White House Gaggle

By Betsy DeSitter
June 30, 2004

President’s Schedule:

The President began his day with a call to congratulate the new Lithuanian President. He stated that he hoped to maintain close ties with the nation. He will meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and then have lunch with Ambassador Paul Bremer. Bremer has just returned from his 14-month stay in Iraq. Press Secretary Scott McClellan will give a briefing at 1:00. The State Department will brief at noon. Dr. Condoleezza Rice will be on "Ask The White House".

Detainees at Guantanamo Bay:

McClellan would not speculate about the Bush Administration’s response to the Supreme Court’s decision. He would not say if the White House is going to move the detainees. He acknowledged that the Supreme Court has the final word on all cases. McClellan stated that the White House is working to address the issue quickly and to put "a process in place to meet the court’s concerns." He added that the Department of Defense and the White House Counsel are involved in these issues.

American Troops in Iraq:

When asked whether the United States would be establishing permanent bases in Iraq, McClellan said that the troops were in place to "help, beef-up, and train their (Iraqi) own security forces." McClellan described American troops as part of a "multinational" and "coalition" force team, not occupiers. He said, "The largest number of security forces are the Iraqi people. It is time to focus on the Iraqi people . . . .time to begin a new phase." The importance and necessity of permanent U.S. military bases would be discussed in the future with the new Iraqi government.

Economy:

The White House could not confirm whether or not the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates today. McClellan said that interest rates were "historically low," and stated that, "consumer confidence is up." The overall goal of the government is, "to create a strong environment for job growth." With last year’s creation of 1.4 million jobs, McClellan stated that the economy continues to grow stronger.

Curse:

Press Secretary McClellan would not further comment on Vice President Cheney’s curse to Senator Leahy. He said, "The President has moved beyond it . . . he is looking ahead now."