For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 5, 2005
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
PRESS BRIEFING BY SCOTT McCLELLAN
Phone call with President Hu.....................1,2,4,5,10 Meeting
with President Obasanjo.........................2,5 Charles Taylor
extradition..............................3,4 Social Security
reform..................................3-4 North Korean
immigrants...................................5 Oil
production............................................6
Sudan...................................................6-7 Bolton
document requests................................7-9 Al Qaeda terrorist
arrest.................................9 Treasury
bonds...........................................11 Funds appropriated
to Palestinian Authority...........11-12 National Day of Prayer
event.............................12 British
elections........................................13 Russian
participation with Palestinian Authority.........13 Letter sent to
Latvian President......................13-14 Energy
Prices.........................................15-16
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________ For
Immediate Release May 5, 2005
PRESS BRIEFING BY SCOTT McCLELLAN
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
12:35 P.M. EDT
MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon. I want to begin with one world
leader call from earlier today. The President had a good conversation
with President Hu, of China.
Q Who?
Q Who?
MR. McCLELLAN: Here we go. (Laughter.) You all need to go home
and pack, and get ready for the trip.
The President and President Hu discussed North Korea, and the
importance of the six-party talks. The two leaders reiterated their
commitment to working together toward a nuclear-free Peninsula, while
expressing concern about North Korea. They agreed on the importance of
progress on bilateral trade and economic issues, and they also
discussed Taiwan. President Hu briefed the President on the historic
visits to China by opposition leaders. The President urged President
Hu to continue working on ways to reach out to President Chen as the
duly-elected leader of Taiwan.
Here shortly this afternoon, the President looks forward to
welcoming President Obasanjo back to the White House. The two leaders,
I expect, will discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues,
including the situation in Sudan and our support for the efforts to
expand the African Union mission in Darfur.
And with that, I will be glad to go to your questions.
Q Scott, whom does Hu believe has the best opportunity to
convince North Korea to put away its nuclear program? Is it China or
is it the U.S.?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think all of us came together in the
six-party talk process to work on our shared concern, which is North
Korea's development of nuclear weapons. And that's why it's an issue
that affects everybody in the region. And that's why the President
felt it was important for all of us to come together and work through
the six-party talks. We hope North Korea will change their mind and
come back to the talks. They had expressed a commitment to coming to
the talks. Since that time, they have shown an unwillingness to come
back to the talks. The talks are the best way resolving this issue.
Q Has Hu suggested the President get into bilateral talks with
North Korea?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, as you're well aware, we've stated our views
on that. There's plenty of opportunity through the six-party process
for the two countries to speak to each other if they need to. But, no,
that wasn't something that came up in this call.
Q Scott, Republican Congressman Ed Royce, who is the
Vice-Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, wrote an op/ed today
in The New York Times, and I'm told he also called the White House, to
try to emphasize that he thinks the President needs to bring up with
Nigerian leader Obasanjo the issue of Charles Taylor, and where -- why
he's still being kept in Nigeria, rather than being tried. Is the
President going to bring that up at this meeting?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, let's let the meeting take place, and then
we'll have an opportunity to talk about it.
But first of all, let me back up. We appreciate the constructive
role that Nigeria played in ending the civil war in Liberia back in
2003, when they accepted Charles Taylor. The administration and
Congress share a common goal that a way needs to be found for Charles
Taylor to be held to account for the crimes he has committed. And we
have been working with Nigeria, Liberia, the United Nations, the
Economic Community of West African States, and the African Union to
address the matter. And that's what we will continue to do.
Q But wouldn't it just take simply the President saying to Mr.
Obasanjo, please release him and send him back to appear in a court?
MR. McCLELLAN: As I said, we've been engaged with this with
Nigeria, as well as those other countries and organizations that I
mentioned. And we will continue to do so. We believe a way needs to
be found for him to be held to account for the crimes he committed.
And that's something we share with Congress.
Q Why has he been sitting there for two years?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, again, you have to go back and look at what
happened in Liberia. And it was important that we bring about peace
and stability in Liberia. And we worked very closely with African
nations and President Obasanjo. President Obasanjo was very helpful in
helping to end that civil war there. And we had urged that Charles
Taylor leave Liberia so that we could move forward on peace and
stability. And that's what occurred.
Q Has the President's campaign on selling a new Social Security
approach ended now, basically in travel? How many states did he visit
and how much of the taxpayers' money did he use to sell?
MR. McCLELLAN: A couple of things. First of all, I think we've
visited some 25 states up to now. The 60-day push on educating the
American people about the problems facing Social Security has ended.
But this is an issue that affects all Americans, and the President
believes it's important to continue reaching out to the American people
and involving them in this discussion as we move forward to get
something done.
Congress is now moving forward on the legislative front. Senator
Grassley and Chairman Thomas are committed to moving forward on
legislation in their committees in an effort to get something done this
year. And we appreciate those efforts. This is a high priority.
And we know that Social Security is working fine for seniors
today. Seniors today have nothing to worry about because nothing is
going to change for them. But we've got to make it better for younger
workers, and that means making it permanently sound and giving them the
option to control some of their own savings, if they so choose, so that
they can realize a much greater rate of return on their savings. And
the President --
Q How much money did the President spend --
MR. McCLELLAN: The President will continue going out across the
country reaching out to the American people. I don't have a figure on
that right now, Helen.
Q Can you get it?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'll see what I can do.
Q Scott, during the call with Hu, did the President bring up the
currency issue? Is that something that he brought up?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, keep in mind, I did say that they did talk
about economic and trade issues and the importance of making progress
on those issues. In terms of the currency issue, I'd just say that
Treasury stays in regular contact with China and has an ongoing
discussion with them on the matter. And I think our views are
well-known and Treasury has stated them recently in the past.
Q So the President didn't bring it up?
MR. McCLELLAN: I just said that they talked about economic and
trade issues, and I think I'd just leave it at that, for the call. But
that's what I wanted to point out to you, that there are ongoing
discussions Treasury has with China on these matters.
Q Who initiated the call?
MR. McCLELLAN: It was a mutually agreed to call. Obviously, those
were three different areas that we have been working closely with
Russia [sic] to address some shared interests.
Q If I could go back to Charles Taylor for a minute. You said a
way needs to be found to hold him to account. Are you looking at ways
other than the court in Sierra Leone, and if so, what would be some of
the other ways in which he could be held to account?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that's a matter that we're continuing
to discuss with Nigeria and Liberia, the United Nations, ECOWAS and
others to find that way. And we've been in discussions with members of
Congress about it, as well.
Q What are some of the possibilities?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think I'll leave it to those discussions,
and we'll continue to discuss a way forward to hold him to account.
But we've always felt that he needs to be held accountable.
Q Scott, was there any talk with Hu on North Korean immigrants?
And a related question is, there's apparently a growing number of the
immigrants who are in the United States illegally, but they're caught
in kind of a limbo because there's a law that allows them to seek
asylum, but not if they've gone through South Korea. And it looked
like a delicate problem because China might be annoyed if somehow we
gave them -- granted them asylum. And it's hard for them to get to the
United States without going through South Korea because it's apparently
hard for them to get into the U.S. embassy in Beijing because it's so
fortified. Is the administration looking into this problem?
MR. McCLELLAN: A couple of things. One, on the first part of your
question, no, it wasn't something that was discussed in this phone
call. On the second part of that question, I leave you -- leave it to
State Department to give you the latest update in terms of matters
relating to asylum.
Q Scott, on the upcoming meeting with the Nigerian President,
two things, one about oil. The President, a couple of weeks ago, met
with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. And many persons thought that
he's not going to limit his request for increased oil production just
there. Is the President going to ask Nigeria's President to increase
oil production? And can Nigeria increase its 7 percent to 8 percent of
oil production that we receive here?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, again, I don't want to jump ahead of the
meeting. We need to let the meeting take place. There are a number of
important issues that they will be discussing. And like I said, one of
those I'm sure that will come up is Sudan. In terms of the issue of
oil, Nigeria is one of many producing nations around the world. And
so, yes, we do --
Q Sweet light crude that we particularly like.
MR. McCLELLAN: We stay in contact with producing nations, and
we'll continue to do so to make sure that there are abundant and
affordable supplies of energy to address the growing global economy.
Q Well -- wait a minute, I'm not finished. Well, there is -- if
there is an increase from Nigeria, will it make a difference? It's
just such a small amount compared to Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
Would it make a difference if they were to --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you heard the President recently talk about
this, and talk about the importance of continuing -- he talked about it
in the press conference just last week, the importance of continuing to
talk with countries to make sure that they are expanding production, as
they are able to do so, to address these issues, and to help. And
that's something we can do now.
What we need to do for the long-term is make sure that we pass a
comprehensive energy plan. And that's why the President is working
with Congress and continuing to call on Congress to pass the energy
plan that he outlined four years ago. And we have an opportunity to
get that done this year. We appreciate the action by the House, who
has already passed energy legislation. And we hope the Senate will
move forward quickly, too. Senator Domenici is someone who has made a
commitment to do so, and we appreciate that.
Q And then on to Sudan, some of your critics are saying you just
haven't done anything. They want soldiers in there and some other
things other than humanitarian aid to help stop the situation in
Darfur. What is the President willing to do in the midst of these
talks?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, they must not be following the situation very
closely, because the United States has been providing the leading role
when it comes to addressing the problems in Sudan. We have been
strongly engaged in efforts to end the suffering in Darfur, and to
forge peace in southern Sudan.
John Danforth was someone who worked very closely with the
government of Sudan and the opposition rebels to forge a north-south
agreement. We continue to urge the government of Sudan and the Sudan
Peoples Liberation Movement to move forward expeditiously to establish
a unity government and implement the comprehensive peace agreement. We
also urge the government of Sudan and the rebels in Darfur to resume
their peace talks, as soon as possible to end the crisis in Darfur.
The violence must end in Darfur. We've made some important progress in
Sudan. But the violence must end in Darfur. And both parties have an
obligation to work to make that happen. And we have been very
supportive of the Africa Union mission. President Obasanjo, as
Chairman of the African Union, is working to expand that mission and
increase the number of peacekeepers who will be in the Darfur region.
And that's very important.
And in terms of humanitarian aid, we have provided more than 80
percent of the food to Darfur this year. And we hope the rest of the
donor nations will follow through on their commitments that they have
made, as well.
Q If you think the violence must end, why not send soldiers?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the African Union is sending -- we support
the efforts of the African Union and want to do what we can to provide
help, as they work to expand --
Q Why not U.S. soldiers --
MR. McCLELLAN: -- as they work to expand -- we're working --
Q -- if concerned?
MR. McCLELLAN: This is something that affects all those countries
in Africa, and we're working to support their efforts to expand their
forces there.
Q Scott, do you have an update on the explosions that occurred
outside the British Consulate earlier today in New York?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I don't have an update from this podium. I
think that will come from authorities in New York and/or the FBI.
Q Is there any evidence of terrorism?
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I don't have any update from this podium.
I'll leave it to the authorities to give you an update.
Q Has Bush spoken to Blair today?
MR. McCLELLAN: No.
Q Scott, Senator Lugar and the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee have made substantial document requests of certain executive
branch agencies in connection with the Bolton confirmation hearing.
They have requested documents from the State Department in connection
with his speech on Syria, and they have made document requests of the
National Security Agency in connection with his request for information
from that agency. Has the White House been in touch with either State
or NSA about the response to those requests?
MR. McCLELLAN: We're well aware of the State Department and how
they have been very responsive to the requests by the committee. I
think that John Bolton has been very responsive to the questions that
members have raised, both in oral testimony, as well as written
testimony. And these are issues that we believe have been addressed
through the committee process. We look forward to the committee coming
back and moving forward on his nomination. It's important that we get
him in there so that he can get about doing the important work of
reform at the United Nations.
Q But my specific question was whether or not the White House
has been in touch with those agencies about satisfying those document
requests.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we stay in touch with the State Department on
this matter. The State Department has been working to make sure that
the questions are responded to, and they've been very responsive to the
committee. There's a difference between responding to legitimate
concerns and just people trying to go down the road of a fishing
expedition.
Q And one last question on the subject. One of the accusations
that was raised was from John Wolf, who is a former Assistant Secretary
of State for Nonproliferation, worked under Bolton at the State
Department. And in his interview with the committee, he said that
Bolton's pursuit of disputes with members of that bureau in the State
Department, the Nonproliferation Bureau, dragged on so long that
sometimes Secretary Powell -- issues did not get to Secretary Powell in
a timely way. Was that something that you saw happening in the first
term, or is it something that Secretary Powell complained about?
MR. McCLELLAN: I appreciate you trying to ask the hearing to be
held here from this podium, but I think that John Bolton has addressed
these types of questions through the hearing process and through
written responses. John Bolton is someone that has a tremendous amount
of experience; he has been confirmed by the Senate four times,
including once by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is now
hearing -- or overseeing his confirmation process for ambassador to the
United Nations. He's someone who has had a couple of decades of
service to his country in the government. And he brings a lot of
passion and a lot of experience and sometimes a little bluntness to the
position. But we believe those are the type of qualities that are
needed to go about the important work of reforming the United Nations.
And that's why the President believes so strongly that he is the right
person at the right time to fill this important position.
Q But from where you sat, his actions in office over the last
four years you would say were not delaying issues getting up to
Secretary Powell?
MR. McCLELLAN: I've never been known to see anything of that
sort.
Q Scott, two questions. One, now comes the arrest of number
three most wanted terrorist by the Pakistanis. The question is that
after the great damage was done to the United States and we are still
living under the fear of terrorism, they're giving, or delivering to
the U.S. one by one terrorists -- they are still holding number one
and number two. When are we getting number one? That's the main
question because the great danger is still there and terrorism is still
around the globe.
MR. McCLELLAN: The war on terrorism continues. We are engaged
with some 90 countries around the world in the global war on
terrorism. The President often talks about how the tendency is, the
further we get away from September 11th, the easier it is to forget
about what occurred. But we are going to stay on the offense, stay on
offense, going after those who seek to do harm to America and the
civilized world. We are going to continue dismantling the al Qaeda
network. We have made a lot of progress. It's not the same
organization that it once was.
We have brought to justice in one way or another some
three-quarters of the key leaders and associates of al Qaeda.
Yesterday marked a significant moment in the global war on terrorism.
This was the individual who was a senior leader of al Qaeda, al-Libbi.
He replaced Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. And we applaud Pakistan for their
capture of this terrorist. And we will continue working closely with
Pakistan and other countries around the world to share intelligence and
go after those who seek to do us harm. We'll also continue working
closely with countries to advance freedom, and we will continue to go
after those other terrorist leaders and bring them to justice, as
well.
Q Question on China -- I have. China and Taiwan. When China
would -- issue warning to Taiwan that, stop, otherwise we can --
another time, they said that we're ready to talk. Where do we stand as
far as China and Taiwan is concerned? Because Taiwan is now asking
whether they can trust China or not?
MR. McCLELLAN: We continue to encourage dialogue between Taiwan
and China to promote peace and stability in the region. And the
President and President Hu talked about that in their conversation
today. We appreciate that President Hu met with some of the opposition
leaders. We believe dialogue is important. We believe ultimately that
he needs -- that there needs to be continued dialogue with the duly
elected leaders in Taiwan, and that means President Chen and his
Cabinet. That's the best way to continue to promote peace and
stability in the cross-strait region.
Q Scott, as Congress is about to approve legislation prohibiting
illegal aliens from getting drivers' licenses, will the President sign
such legislation? That's my first.
MR. McCLELLAN: Are you talking about the Real ID Act?
Q Yes.
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, we've already expressed our support for that
legislation. And that is part of the supplemental that the House is
moving forward on today. And we appreciate the House moving, and
working to pass this important legislation. It's most important to get
the supplemental passed so that we can get much needed resources to our
troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and resources to help train and equip
the Iraqi and Afghan security forces, which is critical to us
completing our mission in those two countries. But we put out a
statement of administration policy recently expressing our support for
including those provisions in the supplemental legislation.
Q The New York Times yesterday devoted more than half a page to
a California story headlined: Retirees Answer the Call to Hunt for
Terrorists, Patrolling in Planes, Trucks and Boats. And my question:
Does the President believe that any of these retirees are doing wrong,
or are "vigilantes"?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I haven't heard him express that about those
individuals. If you're talking about people who have become part of
the citizen corps in helping in the global war on terrorism, we have
expressed our support for efforts to -- that all of us need to be
involved in the efforts to defeat terrorism and disrupt terrorist
plots.
Q Thank you.
Q Scott, the Treasury Department is saying now that it may bring
back the 30-year bond to help finance the government's operations. If
the fiscal situation is improving, as you have projected, why does the
government need to sell such longer term, expensive debt?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, the why you might want to ask
after they've considered it. All they've said they're doing is they're
going to give it consideration. In terms of why they're giving it
consideration, the Treasury Department spoke to that yesterday. And I
think you should look back at what they said because I think that
answers your question.
Q But is the budget outlook improving, or is it getting worse?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, in terms of our fiscal situation, if that's
what you're asking about, you know we have an update called the
mid-session review when we'll give our next update on our fiscal
situation. But we -- the President has put forward a deficit reduction
plan. He is strongly committed to making sure that we stay on track to
meet the goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2005. The budget
resolution that was just passed by Congress keeps us on track to cut
the deficit in half by 2005.
We must continue to move forward in a way where we meet our highest
responsibilities, highest priorities and restrain spending elsewhere in
the budget. And the budget that Congress passed is one that we
applaud. It is one that does, for the first time since 1997, reduce
the growth in mandatory spending. And it is a budget that exercises
tight spending restraint on the discretionary side. And we applaud
Congress for the steps that they have taken. We look forward to
continue working with them as they go through the appropriations
process which is underway now in a number of subcommittees.
Let me go back here.
Q The Congress' decision yesterday of tight restriction on the
money -- $200 million -- that the President authorized to the
Palestinian Authority. Some see it as even worse during the Arafat
era. Do you see this an undermining of the President's effort to
support Abu Mazen and to build --
MR. McCLELLAN: No, and in fact, I've -- those who see it that way,
I think, have it wrong. This is very similar to the way it has been in
the past. And it does give waiver authority to the administration, so
we have flexibility there. We applaud Congress for including that $200
million in the supplemental funding.
Q But $50 million of this money is going to go directly to
Israel. (Inaudible.) Some of the Palestinians say that basically
reinforcing the lines that the Israeli drew, in terms of the war. And
obviously, affecting the permanent stated solution when --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we've always stressed the importance of
making sure that the Palestinian people can move about freely and goods
can move about freely across those checkpoints and that it's done in
that way. And that's what we we'll continue to express as we move
forward.
But, look, we'll be continuing to talk with the Palestinian
Authority and with the Quartet's envoy, Mr. Wolfensohn, who is working
to look at how they move forward to put the institutions in place for a
viable state to emerge as Prime Minister Sharon and Israel move forward
on withdrawing from Gaza. That's where the focus needs to remain. And
we want to do, as well as calling on other countries to do what they
can to support the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leaders as
they move forward on putting those institutions in place. And we
appreciate that Congress has included this funding.
Q But how this will support him if you're undermining him by not
giving him the money directly? Some of this money is needed for
salaries, for example, for this --
MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, we haven't made any decisions on
distributing any of this money at this point. But, like I said, this
is very similar to the way it has been structured in the past. And we
believe that we have the flexibility we need.
Q Scott, this morning in the East Room at the National Day of
Prayer Ceremony, there was a broad representation of religions. There
did not seem to be an obvious Muslim component, though. Was there some
representation or participation by Muslims --
MR. McCLELLAN: You know, I didn't check. I had to -- ended up
watching it on TV like some of the rest of you. But the Muslim
chaplain of Georgetown was supposed to be in attendance.
Go ahead, Connie.
Q Since Great Britain is our most important ally, how quickly
after the election results are in will the President speak to the
winner?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?
Q Will the President speak to Prime Minister Blair or whomever
is elected?
MR. McCLELLAN: We'll keep you posted. I expect at some point he
would place a call.
Q Some time today then, or tonight?
MR. McCLELLAN: We will keep you posted.
Go ahead.
Q When President Putin was in Middle East, he didn't just call
for an international press conference which you thought was premature,
he actually pledged some military support to the Palestinian Authority
security forces. Is the President going to raise those issues with
President Putin when he meets him on Monday?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, keep in mind the reason why we're going to
Russia is to mark the end of World War II, and the defeat of the
Nazis. And they will have a meeting while they're there. It's not --
as Steve Hadley pointed out yesterday, so much of a structured agenda
as sometimes it is -- I think the meeting probably won't be as long as
it usually is either. But certainly, we appreciate Russia's
involvement in the Middle East. President Putin just returned from
there. They are a valued member of the Quartet. So I wouldn't be
surprised if that's one of the topics that they discuss.
Kate, go ahead.
Q On that subject, the Russians are pretty unhappy with the use
of the word "occupation" by the President in the letter that he wrote
to the President of Latvia. They say that -- they argue that their
troops were introduced on the basis of an agreement and consent by the
authorities that were in those countries at that time. So they're
arguing with your language. I wonder also if this casts a shadow over
the meeting.
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I don't think so. Look, the President looks
forward to the trip. I think the purpose of the trip is really
threefold, to celebrate victory over the Nazis and the fascists, to
mark the end of communism, and to talk about the advance of freedom in
Europe and in other parts of the world. And so that's really the
purpose of the trip.
The President looks forward to beginning the trip in Latvia, where
he will meet with the three Baltic Presidents. And he looks forward to
that meeting. Some of those -- you saw in the letter, the President
talked about the importance of renewing our common commitment to
advancing freedom, prosperity, and tolerance throughout Europe and the
world. And that's one of the messages that he will be taking on his
trip when he leaves tomorrow morning. And you saw in the letter, as
well, where he talked about how we must remember the past as we move
forward together on our shared values.
Russia is someone who we have good relations with. We have a good
strategic relationship with Russia. We work very closely with Russia
in a number of areas, whether it's trade, economic issues, or our
cooperation in the global war on terrorism, and our cooperation on
stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction. And we will -- the
President looks forward to meeting with President Putin. So, no, I
wouldn't view it that way. But we must remember the past as we move
forward to advance freedom and democracy and tolerance and prosperity.
Q So the President will continue to refer to it as occupation?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think you will hear more from the President when
he is in Latvia, and he will talk about that very painful history that
the Baltic states went through. That was a painful history for the
Baltic states. The end of World War II marked the liberation of many
parts of Europe, but not parts of Central and Eastern Europe. It
marked the beginning of communism and occupation, and it was a painful
part of their history. And now those countries are free and working to
move forward on the democratic institutions that sustain free
societies.
And one of the things the President is going to be focusing on in
some of his remarks will be expanding on his inaugural address and
talking about the importance of advancing freedom and democracy, and
how freedom is about more than just elections. Freedom is about rule
of law and protection of minorities and minority rights. It's about an
open and inclusive society that is based on tolerance. And it's about
building the structures for freedom to really be sustained. And that's
one of the things the President will focus on in his remarks.
Q Scott, back on oil for a second. Has the President revised
his desired price point for a barrel of oil? A couple of years ago it
was $23 to $28; the Saudis say that's now unrealistic. Has he revised
that --
MR. McCLELLAN: I think that's what the Saudis referred to a couple
of years ago, and after some conversations with --
Q Has the President altered it?
MR. McCLELLAN: -- with the administration. And what we want is to
continue to see oil prices come down, and gas prices come down, so that
they're more affordable for the American people. And that's important
to sustaining economic growth. We have a strong, growing economy. We
just saw the latest unemployment insurance numbers come out today, and
they continue to point to strong, sustained growth. But the President
is concerned about high energy prices and high gas prices, in
particular. That's having an effect on families; it's having an effect
on small businesses. And that's why he's continuing to urge Congress
to get his energy plan passed. And that's why he's continuing to work
through his administration to encourage producing countries to expand
their production as they can, and to make sure that consumers are
protected here at home.
Q Does he agree, though, that a price point of $28 as a max per
barrel of oil is unrealistic, given today's market?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you know where the price of oil is right now;
it's come down some. And the President wants to see it come down and
be more affordable for the American people. The government isn't the
one who sets the prices, as you're well-aware, John --
Q But he has talked about a desired price point.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- and he would like to see it more affordable. I
haven't heard him discuss it recently.
Q What is the definition of "more affordable," please?
Q Scott, is the President going to meet --
Q What should -- yes, what should I pay a gallon?
Q What should April pay per gallon?
Q What is the definition of "more affordable"?
MR. McCLELLAN: April, I think you've asked this question; it's
been answered --
Q I sure have, and the horse is not dead. What is the
definition --
MR. McCLELLAN: I hope you have a good weekend, while we're off in
Russia. We've been through this question. I told you that the
government isn't the one who sets the prices.
Q Well, what about a -- how much should a barrel of oil--
Q Scott --
Q Wait a minute -- how much should a barrel of oil cost then?
MR. McCLELLAN: Does anyone want to keep this going?
Q Yes. Come on. Yes, seriously.
Q No, no.
Q I'm one party; I have democracy, freedom here. Come on.
(Laughter.) Minority rights.
MR. McCLELLAN: We need to make sure there are affordable and
abundant supplies of energy. And the price of oil, the President
believes, is too high. It needs to come down. And that's the message
he's sent to producing countries around the world. That's the message
he's sent to members of Congress, that we're dependent on foreign
sources of energy. We need to address the root causes of why we are in
this situation. That's why the President is continuing to move forward
on a comprehensive energy strategy and get Congress to get it passed.
And in the meantime, we're going to continue doing what we can to
make it more affordable.
Thank you.
END 1:08 P.M. EDT
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