Delighted and Glad

Q Scott, I’m delighted to be called today by you.

MR. McCLELLAN: I’m delighted to call on you.

Q Okay, thank you. I’m a Chinese correspondent. My question is, Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian yesterday said that he is considering to abolish guidelines for national unification, and abolish the national unification council. So what’s your comment and views on his speech?

MR. McCLELLAN: I haven’t seen those comments. I think we’ve made our views known on those issues in the past, and I don’t think anything has changed in terms of our view. You might want to check with the State Department to see if they have any additional information.

Glad to call on you, too, John. (Laughter.)

Q And I’m glad that you did call on me, Scott. Thank you very much.

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Two Decades Back

Q Scott, a two-part. The Washington Post has published history professor emeritus Lewis Gould’s critique of the State of the Union speech as, in his words, “nothing but theater, meaningless annual ritual, continuous campaigning, a gaudy spectacle of ballyhoo and hype.” And my question: Since this professor emeritus is from the University of Texas in Austin, was he one of your teachers? (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: I don’t believe so.

Q Why aren’t the — you don’t believe so?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don’t recall him being one of my teachers. I don’t know if he was even there — when was that, 20 years ago, almost 20 years?

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Kicking in the Gutter?

Q You said the President is going to continue doing what he’s doing in terms of elevating the tone in Washington. So to whom, exactly, is he referring?

MR. McCLELLAN: To elevating the tone?

Q Yes.

MR. McCLELLAN: All of us. Both parties, to work together to get things done for the American people.

Q So everybody is kicking in the gutter, except him? (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: No, that’s not what he said. That’s what you said.

Q But he doesn’t need to elevate his tone, so are there some who don’t need to elevate their tone?

MR. McCLELLAN: He’s going to continue to. I think we’ve seen that — and it’s one of the things he’s talked about, Victoria. Maybe it’s a surprise to you, but this town has become pretty bitter over the course of the last several years, not just when this President has been in office, but even before that. And this President, when he — go back to his days as governor; he was able to reach out and work with Democrats and Republicans, alike, to get things done, and he was hoping we could have made more progress to elevate the tone in this city. But it requires both parties reaching out to one another.

The President has reached out. It requires others to reach back. And there are many people here in this town that would like to see that happen, many leaders that would like to see that happen. Unfortunately, the focus sometimes is too much on the partisan attacks and the bitter, negative tone. The President is going to continue to say, even though it’s an election year, we’ve got to work together and elevate the tone and get things done.

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You Done?

Q You done?

Q Yes, go ahead.

Q Nothing else?

Q Well, if I do, I’ll interrupt. (Laughter.)

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Yodel

Q Can I also ask you, on Senator Kerry’s comments, what is your reaction to the filibuster call by Senator Kerry, on Judge Alito?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: On his call yesterday? It was a pretty historic day. This was the first time ever that a Senator has called for a filibuster from the slopes of Davos, Switzerland. I think even for a Senator, it takes some pretty serious yodeling to call for a filibuster from a five-star ski resort in the Swiss Alps. (Laughter.)

Q But you know he’s not there skiing.

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I didn’t ask you to yodel. I can hear you. (Laughter.)

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Next Question

Q Can I ask you about the Middle East?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Go ahead, next question? (Laughter.)

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Not here

Q You often talk about bringing people to justice here. Does the President think that –

MR. McCLELLAN: Not here.

Q Pardon me?

MR. McCLELLAN: Not here. (Laughter.)

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Got it. Get it.

Q I just want to button up Martha’s point on domestic spying. You mentioned General Hayden — well, General Hayden made it clear that this kind of surveillance has been going on under his authority, because he had the authority to do that. The difference is that on the domestic side, whoever was on, say, that telephone call was identified as person one or person two, and the information about that individual domestically was never shared throughout the government. With the President’s authorization after 9/11, that changed, and then you began more specifically monitoring people domestically who were in contact with somebody overseas. So how can you say that that’s not domestic? How can you say that that’s not a fundamental shift from what was occurring before?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: It’s an early warning system. It’s not aimed at long-term monitoring, like the FISA court was set up to do for a different enemy in a different time period when we were in the Cold War, remember. This was set up as an early warning system to detect and prevent attacks. So you’re talking about for a shorter period of time. Its one purpose is to detect and prevent attacks.

Q That’s totally off point. You’re challenging the notion of domestic spying, when the truth of the matter is that heretofore the person domestically that was being surveilled was never identified, was never tracked in any real fashion. That changed when the President –

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me ask you this. Is an international communication overseas by an al Qaeda member coming into the United States, that is monitored overseas, is that a domestic communication?

Q Well, first of all, I ask the questions, I don’t answer them. Number two –

MR. McCLELLAN: I’m sure you don’t want to answer that question.

Q No, because I’m not in the business of setting the rules on this.

MR. McCLELLAN: That’s a very simple question. I can put it right back to you.

Q I’m a reporter, I’m not responsible for authorizing these things. You speak for the President –

MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, okay.

Q — so that’s why I ask the questions.

MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, you don’t want to answer that question. Got it. (Laughter.)

Q Isn’t it a fundamental shift in the program that adds a domestic component to it? Why are you –

MR. McCLELLAN: It’s international communications. And I gave you a very clear example of international phone calls. We’re talking about international communications. So I think I answered that question.

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Why the Disconnect?

Q. Scott, you came out touting good economic statistics again, which have been good for the most part of the past year. Yet when we poll the American people, they seem to think that the economy is getting worse, not better. Why is there a disconnect?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: I think you spend too much time on polls. No. (Laughter.)

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Abramoff Photos

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Well, I did do a check, and I indicated to you exactly what I just told you. I indicated to you that there were a few staff-level meetings that [Jack Abramoff] attended at least — he attended two holiday receptions, in 2001 and 2002. There are some 400 to 500 people at each of those gatherings. And of course there’s a photo line at those holiday receptions. The President has participated in tens upon thousands of photo lines or pictures in photo lines over the course of the last five years. He’s taken pictures with many of you…

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Super Bowl Ring

Q I have a one-part question. This is slightly unrelated, but important to a certain segment of Americans. What is the President doing to recover Robert Kraft’s Super Bowl ring from the Russians? (Laughter.)

SCOTT McCLELLAN: I saw a report about that. I don’t know all the details behind it. So I think I’ll leave it between the Russians and Mr. Kraft.

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Go Figure

Q I mean, where is this coming from? You’ve got two of the most high-profile Democrats saying these things; what do you think they’re up to?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Well, I think we know one tends to like or enjoy grabbing headlines. The other one sounds like that the political season may be starting early.

Q So you think Gore is going to run again; is that — (laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: I’ll let you figure that one out. (Laughter.)

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Time’s Up

Q I have a two-part. Since the state of Florida has held ownership of the Florida Keys Flagler Bridge since 1935, South Florida’s congressional delegation and Miami’s mayor and Florida’s governor are wondering why 15 refugees from Cuba who landed at that bridge were sent back to Cuba. And my question: Since Ramon Sanchez of the Democracy Movement is into his 11th day of a hunger strike in protest, when will the President announce a review of this policy?

(Phone rings.)

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Time is up on your question. (Laughter.)

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Friendly Friday the 13th

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Happy Friday the 13th. (Laughter.) Friendly Friday the 13th. (Laughter.)

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Bring It On

Q Can you describe the area of New Orleans where we’re going for this roundtable? What part of the city and how is it –

SCOTT McCLELLAN: I don’t have more on that right now, but we can get you that when we get there.

Q Is it one of the very distressed areas? Is it in the 9th Ward?

MR. McCLELLAN: We’ll get you that when we get there. You’ll be there, so we can get you more information when we get there.

Q We’ll know where we are when we get there.

MR. McCLELLAN: I’ll get you that information. I didn’t bring it with me, Elisabeth. (Laughter.) That’s what I’m telling you.

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