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Q. Ari, the House has changed the menus to freedom fries on Air Force One as freedom toast. There are now some Republicans on Capitol Hill, about 60, who want to step that up a level and cancel a Marine contract worth almost $1 billion dollars with the Marines. And I’m wondering, as the head of the Republican party, what does the President think about these Republicans who want to do that?
ARI FLEISCHER: It’s not something I really have heard the President dwell on. I have heard people, particularly some of those who wear these type of shirts wonder whether you call it a freedom cuff shirt or not. I don’t know how people are addressing that. (Laughter.)
Q. But what about stepping it up — I understand you like to make jokes, but what about people stepping it up to –
MR. FLEISCHER: It’s just not — the President has a little, a few other things on his mind that he is focused on.
Q. So does he think it’s silly, since he won’t say it’s silly about the questions of timing?
MR. FLEISCHER: I haven’t talked to the President about it. I can’t address it.
Q. Who made the decision on Air Force One, Ari?
MR. FLEISCHER: Just like I said on the airplane, we’re always proud of the men and women of our Air Force.
Q. Someone in the Air Force?
MR. FLEISCHER: We’re always proud.
Q. Not the Commander-in-Chief, but the Air Force?
MR. FLEISCHER: As I said he’s got other things that he’s focused on — he has other things he’s focused on. Thank you for thinking that he is involved in the menu selection for the press corps in the back of the plane, though.

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Q. Now that the war seems that it may take longer than originally planned, has the United States — is it well positioned regarding oil deliveries and oil supplies?
ARI FLEISCHER: Again, you said it may take longer than originally planned. How long was the original plan supposed to last?
Q. Good question. Would you let us know?
MR. FLEISCHER: See, that’s my point. (Laughter.) This is the premise of the questions, and it’s not something that, as the President said, was knowable. The plan will go on for what the plan’s duration will be.

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ARI FLEISCHER: There’s that magic formulation again, “longer than most people expected several weeks ago.” I don’t know who those people are and what their predictions were a couple weeks ago.
Q. Vice President Cheney for starters. I mean, the weeks, not months statement.
MR. FLEISCHER: And you can say after one week that that’s wrong? I don’t know that you can say that. My point –
Q. All I am doing is reflecting what corporate leaders are saying. Okay? This is their perception.
MR. FLEISCHER: But it is the formulation of the question. I wanted to draw attention to that.
Q. This is their perception based –
MR. FLEISCHER: I understand. But since we don’t deal with perceptions, I thought it was important –
Q. You don’t? (Laughter.)
MR. FLEISCHER: No. I do my best, Bill, to bring it back to reality.

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ARI FLEISCHER: …There will be a news conference at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow at Camp David with Prime Minister Blair. And there will be no red-eye tomorrow as a result — no red-eye, no gaggle, no briefing tomorrow, as a result of events up at Camp David. You’ll instead be wined and dined and entertained by the summit-level news conference of the President and the Prime Minister.
Let the transcript show, open parenthesis, some mild levels of laughter, closed parenthesis. (Some mild levels of laughter.)

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Q. Yes, why was the French toast named Freedom toast? (Laughter.)
Q. Is that a White House decision?
ARI FLEISCHER: I’m not a Hobbit, so I didn’t have a second breakfast. I had my breakfast before I came in. Is that what it said?
Q. Yes.
MR. FLEISCHER: It said Freedom toast?
Q. Yes.
Q. Was that at the administration request, or was that –
MR. FLEISCHER: I just — we’re always proud of the men and women of our Air Force. (Laughter.)

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Q. So you think that his prediction could still pan out that the Iraqis wouldn’t fight?
ARI FLEISCHER: I assure you, the Vice President does not say things lightly. So when the Vice President says something like that, he has good reason to say it and to think it and, therefore, to say it.

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ARI FLEISCHER: …Dana. Lester, we’re going to save you for last.
Q. For last?
MR. FLEISCHER: For last. Or close to it; maybe penultimate. Dana.

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Q. Let me follow up on that, because given — given your precise preparation for a question like that, it seems to me –
ARI FLEISCHER: You’re easy to read, David. (Laughter.)
Q. I guess so. Well maybe that — then maybe that means that there’s some level of defensiveness, that perhaps the President is worried that the American public may be less patient than he advised them to be. Is that the case?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I just anticipate your questions well.
Q. Wait a second, Ari. This is wartime. That’s a dodge of the question.
MR. FLEISCHER: You’re asking me why am I prepared to answer your questions?
Q. No, that’s not what I asked you. I asked you, does he feel that the public did not adequately bring up its expectation for what we are facing.
MR. FLEISCHER: No, and as I answered your question at the very beginning, I said that the American people, in the President’s judgment, have been well-prepared for this. And the American people understood — as the President repeatedly, going back to September 12th at the United Nations, talked about the possibility of the use of force.

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Q. Do you know for certain that Ivanov spoke before you spoke this morning on this issue?
ARI FLEISCHER: I do. I saw it on the wire before I spoke this morning. In fact, the wire said, speaking before the White House spokesman spoke, the Russian Foreign Minister spoke. (Laughter.)

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Q. Just to be clear, you’re saying, certainly the President has not watched any of the footage of the prisoners of war or of the dead Americans. He has not seen any of that himself?
ARI FLEISCHER: Well, of course, the American media made a decision not to show that footage. I understand even Al Jazeera, after initially showing it, decided not to show it any longer. And so the President was not able to see that. There have been some freeze-frames of it, of course, and I’m not in a position to tell you whether he did or did not see that. As I walked you through last week, the President will from time to time watch some TV. But I do not play TV Guide with the President and ask him everything he watches.

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ARI FLEISCHER: Finley.
Q. Wait a minute, wait a minute.
MR. FLEISCHER: Finley. Lester, we’re going to keep moving.
Q. I have a follow-up.
MR. FLEISCHER: That’s not a follow-up. You have a different question.
Q. No, it’s on the same subject, Ari.
MR. FLEISCHER: You promise, Lester?
Q. I promise.
MR. FLEISCHER: It would be a first.
Q. The President himself said the United Nations Security Council has not lived up to its responsibilities, so we will rise to ours. And my question: Why does the President believe we should pay nearly $1 billion a year to what he recognized as irresponsible, rather than to the cost of our — rising to our responsibilities?
MR. FLEISCHER: Lester, that wasn’t a follow-up, it was a repeat. (Laughter.)

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Q. Ari, do you read anything into the Iraqi response thus far to the attack? I mean, they fired a couple of scuds and apparently set fire to a couple of oil wells.
ARI FLEISCHER: I think that’s a question best addressed to military analysts. I see any large number of them on TV. (Laughter.) I think that’s not a question that I can answer for you.
Q. But you see, when we quote those analysts, you usually criticize us for not going to the people who know. (Laughter.)
MR. FLEISCHER: On this case, I refer you to the Pentagon. (Laughter.)

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Q. On the orange alert, as you know, Ari, we had a pro-war protester down on the mall for almost 24 hours. He disrupted two rush-hour travel sequences. My question is, are you — is the White House confident that Washington does have adequate escape plans if there is a reason to get out of town?
ARI FLEISCHER: Well I’m — I really don’t see the connection between the incident on the Mall and escape plans.
Q. With traffic blocked –
Q. You weren’t on 95. (Laughter.)
Q. That’s right. A major artery between Virginia and Washington was blocked during two key rush-hour periods by a single person. So the connection I’m trying to make is, if we have — thank God this was a disruption of commerce, but if we have a threat to human life, are you convinced that based on what –
MR. FLEISCHER: I think the President believes that every step has been taken, is being taken, and continues to be taken to constantly improve on all efforts to provide for homeland security. Clearly, depending on the type of incident, the type of terrorist attack, if there were one to be involved, judgments would be made about what plans to put into place and what actions to take. I can’t speak about every hypothetical and I can’t speak about all instances involving traffic. But clearly, the nation has improved it’s efforts since September 11th.
And I think, suffice it to say, as we enter into what may be a considerable period of time in dealing with terrorism, improvements will constantly be made, will always be looked at, and this is an endeavor that will go on.

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Q. Okay. One more thing. Your problem — I hate to beat dead horse, but with Daschle’s comments, is that –
ARI FLEISCHER: That’s no way to refer to him. (Laughter.)

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ARI FLEISCHER: And, of course, I was asked several days ago about whether or not the President would be open to extending the deadline 30 to 45 days — now you could say that’s 26 to 41 days. If it was a non-starter then, it’s a non-starter now.
Q. Wait, wait, wait. You said 30 days was a non-starter. Now you’re saying that 24 –
MR. FLEISCHER: Four weeks, obviously, is 28 days. Four days ago I was asked about 30 days. That makes it 26. No, that’s a non-starter.
Q. How about three weeks? (Laughter.)
MR. FLEISCHER: Are you negotiating for someone? (Laughter.)
Q. Can we talk? (Laughter.)

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