White House Gaggle

By Nicolas Ferreyros
July 21, 2004

President’s Schedule:

The President began his morning with his usual briefings. At 9:40 the President will sign into law the Project Bioshield Act of 2004. At 10:15 there will be a photo-op in the Oval Office with astronauts commemorating the 35th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. Then at 10:30 there will be an Off The Record off-campus at a surprise location. This afternoon the President will participate in a photo-op with the White House summer interns. Tonight at 7:15 the President will make remarks at the 2004 President’s Dinner at the Washington Convention Center.

Remarks Tonight:

Press Secretary Scott McClellan was asked what could be expected in the President’s remarks tonight at the 2004 President’s Dinner. McClellan said that we could probably expect some new language and for the President to remark on a "new vision" for America. He said that as we move closer to the conventions, the President’s remarks will touch on "moving forward."

Nuclear Warheads:

Asked about a recent story coming out of Iraq that three nuclear warheads were found buried in concrete near Tikrit, McClellan said that he had not yet heard anything about it.

Security Briefing:

Commenting on the intelligence briefing that National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice, White House Counsel Gonzales, and Chief of Staff Andrew Card would receive today from the members of the 9/11 Commission, McClellan said that it would be a relatively short meeting and that they would update the President both today and tomorrow.

9/11 Commission Comments and Report:

McClellan was asked if the President agrees with the comments made by the Chairman of the 9/11 Commission that there were ways to prevent the attacks. He said that the issue had been addressed previously, but continued saying that, "We have to be right 100% of the time, the terrorist have to be right only once . . . 9/11 taught us a lot and we need to make sure that we have all the security measures in place to try and prevent more attacks…Certainly little has come to our attention that indicates we could have prevented it. What is important now is that we all focus to continue to build on the steps we have taken in the war on terrorism. Certainly the 9/11 Commission shares this belief."

First Daughter’s Picture:

Asked if the White House had any comments on the picture captured yesterday of Jenna Bush sticking her tongue out at reporters, McClellan jokingly admitted to putting her up to it and then said that there would not be any comments.

Cuts to President’s Budget Proposals:

McClellan was asked about some major cuts being made to the President’s budget proposals by House Republicans, in particular, those cuts being made to funding for NASA. He said, "the President has laid out a responsible budget" but that, "it is still early in the process" and that when the budget was presented, there was support for it. Concern was expressed for the space shuttle program and they appreciated the President’s Mars vision, which is part of his long term vision outlined for NASA".

Iraq Rebuilding Budget:

Asked to comment on the fact that of the billions of dollars that Congress approved for the rebuilding of Iraq, only 500 million has actually been used for such a purpose because the rest has been diverted to security, McClellan said that Ambassador Bremer had already commented on the it and that it is an issue that, "our officials are working to address." He said that getting the rebuilding budget going was a priority, but that the "highest priority for the government in Iraq is to ensure security."

Bioshield Act:

McClellan was asked to comment on the Bioshield Act that the President would sign today. He said that, "the bill is an important component in our broad strategy to combat terrorism."