McClellan: "Well, are you going to let me finish, or are you going to..."

Bush_Eats_Beef

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Fri Jun-24-05 04:12 PM
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McClellan: "Well, are you going to let me finish, or are you going to..."

...keep jumping in?"

Q Scott, at the President's prime time speech next Tuesday night, how specific is he going to be on a strategy going forward? And do you foresee a shift in strategy at all?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I think we have a clear strategy that we have outlined. The President is going to be talking about our strategy for success. He talked about how it is a two-track strategy. There's the military track and there's the political track. And he will talk in a very specific way about the way forward to succeeding and implementing that strategy. There is important progress that has been made. There are also many challenges that lie ahead -- he talked about that today. This is hard work; it is not an easy task that we have ahead of us. But the Iraqi people are showing through their courage that they are determined to have a peaceful and democratic future. And a free Iraq will be a powerful force for change in a dangerous region of the world, and helping to defeat the ideology of oppression and hatred and tyranny that the terrorists espouse.

Q Scott, I understand there is an anniversary date next Tuesday, but you're saying that this speech is happening, in part, because this is a critical moment, a critical time --

MR. McCLELLAN: That's correct.

Q -- in Iraq. What's more critical about this month and this moment than, say, a month ago or nine months ago?

MR. McCLELLAN: This is a critical period. The transitional government is moving forward on drafting a constitution. They are moving forward to prepare for an election for the Iraqi people to adopt that constitution. They are moving forward to hold elections for a permanent representative government. The terrorists, as you see on our TV screens, are a determined and ruthless enemy that has no regard for human life. They seek to do everything they can to derail the transition to democracy. But every step of the way they have failed to stop the advance of democracy and freedom in Iraq, because the Iraqi people are defying the terrorists and defying those who seek to stop democracy from taking root.

We have a number of our men and women who are serving in harm's way; all of us want to see those troops return home. We mourn and grieve when we lose our men and women in Iraq. They are making tremendous sacrifices in defense of freedom and supporting the advance of freedom in a dangerous region of the world. And the way to get them home is to complete the mission and succeed in Iraq. And we will succeed. We are making great progress, but there are difficulties and dangers ahead.

Q Is this moment any more critical than the critical moments you described in the run-up to the presidential election a year ago September/October, in the run-up to the election in Iraq last December/January? You said the same thing then, a "critical moment."

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, I think you can go back and look at those time periods and look at what we said during that time period. This is a very critical period in Iraq. Here's why: because the terrorists are trying to test our resolve, and they're trying to shake the will of the international community and the Iraqi people. The terrorists, as General Abizaid --

Q They've been doing that for months, don't you agree or --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, as General Abizaid talked about, there have been a growing number of foreign terrorists coming in to Iraq, because they recognize that Iraq is a central front in the war on terrorism. And, Bill, we are a nation that is at war. And the Commander-in-Chief believes it's important to keep the American people informed about --

Q Yes, but what's changed?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, are you going to let me finish, or are you going to keep jumping in?

Q Well, you said the same thing before, and I accept what you say. But what's changed?

MR. McCLELLAN: I was just talking to you --

Q It's the same condition that we found ourselves in a year ago.

MR. McCLELLAN: I was just outlining to you why it's a critical period --

Q Yes, but it was a critical period for the same reason then.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- in Iraq, and we are a nation at war. And the Commander-in-Chief has a responsibility to keep the American people informed about the progress we're making and the strategy we have for succeeding. It's important that the American people know the progress that we're making and they understand the difficulties and dangers that lie ahead. This is a time when we are seeing that the enemy is determined and ruthless in the violence that they seek to spread to try to shake our will and shake our resolve. And that's why it's important to talk to the American people. It was important to talk to the American people at that time, as well, Bill.

Q Yes, but I mean, it's the same thing that you're saying.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that -- no, it's not. I think the American people want to hear from their Commander-in-Chief. And you may take it --

Q I'm not arguing about that.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you may take a different view, but I think the American people want to hear from their Commander-in-Chief, and they will have the --

Q That's not what I'm arguing about.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, let's go on if you're not going to --

Q The Prime Minister talked about perhaps a Bush Plan, likening it to the Marshall Plan that helped rebuild Europe after World War II. And when the President was asked about reconstruction, he said of course, the U.S. is devoting resources, but the job belongs to the Iraqi people. Is there a different outlook between the Iraq Prime Minister and the President about the building of infrastructure?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I'll let him talk further about what he was talking about. But if you'll recall, there was an international conference earlier this week, more than 80 nations coming together to show their strong support for the Iraqi people. The international community is standing with the Iraqi people, and they talked about in their meetings -- both in the Oval Office and in the residence during the lunch -- about the importance of the international community continuing to support the Iraqi people and the transitional government as they move forward on this historic transformation that is taking place. And we've been, as the Prime Minister pointed out, providing tremendous support from the United States for the Iraqi people.

One issue that I imagine will continue to come up is the issue of debt relief. And there's a donor's conference coming up in Jordan here shortly, as the President talked about. So I think you're seeing that the international community is sending a strong message of support for the transitional government and for the Iraqi people. There are a number that have come forward with commitments, there are a number that have made commitments -- and we hope that they will move forward quickly to fulfill those commitments, because it's vital that we continue to stand with the Iraqi people as they move forward to meet their political objectives, which they are doing. The President talked about that.