Malaria Awareness Day, African Dance and Drums PODCAST VIDEO

President and Mrs. Bush Discuss Malaria Awareness Day FULL STREAMING VIDEO, Rose Garden Malaria Awareness Day, 2007 and President's Malaria Initiative 1:10 P.M. EDT. PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE

MRS. BUSH: Welcome, everyone, to the White House. Thank you very much for being a part of this Malaria Awareness Day.

Today, citizens around the world are making a historic commitment to end malaria. In European capitals, parliaments are debating how their governments can help. In Ontario, Canadians are commemorating their first World Malaria Day by raising money for bed nets for Uganda. Across the continent of Africa, people are teaching their families, friends, and neighbors how to protect themselves from this deadly disease.

Here in the United States, concerned citizens are spreading the word about our moral obligation to defeat malaria. This disease claims more than a million lives every year. It devastates people living with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women, babies and children. Somewhere in Africa, a mother loses her baby to malaria every 30 seconds.

The American people, through their government, are working to end this epidemic. In 2005, President Bush announced the President's Malaria Initiative -- a five-year, $1.2 billion program to combat malaria in the hardest-hit African nations. So far, the initiative has distributed life-saving medicines, insecticide sprays, and mosquito nets to millions of Africans.

The initiative calls on developed countries, private foundations, religious institutions, volunteer groups, and individual citizens to reduce the suffering and death caused by malaria. The good news is that there's something simple and inexpensive that all of us can do to help. One of the best protections against malaria is a long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed net. Only a fraction of African homes have the mosquito net they need, but any individual who can raise $10 can buy a bed net, and save a life.

Throughout our country, caring citizens are answering this call to help. In sports leagues, in Boys and Girls Clubs, and in church groups, Americans are raising money for mosquito nets. And they're raising awareness about malaria. In school, children are learning about the disease, and what they can do to defeat it. This morning, I visited the Friendship Public Charter School here in Washington, where first graders and I read Nets are Nice. Nets are Nice is a picture book that teaches American children what they can do for children in Africa.

Later, fifth grade students and government officials teamed up to play Malaria Jeopardy. Turns out our Malaria Coordinator, Admiral Ziemer, is a pretty tough competitor. (Laughter.) Inside the gym, the fifth graders had a hoops-shooting contest. For every basket the students made, the NBA and the WNBA's "Nothing But Nets" program donated a bed net to Africa. The kids did so well, "Nothing But Nets" is announcing a contribution of $5,000 dollars to purchase 500 bed nets in Africa. And we have a few of those players here with us today. Where are they? Do you all mind standing up? Thanks so much for being a part of it. (Applause.) Thanks, you all, and thanks to the NBA and the WNBA.

These events encourage kids to reach out to children in Africa, and they instill in our next generation America's compassion for people in need.

Today, I'm delighted to announce a new project. With the Global Business Coalition, the American people -- through the Malaria Initiative, and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- will provide half-a-million bed nets to the nation of Zambia. (Applause.)

President Bush announced Zambia as a PMI focus country in December, at the White House Summit on Malaria. In Zambia -- a country of 10 million people -- there are roughly 4 million documented cases of malaria every year. Adding to the crisis is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. More than a million Zambian adults and children are living with HIV -- which means their immune systems are more susceptible to malaria. Malaria kills 50,000 Zambians every year.

Through the new partnership we're announcing today, mosquito nets will be distributed to Zambia's most vulnerable households. With help from the RAPIDS Consortium, they'll reach about 1 million young children, pregnant mothers, and people infected with HIV -- almost 10 percent of Zambia's population. These nets will help mothers sleep soundly at night, knowing that their babies are safe. They'll help people with HIV live positively. And they'll give a country devastated by malaria the promise of good health and renewed hope. Thank you to everyone here who's made this partnership possible.

This summer, I'll visit Zambia to observe the net distribution. And I'm looking forward to traveling throughout Africa, to meet people who are working to overcome malaria and other obstacles to development. On my past trips to Africa, I've heard tragic stories about the human toll of diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS. But I've also been inspired by the men and women who've told me these stories -- men and women who are determined to secure opportunity, prosperity, and good health for their children.

The American people are proud to stand with them. Our country believes that every life, in every land, has value and dignity. And on this first Malaria Awareness Day, we look to the millions of lives threatened by this disease, and we reaffirm our commitment to saving them.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your work to help defeat malaria. Now I'd like to introduce someone else I know who's determined to end this epidemic: Ladies and gentlemen, my husband, President George W. Bush. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for coming. Welcome to the White House. The Rose Garden has witnessed many historic events. This afternoon we gather to mark something completely new, the first ever Malaria Awareness Day in the United States, and I'm glad you're here to join us. (Applause.)

On Malaria Awareness Day, we focus our attention on all who suffer from this terrible disease -- especially the millions on the continent of Africa. We remember the millions more who died from this entirely preventable and treatable disease. As a compassionate nation, we are called to spread awareness about malaria -- and we're called to act. That's what compassionate people do. When they see a problem, they act. And that's what we're here to talk about. On this special day, we renew our commitment to lead the world toward an urgent goal, and that is to turn the tide against malaria in Africa, and around the globe.

I want to thank Laura for being my wife -- (laughter) -- and taking the lead on this. (Applause.) Mr. Secretary, thank you for joining us. Mike Leavitt, the Department of Health and Human Services. Ambassador Randy Tobias. He now runs USAID. Prior to this job, he led America's monumental effort to confront and deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the continent of Africa. Thank you for your leadership. Karen P., it's good to see you. Ambassador Hughes is with us.

Admiral Ziemer. So if you want to solve a problem, you put a problem solver in charge. And that's what Admiral Ziemer does. He's a problem solver. It makes it easier for me, when I say to other nations -- like with President Lula. He came to visit at Camp David. We were trying to figure out ways we could work together to show our hemisphere and the world that Brazil and the United States shares a compassion about people. And so I said, why don't we work together to eradicate malaria in parts of Africa? Call Ziemer. (Laughter.) He'll see to it that the strategy gets implemented. To show that we're a serious nation, we have named a coordinator, somebody in charge. It's important for me and Laura to know that a good man is handling this responsibility to implementing a strategy. Appreciate what you're doing. I know you know that we take this initiative seriously.

Mr. Chairman, Donald Payne, thank you for coming. We're proud you're here. I respect you, and I respect your concern for the people of Africa, and to make sure that the United States of America stays engaged in that continent in a constructive way. It's good to see Chris Smith. Thank you for coming, Chris. We're proud you're here.

I appreciate very much the fact that the World Bank is taking the lead in eradicating poverty in places like Africa, and Paul Wolfowitz, thank you for your leadership of the World Bank. And I appreciate the fact that Ann Veneman is joining us, the Executive Director of UNICEF, which is the largest purchaser of bed nets in the world. These people are here because they're committed to joining us to solve a problem that can be solved.

I also thank other members of my administration here. Thank you for coming and thank you for your interest. I want to thank the members of the diplomatic corps for joining us. I appreciate you coming. I see ambassadors from countries that will be helped by this initiative, and I see ambassadors from countries that we expect to join us in this initiative.

I'm looking forward to -- Mr. Ambassador, to talking to Prime Minister Abe about what Japan can do with the United States to solve this problem. I'm honored you're here. I'm looking forward to seeing the Prime Minister tomorrow evening for dinner. I thank our dance company that will be joining us in a minute. I know you're going to look forward to seeing them; so am I. So I'm warming up out here. (Laughter.) I thank our domestic and international partners. I see so many people who are -- who care about the lives of others, and are willing to do something about it. And I really appreciate you all coming.

As we mark this first Malaria Awareness Day, it makes sense to begin with some facts. Every year, more than a million people die of malaria -- and the vast majority of them are children under five years old. It's a sad statistic. In some countries, malaria takes even more lives than HIV/AIDS. Malaria imposes a crippling economic burden in sub-Saharan Africa, where so many are struggling to lift their families out of poverty.

All of that may seem like a cause for despair. But it's not. The world knows exactly what it takes to treat and prevent malaria. We've seen this disease defeated before, right here in Washington.

I'm sure a lot of citizens don't remember this fact, but about a century ago malaria was a serious problem. The hot and humid summers created a dangerous breeding ground for mosquitoes, and Congress would often flee the capital for months at a time. Other than that, the consequences were all negative. (Laughter.) Some foreign ambassadors to the United States are even reported to have received hardship pay for duties here in Washington. Yet, through the years, because of patient and persistent action, malaria was almost entirely eradicated in Washington and throughout the United States.

In other words, we've solved this problem before. And the fundamental question is, do we have the will to do the same thing on another continent? That's really the question that faces this country and other nations around the world. My commitment is, you bet we have the will. And we've got a strategy to do so.

Defeating malaria is going to be a challenge, but it's not going to require a miracle. That's what I'm here to tell you. It's going to require a smart and sustained campaign.

And so what does that mean? Well, first, it means distributing insecticide-treated bed nets; secondly, expanding indoor insecticide spraying; thirdly, providing anti-malaria medicine to pregnant women, and delivering cutting-edge drugs to people living with the disease. Those are the four steps necessary to achieve our objective.

Thanks to our leadership in science and technology, we have a unique ability to help in all these areas. We have a responsibility to turn that ability into action. When America sees suffering and know that our nation -- when Americans see suffering and know that our nation can help stop it, they expect our government to respond. Most Americans believe in this timeless truth: To whom much is given, much is required, and I believe in that, as well.

We have a strategic interest in reducing death and disease in emerging nations of Africa. Societies with healthy and prosperous people are more likely to be sources of stability and peace, not breeding grounds for extremists and terror. It's in our strategic interests that we follow through on our pledges.

I launched the President's Malaria Initiative in 2005. Through this initiative, as Laura mentioned, we're spending $1.2 billion over five years to provide bed nets and indoor spraying and anti-malaria medicine in 15 heavily effected African countries. We're working toward a historic goal to cut the number of malaria-related deaths in country by half. The Admiral has got a goal. It's a measurable goal.

The key element to this initiative is accountability. It's a realistic agenda with a measurable goal. And today is a good day to report to the American people on the impact their dollars are having. During the first year of our initiative, we expanded malaria protection in more than 6 million Africans. We're still early in the second year, but so far we've reached another 5 million people, and by the end of 2007, we expect to reach a total of 30 million. Admiral, you're doing good work, and the American people deserve a lot of credit for supporting you.

A good effort of our -- of this strategy comes from the Zanzibar islands off the east coast of Tanzania. This area was once a hotbed for malaria infection. Then with the support of our malaria initiative, local residents launched a campaign called "Kataa Malaria," which is Swahili for "Reject Malaria." Workers went door to door to teach people how to use beds -- how to use bed nets. They launched TV and radio ads. They spoke in mosques about malaria prevention and treatment, and the efforts worked.

One Zanzibar island reported that malaria cases during the first nine months of last year dropped by a stunning 87 percent. Another example comes from Senegal on the west coast of Africa. In one village, malaria kills half of all the children before the age of five. Imagine growing up in a village like that, imagine being a mom in a village like that.

Not long ago, it looked like a two-year-old fellow named Demba Balde was going to be one of the unlucky children. His mother took him to the village health hut, which receives funding from our malaria initiative. And thanks to enhanced awareness, correct diagnosis and prompt treatment, young Demba won his battle with malaria.

Every life matters to the American people. Every life is precious. Stories like these are cause for hope, and they would not be possible without the courage and commitment of our partners in Africa. This week, nations across Africa are marking their own Malaria Awareness Days. In Angola, the Ministry of Health is helping to lead a "Caravan for Life" in which health workers travel the countryside in trucks loaded with bed nets and medicines and educational materials.

In Benin, almost a million dollars worth of bed nets and medicines is being distributed at an event in the capital city.

In Mozambique, local residents attended a soccer tournament that featured songs and skits on how to prevent malaria.

We're committed to helping our African partners build on these efforts, and so I want to share with you two new endeavors. First, America will expand our cooperation with the government of Uganda, and the non-profit group Malaria No More, to distribute more than a half-a-million bed nets in Uganda. We're going to focus this distribution on children and pregnant mothers in areas of the country with the greatest vulnerability. And when we're finished with this effort, half of all the households in Uganda will own a bed net to protect against malaria.

The second new commitment is Madagascar. There, we will team up with Malaria No More and the American Red Cross to distribute bed nets to nearly 1.4 million children under the age of five. This delivery campaign will include polio vaccines to promote good overall health for children across the island. We're attacking this problem one spot at a time with a comprehensive strategy.

These efforts are a good start, but on this Malaria Awareness Day, we've got to understand, it's just a start, and there's a lot of work to be done. Nations around this world have a role to play. At the G8, I'm going to raise this issue with our partners around the table. I'm going to remind them, to whom much is given, much is required, and that the United States will lead, and we expect others to follow side-by-side. (Applause.)

Private citizens and organizations have an important role to play. Last December, as Laura mentioned, we held the White House Summit on Malaria to urge more non-profit groups and corporations and individuals to join the effort to wipe out this disease. The response has been encouraging. We're seeing inspiring acts of selflessness from what I've called America's armies of compassion.

There's an interesting development taking place tonight. If you happen to tune into "American Idol," you will see the first ever "Idol Gives Back" campaign. This campaign will urge viewers to donate to a variety of charities, including groups devoted to fighting malaria. For all you "Idol" viewers, join this battle, join the cause to help save lives. I'm not so sure I'm going to watch it tonight, but this show does have a large group of viewers, and I really appreciate the producers for joining us.

Major League Soccer is running a promotional campaign that encourages fans to make a donation to cover the cost of bed nets for a family in Africa. College students on more than 50 campuses are holding "Music to End Malaria" events to generate awareness and raise funds. The Magnum Photos agency has launched a photo narrative that depicts the devastating toll of malaria. Awareness is a part of solving the problem.

You don't have to be a part of an organization to make a difference. In an elementary school in Parkersburg, West Virginia, 63 children raised enough money to buy 15 bed nets. This past Christmas, our family -- some of our family gathered in Camp David, and my brother gave us bed nets as a Christmas gift. You can do the same thing here in America. You can make an individual contribution to save somebody's life.

I want to tell you what this third grader explained -- why he contributed to the program. He said, "I want to fight malaria because it's helpful, and I want to help kids in Africa because it's the right thing to do." And it is the right thing to do. And that's why we're gathered here in the Rose Garden, to commit this nation to doing the right thing, and to call upon citizens in this country to do the right thing.

America is a country that gives medicine to the sick and food to the hungry and protection to the threatened, because it's the right thing to do. Malaria Awareness Day is a chance for me to thank all Americans who have donated to this cause, and urge others to do the same. It's a day to call on nations around the world to join us in a great humanitarian effort. And it's a day to remind our fellow citizens that when you help somebody live a life, it strengthens our soul and enhances our spirit.

Thanks for coming, and God bless. (Applause.)

END 1:34 P.M. EDT. For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, April 25, 2007

Technorati Tags: President George W. Bush and Laura Bush or Malaria Awareness Day and White House, or Kankouran West African Dance Company and Africa or HIV+AIDS, or Zambia and USAID,, or UNICEF,

White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 04/25/07 VIDEO

Press Briefing by Dana Perino, White House Conference Center Briefing Room, FULL STREAMING VIDEO, Dana M. Perino Biography, 12:10 P.M. EDT. MS. PERINO: Good afternoon. I have no opening statements, I'll just go straight to questions. Terry.

Q The House Judiciary Committee took another step today in its investigation of the firing of the eight U.S. attorneys. They voted to grant immunity to Monica Goodling, the former aide to Attorney General Gonzales. Does the White House think that's a good strategy?

MS. PERINO: That's up to the committee; it's not something we're going to comment on.

Q But you don't object to them trying to force her testimony through an immunity --

MS. PERINO: I'm going to let the committee make those decisions for themselves; I'm not going to comment on it from here.

Is that it? (Laughter.) I shut that train down. (Laughter.)

Helen.

Q Is the President still going to veto anything from the Hill that sets a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, despite the belief of the public that we should pull out?

MS. PERINO: I think that -- let me try to unpack that. The President has said that if the Democrats decide to insist on sending him a bill that includes a deadline for withdrawal, that he will veto the bill. And I understand that there are many people who are in this country that are frustrated with the war. I do think that you have to be a little bit careful in blanketing everybody that they want to pull out quickly from Iraq and with an arbitrary deadline or a rash decision, and leave that vacuum that we believe is going to be left there, if we leave that quickly.

Q Well, if the majority of people really wanted to pull out, would the President pull out? And what kind of a statistic do you have that they don't want to?

MS. PERINO: As the President has said many times before, he does not make decisions based on polls. He understands as Commander --

Q Did he make decisions based on what the American people want?

MS. PERINO: He makes decisions based as the elected President of the United States and the Commander-in-Chief and his main priority is the protection of the American people, and that's what he --

Q How do you protect the soldiers who are over there dying every day?

MS. PERINO: That is the President's gravest concern, and he talks to the commanders on the ground to make sure that they are protected and that they are doing their jobs. He understands that he has asked them to do a very, very difficult mission. It's very dangerous in Baghdad. We do have a new Baghdad security plan that's underway, being led by General David Petraeus, who is up on the Hill today providing an update to the Congress on the status of that Baghdad security plan.

Q But a hundred people are dying in Iraq every day.

MS. PERINO: It's a very tragic situation. I don't know if that number is accurate, but obviously it's not only our troops that are dying, but very many -- too great of numbers of innocent men, women, and children in Iraq, as well.

Go ahead, Kelly.

Q Can the President say both that he does not question the patriotism of Democrats, but their actions aid the enemy?

MS. PERINO: I think that I want to take a little bit more time to talk about this based on our discussion this morning, because the President's policies are held up to intense scrutiny by the media, and by Democrats, and by everyone around the world, and we welcome that. And I think that when the President and his team and other Republicans try to hold the Democrat's policies up to that same standard of scrutiny, that immediately, the Democrats play the patriotism card.

And I'm sorry, but I don't think that there's anyone in this White House who has actually done that, nor have we have engaged in name calling. Yesterday, Senator Reid called the Vice President a dog, after saying he would not engage in name calling. And I think that let's all take a step back, and if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to have a debate, then we should have a debate, and we should be able to debate on the substance and on the merits of what we're talking about.

Q Speaking of name calling, Congressman Emanuel had a pretty lengthy speech today in which he said that not since the days of Watergate has partisan politics infiltrated every level of our federal government. I know you've seen the prepared remarks, what's the response?

MS. PERINO: Look, I think that there's an interesting messenger today giving a speech at the Brookings Institute. It's one that you would consider reading in the National Enquirer rather than at a prestigious American think tank like the Brookings Institute. And I think what we have going on here is that the 100-hour congressional agenda is faltering, and in that vacuum, that they've decided to fall back on what is a tried and true tactic of theirs, which is creating grand conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact.

Q On another topic --

Q Are you accusing Brookings of that?

MS. PERINO: No, no, someone is giving a speech there today.

Q On another topic --

MS. PERINO: I just called it a prestigious think tank. Go ahead, you had a follow up.

Q Sara Taylor, is she protected under the same protections given to Karl Rove and Harriet Miers -- would you -- as far as letting her testify with Congress?

MS. PERINO: She would be, but I do think that what we should remember is that we offered to the Senate Judiciary Committee and House Judiciary Committee the opportunity to interview White House officials, in addition to getting documents -- email documents that had come into or out of the White House, and that we would consider adding additional names to that if they wanted to take us up on that offer.

Martha.

Q The President said on Charlie Rose last night that he hoped when a new President took over that there would be fewer troops in Iraq. Why is that not a draw-down timetable? Why is that not telling the enemy something?

MS. PERINO: I think that he said "fewer" and it doesn't mean everybody is leaving, it's not telling them a date on which we are going to start withdrawing. I think that in the bills that are up on Capitol Hill right now, there's one that says you have to start withdrawing on July 1st, and another that says October 1st; it's one of those two dates. And I think what the President is saying is that what David Petraeus has said, it's going to take until the fall to see if this Baghdad security plan is working before we can evaluate. But the President has said before that he hopes that there are fewer troops there at the time, but he has said that we're going to be in Iraq for a while, and it's going to last beyond his presidency.

Q So it's okay to say we're drawing down or he hopes to draw down by a specific date, but it's not okay to say we hope to get out?

MS. PERINO: Well, the Baghdad security plan hasn't even had a chance to be fully implemented yet. And what they want to do is allow General Petraeus to go there, but their mission --

Q I'm not talking about that. I'm saying what the President said last night is he hoped that there would be fewer troops -- I'm sure he's not talking about five or ten, I'm sure he's talking about a substantial number -- by the time a new President takes over. That sounds like it's cluing the enemy into something. I don't get the distinction.

MS. PERINO: No, I think -- well, I do; I understand that you don't. But I do think that it's apples and oranges, and let me try to explain it again. I think what the President is saying is that we have a Baghdad security plan; it is a surge. A surge by its name is a temporary mission. General David Petraeus is there on Capitol Hill today to talk about the status of that and how it's going, and that he would know by the fall whether or not we are going to be able to have success with the mission.

I think the intention is that we need to secure Baghdad. In the meantime, what we need to have happen is the Prime Minister Maliki and the rest of his government to finish many of the pieces that they need to do. They've made progress on several of them, but the key ones -- like the oil law and de-Baathification, and then regional elections -- are ones that they have to do, as well.

The whole point of the surge is to calm the city down so that you can get that political reconciliation, which everyone agrees will help calm the rest of the country down so that they can sustain, defend and govern itself. And I think the President does hope that by the time he leaves office that Iraq is either at that point or nearing that point when they can be a self-sustaining democracy.

Q So it would be okay for the Democrats to start talking about a timetable after the surge in the fall?

MS. PERINO: No, I think -- let's just take what the Democrats have said right now, which is, they don't even want to give this surge a chance to succeed. They want to pull out. Harry Reid has said that the war is lost. And they're not even allowing it to have a chance, and they're wanting us to pull out prematurely. And it's going to put our troops in danger if we were to follow that path, and it would put the innocent men, women and children of Iraq in more peril. And that's why the President says he'll veto the bill.

Q Can you explain why the funding for the troops wasn't put in the regular budget, why you have to have an emergency supplemental?

MS. PERINO: Yes, we have done that over the years. That's the way that we have decided to do it, which is so that you don't put all of that money for a war into the baseline budget of the Department of Defense because we believe that it would be harder to extract it out afterwards, after the war was over.

Q But, I mean, why not plan for the worst? As the President always says, you plan for the worst. Why wouldn't you put that money in there to make sure that the troops had their money, instead of having what's happened now?

MS. PERINO: Well, as you know, Congress last year didn't even pass a budget. And this year I don't know how much more progress they're making -- I mean, we hope they make some more progress, but I think that in order to ensure the troops have what they need, we had to do it this way, follow the path that we have the past couple of years.

Q Rudy Giuliani said in New Hampshire last night that a Democratic President would put the U.S. at greater risk for suffering another 9/11-type attack. Does the administration agree or disagree with him?

MS. PERINO: I know it's going to be very tempting over the next two years to get us to comment about presidential politics from the podium, and I'm just not going to do it. I'll let Giuliani answer that question for himself.

Q So the administration's view, essentially, is that a timetable, any timetable -- specifically in this case the ones that the Democrats are trying to force -- are surrender dates, that the enemy will recognize as an opportunity to kind of galvanize around. Down the road, if a Republican President -- not this President -- if another President talks about a time to draw down troops, why should that not be viewed as a surrender date, as well? Understanding --

MS. PERINO: I think you're talking about a wildly hypothetical situation. And what I'm talking about -- I'm here to represent this President, and he believes that telling the enemy on the day which you are going to leave, that they can sit and wait us out, is the wrong thing to do. And that's why he said he would veto the bill. I'm not going to predict what any future President, Republican or Democrat, will do. I just know what this President will do, and he will protect the American people and fulfill the mission to the troops.

Q Can I also ask you just to kind of give us some sense of the administration's thinking of the process, as far as this bill goes -- how quickly might the President veto it? What are you envisioning, or what are you thinking about, perhaps, in terms of --

MS. PERINO: Well, since we don't have it yet, it's a little bit hard to tell. I don't think it's an exact science up on Capitol Hill that they know the exact time and hour in which they'll be able to send it to us. I think they have tried in good faith to try to give us a general idea, and we do believe it would be either later this week, or more likely, we've been told early next week.

So we'll take it from there. And the President, I think it is safe to say he would veto the bill soon after receiving it.

Q Obviously, the President wants to push back with Democrats. He's talked about them making this political statement, and the President obviously has his own message to send. I mean, is he --

MS. PERINO: What the President has said is that if they insist on sending him this bill that he will reluctantly veto it. But one of the reasons he will veto it is because he wants to get that done quickly so that we can then move on to the next step, which is how do we get the money to the troops. That's why the President is in a hurry.

Go ahead, John.

Q On the Hill, House Republicans are beginning today to basically push back against Chairman Waxman's investigations and oversight. And he, I believe, is going to have them vote on authorizing subpoenas for Secretary of State Rice. Has the White House said, or are you prepared to say what Waxman is doing is over-reaching?

MS. PERINO: Well, I do think that there is a difference between oversight and over-reaching. And we understand that the Congress has a role to play, which is oversight over the executive branch. I believe that this administration has been responsive to Congress, as we've worked with the new majorities, as well, that we've been responsive. But there does come a point where it does start to look like over-reaching.

Q Any people who have been reached yet or --

MS. PERINO: No, I think that I'll let the American people judge for themselves.

Q One other thing. Pelosi -- Speaker Pelosi, it has been reported -- it hasn't happened yet, but it's been reported that she might not attend the briefing by General Petraeus today. Do you have any comment on that?

MS. PERINO: No. I don't know what her schedule is. I'm sure if she's not attending, she has good reason.

Q Can we go back once more to the timeline issue. I understand the issue of a timeline for setting a date for withdrawal. But doesn't the President also tell the enemy exactly what to do by saying, we'll know by the end of August, beginning of September whether the surge has worked? Isn't that the same -- here's the plan, here's how you can derail it.

MS. PERINO: I can see your point, although I think that what is important is to keep in mind that what the President is saying is that we need to give Baghdad a chance to calm down. And General Petraeus -- obviously, these are closed briefings up there, and if he has a chance to talk to the press, I think that he will and hopefully we can ask him these questions.

But the President said last night on Charlie Rose that if our definition of success is no more car bombings, that's not realistic. We know that the enemy realizes that when they can set off a spectacular bomb in a market and kill people, that that grabs people's attention and it's one of the things that they look to in order to foment chaos and to spread their ideology.

Q Who is the enemy you speak of? Are these Iraqis?

MS. PERINO: We have different folks that we're considering the enemy. Obviously, al Qaeda is in Iraq, and they say that this is the battle. And then there are insurgents --

Q Are there Iraqis that you speak of, when you speak of the enemy?

MS. PERINO: I think they are definitely -- obviously, there are Iraqis who are engaging in criminal activity and in sectarian violence.

Q Criminal? To defend their own country?

MS. PERINO: I think when anyone is killing innocent men, women and children that they --

Q Against an invader and occupier?

MS. PERINO: Helen, we are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government, and we are there under the U.N. Security Council resolution.

Mark, did I finish your question?

Q I guess I'm still not sure I see how putting a timeline on a surge -- admittedly, a timeline for something other than withdrawal, but a timeline -- how that still does not communicate something useful to the enemy.

MS. PERINO: Well, I think that what we're seeing is the modest signs of hope, little seeds of hope, amongst the destruction and the challenges that we have in Iraq that the Baghdad security plan is starting to have some effect and some success.

And what the President has said is that the American people don't have unlimited patience; he understands that. So just like the Iraq Study Group, the Baker-Hamilton group said we could support a surge to calm the situation down in Baghdad -- that's what the President is trying to do.

Roger.

Q On the Sara Taylor authorized subpoena by the Senate Judiciary Committee today, if one is issued for her, would it be the intent of the administration to resist that subpoena?

MS. PERINO: I think I'm not going to go down the hypothetical road. But what I would submit to the House and Senate Judiciary committees is that if they wanted to take us up

on our offer to have the four officials provide an interview up there without a transcript, and then if they would provide -- we would provide them with documents going to and from the White House, which was an extraordinary offer on our part, that we would consider adding additional officials to those interview requests.

Q That offer, though, has been on the table for several weeks now. Is there anything happening on that?

MS. PERINO: No, the ball is in the Democrats' court.

Q Can you explain the objection to a transcript?

MS. PERINO: I think what we have tried to explain is that there is a long tradition in history of not having presidential close advisors testify in front of Congress. But we do want to be responsive to the Congress, and in order to do that, we thought that an interview and a hearing -- an interview is not a hearing, and that's what we offered.

Q Dana, two quick questions. Today, President will talk about malaria and other disease. My question is that, there are people dying around the globe, as far as many diseases, including malaria, HIV/AIDS and all of that. And does the President support the cause by President Clinton, and also Mr. Bill Gates, that they're also taking --

MS. PERINO: Yes, I would say the President and Mrs. Bush, having declared today for the first time ever Malaria Awareness Day, are very interested in anyone who can add to the collective help that we're trying to give to the third world that is suffering from malaria. So I think that the President and Mrs. Bush -- you will hear from them, the President will be introduced by Mrs. Bush in the Rose Garden. I'm sorry, it will be in the East Room, because it was 50 percent change of rain.

Q Second question. As far as Iran is concerned, Iranian President, or Iran has not changed their minds, as far as nuclear program is concerned. But Dr. Condoleezza Rice is planning to meet if they come to the table, as far as -- my question is, is U.S. policy has changed, as far as Iranian nuclear program is concerned, or there will be any compromise if they meet?

MS. PERINO: No, and I would refer -- I know you were at Sean McCormack's briefing yesterday when he addressed this, and I think I'd refer you to his comments. What he said is that Secretary Rice will be joining the Iraq neighbors' conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, next week, the one that Harry Reid apparently hasn't heard about because he keeps saying that we need to have a conference. But I would just let him know once again that it is happening next week.

And what Sean McCormack said is that he's not going to rule out any inadvertent contact. This meeting, though, is to talk about Iraq. Our stand with our -- the Permanent 5-plus-1 is strong against the Iranian nuclear program. We do believe that if they want to have a path to get to civilian nuclear power, that it's available to them. They just have to suspend their enrichment.

Q But nothing --

MS. PERINO: Let me move on. Kelly.

Q A couple of points. Has the White House been notified in any way from the agency known as the Office of Special Counsel about its inquiries into the work of Karl Rove or the political operation here?

MS. PERINO: No. No, we have not. As I said yesterday, we have had cooperation with them in the past, and we've responded appropriately. But we have not heard from them on this issue.

Q Dana, in the wake of Senator Reid's comments yesterday that you referenced today, and Congressman Emanuel's comments today, is it fair to say that any hope for spirit of bipartisanship is pretty much out the window?

MS. PERINO: I hope not. I know that we are all working towards -- one, we're working towards getting money to the troops. Secondly, we have a process underway in which we hope to get an immigration bill done. Yesterday, the President was in New York talking about the No Child Left Behind bill. We are moving forward on the energy bill. So we are focused on the priorities of the American people, while at the same time having to work in parallel with the Congress on their oversight request.

Q You have the head of the Democratic Caucus today saying that your administration is "a pattern of political appointees putting partisan interests ahead of the country." Earlier, you said this is part of the nightmare of waking up of a right-wing conspiracy again. What did you mean by that?

MS. PERINO: Well, I just think that what we have is a return to the partisan politics because I think that they are frustrated that their 100-hour congressional agenda has stalled. And they have very little else to talk about. There was nothing in that speech, as I saw it as prepared, that was positive about the -- a positive agenda about for the American people, nothing that talked about what people care about -- how do we make sure that our children are educated and able to compete in a very competitive and growing competitive world? How do we make sure that we are reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy? How do we make sure that we solve our immigration problem so that we can be a nation that is welcoming, as well as a nation of laws?

These are all issues that the President is focused on, as well -- not to mention protecting the American citizens from terrorists who are a very real threat. That speech, as I read it, was one that just strung -- tried to string together a series of unrelated issues and tried to cloak it in a grand conspiracy that was just reminiscent of the vast right-wing conspiracy of the 1990s, and I think the American people have moved past that.

Q Dana, yesterday --

Q Dana, Dana --

MS. PERINO: Let me go over here. I'll get back to you guys.

Q The Petraeus briefing on the Hill is behind closed doors, but if he goes there and has a lot of positive things to say, do you expect him to talk about it? Do you expect the Republicans to talk about it and let it be known -- let the message get out to the public about that things are getting better?

MS. PERINO: I think I found that members of Congress aren't shy about talking to the media after a meeting. (Laughter.)

Keith.

Q Do you -- this specific response to the decision of the Office of Special Counsel to enlarge this investigation of Hatch Act violations, is there a legitimate --

MS. PERINO: As I said, Keith, we haven't heard from them.

Q But what do you think about it? I mean --

MS. PERINO: I'm not going to comment on it until the Counsel's Office is contacted by the Office of Special Counsel. I'm just not going to do it.

Q Also just one more on the comment about over-reaching, you kind of seemed to suggest that Waxman is over-reaching, but then you kind of -- you put it out there, but you didn't really embrace it fully. I mean, do you --

MS. PERINO: I said I think the American people are going to have to make a decision. If they think that their Congress and their President should be working on issues that are important to them, then I think that they would be sadly disappointed in the first four months of this new Congress.

Q But since you put it out there, do you think that he is over-reaching at this time with all these difference of opinions --

MS. PERINO: I think that there is a difference between oversight and over-reaching, and the American people will make a decision.

Go ahead.

Q Dana, yesterday we heard testimony from the family of Pat Tillman about the circumstances of his death and the numerous falsehoods that were told to the family by Pentagon officials. Pat Tillman's memorial service was on May 3, 2004. When did the President learn about the unusual circumstances of his death and the possibility that he was killed by friendly fire?

MS. PERINO: From all indications, it was well after the funeral. And I did check, and the President did ask for updates yesterday on the hearing and received them from senior staff members.

Q And any reaction to the testimony by his family at yesterday's hearing, from the President?

MS. PERINO: I haven't spoken to the President, but in talking to -- in checking that out to ask if he had been updated on it, he was interested. He was the one who asked about the hearing. He wanted to know more about it. And I think that he feels deeply sorry for the family and all that they have gone through, and he's pleased that the Department of Defense has taken it upon themselves to investigate it, and he hopes that people are held to account.

Q Has he spoken to the family since the IG report has come out, or since the family has complained about the numerous falsehoods that were told to them?

MS. PERINO: No, he has not spoken to the family. And I think that we have to remember that as this matter is ongoing, that it would be inappropriate for the Commander-in-Chief to do so, to get involved, in terms of while there's an investigation in questioning. But he does believe that General Pace and others at the Defense Department are honorable people who will make sure that it is -- that the wrong is righted.

Les.

Q Thank you, Dana. Two questions. How will the United States ever develop, adopt and enforce any sort of immigration policy when individual leaders such as San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom have vowed to oppose federal enforcement of such laws and, in fact, are preparing to run a sanctuary city that would facilitate illegal activities, as just reported for the San Francisco Chronicle and one wire service?

MS. PERINO: Wow, two sources. (Laughter.) President Bush believes that the laws of this country, including immigration laws, need to be followed.

Q Second. The National Border Patrol Council, the union of our 11,000 non-supervisory U.S. Border Patrol agents, has just passed a resolution, which, among other concerns, deplores what they say is, "shamelessly promoting amnesty and a greatly expanded guest worker program, despite intense opposition to these concepts from the front-line Border Patrol agents who risk their lives enforcing our nation's immigration laws."

MS. PERINO: Your question is what?

Q Yes, the question is right here. What is the White House reaction to this resolution?

MS. PERINO: Okay. I haven't seen the resolution. What I would say is that I would hope that the council would take a look at the President's plan. We are working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to try to work through a plan that would help alleviate the pressure at the border. And I understand that they have very real concerns, since they work on the border every day. And the President believes that the plan that we have in place is one that would help alleviate the problems at the border, as well as allow our country to be one that is continuing to be a welcoming one.

Go ahead.

Q Just to follow up on Mark's point, that you have a surge which is announced, and yet the supposed insurgents or enemy have moved up 35 miles north and killed our servicemen earlier this week. How is not that -- how isn't it the same as essentially announcing a date pullout? I mean --

MS. PERINO: Well, first of all, we haven't announced a date pullout. There's a huge difference.

Q No, but the Democrats have said that they would like to have a date pullout.

MS. PERINO: No, no, no, they've put in a date to pull out.

Q I understand.

MS. PERINO: It's not they just don't want to -- they don't like it -- they don't just like it, they have done it.

Q What I'm saying is the surge is -- announcing the surge is the same thing, because they just moved north and did a suicide bombing and killed our service members.

MS. PERINO: Well, look, the President has said that we are going to be facing very real dangers about the possibility of more servicemen from -- men and women from the United States facing possible death or injury because of our new Baghdad security plan, and he understood that. We also have new operations in al Anbar province. It is this plan that has small signs of hope that General Petraeus is going to be talking about today.

We have not at all set a date certain. What we have said is that we won't know until the fall whether or not -- General Petraeus, who will make the determination as the commander on the ground, whether or not we are having success there.

Q Can I just go back to Tillman? You said that the President only knew about it well after Pat Tillman's funeral.

MS. PERINO: Sometime after that.

Q Can you tell us how he knew, and whether the speechwriter knew? I mean, there's this email that apparently went to General Abizaid, that he didn't get for a long time.

MS. PERINO: We have no indication that the President knew that there were questions surrounding the circumstances of Colonel Tillman's death until sometime afterwards. And it's not clear -- people don't remember if he heard it from media reports or if he heard it from the Pentagon, but it was sometime after the funeral.

Q Did the speechwriter know?

MS. PERINO: It's unclear. It didn't seem that he did. I did not speak to him; he no longer works at the White House. But it is not unusual --

Q But he never got word through this email --

MS. PERINO: It seemed that it never left CENTCOM and got to here. There's no record of that -- of General McCrystal's memo coming to the White House. But let me tell you it is not unusual that any time the President is going to be giving a speech mentioning somebody that has connections to the Department of Defense or another department, that we wouldn't reach out and make sure that we had any I's dotted and T's crossed. And, obviously, in this regard we would maybe have treated the situation differently had the President known.

Q But it's unclear when he found out and how he found out?

MS. PERINO: Correct.

Q As the most high-profile casualty at that time, wouldn't it have been the responsibility of someone to directly tell the President, and not leave it up to him overhearing reports?

MS. PERINO: I think that's part of the inquiry that Department of Defense is looking into.

Q Is he convinced now that it's friendly fire?

MS. PERINO: I think that that's been established.

Q It has?

MS. PERINO: I believe so.

Q Dana --

MS. PERINO: No, no, no, Goyal. Let's go to Paula, and then we'll get these two in the back, and be done.

Q The meeting this afternoon on immigration reform, is this primarily a listening session with the Hispanic Caucus, or are you going to be discussing new ideas beyond the general principles that the President --

MS. PERINO: I think listening, discussion, and talking about general principles or other principles. I think that the President wants to talk to them about a variety of issues regarding immigration. They're not going to be drafting bill language together, but I think that they'll have their input given to the President and to the members of his staff so that we can include that into our thinking as we're working on Capitol Hill on a bill.

Q Would that include more focus on a temporary worker program?

MS. PERINO: The President is very focused on a temporary worker program, so that will definitely be a part of the discussion, sure.

Yes.

Q Thanks, Dana. Al Jazeera is reporting in an interview with a Taliban commander that Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden are alive, and that Osama bin Laden directed the attack against Vice President Cheney in Afghanistan.

MS. PERINO: It's an interesting claim, but we don't -- I haven't seen any intelligence that would support that.

Q What about the idea that these individuals are unaccounted for, that they could be out there, and could have directed an attack against the Vice President?

MS. PERINO: Well, I guess that that is possible. It's just I'm not an intelligence experts, and I'd have to refer you over to the DNI's office if you want to check that out. I think that would be a good place to ask.

Q Dana, the word "impeachment" has cropped up in D.C. and elsewhere in the country. How seriously does the administration take those words?

MS. PERINO: How seriously do we take Representative Kucinich's --

Q That and the decision by the assembly in Vermont?

MS. PERINO: The assembly of the what?

Q In Vermont. The resolution by -- in the state of Vermont.

MS. PERINO: Oh, I didn't even know there was a resolution in the state of Vermont. Is that a monthly occurrence? (Laughter.) I don't know. The President and the Vice President have served honorably, and I don't think there's any merit to those impeachment claims.

END 12:39 P.M. EDT. For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, April 25, 2007

Technorati Tags: President Bush and White House or Dana Perino and VIDEO, or House Judiciary Committee and Monica Goodling, or Harry Reid, and Congressman Emanuel, or Senate Judiciary Committee and General David Petraeus or Malaria Awareness Day