MR. SNOW: Good afternoon. One quick personnel announcement: The President today is announcing he's going to name Raul Yanes to be Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary. Mr. Yanes is now General Counsel at the Office of Management and Budget, and previously served as Senior Counselor to the Attorney General at the Department of Justice. He was also Associate Counsel to the President at the White House from 2003 to 2005. A statement will be published presently. As I mentioned earlier in the day, Secretary Rice gave a speech and she was outlining United States' continued efforts to persuade Iran to suspend any enrichment and enrichment-related and reprocessing efforts when it comes to nuclear programs of the Iranian government. And that has attracted a certain amount of interest. And with that, I will turn it over for questions. Terry. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: What's happened is that everybody has agreed at this point on the fundamental, which is that Iran has to go ahead and suspend these activities. And that is still the precursor to the United States joining the talks. They are still finalizing both a series of inducements and punishments to Iran if it fails to do that, and the United States is continuing to work with its allies on those. The President spoke yesterday, as I mentioned, directly with President Putin. There have also been ministerial-level contacts with the government of China. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think at this point there's still attempts to work out the package of incentives and to get that -- it is hoped that that will get worked out in Vienna. Secretary Rice is on her way to Vienna where there is going to be a ministerial meeting with the P5 plus Germany, and I'll let her make any further announcements there. Everybody is very close. And what's important I think to point out here is that in many ways this represents the triumph of about 15 months of very hard diplomacy on the part of the President. It began back in a speech he delivered in March of 2005, where he said it was important for Iran to suspend the nuclear activities that I've been talking about. In addition, he was supporting the efforts of the EU 3. At the very beginning, there weren't many nations signed on to this. Subsequently, however, you've had a number of different nations joining on. You've got all 25 members of the European Union; you've got the IAEA; you've got the United Nations Security Council; you have Saudi Arabia; you have Egypt. You have a number of nations now that have realized that development of nuclear weapons by Iran could be a global crisis. And what we want to do is to resolve this diplomatically. What started as, sort of a group of four `-- the United States plus the EU 3 -- is now a large and robust international coalition. And the President now is trying -- as Secretary Rice said, we created a climate of opinion, now there's also a climate for action. The action here is to try to get all of these nations to work together with Iran diplomatically, not only to suspend those activities, but if that happens, then there will be a series of inducements to follow. And they are working out the particulars of the inducements at this point. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I suspect, and I don't want to step too far, the answer is, I don't think there is any particular reason. A lot of this, again, has been done at the ministerial level. He has not called each and ever counterpart who's been involved in recent months in going ahead and joining us in this effort. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, we haven't. But one of the things -- it's a very good question, Kelly, because there is a possibility that somebody may quickly try to reject -- there's been history of sort of quick reactions. And what we're hoping is that the Iranians will take a little bit of time to study this and think about what's going on, because the United States, again, is putting its weight behind these negotiations in the clear hope that they're going to succeed. We are now dealing with a situation where there are real timetables. In the past when the Iranians have made threats about nuclear development, they've followed through on them. When they said that by the end of the year they want to have 3,000 centrifuges, that would give them, in essence, a fully ramped-up nuclear capability. We can't have that happen. We don't want that to happen. Therefore, you try to follow the proper series of inducements. And the United States is going to be working very vigorously with the allies to make sure we don't get to that point. That's why we're getting started right now. Jessica. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: For the reason I just mentioned -- the realities on the ground, as Secretary Rice said earlier today, have made it clear -- there have been a couple of things over the years that are worth thinking about. For instance, the EU 3 spent two years in Paris working with the Iranians. At the end of it, the Iranians jumped out of the talks and accelerated their nuclear development. We can't have that happen again. And so the United States is entering -- now there is no time to play rope-a-dope. We have between now and the end of the year. The Iranians -- we have to take seriously what they have said about the development of centrifuges. And so this is a time to work very aggressively to reach out to the government of Iran and say, the ball is in your court. There are two paths to follow. One is going to be very good for you. It will offer on economic cooperation, educational exchanges, cultural cooperation, trade -- all of those things will be possible if, but only if, you suspend these nuclear activities. On the other side is a path where there are also a series of options that would begin with the United Nations Security Council in a Chapter 7 proceeding and continued financial pressure and other methods that could be used against the government of Iran. We want to make it clear, as the President said today, we have nothing, no fight with the people of Iran, and, frankly, we don't want to have a fight with the government. We want to be able to reach out with the international community -- and understand this is not the United States and Iran; this is the global community and Iran. And we want to make sure this thing works and we're adding the power of prestige of the United States to the direct talks because -- a couple of other things -- not only do we have the concerns about the centrifuges, but also, as you know, the Iranians have been pinging us quite a bit lately. They've been reaching out through third parties. They say that they want to be serious about doing this. This is a time to measure that. We want to find out if they are serious. Steve. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, this has been under consideration for a considerable period of time. The United States has been talking with the allies. We have been following closely what has been going on with the EU 3, and we've been trying to answer the question, how do you make diplomacy work? What is the simplest, what's the most effective way to make diplomacy work? The President has been in consultations, as he mentioned, today. It was discussed last week in his conversation with Prime Minister Blair. He has discussed it with a number of other leaders. There were those three important phone calls yesterday with President Putin, President Chirac, and Chancellor Merkel. And this is -- so it's become one of those things -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, this is -- and I'm glad you asked about that, because this is one of those cases where everybody agreed. You don't have fights between the Department of Defense, you don't have internal schisms, and at the same time, you don't have any daylight between the allies. The President has been working this for a time -- and I failed to finish answering your prior question, which is that the final decision was made after going through and reviewing all this and finally signing off last night on the statement that Secretary Rice gave today, and then proceeding with the notifications this morning of other governments, and particularly through dual channels, the government of Iran. Carl. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: First, it's not a new getting-started period. This is an attempt, really, to add momentum to what's going on. We have fully supported what the EU 3 is doing. And let's face it, for the United States to get behind the table adds extra weight to the proceedings. We think that what has happened is that the principles have been laid out, and also the signals that we've gotten from Iran -- keep in mind, Carl, that in recent days there have been public and private statements by key players in Iran that they want some way to reopen an avenue of conversation. We've always made it clear that it's not going to be a one-on-one conversation because this is not Iran versus the U.S., or Iran dealing with the U.S. It is the global community talking with Iran about a matter of concern. So this is not designed to impugn the efforts of the EU 3. What it's designed to do is to assist it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, actually, it's not. And keep in mind that there are a number of things. Secretary Rice made it clear today that simply because Iran suspends nuclear development does not mean that we cease putting pressure on Iran for other things, for human rights and terrorism activities. That still remains on the table, and we want the government of Iran to cease on both sides. So I'm glad you raised it, because it's not -- as she said, this is not a grand bargain, this is not -- we're not going to sweep everything off the table. We're talking about one thing, and one thing only, and that's the nuclear program, when it comes to the negotiations with the EU 3. Now, as Secretary Rice also said, once they get to the table, then they can discuss anything. But we are going to have the same approach, which is there will be carrots for good behavior, and there will be sticks for bad behavior. But what we're hoping to do right now is to create a climate where we can work diplomatically with the government of Iran to solve this. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No. It doesn't send a mixed message because what you're suggesting is we have to solve everything at once, and I don't think anybody is arguing that that's possible. I think what you have to do is to deal with the most immediately urgent issue, which is the nuclear issue, and you deal with that. And once you've done that also, let's face it, there have been problems of confidence in these negotiations. I just mentioned what happened in Paris. If you build a basis for confidence and trust, I think it's going to be easier to deal with the other issues in the future. So, again, don't look for a grand bargain here. We're tackling one issue at a time, and issue number one is the nuclear issue. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Hang on a second. I've got a timetable and I will try to get you a date here. Let me -- if you'll permit. Or do I? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think, again -- I will get back to you because I do have a tick-tock on Haditha. And the characterization I've received -- obviously, there was a report, I believe on November 19th -- was that the date? There was a follow-on sort of account on the 20th or the 21st. So in that sense, people knew about Haditha. But I think the concern about subsequent reports of people being massacred or people being killed, that really was stimulated by reporters' inquiries, which came, I believe in January. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Because the Marines are actually conducting an inquiry and it's a very vigorous one. I would ask you to suspend any judgment about what happens. I mentioned this morning that there are two tracks. Number one is what happened with the reporting of the incident, and what happened. And the Marines are taking both of those very seriously and they're proceeding very aggressively. So I think rather than trying to prejudge it -- the second thing, and this is equally important, is that when you have an ongoing criminal proceeding, to try to characterize it on my part or anybody within the chain of command within the Department of Defense could very well prejudice and injure any attempts to engage in a prosecution should it be necessary. So you've got to be very careful about how you do this. What I've been assured by the Department of Defense and what I fully expect to see and you expect to see, as well, is when the report is released, we're going to see it. We're going to see everything. And we'll have an opportunity not merely to gauge the conclusions in the investigation by the Marines into all areas of conduct, on the ground and afterward, but also the subsequent measures that may or may not be taken in response. Jim. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, again, you take a look at the initial reports and, obviously, these are disturbing, but this is where I want to be careful, Jim, because, again, if we start characterizing a reaction to a report, it could be construed as trying to intervene in an ongoing investigation. So we have to be very careful. It's very inviting to say, we've heard these things, it's terrible -- to express full outrage. But the President has an obligation to make sure that the people who are conducting a criminal investigation within the Department of Defense have an opportunity to do that in a way that is consistent with the rule of law and with the military -- the Code of Military Justice. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, keep in mind, there are two parts in this investigation. I can't even answer that question because it may prejudice something that's ongoing, as well. Lester. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Yes, Tony, two questions. According to researcher Deborah Sherman Coughlin (phonetic), of the Violent Crimes Institute in Atlanta, 240,000 illegal alien sex offenders in the United States have had an average of four victims each, making nearly 1 million sex crimes perpetrated by illegals. My question: Is the President aware of this research? And would it make him more likely to make border security the cornerstone of his immigration reform? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Of course. One of things you have to do is to figure out whether these are legitimate pieces of research or whether they're -- and I can't characterize it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Okay. The President's recent statement: "The Palestinians want to live in peace. Our beef is not with the Palestinian people, but with the government." And my question: Since the overwhelming majority of these allegedly peace-loving Palestinian people voted for Hamas, which the President recognizes as a terrorist organization, how can he claim they are peace lovers when polls also report 75 percent of Palestinians support attacks on Israel? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, it means that it gets to dissolve the government. And then you get back to having -- yes. So then you get back -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know. I don't know. Look, if you're -- I don't want to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people, but I think it is safe to say that people there have gotten just as tired of war as anybody else and they would like to have a peaceful, successful society. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think it could probably be both. For instance, take the case of Afghanistan. We have recently had the turnover from U.S. forces to some coalition forces, especially in the south, and you could interpret some of what's going on as testing. This happens. The other thing is we have just had a successful transfer of government -- or the inauguration of the government of Prime Minister Maliki in Iraq, and again, as we've said at many junctures, when you get these key points, what's going to happen is the people who do not have a vested interest in a free democracy in Iraq are going to do everything they can to test it. And we have seen terrorist spikes around elections, around the announcement of elections, and around a formation of government. So I think in some ways -- I hate to say that they are predictable, but these are things that do happen in a time of war, and especially in a time when you're seeing the Taliban trying to assert itself in the southern regions of Afghanistan. Kelly. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think so, yes. Yes, I do. I mean, the stuff is going to come out. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't have -- we don't have a direct answer on that. We've been given vague time lines. I don't want to get into speculating on it, but there is no firm release date at this point. But I expect it to be in a matter of weeks, not a matter of months. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I have not asked specifically, but the characterization is it will all come out, something to that effect. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: There's going to be a public release I think of substantial portions of the report, or all of the report. I mean, I would -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't have that answer. And unfortunately, the Secretary of -- well, actually, we've got a couple of hours -- we could talk with the Department of Defense. I don't know if there are going to be any parts that, for reasons of criminal prosecution or classification, may be withheld. There is that possibility, so I don't want to be completely categorical about it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: First, there's no conference committee, so we're not even to that point. You've got a House bill, and you have a Senate bill. There is still the business of appointing conferees. The President will continue working with the House and the Senate to try to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. But to talk about anything that may be happening in conference, it's very premature. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, the CIA Director now answers to the Director of National Intelligence who, each day, has that responsibility. So Director Negroponte will continue to deliver the daily briefings. Victoria, I think you had a follow-up? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Okay. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Mr. Snow, two questions on Turkey. Do you have anything to say about the upcoming meeting between President Bush and the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Erdogan? Do you have any idea of when the meeting is going to take place, since there are a lot of reports of this event? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q A follow-up. The New York Times reported yesterday, "Washington can help promote Turkish democracy by using its longstanding ties with the Turkish General." I'm wondering, Mr. Spokesman, if the President is concerned about democracy in Turkey, since the Turkish General, according to reports, is planning a coup d'etat in Turkey? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, we support democracy in Turkey and we've said that many times. And we support the peaceful transition of power as we did when Prime Minister Erdogan took power. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: It's not the U.S. conditions. It's the IAEA conditions, which are not temporary, but permanent. So it's -- what the United States is doing is not setting out its own conditions for negotiation. What we're doing is restating the positions that have been laid out by the IAEA in the additional protocol, which not only -- which make it permanent, verifiable, and subject to inspection at any time by IAEA inspectors. So those conditions remain. But let me be very clear: As I've said many times, it's not between the United States and Iran. This is between the international community and Iran. And the United States is adding its weight to those talks and not changing the preconditions that have been in place. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, the conditions have been laid out. Yes, the conditions have been laid out. That's right, the suspension of enrichment and reprocessing activities -- enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, pursuant to the agreement with the IAEA. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Blair, Merkel, yes. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Jessica, unfortunately, we now get into the status of my time prior to coming here, which is when President Hu was here, and I just don't -- I don't have a readout on what the two talked about at the time. This does not mean -- again, governments talk to one another and it's not always necessary -- it's not necessary at all times for leaders to talk with one another. I do -- I have been assured that conversations have been taking place at a ministerial level. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: That's just -- no, no, no, no. It doesn't signal dissension or discomfort on the American side, no. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, can I ask you about Iraq? It was a year ago today that Vice President Cheney said that the insurgency there was in its last throes, and now we have this latest Pentagon assessment saying that the insurgency is going to remain steady, the strength will remain steady through the rest of this year. How does the administration reconcile -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Welcome. Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. No announcements. Questions. Terry. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'd say we're glad they're going back to the EU3 talks and we hope that they produce productive results. We've always been clear on the end state, which is that we want Iran to suspend all enrichment and reprocessing activities, and we wish them success. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Trust but verify. We'll just have to wait and see. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Why did the President pick a man who is so contemptible of the public servants in Washington to be his Domestic Advisor -- saying, "People in Washington are morally repugnant, cheating, shifty human beings"? Why would he pick such a man to be a Domestic Advisor? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I'm not sure it's pure contempt. I know Karl Zinsmeister pretty well, and he is somebody who expresses himself with a certain amount of piquancy -- you're perhaps familiar with that, aren't you, Helen? And so, as a consequence, from time to time he's going to say -- he'll have some sharp elbows. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, I don't think it's his attitude toward public servants -- it may have been toward the press. Just kidding. No, I -- look, if you look at the bulk of what Karl Zinsmeister has done at The American Enterprise and elsewhere, I think you're going to find somebody who's done some pretty meaty and interesting research on a variety of topics. The reason he's being brought in is that he's -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not -- there's one sentence the guy wrote, and perhaps you may recall -- yes? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: That's a lot in one sentence, isn't it? He just packed it right in. Jim. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: The attitude is we're glad to have a guy on board who has breadth of knowledge, who has breadth of interest and of experience, and is going to bring -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Helen, tell you what, why don't you get to know Karl, because I think you're going to find out that to judge somebody -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: -- on the basis of one sentence is probably a little unfair. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: He'll charm you. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q I don't want to get in the way of this. (Laughter.) Let me ask you about this morning's statement and announcement of the President's choice for the new Treasury Secretary. The President called it a hopeful time, and listed some economic statistics that makes the administration's case for the economy being in good shape. If the economy is humming along so well, why the need for a change? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I am not going to try to prejudge that because I honestly don't know the answer. But it's pretty clear, and I think many people in the room had gotten wind of it, the Treasury Secretary was eager to leave and move on to something else. I honestly can't tell you, Jim -- you're asking me a hypothetical question for which I don't have an answer, and I'm not sure there is an answer. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, I just -- you're asking a guy who has jumped in midstream, and I can't give you any kind of answer on that. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q I can certainly understand, looking at his record, why the White House would want to have him. Why do you think he wanted the job, two-and-a-half years left in an administration that's got some political difficulty right now? Why do you think Paulson wanted the job? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: When a Time reporter first made the call. Time began asking questions about it. He was briefed by Steve Hadley at the time and began asking questions then. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I'm not going to get into his personal involvement. I think it's safe to -- look, this is a Department of Defense issue. But I'll tell you, here's a safe characterization -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, of course. I think anybody who has heard the story has a personal interest in it. It's impossible not to. But the President also is allowing the chain of command to do what it's supposed to do within the Department of Defense, which is to complete an investigation. The Marines are taking an active and aggressive role in this. And I had been told and was assured earlier today when I called about that when this comes out, all the details will be made available to the public. So we'll have a picture of what happened. Steve. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, the tick-tock is the two of them met on the 20th of May and there was a conversation, and Hank Paulson accepted the job a day later. That was subject to clearance. It does take time, especially for a Senate-confirmable position, to complete those, so it did take time to get some of those clearances wrapped up. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Correct. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, you don't bring in a Treasury Secretary as a PR man, you bring in the Treasury Secretary as being one of your key economic aides. I'll just repeat what he said -- although he does say he's a chief spokesman, he also says "a leading force on the economic team." You want somebody who's capable. And I think you can agree that the chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs Group would probably fall into that category, somebody who is familiar with the workings of the economy and how to keep it humming along. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: What this -- well, you missed the earlier question, which is he's coming -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, no, no, no. It's in response to filling a vacancy. What you do in a situation like this is that you reach out and try to get the best person you can get. Now, judging from the early returns, you've got Democrats and Republicans all thinking it's a sensational choice. You look for the best man for the job, and I think the President feels that he got that. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q This is not a real good ideological match for the President. Does he specifically want that now? Does he want somebody who's going to disagree with him on a number of fronts -- global warming, other areas -- that Paulson will certainly not shy away from bringing to the table? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I'm not going to speak for years one through five. I'm just telling you that what's going on right now is -- let me just say, my experience from my first day here is that debates are wide open, they're wide-ranging, and opinions, even those that disagree with the President, are aired, and people discuss them. And that's one of the really stimulating things about working here. And I think Hank Paulson is certainly going to be able to express his views on these issues. Carl. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: That is correct. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q So we're talking more than a week ago. The President last week, when he was asked if he was -- how he was going to deal with Mr. Snow, said, well, I guess -- he said, he's going to offer his resignation to me, and then went on to say he's a -- good job. This was something that was in play obviously before that, so in terms of its filling a vacancy, which is how you characterized it a minute ago, it wasn't a vacancy, it was switching a person, wasn't it? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, two questions. After meeting with the President, Prime Minister Tony Blair, he went to give a -- statement or speech at Georgetown University last week, where he was talking about reforming of the United Nations Security Council, and he said that India should be on -- should get a seat, because China has it, and therefore should India, the largest democracy in the world. What I'm asking is if this issue came here with the President, did the President discuss -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: They did not discuss it. I can't tell you what the President's views are about India's membership on the P5. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, Dana gave a full readout on that. If somebody wants to pull me a fact sheet, or I'd actually just direct you back to the gaggle, because Dana gave a readout on all that this morning. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: It was a private dinner and we've got no readout for you on that. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, it's a private dinner and I'm not in a position to give any kind of a readout on it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, now that Secretary Snow is leaving, what happens to the issue of simplifying the tax code? He never came up with recommendations after the commission gave their report. And the President didn't give a deadline. Does this now fall on the new Secretary of Treasury, once that person is confirmed? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I really don't know anything about timing on that. It's clearly an issue of interest to the President. It's clearly an issue of interest to millions and millions of Americans who find it mind-numbing to try to do their own taxes. So tax simplification is something that's widely popular, but sometimes is politically contentious. I honestly don't know where we stand in the process, and I'll try to find out. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, I'll try to get an answer for you. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q On the briefing of the President about Haditha, you said Steve Hadley briefed him after Time had called asking questions about it. Was that a briefing by Steve Hadley that was already planned, or did he brief him because Time called up with questions? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Number one, you've got -- let's let the Treasury Secretary be confirmed before we start talking about policies that will be pursued. That would be presumptuous. And number two, as I've said a number of times, I'm not going to engage in market-moving speculation from the podium. Obviously, a number of issues will arise during Senate confirmation, and we'll have to see what they say, but the most important thing is he's going to be the point man for the President's economic policies. Mark. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: The first thing we've got to do is get a change on Iranian behavior. There have been a number of occasions where the Iranians have signaled some willingness to negotiate, and then they pulled the rug out. We saw it most recently last week, when there was conversation about two party negotiations simply about Iraq, where we had empowered our Ambassador, Zal Khalilzad, to speak with the Iranians, and the Iranians bailed out on it. So they have to demonstrate not only good faith in negotiations, but good behavior, and we haven't seen any of that yet. Les. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Yes, Tony, two questions. First, since seven of 9/11 skyjackers used Virginia drivers licenses as a form of ID, how does the President feel about the Maryland legislature refusing to require that license applicants provide a valid Social Security number? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: You know, that one hasn't come up either. But I would thank you. Those are two greatly -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I have not been motoring in West Texas, but I have a feeling -- we do believe that states have the authority to raise the speed limits, and I think that they do it in a way that they think is safe, sane and secure. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, I'm simply saying that states have the right to do it. That is a statement of fact. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think what the President is going to do, once again, is to reiterate the five principles he laid out in his speech before the nation, and encourage Congress to approach this in a comprehensive manner. That, in and of itself, does provide a basis for both sides to negotiate. So what you will see is the President, now, taking the next step. We have always said, let's wait until the Senate gets a bill done. Now the Senate has a bill done. It's time to figure out ways -- you're absolutely right -- to get both houses to work together, but to do it in a comprehensive manner. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, no, I don't think -- I mean, the ideas right now are pretty substantial as it is. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Rather than trying to impose timetables on Congress, I think it's safe to say that discussions with members of Congress, members of both houses, leadership of both houses made it clear to the President that they hope this is done before Election Day. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I know. We actually held up because we knew a lot of you were trapped out there. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: There was a dangerous package -- there was fear of a dangerous package, which tends to happen this time of year. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I certainly hope so. Yes, I think so. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, I passed my Maryland boating test before getting out on my boat in Maryland over the weekend. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes. Oh, my goodness, I forgot to bring the list. But actually -- do you have the list, Fred? Yes, it was an interesting meeting. What you ended up having was -- I've got all the names but one written down here. We had Wayne Downing, Barry McCaffrey, Michael Vickers, Amir Taheri, Fouad Ajami and Raad Alkadiri. And you had a combination there of military men and also scholars who are students of Iraq. And it was an interesting discussion that touched upon cultural issues, on political issues, on the state of affairs in Iraq. You had a number of people who've been there recently, General McCaffrey having returned just last month from his latest visit. Fouad Ajami last year had the occasion to sit down and speak with the Ayatollah Sistani, Ali al Sistani. The President wanted to hear about that. And what he really wanted first was to get their honest opinions -- and, again, these were honest opinions -- about how things are going in Iraq, about the status and viability of the government, and what the United States needs to do on the way forward. The one thing that was of mutual agreement is that, number one, this is an important enterprise, and number two, that we can and will win it. But those are sort of the general outlines of the conversation. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No. And what's also interesting -- because I spoke with the General a couple of weeks ago, he dropped by my office and spoke, and he's put together a paper, portions of which have been published -- at this point, he's not ventilating any agreements or disagreements with the Secretary of Defense. He's actually highly complimentary of what's going on there. But he also has some practical concerns, especially as regards to -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm sorry, what? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'll get to your question, because it's a good one to take up, but permit me to finish -- because I do like the question, Helen. But he's been complimentary of the men and women who are doing the fighting. And as a result -- and, also, some of the developments he sees on the ground. General McCaffrey, he had some disagreements about what happened in the immediate aftermath in the spring of 2003, but I think you're going to find that he's been quite supportive. Now, Helen, as to your question, nobody expects the war is going to be easy, and one of the things that is very obvious is that the President takes this very seriously, and so do the people in that room. You had a number of former military officers who do not take lightly the loss of life, or property, or anything else in Iraq. And it's, frankly, one of the points, I suppose, of pride in the United States of America that we really do care about this. We care not only about our people, but also the people in Iraq, and that did come up. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Because it's a war, and unfortunately, that's what happens in wars. If there were some -- if there were some way -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Because -- a couple of things. The President has faith in the power of freedom, not only as an idea, but also as a guiding principle. He also has faith in the men and women who are doing the fighting. Anybody who saw the speech that he gave yesterday at Arlington understands that he not only has faith, but a deep respect and admiration. He gets choked up every time he talks about it, because these are young men and women -- like the group at West Point -- these are all people who decided that they would go to the U.S. Military Academy after September 11th, 2001, knowing that it would be a time of war, possible peril to them, and they did it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Are we going to just hopscotch across these? I mean, the point here, Helen, is real simple. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not making points about -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, he can, and he's made it many times. Ed. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't believe so, but -- in fact, no, he didn't. That much I've been -- yes. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think it's -- what happened was that there were some tense moments in negotiations between House negotiators and people at the Department of Justice. And it looked like there was going to be a stalemate over the simple issue of who gets the documents. Both sides were citing either the Constitution or their obligations under the Constitution as the reason they should get the documents. So you had this to-and-fro about it. And if somebody had tried to force that decision into a narrow timetable, he might have gotten a stalemate. The President realized that the only way out of that -- and there was some inkling in the conversations that neither side wanted that -- so both sides were looking for some way to be able to step back. And what the President did -- and I've told you this before -- is he flipped the incentives around. Suddenly, by putting the documents under the control of the Solicitor General, he took that issue off the table. And then the two sides have said, we are going to need to figure out a way to do this, because it's probably not the last time a member of Congress will be investigated. Therefore, they need to come up with some way of being able to put into hands of prosecutors relevant evidence, and, at the same time, also make sure that the speech and debate clause privileges for the House and Senate are honored by the Department of Justice and by all branches of government. So now all of a sudden they've got a shared interest in trying to figure this thing out. Not being a lawyer, I don't know how it works out. But I do know now you have bright and tenacious legal minds working together, rather than at odds with one another. And I think that's a critical difference. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Just one other follow-up on Carl about Secretary Snow. When the President was asked, when he was standing next to Prime Minister Blair, and millions of people watching, he was telling the American people that "I've got no indication the Secretary is going to resign" -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q He's already offered it to somebody, he's got to have had -- I mean, you offer these positions all the time and wait for FBI background searches that sometimes take a long time. I mean, the Supreme Court nominees take six weeks, but you still announce to the public when you pick somebody. ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: With all due respect, I think there was some concern, again, about how something like that affects the markets. If you have uncertainty for an extended period of time, which would have been at that point four or five days, I think that is something that you've got to worry about and you've got to be responsible in dealing with it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: The White House was not informed until the serving of the warrant was in progress. Nobody called up and said, this is going to happen. The White House was informed after the process had begun. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, it's a judgmental -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Run that by me again? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: You know what I would do, is I would refer that to the Justice Department for an answer, because you're asking these interesting and important state-of-mind questions that I'm not in a position to answer. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: The Justice Department regularly conducts criminal investigations without consulting the President. It does hundreds of thousands per year -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, I just -- I'm not going to get into -- that's a question you may direct to the Justice Department. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, on his joint news availability with the British Prime Minister, the President said he regretted Abu Ghraib, and, yet, no one was killed at Abu Ghraib. And we are on the edge here, apparently, of seeing the worst massacre since My Lai back during the Vietnam years. What kind of damage control are you and the President getting ready to put forward? And the second part of the question is, did the discussion of Haditha come up at that experts meeting today? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q A follow-up. In addition to the President obviously being concerned and watching the outcome of the investigation -- and there are two, as we understand it, one for the possible killing, and two, about the possible coverup -- what is his personal mood as he talks to you and the other staff members? I mean, is this -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, I think I was just making a general comment about the President's -- his general stated support in the past for tax reform. I am not announcing any new policies or initiatives. She was referring to the general proposition that we ought to have a simpler tax code. And I think most people would agree with that. Not more, nor less. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I understand. I understand. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I understand. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I understand. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know. I really don't know. We will attach -- we'll do a bupkis list for today's press briefing, and if there is any specific timetable I can pass on to you about the proper disposition of this -- I think it is safe to say that there's a pretty crowded legislative calendar and I think we've got plenty to do between now and the end of the year. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, I don't. And I apologize, but I'll have to look that up. I don't. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: All right, nothing new. No announcements. Let's go to questions. Jennifer. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: By the end of next year, 2007. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q By the end of next year, pardon me. You have said, obviously, that there's not going to be any announcement of a hard timetable, specific time frame for American troops to withdraw. But are they going to try to lay out conditions, not attaching maybe time frames to it, or specific numbers, or as you said earlier, divisions, but what does the President and Prime Minister Blair, what do they want to say to the American people tonight? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think what's going to be reassuring to the American people is we have talked for some time now about some fairly miraculous developments in Iraq, where people have gone a couple of times, under threats of violence from al Qaeda and others, and they've dipped their finger in the purple ink, they've gone and made their votes. Now they have an elected government. That elected government has an elected head, and that is somebody with whom we can deal. So all of the -- we're not talking about coalition provisional authorities, we're talking about an Iraqi government. This is the one thing that we've said we've been working for from the start. And I think that's a hugely important milestone, and you've got to look at this as a new beginning and a new opportunity, because there's now somebody to deal with. And I think that's hugely important, and I think whatever personal observations they may have about the Prime Minister or about the government, I think those are going to be interesting and important for the American people. Kelly. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q The President has so many times said it's dangerous to set a timetable because it sends the wrong signal to the enemy. Why, then, is it okay for this new Iraqi leader to say, by the end of 2007, that's our goal? Does the President think that's prudent to lay that -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think I'm lowering your expectations. I've tried never to create those expectations. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Right. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, there may be people kissing in Times Square for different reasons. (Laughter.) Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I said, "kissing," Lester. (Laughter.) Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No. There are going to be times -- let me stress again. This is hugely important. You've got an elected government and you've got an elected head of government. He started work last Saturday, he had his first meeting with the Prime Minister on Monday. I suppose you could do some things with a phone conversation, but I think in a lot of this -- what the President -- I mean, I've seen the President when he talks about these things. He's intensely practical, and he's going to want to talk face-to-face. These sometimes are conversations that are best had with the two guys sitting in the room asking the questions, reacting to one another, and I think it's probably a much more efficient and effective way to transmit knowledge and information and perceptions than just sort of picking up the phone. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, and I know everybody has been trying to read this a political play on poll numbers. No, it has to do with the fact that you've got a new elected head of state in Iraq, and I really do think it not only changes the realities on the ground, it changes the way in which we're going to approach it, because, to repeat, we've got somebody with whom we can deal now. We've got an elected official who is going to be there. Martha. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not saying I agree or disagree. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I was responding to Kelly's question about the fact that the President has said if -- and he's talking about American troops -- if you set timetables, you send signals to the enemy. I think, if anything, what Prime Minister Maliki is trying to -- if he's trying to send a signal, it's this: he's serious, he's going to fight the bad guys, and he's serious about taking command in Iraq. I don't think -- I'm not going to draw judgments on whether he can or can't make it, because as I've said before, any of these judgments depend on what happens on the ground. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I think that the signal he's sending is that he means business. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: It means, taking people out of lead combat positions and doing -- you can refer back to Prime Minister Maliki's remarks over the weekend, where he talked about going back and doing more of the support -- and I don't want to lay out each and every thing, because you know more about that stuff than I do, but you know what a support role is. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: It could be any of those. I would refer -- literally, I'm going to refer military questions to General Casey and General Abizaid and people who have operational responsibility. It would be irresponsible for me to go beyond where I've gone. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm sure they are. They're certainly going to talk about the EU3, and also other extended conversations with the Russians, the Chinese, trying to draw them into it, as well. The Prime Minister, I think, has said that -- earlier today, that -- I don't want to paraphrase, but essentially he didn't want a showdown with Iran, he wants to find a diplomatic path to this. And I think the United States does, as well. We want to find a diplomatic way to ensure that Iran suspend all enrichment and reprocessing of uranium. We also have concerns about human rights and democracy. The Secretary of State was very strong about that. So yes, they're going to try to figure out how to get the job done, and to try to do it through diplomatic means. Carl. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Some have suggested that the letter from the President of Iran and that his remarks last weekend saying he wanted to talk with the Bush administration represents a sea change for the Islamic Republic that has ignored the United States and called it the "Great Satan" for the last three decades. What's the President's response to those critics who say he's missing an opportunity here to talk to people who up until now have just been antagonistic and not willing to talk? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I'm not going to go behind the scenes and tell you how people are interpreting this. This is a private communication between Ahmadinejad and the President, and he tends not to talk about private letters, even those that have been leaked to the global press. I'm just not going to -- I'm not going to push any further forward yet. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, we're told that White House aides are involved in some sort of negotiations over Congressman Jefferson's documents, negotiating with House leaders about maybe giving these documents to the House Ethics Committee or some other body while the legal and constitutional questions are worked out. Can you tell us how those talks are going -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not going to give you any behind the scenes tick-tock right now. As I said, just stay tuned. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Okay, one other quick thing. Speaker Hastert gave a radio interview to WGN where he said this ABC news story last night about him possibly being investigated by the Justice Department was an attempt to "intimidate him," and that he won't be intimidated, basically. There are suggestions -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Any official in a position of responsibility -- the Department of Justice said it's just not true, and that they're not leaking -- that they're not leaking information to try to undermine the House Speaker. Just false, false, false. I got pretty categorical denials, but for further information, it's probably smarter, again, to refer you back to them because they can answer any follow ups and try to answer any suspicion, skepticism, or question. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Final thing. Is the President at all, though -- all of these issues on the table, concerned about his relationship with the Republican Speaker of the House deteriorating because he seemed to be fighting on all these issues? He's concerned about whether the President's Justice Department is intimidating him. Whether any of that is true or not, there is -- seems to be a palpable battle here between the Speaker -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, what's interesting is, the assumption of the question, Connie, is that there is harm done. We don't know. We're proceeding with an abundance of caution. We are letting everybody know not merely that a theft occurred, but we've given out numbers for a hotline. Let me just flip through my thing here, because it's probably worth reminding people, once again, what the hotline number is, and also the website. First, the website: www.firstgov.gov. First -- f-i-r-s-t.gov. Firstgov.gov. And the 800 number is 1-800-FED-INFO. 1-800-333-4636. Apparently, in the first couple of days, it got about 100,000 calls, average wait time about 11 seconds. This is something everybody is taking seriously. We hope that there has been no compromise of personal information. But nobody is taking any chances. And so they're doing everything possible to try to figure out what happened. In addition, Secretary Nicholson today, testifying on the Hill, not only made abundantly clear his displeasure with a lot of the things that happened prior to his notification, but also he's outlining a series of steps that the Veterans Administration is going to take to make sure that veterans' information is secure, and that people within the department know exactly what they have to do, what they need to do, what they must do. Again, for further detail and texture on that stuff, I'll refer you back to the department. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, two quick questions. As far as the global terrorism is concerned, there is another tape from Osama bin Laden. He's warned, and we are still living under fear. He's -- apparently that he's watching everything we do, including this press conference, what's happening in our lives. We have -- the United States has the best intelligence, CIA, and the best military in the world. What's happening? Somebody is protecting somewhere Osama bin Laden, so what's going on? Even though there is a big reward on his life or capture or bring to justice -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q And second, on Hamas and Iran. As I said yesterday both are one, and both are not moving anywhere or giving up their ideas or ideals. Now, from time to time Iranian President threatens Israel, and last time he said that the Holocaust never existed. But last night, Oprah on her show showed everything -- what really happened -- so where do we stand now as far as all those statements destroying Israel and no Holocaust and supporting Hamas? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I am sure there's an assessment going on right now, but I honestly -- I haven't seen it, haven't been privy to it. But it would seem to be part and parcel of trying to proceed forward. That would be something -- toss it to Eric Ruff over at Defense. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm just -- I know everybody wants -- you want to be able to put on your calendar, we leave on this date. It's just -- it's not going to happen. Boy, I'm sure a lot of people wish that that were possible, but, again, in a war, conditions constantly change. Sometimes things are worse than you expected, sometimes they're better than you expected. I will repeat the same phrase. I know it's frustrating, but it's the truth, I can't go beyond it. You react to the conditions on the ground. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, no, no -- you can ask him about that, as well. When somebody talks about in very general terms -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, well -- and look, we'll see if he's able to follow through on it. I mean, it's an interesting question. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Yes, Tony. Patrick Fitzgerald yesterday indicated that they would like to speak, they would like to have the Vice President come and talk in defense of Mr. Libby since the state of mind of the Vice President was relevant to Libby's actions since Libby was subject to his direction. Would the White House be prepared to allow the Vice President to testify -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, only two questions. Has the President studied the 1986 comprehensive immigration reform plan approved by Congress and signed by President Reagan? And if he has, why does he think this comprehensive immigration reform plan, which does essentially the same thing, will be successful? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: So now you're in this process, they got a dozen years probation, they got to keep clean, the employers don't have any place to hide, they've got to master the English language. People who, at the end of this process stand up, put their hands up and take the oath will have spent more money and waited longer than any group in American history for the right to become American citizens. So these are -- if you want to test the people who really want to be Americans -- I mean, really, really want to be Americans -- this is it. It's a significant difference from 1986, which is, hey, come on, no harm, no foul. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q The other one is, Sayed Hashemi was an officer of the Taliban who was present when CNN interviewed Osama bin Laden. Now Hashemi has been admitted to Yale University, and yesterday, during a news conference, Howard Dean told what he called a "great story" about Yale graduation speaker Anderson Cooper welcoming members of the Taliban, which Governor Dean said, brought down the house. And my question, does the President, as a Yale alumnus, agree with his fellow Yalie, Howard Dean, that this was a "great story?" ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, any comment is that the Justice Department -- you know, we congratulate the Justice Department on successfully concluding a highly complex conviction, a set of legal proceedings that led to the convictions today in the Enron case. I mean, the administration has been pretty clear there is no tolerance for corporate corruption. And furthermore, the Justice Department has been going aggressively after those who are involved in corporate corruption. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q The Senate is expected to pass its immigration bill today, and at that point, the President has been urging them to get their work done and then have the bill go to conference. When it goes to conference, do you expect the President to stay at the broad level and push for just a comprehensive agreement out of conference, or is he going to fight for specific principles and specific parts of that? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, come on. You let the guys on Capitol Hill tell you where the fault lines are. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, you may want to touch on this one, also, but -- (laughter) -- the guys in the House are pretty definite that they don't want the Senate bill. If what comes out of conference is much closer to the House bill, is that something the President is prepared to sign? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q You and the administration have been cautious to not criticize House conservatives for their reluctance for the comprehensive aspects that the President wants. But in saying that it's pretty clear they'll pay a heavy price for inaction, are you not now, on the threshold of Senate passage, essentially warning House conservatives that if they do this they are going to pay? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I honestly don't know. I mean, I don't know. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Good morning. Just a couple of little pieces of business as we start. First, a formal announcement: The President and Mrs. Bush will welcome Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan to the White House on June 29, 2006. The U.S.-Japan alliance is an alliance based on common values and a common agenda. The President looks forward to continuing his close consultations with Prime Minister Koizumi on the war on terror, defending freedom and democracy, promoting regional security and prosperity in Asia, and enhancing closer cooperation on global economic issues. In other words, Koizumi is coming here on June 29th. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: State visit? Official visit? Do we have a characterization? MR. JONES: Well, he's not the head of state, so it would have to be an official visit. MR. SNOW: That's right, official visit. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Terence, we will pass on all details as soon as they become available to us. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Ain't gonna happen. Also, the press conference tomorrow night with the President and Prime Minister Blair will be at 7:30 p.m. in the East Room. All right? So we -- say what? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm sorry, I'm going to be moving some of these tape recorders so I can put my coffee here. I will apologize in advance. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, it's a "real" press conference. It's open press; they'll be taking questions. It's not a two-and-two or anything like that. So if you are in attendance and you have a good question, chances are you'll get called on. Just a second. A couple of other items, Helen. You know I knew I would leave something -- can somebody bring me the DPC stuff, please? We do have a personnel announcement to make, and I left that on my desk. So I will vamp here for a second. Also, there is going to be today a Cabinet-level hurricane exercise, so if you see members of the Cabinet coming in here, it is because they are going to be gathering in the Executive Office Building to participate in what is called a table-top exercise on hurricane preparedness, to focus on the federal government's readiness and response to a catastrophic disaster. These exercises are created at the direction of the President and intended to simulate the Cabinet's role responsibility and authority in responding to a catastrophic disaster. It's the third such exercise in the last six months. The first, December 10, 2005, was on pandemic influenza; the second on March 18, 2005, on smallpox. Today's mock scenario, a category five hurricane that will have a landfall on the greater New Orleans metropolitan area. Secretary Chertoff had a press conference on this yesterday. There will be a readout -- at least we're going to try to give you information afterward about how it went. This is going to go from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't -- no, I don't believe -- the President, as a matter of fact, is traveling. He will be doing an event -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, yes, but the answer is, no. The Cabinet members will be talking about their roles. The President is doing an energy event today in Pennsylvania. He'll be making remarks about energy policy. He'll be focusing on nuclear power because he will be getting a tour of the Limerick Generating Station. And while they continue to look, let me just make an announcement, that Karl Zinsmeister will be the head of the Domestic Policy Council. Karl has a very long and storied career in the journalism business, as well as others. His first job -- thank you, do you have the big, old, fat -- he's got a 48-page resume -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes. Z-i-n-s-m-e-i-s-t-e-r. He is presently the editor-in-chief of The American Enterprise Magazine. He's actually been editing it from his home in New York state, where he's been raising his children. Karl is a J.B. Fuqua Fellow at The American Enterprise Institute. He has been editor-in-chief of The American Enterprise, I believe, since 1994. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: With a "k." I will make no further comment. But in any event, he started working on the staff of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan some time ago. His other accomplishments include having written two books on the war in Iraq. He's been embedded on two different occasions. He's been a film producer, he's been a weekly commentator on Radio America, on the board of advisors of the Department of Education's National Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching; he's been a research director for the working seminar on Family and American Welfare Policy. As I said before, he was an LA to Senator Moynihan, also received a bachelor's degree from Yale University. Somebody who has been toiling in the vineyards for quite a while, and we're -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: He's going to head the Domestic Policy Council. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: That would be correct -- I suppose if that's how we describe it, yes. And -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: That is correct, that's Claude Allen's -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: That I do not know. I have not asked about specific responsibilities. I know Karl from my previous life, and I think he's a terrific hire. Also, just in economic news today, durable goods orders -- that is a highly volatile order, but it was down 4.8 percent in April. Meanwhile the shipment of core capital goods is up .9 percent. Both continue their upward trends, generally speaking. Do not expect this as an inflection point, but I don't want to go too far on making economic comments, but the general trends continue to be up on both of those economic indicators. And with that, we'll start taking questions. Terry. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, but it's -- part of the conversation -- I forgot to mention this -- with Prime Minister Blair will be discussing developments in Iraq. As you know, the Prime Minister was there last weekend. The President has had some conversations with Prime Minister Maliki, and obviously, Prime Minister Blair did, as well. And I think what they see here is that with a new Iraqi government, one that is an entirely Iraqi government as a result of elections, it's changed. This really does mark a new era. Prime Minister Maliki is somebody who is a very aggressive, take-charge kind of guy. And the United States, I think, sees an opportunity there to work with him on figuring out how to train up Iraqi forces as rapidly as possible, but effectively as possible, to ensure security, to work on building economic infrastructure, to work on putting in place all the preconditions for a successful, stable democracy that will be an ally in the war on terror. So when you're talking about this, they really just see this is a restart. And now that you've got somebody who has -- who is a head of state with whom you can work, they are looking forward to figuring out exactly what's possible. At this point, everybody's taking the measure of the new government. As you know, a couple portfolios remain open. But on the other hand, I think that's probably as accurate a readout as I can give you -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, it's impossible to say. The troop withdrawals, as I've said from this podium the last couple of days, are all going to be based on the conditions on the ground. One thing that we are going to continue to do, as rapidly as we possibly can -- and General Casey, obviously, being much more authoritative on this subject than I -- we're going to continue our efforts to try to make sure that we can enhance the security within Iraq in all places and have Iraqi forces primarily responsible. What is going to happen, I think it's very safe to say, is that increasingly American, British and other coalition forces are going to move into support roles as Iraqi forces themselves move into lead roles. Kelly. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know that you talk about bolstering the credibility of a brand new government. The government is trying to establish itself. I don't think that -- we're not going to engage -- there is no attempt to engage in cosmetic changes when it comes to security. What you want to do is, again, to respond to the real conditions on the ground and to try to make serious efforts so that Iraqi forces are going to be capable of providing security in a professional way that is consistent with the rights of the Iraqi citizens and also the desire to have security. Helen. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q The President apparently has gotten several messages, underground, back-channel and so forth, through intermediaries for direct talks with Iran. Surely he is not going to blow a -- speaking of opportunities with Iraq, this is an opportunity to talk directly to Iran. And why doesn't the President do it? And don't give me the -- I'm sure the three other allies and so forth would be very happy if we talked directly to Iran. ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: This from Secretary of State Helen Thomas. The position has always been clear. We are not going to divide -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Boy, that's going out everywhere today. (Laughter. The position has always been the same, which is if Iraq, in fact, proceeds with -- we think that Iraq -- Iraq -- Iran -- thank you very much -- needs to be very serious about suspending all enrichment and reprocessing of uranium. They have to agree to do it. They have to do it in a verifiable and credible manner and a permanent manner. When that happens, all right, then there may be some opportunities. But the first precondition right now -- and we've been working with our allies on this -- is to make sure that Iran does nothing in terms of advancing its ability to build nuclear weapons. Now, we also are not going to divide up the coalition by trying to engage in side conversations with Iran. We have said that we will work with the P5; we have said that we will work with the EU3. And that is not going to change. Anything -- Iran -- what Iran is trying to do, I think it's safe to say, is -- there are a couple things going on. Number one, the Iranians clearly are feeling some pressure here. This is the sort of thing that would not have happened if Iranians were not feeling pressure both from the international community and economically. I think it's also safe to say that we still believe that Iran has to take that fundamental step when it comes to enriching or reprocessing uranium. They've got to suspend all activities. Until they do that, there's going to be no change in the administration's posture and the President's posture when it comes to one-on-one negotiations. We will continue to use appropriate international forums and work with, and through, our allies when it comes to dealing with the government in Iran. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, again, Iran -- I mentioned before -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: This is more an argument than a question, Helen, and I'm not going the engage in arguments about what constitutes or doesn't -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: You are assuming -- I am not going to tell you each and every thing this government is doing diplomatically when it comes to Iran. I'm not telling you that there are -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I am telling you that nothing happens, the position has not changed. Iran has an obligation -- what Iran is trying to do is to negotiate through the press right now. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Sure, it is. And you're doing an able job of it, Helen. So what's going on here is that Iran, in responding to pressure, is trying to change the subject. And we're not going to let them change the subject. The subject -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Of course, it is. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: But it already knows what the preconditions are for American talks. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I cannot advance you beyond anything that's been in the press. The answer is, Steve, I don't know. I have not been briefed on what they have or have not been doing. It's pretty clear that they have been talking with our allies, and we've obviously had the letter from President Ahmadinejad. So to that extent, I suppose you could catagorize it as a feeler. I don't know about -- I can't give you any insight. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm going no further. I think what we've always said is that there is simply -- the first precondition of Iran is renounce the enrichment and reprocessing of uranium. Just stop. Stop doing that -- of nuclear materials. What Iran is now trying to do, as I said, in a response to pressure -- I think it's very clear the pressure has begun to pay off -- that they want to change the subject. And we're not going to let them. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: You know what -- if and when they meet their obligations before the international community of suspending the production or enrichment or reprocessing of uranium, we'll -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: -- and we'll see. Next. Who do we have? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Jim Nicholson -- Patrick Leahy says he should be taken to the woodshed, at the very least, over what's happened at the VA, not just the identity theft, but the multimillion dollar shortfall in funding, et cetera. Any reaction to that? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: As I said, I'm not -- I'm referring all questions back to VA. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Back to Iran. You talk about there being a single, in effect, it sounds like, a single precondition. But there are so many other subjects that are of extreme importance not only to Iran, but the United States -- all of those. Has there been any thought to somehow increasing the dialogue on many of those subjects? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, as a matter of fact, the United States has worked through international forums throughout. It's a good debating point, you know. But these -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: -- the "some might say" question doesn't tell me who the "some" are and what they might say. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q I don't think that that's how it would be described. But my point is, is what if that point is made? What is your response to the fact that the United States has often decided to go it alone, to use an expression, or to operate unilaterally? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think I'll have to leave that to the President and the Prime Minister when they talk to you tomorrow. Read more Comment (0), Email this.