White House Gaggle

By Deputy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Seattle, Washington
 
9:17 A.M. PDT
 
     MR. BURTON:  Okay.  Welcome onboard Air Force One.  You all saw Secretary Locke is joining us today.  At his remarks at a small business in Seattle, the President will discuss the fact that the Senate is going to take on the small business bill when they come back into session and the importance of Republicans stopping their obstruction so that small business owners can get the assistance that they need as soon as humanly possible to create an environment where small businesses can be creating jobs and the economy can continue to grow.
 
With that, I’m happy to take any questions you might have.
 
Q    Hey, Bill, with all the campaigning the President is doing, how far is he willing to go in saying that he’s confident the House and Senate will stay Democratic?  Is he willing to guarantee it?  How confident is he?
 
MR. BURTON:  How far is he willing to go?  Interestingly put.  The President thinks that this election is a choice between the policies that move our country forward or the policies that got us to the crisis that we’re in right now.  But he’s confident that given that choice in the voting booths in November that Democrats will be successful and he does think that we will hold on to both the House and the Senate.
 
Q    So you think — so the White House’s feeling is that things are trending well right now; with all of these campaign stops it’s making a difference?
 
MR. BURTON:  Well, I’m not going to get into the punditry of it, but the President thinks that this is fundamentally a choice and it’s a choice where the Americans will choose to continue making progress.
 
Q    Is the President having fun on the campaign trail right now, considering every day the polls are beating him down, every day he’s getting a lot of backseat-driving advice?  Is this fun for him?
 
MR. BURTON:  The President has gotten a lot of advice from all corners ever since he started out on the campaign trail February 10, 2007.   But he appreciates the opportunity to go out there and make the case to the American people about what his policies have done to help make our economy stronger, what he’s done to make our country safer, and the choice that people have in this election between continuing on our economic policies, like the small business bill that he’ll be talking about today, that get more loans to small businesses; that cut — that end capital gains for their investments.  So he does enjoy making that case to the American people.
 
Q    Enjoying the campaign trail this week?
 
MR. BURTON:  He enjoys making the case.  He obviously would enjoy it more if he could spend more time with his family.  But I think that as one of the hats that he wears as the leader of the Democratic Party, as President of the United States, he does like going out and talking to the American people, hearing what’s on their minds and explaining how he sees the choice in this election.
 
Q    Can you talk about Senator Reid’s disagreeing with the President on the mosque issue?  Has the President spoken to him? Did Reid’s people give you guys a heads-up about that?  What was his reaction?
 
MR. BURTON:  We did have a sense that that’s what they were going to do.  But if you look at what the President said on Friday night, he respects the right of anybody — Democrat, Republican, independent — to disagree with his opinion on this. That’s one of the other fundamental rights written into the DNA  of our Constitution.
 
Senator Reid is a fiercely independent individual; it’s one of his strengths as a leader of the Democratic Party.  So the President feels completely fine that he might disagree.
 
Q    — you view Senator Reid and the President disagree on this issue?
 
MR. BURTON:  Well, the statements are different.  What the President said was that he thinks that there’s a fundamental right for individuals and groups to be treated equally.  But the President, like he said on Saturday, didn’t comment specifically on whether or not he was pushing for the site to actually to be put in that spot.  Senator Reid’s comment was he thinks that it shouldn’t be.
 
Q    So it is a different statement.  It’s a different statement — do they agree?  Do they disagree?
 
MR. BURTON:  I’ll leave it to the smart guys like you, Chuck, to decide whether or not that means disagreement or different statement or what’s up and what’s down.  But it’s a different take on this issue.
 
Q    — decide not to speak to the insurance commissioners today?
 
MR. BURTON:  Just postponed it for a month.
 
Q    Sorry, didn’t hear you.  What —
 
MR. BURTON:  Just postponed it for a month.
 
Q    Why?
 
MR. BURTON:  I just think that the President thought it was important to talk about small businesses and the importance of getting moving on that right when the Senate gets back.
 
Q    Can you comment on reports today that the President may announce loosening travel restrictions for groups to Cuba?
 
MR. BURTON:  Sure.  I’ve seen those reports and I don’t have anything new to announce.  But the President is going to continue to do things that are in the best interest of the United States and that help to create a more democratic environment and expand freedoms for the Cuban people.
 
Q    Some members of Congress are saying they did not get a heads-up about the mosque comments, even though the President spoke to Mayor Bloomberg.  Why not discuss this with the senators, or even Representative Gillibrand?
 
MR. BURTON:  I don’t know that the President spoke to Mayor Bloomberg — I don’t think that that’s accurate — about this beforehand.  We have very close relationships with our partners on Capitol Hill, and sometimes — we talk to them every day at different levels of the West Wing, but we take each issue on a case-by-case basis.  This wasn’t something that the President viewed through a political lens.  This is something that he saw as his obligation to address.  So there you go.
 
Q    Was the President briefed on the Iraq bombing this morning?
 
MR. BURTON:  Yes, made aware.  And the President condemns those attacks.  There are obviously still people who want to derail the advances that the Iraqi people have made towards democracy, but they are firmly on track and we’re confident that we’re moving towards the end of our combat mission there.
 
Q    — the work of al Qaeda in Iraq?
 
MR. BURTON:  I don’t know.  I would point you to the DOD for that.
 
Q    Given that attack and how bad it was and the fact that there’s still no government in Iraq, how can you — how can the United States go ahead, continue with its plans for the drawdown?
 
MR. BURTON:  The fact that, as the Vice President said, politics has broken out in Iraq is a good thing.  It means that democracy is thriving there already.  There’s a transitional government in place that’s functioning in a stable fashion, and we’re confident that they will be able to put together a government.  But that fact that there’s a lot of competition for who is going to be leading that country is a good thing.  It’s a political process at work.
 
     Q    So it’s not going to affect the schedule?  This kind of attack is not going to affect the U.S. schedule?
 
     MR. BURTON:  No.  We’re obviously helping the Iraqi forces to keep that country secure.  Our combat mission ends at the end of the month, but we will still have troops there who are helping to support them as necessary.
 
     Q    — preview tomorrow?
 
     MR. BURTON:  Tomorrow in Columbus, the President is going to be visiting with a middle-class family, where he’ll talk — I think it’s right at their kitchen table — about some of the concerns that they have about what — things are going on in the economy.  And then afterwards, he’ll go outside and have a conversation with some neighbors and folks from the community about questions and concerns that they have.
 
     Q    — a town hall?
 
     MR. BURTON:  But smaller.  More like a —
 
     Q    Will he take questions?
 
     MR. BURTON:  He will be taking questions, yes.
 
     Q    From — that will be folks in the community?
 
     MR. BURTON:  Yes.
 
     Q    How was the family chosen?
 
     MR. BURTON:  I think that our folks at the White House talked to local community leaders about finding an appropriate venue where such a conversation could take place.
 
     Q    Whose house is — who is hosting the fundraiser in Seattle today, the one at the private residence?
 
     MR. BURTON:  I don’t know.  I would check in with the Murray campaign on that.
 
     Q    The questions that he’ll have, it’s like a town hall we’ll be seeing?  Or he’ll just sit alone with them?
   
     MR. BURTON:  Yes, it will be town hall-style, but it will be pretty small — it will be like 40 people.
 
     Q    Okay, but we’ll be in there?
 
     MR. BURTON:  Yes.
 
     Q    Hey, Bill, I knock on wood as I ask this last one, but after this, the President goes off to Martha’s Vineyard.  Is his expectation that that is a genuine vacation?
 
     MR. BURTON:  The President is definitely going to spend a little time recharging his batteries.  I would, as the spokesman who’s going to go on that trip, encourage anybody else who’s going in the media to think that this is going to be the hardest that they will have ever have worked in their entire lives.  You’ll probably be working every day, early till late, maybe really early in the morning till really late at night, and over the weekend as well.  And you’ll probably never see outside of your bed and breakfast where you’ll be staying.
 
     Q    Don’t laugh.  Those of us in print — that was the schedule, actually.
 
     Q    And it was your fault.
 
     Q    And it was all your fault.
 
     Q    — your reverse psychology.
 
     MR. BURTON:  I’m just trying to set expectations appropriately.  I know what I said before the last time we went to Martha’s Vineyard and it turned out a little bit differently.
Just one last thing on this.  So a couple folks have asked me who all is going on the trip.  Valerie Jarrett will be out there, as well as Pete Rouse —
 
     Q    To Martha’s Vineyard?
 
     MR. BURTON:  Yes.  John Brennan will be on the trip.  I’ll be there doing spokesman duties.  And I think Denis McDonough is going to show up at some point to help out as well.
 
     Q    Do you have any other details about where they’re staying, what they’re doing, or who’s going with them for vacation purposes?
 
     MR. BURTON:  Not other than that, really.  I mean, as far as what they’re doing, I think it will be a lot like last year.  There will be some hiking, some time at the beach, some time at the ice cream store — all the sort of things you do when you’re at Martha’s Vineyard.  You enjoy the people and the good food.
 
     Q    Will he be playing golf?
 
     MR. BURTON:  Say that again?
 
     Q    Golf?
 
     MR. BURTON:  I don’t know.  You’ll just have to wait to see how it all shakes out.
 
     Q    They’re staying at the same house?
 
     MR. BURTON:  I’ll keep you posted on where they’re staying.
 
     Q    Any plans for a Thursday morning press conference before he leaves and he’s down for 10 days?
 
     MR. BURTON:  None that I know of.  (Laughter.)
 
Anything else?
 
     Q    What does the President think of the reaction to his comments on the mosque?  Has he been sort of — does he have his — he’s very critical sometimes of the news media.  Is he as critical on this one?
 
     MR. BURTON:  The President thinks that this is an issue that people are going to come to with strongly held opinions, and he respects the fact that they’re going to express them.  He doesn’t — he’s not surprised necessarily that a lot of people are coming out and talking about this forcefully.  So I would say that he’s happy that our thriving democracy is continuing to produce vigorous debate.
 
     Q    He’s not critical — this isn’t one of those moments where he thinks the media is doing something it shouldn’t do?
 
     MR. BURTON:  I don’t want to miss an opportunity to just criticize the media, but — (laughter.)  This is debate that’s just happening in the country.
 
     Q    Does he have any regrets about coming out and saying anything, given that it’s stoked the flames in this way?
 
     MR. BURTON:  No.  He felt it was his obligation to address this matter.
 
     Q    Thanks, Bill.
 
     MR. BURTON:  Thanks.
 
                                          END             9:29 A.M. PDT
 

White House Gaggle

By White House Press Secretary Bill Burton                                                                                             Aboard Air Force One, En Route Texas

MR. BURTON:  All right, thank you for joining us on our trip to Texas.  Any questions?

     Q    Bill, I do — a couple quick questions about today.  How does the President view a day like this, in which he spends a lot of his time raising political cash?  Does he actually enjoy fundraising, or is this more of just a necessary part of the job?

     MR. BURTON:  I would say the President — a couple things.  For starters, the President is doing a couple different things today.  He’s going to be raising some money.  He’s going to be talking about the importance of education for our long-term economic outlook. 

And as it pertains to campaigning, I would say that the President — what the President does like about it is having the opportunity to go out to the American people and explain the choice that they’re going to have this November between some of the policies that the President and Democrats have been putting forward to get our economy back on track, and what the Republicans stand for, which is the same policies that got us into the economic crisis to begin with.

     So he does like talking plainly to the American people about the issues that we face and the choices that they have.  But he’s President of the United States, so every day there’s something new and several different challenges he has to take on, and he takes them on as they come.

     Q    As for the education speech itself, from the White House perspective, will the education community, will college students hear anything today from the President that they haven’t heard before?

     MR. BURTON:  What they’ll hear is the President talking about the goal to, by 2020, to get America — to have America as the country with the largest share of college graduates of any country in the world.  He’ll talk about some of the steps that we’ve taken to get there, for example, taking $60 billion that would have gone to big banks and lending institutions and putting it towards — directly towards helping students complete their college educations.  And he’ll talk about Race to the Top.  He’ll talk about what we need to do in order to improve community colleges, where a lot of students are getting their higher education. 

     So in that sense, yes, there will be some new things that maybe folks have not heard before.

     Q    Bill, two quick questions.  Can we expect the President to make an announcement on Christy Romer’s replacement before he goes to Martha’s Vineyard?  And two, who are the candidates?  Who’s on your short list?

     MR. BURTON:  There’s no — the timeline that we’re on is that by September 3rd, when Dr. Romer leaves her post is to have that position filled.  She’ll obviously have a big say in who gets that position.

     Q    She’ll have a big say in it?

     MR. BURTON:  Yes, she’ll have a big say.  But right now the President is examining candidates and taking a look at who the right person is. 

     Q    So we don’t expect an announcement before Martha’s Vineyard then?

     MR. BURTON:  I don’t know about that necessarily.  There won’t be one this week, though.

     Q    On the Texas visit, what do you make of the fact that Bill White, the nominee for governor, is making himself scarce?  What does that say about the President’s coattails and image and popularity?

     MR. BURTON:  I don’t think that it says anything broadly about the President’s coattails.  I think it says that Bill White had something else going on today that he would rather do than campaign with the President.

     Q    Well, does the President take that as an insult?

     MR. BURTON:  No, he thinks that candidates should make their own decisions about how best to spend their time.  He definitely does not take that as an insult.

     Q    How do you respond to the Republican argument coming out of Texas that Texas is in such better shape than most of the country because it has lower taxes, lower spending, run by Republicans?  I mean you’re not going into friendly political turf today exactly.

     MR. BURTON:  Well, Texas is obviously a great state, one of the greatest states in the country.  But like every other state, they’ve gone through this economic crisis, and they’ve lost a lot of jobs, which the President is doing everything he can to help create an environment where more jobs are being created.

     They’re a state that also has had a very tough time with the issue of health insurance.  I know it has one of the lowest rates of health insurance in the country.  So health insurance reform that the President signed into law this year I know will have a big impact on helping Texans get insured. 

So I would say that you can have different competing economic philosophies, but the President is doing everything he can to help the Texas economy, just like the United States economy, get back on track.

     Q    Bill, the President has told Democratic candidates that he’ll do what he can for them, and if you want me by your side, I’ll be there with you, but if you want me to stay away, I’ll also stay away.  Is he sort of reconciled to the fact that some Democrats like Bill White just really don’t want to be seen with him?

     MR. BURTON:  I think that there has never been a President in the history of this great country who has been wanted by every single candidate across the country to come and campaign for them.   President Obama has said plainly that he is going to go out and be helpful where he can be most helpful and spend his time doing things that are helping Democratic candidates across the country.  And in the sense that he’s come to grips with that, it’s a historic fact of life.

     Q    But how does he balance those needs?  Because he’s being helpful by raising money for Democrats in Texas, but he may also, in fact, be hurting the White campaign by showing up there at this time.  So how do you sort of balance those competing needs?

     MR. BURTON:  I don’t think anybody’s campaign is being hurt by the funds that the President is raising for the effort today. The President balances his time by taking a look at a map and seeing where he can be most helpful and when.

     Q    The President this morning at his event talked about the success of the cement plug.  Who is briefing him?  Did he receive his briefings over the weekend or this morning on the cement plug?

     MR. BURTON:  He — I missed the last part of your question, but if I don’t answer it just let me know.  He’s been briefed regularly by Carol Browner and other staff, and he continues to receive updates every single day even on the weekends. 

     Was there any other part to your question?

     Q    Well, a food-related Gulf question.  Number one, he — there’s two events where they’ve served seafood from the Gulf — the shrimp last night and then I guess po’ boys at an event today.  Can you tell us like where exactly those two things came from?

     MR. BURTON:  I had that same question and I’m tracking it down.  I will let you know as soon as I hear.

     Q    Do you have any update on who will head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?  And what’s the White House’s reaction to Senator Dodd last week saying that Elizabeth Warren will cause a fight if she’s the nominee?

     MR. BURTON:  Well, for starters, I would say that there is no update on the timing.  It’s not going to happen this week. 

     But in terms of Senator Dodd, I think that we’ve litigated what he has had to say, and a lot of folks have opinions about Elizabeth Warren and other candidates.  It’s the White House’s view that Elizabeth Warren would be confirmable.  And I think that — I think we’ve addressed that.

     Q    Can we expect an announcement before — again, before he goes to Martha’s Vineyard? 

     MR. BURTON:  Check back at the beginning of next week.

     Q    And of the actions of North Korea firing 110 rounds of ammo in disputed waters, any White House reaction?

     MR. BURTON:  Well, obviously the President wants to make sure that everybody is doing what they can to make sure that region is stable and there’s security for folks all over the region.  But on that particular incident, no, not particularly.

     Q    The President is going to have a brief conversation with Governor Perry about border security.  What is he going to tell the governor, and does he feel like — that enough is being done to secure the border?

     MR. BURTON:  For starters, the President has done — the President has put more assets on the border to secure the border than has ever previously been there.  That includes National Guard troops, technology, things he has done on enforcement.  That’s something that he is working very hard on.

     I think that — you know these tarmac greets with elected officials, Governor Perry will be there.  It will probably be a very brief conversation.

     Q    Why not a substantive conversation of an issue of tremendous importance to border states? 

     MR. BURTON:  This is something the President has been working hard on.  And we’ve been in contact with Governor Perry. I know that our staff has contacted him for meetings and briefings to discuss the matter, and it’s something that we will continue to work on with them.  Today, the schedule just didn’t allow it.

     Q    Any other announcements for Texas, anything specific?  We’re still waiting for U.S. Attorneys.

     MR. BURTON:  No, nothing in particular on that, not at this point.

     Q    What’s the holdup?

     MR. BURTON:  I think we’re working with the delegation on the appropriate nominees.

Q    And one last question.  In some of his fundraising speeches, the President has been quite critical of George W. Bush.  Can we expect him to criticize the former President today again on his home turf?

MR. BURTON:  I think you’ll hear from the President on a lot of the messages that you’ve heard in the past about the kind of policies that he and Democrats have been promoting, and about what Republicans have been promoting, which are some of the same policies that got us into the situation that we’re in right now. So I don’t think that there will be a marked difference from what you’ve heard in some of the other events.

Q    Why no meeting with President Bush?  He’ll only be a couple of miles away.

MR. BURTON:  You know — I think that the President will obviously see him at some point in the future.  I don’t know if there was a request for a meeting. 

Q    The Justice Department says negotiations with BP had been completed to establish the $20 billion fund.  Do you have any details on those arrangements?

MR. BURTON:  There’s going to be some more details this morning, maybe even happening on the ground right now, but I would check in with the Department of Justice on that.

Q    Anything you could tell us?

MR. BURTON:  Not at this point.

Q    Bill White had suggested that if the President wants to talk to him he can call him.  Does the President have any plans to call Bill White, or has he called him?

MR. BURTON:  There are no plans to call him, no.

Q    Okay.  And can you talk a little bit about why the choice of education as the topic today?

MR. BURTON:  Sure.  Education is a critically important issue as it relates to the competitiveness of our country with other countries.  And as the President has said before, people who out-educate us today are going to out-compete us tomorrow, and we simply are not going to be in a position where the United States is falling behind other countries as it relates to higher education.  So the President thinks this is an important economic issue, and thought it was important to talk about it today.

Q    I’m just wondering, is there a feeling that it’s gotten kind of lost in the shuffle with all the talk we’ve had this year about health care reform and financial regulatory reform, that people haven’t been paying attention?

MR. BURTON:  Well, there’s a lot of things that the President focuses on every single day that the average American probably doesn’t have the time to pick up the newspaper and read about every single thing that’s happening.  And reporters don’t even have time to cover all the things that we’re doing every single day.  And we’re respectful of the fact that people are busy and average Americans are trying to get their bills paid on time, get their kids ready for school in the fall, and this is just an opportunity for the President to talk about something that’s very important to him.

Q    Thanks.

MR. BURTON:  All right, thank you.

White House Press Gaggle

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release November 25, 2009


PRESS GAGGLE BY
PRESS SECRETARY ROBERT GIBBS;
DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR FOR
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AFFAIRS MIKE FROMAN;
AND ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR
ENERGY AND CLIMATE CAROL BROWNER

Press Secretary's Office


10:08 A.M. EST


MR. GIBBS: I will do two quick announcements before we get to one other topic. Normally we do -- as you all know, at the end of the last Friday of every month we have been doing the look-back WAVES requests, before starting the policy at the beginning of the year. So that would normally have been the Friday after Thanksgiving. We instead will, the next couple hours, release the October requests for pre-September 15th WAVES information. So that will come over the threshold in a couple of hours, so nobody was stuck having to do this on Friday.

Q How many names is it?

MR. GIBBS: Sixteen hundred.

Q Great. (Laughter.)

MR. GIBBS: The second piece of information -- the President will address the nation on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. from the Military Academy at West Point, on Afghanistan. So that is your second tidbit.

Q What's going to be the press --

MR. GIBBS: We are just at the very beginning of logistics on that, so we will -- I will make sure that Katie Lillie et al get information out quickly on that.

Third, the President will travel -- as you all know, on December 10th will be in Oslo; December 9th, will stop in Copenhagen, around the climate change conference there.

We have with us today Mike Froman and Carol Browner to walk through the efforts that the President has been undertaking recently, particularly on his trip to China. And Carol can go over some of our domestic efforts as it relates to clean energy and climate change that have happened over the course of the past year -- to walk us through a little of this announcement.

Mike.

MR. FROMAN: Great. Well, as you -- as we've talked about before, you know the President has helped reestablish American leadership on the climate change issue through a number of actions this year. He relaunched in March the Major Economies Forum, which has met several times -- six times, I believe, plus, at the summit level in L'Aquila, Italy; and have worked through a number of issues related to the U.N. negotiations around mitigation, adaptation, technology and finance; in addition -- with a meeting during the summer, there was a major step forward with a number of provisions of a statement that developing and developed countries agreed to that helped move the ball forward on the Copenhagen negotiations, including developing countries agreeing to take significant mitigation actions and agreeing to a peak here and agreeing to take actions that would create a significant deviation from business as usual.

This fall at Pittsburgh at the G20 summit, again under the President's leadership we agreed to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, which has a significant impact on greenhouse gases, somewhere between 10 and 12 percent reduction of global greenhouse gases in 2050, which is, as you know, is about 20 percent of the overall target of a 50 percent reduction. So a significant step forward. And at APEC two weeks ago, the APEC countries embraced that commitment as well, and so it's been further internationalized.

In China, the President made some significant progress with the Chinese leadership on climate change -- it's reflected in the joint statement -- a number of steps forward there, including with regard to full transparency as to the implementation of commitments, a commitment to take significant mitigation actions and to stand behind those commitments.

And yesterday here with Prime Minister Singh, he made further progress with the Indian leadership as well on climate change, also reflected in the joint statement.

Based on all of those developments and on the recent progress he made the decision that it made sense to go to Copenhagen, as Robert said, on the 9th, to give momentum to the negotiations there.

In addition to the President -- and we'll be putting out I guess a release later this morning -- there will be a number of Cabinet officers who will be participating in various parts of the Copenhagen negotiations and making presentations there, and you'll see the details of that in the press release later this morning.

At this point, with two weeks left before Copenhagen, the focus is on how to create an accord that has immediate operational effect and covers all the major areas of the negotiation. It's a comprehensive accord that can get a quick start at dealing with the climate change issues. We're working very closely with Prime Minister Rasmussen of Denmark, the chairman of the conference, and his team toward that end, and we'll be working with other countries as well to maximize the chances that the negotiations can make progress towards an accord in Copenhagen.

At this point, it's critical that all countries, all major economies come forward with their mitigation actions -- and Carol will have more to say about that -- to maximize the chance of progress in Copenhagen.

MS. BROWNER: Thank you. As you all know, the President believes that the foundation of a successful international agreement has to begin with domestic actions. And in that vein, from the first day in office we have sought to take aggressive actions towards a clean energy economy and to put a cap, or to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Recovery Act was the first significant step in that direction, $80 billion in clean energy investments that are rolling out across the country. We have proposed the first-ever greenhouse gas and the toughest fuel economy standards for new cars and trucks. Congress said get to 35 miles per gallon in 2020; we have proposed 35.5 miles per gallon in 2016. We have promulgated rules to promote the development of offshore wind and energy. And the Department of Energy has set aggressive new energy appliance standards and continues to move forward on setting more standards.

Now as the Copenhagen meeting comes into view, and based on the progress that we have made, as Mike spoke to, in the last couple of days and weeks, and in the context of an overall deal in Copenhagen that includes robust mitigation contributions from China and the other emerging economies, the President is prepared to put on the table a U.S. emissions reduction target in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels in 2020, and ultimately in line with the final U.S. domestic energy and climate legislation.

In light of the President's --

Q Can you repeat that again? That's a lot of detail.

MS. BROWNER: There's more detail coming. Okay, it's in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels in 2020, and ultimately in line with the final legislation, U.S. legislation. As you are aware --

Q By 2020, you would reduce it --

MS. BROWNER: -- 17 percent.

Q So that's the Waxman-Markey level?

MS. BROWNER: It is. What we're saying is in the range of 17 percent. Waxman-Markey, as you all are aware, passed 17 percent. The debate is not completed yet in the Senate. When the debate is fully completed then we will adjust accordingly.

Let me give you the rest of the numbers so you see the whole thing, okay? I know they're just dying to -- (laughter.)

MR. GIBBS: Here comes a lot of numbers.

MS. BROWNER: A lot. I'll read really slow. (Laughter.)

In light of the President's goal to reduce emissions 83 percent by 2050, the expected pathway set forth in pending legislation would entail a 30 percent reduction below 2005 levels in 2025, and a 42 percent reduction below 2005 levels in 2030.

MR. FROMAN: There will be a test on this. (Laughter.)

MS. BROWNER: Yes, let me do that again.

Q One more time.

MR. GIBBS: The poor guys trying to find the symbol function on their BlackBerry. (Laughter.)

MS. BROWNER: You have to go to the second set of symbol functions to do that. (Laughter.)

Okay, we'll do it again. In light of the President's goal to reduce emissions 83 percent by 2050 -- okay, 83 by 2050 -- the expected pathway set forth in pending legislation would entail a 30 percent reduction below '05 levels by 2025.

Both the Senate and the House bills include interim measurements. They're slightly different, but they're fairly similar. So it would entail a 30 percent reduction below '05 levels in 2025, and a 42 percent reduction below '05 levels in 2030. Everybody got it?

Q The 83 percent is also measured against 2005?

MS. BROWNER: Yes.

Q That's the G20 part adopted in L'Aquila, right?

Q Your larger point is that the House and Senate ranges are similar to what the President --

MS. BROWNER: Right, the interim is out to 2050. Obviously the House's is completed at 17 percent. The Senate is still debating. But when you look at the bills, what the House did and what's been in discussion in the Senate -- those interim measurements out to 2050. In 2050 they're the same, and then in between they're fairly close.

Q Could you just repeat that one more time, Carol?

MS. BROWNER: The whole thing? Okay.

MR. EARNEST: We'll have paper on it

MS. BROWNER: Eighty-three percent by 2050, which entails a 30 percent reduction below '05 levels in 2025 -- it's all '05 -- I'll make it simple for you guys. It's all the baseline, okay? So the 83/2050 --

Q That's 30 percent reduction --

MS. BROWNER: -- 30 percent in 2025, and 42 percent in 2030.

Q And are those figures that he will propose, that you will propose in Copenhagen, that the U.S. will do? Is that correct?

MS. BROWNER: And again, on the 17 percent, just to be clear, it's in the range of 17 percent and we will obviously make adjustments when we complete the domestic legislative work.

Let me just finish. Obviously we now hope that other major economies are going to put forth ambitious actions of their own. We think those will be a necessary component of any accord in Copenhagen. As I said at the beginning, we believe this is a very serious step. We believe that we need to complete the domestic legislative agenda here. We have been working hard to do that. We've already concluded work in the House, and we will continue to work in the Senate.

Q What countries are you looking to that hopefully will commit as much as the U.S. is?

MR. FROMAN: Well, I think all major economies will need to make submissions as to what they're prepared to do for there to be an accord.

Q Is this the starting point of the negotiations, or is this the max that this administration is willing to do, since obviously a lot of these other countries are coming forward with 1990 baselines that are going to be much more dramatic reductions?

MR. FROMAN: This is the U.S. position on what we will be submitting in Copenhagen as to our commitment. And as the President has always said, we want to make sure our international commitments very much follow in line with our domestic legislation.

Q Are these mitigation efforts the result of China and India?

MR. FROMAN: I'm sorry?

Q The decision to announce this, is it a result of mitigation efforts by both China and India?

MR. FROMAN: It was based on that long list of actions that have been taken over the last nine months that have led to this point, but including over the last two weeks constructive discussions and progress we felt was made with them over climate change, and it's reflected in the joint statements both in Beijing and here yesterday.

MS. BROWNER: And I think as well as the progress we've made on domestic legislation.

Q Should we interpret this as a prod to the Senate to get going on this early next year?

MS. BROWNER: Well, we've had we think very good conversations with the Senate. As you're aware, two committees have now acted. Others are preparing to act. I think the fact that you have a bipartisan group of senators -- Senator Kerry, Senator Graham, Senator Lieberman -- all announcing that they are working together, working with their partners, to craft leadership legislation is obviously something we find extremely encouraging.

Q Did you guys have consultations with any of the members of the -- of Congress before announcing these numbers?

MS. BROWNER: We're in -- I mean, we talk to members virtually every day about a whole list of things.

Q But, I mean, you told them about -- that these numbers were what you guys were putting on the table?

MR. FROMAN: We've been in close consultations.

Q Will the President do anything else besides this address? Will there be bilaterals, multilaterals?

MR. FROMAN: We are -- there's no schedule yet established. We're working with the Danes to ensure that his visit there, his time there is maximally productive and gives maximum momentum to the ongoing negotiations.

Q Is this overnight in Oslo?

MR. GIBBS: I don't think we have the itinerary yet. Well, the 9th here and the 10th in Oslo. I haven't the slightest idea where we're spending the night.

Q The 9th here?

MR. GIBBS: In Copenhagen -- sorry.

Q It will be just during the day, then, right? I mean, there's not an overnight in Copenhagen -- or we don't know?

MR. GIBBS: We haven't picked a hotel yet. We were focused on the target.

Q Mike, on the 9th, will there be a number of other world leaders there? Because it's a long summit and obviously there's going to be times when most of the leaders --

MR. FROMAN: We're talking with the Danes, again, about how that day might be structured. So we -- at this point we don't know what -- who else will be there or what the program will be at this point.

Q Have you got any kind of ballgame estimate of what the economic impact of these targets would be?

MS. BROWNER: Well, as you know, the Waxman-Markey bill was scored by CBO prior to final passage, and for the average family of four, full implementation of the bill I think was about $173 a year.

Q In 20 --

MS. BROWNER: What was the year for the score in the CBO? Do you remember?

MS. ZICHAL: I believe it's 2020.

MS. BROWNER: In 2020.

Q What's your reaction to the British e-mails that have come out recently?

MS. BROWNER: I've read them. I don't know that I have a reaction.

Q The Copenhagen talks are going from December 8th to the -- or 7th to the 20th -- 18th, something around that. And 65 heads of state will be attending at the end. Will the fact that Obama does not plan to be there make any agreement politically binding -- or a political agreement at that point less legitimate?

MR. FROMAN: I think the President going to Copenhagen will give positive momentum to the negotiations, and we think will enhance the prospects for success.

Q Who will go then at the end?

MS. BROWNER: We're releasing it today -- we have a whole delegation of Cabinet members and other top officials who will be in attendance throughout the conference.

Q Will Al Gore go?

MS. BROWNER: I don't know. You'd have to ask him.

Q Okay. But not as part of the delegation?

MR. GIBBS: I don't know where he's spending the night, either. (Laughter.)

MS. BROWNER: The U.S. delegation is made up of Cabinet members and senior White House officials, and we're releasing that list today. Are we releasing when they'll be there, the main --

MR. FROMAN: Yes.

MS. BROWNER: Yes, they're coming at various different times throughout the two weeks, so you'll see all of that. I think we have, what, six or seven Cabinet members going.

Q I hate to back you up on this, but those e-mails -- I know they're controversial, but they're actually feeding the run-up to Copenhagen. You might have read them, but you know basically the gist of them, which is being used by opponents of this deal to say that the whole thing is made up. But you have to have more than just "I don't have any reaction."

MS. BROWNER: Well, first of all, we've all seen bits and pieces, we haven't seen the full e-mails. But I think more importantly there has been for a very long time a very small group of people who continue to say this isn't a real problem, that we don't need to do anything. On the other hand, we have 2,500 of the world's foremost scientists who are in absolute agreement that this is a real problem and that we need to do something and we need to do something as soon as possible.

What am I going to do, side with the couple of naysayers out there, or the 2,500 scientists? I'm sticking with the 2,500 scientists. I mean, these people have been studying this issue for a very, very long time, and agree that the problem is real.

Q On Afghanistan?

MR. GIBBS: Yes.

Q Can we expect the President to outline an exit strategy in his speech? And do you still want to engage the so-called moderate Taliban elements in this new strategy?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I don't want to get, again, far ahead of what the President will talk about on Tuesday. I will say that throughout this process, the President has repeatedly pushed and prodded not simply for, as I've said, how are we going to get a certain number of troops in, but what is their strategy -- what has to be implemented ultimately to get them out. We are in year nine of our efforts in Afghanistan. We're not going to be there another eight or nine years -- which is why the -- a lot of the focus in these meetings has been on training for the Afghan security forces comprised of the army and the police; how do you ramp up this training as you are securing different areas that will ultimately be transferred back to the Afghans so that when that transfer occurs there is a security force that can keep the security gains that have been made. That is imperative -- that is imperative in this strategy. In terms of --

Q Has the President actually made up his mind on troop levels?

MR. GIBBS: He's not told me a final decision.

Hold on, hold on, let me address the second part of the question. In terms of reintegration, I would point you to any number of statements that General Petraeus, Central Command, has made about efforts that are needed to reach out to elements throughout the population in Afghanistan.

Q Is the President going to ask his allies for more troops? Because yesterday he seemed to emphasize the global fight against terrorism.

MR. GIBBS: Well, look, first of all, there is a robust international force presently in Afghanistan. This is not one country or one region of the world's problem alone. And I anticipate that the national security team and the President will begin to talk to our allies about different parts of his decision as well as contributions that could be coming forward from them. I think you've heard or seen the NATO Secretary General talk about this as well.

Q Is this what the President meant about finishing the job, ramping up security operations by Afghanistan? Is there a Taliban or al Qaeda component of finishing the job?

MR. GIBBS: Well, again, I'm going to let the President outline the fullness of his strategy and all of the components to it. Our training of security forces is obviously one that is ongoing.

Q Robert, there's a report that the President on Tuesday will be meeting with 31 members of Congress who he previously met with in regard to Afghanistan. Is that correct? And could you give us an idea of kind of the rollout, you know, the role of Cabinet members, et cetera?

MR. GIBBS: Well, some of this obviously is still being finalized. I anticipate the President will meet with members of Congress, just like he will talk to allies and others about the decision that he's made. He did a similar meeting -- did a similar set of meetings earlier in the year around earlier decisions on Afghanistan and Iraq. So I don't know -- I have not seen a final list of who the members will be, but I do anticipate that he'll certainly brief members of Congress.

Q Before the speech?

MR. GIBBS: Before the speech, yes.

Q Robert, can you --

MR. GIBBS: Hold on, hold on. Let me just -- the second part of your question, in terms of -- I do not -- I have not seen a finalized schedule for testimony. I anticipate -- again, we've all watched this in -- happen a few times, particularly in Iraq, and I anticipate some -- the relevant committees will invite and testimony will occur. I don't have a schedule on that.

Q But just to be clear, Robert, on Tuesday the President will meet with members of Congress?

MR. GIBBS: Yes. Tuesday he will meet with members of Congress in the White House prior to traveling to West Point to deliver the speech.

Q Robert, do you have any reaction to Speaker Pelosi's comments? And more broadly, can you talk --

MR. GIBBS: What are -- I didn't hear --

Q Just that there's going to be, I think, unrest in the Democratic Caucus over this decision on Afghanistan. And more broadly, can you talk a little bit about what --

MR. GIBBS: Let me give the -- let me let the President announce his decision before we -- I don't want to play the Jeopardy version of "unrest."

Q Okay, but more broadly, can you talk a little bit about what you think the challenges are, in particular with the sort of communicating and convincing members of the President's own party on Capitol Hill, and more broadly in the country, on this?

MR. GIBBS: I think this probably speaks for everybody in the country regardless of where you are in the political spectrum. And this is what the President will do Tuesday.

Again, we've been here -- we've been in -- we're in the 9th year of efforts in Afghanistan, right? The American people are going to want to know why we're here. They're going to want to know what our interests are. The President will want to walk through his decision-making process and give people a sense of the importance of our efforts, but reiterate for them that this is not -- this is not -- the President does not see this as an open-ended engagement. Our time there will be limited, and I think that's important for people to understand.

Q Will he give a time frame? Will he give a timeline?

MR. GIBBS: I want you guys to have something to write on Tuesday.

Q We'll find something.


MR. GIBBS: I don't doubt that. (Laughter.)

Q You say you're not going to be there for another eight or 10 years -- does that make sense -- I mean, the time --

MR. GIBBS: Again, you should thank Mark for following up on his question. No -- again, I don't want to get ahead of, again, what exactly the President is going to say. Again, I would simply reiterate throughout these meetings you've heard the President say this: We're not going to be there forever. We are -- it is unsustainable to think that, for any number of reasons: for the impact that it has on the thousands of men and women that serve, on the overall health of our force, on the sheer cost in monetary terms of what this means. That's why the President has taken the time to meet with the national security team in order to get a strategy that gets this right, so that this can ultimately be handed off, and the responsibility for security of the Afghan country can rest and lie with the Afghans.

Q Will he meet with McChrystal before he announces it?

MR. GIBBS: Pardon me?

Q Will he meet with General McChrystal in person before he announces --

MR. GIBBS: We may have more on that later today.

Q Robert, speaking of the cost, will the President actually in any degree explain to the American people how much it will cost, how much it will be -- how will it be paid for?

MR. GIBBS: Well, look, guys, it's a billion dollars -- it's a million dollars a troop for a year. It's -- 10,000 troops is $10 billion. That's in addition to what we already spend in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That also does not include training, and it doesn't include the maintenance of -- the maintaining of a security force. It's very, very, very expensive.

Q So there will be a supplemental?

MR. GIBBS: I'm going to let the President make a decision before we go get the budget for the decision to implement what he does. So let's -- again, I don't know what you guys would do on Tuesday if I just blurted it all out here.

Q Robert, just a question -- so does the President lay that out to the American people? Will he say --

MR. GIBBS: Well, I just laid it out for you.

Q I know, but I mean in that speech, will he actually say this is very, very, very expensive --

MR. GIBBS: If Ben could show me that paragraph in his speech, I would have a better answer. I think the President has throughout this process talked about the cost in terms of American lives and in terms of the cost to our Treasury, and I think he'll continue to talk about it.

Q Robert, will the President be --

Q -- satisfied at this stage that his new effort will be received --

MR. GIBBS: I'm sorry?

Q Does he feel fully satisfied at this stage that this new effort wouldn't be seen as --

MR. GIBBS: Will not be seen?

Q Will not be seen --

MR. GIBBS: Well, again, another thing that we've spent a lot of time working through is, with civilian and defense, is -- and as the President has said and as the President has told Karzai -- there has to be a new chapter in Afghan governance. And that is something the President will talk about on Tuesday.

Q And will it be cadets, military personnel?

MR. GIBBS: Yes.

Q Cadet -- both?

MR. GIBBS: Yes.

Q Robert, have you lined up television coverage yet? Do we know that this is going to be carried by the networks?

MR. GIBBS: I don't want to speak for the networks, but we have -- we talked to them yesterday.

Q If the President is reelected, are you basically saying the President --

MR. GIBBS: Thank you. Have a good Thanksgiving. (Laughter.)

END 10:37 A.M. EST

White House Gaggle, April 23, 2008

Briefer: Dana Perino
By: Ellen Ratner


Schedule:

The President had a private meeting with the King of Jordan in the dining room off the Oval Office. On the King’s visit, Dana said that the President had lots vested in mideast peace talks and that it was good that leaders could talk frankly with the President. He had his usual briefings and then will give the Medal of Honor to Dr. DeBakey. Later he has a photo op with Johns Hopkins donors, and then he will give the Baldridge Award.

Taxes:

The White House wants people to know that it is important for every taxpayer to fill out 1040A form so that they will get a stimulus rebate. This is available for anyone who makes $3,000 plus per year.

North Korea and the Syrians:

Dana said that they would continue to brief members of Congress on national intelligence.

Equal Pay Bill:

Dana would not comment on the bill or if the President would veto as she said they might not be able to get the votes for cloture in the Senate.

Pakistan:

Dana would not comment on reports that the Pakistani government is working with the Taliban militants. She said however that they are “concerned about these types of approaches.”

President’s Remarks Yesterday on Economy:

Dana said that we don’t know what this period is yet and we do not have the data yet, and that the President wants more robust growth in the country.

Farm Bill:

There may be a push for a one-year extension if they can’t get it done.

White House Gaggle by Dana Perino

White House Gaggle
By Ellen Ratner
Briefer: Dana Perino

The President’s Schedule
The president had his usual briefings.
At 11:30 a.m. he will make a statement on Iraq. In the morning he met with Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multinational Forces Iraq and Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. The president also met with the special envoy to Sudan.

This afternoon he will go to the ranch in Crawford, Texas. The White House announced that the president will make three commencement addresses this year. The first is May 4 at Greensburg High School in Greensburg Kansas, the second is May 29 at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the third will be May 31 Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The White House announced the summer schedule for tee ball on the White House lawn. There will be three games this summer: one in June with Hispanic Americans and others with members of the U.S. military.

The president also had a private meeting in the Oval Office and on the Truman balcony with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker, but Perino said that would not discuss the content of the meeting.

On Iraq
Perino said that the cost of reconstruction is increasingly being picked up by Iraqis and that they have more resources available to them. A question arouse as to the timing of a dramatic pull out in Iraq as it relates to the U.S. presidential election. “From our perspective, politics will not enter into it,” Perino said.

She explained that the speech is going to focus on the recommendations from Gen. Petraeus. The president will speak about the planning reduction from 20 brigade combat teams to 15. The president will also announce his support for a 45 days of “consolidation and evaluation” before another draw down of forces is scheduled.

The president will also speak about the tours of duty for soldiers scheduled to deploy after August 1, 2008 will be 12 months in Iraq and a min of 12 months at home in the United States. Perino said “the troops will continue to come home,” but she said “some people" (implying the Congressional Democrats) want to “change the goal posts.”



On Columbia Free Trade
Dana said that they “dismayed and disappointed” and if Democrats have a vote today they will effectively kill the agreement. She said they had been working with Democrats for months and yesterday’s meeting was cordial and frank. The president feels that his hand was forced.

On Torch Relay and Protests
The president said that people around the world have the right to express themselves he will continue to have private talks with China about human rights. Perino said that President Bush has a good relationship with the Chinese, which allows him to do that.