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SCOTT McCLELLAN: …The President had his usual briefings this morning. He then cleared some brush and I would expect that about now he’s probably having lunch.

Q. When will the brush be cleared? (Laughter.) Scott, is there an end to this? (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: It’s ongoing, it is ongoing, David; it is ongoing. (Laughter.)

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Q. And second one is that if again, if I ask him who would be the man of the year, you think President Bush deserves to be the man of the year?

ARI FLEISCHER: Whose man of the year would this be? Would this be your man of the year? Whose man of the year are you referring to?

Q. For the rest of the globe, rest of the world.

MR. FLEISCHER: The global man of the year?

Q. Yes.

MR. FLEISCHER: I’m afraid that’s not a judgment I’m quite qualified to make. (Laughter.)

Q. For me, he deserves to be the man of the year –

MR. FLEISCHER: I think you can only judge if he’s man of the year for you. I hope he is. He’s my man of the year, I can report that to you.

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ARI FLEISCHER: Well, the discussions in the White House are focused on the upcoming policy agenda of the Congress. And all I can tell you is, as you know, the White House pays no attention to polls. But I will cite a couple of polls that the White House just saw. And those, of course, are media polls that show that the President’s job approval remains at extraordinarily high levels from all Americans.

Q. A question about –

MR. FLEISCHER: I indicated we do not pay attention to the information I just cited. (Laughter.)

Q. Thank you for explaining the modalities. (Laughter.)

MR. FLEISCHER: Don’t forget the lacunae.

Q. Always remember the lacuna.

Q. Isn’t that a coat?

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Q. Has he pardoned or commuted anything thus far in his administration?

ARI FLEISCHER: He has not — other than two turkeys.

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ARI FLEISCHER: I’m sorry, a lot of dissatisfaction? From whom?

Q. There’s been several questions –

MR. FLEISCHER: We haven’t left this room. How do you measure whether there’s dissatisfaction — (laughter.)

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Q. Now, Super Bowl playoff picks.

ARI FLEISCHER: Miami. (Laughter.)

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ARI FLEISCHER: I’m not sure I understand you. Does the President have anything to do with Bob Johnson?

Q. Yes — no, did he talk to Trent Lott, saying, you know, Bob Johnson would be a good person for you to talk to, he has a –

MR. FLEISCHER: I have no idea.

Q. What are the President’s thoughts about Bob Johnson? Because they apparently have a nice, cordial relationship according to –

MR. FLEISCHER: The President thought he was a very able commissioner on the Social Security Commission and welcomed his support in working on ways to help younger workers have opportunities in Social Security in the future.

Q. But I’m talking about Bob Johnson as a black man who I guess would be –

MR. FLEISCHER: April, the President renders his judgment on people based on who they are and what they do and their service to the country. And that’s the context in which the President registered his thoughts about Mr. Johnson.

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Q. You said that it’s not your job, not the staff’s job to speak as strongly as the President. You’re the press secretary. Are we not supposed to take your words as the President’s words when we can’t speak to him. Or are we to assume that the President feels more strongly about everything than you say from the podium? You are the President’s voice in this room, and you say it’s not — yet it’s not your job to speak as strongly as the President?

ARI FLEISCHER: John, you have obviously misinterpreted what I said, just as, for example, when I was asked a question about the President and small pox, it’s not my place to speak right before the President and indicate to you with every word that the President may indicate. That’s the President’s role to do.

Q. This is two days before the President spoke, is the comment Ron was asking you about. You said you delivered the President’s initial reaction, and he said it wasn’t as strong as the President’s.

MR. FLEISCHER: I think the President’s words speak for themselves, and I think you all heard them, loud and clear.

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Q. On an entirely unrelated subject, your old home town is faced with a transit strike next week –

ARI FLEISCHER: Pound Ridge?

Q. You know what I mean. I think of you as, you know, Bronx. Maybe that’s a mistake, but that’s how I think of you. You know, Bernie Williams’ home town, for example.

MR. FLEISCHER: Yes. I think he lives in Northern Jersey now, but –

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Q. Why is the President appointing convicted criminals, like Elliott Abrams, to policy positions at the White House?

ARI FLEISCHER: Russell, you asked that question last week about somebody else. You asked it about somebody else. I dispute the premise of your question.

Q. I have a second question.

MR. FLEISCHER: I dispute the premise of your second question. (Laughter.)

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Q. And did the President ask either of them to stay?

ARI FLEISCHER: Answer is the same as when Suzanne [Malveaux] asked it.

Q. The administration has told a number of news organizations that the President asked for the resignations. So is there someone in the administration who is putting out bad information? We need to know for news reporting purposes.

MR. FLEISCHER: Yes, that’s a very clever way of asking Suzanne’s question parlayed off of Keith’s question into a new bank shot. The answer remains the same.

Q. Why don’t you answer it then?

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Q. Let me do my follow-up, if I may. The follow-up, if I want to go back to the Pentagon alive, I’ve got to ask you this question. The Army-Navy game is tomorrow. The President went last year, he’s not going this year. The question is, which side does the Commander-in-Chief favor?

ARI FLEISCHER: The President tomorrow will very strongly cheer for Middlebury.

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Q. Where does [the administration] find these great men? Where? Every one from the Iran-Contra scandal has been named to this administration. (Laughter.)

ARI FLEISCHER: Helen, tomorrow I announce your appointment. (Laughter.)

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Q. If I could switch topics temporarily, I assume — what does the President think these days of the idea of ending the so-called double taxation on dividends?

ARI FLEISCHER: The President is reviewing and continues to take a look at the economic data that comes out on a regular basis. And if he has anything further to announce about any policy, whether it’s that one or anything else on the economic horizon, he’ll indicate it. I’m not going to presume to start going down the line, potential announcement by potential announcement or something that may not be in a potential announcement –

Q. But does he like the idea?

MR. FLEISCHER: I don’t know how to answer that without giving you any indications that — if I say to you, he likes it, you’ll say, will he do it. If I say, well, he likes it, but he won’t do it, you’ll say, well, why wouldn’t he do it if he likes it. (Laughter.) So I prefer just to let the President explain his likes and dislikes.

Q. You figured out my strategy. (Laughter.)

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