[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 24 (Monday, June 19, 2006)]
[Pages 1125-1137]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference

June 14, 2006

    The President. Good morning. Thank you. I've just returned from 
Baghdad, and I was inspired to be able to visit the capital of a free 
and democratic Iraq.
    It was a pleasure to meet face to face with the Prime Minister. I 
talked to him on the phone a couple of times, but I thought it was 
important to sit down with him and talk to him in person. I saw 
firsthand the strength of his character and his deep determination to 
succeed, to build a country that can sustain itself, govern itself, and 
defend itself.
    I also had the pleasure of meeting with people who work for the U.S. 
Government, our Embassy staff, the intelligence community, and I had a 
chance to thank them. Theirs is a tough job, and they're far away from 
home, and obviously, they miss their families. And it was an honor to 
say to them, I appreciate their hard work, and so do the American 
people.
    And I met with our troops. I had a chance to congratulate those that 
were responsible for bringing Zarqawi to justice. You know, when you're 
in a theater like that, it's important to hear words of congratulations 
sometimes, to hear that their efforts are appreciated--and doing hard 
work. And I got to do that.
    General Casey briefed me on the operations that followed the death 
of Zarqawi. He told me that Iraqi and coalition forces are still on the 
offense, that they launched a series of raids on terrorist targets 
across Iraq. We've got new intelligence from those raids which will 
enable us to continue to keep the pressure on the foreigners and local 
Iraqis that are killing innocent lives to stop the advance of a country 
that can sustain itself and govern itself and defend itself.
    Obviously, the raids aren't going to end terrorism. I understand 
that, and the American people understand that, and the Iraqi people 
understand that. But the terrorists are vulnerable, and we will strike 
their network and disrupt their operations and continue to bring their 
leaders to justice.
    Prime Minister Maliki and I held a joint meeting of our two 
Cabinets--members of my Cabinet participating by video, some of whom 
were slightly surprised to see me from afar. I told the Prime Minister 
how impressed I was to meet the team he assembled. These are good people 
from different walks of life. I appreciated very much the agenda he's 
laid out. In other words, he's got a plan to succeed. And I appreciated 
their determination--it's not just his determination but their Cabinet's 
determination to succeed. In other words, part of the success in Iraq 
depends upon the Iraqis and their will and their desire. The Iraqi 
people have expressed their desires, and now it's up to the Government 
to follow through.
    The Prime Minister briefed us on immediate steps he's taken in three 
key areas: to improve security; to build up the Iraqi economy so they 
can see--the Iraqi people can see real progress, real economic progress; 
and he's reaching out to the international community to help secure 
support for this

[[Page 1126]]

new Government. We discussed ways that my administration can help the 
Prime Minister accomplish these objectives. The policy of the United 
States Government is to stand with this new Government and help them 
succeed, and we will do what it takes to help them succeed.
    The Prime Minister is taking immediate action to implement a plan to 
improve security, and his top priority is around Baghdad. Operation 
Together Forward started this morning. This operation is a joint effort 
to restore security and rule of law to high-risk areas in the capital 
city. It will be carried out by some 26,000 Iraqi soldiers, some 23,000 
Iraqi police, backed up by over 7,200 coalition forces. Iraqi troops 
will increase the number of checkpoints, enforce a curfew, and implement 
a strict weapons ban across the Iraqi capital. Baghdad is a city of more 
than 6\1/2\ million residents, and we've got to recognize that it's 
going to take time for these operations to take hold.
    Iraqi and coalition forces are also working to restore security in 
Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province. The Prime Minister's plan to 
bring militias and other armed groups under Government control is moving 
forward, and we talked about that plan. He understands how important it 
is to rein in these militias. Many militia members will be demobilized 
and integrated into the Iraqi security forces, where they'll be 
dispersed among different units and, obviously, monitored closely by the 
Government. I've directed General Casey and our Ambassador to work with 
the Prime Minister on this really important effort, so he can make 
clear: Illegal militias have no future in a free Iraq.
    Prime Minister Maliki is working to build confidence in the Iraqi 
security forces, and he has a plan to do that. To assist him, we'll 
continue embedding coalition transition teams in Iraqi Army and police 
units. We've deployed advisory teams to assist Iraq's new ministries 
of--Ministers of Defense and Interior, both of whom I met. We want to 
help them build the command and control capacity of their ministries. In 
other words, you can't have an effective army unless you've got command 
and control coming out of Government.
    We want to establish an internal affairs bureau to root out 
corruption. No question, this Government has got to deal with corruption 
at all levels in order to earn the confidence of the people. And, of 
course, we will encourage them and help them investigate and punish 
human rights violations in order to earn the confidence of all Iraqis.
    Part of the Prime Minister's plan is to improve the Iraqi judicial 
system. And to assist him, I've directed the Attorney General and the 
Secretaries of State and Defense to work together on a new rule-of-law 
initiative. Under this initiative, we'll help train Iraqi judges, 
increase security so they can do their jobs, improve Iraqi prison 
capacity, and help the Iraqi Government provide equal justice for all 
its citizens.
    Prime Minister Maliki is promoting reconciliation among the Iraqi 
people. And during my discussions with his Cabinet and others, the 
concept of reconciliation kept coming up. People know they've got to 
reconcile the past in order to have a bright future. He told us he's 
going to soon appoint a reconciliation committee that will focus on 
resolving specific concerns of different Iraqi communities. We will 
support his efforts to bring the Iraqis together by encouraging leaders 
from countries like South Africa to share their experiences with this 
new Government, to help them reconcile the past.
    Secondly, the Prime Minister has a plan to revitalize the Iraqi 
economy. He understands that the people have got to feel benefits from 
the new Government. I mean, it's a simple concept, but it's a profound 
one. I've directed our Secretary of Treasury and--or the Treasury 
Department to send teams of experts to Iraq to help the Government 
create a public finance system that is accountable and transparent. 
These advisers will help Iraqis develop an economic framework that 
promotes growth and job creation and opportunity. I've directed the 
Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture to travel to Iraq as soon as 
possible to meet with their counterparts.
    To revitalize the Iraqi economy, the Prime Minister is working to 
increase oil and electricity production. We spent a lot of time talking 
about energy in Iraq. I reminded the Government that that oil belongs to 
the Iraqi

[[Page 1127]]

people, and the Government has the responsibility to be good stewards of 
that valuable asset and valuable resource.
    We have--we're working with the Iraqi Government on measures to 
protect key infrastructure from insurgent attacks. There's rapid-repair 
teams that are being established that will quickly restore oil and 
electricity production if and when attacks do occur.
    I've directed the Secretary of Energy to travel to Iraq to meet with 
his counterpart and identify ways we can provide additional support. 
It's up to the Iraqis to pass a hydrocarbon law, which they're now 
debating. It's up--for the Iraqi Government to decide what to do with 
the people's asset. Our advice is to be careful and to develop it with 
the people's interest in mind.
    Finally, the Prime Minister has taken immediate action to engage the 
international community, and we're going to help him. Earlier, the 
international community pledged about $13 billion to help this new 
Government, and they've only paid about 3 billion. And so we're going to 
help encourage those who've made a pledge to pay up to help the new 
Government succeed. Plus, he's working to develop what he's calling an 
international compact. Under this compact, Iraq will take a series of 
steps in the political, economic, and security areas. And then the 
international community will provide more robust political and economic 
support.
    I told the Prime Minister, I'll designate Deputy Treasury Secretary 
Bob Kimmitt to lead our efforts on behalf of our country and the people 
of this country. He'll be supported by State Department Counselor Phil 
Zelikow and other senior officials, and they will soon travel to the 
United Nations and then to Baghdad for consultations. And then they're 
going to travel across Europe and Asia and the Middle East to discuss 
the compact and secure support from Governments for this new Government.
    I was impressed with the Prime Minister, and I'm impressed by his 
team. I told him that America is a nation that meets its commitments and 
keeps its word. And that's what we're going to do in Iraq. It's in our 
interest that Iraq succeed. More importantly, it's in the interest of 
the Iraqi people. The challenges that remain are serious, and they will 
require more sacrifice and patience. And our efforts are well worth it.
    By helping this new Government succeed, we'll be closer to 
completing our mission, and the mission is to develop a country that can 
govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself, and a country that is 
an ally in the war on terror. We'll seize this moment of opportunity to 
help the Prime Minister. We'll defeat our common enemies. We'll help 
build a lasting democracy in the heart of the Middle East, and that will 
make Americans and Iraqis and the world more secure.
    I'll now take your questions. Nedra [Nedra Pickler, Associated 
Press].

Support for the Iraqi Government

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. You said yesterday that a standard of 
no violence in Iraq is an impossible standard to meet, but do you 
believe that there needs to be a reduction in violence for U.S. troops 
to begin to draw down? And if so, how much?
    The President. Yes, I said that if people say, ``Well, there's got 
to be no violence in order for this to be a successful experience,'' 
then it's not going to happen. All that does is give the power of--a 
handful of murderers to determine success. Obviously, we'd like violence 
to go down, and that's what the operation in Baghdad is intending to do, 
starting in the capital, is to reduce violence. And the reason why it's 
important for violence to be reduced, obviously, is, one, to save lives, 
but, two, give confidence to the Iraqi people that their Government will 
be able to sustain itself and govern itself and meet the needs of the 
people.
    This is a tough struggle, and the reason why is because the rules of 
warfare as we used to know them are out the window. I mean, there's no 
rule of warfare. It's just, if you can kill innocent life in order to 
shake somebody's will or create consternation in society, just go ahead 
and do it. And so it's a tough task, no question about it.
    But I'm confident that this Government will succeed in meeting that 
task. And the reason why I said that we shouldn't use the level of--have 
a zero-violence expectation is because there are other measures to 
determine success, starting with political measures. I mean, this is a 
government which is

[[Page 1128]]

now a unity government, formed under a constitution that the people 
voted for. That's success. The question is, can this Government sustain 
itself, and that will be determined if--whether or not they're be able 
to get electricity and use their oil resources wisely. Can it defend 
itself? One way to measure whether it can defend itself is through the 
strength of their Army and their police. And so that's what I said.
    And the second part of your question?
    Q. Do you have a specific target for how much you want that violence 
to be reduced?
    The President. Enough for the Government to succeed. In other words, 
the Iraqi people have got to have confidence in this unity Government, 
and reduction in violence will enable the people to have confidence.
    And you said something about troop levels. Our policy is stand up/
stand down: As the Iraqis stand up, we'll stand down. But if we stand 
down too soon, it won't enable us to achieve our objectives. And we will 
support this Iraqi Government--that's what I went to tell them. We'll do 
what it takes to support them. And part of that support is the presence 
of coalition forces.

Guantanamo Bay Detainees/Abu Ghraib Prison

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. You expressed serious concern when you 
learned about the Guantanamo suicides, and you and your aides 
immediately called allies. I'm wondering, how concerned are you about 
the U.S. image abroad, based on this incident and the ongoing 
investigation in Haditha and Abu Ghraib and other incidents? And also, 
why shouldn't Guantanamo be closed now?
    The President. I'd like to close Guantanamo, but I also recognize 
that we're holding some people that are darn dangerous and that we 
better have a plan to deal with them in our courts. And the best way to 
handle--in my judgment--handle these types of people is through our 
military courts. And that's why we're waiting on the Supreme Court to 
make a decision.
    Part of closing Guantanamo is to send some folks back home, like 
we've been doing. And the State Department is in the process of 
encouraging countries to take the folks back. Of course, sometimes we 
get criticized for sending some people out of Guantanamo back to their 
home country because of the nature of the home country. It's a little 
bit of a catch-22. But we're working through this.
    No question, Guantanamo sends a signal to some of our friends--
provides an excuse, for example, to say the United States is not 
upholding the values that they're trying to encourage other countries to 
adhere to. And my answer to them is, is that we are a nation of laws and 
rule of law. These people have been picked up off the battlefield, and 
they're very dangerous. And so we have that balance between customary 
justice, the typical system, and one that will be done in the military 
courts. And that's what we're waiting for.
    Eventually, these people will have trials, and they will have 
counsel, and they will be represented in a court of law. I say ``these 
people,'' those who are not sent back to their mother countries. You 
know, we've sent a lot of people home already. I don't think the 
American people know that, nor do the citizens of some of the countries 
that are concerned about Guantanamo.
    You mentioned Abu Ghraib. No question, it's set a terrible example. 
I was asked at a press conference in the East Room with Tony Blair, 
mistakes. Abu Ghraib was a terrible mistake. I was asked that question, 
by the way, about Abu--very same question you asked--by a member of the 
Iraqi Cabinet. And I told her, I said that where there's allegations, we 
will investigate. And I reminded her that ours is a transparent society 
where people will see and follow these investigations, and people will 
be held to account according to our laws.
    But I also want the people to understand, here and around the world, 
that 99.9 percent of our troops are honorable, decent people who are 
serving our country under difficult conditions, and I'm proud of them. 
I'm proud of the United States military. And that's a message our 
military and their families must consistently hear, that they're doing 
fine work. I understand the politics and all that. But I'm going to 
continue to remind them that, set politics aside, this Nation owes you a 
debt of gratitude.

[[Page 1129]]

    So we'll deal with these incidents, and we'll deal with them in an 
upfront way. But I'm not going to let these incidents stain the 
reputation of our military. They're good people; they really are.
    Yes, sir. Roger [Roger Runningen, Bloomberg News].

National Economy

    Q. Thank you, sir.
    The President. Roger, Roger.
    Q. Thank you, sir. Mr. President, you've said that you trust the 
markets to guide you, but stock and bond markets are telling us that 
inflation is a growing concern. Is there a threat that inflation is 
going to derail the economic expansion?
    The President. There are a lot of indicators about the strength of 
our economy, starting with job creation, productivity increases, small--
the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. There's a lot of positive things. 
And obviously, the Fed is watching the signals for inflation very 
carefully. They'll make decisions independent of the White House.
    On fiscal policy, though, I would strongly urge the Congress to 
recognize why we have grown the way we have grown, why we're--have got 
strong economic growth in the first quarter of this year, why we've 
added over 5 million new jobs in a--in 2\3/4\ years, and that's because 
the tax cuts are working, and they need to make the tax cuts permanent. 
Progrowth economic policies work. And that's why I've been calling for 
permanence in the Tax Code.
    And so there will be monetary policy--we'll pay attention very 
carefully to signs, inflationary signs. That's Ben Bernanke's job. Our 
job is to work with Congress to have wise fiscal policy. And wise fiscal 
policy means not only keeping revenues low, but it also means being wise 
about how we spend the people's money. I called Chairman Lewis this 
morning to congratulate him on getting a good supplemental out of the 
House of Representatives. It's a supplemental that meets our numbers and 
meets the requirements for a good bill. And evidently, it's going to be 
voted on in the Senate here pretty quick, and I look forward to signing 
that piece of legislation, should it make it to my desk.
    Let's see here. Jake Tapper [ABC News]. Yes, filling in, huh?

Progress in Iraq/Natural Resources

    Q. How are you doing, sir?
    The President. I'm doing all right. Thank you. A little jetlagged, 
as I'm sure you can imagine--nearly 60.
    Q. I can, sir. Thank you.
    The President. Good. I'm not sure you possibly can empathize--
[laughter]--but nevertheless----
    Q. Jetlag, I understand jetlag.
    The President. Okay, good.
    Q. What are your feelings about discussions, in the new Iraqi 
Government, of amnesty for insurgents? And regarding the oil resources 
in Iraq that you discussed, do you support guaranteeing the Sunnis a 
percentage of the oil profits, either through a new law or through a 
constitutional provision?
    The President. Yes, that's not a bad question for a substitute guy. 
[Laughter] I believe that the Iraqi Government--first of all, the 
decision on what to do with their resources is their decision, not mine. 
And so this is advisory. These are people that are elected and under a 
Constitution. My advice to them is to use their energy assets as a way 
to unite the country. And by that I mean that people will have--they may 
not have oil resources in their provinces, but they would have a stake 
in how the resources are developed elsewhere in the country.
    One option I laid out the other day for them to consider--I must 
confess, this isn't probably the best way to convince a government to do 
something, is to put it out through the press--but I did suggest a 
royalty trust on behalf of the Iraqi people. Other countries have tried 
that; the state of Alaska has tried that. To me, it's an interesting 
idea for them to consider, to basically say that no matter where you 
live in the country, you have a stake in the future of your country 
because of your ownership in energy assets.
    Other part of the question?
    Q. Possible amnesty for insurgents.
    The President. Yes--I talked to the Prime Minister about--his 
question is, possible amnesty. The Prime Minister, I think, would say 
``reconciliation.'' This is an issue that is on the minds of a lot of 
the folks there in Iraq.

[[Page 1130]]

In other words, they're trying to figure out how to reconcile an ugly 
past with a hopeful future. And part of that is reconciliation. I'm not 
exactly sure how you would--what you mean by--if somebody has committed 
a crime, I don't know whether or not they'll be that lenient, frankly.
    But I do recognize that--I mean, they recognize that, for example, 
Baath Party membership in order to secure a job or to be able to get an 
advanced degree should be a part--shouldn't be held against a person. 
And I think they're willing to balance the difference between terror 
and--``expediency'' isn't the right word, but terror and membership of a 
party to advance one's life. And I was impressed. I was impressed by 
their--the sophisticated nature of that discussion and their recognition 
that it's really important to do the best they can to reconcile the 
past.
    One of the things I was looking for was--first of all, I'm convinced 
this Government will succeed. And one of the reasons I am is because 
there is a sense of hopefulness. If you're a person stuck in the past, 
you tend to be bitter and look for ways to seek revenge. I didn't sense 
that. I did have a strong sense that they're really happy to get rid of 
Saddam Hussein, to a person. They believe he wrecked their country in 
more ways than one. It was clear he wrecked their infrastructure. And it 
is clear that he wrecked a lot of lives. But I didn't have that great 
sense of people being so bound up in bitterness that they weren't 
willing to think positively about the future. And I think that's 
important. I really do.
    Gregory [David Gregory, NBC News], fine-looking scarf--not scarf, 
what do you call that thing?

Progress in Iraq

    Q. Thank you very much.
    The President. It's strong.
    Q. Thank you. [Laughter] Mr. President, you've made a public point 
recently of soliciting outside advice about the way forward in Iraq and 
retooling your strategy. I wonder, what idea from a critic or somebody 
outside your administration that you've concluded should be part of the 
strategy going forward?
    The President. Well, I think--I've gotten a lot of advice from 
people. You know, one of the interesting debates from the outside 
community is troop levels. I've got people who say, ``You need to 
increase the number of forces--now.'' I've gotten people that said, 
``Well, the role of the United States ought to be more indirect than it 
has been,'' in other words, in a supporting role. To those folks, I say, 
``Look, I'm going to rely upon General Casey.'' But I did share with him 
the philosophies that were reflected in a conversation we had over lunch 
at Camp David.
    I've had people come in and say, ``You better make sure that the 
Iraqi forces are well-tooled to do their job.'' In other words, there's 
people who have gone over there and taken a hard look, have felt like 
that the Iraqi forces were not equipped well enough to be able to stand 
up as we stand down. I asked that question of General Casey, and the 
area where he agrees with the critics is that they don't quite have the 
capability to move themselves around the country. In other words, they 
need more mobility. And he recognizes that and is working toward an 
Iraqi Army that has more mobility.
    Obviously, there has been criticism about our reconstruction plan, 
that we started with big projects that were sometimes blown up or 
sometimes didn't get off the ground like we'd hoped. And that's why we 
morphed a lot of our aid into a PRT approach, where local commanders had 
the capacity to get money out more quickly.
    But I appreciate people's advice, and I appreciate their candor. I 
am going to meet this afternoon with a group of folks put together by 
the Peace Institute. They're going to take a look at Iraq. And the 
reason I bring that up to you is that it's important for people to share 
their advice with this administration. It's an important business. And 
it's not easy. It's a complex task to help a society go from tyranny to 
freedom.
    But the American people have got to understand, I believe we're 
going to succeed. That's why we're there. And my message to the Iraqis 
is, we're going to help you succeed. My message to the enemy is, don't 
count on us leaving before we succeed. My message to our troops is, we 
support you 100 percent; keep doing what you're doing. And my message to 
the critics is, is that we listen very carefully and adjust when needed 
to adjust.

[[Page 1131]]

    This policy will be driven by the people on the ground. Those are 
the folks who are going to ultimately make the recommendation that I'll 
accept. It's important to get advice; I share the advice with our 
commanders and with Zal. They're the folks who are right there. These 
are very competent, capable people who understand the Iraqi situation 
well. And their judgment is important, and I listen very carefully to 
it--along the same way.
    Sheryl [Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times]. Welcome. Got a couple 
of newcomers today, sitting next to Tapper.

2006 Midterm Elections/Democratic Party

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm pleased to be here. Mr. President, 
polls show that the public thinks Democrats can do a better job of 
running the country than Republicans. Are you concerned that Republicans 
will lose control of Congress in November? And do you think there's 
anything you could have done differently to put them in a better 
position, coming up in the midterms?
    The President. I remember 2004. At one point, people--you would have 
stood up and said, ``You know, there's no way you can get reelected,'' 
if you had been listening to those polls. I can't remember; I was 
probably down double digits at some point. And they said, ``How can you 
possibly stand here and tell us you're going to get reelected?'' Listen, 
the elections are a long way off. What's going to matter is who has got 
the plan that will enable us to succeed in Iraq and keep the economy 
growing. And I look forward to the campaign. And I believe we're going 
to hold the House and the Senate, because our philosophy is one that is 
forward-looking and optimistic and has worked. We've got a record to run 
on.
    There's an interesting debate in the Democrat Party about how quick 
to pull out of Iraq. Pulling out of Iraq before we accomplish the 
mission will make the world a more dangerous place. It's bad policy. I 
know it may sound good politically; it will endanger our country to pull 
out of Iraq before we accomplish the mission.
    See, Iraq is a part of the global war on terror. It's not the global 
war on terror; it's a theater in the global war on terror. And if we 
fail in Iraq, it's going to embolden Al Qaida types. It will weaken the 
resolve of moderate nations to stand up to the Islamic fascists. It will 
cause people to lose their nerve and not stay strong.

    And so I look forward to taking the debate--that's not quite right--
kind of getting warmed up as a result of your question--the timing is 
not right for me to get out there yet. But I think the Democrat economic 
policy of raising people's taxes isn't going to work either. I know 
they'll couch it in all kinds of language, but really what they're 
saying is, we're going to raise your taxes.

    So, you know, Sheryl, thanks for your question. I don't necessarily 
buy your premise. I feel confident we will hold the House and the 
Senate.Q02
    Let's see here. Peter [Peter Baker, Washington Post].

CIA Employee Identity Disclosure Investigation

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, when you ran for office 
for the first time, you said you would hold the White House to a higher 
ethical standard. Even if Karl Rove did nothing illegal, I wonder 
whether you can say now whether you approve of his conduct in the CIA 
leak episode, and do you believe he owes Scott McClellan or anyone else 
an apology for misleading them?

    The President. I appreciate the job that the prosecutor did. I 
thought he conducted himself well in this investigation. He took a very 
thorough, long look at allegations and rumors. And I, obviously, along 
with others in the White House, took a sigh of relief when he made the 
decision he made. And now we're going to move forward. And I trust Karl 
Rove, and he's an integral part of my team.

    There's an ongoing trial, Peter, and I know the temptation is--not 
the temptation, you'll keep asking questions during the course of the 
trial. We're not going to comment beyond that.
    Yes. Jim Axelrod [CBS News].

[[Page 1132]]

Progress in Iraq/War on Terror

    Q. Good morning, Mr. President. You seem quite energized by this 
moment of opportunity.
    The President. No, I'm just fighting off fatigue.
    Q. I know the feeling, sir. I'm wondering, though, if there are ever 
moments of doubt about your decisions and strategy in Iraq. Do you ever 
have a moment where you feel this just won't end well, that no matter 
how many Zarqawis are killed, the insurgents are just never going to 
give up?
    The President. Well, one of the reasons I went to Iraq was to be 
able to sit down with an Iraqi government to determine whether or not 
they have the will to succeed.
    Success in Iraq depends upon the Iraqis. If the Iraqis don't have 
the will to succeed, they're not going to succeed. We can have all the 
will we want; I can have all the confidence in the ability for us to 
bring people to justice, but if they choose not to take the--make the 
hard decisions and to implement a plan, they're not going to make it. 
And so one of the things I went to Iraq to do was to, as best as I 
possibly can, expel any doubt in my mind as to whether or not we have a 
partner that is going to do the hard work.
    One of the interesting things that--and by the way, I believe we 
will have a partner to do the hard work. I made it clear to the 
Government there that it's up to them to succeed. It's really up to them 
to put a plan in place and execute it. We'll help, but it's--they were 
elected by the people; they're living under a Constitution that the 
people endorsed; and they have to follow through.
    And that's why I was most interested in hearing the Prime Minister's 
plans on electricity and energy and security. As I mentioned to you, 
there's an operation now going on in Baghdad that he helped put 
together, that we're helping him on. He recognizes that the capital city 
of a country sends important signals to the rest of the country--the 
security of the capital city--to the country and the world. He knows 
that. And that's why he has worked out a robust plan, with our help.
    And so doubts about whether or not this Government can--has got the 
will to go forward was expelled. That's why I went. In other words, 
sitting here in America, wondering whether or not these people have got 
what it takes can create uncertainty. I've eliminated that uncertainty. 
I was able to sit with the man and talk to him.
    I was also pleased to meet with his Cabinet. You might remember, it 
wasn't all that long ago that there were some doubts in people's minds 
as to whether or not this Government had the capacity to put a unity 
government--as a matter of fact, there was doubts after the first 
election as to whether or not a portion of the population would even 
participate in the elections. And last December a lot of folks voted, 
from all different aspects of society, and the Government reflects that. 
And that was important for me to see firsthand as well.
    The enemy has an advantage in this war, because they can get on our 
TV screens every day. And of course, it upsets me when I see the loss of 
innocent life, and it upsets me to know that our service men and women 
are losing their lives. I'm like most Americans, it is--death affects my 
way of thinking. But I also understand the stakes of this war, see. I 
understand how important it is to defeat the enemy. Now, I recognize 
some in the country don't feel that same sense of urgency I do. But Al 
Qaida is real; their philosophy is a real philosophy; they have 
ambitions. Their stated goal is to drive us out of Iraq before a 
government can defend itself and govern itself and sustain itself, so 
they can have safe haven from which to launch further attacks. And my 
most important job is to protect the American people from harm. And I 
understand the stakes of this war, and I understand this battlefront in 
Iraq.
    And I want to repeat something: Iraq is not the only part of this 
war. It's an essential part, but it's not the only part of the war on 
terror. And so the decisions I make are all aimed at protecting the 
American people and understanding the vast stakes involved. If the 
United States of America leaves before this Iraqi Government can defend 
itself and sustain itself and govern itself, it will be a major blow in 
the war on terror. Al Qaida will benefit. And make no mistake about it, 
they still want to do innocent people harm, whether it be in the Middle 
East or whether

[[Page 1133]]

it be here in the United States of America. The stakes are high in Iraq.
    And my trip over there gave me confidence that we have a partner 
that is capable of setting priority and developing a plan to meet those 
priorities, and then following through to see that those priorities are 
met. And my assurances to him were, you get good plans and you have the 
desire to follow through; we'll help you. We'll help you. We will do 
what it takes to help you succeed. It's in our national interest to do 
so.
    Let's see here. Bret [Bret Baier, FOX News].

Iraqi Government

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Could you characterize the worry you 
heard from Iraqi leaders about U.S. troop levels that you first 
mentioned on the flight home from Iraq? And here in the Rose Garden a 
week ago, you said that Zarqawi's death is an opportunity for Iraq's new 
Government to turn the tide in this struggle. After your visit, do you 
truly believe that the tide is turning in Iraq?
    The President. First part of the question? I'm sorry.
    Q. About the worry that you----
    The President. Yes. No question, there are concerns about whether or 
not the United States will stand with this Government. And I can 
understand why. You know, ours is a society that encourages debate, and 
people are free to express themselves. And they do so; they say, ``Look, 
this is my view of how we ought to go forward; this is what I think.'' 
And the willingness of some to say that ``If we're in power, we'll 
withdraw on a set timetable,'' concerns people in Iraq, because they 
understand our coalition forces provide a sense of stability, so they 
can address old wrongs and develop their strategy and plan to move 
forward. They need our help, and they recognize that. And so they are 
concerned about that.
    And I'm concerned that an enemy will hear the wrong message. And 
then I'm also concerned that there are people inside Iraq who have yet 
to make up their mind as to whether or not they want to help this 
Government succeed, or maybe, or just maybe America will lose its nerve 
and, therefore, something else, a new team may show up. And so I made it 
very clear to the Iraqis, and I'm going to make it clear to them again 
right here that we're going--we'll stay with them and help them succeed.
    I know there is a lot of discussion about troop levels. Those troop 
levels will be decided upon by General Casey. He will make the 
recommendations, in consultation with an Iraqi government. But whatever 
decision General Casey makes, the message is going to be, ``We stand 
with you.'' In other words, if you're more capable, it requires less 
troops, but nevertheless, we're still with you.
    Other part?
    Q. Is the tide turning in Iraq?
    The President. I think--tide turning--see, as I remember--I was 
raised in the desert, but tides kind of--it's easy to see a tide turn--
did I say those words?
    Q. [Inaudible]
    The President. Yes, I probably ought to then reflect on those words 
and think that--I sense something different happening in Iraq. The 
progress will be steady toward a goal that has clearly been defined. In 
other words, I hope there's not an expectation from people that, all of 
a sudden, there's going to be zero violence--in other words, it's just 
not going to be the case. On the other hand, I do think we'll be able to 
measure progress. You can measure progress in capacity of Iraqi units. 
You can measure progress in megawatts of electricity delivered. You can 
measure progress in terms of oil sold on the market on behalf of the 
Iraqi people. There's ways to determine whether or not this Government's 
plans are succeeding.
    But I know there's a tangible difference between the Government that 
is now in place and previous governments, and the reason why is because 
this is a government that's formed under elections and a Constitution. 
And it's a unity government, and so people have a sense of--they're 
pulling for their Government to succeed. And the reason why is, by far, 
the vast majority of Iraqis want a normal life. They want their children 
to be able to go out in the street and play. They want there to be a 
good education system. They want to be able to have their business--
their little storefront business flourish without fear of bombing. 
That's what they want.

[[Page 1134]]

    And so they're pulling for this Government to succeed. And it's a 
government that they elected. It's not a government that we appointed; 
it's a government that they elected. They have a vital stake in the 
future of this Government. And so there is a noticeable change. And 
whoever said it's a tide turning, and all that needs--never mind. 
[Laughter]
    Elaine [Elaine Quijano, Cable News Network].

President's Visit to Iraq

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. What kind of signal do you think it 
sends to the Iraqi people that your administration notified the leader 
of Iraq's sovereign Government only 5 minutes beforehand of your 
arrival? And was there a specific security concern about either Prime 
Minister Maliki's inner circle or others that led you to make that 
decision?
    The President. No, I think--look, it's a security concern because 
I'm a high-value target for some. And Iraq is a dangerous place. The 
American people have got to know that I will take precautions when I 
travel somewhere. I'm not going to put our Government at risk to achieve 
a very important trip. And therefore, we were--a lot of people didn't 
know about it. Half my Cabinet didn't know about it. Does that mean I'm 
going to run them off? No. I just--we want to make sure we're extra 
secret about this deal. And the reason why is, Iraq is dangerous. It's a 
dangerous place. And I think if there was ample notification that I was 
coming, perhaps it would have given somebody a chance to plan, and we 
just didn't want to take that risk.
    There is no question about Prime Minister Maliki's--when he walked 
in, I never--I didn't fear. I was happy to see him, and he was happy to 
see me. But you should expect the President to be--to take precaution. I 
take precaution when I go somewhere here in the United States. 
Obviously, not to that extent, but nevertheless, we're careful. And 
that's what the people expect, us to be careful.
    I appreciate the efforts that went into this trip. There are a lot 
of people that worked hard to make sure this worked. And it worked well. 
It was a good trip. And it was an exciting trip, by the way. I was up 
there in the cockpit of that airplane coming into Baghdad, watching 
Colonel Tillman steer us in. It was an unbelievable, unbelievable 
feeling. And walking into that ballroom there in Saddam's old palace, to 
see our--see our people on the frontlines of changing history was an 
exciting moment for me. It's a thrill to be able to shake their hands 
and look them in the eye and tell them America appreciates what they're 
doing. I really, really appreciated the fact that I was able to go and--
no matter how secret it was.
    McKinnon [John McKinnon, Wall Street Journal].

Progress in Iraq

    Q. Thank you, sir. You just mentioned that you think the United 
States will be able to measure progress in terms of electricity and oil 
and violence. And I'm wondering if you can say how you're going to 
measure that in terms of time. In other words, are you going to put a 6-
month timeframe on this, or a 12-month timeframe on this?
    The President. John, I know--look, I understand the pressures to put 
timetables out there on everything. And my answer to you is, is that we 
will work with the Iraqi Government to do what's realistic. And the 
people on the ground will help me understand what is realistic. We will 
know whether or not the Government is capable of following through 
because we're going to help them follow through.
    The answer to electricity is, sooner the better. It's hot over 
there, and it would be helpful if people had the capacity to cool their 
homes. It would be a pretty good signal that the Government is making a 
difference in somebody's life.
    There are certain projects that are easier to achieve than others. 
Fixing the infrastructure of the northern Iraq oil fields is going to be 
more difficult to do. It's old; it's tired; it's been destroyed by an 
enemy. And it's going to take a while to get that done, and so we've got 
to be realistic with this Government. There is a--but, nevertheless, I 
do believe that it makes sense to develop, with them, benchmarks, so we 
can measure progress. And once those are in place, and to the extent 
they are, we'll be glad to share them with you.

[[Page 1135]]

    Part of my visit yesterday was a strategy session, to sit down with 
a partner, the Prime Minister, Maliki, to figure out how to move 
forward, to listen to his plans and how we can help his plans. The 
important thing for me to hear from him is, ``Here's what I intend to 
do,'' he says; not, ``Here's what we want you to do,'' like the oil 
suggestion. I really meant what I said; it was just a suggestion. It 
wasn't, ``You must do this.'' And same with the electricity. And he made 
a point to have his Electricity Minister brief my Cabinet, because he 
wanted us to know that he has a plan to put in place. The guy, by the 
way, said, ``I need your help.'' And we'll provide the help as best as 
we can.
    You know, the ultimate judge about whether this Government is making 
a difference is going to be the Iraqi people, and these elected 
officials know that. That's the great thing about being elected; you get 
a sense if people don't, kind of, like what you're doing--or not. And 
democracy causes you to respond to the people's needs. Tyrants don't 
have to. They don't have--sometimes they may have to, but they always 
have got kind of an interesting way of helping suppress dissent. This 
elected Government is going to have to respond to the people, and that's 
a big change.
    Remember that Saddam did a really good job of milking the society to 
keep himself in power. In other words, the infrastructure is destroyed, 
or a lot of it is destroyed and dilapidated. We heard that over and over 
again in Baghdad. People said, ``You've got to understand how backward 
we are compared to where we want to be.'' And he divided society and 
pitted people against each other in order to justify his own presence. 
And we're having to deal with that. The Iraqis are having to deal with 
that.
    And I was impressed by their willingness to be up front about the 
past. And it's going to be difficult work, no question about it. There 
are still resentments and bitterness, and people wondering, does the 
future belong to them. The Sunni--I was impressed, by the way, by the 
Speaker--Denny Hastert told me I'd like him; Denny met with him. And I 
was impressed by him. He's a fellow that had been put in prison by 
Saddam and, interestingly enough, put in prison by us. And he made a 
decision to participate in the Government. And he was an articulate 
person. He talked about running the Parliament. It was interesting to 
see a person that could have been really bitter talk about the skills 
he's going to need to bring people together to run the Parliament. And I 
found him to be a hopeful person.
    They tell me that he wouldn't have taken my phone call a year ago--I 
think I might have shared this with you at one point in time--and there 
I was, sitting next to the guy. And I think he enjoyed it as much as I 
did. It was a refreshing moment. And the Deputy Speaker was there as 
well.
    Let's see here. Ann [Ann Compton, ABC News].

Iraqi Government

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Yesterday while you were gone, Senator 
Kerry, who was your challenger in the last election----
    The President. I remember that.
    Q. You remember that. [Laughter] He said he now regrets his votes on 
the war. And, actually, I think Senator Clinton at the same meeting, 
actually heard some boos when she said that she did not support a 
timetable for withdrawal. Do you see, as some of your critics do, a 
parallel between what's going on in Iraq now and Vietnam?
    The President. No.
    Q. Why?
    The President. Because there's a duly elected government; 12 million 
people voted. They said, ``We want something different from tyranny; we 
want to live in a free society.'' And not only did they vote for a 
government; they voted for a Constitution. Obviously, there is sectarian 
violence, but this is, in many ways, religious in nature, and I don't 
see the parallels.
    You know, look--I thought you were going to ask, do I regret what I 
did. Absolutely not. I made the right decision in Iraq. It's the right 
thing to get rid of Saddam Hussein. And now it's the right thing to 
stand with this Government when they build a new democracy. And I 
reminded the Iraqi people, their democracy doesn't have to look like us. 
It's their country, and the Government ought to reflect their traditions 
and their history. All

[[Page 1136]]

we expect is, people to be treated with respect and there to be self-
governance in a way that tolerates differences of opinion.
    Yes, Peter [Peter Wallsten, Los Angeles Times]. Are you going to ask 
that question with shades on?

CIA Employee Identity Disclosure Investigation

    Q. I can take them off.
    The President. I'm interested in the shade look, seriously.
    Q. All right, I'll keep it then.
    The President. For the viewers, there's no sun. [Laughter]
    Q. I guess it depends on your perspective. [Laughter]
    The President. Touche. [Laughter]
    Q. Following up on the other Peter's question about Karl Rove, you 
said you were relieved with what happened yesterday. But the American 
public, over the course of this investigation, has learned a lot about 
what was going on in your White House that they didn't know before, 
during that time, the way some people were trying to go after Joe 
Wilson, in some ways. I'm wondering if, over the course of this 
investigation, that you have learned anything that you didn't know 
before about what was going on in your administration. And do you have 
any work to do to rebuild credibility that might have been lost?
    The President. I think that--first of all, the decision by the 
prosecutor speaks for itself. He had a full investigation. Karl Rove 
went in front of the grand jury like--I don't--a lot of times. More 
times than--they took a hard look at his role.
    Secondly, as I told the other Peter, I'm going to tell you that 
there's an ongoing trial; it's a serious business. And I've made the 
comments I'm going to make about this incident, and I'm going to put 
this part of the situation behind us and move forward.
    Let's see here--yes, sure. Richard [Richard Bennadetto, USA Today].

Public Opinion on Iraq/War on Terror

    Q. Mr. President, the death of Zarqawi and the formation of the new 
Government in Iraq has given you a chance to re-engage the American 
people on Iraq. A majority of the people still say that the war was a 
mistake. Do you think that the people have turned off on Iraq? Or do you 
think they're still winnable back, to consider that it was worth it?
    The President. I think the people want to know, can we win? That's 
what they want to know. Listen, admittedly, there are a group of people 
in our country that say, ``It wasn't worth it; get out now.'' And that 
opinion is being expressed. As these campaigns start approaching, you'll 
hear more people say, I suspect, ``It's a mistake; Bush shouldn't have 
done what he did; pull out.'' And that's a legitimate debate to have in 
America, and I look forward to the debate. I will remind the American 
people, if we pull out before we achieve our objective, the world will 
be a lot more dangerous and America will be more at risk.
    Then there are some in the country that say, ``We understand the 
stakes, but do they have a plan to win, can they possibly win?'' And I 
will continue to explain to the American people, winning means a 
government that can sustain itself, defend itself, and govern itself, 
and an ally in the war on terror. And we will help this Government do 
that. And one of the reasons I went to Iraq was to determine whether or 
not we have a partner which is capable of making the tough decisions 
necessary to achieve our objective.
    The American people have got to understand that Iraq is a part of 
the war on terror. Now, Richard, I fully understand how people might 
have made the decision that America is no longer under threat or the 
lessons of September the 11th were just momentary lessons. I can 
understand that. But I have a responsibility to lay out what I believe. 
And the lessons learned from September the 11th are still an integral 
part of my thinking, and I'll continue to make decisions based upon the 
lessons.
    And I know there is an international jihadist movement that desires 
to do us harm, and they have territorial ambitions. The reason I know 
that is, that's what they've told us. And part of their territorial 
ambition is to have safe haven in Iraq. That's what they've said. That's 
what the enemy has clearly said. And it seems like to me that the 
Commander in Chief ought to listen to what the enemy says. And they 
believe capitalists and

[[Page 1137]]

democratic societies are soft, and it's a matter of time before we pull 
out.
    And that's why one message that I will continue to send to the enemy 
is, don't count on us leaving before the mission is complete. Don't bet 
on it; don't bet on American politics forcing my hand, because it's not 
going to happen. I'm going to make decisions not based upon politics but 
based upon what's best for the United States of America.
    But I understand why people, Richard, are concerned, because 
progress is hard to see. You know, it's one thing to say, ``We've got 
Zarqawi;'' that's progress; it's another thing to say, ``I met with the 
man, and I believe he can make the right decisions.'' And so somebody is 
going to say, ``Sure, well, show me.'' And I understand that. And I 
understand how tough it is for the American people to reconcile death on 
their TV screens with the President saying, we're making incremental 
progress toward an important goal. But what I hope they understand is 
how important it is we succeed in Iraq, that the country is more 
dangerous if we don't--the world is more dangerous if we don't succeed.
    And so I'm going to keep talking about it and talking about--because 
I believe passionately we're doing the right thing. And I've told the 
American people this: If I didn't think we could succeed and if I didn't 
think it was worth it, I'd pull our troops out. And I mean that.
    And one reason I went to Iraq yesterday, no matter how secretive the 
trip was, was to get a firsthand feel for how those people are thinking 
over there, what are they like. I understand leadership. Leadership 
requires determination. You've got to be determined to do something in 
order to be able to lead, particularly in difficult circumstances. 
You've got to have will. You've got to have desire to succeed, and 
you've got to have a plan. And that's what I found in Iraq.
    It's really important that the Iraqi people have no doubt in their 
mind that we will help this Government succeed. It's important for them 
to understand that. And I know there's going to be different voices, and 
there should be different voices out of America. That's where we're 
great. That's what makes us interesting and great; people can say 
whatever they want to say as they try to attract votes. But my voice--
what you hear from me, no matter what these polls and all the business 
look like, is that it's worth it, it is necessary, and we will succeed.
    Thank you all very much.

Note: The President's news conference began at 9:45 a.m. in the Rose 
Garden at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister 
Nuri al-Maliki, Minister of Defense Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji, Minister of 
Interior Jawad al-Bulani, Minister of Electricity Karim Wahid al-Hasan, 
Speaker of the Council of Representatives Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, and 
Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives Khaled Atea of Iraq; 
senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, who was killed in 
Baquba, Iraq, on June 7; Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., USA, commanding 
general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay 
Khalilzad; Robert M. Kimmit, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury; Prime 
Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. 
Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Department of Justice 
CIA leak investigation Special Prosecutor; and Col. Mark Tillman, USAF, 
commander, Presidential Airlift Group. A reporter referred to former 
Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, who served as CIA envoy to Niger in 
February, 2002.