Press Briefing Tony Snow 08/30/07 VIDEO PODCAST

Press Briefing by Tony Snow, FULL STREAMING VIDEO. file is windows media format, running time is 20:39. James S. Brady Briefing Room. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow briefs the press and answers questions. 08 30 2007: WASHINGTON, DC: 1:04 P.M. EST.PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE

MR. SNOW: Hello, everyone. A quick announcement before I take your questions. President Bush will welcome Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates to the White House on September 17, 2007, in the Prime Minister's dual role as Prime Minister and head of the European Union presidency. President Bush looks forward to discussing a broad range of issues of shared interest, including Afghanistan, the Middle East, transatlantic relations, advancing peace and security in Afghanistan and the Middle East, ending genocide in Darfur, enhancing cooperation on international trade, counterterrorism, energy security and climate change. The President welcomes the opportunity to discuss with the Prime Minister ways to build on our strong relations with the European Union under Portuguese leadership.

Questions.

Q Is the administration trying to get GAO to revise some of their assessments in their Iraq report?

MR. SNOW: No, at this point, I don't think -- you talk about revising assessments and you've got a draft report that's been making its way around -- the Pentagon has suggested that there are some factual -- it believes it has some compelling facts that may bear on some of the conclusions that have been drawn. But it's my understanding that, typically --

Q In what area?

MR. SNOW: I'll refer you back to the Pentagon on that. But the fact is that these are reports that get circulated around for comment and apparently there were some comments. I talked to Geoff Morrell about it -- I know he made some comments to the Pentagon press corps today. But they'll have to -- obviously they're going to be people providing some factual input and some input into the report.

Q The administration, or the White House is not very enthusiastic about this report -- is that correct?

MR. SNOW: No, I don't -- no. I think what we've suggested is, number one, that the standard that is set by the legislation is to assess whether a benchmark has been met. Well, look, it's no secret that many of the benchmarks have not been met. What is significant is that there's progress toward a great number of them.

Again, you're asking us -- you're asking me at this point to make detailed comment on a draft report. I'm not going to do it. Let's wait and see what GAO has to report. It clearly has been leaked by some people who want to get some of the early thinking out, but we'll get a report next Tuesday, I think, and we'll be able to --

Q But wouldn't it fair to assume that the administration has an interest in making it appear better than the negative way in which it seems in the draft?

MR. SNOW: No, I think the administration's interest is making sure that we get a full picture of what's going on in Iraq. And frankly, the people who are going to be best able to do that are the folks who live and work there every day, and that would be General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker.

There are a number of reports coming out. We have the NIE, obviously. There's the Jones Commission report. So there are a lot of reports. It's a season of reports. But we are certainly looking forward to hearing from the General who is in charge of overall operations and the Ambassador who works there every day, the folks who have a real grasp of ground truth. All these reports obviously are interesting.

Q Democrats are saying that this GAO report basically shows that President Bush's Iraq strategy is not working. How do you respond to them? Why should they not view it that way?

MR. SNOW: Well, number one, they ought to talk to the Democrats who have just come back from Iraq who said just the opposite. So, I mean, you've had Senator Durbin, Senator Levin. You had a number of key Democrats who have come back and talked about -- Senator Biden, even -- suggesting that there have been, in fact, significant changes under the surge and there have been significant progress.

Again, I would -- if you take a look at what Congress has mandated for this report, it says, have you met these? Have you met them in full? Well, the answer is, you're going to find in a lot of cases, of course they haven't met them. Now, the real question is, do you have progress in the right direction?

The other thing I would suggest is that it would be a mistake to limit one's view of what goes on in Iraq to the benchmarks. For instance, among the benchmarks are not the fact that Sunni Iraqis have, in fact, turned against al Qaeda and have really opened up a front against al Qaeda that is of enormous significance, and also creates a possibility of greater political reconciliation in the long run, as well.

So what you're going to see from Ambassador Crocker and from General Petraeus is a view of what's going on in Iraq that's broader simply than the benchmarks. And I think if you take a look even at the original report on the benchmarks, some of those that were laid out originally -- and I don't have them all in my head right now, but you go back and read the July report -- some of them are not even appropriate right now. There's a critique of some of the benchmarks themselves.

The real question that people have is, what's going on Iraq? Are we making progress? Militarily, is the surge having an impact? The answer is yes. There's no question about it. What you've had is the number of ethnic and religious sectarian killings down by 75 percent. You have a doubling of weapons cache seizures. You have a reduction in bombing violence, in bombing killings of U.S. and coalition forces. There have been a number of -- you have kills and captures way up when it comes to those who have been fighting against the government.

Obviously there's a whole lot that still needs to be done. But on the other hand, again, there's been significant progress on a number of fronts.

Q Tony, where do you get that information that sectarian violence, you said, is down 75 percent?

MR. SNOW: I believe that was -- General Petraeus is -- 75 percent reduction in religious and ethnic killings since last year.

Q The GAO found no difference in overall violence.

MR. SNOW: Well, again, I'm going to wait to see the report. Everybody is speaking knowledgeably of a draft report. The other thing is, how one measures overall violence, it would be interesting to see what that metric is. General Petraeus clearly has a different view of that. I would defer to him on that.

Q Tony, a couple days ago, The Washington Post reported that -- you mentioned the NIE -- they reported that when the NIE went around in draft form, General Petraeus saw it and didn't like some of the findings and succeeded in basically watering down what the spy agencies had come up with. What's the process like? Are you tinkering with these reports?

MR. SNOW: No. Number one, you are saying that it's tinkering with the report when the man who's on the ground, who has the most direct experience, is, in fact, having factual input? No, this is --

Q But clearly they talked to him for factual input earlier in the -- I'm talking about the end of the process. Do you think your 16 spy agencies did this report without --

MR. SNOW: Sixteen spy agencies? You're talking about intelligence agencies.

Q Yes, intelligence agencies. Do you think that they did not -- do you think that they did not reach out to General Petraeus and other commanders earlier in the process? Are you saying that they just made it up on their own?

MR. SNOW: Are you saying that General Petraeus was trying to doctor the report?

Q Well, The Washington Post report suggested that, saying, he "succeeded in having the security judgment softened to reflect improvements in recent months."

MR. SNOW: Well, I think that's -- yes, but that is somebody having factual input into a report, Ed.

Q Is it true you're not going to ask for any more money for this war?

MR. SNOW: No.

Q What is the President going to ask for?

MR. SNOW: Well, he's going to wait until you get a report from the generals about what you think you need.

Q And $50 billion is --

MR. SNOW: No, we're not -- look, it is premature to be talking figures at this juncture. Last year we came up with an emergency supplemental, which we thought was going to be our best estimate. You continually revise those estimates based on the realities on the ground and the requirements of the forces. And we'll wait to hear what the generals on the ground have to say about it.

At this juncture, I think -- you may recall last year, for instance, there was a whole lot of speculation within a wide range of possible figures that might be put forward in a supplemental. Let's just wait until the President has had an opportunity to hear from the people responsible.

Q So you have no idea what more money is needed?

MR. SNOW: I don't know.

Q Are you worried that there's going to be an increase in attacks during September in an attempt to influence --

MR. SNOW: It has always been a concern. And the generals have made that clear for a long time, and it certainly is a concern. We hope it doesn't happen, but certainly people are aware that there is going to be an attempt to try to influence the domestic debate here in the United States, and using acts of violence is one of the means.

Q Do you see any evidence that that's been going on during the summer?

MR. SNOW: I'm not the person to ask about that.

Q Topic change. As the head of the party, is the President concerned that the events surrounding Senator Craig are harmful to Republicans?

MR. SNOW: I don't think the President is drawing any global judgment on Republicans. What we've said is that the story is certainly a disappointment, and it's something that the Senate Ethics Committee is going to be handling.

Q Does he believe he should resign?

MR. SNOW: We're not commenting beyond what I've said.

Q Tony, back to Iraq. You said that this is a season of reports. Does the President give all these reports equal weight, or does he believe that the Petraeus-Crocker report is the most important?

MR. SNOW: I think the President takes a look at all the reports that come across. But obviously, if you're going to take a look at who is the most credible to speak about it, the people who are there full time are the ones whose judgment you are going to take very seriously. But on the other hand, he's going to take a look at all the inputs.

Q Secondly, he's about to go to Australia. How will he get briefed by Petraeus and Crocker prior to their testimony? Could you just give us sort of a lay of the land somewhat?

MR. SNOW: No, I really can't. I'll try to put together the process tick-tock, but I don't know.

Q Tony, you said the GAO is obviously a draft report, but they set out to assess whether these benchmarks have been met or not. Are you asserting that that is too tough a standard?

MR. SNOW: I'm just saying -- look, if you're trying to do an overall judgment on what's going on in Iraq, the idea that somehow your standard is everything completed, or nothing completed seems to me to be a pretty high standard to meet. On the other hand, if you're trying to figure out, are you making progress toward the goals that you have set out, that's probably the proper way to look at it. This appears to be the metric -- and by the way, the GAO didn't set forth this, members of Congress did -- said, have you met the benchmarks? There are going to be a number of areas where they have not met the benchmarks, but, in fact, there is significant progress and that deserves to be noted, as well, not only in terms of the context of the public debate, but in terms of responsibly assessing what has gone on with the surge, and furthermore, what needs to go on to have success in Iraq.

Q You talked about Iran meddling inside Iraq. The President has mentioned it many times. Iraq's Foreign Minister today criticized Iran for literally bombarding the Kurdish areas in the north with artillery shipments. Do you have any response to that?

MR. SNOW: No, no -- other than we have made it clear all along that Iran is going to -- that the Iranians have said that they want to play a constructive role; well, the way you do that is to be serious about trying to guarantee security within Iraq. And that means certainly not transporting weapons in, not bringing people in who are going to be fighting against the government, not committing acts of violence against that government, but instead, trying to support the safety and security of those who work in the government and not to be supporting those who, in fact, are trying to bring it down.

Q Well, what about the shelling in the north?

MR. SNOW: Again, I'm not going to try to -- that is something, Bret, that you can bring back to your old pals over at the Pentagon. They're going to be a lot -- they're going to give you a much more sage analysis of that than I am.

Q Tony, two questions. First, we are again celebrating India -- of India. Question I have is as far as Pakistan is concerned, former Prime Minister Bhutto has agreed that General Musharraf will take off his military -- you think this political marriage will work?

MR. SNOW: Well, number one, there are a lot of stories coming out of Pakistan. We will let the Pakistanis break their own news on this. Secondly, what we have said all along is what Pakistan needs is a transparent election. We have a free and fair election conducted under transparent circumstances.

Q The second, as far as Osama bin Laden is concerned, yesterday --

MR. SNOW: Oh, a change in topic. I'm sorry -- bin Laden --

Q -- on WTOP said that -- he was quoting a newspaper in Pakistan -- that Osama bin Laden was dead in 2005 because of kidney failure. But recent report was saying that Osama bin Laden is alive in Pakistan. Where do we stand on his well-being or death?

MR. SNOW: Look, I'm not going to tell you what we know or don't know about bin Laden, but I thank you for passing on what occurred on WTOP yesterday.

Q Is bin Laden on dialysis?

MR. SNOW: I don't know. (Laughter.) For the record, I am not. (Laughter.)

Q On the subject that Kelly had, on Senator Craig. This administration in the last couple of weeks has embraced the idea of allowing controversial figures in this administration to walk, to leave, to resign. What about --

MR. SNOW: What? (Laughter.)

Q The President accepted -- the President accepted Karl Rove's resignation; he accepted Gonzales's resignation --

MR. SNOW: But what are you --

Q -- because of controversy. But let me ask you --

MR. SNOW: No.

Q Let me ask you this: Do you think that this administration is viewing, behind the walls, that Craig should leave because it is not a good idea --

MR. SNOW: Number one, I am not going to make any further comment --

Q -- Republican Party in 2008.

MR. SNOW: Number one, I'm not going to make any further comment beyond what I have about Senator Craig's predicament. Number two, I'm not letting you get away with "accepting" Karl Rove because he's controversial. Karl is somebody who has spent 14 years working for the President, and I think it is somebody who will continue to work for the President, speak out.

Alberto Gonzales is somebody who was the object of a concerted series of personal attacks from Capitol Hill that yielded nothing in terms of, in fact, evidence of any wrongdoing on his behalf. And therefore, what I would suggest is rather than treating them as "controversial figures," these guys have mud slung at them. What they ended up doing is that they have tendered their resignations, but these are people who have served very long and very well and spent a lot of time in public service and deserve thanks for it.

Q Okay, but the similarities -- Republicans were also asking for them to step down. Now, Larry Craig, Republicans are asking for Mr. Craig to step down. Do you think he is hurtful to the Republicans in 2008?

MR. SNOW: I'm not going -- nice try. I'm not going beyond where --

Q Tony, on Senator Warner's comments a week ago, did the White House consider those comments to be a break with the White House on the direction forward in Iraq?

MR. SNOW: Senator Warner is somebody whose views, obviously, we take seriously. I'm not going to get into characterizing whether they're breaks or not breaks. I think Senator Warner has made it clear that he'd like to see success in Iraq, and so would we.

Q He talked about withdrawing -- or beginning to withdraw troops this September.

MR. SNOW: I understand. Our position on this is that let's hear what the generals have to say. What we do have is a situation in which you have real -- I think two things. Number one, it is clear that the surge is producing significant results. And that does not seem to be an object of controversy -- really a significant controversy anymore. Number one, Senator Warner believes that somehow withdrawing troops or withdrawing a brigade might have some impact on the political situation. It's pretty clear that the Iraqis have been working the political situation themselves. We had the meeting with the Prime Minister and members of the presidency council, and we're going to have to see what happens. The President certainly welcomed that meeting and welcomed their determination to work on a lot of the key issues. And we're going to have to see what happens when the parliament reconvenes in a couple of weeks.

Q It just seems pretty clear that he was disagreeing with the White House, and it doesn't seem like --

MR. SNOW: Well, again, I'll let you draw whatever conclusions you may on that.

Q Tony, back to Larry Craig. Is his predicament, as you call it, hurting Republicans?

MR. SNOW: Thank you for the question. I've already given my answer.

Q No, you didn't.

MR. SNOW: Yes, I did. Okay, I gave the answer I'm going to give.

Q Your tolerance level seems to be slipping. (Laughter.)

MR. SNOW: It's -- really? Am I getting cranky like you? (Laughter.) Wow. (Laughter.)

Q Governor Mitt Romney is quoted as describing Senator Larry Craig's behavior as "disgusting." Does the head of the Republican Party want you to suggest that he disagrees?

MR. SNOW: No, I'm suggesting that we've said that this is disappointing and it needs to be handled by the Senate Ethics Committee.

Q Okay. Reuters reports from Harvard that Fidel Castro has just described Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as "an apparently unbeatable ticket." But the Reuters report did not mention either of these two U.S. Senators repudiating this endorsement. And my question: Does the leader of the Republican Party believe that Clinton and Obama should repudiate this dictator's endorsement or not?

MR. SNOW: I think it is safe to say that Fidel Castro is not an expert on the workings of an active democracy. (Laughter.)

Q Tony, since you are in a good mood --

MR. SNOW: Not according to Plante, I'm not. (Laughter.)

Q -- you could give me a serious answer on official motorcades, which I've spoken to you about earlier. Now, in the wake of this tragic -- second tragic death of a motorcycle policemen, and in the wake of, actually, an incident that happened last week to me and lots of others on Rock Creek Park when we were nearly wiped out by Cheney's motorcade, which are the biggest, the fastest and most aggressive I've ever seen in 40 years -- why in this day and age are official motorcades necessary? Can't they avoid narrow and windy roads where you can't get to the side, like Rock Creek? And thirdly, why do they have to be so fast and so huge --

MR. SNOW: Connie, I would refer all those comments to the people that do protective details. But I think in this day and age, a protective motorcade is, in fact, a necessity.

Q Do they have to be faster, do they have to be --

MR. SNOW: Connie, I'm just not competent to comment on that. Again, I would refer you to talk to the protective services.

Q Can you tell us about when the White House was notified and what the President knows about the nerve gas that was found in the U.N.?

MR. SNOW: I don't know about the President's notification. Here's what we do know. Apparently, last Friday, UNMOVIC staff members discovered in metal and glass containers within a plastic package what turned out to be chemical agents that were brought over as a result of U.N. weapons inspections during the UNMOVIC era. These items should not have ended up, obviously, at the New York offices. Normally they would be transported to an appropriately equipped laboratory for analysis. I'm sure that there are going to be a lot red-faced people over at the U.N. trying to just figure out how they got there.

In any event, they've done some testing of the air. There is no danger to the folks involved. The agents had been at the UNMOVIC facility for more than a decade. For other analysis of this and more detail, I'd refer you to the FBI.

Q What about notification? Because there are some reports suggesting initially that it was only today that the New York Fire Department and Police Department found out that this was even going on, even though they found it on Friday.

MR. SNOW: Again, I'd refer you to the FBI, because I don't know.

I pointed to Paula; Paula gets the last question. Sorry. In fairness.

Go ahead.

Q I have a question on the S-CHIP program.

MR. SNOW: Okay.

Q While Congress was out, the administration put out new requirements for states. And one of those requirements would require parents who were privately insured to be without insurance for one year before they can enroll their children in the S-CHIP program. And I just wondered, where are families going to get insurance from --

MR. SNOW: Well, it's a very good question for which -- when you want to ask a really detailed question like that, give me some advance warning and I'll get you an answer.

Q Well, it was asked this morning.

MR. SNOW: Okay, well, I'm afraid I wasn't here this morning. I will get you an answer.

END 1:24 P.M. EDT

For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, August 30, 2007

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President Discusses Rebuilding in New Orleans VIDEO PODCAST

President Bush Discusses Rebuilding Efforts in New Orleans, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology, New Orleans, Louisiana. FULL STREAMING VIDEO

Fact Sheet: The Two-Year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and In Focus: Gulf Coast Rebuilding 9:40 A.M. CDT PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE and GALLERY

THE PRESIDENT: Madam Principal, thank you for having us. Laura and I are honored to be here. During the moment of reflection, it is a time to ask for the Almighty's blessings on those who suffered, those who lost a loved one, and remember that there's always a more blessed day in the future. And that's what we're here to celebrate, a more blessed day. And there's no better place to do so than in a place of hope, and that's the school. And so we're honored that you would welcome us. We love being with your teachers and your students. Thanks for being here.

Governor, thanks for coming. Governor Kathleen Blanco is an educational reformer. She has done what leaders are supposed to do -- when she sees a problem, address them head on, and pass law and budget necessary to achieve educational excellence. And you've done so, Governor. I congratulate you for your leadership.

I'm proud to be with the Congressman. Jeff, [sic] thanks for coming. You care deeply about the students of this district, and we're glad you're here.

I do want to thank Don Powell for joining us. Don is the recovery man who represents the White House and the administration here in Washington -- from -- in Louisiana from Washington. And I thank you for your service.

I appreciate the state education Superintendent Pastorek. Superintendent, thanks for coming. He's got a vision of excellence for the schools in New Orleans and for Louisiana. He shared that vision with us earlier.

I appreciate Paul Vallas, Superintendent here in New Orleans, for his willingness to take on this challenge. He doesn't view it as a problem, he views it as an opportunity. I first met Paul in Chicago, where he was an advocate then like he is today of high expectations and strong accountability to make sure every child learns.

I appreciate Hilda Young, Sister Finnerty -- she's the Superintendent of the Catholic School System here. I thank all the teachers, students and parents who've joined us.

Hurricane Katrina broke through the levees, it broke a lot of hearts, it destroyed buildings, but it didn't affect the spirit of a lot of citizens in this community. This spirit can be best reflected when you think about a principal who refused to allow a school to be destroyed by the flood, and worked hard to not only rebuild the building, but keep the spirit alive. Or it can be reflected in the fact that teachers commute. We met a 7th grade teacher today who commutes 30 miles every day to be able to impart knowledge and to share wisdom with students who will be leading New Orleans in the future.

And so it's -- my attitude is this: New Orleans, better days are ahead. It's sometimes hard for people to see progress when you live in a community all the time. Laura and I get to come -- we don't live here, we come on occasion. And it's easy to think about what it was like when we first came here after the hurricane, and what it's like today. And this town is coming back. This town is better today than it was yesterday, and it's going to be better tomorrow than it was today. And there's no better place to find that out than in the school system.

First, I do want to thank our fellow citizens for their generosity when it comes to helping New Orleans and the Gulf Coast rebuild. The citizens of this country thus far have paid out $114 billion in tax revenues -- their money -- to help the folks down here. And I appreciate the Governor. Last night we went to -- we had a nice dinner here in New Orleans -- by the way, have yet to recover. (Laughter.) Dooky Chase's. If you want to eat a lot of good food, go there. But during that dinner, the Governor expressed her appreciation to the taxpayers of America. In other words, the taxpayers and people from all around the country have got to understand the people of this part of the world really do appreciate the fact that the American citizens are supportive of the recovery effort.

Of the $114 billion spent so far -- and resources allocated so far, about 80 percent of the funds have been disbursed or available. And, of course, Don and I will try to work through the bureaucracy in Washington, just like folks down here are trying to work through the bureaucracy to make sure that there are adequate plans for the money. And so we're working through this kind of collaborative effort of federal, state and local folks working together to make sure that taxpayers' money is spent wisely on priorities.

But there's been a commitment, and a strong commitment. A lot of people down here probably wondered whether or not those of us in the federal government not from Louisiana would pay attention to Louisiana or Mississippi. In other words, it's one thing to come and give a speech in Jackson Square; it's another thing to keep paying attention to whether or not progress is being made. And I hope people understand we do, we're still paying attention. We understand.

One of Don Powell's jobs is to make sure that the federal government understands the hurdles that remain for recovery. One hurdle was the levee system. We fully understand that New Orleans can't be rebuilt until there's confidence in the levees. It's one thing to plan; it's another thing to convince people that the levees will work. And there's been a lot of effort by the Army Corps of Engineers. As a matter of fact, Don Powell announced the other day that we're going to complete work to complete storm and flood protection infrastructure to a hundred-year protection level by 2011. And that's a commitment, and it's an important commitment to make.

We're also going to fund a $1.3 billion network of interior drainage projects to ensure the area has better hurricane protection. In other words, there's federal responsibilities; the levee system is the federal responsibility, and we'll meet our responsibility. And obviously we want to work together with the state and local governments, as well. Obviously it's a collaborative effort.

One of the things that Kathleen and I have been working on a long time is wetlands restoration in order to provide more protection for the folks down here. We got a good bill out of the Congress and there's an opportunity now for Louisiana to have the cash funds necessary to begin a serious and substantive wetlands restoration program.

I appreciate the fact that Al Gonzales was down yesterday, talking about how the federal government can help on local law enforcement matters. I firmly believe local law enforcement is just that -- local. It requires a commitment by the local folks to hold people to account for crime. But the federal government can help. And so Al was down yesterday, announcing and opening a family justice center to help the victims of domestic violence. The VA is going to build a medical center in downtown New Orleans as part of the federal commitment to helping people here recover.

And so I come telling the folks in this part of the world that we still understand there's problems and we're still engaged. And Don will continue to make sure that we listen and respond when possible.

But let me talk about the school system. There is nothing more hopeful than a good school system. And I firmly believe that excellence in education is going to be the leading edge of change for New Orleans. Margaret Spellings, who is the Secretary of Education, understands this concept. The government has provided Louisiana with more than $700 million in emergency education funds to help not only the public school system, but also the parochial school system. And that's money well spent. It's money spent on construction, it's money spent on creating incentives for teachers to return, it's money incent to make sure children who went to other school districts -- those school districts got reimbursed. It was good money spent, because education needs to be the number-one priority of the state, just like Kathleen Blanco has made that the priority.

New Orleans is about to open 80 schools -- nearly 80 schools this fall. That's a remarkable achievement -- nearly half of which happen to be charter schools. I believe in freedom to manage and accountability to make sure everybody learns. And that's the essence of the charter school movement: freedom to manage, but accountability to make sure no child gets left behind.

And that's the spirit of the Superintendent -- both Superintendents here. They believe in high expectations and measuring. It's what I call challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. If you don't believe that somebody can learn you'll set low expectations. If you believe every child can learn you'll raise the expectations and then you'll insist upon measurement to make sure that each child is tracked, that we disaggregate results. That's a fancy word for making sure that we understand whether or not each school is meeting certain standards, and then help for those that aren't, changes for those that aren't, and praise for those that are. And we're at MLK and we're here to heap praise. (Applause.)

This is the first public school to open in the Lower Ninth Ward. It is a tribute to volunteers, concerned parents and citizens who care about education. It is a tribute to the fact that there's teachers who taught in makeshift classrooms during renovations -- in other words, they care about the buildings, but they care more about education and were willing to teach no matter what the circumstances may be. And it's a tribute to a principal who had a clear vision. (Applause.) So we're here to herald excellence and to thank the good folks in this community for supporting this school, with the understanding that this school is one of the great beacons for hope.

I want to thank the educational entrepreneurs who've joined us, those who are in the process of helping find new teachers. Teachers -- there was a great concern, obviously, when the schools were reopening, whether or not there would be enough teachers. And people responded. People responded to the call to help provide at a grassroots level the support necessary to encourage people to teach. Teach NOLA is such an example. If you're interested in being a teacher from around the country, get on the Internet on Teach NOLA and you'll find opportunities to come here to New Orleans to teach.

We've got somebody from Washington who came down to help rally support for the school system. Teach For America is active in this community. The charter school system, by the way, spawns all kinds of different opportunities for people to be involved with schools. I think of KIPP McDonogh 15 School. It's a high standard school. It is a school that says, if there are rules that prevent us from teaching we'll try to figure out how to get around them, because what matters more than anything is teaching the child.

I was impressed that when they got in the school system, when they first got going in this particular school, they extended the school day with class every other Saturday. They said, what does it take to catch up? What do we need to do to meet standards? And the principal -- the former principal put it this way: "It took a hurricane to speed up and really jump-start the reform efforts in New Orleans." In other words, the hurricane was disastrous for many reasons, but it also gave a great opportunity for a new way forward, seized by the Governor and the Superintendents and the principals, by the way.

Laura and I care a lot about the libraries. That's why we're dedicating books. We're proud to be a part of the rebuilding of this library. Laura has got a foundation and has established the Gulf Coast Library Recovery Initiative, all aiming to make sure that these libraries are stocked with books. You ought to apply to her foundation, by the way. (Laughter and applause.) I think you'll have a good opportunity. I'll try to work it for you. (Laughter.)

I'll never forget, one time when I was governor of Texas, a woman looked at me and she said, "Reading is the new civil right." It had a profound impact on the policies that we have pursued since I've been in public office, and Laura has pursued as a lifelong reader. And that person was right. We've got to start making sure those youngsters can read at grade level and stay reading at grade level. No better way to send the message that that is a commitment, by making sure the libraries are stocked.

I want to share a story with you about a woman named Rebecca Jeanfreau, who's here. Where are you, Rebecca? There you go, thanks for coming. She was a Boston architect. She studied to become an architect and was in a firm. But she is from New Orleans. And she started thinking about the community she loved. And so she said, "I need to act and I'm ready to act." And she came back to be a teacher. She left a promising career as an architect to come back to a community that is dear to her heart.

It's that spirit, by the way, that is going to allow me to predict with certainty New Orleans' better days are ahead for the New Orleans people. I mean, this is -- and there are stories like Rebecca all over this community, people who have heard a call to come back and help. No better way to help, by the way, than to teach.

But there are all kinds of different ways people can help the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast recover. You can contribute to the NGOs or the local organizations that are still helping heal hearts. You can help with sending books to schools. You can get on websites to determine where the needs are. If you're a citizen of this country who cares about making sure this part of the region fully recovers, please participate. Please find a way to help and continue to do so.

So, Governor, I'm honored you're here. Laura and I are thrilled to be in this school. We're really pleased that MLK School has given us an opportunity to herald excellence. We care deeply about the folks in this part of the world. We ask for God's blessings on the families who still hurt and suffer. And we thank God for the recovery efforts that thus far have taken place.

Thank you for your time. (Applause.)

END 9:55 A.M. CDT For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, August 29, 2007

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