White House Gaggle

By Recardo Gibson
President’s Schedule:

The President began the day with his usual briefings. Later this morning he will sign HR 13, The Museums and Library Services Act of 2003. The President will have lunch with Vice President Cheney. At 2:20 he will meet with members of the Medicare Conference Committee to discuss Medicare legislation. On November 18 the President will be taking a trip to London as a guest of Queen Elizabeth. He intends to visit the entire United Kingdom during this trip.

Iraq:

McClellan responded to the progress report released on the issue of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq by saying that the report is still in the preliminary stages and Dr. Kay is going through the all of the documents. McClellan also stated that he cannot speculate if the weapons will be found. Asked about the possibility of calling up Reservists to be shipped to Iraq, McClellan declared the important thing is to finish the job. He contends that Iraq is the central front in fighting the war on terror. In response to a BBC report concerning one of Saddam’s former top officials possibly getting immunity for testimony about WMD, McClellan replied by stating he had not seen the report and would not comment on something he has not seen. But he emphasized the Administration’s continued fight to find remnants of the former regime.

International assistance in Iraq:

McClellan asserted that there are 30 countries participating in Iraq and urges others to get involved. McClellan told the gallery the world has a stake in Iraq. When asked about when a resolution will go before the UN, McClellan replied that there is no set timetable for a UN Resolution.