White House Gaggle

By Lovisa Frost
October 17, 2005

President's Schedule:

The President had his usual briefings this morning followed by a meeting with Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan described Bulgaria as a good ally in the war on terrorism and a strong partner in the cause of freedom. McClellan said the United States appreciates Bulgaria's many contributions in Afghanistan and Iraq. President Bush will continue the morning by meeting with former Texas Supreme Court Justices. The justices are all individuals who know Harriet Miers very well and strongly support her confirmation for the Supreme Court. The group consists of the following participants: former Chief Justice John L. Hill, Jr., Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, former Associate Justices of Texas Supreme Court, James Baker, Eugene Cook and Raul Gonzalez. Tonight, the President is pleased to host an Iftaar Dinner with Ambassadors and Muslim leaders at the White House. In November, the President looks forward to attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Meeting held in the Republic of Korea. Following the meeting he will travel to Japan, China and Mongolia.



Harriet Miers Nomination:

Harriet Miers is working on the questionnaire for the Senate Judiciary Committee and she is also continuing her courtesy visits with members of the Senate. By the end of day, she will have met with a total of 18 Senators. When asked if there is a deadline for Miers' questionnaire, McClellan said that she indicated that she would work to return it very quickly. As of last week she thought it would be completed in the early part of this week. McClellan talked about the group of Texas judges in Washington to support Miers, "The former judges that are here today know her well and know that she is someone who is committed to strictly interpreting our Constitution and our laws, and not legislating from the bench. She has great legal quality and the highest integrity. She will make an outstanding Supreme Court Justice. I think her record speaks for itself." McClellan is confident that Harriet Miers is looking forward to going before the Judiciary Committee to answer questions. McClellan said it is the United States Senate that makes the decision and her record and experience are for all Americans to get to know better.

President's Trip to Mongolia:

When asked why the President is going to Mongolia as part of his trip
to Asia, McClellan said that President Bush just visited with the leader of Mongolia and was invited to visit. The President is very much looking forward to his trip to Asia.

White House Gaggle

By Lovisa Frost
October 12, 2005


President's Schedule:

The President received his usual briefings this morning, followed by a call to Prime Minister Singh of India. Bush extended condolences over lost lives in the earthquake, and he also received updates on Indian relief efforts. The President praised the Singh for reaching out to Pakistan. He also offered to support India's relief recovery efforts and said that a USAID team is assessing what help the US might be able to provide.


The President continued this morning by called Angela Merkel to congratulate her on the selection as Chancellor. He told her that he looks forward to working with the Chancellor-elect as a continuation on the strong built foundation of US-Germany relations.
Furthermore, the President Bush welcomes President Aleksander Kwasniewski who in December will have completed ten years as president. The visit today gives Bush a chance to thank and honor him as both a good friend and ally. They will be joined by their spouses for a social lunch in the residence.
This afternoon, the president will depart for Constitution Hall where he will make remarks to Political Appointees and Senior Executive Service Employees. This annual event gives the President an opportunity to thank them, and talk about the importance results oriented approach to the government.

Judicial Nomination Process-Harriet Miers

Scott was asked why some individuals wanted to be taken off the list of judicial nominees, in reference to Dr. Dobson's remarks, and answered that they did not want to deal with the ordeal of going through a confirmation process. There were several follow ups on what this says about the confirmation process. Scott said that he is hoping that the Senate will move forward on a civil and dignified process; That's what the American people expect. "The confirmation hearing process for Judges has in recent years become rather ugly. And that's unfortunate. As you know, bi-partisan senators came together and reached an agreement on the judicial nomination process and we hope that they continue to build upon the agreement that was reached."
The reporters continued to ask: "Is it so ugly that is scares people away from this job?" Scott replied with a joke: "Washington scaring good people away, is that new?" However, he continued to explain that, "there are plenty of good people to be considered, and the President found the best person to nominate in Harriet Miers."
When asked about the reason for Karl Rove reaching out to a number of Conservatives discussing Harriet Miers's religious faith coming as close as they could to saying she is personally opposed to abortion, Scott answered that Harriet Miers is a person of faith, but she recognizes that ideology, religious beliefs, and personal views have no role when it comes to making decisions on the nation's highest court. "A judge should be fair and open minded, that's the role of a judge."
Scott referred to the standard of nominations that are based on qualifications, not on personal views, He gave examples of appointees such as Justice Ginsberg or Justice Breyer, where members of the Senate disagreed with their personal views, but recognized them as being highly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.

Iraq:

Scott talked about the Sunni leaders to support the draft of the Iraqi constitution: "We believe that the political process should be inclusive. This is a positive and welcome step that will help the Iraqis move forward to a strong a lasting democracy. This agreement will encourage a lot more people to participate in the process; not only this weekend, but also in the future."
He continued, "The more the Iraqi people move forward on the political process, the more desperate the terrorists become, and we expect to see continued violence because the terrorists understand how high the stakes are in Iraq. They know that a free and peaceful Iraq would be a significant blow to their ambitions."

White House Gaggle

By Lovisa Frost
White House Gaggle
October 3, 2005

President's Schedule

The President had his usual intelligence and hurricane briefings this morning. At 8 am he made his announcement along with Harriet Miers. He then attended the investiture Ceremony for the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court. Later this morning he will meet the Prime Minister of Malta. This afternoon time, the President has set off time for the talks on hurricane recovery rebuilding efforts. The last public event is a participation in credential ceremonies for newly appointed ambassadors to Washington.



Harriet Miers

The President met with her on four separate occasions over the last couple of week, and last night and she was invited to dinner at the White House where she was formally offered the nomination.

Nomination Process

There were about 12-15 people seriously considered, at least of them were six women. Scott said that candidates were taken with backgrounds from all walks of life. The President took the advice of the Senate very seriously, and consulted with over 70 Senators in the first round, and 80 Senators the second time around. There are two things that stood out: 1, Republicans and Democrats alike suggested by name Harriet Miers 2, Again Republicans and Democrats alike thought the President should consider someone who is not a judge; someone who can bring a different perspective to the Court.

Confirmation team

People from the White House Counsel Office, Communications Office, Legislative affairs, Public Liaisons as well as from the Department of Justice and the team remain virtually intact from the first round of hearings.

When asked who the Democratic Senators were that recommended Ms Meyers were, Scott said that they are part of private discussions, and out of respect for the process he would leave it private, but he could confirm that there were more than one.
Reporters asked Scott about the timetable for the nomination process for Harriet Miers, he said that Senator Frist had indicated that they are trying to complete this before Thanksgiving. "We hope the Senate will move forward in a prompt manner to confirm this nominee and vote on the floor in a timely manner."
Helen Thomas asked why it is a handicap to be a judge, and Scott answered that "I didn't say it was. Did I say it was? Yes, Helen went on. Scott explain once again that he didn't, and referred to a number of people from Senators Leahy to Specter and Reid who in public had spoken out about considering someone outside of the bench. Scott continues by stating that the late Chief Justice Rehnquist had not served on the bench prior to be nominated to the court. "The President wants different people that can offer different perspective to the court." You want diversity in the court as well.
When asked why the President repeatedly selected someone from the inner circle and if he can talk about his group of loyalty, Scott says that the President nominated Harriet Miers because she is exceptionally well qualified to serve on our highest court of land.
Scott said that the President knows her well, and she has earned a lot of respect from the legal communication.