, I mean,
the United States has been engaged in active diplomacy -- and I think
I've made this point every -- the President has called a number of heads
of state. The Secretary of State has been in touch with just about
everybody in the region. We've been in contact with Middle Eastern
allies, with Eastern allies, with European allies, with parties on the
scene. We've probably been more active diplomatically. We've been
active at the U.N., the State Department, the Department of Defense, the
White House, itself.
I don't know how you could be more diplomatically active. The fact
that you weren't invited to the meetings or given the notes doesn't mean
that there wasn't activity, Sarah.
Q I have one more question on immigration. A poll last month
shows Hispanic support for the President and Republicans fading because
of failed attempts to get a new immigration policy. With the November
elections three months away, what can the President do to win back
Hispanics?
MR. SNOW: Look, the President on this and other issues is not
sitting around saying "What can I do to pander?" His position on
immigration is pretty clear. He's made it clear to the House of
Representatives. I wouldn't say there's a failure when he has pushed
both Houses of Congress to pass immigration bills. Now he's going to
try to figure out a way to get both sides to get along. I mean, that is
a challenge that the President is taking on. So I think he's got a
perfectly defensible record.
Q Can you state categorically that you're not holding back on
calling for an immediate cease-fire or on sending Condoleezza Rice to
the Middle East so that the Israelis will have time to "defang
Hezbollah" as a senior administration official said?
MR. SNOW: I don't know who the senior administration official was,
but it certainly doesn't reflect any of the conversations I've been
involved in, and it's not the position of the President.
Q So that's a no?
MR. SNOW: That is a no.
Q Thank you.
END 1:10 P.M. EDT
*just a constituency
**single-parent households
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