| The White House President George W. Bush |
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Excerpts from the Press Briefing by Scott McClellan, August 21, 2003 (Full Transcript)
MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, poolers. Let me start by running through the President's day. The President had his usual briefings this morning before departing. At noon in Portland the President will deliver remarks at a Bush-Cheney 2004 reception. And then we will depart for Redmond, Oregon, where at about 2:00 p.m. this afternoon the President will participate in a briefing on the Bear Butte and Booth fires in Deschutes National Forest. Following that briefing -- and that is pool coverage -- the President will participate in an aerial tour of the fires aboard Marine One. And then the President will deliver remarks on his Healthy Forest Initiative back at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Exposition Center.QUESTION: What time will that be?
MR. McCLELLAN: That's following the aerial tour, so as soon as that's done.
QUESTION: How many fires is that, two?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. In his remarks the President will talk about his plan for sound, common-sense forest management policy, and the steps that we have already taken to prevent catastrophic fires that threaten life, property and habitat. The President will also talk about the results that we have been achieving working with local communities, conservationists and state officials. And the President will call on Congress to act.
The President will also, toward the end of his remarks, touch on the importance of passing comprehensive energy legislation, with mandatory and enforceable reliability standards that can help prevent future blackouts, like the one that occurred last week.
And then we overnight in Bend, Oregon. And with that, I'm glad to open up to questions.