MR. SNOW: Good afternoon. Let me begin with an announcement. President Bush will welcome Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand to the White House on March 21, 2007. President Bush looks forward to consulting with Prime Minister Clark on common efforts in the war on terror. The two leaders also will review efforts to advance and strengthen bilateral relations.

Also, in response to Helen's question this morning, the government of Iraq has extended official invitations to regional neighboring countries, Egypt, the five permanent members of the Security Council of the U.N., the Islamic Conference Organization and the Arab League for a conference to be held in Baghdad on March 10, 2007.

Also, just to clarify a point that came up in the gaggle this morning, if, in fact, topics like EFPs and such like come up in that conference, obviously we will address them. But there will not be bilateral talks between the United States and Iran, or the United States and Syria, within the context of these meetings. These are organized by the Iraqis and these are on issues that are pertinent to Iraq.

As for whether the United States has changed its policy dramatically, it has not. And I will give you a little more detail on that. There were many contacts with the Iranians with regard to Afghanistan throughout 2002 and 2003, through the Bonn 6-plus-2 process, as they were standing up the government in Afghanistan. And there was also an offer by the United States to work diplomatically with the Iranians on border issues.

The Iranians were at the Iraqi Compact meeting at the United Nations last September. Secretary Powell was in a meeting with neighbors in Sharm el-Sheikh in November of 2004. You also know Iranian representatives participated in a number of meetings subsequent to the Madrid Donors Conference; that was in October of 2003. And afterwards, there were subsequent meetings in what was called the International Reconstruction Facilities Fund for Iraq, including February of '04 in Abu Dhabi, May of '04 in Doha, October of '04 in Tokyo, and in July of '05 at the Dead Sea. The meeting involved roughly 70 countries. So that is at least a glimpse of a number of occasions on which the U.S. and the Iranians had been seated at the same table in multilateral negotiations. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: We're not. As a matter of fact, we've been going the diplomatic route all along. We're not being defensive. What we're trying to do is clarify, because it's important that people understand that this administration is serious when it comes to the Iranians about a precondition for bilateral negotiations and also for diplomatic relations, which is they can't be working toward a nuclear weapon.

And we've laid out very clearly -- not just us, but the P5-plus-one, the five members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany -- in conversations with the Iranians, they've made it clear what the conditions are. We want to make sure those waters don't get muddied. And the Iranian people also understand that we look favorably upon the Iranian people, but we take a dim view of the Iranian government's activities when it comes to terrorist activities. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, as a matter of fact, I think what you're seeing is -- we have two carrier battle groups in the region, but I think if you take a look, for instance, at the David Ignacious piece today in The Washington Post, what you see there is a reflection of the success of diplomatic efforts when it comes to the Iranians.

The President has made it really clear -- and I don't know why everybody seems determined to try to turn this into a military standoff -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, yes. No, actually, the person in charge of the ground troops in Iraq is David Petraeus. The person -- you're talking about Fox Fallen, of course, who is a naval officer who is the head of Central Command. In any event, I'm just trying to clarify. These are important distinctions to make and we tried to make them.

Terry. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, it may be. I'm certainly not going to rule it out. But again, the Iraqis are the ones who are convening the conference, and they're the ones who are going to have control of the agenda. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: We do, and part of that investment is to allow the Iraqis to take much-needed steps toward building capacity not only on the military and economic front, but the diplomatic front. And the idea that the United States will dictate terms to them seems contrary to our stated purpose, which is to help them build it. We're going to consult with the Iraqis, of course, but they're going to do what they think is important. Perhaps the topic will come up. Again, I'm not going to rule it out; I'm just not going to rule it in. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, because I think a lot of the press accounts yesterday just got it wrong, and I think it's important to get it right. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q What is wrong with saying -- well, why are you hesitant to embrace this sort of school of thought here that the administration has heard what the Baker-Hamilton group suggested, they've heard the calls from the Hill, as Secretary Rice talked about yesterday, and you're open to engaging on all fronts in a way that is you're embracing something that you were pushing away before? What's wrong with that -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, what you're saying is -- this is not a response to the Baker-Hamilton commission, although it does comport with one of the recommendations. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Because what she was doing is everybody uses Baker-Hamilton as a talking point. She said, here, here is something Baker-Hamilton recommended that's -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, we're not -- that's -- here's part of the problem we're having, is that you are applying labels that don't really seem to apply to the situation. We -- "flexible diplomatically"? I mean, what exactly do you mean, "flexible diplomatically"? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Because we don't want it to be seen as a -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Because this is an Iraqi initiative, and the one thing -- you do not -- you know, Jim, one of the things they want is diplomatic recognition. They need to deliver. They need to deliver. You do not strengthen your hand by showing "flexibility" in the absence of activity on the part of those parties, especially when you have taken a public negotiating position on it.

It is -- what is going on is of a piece with what has been going on for years. You and I had a conversation about this and you, to your credit, had a readout of a number of these occasions in the past where there had been the presence of Iranians and U.S. negotiators at multilateral forums. This is no different in principle than those.

On the other hand, what you're defining as flexibility is -- I think what you're saying is, if the U.S. gives up on the precondition that has been agreed upon in an international forum -- then, yes, absolutely -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I'm telling you what the real effect is. Because if you're saying that you want to throw away the conditions that were laid down by the P5-plus-one in dealing with the Iranians, and also the conditions that were negotiated with members of the Security Council in putting together a Chapter 7 resolution against Iran -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, he did, because that would be the practical effect of it. The practical effect -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, then I'm trying to school you. I'm just trying to school you because -- see, what you're saying, Jim, what you're saying, "Why can't you be flexible?" -- because to meet your test of flexibility -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: -- in principle? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Wait a minute. This is where you've got it completely -- what do you mean we've stayed away? I have just read for you a whole list of occasions on which the United States -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

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

MR. SNOW: And she sat down -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: She was in the meetings with them in September. Colin Powell was with them in Sharm el-Sheikh and through the Bonn process. So you -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't think it is. The Iraqis are putting together a meeting and it's going to be a businesslike meeting. If you're expecting suddenly new chummy relations, you've created a scenario that is not justified by the facts on the ground or the precedence. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, the concern is you guys are getting it wrong and I don't know how to get you to get it through your heads that it's not new. I mean, it's not new. What's going on here is something that has a long-seated precedence. There are multilateral forums where, if the Iranians are there, we're not going to walk out. The Iraqis -- we have always said if they invite us to this regional forum, we will be there. They invited us; we're going to be there.

There's going to be a follow-up at the ministerial level, which likely will include key diplomats from those countries, as well as from G8 countries, and Secretary of State Rice and Mr. Larajani and others will probably be in attendance. But this does not mean that there are going to be sidebars where we're having one-on-one talks with the Iranians. It doesn't mean that there's going to be any departure from past practice. It does mean that if issues come up that are going to be of interest, like EFPs or so on, then, yes, we'll certainly discuss them in the open forum. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Of course, we did. We're very happy that this is going on. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: We have encouraged it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know -- the President is not going to make a request. The government of Iraq -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, the point of it is this is a meeting, actually, where you've got the Iraqis who have real challenges in dealing with the neighborhood -- as you can tell, the Iranians and Syrians have not been uniformly friendly, and it is important to try to build better relations with those on matters of security, economy and other things.

This is not a meeting just to meet. There are very serious pieces of business to do on the economic front and on the security front, especially, and if this issue does come up -- and this is a -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

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

MR. SNOW: High on our security -- they're an important -- they are an element. But also you don't want to overstate, there are plenty of challenges in Iraq. You've got al Qaeda challenges, you've got sectarian violence challenges. So we're trying to keep this in proportion. But is it a concern of us with the fact that the Quds forces, it's traceable to Quds forces? Yes, sure. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, yesterday the President's new Director of National Intelligence testified on Capitol Hill for the first time, and said, U.S. intelligence believes that Osama bin Laden and his number two are alive in Pakistan and reestablishing training camps. If you really have bin Laden on the run, how is he reestablishing training camps? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, you take a look also at statements that have been made by generals in recent days -- General Schoomaker the other day had a comment that I was asked about, which is he thought bin Laden had been marginalized. The question is whether al Qaeda -- I think the bin Laden question may be separable from the al Qaeda question. It's clear that al Qaeda is trying to gain strength -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I don't know. It's a real question about who assumes operational command. One of the things we've found is that the command structure has been degraded significantly and that remains the case. But in terms of trying to characterize precisely how the command structure looks or how it operates, it would be inappropriate to comment from the podium. But certainly, if you take a look, over and over you've had key members taken out, and also reports in the press that the leadership had become much more decentralized, as had the activities of al Qaeda. Indeed, you had the correspondence between Ayman al Zawahiri and Abu Musab al Zarqawi where you had Zawahiri basically asking for money from Zarqawi, when he was head, and also begging him -- it looked as it al Qaeda in Iraq in some cases at least had some leverage over al Qaeda leadership, wherever it was hiding. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q There was also a report this morning that two Army combat brigades are being sent to Iraq without desert training -- the Associated Press has a story out today -- and that it's because they're being rushed to Iraq to help get the surge in place. ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

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

MR. SNOW: Well, but they can get desert training elsewhere, like in Iraq. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I have spoken with the Vice President's office, and the ground rules that were laid out are going to remain in effect. (Laughter.)

Terry. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I will direct that to them. They said that the opinion is that everybody on the plane had agreed to ground rules, and they were not inclined to change them. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't think so. I mean -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, again, I will not comment on a senior administration official briefing. I will simply tell you that that is the opinion of the Vice President's office. And for further -- if you wish to go back and get them to referee it, you may do so. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Please. This is riveting. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, as you know, sometimes, for instance, when we have senior administration officials who will brief in this room, it is important for matters of confidentiality, in terms of -- they're able to be more open with you, as senior administration officials, and also it denies people an opportunity perhaps to -- in any event, I'm not going to get -- look, I'm not going to get myself stuck in the endless sort of spin cycle of trying to deal with rules on senior administration officials. If you would like those briefings to cease, we could probably make that happen, but I think you would be poorer for it, and we would, too.

You've been around this town long enough to know, Ken, that there are times when it is deemed appropriate to do so. And people do participate in those, as you did. So, I mean, it was a question that may have been posed at the time, but apparently no objection -- the objection was not made at that time and venue. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't think there's any use at this point in trying to characterize from this podium what happened in a market on any given day. It is worth reiterating what I said before, which is if you take a look at the trend lines, you've got the strongest international economy maybe ever. China's stock market has doubled in value over the past year. You have a number of vigorous and growing economies. The most vigorous and growing of which is the United States of America, growing more rapidly than any industrialized country, for now I think 42 consecutive months of growth. And, furthermore, the economic fundamentals remain sound and it's one of the focuses of administration policy to keep it strong and keep it growing.

So there is always danger in trying to do spot characterizations of what happens in a market because that then becomes a factor as investors take a look -- administration officials says, X. I would rather not give them something to react to. I would rather have investors remarking to -- reacting to market fundamentals, rather than Press Secretary remarks. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, I'm not going to -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Okay, this is -- thank you. The President's economic team meets every Wednesday for lunch. The President is not there. The President is having lunch right now with an author, and I read that out earlier. But what happens is the economic team, which includes the National Economic Council Director, it includes the head of the Council of Economic Advisors, the Budget Director, the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of Commerce -- that's kind of the basic team. Once a week they meet.

There is also -- the President also has a working group. That involves Treasury, the Fed, the SEC and the CFTC -- the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. At a sub-ministerial level, a sub-cabinet level those guys talk every day, so there are sort of normal communications between them. As far as the President's working group, the general practice is for them to meet at least once a month; they quite often do so more frequently. But the President is not doing a sit down today with economic advisors.

The sit-downs that he's done in the past -- again, yesterday he called Hank Paulson, the Treasury Secretary, and said, how do you read what's going on. I will allow that conversation to remain confidential between the two. But Hank Paulson is not only the top economic policy-making official in this administration, but somebody who has long and considerable experience with China, as well. So the President wanted to get his opinion on it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know if he's talked to him today or not. It looks as if markets have rebounded -- at least the Chinese market today. And who knows what's going to happen? Again, I don't want to try from the podium to make a guess about how the Dow Jones Industrial Average will -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Actually, if you take a look, there's a follow-on story on that and I think Chairman Greenspan has questioned that characterization. If you take a look, Ben Bernanke today, the new Fed Chairman, was on the Hill, and repeated basically what I said, which is the fundamentals look very strong. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I think Mr. Greenspan characterizes what -- that assessment of what he said. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, I've got a domestic question, but I wanted to just follow up on one thing on the Iran story. You gave a real quick response a couple minutes ago and you said something about a meeting on the sidelines. Are you ruling out any sidebar-type meetings with them at all? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes. I mean, again, let me -- that is barring action on things that we've said to both you need to do. If between now and the 10th of March, the Iranians suspended reprocessing and enrichment, then you'd have a different ballpark. If the Syrians had changed their attitude toward Hamas and Hezbollah, okay, then -- you see what I mean. So there are a number -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

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

MR. SNOW: Well, I don't want to get into trying to assess. The President led the charge to get $100 billion appropriated by the Congress. And that money has been put together in grant packages so that state and local officials, who should have the most expertise in where the money ought best to be used and how best to use it, it goes to them. They have to fulfill certain requirements in order to have that money available. But there are still billions unspent available.

As I did note, there seems to have been a very significant increase in activity in terms of housing loans being granted in New Orleans just within the last few weeks. But I think rather than grading it, the most important thing is the President wants to see progress on all fronts -- reconstruction, and also dealing with social services.

You know, it's important to have law and order and good schools, and one of the things he's going to do tomorrow is visit a charter school. As you may recall, Peter, when he went to Wall Street, he had a talk about income differences, the income gap. And one of the things he pointed out is that there is a significant earnings difference, on the average, based on people's educational attainment levels. He feels very strongly about that -- that's one of the hallmarks of No Child Left Behind -- and insistence not merely that people get diplomas, but the diplomas mean something, that people get an education. And when he is in the region tomorrow, he will be looking at economic reconstruction efforts, but he also will be looking at education, which is a key part. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, I'm going to leave that -- I will direct that to people who are more directly involved. You can talk to Don Powell, or you can refer it to state and local officials, because frankly, there's a lot of controversy down there and people are busy swapping charges. The most important thing is, work it out and get help to the people. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know. I know we put together some numbers about a week ago. We can get those for you, because we do have an update. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Dispense or available -- although a significant amount has, in fact, been dispensed at this point. We do have numbers on that. We'll get them to you. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, I don't. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: You mean between the two? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No. Again, I think what the President -- we're taking a look at what's going on, and what we do see is a strong global economy with strong fundamentals, and the importance is to build on those fundamentals. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Look, again, these guys consult every day, so I'm sure that there were conversations among members of the working group. I don't -- I can't tell you whether the principals had a conference call or anything to that extent. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, on the New Zealand announcement -- go Kiwi -- it's been ages since the New Zealand Prime Minister has been invited here. Does this mean the U.S. can resume an allied relationship with New Zealand, despite the nuclear and the environmental policies? And will President Bush hold a lunch, or a dinner, or a press conference with her? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not going to -- I mean, at this juncture I daresay we haven't finished scheduling things. So when it comes to dinner or luncheon, bowling on the lawn, we don't have that stuff. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, I've read to you what I have, and that's all I have. I have these sentences that are on this here sheet of paper and no more. But we will endeavor to get you more. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, as far as bombing in Afghanistan was concerned, yesterday Taliban claimed responsibility, that Vice President was the target. And my question is that was there any -- they were trying to give any message to the leader or to U.S., or also if there is any plan of expanding NATO or -- any other countries are joining as far as more forces are concerned in Afghanistan? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q On China, has the President has been briefed? Because in recent days Vice President Cheney and also Dr. Rice and also congressional leaders on the Hill, they are worried about the Chinese threat, the emerging threat. And recently the Vice President also spoke about this. This week, during the hearings on the Hill they were worried about the Chinese building up -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: It's not -- you know what? "In hindsight," I'm just not going to play the "hindsight" game. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, but he wasn't. It's hard to argue that somebody who has put on a push to spend $110 billion on a problem, as ever downgrading it; who gets very regular briefings on it as downgrading it; and somebody who has people report to him directly as downgrading it.

We understand that somebody can take a non-mention in a speech and try to use it for their own political purposes. But the fact is that the President is committed and he's done it. I mean, $110 billion, it speaks for itself. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Whoa. Is that separate questions? (Laughter.) Read more Comment (0), Email this.

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

MR. SNOW: To the extent -- again, this is done because the Iraqi government -- the Iraqi government has been involved in a number of activities like this. I mentioned before the Iraq Compact. That is economic outreach. It involves the neighbors and it involves a neighborhood. And, in fact, the Iranians and Syrians were part of that, along with the United States. So this is certainly not unprecedented.

And to the extent that the Baker-Hamilton commission had said that they wanted to see vigorous regional involvement, yes, sure. But this is not done so that the Iranians could say, okay, check, we got Baker-Hamilton satisfied. They're doing it because it's the right thing to do and it's good for them. And they've done it on the economic front. It's important to continue on the security and political fronts. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Don't know for sure. But it's certainly something -- again, we have not discouraged it. They've been discussing it for some time. It's been mentioned any number of times from here. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q The reason why I ask is because Congressman Elijah Cummings, who was part of the CBC meeting, as well as a member of the Armed Services Committee, he said when the CBC met with President Bush, President Bush said, let's let the surge work, and then we will implement Baker-Hamilton. And my question is, is this considered part of what he said -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm going to be truthful, but I'm going to be truthful and indirect, for the following reason: We do not comment directly on behind-the-scenes confidential meetings with members of Congress. So let me tell you why the President -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Let me tell you why the President, on a number of occasions, has said he would like to get to Baker-Hamilton. That is the way he has phrased it in any number of occasions.

When he talks about getting to Baker-Hamilton, what he's really talking about is what he calls the over-the-horizon presence, where the Iraqis are able to provide basic police and military support and stability for provinces and at the city level, so that the United States forces can back away from those areas and engage primarily in support and border enforcement -- border integrity activities.

And the President has always said that -- well, not always, but he has said frequently, that he thought that at this juncture -- a year ago, he and most of his military advisors thought we would be at "the Baker Hamilton point" right now. But obviously, sectarian violence flared up, and we are not at that point.

So when he talks about trying to get to Baker-Hamilton, that's what he's discussing. He's not talking about the particulars about whether you have direct negotiations with Iran and Syria, or whether Iraq has -- none of that. He's talking about the overall emphasis of Baker-Hamilton, which is a U.S. presence that is lighter, and that has succeeded in the task of enabling the Iraqis to build that capacity to take care of their own basic police work and security operations, and also that they've made the political deals that are necessary for long-term stability, and you've begun to get economic growth so that the United States can get back -- again, use the term of art -- over the horizon, deal with some border security issues, and eventually bring its folks home. So that's what he was referring to. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Disparities of what sort? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: That's a function of state or local government, at the state and local governments. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q When is this administration going to stop saying it's a function of the local and state, and finally say, look, let's work this out, to help, because people are still out of their homes, people are still wanting to go home. When do you say when? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, I think the number is now in the thousands in New Orleans, and rising rapidly. Double-check with Don Powell, but the numbers are changing. We certainly think it's important and imperative -- when you have, again, billions of dollars unspent that could be used for housing and to reconstruction in New Orleans, it's important to get that money in the pipeline, so the people who do want to get their homes rebuilt, and people who do either want to live in New Orleans or return to New Orleans get the help that Congress has appropriated for them.

Paula. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Well, another aspect of revitalization in a Katrina-hit area is insurance. There's a congressional hearing today on that. To what extent, or is the President at all planning to address this issue, as far as the affordability of insurance, or even availability of insurance in this area now? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I think what happens is a lot of times when you have a disaster, you do have, in fact -- look, a lot of times you've got to take a look at the ways states and localities handle insurance issues. That also tends to be one where you have differing rules and regulations. But I think, Paula, it is a lot more complicated than simply saying that it is a federal problem. It has many layers. And that's why I am wary of trying to give you an answer that has not been fully researched and thought out. We will do some homework, but I think you deserve better than having me try to make it up. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: The President supports the military policy. We will see what happens if Congress comes up with something. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not aware that he did. But I will send mine. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, I don't. But that was very clever. That was a good one. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Front row disagrees. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

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

MR. SNOW: No, I think what you've had is a period of time where, for one thing, you had an Iraqi government that really first started forming up last May, and they've had a series of challenges. They have already had an Iraq Compact meeting in September at the United Nations. I can't tell you about the precise timing, but what you have seen is an Iraqi government that is getting more and more deeply involved in some of the preconditions that people think are necessary -- much more vigorous security operations and revamped security operations in Baghdad and Anbar. You have the announcement now of the framework oil law. There is continuing conversations about political reform, deBaathification reform, election reform, and so on. So I don't want to guess exactly why, but they're doing it, and we think it's a good thing. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know, but we've had conversations about it, and we certainly encourage them in trying to do this sort of thing. But, again, Iraq has got a sovereign government. We talk about a lot of stuff with them. But certainly, we are very happy that this is going to take place. We think it's a positive step. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Thanks, Tony. If security is going to be the main issue on the agenda of this regional conference, and if the United States still sees Iran and Syria as part of the problem, not a solution, why do you believe the United States should be present at this meeting, with the exclusion of any bilateral meetings? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: But again, the -- what? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: We're not defending their interests. They asked us to participate. And we said, if they asked us to participate, we would. Are you suggesting that we say, now, we don't want to? I mean, I think it's an important sign of our respect and support for this government that we are going to attend the conference. And the follow-up conference, you have G8 countries, too.

Look, the Iraqi challenge, obviously, you've got folks in the neighborhood, but also Iraq is trying to develop capacity politically, diplomatically, economically. Doesn't do that by itself, and it does need interaction and support from a wide variety of nations. We've seen it with the Iraq Compact on the investment side. And you want to make sure what they build is strong and vigorous a capacity on the diplomatic side as possible, as well. They invited us and we're coming. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

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

MR. SNOW: I don't know. I refer it to DOD. I think at this point people are still investigating what happened, so we don't have a firm answer for you. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, rather than making presumptions about the proximity of the Vice President -- it is a large facility; I really think it's probably, again, better to let people do the forensics on it, figure out what's going on, they can render judgments later. I've got no comment on it right now. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't think so. They had a busy morning. The Vice President is on the plane. Typically, what happens is the Vice President comes in, and he'll do an exhaustive debrief with the President, and frankly, nobody else. And the way he works is he shares his counsel with the President, nobody else, so I'm sure he will do that at great length when he gets back. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know. I don't know. The fact is the Vice President was committed to having a visit with President Karzai, and he was -- they had a delay due to weather in being able to get together. He certainly wasn't going to leave before he finished doing his business. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not sure it says anything. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Because you've got an isolated attack. As we've often said about acts of terror, an individual who wants to commit an act of violence or kill him or herself, very difficult to stop. But I'm not sure that you can draw larger conclusions about any organization based on an incident such as this. And in this case, we have a claim of responsibility, but I'm not sure, as I said in answer to Terry's question, that we have a full picture of precisely what took place. I think it will take a while before we get that picture. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, I really -- I know you guys want to fill in the gaps in this and put it in a larger context. I'm afraid it's going to have to wait until people really do have a chance to take a look at the full picture. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: He was told by staff this morning. And his reaction is, he first inquired about making sure the Vice President was okay, and he was reassured by that. And obviously he'll continue to get intel about what happened. But at this juncture, especially in the first minutes and hours after an event like this, it takes a little while to figure out precisely what took place. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, the Vice President was over in the region, and part of the trip was, in fact, to consult with both the leaders, not only in anticipation of a spring offensive, but also working more closely together on the war on terror. They have issues where they need to be working together, and the Vice President had productive conversations with both. Beyond that, can't go into a whole lot of detail. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: It was the President's idea. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

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

MR. SNOW: As a matter of fact, it's pretty clear that a lot of the narrative has been to try to say that the Vice President was coming to sort of do a slam-down or something on President Musharraf. That's not true, and that was confirmed by a senior administration official earlier today.

I think the important thing is that here you have two committed allies in the war on terror. There have been more al Qaeda killed in Pakistan than anywhere else. That is a problem for the President -- President Musharraf. He understands it. He has taken significant action. And, obviously, we need to continue improving the ability both of the Pakistanis and the Afghans to go after terrorist elements.

But this is -- it's very important to do this in the proper spirit, which is working together. There is no doubt that President Musharraf knows that it's important and wants to be dealing effectively with al Qaeda, and these are conversations about not only doing that, but understanding that when it comes to the war on terror in that particular region, you really have three parties involved -- you have the United States, you have the Pakistanis, and you have the Afghans, and it all works together. The Pakistanis and Afghans certainly have a shared interest in al Qaeda and the Taliban and also what happens in those border areas. And the Vice President, quite properly, was talking about ways forward with all parties. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: It's too early to tell. Taliban has taken some -- apparently the Taliban has taken some credit, but I think you just have to let investigators sift through it and find out what they can. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'll let you direct any questions to him. It's a vital relationship, and this -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No. No. But it is -- these are tough issues. These are very tough issues, and you have to work through them together. So, no, I would not apply that label to it. There's certainly not -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Why don't you ask him? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: And when he said -- and when you asked him why he said it, he said what? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, again, I think -- we certainly believe that the Pakistanis are fully committed, and they have made that point publicly, before and after the Vice President's visit there. And the Vice President, again, I think it's safe to say, had a productive set of conversations with President Musharraf. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't think I've repeated it. I think what I've tried to say is, you've got a war on terror, and it is very important to consult as extensively as possible with important allies. Now, we are getting to a period where every year you've got a spring offensive in that part of the world -- it's about time for that -- and this is a very good time to start looking ahead and working with all parties to try to use it as another opportunity to strike back at the Taliban and al Qaeda, and to continue efforts to disable them, and to allow the democratic government of Afghanistan to become stronger economically, diplomatically, and in terms of its security. So that remains a real area of emphasis for all parties involved. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, can I just follow up? I just want to give you the verbatim, since you asked. He says, "It's going through a rough time." And I say, "What's going through a rough time?" He said, "The relationship between this country and my country, because I hear so many voices that you're not doing enough." ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I'm telling you that our view is that Pakistan is an essential ally who we're continuing to work with. And we're working to support them because both parties understand how vital it is not only to fight the Taliban, but al Qaeda. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I know, but he's asking me to respond to something for which I do not know the full context. I'm giving you what I can.

A couple more. We'll stay on this topic, and then we'll go to Iraq. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not sure -- again, it's -- I don't think -- Peter, I don't know. It's an interesting -- again, the Vice President was there to consult with allies in the war on terror. Now, to the extent that there are elements within the war on terror that depend on isolated acts of violence that are designed to kill indiscriminately and attract worldwide media attention, I suppose it is reflective of that. But on the other hand, you also do have organized elements of Taliban and al Qaeda that one needs to deal with. So I don't know exactly how you -- I don't even know a good metric for figuring out precisely how that fits into the equation. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, perhaps, again, everybody is leaping to conclusions -- and I can see how you would do it. I'm just being more cautious, because at this point we don't have a whole lot of detail on the whys and wherefores of what took place today. Having said that, it is clear that you've got the Taliban attempting to assert itself. Let me remind you that when it did so last year, NATO forces -- we went through this when we were talking in the briefing room about it, because they were trying to test NATO forces, and the NATO forces were very successful in inflicting real damage on the Taliban. So there's a lot of talk right now emanating from some of those circles, but the fact is that the allies are getting ready, and they're going to fight successfully against them. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: The President went to a war zone too, to meet with Prime Minister Maliki. The point is that we have sent the Secretary of State into a war zone. We've sent a number of people into a war zone. We continue to send officials -- congressional delegations go there on a regular basis. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: The President asked him. I don't know if the President sat down with a face book full of people, and said, hmm, Cheney -- the fact is that the Vice President is a key and valued advisor to the President, and furthermore, he is somebody who always gives his honest assessments of what's going on, and gives them to the President and to no one else. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, it would have meant not having the session with the Prime Minister -- I mean, with the President. Again, you had a weather problem yesterday that prohibited the trip, and he was determined to make the trip. As far as logistics on that, you're going to have to refer to Air Force Two or to the Vice President's office when they return. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, this morning President, at the State Department, had again strong message against terror for the Taliban and al Qaeda, speaking on the global war on terrorism during the swearing-in ceremony for Deputy Secretary of State. You think, as far as this bombing is concerned, because Vice President had a strong message in the area against -- for Taliban and al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, you think that that maybe prompted -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know, and even if I did, it wouldn't be appropriate to share any kind of intelligence conclusions. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: You're really talking what amounts to a police investigation of a crime incident. I don't think that's -- what you're doing, April, is comparing apples and oranges with intelligence estimates and a crime scene investigation. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, it's pretty clear it was a terrorist. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. We just have to find out what people can discover.

Ed, I jumped past you. Did you have -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Okay, is everybody -- okay, we've got a few more on this. Go ahead. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I quarrel with -- you said, if Pakistan is unwilling or unable to do more. I think the Pakistanis have indicated that they want to do more and they are going to do more. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, we do -- again, the United States understands that Pakistan is a sovereign government, and you work with that sovereign government to be helpful. And we will certainly do that. But on the other hand, so we'll do what we can to assist the Pakistanis, and I'll leave it at that. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Does the President feel the debate in Washington about withdrawing troops from Iraq affects the standing of Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, and his willingness to give -- take a tough stance against the Taliban and the tribes that -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, these are meetings that are being put together -- first you have a sub-ministerial meeting that's going to take place at the first half of next month. And we are -- first, we're happy that the government of Iraq is taking this step and engaging its neighbors. And we also hope and expect that Iran and Syria will play constructive roles in those talks.

But this is one where the agenda is being set up by the government of Iraq, and the conditions especially for bilateral conversations with the Iranians are pretty clear. The P5 plus one have put together a series of offers to the Iranian government, and it knows that if it takes certain steps, then conversations will follow.

But in this particular case, what we're really talking about is a series of meetings -- first a sub-ministerial-level meeting, probably followed up at some later juncture, we think, by a minister-level meeting that we hope is going to be a constructive and regional effort to try to help the democratic government of Iraq. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Thanks, Tony. Republicans have been saying that John Murtha's plan, restrictions on war funding, is a slow-bleed strategy. Murtha responded in the Wall Street Journal today saying, "It's not me that bleeds the troops; it's the President who's bleeding the military by over-deploying them." Pretty heavy charge, and I wanted to give you a chance to respond. ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q When you say the military is still nimble now -- how does that square with what General Pace said in his report to Congress, this new report, where he basically says there is an increased risk to the United States now, essentially because the military is stretched thin? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, it's -- this gets you into part of the jargon. What happens is that if you also ask the commanders, when the time comes for deployment will you have readiness, and the answer is, yes. A lot of that has to do with whether the equipment is here or in theater -- the equipment is in theater for the most part -- no reason to sort of take stuff out and then put it back in. We're also in the process of seeking funding to continue to improve and replenish equipment. So the really important question is, do you send any forces into battle that are not fully ready, and the answer is, no. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Thanks, Tony. On international broadcasting -- does President Bush approve of the major language cuts? Cutbacks proposed on Voice of America Radio, Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, at a time the U.S. is working hard to spread its message across the world, their total international broadcasting bill is under $1 billion for the year. ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Okay, I'm sorry, I did not see that one. That came today? Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Oh, okay. Well, I was in North Carolina at the time, I apologize. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes. But, I mean, if you're responding to a budget -- something that's in the federal budget, he certainly supports the budget that he presented to Congress. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I understand. You're trying to engage me in a debate about this, and I'll get some information. You can ask me at a subsequent briefing.

Les. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, thank you. Two questions. The President is well-known to be a devout Christian, so I presume he will not evade the question -- how does he feel about the Titanic director's claim of discovering the allegedly permanent burial site of the Gospel-reported resurrected Christ, together with alleged Jesus, wife and son? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Okay. Second: Last night, CNN featured the President of the White House Correspondents Association saying of Helen Thomas, "We love her and will take care of her." But CNN also reported that in order to accommodate one more network on row one, Helen, our senior-to-all colleague, is to be relegated to row two when we move back into the White House press room. And my question: Assuming that CNN is accurate, how can you allow this dean of our corps, senior veteran and undeniably colorful character -- (laughter) -- to be back-seated, as has been done to her at presidential press conferences? And what does this say about Bush-Snow treatment of senior citizens who wonder how you and the President would allow networks such ageist favoritism over a veteran? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MS. THOMAS: I don't need to be defended, thank you very much. MR. SNOW: I'm afraid you need to confront Steve Scully in the hallway. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, thank you. Let's -- okay, let's -- yes. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm sure that we obviously -- I don't know anything about the event, but the obvious answer is that we always pray for somebody's health and safety. But, no, I don't have anything for you. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No. Again, the six-party talks have laid out the series of steps. One of the working groups has to do with U.S.-North Korean bilateral relations, but I am unaware of any imminent establishment of diplomatic relations. That is something the parties are going to have to work out at the table.

Paula. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q On global warming. Five western states yesterday announced a regional carbon trading system they plan to support, and you have a growing number of energy trade associations and the energy industry itself calling for mandatory limits, in the absence of federal legislation. Does the White House support the states and private sector doing this on their own? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q May I just ask one follow-up? You talk about economic impact, but several members of the energy industry who want to have -- to influence policy in this area have said mandatory limits are inevitable, and they want to weigh in, basically for business opportunity. ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Thanks, Tony. I have a Syria question, if I may. The Syrian ambassador was summoned to the State Department a couple of weeks ago for talks with -- officials there about the issue of Iraqi refugees in Syria and elsewhere in the region. The position that the Syrians are taking on this is that they're not interested -- this is the by-product of U.S. policy in the region -- they're not interested in talking about the by-product, they're interested in talking about the policy itself towards Syria and the role that Syria may play in Iraq. How anxious are you, at this particular point in the game, to talk to the Syrians about bilateral relations -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm only going to give you the general boilerplate answer, because that is the kind of diplomatic question that is best posed and answered in conversations between senior diplomats. But we want them to play a constructive role. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, we've already said. The United States has been invited -- we've always said if we are to be invited, we will attend. Again, the first will be at a sub-ministerial level, but we do intend to attend. And if there is a follow-up, the same would be the case, again, if the Iraqis invited us. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I don't want to -- that would certainly be one description. I'm not exactly sure how they're going to define it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes, it's a regional conference. It's designed, again, to work on issues of mutual interest, which would be security, economics. The Iraqis, themselves, will be putting together the agenda, but economics, trade, security relations, all of those -- diplomatic relations -- all of those are going to fit under the umbrella -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I suspect refugees also would be part of it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Good afternoon. We open with a bit of good news: The Iraqi Council of Ministers had passed -- or has approved the hydrocarbon law, which will be passed on to the Council of Representatives at sometime in the near future. The Prime Minister has given his benediction to it, as well.

And with that, we'll have questions. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, actually, what I said, too, is that the precise nature of his comments and the tenor of comments to the President would be the sort of things that would be confidential. What I feel comfortable in doing is reiterating again what the Vice President -- I guess that's redundant -- reiterating that the Vice President on his trip to Pakistan is doing what Secretary Gates did, and what we typically do, which is to talk with the Pakistanis about the best way of working forward in the war on terror; going after al Qaeda; supporting them as they deal with provinces -- as the President said, some of them are worse than the Wild West, very difficult situations. We know the Taliban is trying to gear up for a spring offensive, and we intend to be working with the Pakistanis to become increasingly effective at dealing with those threats. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'd frame it in a different way, he is doing -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, I'm not sure how exactly one would -- the question, "keeping commitments," it is not something where he lays out goals and timetables, but he is committed, in fact, to trying to defeat al Qaeda. And there have been a number of efforts, and they're still working on them, to deal with this in a variety of ways. Number one, you obviously have the intelligence/military piece, where you are going after targets. Number two, you also have the matter of economic development in some of the provincial areas, and there have been attempts to deal with tribal leaders on that. There is also increasingly close cooperation on the intelligence front between the Afghans and the Pakistanis. There are the relations between the governments and working in a coordinated fashion, especially in trying to stop cross-border incursions from terrorists.

So all of those things are ongoing. And, again, those would be the typical subjects that the Vice President would discuss, and I'm sure that they went into some detail about the ways in which they intend to move forward.

David. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, results matter, as The Times indicated quoting a senior administration official anonymously today. And the bottom line is this administration is only letting Musharraf know that he could lose a very sizeable foreign aid package because he's not producing. True? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q If Musharraf -- and this is kind of well out on the table -- I mean, there's political difficulties dealing with this part of the border region, this lawlessness -- the President describes it as the "Wild West." There's been a deal that Musharraf made with some of the tribal leaders there. Why doesn't the United States military, in concert with its allies, if it thinks that al Qaeda is reconstituting, take direct military action? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q But why -- I'm sorry, just one more. Why dance around so much on this issue when you're certainly not doing anything to knock down the idea that this administration, this White House, is sending a tough message to the Musharraf government today, correct? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, I think -- Jim, you act as if -- a question like that seems to presume that everything is predictable; you do a certain amount of things, and you'll get a predictable result. You're dealing with an unpredictable enemy. President Musharraf certainly has been responding to a changing threat and to changing conditions, and we are going to support him on that. Do we -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, the question -- I'm sorry, then I'll let you go back at me. I think the appropriate question is, is he doing what he can, is he committed to winning? The answer is, yes. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: The President -- as long as you have terrorists at large in the world, the President is not going to be satisfied. And I daresay President Musharraf is not satisfied. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: What you're trying to do -- I'm not going to answer a question -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q I have a very simple question; there's no trick question to this. The Vice President was in Pakistan, he was meeting with President Musharraf. There are media reports that he was saying, expressing the administration's dissatisfaction with the way that President Musharraf has conducted incursions or overseen the border regions. Is that the message that the Vice President was delivering? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, no, quite often you guys will ask us, are you satisfied with X, Y, and Z, and we talk about how we're working with them. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, because what you're speculating about is congressional action. I'm not going to talk about that. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, I'm not going to speculate about that, nor am I going to talk about the tone, tenor, or precise content of what the Vice President had to say to President Musharraf. When you engage in conversations with sovereign heads of state in situations like that, you do it on a confidential basis, knowing that you're going to be able to have the benefit of full honesty, and at the same time, you're going to be more constructive in working together. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, you seem to make a differentiation between what Musharraf is doing in going after al Qaeda and the Taliban. Do you think he has done more in going after the al Qaeda than he has in going after Taliban? Which is more difficult -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, it is. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q You keep saying this to me. I know you love to kind of blow me off by saying that, but you said it. I didn't say it; you said he's going after al Qaeda. Going after Taliban is a much more difficult problem for Musharraf, given the political situation there. ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not going to get into Pakistani domestic politics. It is essential to go after both. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I'm not going to get into missions, nor am I going to get into intelligence assessments. I can't. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Hard to say. This is something that still falls into that -- one understands the logic; it does not appear at this point that -- again, I don't want to -- let me -- I am going to tiptoe -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: That I'm going to finish that sentence. (Laughter.)

I think if you take a look at it, there's sound logic to what the President is trying to do, which is to figure out a way to work with tribal leaders to create economic opportunity, because they're -- again, as you have in many places, a lot of the difficulty you have is that terrorists tend to exploit lack of economic opportunity, hardship, their infrastructure problems -- there are a whole series of things that one needs to deal with. And he and President Karzai are both trying to figure out a way to work forward on that.

But it's also clear that you still have levels of activity there that are unacceptable, and you need to continue working on that. I think it's maybe a little too early to give a report card on the working with the tribal leaders.

Helen. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, he's visiting a number of important allies. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: He's having conversations. He's had conversations with Prime Minister Howard; he has spoken with President Musharraf; he had a stop in Oman. I mean, these are things that you do. A Vice President is somebody who, serving as the President's designee and representative, is speaking with important allies in the war on terror. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, he's traveling this week. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, if he does, it is not one that -- he will deliver it to them. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No. I mean -- and I'm not being glib about this -- what I'm telling you is the general message is, yes, we support you and we want to help you in the war on terror. But a lot of times the desire is for very long readouts of the candid conversations the Vice President may have with other leaders, and we do not give those out and other administrations do not give those out. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: What we're telling them is we're supporting them in the war on terror, and we look forward to working with them in each and every way possible to be more effective in going after those who are trying to contribute to a global terror network that is determined not only to destroy democracy in that region, but also wants to come here. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, this was an unannounced and sudden visit by the Vice President after Secretary of Defense Gates was also there. And the message was clear, the same message, but I think the President frustrated because after six years, billions of dollars has been given and President trusted the military government of General Musharraf to fight and support war against terrorism -- ongoing war on terrorism. And so far, there has been, as I've been saying for the last number of years, that revolving door in Pakistan by the military government because at night they support the al Qaeda, and during the day they claim to support the United States. So far, they have arrested only the innocent -- I mean, just common people from the streets and put them in jail. But not the al Qaeda -- ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Let me stop for a second, because this is -- the President has referred to this in the past. People will make an allegation like this. The answer is, do you know where they are, because President Musharraf has said, you help me find where they are, I'll go after them. President Musharraf has demonstrated the willingness to go after leaders of the Taliban and al Qaeda, and there have been a number of operations within Pakistan.

Again, he of all people certainly understands the dangers and the menace these people pose. So while it is certainly not unprecedented for people to make accusations to him, he has made the point that if somebody has actionable intelligence, pass it on and he'll act on it. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Just to follow that, yesterday, the highest U.S. military official (inaudible), he was speaking at the Rotary Club, Army General Peter Schoomaker. And he said that, do we want to catch Osama bin Laden? And if we do, what will we do with him? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Well, that's a new one. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, I just -- I'll let Pete -- you'll have to ask Pete Schoomaker about the remark. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Tony, can you explain again how the 2002 congressional authorization for war in Iraq, how is it still operable, as the White House said on Friday, when major portions talk about weapons of mass destruction, and the title of the resolution even says, "War Against Iraq," and now we're working with Iraq? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Because it has been clear -- I don't want to lean too far forward on this. A number of people who have sponsored changes or amendments have said they want to do this in order to have the ability, themselves, as members of Congress, to manage ongoing military operations. Senator Levin yesterday said on, "Meet the Press," that part of it was to, "tie the President's hands." We think that's inappropriate. Also, we do think that what everybody ought to do is go ahead and support General Petraeus, who all the members -- no member of the Senate voted against, because he says he needs the ability to move forward.

Now what it appears -- and, again, correct me if I'm wrong -- I have not heard anybody say that they want to amend the resolution so nothing will change. Instead, amending that language seems to be a device by which members of Congress, themselves, would try to get involved in micro-managing the activities of military officials. Now what happens is, they think they're tying the President's hands, but as a former military guy, you know that the people whose hands end up being tied are the folks who are in the theater of battle themselves.

One of the keys to the President's new way forward is to make sure that we have flexibility in forces. We're not only reinforcing forces on a new kind of mission with new rules of engagement, but also realize and recognize the need for flexibility in moving around and dealing with shifting challenges. If one is busy trying to parse a congressional resolution, rather than knowing that a general does, in fact, have full command and doesn't have to worry about being second-guessed from Washington, it makes a big difference. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Here's what he was talking about: What he said was that in certain parts of the south in Iraq, you have now the ability to transfer primarily security operations to Iraqi forces. The combat footprint of the Brits is the same as it was, they still have the same combat capabilities. But they have been able to move out a number of people who have been involved in stationary guarding activities, and allow the Iraqis to stand up and take responsibility for some of those.

That has always been the aim on both sides, is to figure out ways to build greater capability on the part of the Iraqi fighting forces, and to hand it over to them. It is also important to note, as the Prime Minister and others have said, that this does not mean that the Brits are, in fact, slackening in their commitment to contributing to security. As a matter of fact, they talked, among other things, about the ability to remain flexible even in some of those places where the Iraqis are now engaged in guard activities. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Yes. What he was saying was that the al Qaeda strategy has been to use acts of violence as a way to weaken will in the United States and to move out short of having success. Now I think the question -- really what the Vice President was merely doing was reiterating what's in the National Intelligence Estimate, and also the Baker-Hamilton commission.

I would guide you to the section there where it talks about precipitant withdrawal, which is not three to six months, but 12 to 18 months. That was regarded as the kind of thing that would create a power vacuum that would unleash incredible sectarian violence, could lead to much greater bloodshed than we now see in Iraq, would create levels of instability that not only would create opportunity for terrorists, but also for Iran and others, and therefore would be unacceptable. What the Vice President merely was reiterating is the consensus view of the intelligence community and of the Baker-Hamilton commission. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Do you see a contradiction at all in the fact that when the Brits pull out, it's a success on the ground, that's why they're pulling out; when the Democrats call for U.S. troop pullout, it's, well, the job is not finished, they want to help al Qaeda. ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, but on the other hand, what you have seen is the Brits also being helpful in Afghanistan, and other partners who have been in Iraq -- for instance, the Danes. They had some of the presence that also is going to be moved out in some of those guard positions. They're actually moving more forces into Afghanistan than they're withdrawing from Iraq.

So you've got to keep in mind, it is a global war on terror, and people continue to use assets and to deploy assets in theaters of battle outside Iraq. So if you narrow your focus simply to Iraq, you lose sight of the fact that these nations are making sincere, significant and continuing contributions in a number of theaters. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q Can I just follow one point about the Vice President's comments, because the President said again today he's not questioning the patriotism of those who disagree. But isn't it disingenuous to go out there and say that when you've got a Vice President saying that the Democrats are basically validating al Qaeda strategy? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, actually, it's a little surprising that -- number one, the President has made it clear that he doesn't impugn patriotism. What he impugned was an idea, a bad idea. And if in taking on a bad idea, somehow you suddenly get accused of being the bad guy, that's not a way of having an open debate, that's a way of shutting off debate and saying, we don't want to talk about this.

The fact is you do have to talk about what the consequences would be, David, if the United States -- that United States Congress -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q But you argue this point as if there's no other consequence. In other words, you guys -- you -- the Vice President makes it seem as if there's only one alternative. And Democrats say, wait a minute, this is a failed strategy and they keep asserting what the alternative is, but they've made faulty claims before. So what I'm getting at is, this administration has consistently equated critics with supporting terrorists, even after they said they weren't going to do that anymore. ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, what you've just done is you've twisted it, and this, I think, is what some of the President's critics have also done. We're trying to be very careful here. Just because we disagree with you does not mean we don't think you're patriotic. Just because we think that an idea may have bad consequences and adverse consequences for American security, it does not mean that the people who are trying to come up with those ideas do not have the noblest of motives.

We think the ideas have bad consequences. And, furthermore, in this case -- again, I refer you back to the National Intelligence Estimate, and also the Baker-Hamilton commission, which came to precisely the same conclusion. This was framed in a way that was not designed to be ugly to Nancy Pelosi or anybody else -- and I must say that the personal insults tend to flow in the direction of the President and not from the President. We do not believe engaging in mud slinging and name calling toward other -- to people on either side of the aisle.

But it is important to understand, David, that as part of the robust debate about what happens, you do have to be honest about what you think the consequences of the other people's ideas are. And that's what the Vice President was doing, and I think I've pointed out a number of times now that it certainly has pretty distinguished support, both from the intelligence community and Baker-Hamilton.

Peter. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: That's -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Peter that -- again, I'm not going to get into operational details, and anything like that would obviously be something that would have to be done with the consent, cooperation of another government, of a sovereign state. But I just -- I'm not going to talk about operational details. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: Again, I'm not -- that's -- I'm not going to get into that. That involves matters of intelligence and operations that I'm just not free to comment on.

Les. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: -- pay taxes on them? I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. (Laughter.) Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q "Clinton Fights to Keep Impeachment Taboo: Campaigns Know to Expect Swift Reprisals for any Hint of the Scandal." And my question -- first question -- does the President believe that if any Republican candidate were to agree to such censorship of important American history, that the bulk of American voters would not be outraged? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

Q All right. Certainly. The (APPLAUSE.) quotes Governor Mitt Romney in Merrimack, New Hampshire as saying that he, "relishes the furious infighting that has consumed Senators Clinton and Obama," and "It's great, isn't it? I love to see it when it happens on the other side." How can we interpret a refusal by you to comment as anything other than the President's sharing Governor Romney's expressed delight? ... Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: No, we're just -- we're not commenting on the Democratic race. Period. We're not commenting on comments about the Democratic race. We're not commenting on comments about comments about comments on the Democratic race. We're not even talking -- commenting on Republican comments about the Democratic race. Read more Comment (0), Email this.

MR. SNOW: I didn't say that. I just said at this -- Read more Comment (0), Email this.