White House Gaggle

Briefer: Tony Fratto

President’s Schedule:

President Bush had his normal briefings this morning. At 10.30 am, the President participates in a video teleconference with Afghanistan provincial reconstruction team leaders and brigade combat commanders. This afternoon at 1:15 pm, the President will meet with the Chairman of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Tony Fratto will brief the press at 12.30 pm today.

Fratto made an announcement about White House Correspondent Ivan Scott who passed away earlier this week. The White House said that they have the Scott family in their thoughts and prayers.


Economy

Fratto was asked about the newly released retail numbers for last quarter, and he replied that they were expecting them to be lower, and they had anticipated this as being a difficult month. This was already foreseen and that is why the President laid out the economic stimulus package last quarter that was passed by Congress. The tax benefits for businesses are starting now followed by checks for individuals. When asked about the price of gold hitting record high levels, and if this could be considered to be an economic indicator, Fratto said that he does not want to do a forecast and there are lots of reasons for the high gold prices. Fratto was also questioned about the President’s upcoming speech on the economy tomorrow, and what he can tell Americans what they do not already know. He said that the President will present his view on the economy.


War in Iraq

With the fifth anniversary of the War in Iraq coming up soon, Fratto was asked what significance this has, and if the there are any events marking the anniversary. He said that it is obviously a marker, but the Administration is instead focused on looking at the future of Iraq. We are expected to hear from General Petreus and Ambassador Crocker soon, as they come back to Washington with a spring report to Congress. Fratto did not know if there were any events scheduled to mark the anniversary date, but he would find out. When asked about a comment from the White House on the Archbishop of Mosul who has been found dead, Fratto said the had heard of it, but had no comment right now.

House Armed Services Committee Global Security Assessment

Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO), said that although a lot of time is spent focusing on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we cannot afford to be any less vigilant regarding the rest of the world and be careful that we don’t become so near-sighted that we fail to see what’s developing around us.

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Republican Duncan Hunter (R-CA) said that he has concerns in “functional areas,” which were that more than 20 countries have ballistic missile capability, some foreign entities are acquiring American defense companies with critical capabilities, industrial espionage, and cyber-security.

Dr. Thomas Fingar, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis, said that al-Qaida continues to present significant threats both home and abroad. He said the assessment is their plotting is designed to create mass casualties and massive visibility in order to create fear. AQI, he said, has been weakened but remains al-Qaida’s most visible and capable affiliate.

Home-grown extremists are an evolving danger, Fingar said, and described home-grown extremists as persons inspired by militant Islamic ideology but without operational direction from al-Qaida itself.

During the question and answer period, Fingar said with instability in the Middle East, and the importance of energy in that region, localized conflict is a threat to Americans everywhere and it didn’t take “a crystal ball” to see that. He said that a suicide bomber was an “asymmetrical threat.”

Congressman Hunter asked Dr. Fingar if our exposed and open border was a threat, and Fingar answered that a positive development in the last year was the effective efforts by Mexico to make the border less vulnerable for their own domestic stability. Yes, he said, the lack of fences and physical borders along our 2000 mile border with Mexico was a vulnerability.

In response to that same question, Robert Cardillo, Deputy Director for Analysis of the Defense Intelligence Agency, agreed that the access through Mexico is a liability and increases the threat to the United States as long as it remains open.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on Afghanistan

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee met today to discuss policy in Afghanistan. Chairman of the committee Joe Biden (D-DE) began by saying that he is skeptical of the Bush Administration's message that the U.S. is turning a corner in Afghanistan. He said that the U.S. should make a commitment invest greater funds towards development. He called Afghan security officials "corrupt" and "ineffectual" and said that he believes the war is winnable but that the U.S. is not winning.

Panelist and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher talked about narcotics trafficking and other concerns in Afghanistan but his testimony mainly highlighted positive aspects of the situation. He foresaw a positive outcome to the conflict but advocated for increased troop levels to help train Afghan police and provide stronger security. He said that roads and infrastructure offer the greatest opportunity for Afghans and he mentioned a new $200 million budget to bring more electricity there.



Biden and the Republican leader of the committee Dick Lugar (Ind.) criticized Boucher's testimony for painting a rosy image of Afghanistan. Boucher said that situation in Afghanistan is better than it was during the 1990s. According to him, Afghanistan has transformed from a failed state under Taliban rule to a state with great potential today.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee takes another look at Afghanistan

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee John Kerry (D-MA) kicked off a hearing today to discuss strategies aimed at stabilizing Afghanistan. He began by reemphasizing the threats posed by al-Qaida and the Taleban in Afghanistan and warned that they are still planning attacks around the world including in the U.S. and in Europe. He cited studies showing that suicide attacks, poppy production, and insurgency have risen sharply in the last 3 years. Kerry also made reference to Vietnam saying that it proved that the U.S. can win every battle in Afghanistan but still lose the war.

Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) spoke next proclaiming that failure in Afghanistan is unacceptable. He said that the U.S. has an obligation to win in Afghanistan and to understand the cause of conflict there. He said that optimism and energy was high in Kabul three years ago but that today the situation has become more difficult.

Co-chair of the Afghanistan Study Group Thomas Pickering listed some positive aspects in Afghanistan. Among them are economic growth, low inflation, and a stable currency but he did say the country is poised for a downhill slide. He said that the government in Afghanistan needs to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the Afghan people and he wants Afghanistan to forge a closer relationship with Pakistan.

Retired General James Jones said that Afghanistan holds international legitimacy and said that various groups and organizations are working inside of Afghanistan towards stabilizing the situation. He said that the U.S. should support military requests for equipment and soldiers but warned that an increased presence there would not be a longterm solution. He noted that narcotics trafficking is corrupting and criminalizing the society and that it provides insurgents with capital. He also said that the U.S. must recognize Pakistan as a part of the problem and said that the conflict in Afghanistan is regional, not local.