Monday
Apr032006
White House Gaggle
Monday, April 3, 2006 at 3:00AM
By Scott McClellan
White House Gaggle
By: Scott McClellan
April 3, 2006
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Cincinnati, Ohio
12:00 P.M. EDT
MR. McCLELLAN: All right, good morning, everybody. The President
loosened up a little bit this weekend. He's looking forward to throwing
out the first pitch today at the Cincinnati Reds home opener against the
Chicago Cubs.
But before I get to that, let me walk through the President's day. The
President had his usual briefings this morning, and he called Chancellor
Merkel this morning. This is part of the regular consultations the two
leaders are having on a range of issues. They talked about the
continued efforts of the international community to prevent the regime
in Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, they talked about
developments in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Belarus, as well. And the
President briefed Chancellor Merkel on Secretary Rice's trip to Iraq
over this weekend.
Then following that, the President spent some time at the ranch, and
then we are now headed to Cincinnati, where, when we get there, the
President will visit both clubhouses. So he'll visit the Chicago Cubs
clubhouse first, and then the Reds. And then he'll be sitting in the
owner's box for the game after he throws out the first pitch. My
understanding is that he is the first sitting President to throw out the
ceremonial first pitch at a game in Cincinnati. So just one little bit
of color for you there.
And then this afternoon, after the game, we'll return back to
Washington.
Q Was he really practicing this weekend?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, he did on Saturday. He got some time in where he
threw some pitches.
Q How else did he spend his weekend?
MR. McCLELLAN: He threw it with the one Cincinnati Red who is traveling
with us today, Mr. Joe Hagin. (Laughter.) We're going to his hometown.
He's spent it with some -- you know, with friends, and got in some bike
riding, and did some work around the ranch, stayed in touch with staff
on a variety of issues.
Q Discussion in those variety of issues about changes at the White
House?
MR. McCLELLAN: You know I don't speculate on any of those matters.
Q Can you confirm that Treasury Secretary Snow is out?
MR. McCLELLAN: Who said that?
Q I heard reports of it.
MR. McCLELLAN: You heard reports of it. Look, there are going to be a
lot of -- there's going to be a lot of speculation.
Q Heard rumors.
MR. McCLELLAN: There's going to be a lot of speculation as a new Chief
of Staff is coming on board. And that's what it is, it's speculation.
And we're not going to get into responding to anonymous sources or the
speculation that's going on. We've already talked about the authority
that Josh will have as he comes into the position. He'll be looking at
all these issues, and we'll move forward from there.
But the President has a great economic team. Our economy is strong.
And he appreciates the job that his economic team has done. The latest
report came out this morning on manufacturing activity. Manufacturing
activity has now expanded for 34 straight months. Our economy has
created nearly 5 million jobs in the last two, two-and-a-half years.
And the unemployment rate is at 4.8 percent. So we're going to continue
to focus on the priorities that the American people are most concerned
about and continuing to build upon our record of accomplishment.
Q Have you had any thoughts that you might be leaving soon?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't speculate on any personnel matters.
Q You're not speculating for yourself.
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm focused on helping the President advance his agenda,
just like the rest of the team at the White House.
Q But Josh wasn't there this weekend, right?
MR. McCLELLAN: No.
Q They were in touch over the phone over the weekend, I take it?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Andy is still serving as Chief of Staff as Josh
transitions into the job. The President is staying in close contact
with the senior staff, as he does all the time. But I know there's an
interest in trying to get us to speculate about things, and we're just
not going to do that.
Q Despite Straw and Rice's visit to Iraq, the Iraqis don't seem any
closer to a unity government. What more can be done here?
MR. McCLELLAN: You said, they don't seem to be closer?
Q They don't seem any closer, right. They seem further away.
MR. McCLELLAN: Based on what?
Q Well, based on the fracturing of the Shiite coalition.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think -- the fracturing of the --
Q Well, the Shiite block is having some internal strife, problems
about calling for Jaafari --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, my understanding is that the Iraqi leaders are
continuing to work form a government of national unity, a government
that represents all the Iraqi people. You heard from Secretary Rice
this weekend, from Iraq. That's really where we stand. We continue to
urge the Iraqi leaders to move forward as quickly as possible to get a
unity government in place. That's what the Iraqi people want. It's
important that they do so, in order to, as Secretary Rice put it, help
disable those who want to create sectarian violence, and continue to
foment sectarian strife.
And Secretary Rice talked about how there's a vacuum, and it's not good
to have a vacuum in politics. And so that's why she said it's time for
the Iraqi leaders to move forward and get a unity government in place.
Q Getting back to the personnel -- possible personnel changes, are
you ruling out any Cabinet or senior staff changes in the near future?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not getting into any speculation, Jay, for the --
you've asked that question previously. When we have something to
announce, we make those announcements in due course. But I wouldn't
read anything into the speculation one way or the other. I see a lot of
speculation based on people outside the administration. The President
has tapped Josh Bolten to be his new Chief of Staff. And he will take a
look at the White House structure, he'll take a look at issues relating
to the administration. And the President is going to look to his advice
and counsel as we move forward.
Q Any announcements this week, maybe? Or would you not want to --
MR. McCLELLAN: If there's anything to announce, we will keep you posted
on it. How many times do you want to ask the same question? And you
all know, this has been a policy of ours from the get go. We just don't
speculate on any personnel matters.
Q Frist is talking of bringing the immigration bill to the floor by
the end of this week. Is that something the President would concur
with, in terms of the timing? And what about the concerns that --
MR. McCLELLAN: In terms of timing, that's for leaders in Congress to
make those determinations. But we're pleased that the Senate is moving
forward to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Senator Frist talked
about the importance of having a comprehensive piece of legislation.
The President believes it's important that any immigration reform be
comprehensive. And it begins with securing our borders. And we have
taken a number of steps to better secure our borders. But there is more
to do.
And we all want to see our borders -- we all want to make sure that we
have better control of our borders. And that's why we have stepped up
the number of resources we're dedicating -- we've dedicated more
resources to the border, whether it be new technologies or more Border
Patrol agents. But there is more we would like to do, as well. And so
we're working closely with Congress on this issue. But part of securing
our borders is moving forward on a guest worker program, because that
will relieve pressure off the border. It will allow our Border Patrol
agents to focus on the criminals and the terrorists, the smugglers and
traffickers that are trying to come into this country for the wrong
reasons.
And so the President is continuing to urge the Congress to move forward
in a comprehensive way. And we're pleased with the progress that's
being made.
Q Is a few days enough, though, to overcome this internal conflict
between the Republicans on where to go with this bill -- what to include
in the bill?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, when you're referring to conflicts, what are you
referring to?
Q Over the guest worker program --
MR. McCLELLAN: I think there are a lot of people that have talked about
the importance of making sure that there is a comprehensive piece of
legislation. And that's what the President is continuing to urge.
We're continuing to stay in close contact with leaders -- leaders in the
Senate and leaders in the House -- and we're pleased with the progress
that's being made.
Q Can we expect an announcement --
MR. McCLELLAN: That's what's important -- what's important at this
point is, I mean, it's still early in the legislative process, but it's
moving forward. And we look forward to the Senate acting, and then
moving to conference committee, where we'll continue working with
leaders once it gets to conference committee to iron out details. The
President talked about how this is a difficult issue, it's an emotional
issue. And there are tough choices that have to be made and compromise
that has to be made along the way. But I think most Americans recognize
the importance of addressing this in a comprehensive way, because our
immigration system is broken. And if you're going to fix it, you need
to address it in a comprehensive way.
Q To replace Josh Bolten at the OMB, will the President be making an
announcement any time soon on who he's picked to replace Mr. Bolten?
MR. McCLELLAN: It is a priority to get that filled. Obviously, Josh is
moving out of that position in a short amount of time, so we're moving
forward as quickly as we can to fill the position.
Q So this week maybe?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't speculate about timing on personnel matters.
I'm sorry, Jay, you've been gone for a little bit, but just a reminder
about our policies on personnel issues.
Q Where's the memo on that? (Laughter.)
MR. McCLELLAN: Anything else? Okay, thanks.
END 12:11 P.M. EDT
12:00 P.M. EDT
MR. McCLELLAN: All right, good morning, everybody. The President
loosened up a little bit this weekend. He's looking forward to throwing
out the first pitch today at the Cincinnati Reds home opener against the
Chicago Cubs.
But before I get to that, let me walk through the President's day. The
President had his usual briefings this morning, and he called Chancellor
Merkel this morning. This is part of the regular consultations the two
leaders are having on a range of issues. They talked about the
continued efforts of the international community to prevent the regime
in Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, they talked about
developments in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Belarus, as well. And the
President briefed Chancellor Merkel on Secretary Rice's trip to Iraq
over this weekend.
Then following that, the President spent some time at the ranch, and
then we are now headed to Cincinnati, where, when we get there, the
President will visit both clubhouses. So he'll visit the Chicago Cubs
clubhouse first, and then the Reds. And then he'll be sitting in the
owner's box for the game after he throws out the first pitch. My
understanding is that he is the first sitting President to throw out the
ceremonial first pitch at a game in Cincinnati. So just one little bit
of color for you there.
And then this afternoon, after the game, we'll return back to
Washington.
Q Was he really practicing this weekend?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, he did on Saturday. He got some time in where he
threw some pitches.
Q How else did he spend his weekend?
MR. McCLELLAN: He threw it with the one Cincinnati Red who is traveling
with us today, Mr. Joe Hagin. (Laughter.) We're going to his hometown.
He's spent it with some -- you know, with friends, and got in some bike
riding, and did some work around the ranch, stayed in touch with staff
on a variety of issues.
Q Discussion in those variety of issues about changes at the White
House?
MR. McCLELLAN: You know I don't speculate on any of those matters.
Q Can you confirm that Treasury Secretary Snow is out?
MR. McCLELLAN: Who said that?
Q I heard reports of it.
MR. McCLELLAN: You heard reports of it. Look, there are going to be a
lot of -- there's going to be a lot of speculation.
Q Heard rumors.
MR. McCLELLAN: There's going to be a lot of speculation as a new Chief
of Staff is coming on board. And that's what it is, it's speculation.
And we're not going to get into responding to anonymous sources or the
speculation that's going on. We've already talked about the authority
that Josh will have as he comes into the position. He'll be looking at
all these issues, and we'll move forward from there.
But the President has a great economic team. Our economy is strong.
And he appreciates the job that his economic team has done. The latest
report came out this morning on manufacturing activity. Manufacturing
activity has now expanded for 34 straight months. Our economy has
created nearly 5 million jobs in the last two, two-and-a-half years.
And the unemployment rate is at 4.8 percent. So we're going to continue
to focus on the priorities that the American people are most concerned
about and continuing to build upon our record of accomplishment.
Q Have you had any thoughts that you might be leaving soon?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't speculate on any personnel matters.
Q You're not speculating for yourself.
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm focused on helping the President advance his agenda,
just like the rest of the team at the White House.
Q But Josh wasn't there this weekend, right?
MR. McCLELLAN: No.
Q They were in touch over the phone over the weekend, I take it?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Andy is still serving as Chief of Staff as Josh
transitions into the job. The President is staying in close contact
with the senior staff, as he does all the time. But I know there's an
interest in trying to get us to speculate about things, and we're just
not going to do that.
Q Despite Straw and Rice's visit to Iraq, the Iraqis don't seem any
closer to a unity government. What more can be done here?
MR. McCLELLAN: You said, they don't seem to be closer?
Q They don't seem any closer, right. They seem further away.
MR. McCLELLAN: Based on what?
Q Well, based on the fracturing of the Shiite coalition.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think -- the fracturing of the --
Q Well, the Shiite block is having some internal strife, problems
about calling for Jaafari --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, my understanding is that the Iraqi leaders are
continuing to work form a government of national unity, a government
that represents all the Iraqi people. You heard from Secretary Rice
this weekend, from Iraq. That's really where we stand. We continue to
urge the Iraqi leaders to move forward as quickly as possible to get a
unity government in place. That's what the Iraqi people want. It's
important that they do so, in order to, as Secretary Rice put it, help
disable those who want to create sectarian violence, and continue to
foment sectarian strife.
And Secretary Rice talked about how there's a vacuum, and it's not good
to have a vacuum in politics. And so that's why she said it's time for
the Iraqi leaders to move forward and get a unity government in place.
Q Getting back to the personnel -- possible personnel changes, are
you ruling out any Cabinet or senior staff changes in the near future?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not getting into any speculation, Jay, for the --
you've asked that question previously. When we have something to
announce, we make those announcements in due course. But I wouldn't
read anything into the speculation one way or the other. I see a lot of
speculation based on people outside the administration. The President
has tapped Josh Bolten to be his new Chief of Staff. And he will take a
look at the White House structure, he'll take a look at issues relating
to the administration. And the President is going to look to his advice
and counsel as we move forward.
Q Any announcements this week, maybe? Or would you not want to --
MR. McCLELLAN: If there's anything to announce, we will keep you posted
on it. How many times do you want to ask the same question? And you
all know, this has been a policy of ours from the get go. We just don't
speculate on any personnel matters.
Q Frist is talking of bringing the immigration bill to the floor by
the end of this week. Is that something the President would concur
with, in terms of the timing? And what about the concerns that --
MR. McCLELLAN: In terms of timing, that's for leaders in Congress to
make those determinations. But we're pleased that the Senate is moving
forward to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Senator Frist talked
about the importance of having a comprehensive piece of legislation.
The President believes it's important that any immigration reform be
comprehensive. And it begins with securing our borders. And we have
taken a number of steps to better secure our borders. But there is more
to do.
And we all want to see our borders -- we all want to make sure that we
have better control of our borders. And that's why we have stepped up
the number of resources we're dedicating -- we've dedicated more
resources to the border, whether it be new technologies or more Border
Patrol agents. But there is more we would like to do, as well. And so
we're working closely with Congress on this issue. But part of securing
our borders is moving forward on a guest worker program, because that
will relieve pressure off the border. It will allow our Border Patrol
agents to focus on the criminals and the terrorists, the smugglers and
traffickers that are trying to come into this country for the wrong
reasons.
And so the President is continuing to urge the Congress to move forward
in a comprehensive way. And we're pleased with the progress that's
being made.
Q Is a few days enough, though, to overcome this internal conflict
between the Republicans on where to go with this bill -- what to include
in the bill?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, when you're referring to conflicts, what are you
referring to?
Q Over the guest worker program --
MR. McCLELLAN: I think there are a lot of people that have talked about
the importance of making sure that there is a comprehensive piece of
legislation. And that's what the President is continuing to urge.
We're continuing to stay in close contact with leaders -- leaders in the
Senate and leaders in the House -- and we're pleased with the progress
that's being made.
Q Can we expect an announcement --
MR. McCLELLAN: That's what's important -- what's important at this
point is, I mean, it's still early in the legislative process, but it's
moving forward. And we look forward to the Senate acting, and then
moving to conference committee, where we'll continue working with
leaders once it gets to conference committee to iron out details. The
President talked about how this is a difficult issue, it's an emotional
issue. And there are tough choices that have to be made and compromise
that has to be made along the way. But I think most Americans recognize
the importance of addressing this in a comprehensive way, because our
immigration system is broken. And if you're going to fix it, you need
to address it in a comprehensive way.
Q To replace Josh Bolten at the OMB, will the President be making an
announcement any time soon on who he's picked to replace Mr. Bolten?
MR. McCLELLAN: It is a priority to get that filled. Obviously, Josh is
moving out of that position in a short amount of time, so we're moving
forward as quickly as we can to fill the position.
Q So this week maybe?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't speculate about timing on personnel matters.
I'm sorry, Jay, you've been gone for a little bit, but just a reminder
about our policies on personnel issues.
Q Where's the memo on that? (Laughter.)
MR. McCLELLAN: Anything else? Okay, thanks.
END 12:11 P.M. EDT
White House Gaggle
By: Scott McClellan
April 3, 2006
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Cincinnati, Ohio
12:00 P.M. EDT
MR. McCLELLAN: All right, good morning, everybody. The President
loosened up a little bit this weekend. He's looking forward to throwing
out the first pitch today at the Cincinnati Reds home opener against the
Chicago Cubs.
But before I get to that, let me walk through the President's day. The
President had his usual briefings this morning, and he called Chancellor
Merkel this morning. This is part of the regular consultations the two
leaders are having on a range of issues. They talked about the
continued efforts of the international community to prevent the regime
in Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, they talked about
developments in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Belarus, as well. And the
President briefed Chancellor Merkel on Secretary Rice's trip to Iraq
over this weekend.
Then following that, the President spent some time at the ranch, and
then we are now headed to Cincinnati, where, when we get there, the
President will visit both clubhouses. So he'll visit the Chicago Cubs
clubhouse first, and then the Reds. And then he'll be sitting in the
owner's box for the game after he throws out the first pitch. My
understanding is that he is the first sitting President to throw out the
ceremonial first pitch at a game in Cincinnati. So just one little bit
of color for you there.
And then this afternoon, after the game, we'll return back to
Washington.
Q Was he really practicing this weekend?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, he did on Saturday. He got some time in where he
threw some pitches.
Q How else did he spend his weekend?
MR. McCLELLAN: He threw it with the one Cincinnati Red who is traveling
with us today, Mr. Joe Hagin. (Laughter.) We're going to his hometown.
He's spent it with some -- you know, with friends, and got in some bike
riding, and did some work around the ranch, stayed in touch with staff
on a variety of issues.
Q Discussion in those variety of issues about changes at the White
House?
MR. McCLELLAN: You know I don't speculate on any of those matters.
Q Can you confirm that Treasury Secretary Snow is out?
MR. McCLELLAN: Who said that?
Q I heard reports of it.
MR. McCLELLAN: You heard reports of it. Look, there are going to be a
lot of -- there's going to be a lot of speculation.
Q Heard rumors.
MR. McCLELLAN: There's going to be a lot of speculation as a new Chief
of Staff is coming on board. And that's what it is, it's speculation.
And we're not going to get into responding to anonymous sources or the
speculation that's going on. We've already talked about the authority
that Josh will have as he comes into the position. He'll be looking at
all these issues, and we'll move forward from there.
But the President has a great economic team. Our economy is strong.
And he appreciates the job that his economic team has done. The latest
report came out this morning on manufacturing activity. Manufacturing
activity has now expanded for 34 straight months. Our economy has
created nearly 5 million jobs in the last two, two-and-a-half years.
And the unemployment rate is at 4.8 percent. So we're going to continue
to focus on the priorities that the American people are most concerned
about and continuing to build upon our record of accomplishment.
Q Have you had any thoughts that you might be leaving soon?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't speculate on any personnel matters.
Q You're not speculating for yourself.
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm focused on helping the President advance his agenda,
just like the rest of the team at the White House.
Q But Josh wasn't there this weekend, right?
MR. McCLELLAN: No.
Q They were in touch over the phone over the weekend, I take it?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Andy is still serving as Chief of Staff as Josh
transitions into the job. The President is staying in close contact
with the senior staff, as he does all the time. But I know there's an
interest in trying to get us to speculate about things, and we're just
not going to do that.
Q Despite Straw and Rice's visit to Iraq, the Iraqis don't seem any
closer to a unity government. What more can be done here?
MR. McCLELLAN: You said, they don't seem to be closer?
Q They don't seem any closer, right. They seem further away.
MR. McCLELLAN: Based on what?
Q Well, based on the fracturing of the Shiite coalition.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think -- the fracturing of the --
Q Well, the Shiite block is having some internal strife, problems
about calling for Jaafari --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, my understanding is that the Iraqi leaders are
continuing to work form a government of national unity, a government
that represents all the Iraqi people. You heard from Secretary Rice
this weekend, from Iraq. That's really where we stand. We continue to
urge the Iraqi leaders to move forward as quickly as possible to get a
unity government in place. That's what the Iraqi people want. It's
important that they do so, in order to, as Secretary Rice put it, help
disable those who want to create sectarian violence, and continue to
foment sectarian strife.
And Secretary Rice talked about how there's a vacuum, and it's not good
to have a vacuum in politics. And so that's why she said it's time for
the Iraqi leaders to move forward and get a unity government in place.
Q Getting back to the personnel -- possible personnel changes, are
you ruling out any Cabinet or senior staff changes in the near future?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not getting into any speculation, Jay, for the --
you've asked that question previously. When we have something to
announce, we make those announcements in due course. But I wouldn't
read anything into the speculation one way or the other. I see a lot of
speculation based on people outside the administration. The President
has tapped Josh Bolten to be his new Chief of Staff. And he will take a
look at the White House structure, he'll take a look at issues relating
to the administration. And the President is going to look to his advice
and counsel as we move forward.
Q Any announcements this week, maybe? Or would you not want to --
MR. McCLELLAN: If there's anything to announce, we will keep you posted
on it. How many times do you want to ask the same question? And you
all know, this has been a policy of ours from the get go. We just don't
speculate on any personnel matters.
Q Frist is talking of bringing the immigration bill to the floor by
the end of this week. Is that something the President would concur
with, in terms of the timing? And what about the concerns that --
MR. McCLELLAN: In terms of timing, that's for leaders in Congress to
make those determinations. But we're pleased that the Senate is moving
forward to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Senator Frist talked
about the importance of having a comprehensive piece of legislation.
The President believes it's important that any immigration reform be
comprehensive. And it begins with securing our borders. And we have
taken a number of steps to better secure our borders. But there is more
to do.
And we all want to see our borders -- we all want to make sure that we
have better control of our borders. And that's why we have stepped up
the number of resources we're dedicating -- we've dedicated more
resources to the border, whether it be new technologies or more Border
Patrol agents. But there is more we would like to do, as well. And so
we're working closely with Congress on this issue. But part of securing
our borders is moving forward on a guest worker program, because that
will relieve pressure off the border. It will allow our Border Patrol
agents to focus on the criminals and the terrorists, the smugglers and
traffickers that are trying to come into this country for the wrong
reasons.
And so the President is continuing to urge the Congress to move forward
in a comprehensive way. And we're pleased with the progress that's
being made.
Q Is a few days enough, though, to overcome this internal conflict
between the Republicans on where to go with this bill -- what to include
in the bill?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, when you're referring to conflicts, what are you
referring to?
Q Over the guest worker program --
MR. McCLELLAN: I think there are a lot of people that have talked about
the importance of making sure that there is a comprehensive piece of
legislation. And that's what the President is continuing to urge.
We're continuing to stay in close contact with leaders -- leaders in the
Senate and leaders in the House -- and we're pleased with the progress
that's being made.
Q Can we expect an announcement --
MR. McCLELLAN: That's what's important -- what's important at this
point is, I mean, it's still early in the legislative process, but it's
moving forward. And we look forward to the Senate acting, and then
moving to conference committee, where we'll continue working with
leaders once it gets to conference committee to iron out details. The
President talked about how this is a difficult issue, it's an emotional
issue. And there are tough choices that have to be made and compromise
that has to be made along the way. But I think most Americans recognize
the importance of addressing this in a comprehensive way, because our
immigration system is broken. And if you're going to fix it, you need
to address it in a comprehensive way.
Q To replace Josh Bolten at the OMB, will the President be making an
announcement any time soon on who he's picked to replace Mr. Bolten?
MR. McCLELLAN: It is a priority to get that filled. Obviously, Josh is
moving out of that position in a short amount of time, so we're moving
forward as quickly as we can to fill the position.
Q So this week maybe?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't speculate about timing on personnel matters.
I'm sorry, Jay, you've been gone for a little bit, but just a reminder
about our policies on personnel issues.
Q Where's the memo on that? (Laughter.)
MR. McCLELLAN: Anything else? Okay, thanks.
END 12:11 P.M. EDT
12:00 P.M. EDT
MR. McCLELLAN: All right, good morning, everybody. The President
loosened up a little bit this weekend. He's looking forward to throwing
out the first pitch today at the Cincinnati Reds home opener against the
Chicago Cubs.
But before I get to that, let me walk through the President's day. The
President had his usual briefings this morning, and he called Chancellor
Merkel this morning. This is part of the regular consultations the two
leaders are having on a range of issues. They talked about the
continued efforts of the international community to prevent the regime
in Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, they talked about
developments in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Belarus, as well. And the
President briefed Chancellor Merkel on Secretary Rice's trip to Iraq
over this weekend.
Then following that, the President spent some time at the ranch, and
then we are now headed to Cincinnati, where, when we get there, the
President will visit both clubhouses. So he'll visit the Chicago Cubs
clubhouse first, and then the Reds. And then he'll be sitting in the
owner's box for the game after he throws out the first pitch. My
understanding is that he is the first sitting President to throw out the
ceremonial first pitch at a game in Cincinnati. So just one little bit
of color for you there.
And then this afternoon, after the game, we'll return back to
Washington.
Q Was he really practicing this weekend?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, he did on Saturday. He got some time in where he
threw some pitches.
Q How else did he spend his weekend?
MR. McCLELLAN: He threw it with the one Cincinnati Red who is traveling
with us today, Mr. Joe Hagin. (Laughter.) We're going to his hometown.
He's spent it with some -- you know, with friends, and got in some bike
riding, and did some work around the ranch, stayed in touch with staff
on a variety of issues.
Q Discussion in those variety of issues about changes at the White
House?
MR. McCLELLAN: You know I don't speculate on any of those matters.
Q Can you confirm that Treasury Secretary Snow is out?
MR. McCLELLAN: Who said that?
Q I heard reports of it.
MR. McCLELLAN: You heard reports of it. Look, there are going to be a
lot of -- there's going to be a lot of speculation.
Q Heard rumors.
MR. McCLELLAN: There's going to be a lot of speculation as a new Chief
of Staff is coming on board. And that's what it is, it's speculation.
And we're not going to get into responding to anonymous sources or the
speculation that's going on. We've already talked about the authority
that Josh will have as he comes into the position. He'll be looking at
all these issues, and we'll move forward from there.
But the President has a great economic team. Our economy is strong.
And he appreciates the job that his economic team has done. The latest
report came out this morning on manufacturing activity. Manufacturing
activity has now expanded for 34 straight months. Our economy has
created nearly 5 million jobs in the last two, two-and-a-half years.
And the unemployment rate is at 4.8 percent. So we're going to continue
to focus on the priorities that the American people are most concerned
about and continuing to build upon our record of accomplishment.
Q Have you had any thoughts that you might be leaving soon?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't speculate on any personnel matters.
Q You're not speculating for yourself.
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm focused on helping the President advance his agenda,
just like the rest of the team at the White House.
Q But Josh wasn't there this weekend, right?
MR. McCLELLAN: No.
Q They were in touch over the phone over the weekend, I take it?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Andy is still serving as Chief of Staff as Josh
transitions into the job. The President is staying in close contact
with the senior staff, as he does all the time. But I know there's an
interest in trying to get us to speculate about things, and we're just
not going to do that.
Q Despite Straw and Rice's visit to Iraq, the Iraqis don't seem any
closer to a unity government. What more can be done here?
MR. McCLELLAN: You said, they don't seem to be closer?
Q They don't seem any closer, right. They seem further away.
MR. McCLELLAN: Based on what?
Q Well, based on the fracturing of the Shiite coalition.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think -- the fracturing of the --
Q Well, the Shiite block is having some internal strife, problems
about calling for Jaafari --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, my understanding is that the Iraqi leaders are
continuing to work form a government of national unity, a government
that represents all the Iraqi people. You heard from Secretary Rice
this weekend, from Iraq. That's really where we stand. We continue to
urge the Iraqi leaders to move forward as quickly as possible to get a
unity government in place. That's what the Iraqi people want. It's
important that they do so, in order to, as Secretary Rice put it, help
disable those who want to create sectarian violence, and continue to
foment sectarian strife.
And Secretary Rice talked about how there's a vacuum, and it's not good
to have a vacuum in politics. And so that's why she said it's time for
the Iraqi leaders to move forward and get a unity government in place.
Q Getting back to the personnel -- possible personnel changes, are
you ruling out any Cabinet or senior staff changes in the near future?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not getting into any speculation, Jay, for the --
you've asked that question previously. When we have something to
announce, we make those announcements in due course. But I wouldn't
read anything into the speculation one way or the other. I see a lot of
speculation based on people outside the administration. The President
has tapped Josh Bolten to be his new Chief of Staff. And he will take a
look at the White House structure, he'll take a look at issues relating
to the administration. And the President is going to look to his advice
and counsel as we move forward.
Q Any announcements this week, maybe? Or would you not want to --
MR. McCLELLAN: If there's anything to announce, we will keep you posted
on it. How many times do you want to ask the same question? And you
all know, this has been a policy of ours from the get go. We just don't
speculate on any personnel matters.
Q Frist is talking of bringing the immigration bill to the floor by
the end of this week. Is that something the President would concur
with, in terms of the timing? And what about the concerns that --
MR. McCLELLAN: In terms of timing, that's for leaders in Congress to
make those determinations. But we're pleased that the Senate is moving
forward to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Senator Frist talked
about the importance of having a comprehensive piece of legislation.
The President believes it's important that any immigration reform be
comprehensive. And it begins with securing our borders. And we have
taken a number of steps to better secure our borders. But there is more
to do.
And we all want to see our borders -- we all want to make sure that we
have better control of our borders. And that's why we have stepped up
the number of resources we're dedicating -- we've dedicated more
resources to the border, whether it be new technologies or more Border
Patrol agents. But there is more we would like to do, as well. And so
we're working closely with Congress on this issue. But part of securing
our borders is moving forward on a guest worker program, because that
will relieve pressure off the border. It will allow our Border Patrol
agents to focus on the criminals and the terrorists, the smugglers and
traffickers that are trying to come into this country for the wrong
reasons.
And so the President is continuing to urge the Congress to move forward
in a comprehensive way. And we're pleased with the progress that's
being made.
Q Is a few days enough, though, to overcome this internal conflict
between the Republicans on where to go with this bill -- what to include
in the bill?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, when you're referring to conflicts, what are you
referring to?
Q Over the guest worker program --
MR. McCLELLAN: I think there are a lot of people that have talked about
the importance of making sure that there is a comprehensive piece of
legislation. And that's what the President is continuing to urge.
We're continuing to stay in close contact with leaders -- leaders in the
Senate and leaders in the House -- and we're pleased with the progress
that's being made.
Q Can we expect an announcement --
MR. McCLELLAN: That's what's important -- what's important at this
point is, I mean, it's still early in the legislative process, but it's
moving forward. And we look forward to the Senate acting, and then
moving to conference committee, where we'll continue working with
leaders once it gets to conference committee to iron out details. The
President talked about how this is a difficult issue, it's an emotional
issue. And there are tough choices that have to be made and compromise
that has to be made along the way. But I think most Americans recognize
the importance of addressing this in a comprehensive way, because our
immigration system is broken. And if you're going to fix it, you need
to address it in a comprehensive way.
Q To replace Josh Bolten at the OMB, will the President be making an
announcement any time soon on who he's picked to replace Mr. Bolten?
MR. McCLELLAN: It is a priority to get that filled. Obviously, Josh is
moving out of that position in a short amount of time, so we're moving
forward as quickly as we can to fill the position.
Q So this week maybe?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't speculate about timing on personnel matters.
I'm sorry, Jay, you've been gone for a little bit, but just a reminder
about our policies on personnel issues.
Q Where's the memo on that? (Laughter.)
MR. McCLELLAN: Anything else? Okay, thanks.
END 12:11 P.M. EDT
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