White House Gaggle

By Victoria Jones
White House Gaggle
May 4, 2007
By Victoria Jones

The President had has usual briefings. He had policy time on the budget. He will record his radio address on Iraq. At 10.15 he will meet the Prime Minister of Singapore. At 3.00 he makes remarks at a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the Rose Garden.

Queen Elizabeth II

Deputy White House Press Secretary Tony Fratto was asked whether the Queen and the President will have any substantive talks. He replied that he could not characterize the talks.

Iraq

Fratto was asked if there will be any meetings on Iraq today on Capitol Hill. He replied that Josh Bolten had cordial meetings yesterday. The House is out of session, but staff communications will continue. The President wants quick progress in getting this bill back to his desk.

Fratto was asked if the President wants to end the war while he is in office. He replied that the President wants to bring the troops home as quickly as possible. It is a goal that the 60 countries that are meeting in Sharm el Sheikh are making progress towards.

Fratto was asked if it is fair to say that the President does not want any benchmarks that punish the Iraqis. He said he does not want to trigger troop withdrawals, like the previous bill. Measuring and marking progress is important.

Clinton Byrd Proposal

Fratto was asked to characterize the proposal. He said by statute to try to put a surrender date on the operations in Iraq is reckless, is not reflective of conditions on the ground, and is not reflective of the contributions of our troops. Bolten, Portman, Hadley are talking to the group of individuals that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have put together, and the counterparts on the Republican side. That is the group we are talking to. This was a political stunt, Fratto stated.

Asked whether the Clinton Byrd proposal complicates the talks, Fratto said that the talks going on with leadership are very thoughtful and serious. We will not allow ourselves to be distracted and will stay focused on that goal.

Republican Debate

Asked what the President thought about last night’s debate, Fratto replied that he did not know if the President had watched it.

J.D. Crouch

Fratto was asked why J.D. Crouch is leaving. He said Crouch has been incredible to work with. He has made it known for some months that he wanted to find an appropriate time to return to the private sector and to spend more time with his family. That job is 24 hours around the clock. J.D. has done a remarkable job. We have a great affection for him. He has a great sense of humor. We are going to miss him. This is not a major overhaul of the national security team, even with Megan O’Sullivan’s departure