    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [February 28, 2008]
    [Pages 285-297]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference
    February 28, 2008

        The President. Good morning. Laura and I, as
    you know, recently came back from Africa, where we saw firsthand how the
    Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is saving lives. I had a chance to go to
    the--speak to the Sullivan Foundation the other day about our trip, and
    the reason I did so was to remind the American people about how
    important it is for our Nation to remain generous and compassionate when
    it comes to helping people overseas.
        I also during my trip urged Congress to reauthorize the emergency
    plan and increase our commitment, and they did. They approved a good,
    bipartisan bill that maintains the principles that have made this
    program effective. And so I want to thank Acting Chairman Howard
    Berman and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-
    Lehtinen and all the members of the
    committee for the action they took. This afternoon they're going to come
    down, and I'll be able to thank them in person. And I'm going to brief
    them on the trip. The--obviously, our hope is now that the House will
    act quickly and send the bill reauthorizing PEPFAR to the Senate. And
    I'd like to sign it into law as quickly as possible.

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        Members should also act on a very urgent priority, and that is to
    pass legislation our intelligence officials need to quickly and
    effectively monitor terrorist communications. At issue is a dispute over
    whether telecommunications companies should be subjected to class-action
    lawsuits because they are believed to have helped defend America after
    the attacks of 9/11. Allowing these lawsuits to proceed would be unfair.
    If any of these companies helped us, they did so after being told by our
    Government that their assistance was legal and vital to our national
    security.
        Allowing the lawsuits to proceed could aid our enemies because the
    litigation process could lead to the disclosure of information about how
    we conduct surveillance, and it would give Al Qaida and others a roadmap
    as to how to avoid the surveillance. Allowing these lawsuits to proceed
    could make it harder to track the terrorists because private companies
    besieged by and fearful of lawsuits would be less willing to help us
    quickly get the information we need. Without the cooperation of the
    private sector, we cannot protect our country from terrorist attack.
        Protecting these companies from lawsuits is not a partisan issue.
    Republicans and Democrats in the United States Senate came together and
    passed a good bill protecting private companies from these abusive
    lawsuits. And Republicans and Democrats in the House stand ready to pass
    the Senate bill if House leaders would only stop blocking an up-or-down
    vote and let the majority in the House prevail.
        Some in Congress have said we have nothing to worry about because if
    we lose the cooperation of the private sector, we can use the old FISA
    law. Well, they're wrong. FISA was out of date. It did not allow us to
    track foreign terrorists on foreign soil quickly and effectively. And
    that is why a dangerous intelligence gap opened up last year, and that
    is why Congress passed legislation that reformed FISA. But they did so
    only temporarily. The law expired; the threat to America has not
    expired.
        Congress understood last year that FISA did not give our
    intelligence professionals the tools they needed to keep us safe. The
    Senate understands that the FISA--old FISA didn't give us the tools
    needed to protect America. The bipartisan bill it passes provides those
    tools our intelligence professionals need. Yet the House's failure to
    pass this law raises the risk of reopening a gap in our intelligence
    gathering, and that is dangerous.
        Another vital priority for protecting the nation is prevailing in
    Iraq. Unfortunately, this week, the Senate debated yet another bill that
    threatens to cut off funding and tie the hands of our commanders in
    Iraq. It seems that no matter what happens in Iraq, opponents to the war
    have one answer: retreat.
        When things were going badly in Iraq a year ago, they called for
    withdrawal. Then we changed our strategy, launched the surge, and turned
    the situation around. Since the surge began, high-profile terrorist
    attacks are down, civilian deaths are down, sectarian killings are down,
    and our own casualties are down. U.S. and Iraqi forces have captured or
    killed thousands of extremists, including hundreds of key Al Qaida
    operatives and leaders. Reconciliation is taking place in local
    communities across the country. That reconciliation is beginning to
    translate into political progress in the capital city.
        In the face of these changes on the ground, congressional leaders
    are still sounding the same old call for withdrawal. I guess you could
    say that when it comes to pushing for withdrawal, their strategy is to
    stay the course. It's interesting that many of the same people who once
    accused me of refusing to acknowledge setbacks in Iraq now are the ones
    who are refusing to acknowledge progress in Iraq.

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        If we followed their advice a year ago, Iraq would be far different
    and more dangerous place than it is today, and the American people would
    be at greater risk. If we follow their advice now, we would put at risk
    the gains our troops have made over the past year. Congress does need to
    act when it comes to Iraq. What they need to do is stand by our brave
    men and women in uniform and fully fund the troops.
        Finally, Congress needs to act to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
    Unfortunately, the Senate is considering legislation that would do more
    to bail out lenders and speculators than to help American families keep
    their homes. The Senate bill would actually prolong the time it takes
    for the housing market to adjust and recover, and it would lead to
    higher interest rates. This would be unfair to the millions of
    homeowners who make the hard choices every month to pay their mortgage
    on time, and it would be unfair to future homebuyers. Instead, Congress
    should move ahead with responsible legislation to modernize the Federal
    Housing Administration and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. By taking these
    steps, we can help struggling homeowners and help our economy weather
    the difficult time in the housing market.
        I'd be glad to take some questions. Terry [Terence Hunt, Associated
    Press].

    National Economy

        Q. Mr. President, bad economic news continues to pile up, the latest
    today, with the GDP barely growing. Are you concerned that a sagging
    economy and hard times will help defeat John McCain like it did your
    father in 1992? And how far are you willing to go to prevent that?
        The President. I'm concerned about the economy because I'm concerned
    about working Americans, concerned about people who want to put money on
    the table and save for their kids' education. That's why I'm concerned
    about the economy. I want Americans working.
        And there's no question, the economy has slowed down. You just cited
    another example of slowdown. I don't think we're headed to a recession,
    but no question, we're in a slowdown. And that's why we acted, and acted
    strongly, with over $150 billion worth of progrowth economic incentives,
    mainly money going into the hands of our consumers and some money going
    to incent businesses to invest, which will create jobs.
        And so we've acted robustly. And now it's time to determine whether
    or not this progrowth package will actually work. Now the checks will
    start going out in the second week of May. There are going to be letters
    out soon explaining who is eligible for the refunds. Credit will happen
    in the first week of May. In other words, some people will choose to
    have their bank accounts credited. And in the second week of May, we
    anticipate the checks start moving out of Washington.
        And the purpose is to encourage our consumers. The purpose is to
    give them money--their own to begin with, by the way--but give them
    money to help deal with the adverse effects of the decline in housing
    value. Consumerism is a significant part of our GDP growth. And we want
    to sustain the American consumer, encourage the American consumer, and
    at the same time, we want to encourage investment. So we'll see how the
    plan works.
        Q. But the political context----
        The President. Oh, you're trying to get me to be the pundit again.
    Look, you all figure that out. I mean, we--what I'm dealing with is the
    situation at hand, and I appreciate that--both Democrats and Republicans
    in the United States Congress and Senate for getting this bill done very
    quickly. And it's a substantial piece of legislation, and it's a good
    sign that we can figure out how to cooperate with each other at times.
        And so we'll see the effects of this progrowth package. It's--I know
    there's a

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    lot of--here in Washington, people are trying to--stimulus package two
    and all that stuff. Why don't we let stimulus package one, which seemed
    like a good idea at the time, have a chance to kick in?
        Yes.

    Turkey and Iraq

        Q. Mr. President, Turkey's ground offensive in northern Iraq is now
    a week old with no end in sight. How quickly would you like to see
    Turkey end its offensive, its incursion? And do you have any concerns
    about the possibility of protracted presence in northern Iraq causing
    further destabilization in the region?
        The President. A couple of points on that--one, the Turks, the
    Americans, and the Iraqis, including the Iraqi Kurds, share a common
    enemy in the PKK. And secondly, it's in nobody's interests that there be
    safe haven for people who are--have the willingness to kill innocent
    people.
        A second point I want to make to you, Matt [Matt Spetalnick,
    Reuters], is that there is a Special Forces presence in northern Iraq,
    in Kurdistan, now, apart from what you're referring to. In other words--
    so there is a presence, and there has been a presence for a while.
        Thirdly, I strongly agree with the sentiments of Secretary
    Gates, who said that the incursion must be
    limited and must be temporary in nature. In other words, it shouldn't be
    long lasting. But the Turks need to move, move quickly, achieve their
    objective, and get out.
        Q. But how quickly, sir, do they need to move out?
        The President. You know, as quickly as possible.
        Q. Days or weeks?
        The President. Well, as possible.

    Russia-U.S. Relations

        Q. Mr. President, I'd like to ask you about Russia. The Democratic
    candidates, when asked about the new Russian leader, Dmitry Medvedev,
    didn't appear to know a great deal about him. I wonder what you can say
    about him; how much power you think he's really got with Putin still in
    the picture?
        And critics would say you badly misjudged Vladimir Putin. So what
    would be your cautionary tale to your successor about the threat Russia
    poses and how to deal with this new leader?
        The President. I don't know much about Medvedev either. And what will be interesting to see is who comes
    to the--who represents Russia at the G-8, for example. It will be
    interesting to see--it will help, I think, give some insight as to how
    Russia intends to conduct foreign policy over--after Vladimir
    Putin's Presidency. And I can't answer the
    question yet.
        I can say that it's in our interests to continue to have relations
    with Russia. For example, on proliferation matters, it's in our interest
    to be able to make sure that materials that could cause great harm
    aren't proliferated. It's in our interest to work together on Iran. As I
    said, I think, in this room the last time I was here, I appreciated the
    fact that Vladimir Putin told the Iranians
    that they will provide--they, Russia--will provide enriched uranium to
    run the Bushehr power plant, thereby negating the need for the Iranians
    to enrich in the first place. I thought that was a constructive
    suggestion. And we need to be in a position to be able to work with
    Russia on Iran.
        There's a lot of areas where--yesterday, for example, with the Prime
    Minister of the Czech Republic, I talked
    about a missile defense system in Europe. But I believe it's in our
    interests to try to figure out a way for the Russians to understand the
    system is not aimed at them but aimed at the real threats of the 21st
    century, which could be a launch from a violent regime--a launch of a
    weapon of mass destruction.
        So there's areas, David [David Gregory, NBC News], where we need to
    cooperate and--let me finish--and so it's a--I'm going to try to leave
    it so whoever my

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    successor is will be able to have a relationship with whoever is running
    foreign policy in Russia. It's just--it's in the country's interest.
    That doesn't mean we have to agree all the time. I mean, obviously, we
    didn't agree on Kosovo. There will be other areas where we don't agree.
    And yet it is in the interest of the country to have a relationship,
    leader to leader and, hopefully, beyond that.
        Q. But I mean, first of all, are you suggesting or are you worried
    that, in fact, Medvedev is a puppet for Vladimir Putin? And----
        The President. No, I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't--that's your
    conclusion, not mine.
        Q. Well, no, I'm asking the question about whether you're concerned.
    But isn't there something you took away and that you can offer to your
    successor about how it's risky in the process of sizing up your Russian
    counterpart? Don't you think that you learned something from your time
    with Putin?
        The President. Here's what I learned, here's what I learned. I
    learned that it's important to establish a personal relations with
    leaders even though you may not agree with them--certain leaders. I'm
    not going to have a personal relationship with Kim Jong Il, and our relationships are such that that's impossible.
        But U.S.-Russian relations are important. It's important for
    stability. It's important for our relations in Europe. And therefore, my
    advice is to establish a personal relationship with whoever is in charge
    of foreign policy in Russia. It's in our country's interest to do so.
        Now, it makes it easier, by the way, when there's a trustworthy
    relationship to be able to disagree and yet maintain common interests in
    other areas. And so we've had our disagreements. As you know,
    Putin is a straightforward, pretty tough
    character when it comes to his interests. Well, so am I. And we've had
    some headbutts, diplomatic headbutts. You might remember the trip to
    Slovakia. I think you were there at the famous press conference. But--
    and yet, in spite of that, our differences of opinion, we still have got
    a cordial enough relationship to be able to deal with common threats and
    opportunities. And that's going to be important for the next President
    to maintain.
        Yes, Jonathan [Jonathan Karl, ABC News].

    Military Operations in Iraq

        Q. Mr. President----
        The President. Yes, Jon.
        Q. ----do you believe if we had the kind of rapid pullout from Iraq
    that the Democrats are talking about, that we'd be at greater risk of a
    terrorist attack here at home? And when Senator Obama was asked a
    similar question, he said, quote, ``If Al Qaida is forming a base in
    Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American
    homeland and our interests abroad.''
        So I'm wondering if you----
        The President. That's an interesting comment. If Al Qaida is
    securing a Al Qaida base--yes, well, that's exactly what they've been
    trying to do for the past 4 years. That's their stated intention, was to
    create enough chaos and disorder to establish a base from which to
    either launch attacks or spread a caliphate. And the intent of the surge
    was to send more marines into the area that--where they had proclaimed
    their desire to set up a base. That was Anbar Province. And so yes, I
    mean, that's one of the challenges we face, is denying Al Qaida a safe
    haven anywhere. And their intentions--that's what they said, that they
    would like to have a base or safe haven in Anbar Province.
        Yes, Bill [Bill Plante, CBS News].
        Q. But to the second part----
        The President. No, next turn.
        Q. But the part of the question about----
        The President. Nice try. [Laughter]
        Q. Mr. President----

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        The President. You obviously haven't been here long, Jon. Where have
    you been, Jonathan? [Laughter]
        Q. Across the river.
        The President. Yes, okay, yes.
        Q. All right.
        The President. Welcome to the other side. [Laughter]

    Terrorist Surveillance Program/Intelligence Reform Legislation

        Q. If you can get the Congress to protect telecom companies from
    lawsuits, then there's no recourse for Americans who feel that they've
    been caught up in this. I know it's not intended to spy on Americans,
    but in the collection process, information about everybody gets swept
    up, and then it gets sorted. So if Americans don't have any recourse,
    are you just telling them when it comes to their privacy to suck it up?
        The President. The--I wouldn't put it that way, if I were you, in
    public, Bill. I mean, you've been around long enough to--anyway, yes,
    I--look, there's--people who analyze the program fully understand that
    America's civil liberties are well protected. There is a constant check
    to make sure that our civil liberties of our citizens aren't--you know,
    are treated with respect. And that's what I want, and that's what most--
    all Americans want.
        Now, let me talk about the phone companies. You cannot expect phone
    companies to participate if they feel like they're going to be sued. I
    mean, it is--these people are responsible for shareholders; they're
    private companies. The Government said to those who have alleged to have
    helped us that it is in our national interests, and it's legal. It's in
    our national interests because we want to know who's calling who from
    overseas into America. We need to know in order to protect the people.
        It was legal. And now, all of a sudden, plaintiffs' attorneys,
    class-action plaintiffs' attorneys, you know--I don't want to try to get
    inside their head; I suspect they see, you know, a financial gravy
    train--are trying to sue these companies. And first, it's unfair. It is
    patently unfair. And secondly, these lawsuits create doubts amongst
    those who will--whose help we need.
        I guess you could be relaxed about all this if you didn't think
    there was a true threat to the country. I know there's a threat to the
    country. And the American people expect our Congress to give the
    professionals the tools they need to listen to foreigners who may be
    calling into the United States with information that could cause us
    great harm. So, on the one hand, the civil liberties of our citizens are
    guaranteed by a lot of checks in the system and scrutinized by the
    United States Congress.
        And secondly, I cannot emphasize to you how important it is that the
    Congress solve this problem. The Senate has solved the problem. And
    people say, would you ever compromise on the issue? The Senate bill is a
    compromise. And there's enough votes in the House of Representatives to
    pass the Senate bill. It's a bipartisan bill. And the House leaders need
    to put it on the floor. Let the will of the House work. In my judgment,
    it happens to be the will of the people to give the professionals the
    tools they need to protect the country.
        Elaine [Elaine Quijano, Cable News Network].

    Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Adviser Joel Bagnal

        Q. Mr. President, you've stressed over and over in recent days
    particularly the importance of FISA reform to help keep America safe,
    and yet you have not yet filled a key national security post. Fran
    Townsend announced her resignation months ago, in November. What is the
    delay there, and what are Americans to make of that delay? Is America
    less safe because of it?
        The President. We got a fine man named Joel Bagnal working that office right now. He's a professional. I
    trust his judgment. He's a real good guy. And no, they

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    shouldn't worry about Joel. He knows what he's doing.
        John [John McKinnon, Wall Street Journal].
        Q. But, sir, the American----
        The President. John.
        Q. The Homeland Security Adviser is a key post.
        Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
        Q. What's taking so long?
        The President. Joel Bagnal has occupied the
    position, Elaine. He's doing the job, and I've got confidence in him.
    And so should the American people have confidence in him. He's a fine
    professional. He knows what he's doing. And I'm very comfortable in
    saying, on your cameras, that our staff in the White House, led by Joel
    Bagnal, knows what they're doing when it comes to advising the President
    on matters of homeland security.
        John.

    Trade

        Q. Thanks, Mr. President. There's been a lot of criticism on the
    campaign trail of free-trade policies and even talk about the U.S.
    opting out of NAFTA. And it doesn't seem that you want to discuss the
    prospects of Republican candidates on the campaign trail this year,
    but----
        The President. Not yet.
        Q. Not yet. But just given all the concerns about the economy that
    people have, do you feel like you could win in a State like Ohio if you
    were running again for Presidency?
        The President. Landslide, John. [Laughter] Look, I am a big believer
    in free trade. And the reason why is, I firmly believe that free trade
    is essential to the formation of high-paying, quality jobs. In other
    words, people who work for industries that export goods to overseas are
    likely to be paid more than their--other workers.
        Secondly, if you look at the--our economic growth recently,
    particularly last year, a major portion of that growth came as a result
    of exports. It's an essential part of our economic picture.
        Yes, I heard the talk about NAFTA. One statistic I think people need
    to know is, I think there's roughly, like, $380 billion worth of goods
    that we ship to our NAFTA partners on an annual basis. Now, $380 billion
    worth of goods means there's a lot of farmers and businesses, large and
    small, who are benefiting from having a market in our neighborhood. And
    the idea of just unilaterally withdrawing from a trade treaty because of
    trying to score political points is not good policy. It's not good
    policy on the merits, and it's not good policy to--as a message to send
    to our--people who have, in good faith, signed a treaty and worked with
    us on a treaty.
        Thirdly, those of us who grew up in Texas remember what the border
    looked like when we were kids, and it was really poor. And you go down
    to that border today, it is prosperous on both sides of the river, to
    the credit of those who proposed NAFTA and to the credit of those who
    got NAFTA through the Congress. If you're worried about people coming
    into our country illegally, it makes sense to help a place like Mexico
    grow its economy. Most folks would rather be finding a job close to
    home; most folks would rather not try to get in the bottom of an 18-
    wheeler to come and put food on the table.
        This agreement has meant prosperity on both sides of our borders,
    north and south. And I believe it's in the interests to continue to seek
    markets for our farmers, ranchers, and businesspeople. I also know it's
    in our interest to insist that when people sell products into our
    countries, that we get treated fairly. In other words, if we treat a
    country one way--people in a country one way--we expect to be treated
    the same way, like Colombia.
        The Colombia free trade vote's coming up. Many of their products
    come into our country much easier than our products go into theirs. It
    makes sense to be treated

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    equally. But on this vote, there's an additional consequence. If the
    Congress rejects the Colombia free trade agreement, it will sorely
    affect the national security interests of the United States. It will
    encourage false populism in our neighborhood. It will undermine the
    standing of courageous leaders like President Uribe. And I strongly urge the Congress, when they bring
    this--when the Colombia free trade agreement is brought to a vote, to
    seriously consider the consequences of rejecting this trade agreement.
        Mike [Mike Emanuel, FOX News].

    Terrorist Surveillance Program/Intelligence Reform Legislation

        Q. Mr. President, on FISA, do you worry that perhaps some House
    Democratic leaders are playing a high-stakes game of wait and see, in
    terms of if we get attacked, we all lose; if we don't get attacked, then
    maybe that makes the case that you don't need all the powers in FISA?
        The President. No, I don't think so. I mean, I think that's--that
    would be ascribing motives that are just--I just don't think they're the
    motives of the House leaders to do that. I think--look, I think they're
    really wrestling with providing liability protection to phone companies.
    I don't think there's--that's cynical or devious, Michael. That's just
    too risky.
        A lot of these leaders understand that there is an enemy that wants
    to attack. The caucus, evidently, in the House, is--the Democratic
    caucus is, you know, is concerned about exactly Plante's question, you
    know. And I just can't tell you how important it is to not alienate or
    not discourage these phone companies.
        How can you listen to the enemy if the phone companies aren't going
    to participate with you? And they're not going to participate if they
    get sued. Let me rephrase: less likely to participate. And they're
    facing billions of dollars of lawsuits, and they have a responsibility
    to their shareholders. And yet they were told what they were going to do
    is legal.
        And anyway, I'm going to keep talking about the issue, Mike. This is
    an important issue for the American people to understand. And it's
    important for them to understand that no renewal of the PATRIOT Act--I
    mean, the Protect America Act--is dangerous for the security of the
    country, just dangerous.
        I'm sure people, if they really pay attention to the details of this
    debate, wonder why it was okay to pass the Protect America Act last
    summer, late last summer, and all of a sudden, it's not okay to pass it
    now. And so I will keep talking about the issue and talking about the
    issue.
        Michael [Michael Abramowitz, Washington Post].

    President's Foreign Policy

        Q. Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to ask you about another issue
    that's kind of come up on the campaign trail, in terms of discussion,
    which is--this is a point of view that has been espoused--that we would
    be better off if we talked to our adversaries, in particular, Iran and
    Cuba, you know, without preconditions. And as President, you have
    obviously considered and rejected this approach. And I'm wondering if
    you can give us a little bit of insight into your thinking about this,
    and just explain to the American people what is lost by talking with
    those when we disagree.
        The President. What's lost by embracing a tyrant who puts his people
    in prison because of their political beliefs? What's lost is, it'll send
    the wrong message. It'll send a discouraging message to those who wonder
    whether America will continue to work for the freedom of prisoners.
    It'll give great status to those who have suppressed human rights and
    human dignity.
        I'm not suggesting there's never a time to talk, but I'm suggesting
    now is not the time--not to talk with Raul Castro. He's nothing more than an extension of what

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    his brother did, which was to ruin an
    island and imprison people because of their beliefs.
        These wives of these dissidents come and see me, and their stories
    are just unbelievably sad. And it just goes to show how repressive the
    Castro brothers
    have been, when you listen to the truth about what they say. And the
    idea of embracing a leader who's done this without any attempt on his
    part to release prisoners and free their society would be
    counterproductive and send the wrong signal.
        Q. But no one is saying embrace him; they're just saying talk----
        The President. Well, talking to him is embracing. Excuse me. Let me
    use another word. You're right, embrace is like big hug, right? That's--
    you're looking----
        Q. Right.
        The President. I do embrace people. Mike, one of these days, I'm
    just thinking about--[laughter]. Right, okay, good. Thank you for
    reminding me to use a different word. Sitting down at the table, having
    your picture taken with a tyrant such as Raul Castro, for example, lends the status of the office and the
    status of our country to him. He gains a lot from it by saying, ``Look
    at me, I'm now recognized by the President of the United States.''
        Now, somebody will say, well, I'm going to tell him to release the
    prisoners. Well, it's a theory that all you got to do is embrace, and
    these tyrants act. That's not how they act. That's not what causes them
    to respond. And so I made a decision quite the opposite, and that is to
    keep saying to the Cuban people, we stand with you. We will not sit down
    with your leaders that imprison your people because of what they
    believe. We will keep an embargo on you. We do want you to have money
    from people here in the homeland, but we will stay insistent upon this
    policy until you begin to get free.
        And so that's the way I've conducted foreign policy and will
    continue to conduct foreign policy. I just remind people that the
    decisions of the U.S. President to have discussions with certain
    international figures can be extremely counterproductive. It can send
    chilling signals and messages to our allies; it can send confusion about
    our foreign policy; it discourages reformers inside their own country.
    And in my judgment, it would be a mistake, on the two countries you
    talked about.
        Sheryl [Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times].

    2008 Presidential Election

        Q. Mr. President, thank you. I want to bring you back to Senator
    Obama's comment on Iraq. Do you believe that his comment was naive?
        The President. I believe Senator Obama
    better stay focused on his campaign with Senator Clinton, neither of whom has secured their party's
    nominee yet--nomination yet. And my party's nomination hasn't been
    decided yet either. And so there will be ample time to discuss whoever
    their candidate for--the positions of whoever their candidate is.
        Nice try, Sheryl. Would you like to try another tack, another
    question?
        Q. Well, earlier you said it was an interesting comment. Okay, I'll
    follow on it. About Iraq, you have said in the past that you want to----
        Q. Come on. [Laughter]
        Q. ----leave a sustainable policy.
        The President. Yes.
        Q. You said I could have another question.
        The President. That's good. Yes, okay.
        Q. If you want to leave your----
        The President. Well, it was just a little, like--give her--should we
    vote on whether she gets another question? [Laughter]

    Military Operations in Iraq

        Q. They're for me. [Laughter] You've said, Mr. President, that you
    want to leave Iraq in a sustainable situation----
        The President. Yes, I do.

    [[Page 294]]

        Q. ----at the end of your administration. Can you describe for us
    specifically, what do you mean by sustainable? Do you have specific
    goals and objectives that, in your mind, would meet the criteria of
    sustainability?
        The President. Yes, which is to keep enough troops there so we can
    succeed. And David Petraeus will come as--
    for example, David Petraeus will come back, along with Ryan
    Crocker, here later on this spring and will
    make a recommendation as to what that--what those troop levels ought to
    be.
        The idea of having a request by the Iraqi Government for a long-term
    security agreement is part of sustainability. And obviously, we're going
    to be pushing hard at the same time to get the political process moving
    forward.
        I don't know if you noticed yesterday, but it was a very interesting
    moment in Iraqi constitutional history, when part of the--a member of
    the Presidency Council utilized his constitutional right to veto one of
    the three pieces of legislation recently passed. I understand the use of
    the veto, intend to continue to use it, and I--but I thought it was a
    healthy sign that the people are thinking through the legislation that's
    passed, and they're worrying about making sure that laws are
    constitutional. And I feel pretty good about the fact that they're, of
    course, going to continue to work to make sure that their stated
    objective of getting Provincial elections done by October of 2008 will
    happen.
        So there's going to be a lot of work. My only point is,
    sustainability is political, economic, and security.
        Yes, Ed [Edwin Chen, Bloomberg News].

    Monetary Policy

        Q. Good morning, sir.
        The President. Yes, thank you.
        Q. If I could get back to the economy--the GDP numbers today show
    that the--our economy is increasingly relying on U.S. exports to keep
    growing. How important is a competitive dollar in keeping U.S. exports
    strong and growing?
        The President. We believe in a strong dollar policy, and we believe
    that--and I believe that our economy has got the fundamentals in place
    for us to be a--is to grow and continue growing more robustly,
    hopefully, than we're growing now. And the dollar--the value of the
    dollar will be reflected in the ability for our economy to be--to grow
    economically. And so we're still for a strong dollar.
        Q. Can I follow up on that, sir?

    Price of Gasoline/Taxes/Energy

        The President. Maybe.
        Q. Thanks.
        The President. I guess you are. Yes, I haven't said yes, but please.
    [Laughter]
        Q. What's your advice to the average American who is hurting now,
    facing the prospect of four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline, a lot of people
    facing----
        The President. Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're
    predicting four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline?
        Q. A number of analysts are predicting----
        The President. Oh, yeah?
        Q. ----four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline this spring when they
    reformulate.
        The President. That's interesting. I hadn't heard that.
        Q. Yes, sir.
        The President. Yes. I know it's high now.
        Q. And the other economic problems facing people--beyond your
    concern that you stated here and your expectations for these stimulus
    checks, what kind of hope can you offer to people who are in dire
    straits?
        The President. Permanent tax--keep the tax cuts permanent, for
    starters. There's a lot of economic uncertainty. You just said that. You
    just said the price of gasoline may be up to $4 a gallon--or some expert
    told you that--and that creates a lot of uncertainty. If you're out
    there wondering

    [[Page 295]]

    whether or not--you know, what your life is going to be like and you're
    looking at $4 a gallon, that's uncertain. And when you couple that with
    the idea that your taxes may be going up in a couple of years, that's
    double uncertainty. And therefore, one way to deal with uncertainty is
    for Congress to make the tax cuts permanent.
        Secondly, it's--people got to understand that our energy policies
    needs to be focused on a lot of things: one, renewables, which is fine,
    which I strongly support, as you know; two, conservation. But we need to
    be finding more oil and gas at home if we're worried about becoming
    independent--dependent on oil overseas. And this--I view it as a
    transitory period to new technologies that'll change the way we live.
    But we haven't built a refinery in a long time. We're expanding
    refineries, but we haven't built a refinery in a long time. I strongly
    suggested to the Congress that we build refineries on old military
    bases, but no, it didn't pass. But if you've got less supply of
    something as demand continues to stay steady or grow, your price is
    going to go up.
        Secondly, on oil, we--the more oil we find at home, the better off
    we're going to be in terms of the short run. And yet our policy is, you
    know, let us not explore robustly in places like ANWR. And there are
    environmental concerns, and I understand that. I also know there's
    technologies that should mitigate these environmental concerns.
        They got a bill up there in Congress now. Their attitude is, let's
    tax oil companies. Well, all that's going to do is make the price even
    higher. We ought to be encouraging investment in oil and gas close to
    home if we're trying to mitigate the problems we face right now.
        And so yes, there's a lot of uncertainty, and I'm concerned about
    the uncertainty. Hopefully, this progrowth package will help--this 100--
    I think it's $147 billion that will be going out the door, starting
    electronically in the first week of May and through check in the second
    week of May. And the idea is to help our consumers deal with the
    uncertainty you're talking about. But yes, no question about it, it's a
    difficult period.
        Yes, Ken [Ken Herman, Cox News].

    Presidential Library

        Q. Thank you, sir. Now that you've found a location for your
    Presidential library, you've got to find the money to build it. Reports
    indicate that you may be trying to collect as much as $200 million. Is
    that figure accurate? Do you believe it's important for the American
    people to know who is giving that kind of money to their President? Will
    you disclose the contributions as they come in? And will you place any
    restriction on who gives money and how much they can give?
        The President. No, yes, no, yes. [Laughter] Next question.
    [Laughter] I haven't--phew, man. You obviously haven't asked a question
    in a long time. It was like, you know, one, I haven't seen the final
    budget. Two, as Donnie Evans said, who is
    the chairman of the foundation, we'll look at the disclosure
    requirements and make a decision. Here's the--well, I--there's a lot of
    people--or some people; I shouldn't say a lot--some people who like to
    give and don't particularly want their names disclosed, whether it be
    for this foundation or any other foundation. And so we'll take that into
    consideration.
        Thirdly--and what was the other?
        Q. Any restrictions on who can give? Will you take foreign money for
    this?
        The President. Yes, I'll probably take some foreign money, but don't
    know yet, Ken. We just haven't--we just announced the deal, and I
    frankly have been focused elsewhere, like on gasoline prices and, you
    know, my trip to Africa, and haven't seen the fundraising strategy yet.
    And so the answer to your question--really, I can't answer your question
    well.
        Q. Where does the people's right to know this fit into all of that?

    [[Page 296]]

        The President. You know, I don't--we're weighing, taking a look,
    taking consideration, giving it serious consideration. Nice try, though.

    2008 Beijing Olympics/China/Human Rights

        Olivier [Olivier Knox, Agence France-Presse].
        Q. Thank you, sir. In China, a former factory worker who says that
    human rights are more important than the Olympics is being tried for
    subversion. What message does it send that you're going to the Olympics?
    And do you think athletes there should be allowed to publicly express
    their dissent?
        The President. Olivier, I have made it very clear, I'm going to the
    Olympics because it's a sporting event, and I'm looking forward to
    seeing the athletic competition. But that will not preclude me from
    meeting with the Chinese President, expressing my
    deep concerns about a variety of issues, just like I do every time I
    meet with the President.
        And maybe I'm in a little different position. Others don't have a
    chance to visit with Hu Jintao, but I do. And every
    time I meet with him, I talk about religious freedom and the importance
    of China's society recognizing that if you're allowed to worship freely,
    it will benefit the society as a whole; that the Chinese Government
    should not fear the idea of people praying to a god as they see fit. A
    whole society, a healthy society, a confident society is one that
    recognizes the value of religious freedom.
        I talk about Darfur and Iran and Burma. And so I am not the least
    bit shy of bringing up the concerns expressed by this factory
    worker. And I believe that I'll have an
    opportunity to do so with the President and, at the
    same time, enjoy a great sporting event. I'm a sports fan. I'm looking
    forward to the competition. And each Olympic society will make its own
    decision as to how to deal with the athletes.
        Yes, Mark [Mark Smith, Associated Press Radio].

    Price of Oil/Tax Breaks for Oil Companies/Energy

        Q. Mr. President, back to the oil price--tax breaks that you were
    talking about a minute ago. Back when oil was $55 a barrel, you said
    those tax breaks were not needed; people had plenty of incentive to
    drill for oil. Now the price of oil is $100 a barrel, and you're
    planning to threaten a plan that would shift those tax breaks to
    renewables. Why, sir?
        The President. I talked, Mark--I talked about some of the breaks.
    And this is a--this generally is a tax increase, and it doesn't make any
    sense to do it right now. We need to be exploring for more oil and gas.
    And taking money out of the coffers of the oil companies will make it
    harder for them to reinvest. I know they say, well, look at all of the
    profits. Well, we're raising the price of gasoline in a time when the
    price of gasoline is high.
        Secondly, we've invested a lot of money in renewables. This
    administration has done more for renewables than any President. Now, we
    got a problem with renewables, and that is, the price of corn is
    beginning to affect food--cost of food, and it's hurting hog farmers and
    a lot of folks. And the best way to deal with renewables is to focus on
    research and development that will enable us to use other raw material
    to produce ethanol. I'm a strong believe in ethanol, Mark. This
    administration has got a great record on it. But it is a--I believe
    research and development is what's going to make renewable fuels more
    effective.
        Again, I repeat: If you look at what's happened in corn out there,
    you're beginning to see the food issue and the energy issue collide. And
    so, to me, the best dollar spent is to continue to deal with cellulosic
    ethanol in order to deal with this bottleneck right now. And secondly,
    the tax--yes, I said that a while ago, on certain aspects. But the way I
    analyze this bill is, it's going

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    to cost the consumers more money. And we need more oil and gas being
    explored for; we need more drilling; we need less dependence on foreign
    oil.
        And as I say, we're in a period of transition here in America, from
    a time where we were--where we are oil and gas dependent to, hopefully,
    a time where we got electric automobiles, and we're spending money to do
    that; a time when we're using more biofuels, and we've taken huge
    investments in that; a time when we've got nuclear power plants and
    we're able to deal with the disposal in a way that brings confidence to
    the American people--so we're not dependent on natural gas to fire up
    our--a lot of our utilities and a time when we can sequester coal.
        That's where we're headed for, but we've got to do something in the
    interim. Otherwise, we're going to be dealing, as the man said, with
    four-dollar gasoline. And so that's why I'm against that bill.
        I thank you. It's been a pleasure. Enjoyed being with you.
        Q. Sir, do you think Hillary Clinton is the nominee?
        The President. Pardon me?
        Q. Do you still think Hillary Clinton will be the nominee?
        The President. I'm not talking about politics.
        Q. You've said that before, though.
        The President. You're trying to get me to be pundit in chief.
        Q. Are they qualified to be Commander in Chief?
        The President. I appreciate you very--Jackson [David Jackson, USA
    Today]--Jackson. Nice to see you. [Laughter] Thank you.
        Q. Thank you.
        The President. Glad to see you back. [Laughter]

    Note: The President's news conference began at 10:05 a.m. in the James
    S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. In his remarks, he
    referred to Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates; Russian Presidential
    candidate Dmitry A. Medvedev; Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek of the
    Czech Republic; Chairman Kim Jong Il of North Korea; President Alvaro
    Uribe Velez of Colombia; President Raul Castro Ruz and former President
    Fidel Castro Ruz of Cuba; Democratic Presidential candidates Barack
    Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton; Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA,
    commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; Donald L. Evans,
    chairman, George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation; and former
    factory worker and human rights activist Yang Chunlin, who was arrested
    on July 6, 2007, in China. Reporters referred to Republican Presidential
    candidate John McCain; and former Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
    Adviser Frances Fragos Townsend. The Office of the Press Secretary also
    released a Spanish language transcript of this news conference.