Freedom Calendar 12/27/08 - 01/03/09

December 27, 1910, Birth of African-American physician Aris Allen, Chairman of Maryland Republican Party and Secretary of 1980 Republican National Convention. December 28, 1973, Banned Russian author and human rights activist Alexander Solzhenitsyn publishes Gulag Archipelago; President Ronald Reagan would quote his undelivered Nobel acceptance speech in national TV address to Soviet Union.

December 29, 1930, Death of Walter Cohen, African-American Republican from New Orleans; served in McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Coolidge administrations.

December 30, 1842, Birth of Republican U.S. Rep. Josiah Walls, who in 1871 became Florida’s first African-American in Congress.

December 31, 1898, Republican Theodore Roosevelt becomes Governor of New York; in 1900, he outlawed racial segregation in New York public schools.

January 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation, implementing the Republicans’ Confiscation Act of 1862, takes effect.

January 2, 1895, Republicans Clara Cressingham, Carrie C. Holly, and Frances S. Klock of Colorado are sworn in as first women to serve in a state legislature in U.S. history.

January 3, 1933, Republican Minnie Davenport Craig (R-ND) elected as first woman to be Speaker of the House in a state legislature.

"I joined for different reasons. I found a party that sees me as an individual, not as part of a group. I found a party that puts family first. I found a party that has love of liberty at its core. And I found a party that believes that peace begins with strength.”

“It’s that expression of the individual and a willingness to put the educational opportunities before me that led to who I am. Who you are is who you are as an individual.”

Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State

Tags: President Bush and Freedom Calendar or Booker T. Washington and Republicans or African-Americans and Brown v. Board of Education or Ronald Reagan and Condoleezza Rice or Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass or 40 acres and a mule or Martin Luther King and Voting Rights Act of 1965 or Dred Scott

Bush radio address 12/27/08 PODCAST TEXT TRANSCRIPT

DOWNLOAD THE MP3 FILE HERE

bush radio address 12/27/08 full audio, text transcript. President's Radio Address Holidays at the White House 2008

Subscribe to Our Podcast feed or online podnova Podcast Channel and receive the weekly Presidential Radio Address in English and Spanish with select State Department Briefings. Featuring real audio and full text transcripts, More content Sources added often so stay tuned.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, millions of Americans gather with loved ones for Christmas. This is a season of hope and joy. And it is an occasion to remember a humble birth that has helped shape the world for more than two thousand years.

One of the things that makes Christmas special is that it allows us to step back and take stock of what is truly meaningful in our lives. As years pass by, we often forget about the gifts and the parties, but we remember special moments with families and friends.

This year, as you spend time with those you love, I hope you'll also take time to remember the men and women of our armed forces. Every one of them has volunteered to serve our Nation. And with their incredible sacrifices, they preserve the peace and freedom that we celebrate during this season.

This tradition of service is as old as our Nation itself. In 1776, it looked as if America's first Christmas as an independent Nation might also be its last. After a series of crippling defeats by the British, George Washington's army was exhausted and disheartened. With their terms of service expiring in just a few weeks, many soldiers were planning on leaving the army. And it seemed that without a miracle, America's fight for freedom would be doomed.

That miracle took place on Christmas night, 1776. George Washington planned a surprise attack on the enemy forces camped across the Delaware River in Trenton, New Jersey. Under the cover of darkness, he led a few thousand soldiers across the icy waters in the midst of a driving snowstorm. Most generals would not have taken such a risk. But the commitment of Washington and his men was absolute. They headed into battle with a bold password -- "Victory or death."

In a matter of hours, victory was theirs. Morale immediately improved. And the American people began to believe that our Nation possessed the perseverance and courage to protect our liberty. The turnaround that began that night would end with the United States' triumph in the American Revolution -- and the permanent establishment of a free Nation.

Two hundred and thirty-two years have passed since George Washington crossed the Delaware. But on this Christmas, his legacy lives on in the men and women of the United States military. Some of them are spending this holiday helping defend emerging democracies like Iraq and Afghanistan. Others are spending it in lands where we defeated tyranny long ago, such as Germany or Japan. And some of them are spending it stateside, recovering in places like Bethesda National Naval Medical Center or Walter Reed.

Regardless of where they are, our men and women in uniform and the families who support them remind us of a clear lesson: Defending freedom is a full-time job. Our enemies do not take holidays. So the members of our armed forces stand ready to protect our freedom at any hour. For their service, they have the thanks of a grateful Nation -- this Christmas and always.

Thank you for listening.

# # # For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary December 23, 2008

ags: President Bush and White House radio address

Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación 12/27/08

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forre el audio de la dirección de radio 12/27/08 por completo, transcripción del texto. (nota de los redactores: ninguna lengua española mp3 lanzó esta semana, apesadumbrada) PODCAST

Suscribir a nuestro canal de Podcast de Odeo o del podnova y recibir la dirección de radio presidencial semanal en inglés y español con informes selectos del departamento del estado. Ofreciendo transcripciones audio y con texto completo verdaderas, más fuentes contentas agregaron a menudo así que la estancia templó.

Buenos Días.

Esta semana, millones de estadounidenses se juntan con seres queridos para celebrar la Navidad. Esta es una temporada de esperanza y de alegría. Y es una ocasión para recordar un nacimiento humilde que ha dado forma al mundo durante más de dos mil años.

Una de las cosas que hace que la Navidad sea especial es que nos permite detenernos y evaluar lo que realmente es valioso en nuestras vidas. A medida que pasan los años, solemos olvidar los regalos y las fiestas, pero recordamos momentos especiales con familiares y amigos

Este año, al pasar tiempo con sus seres queridos, espero que también tomen tiempo para recordar a los hombres y mujeres de nuestras fuerzas armadas. Cada uno de ellos se ha ofrecido como voluntario para servir a nuestra nación. Y con sus sacrificios increíbles, ellos conservan la paz y la libertad que celebramos durante esta temporada.

Esta tradición de servicio es tan antigua como nuestra misma Nación. En 1776 parecía que la primera Navidad de Estados Unidos como una Nación independiente también podría ser su última. Después de una serie de derrotas abrumadoras por los ingleses, el ejército de George Washington estaba exhausto y desalentado. Con sus períodos de servicio a punto de caducar en apenas unas semanas, muchos soldados pensaban dejar el ejército. Y parecía que sin un milagro la lucha por la libertad de los Estados Unidos estaba condenada a fallar.

Ese milagro ocurrió la noche de Navidad de 1776. El General Washington planeó un ataque sorpresa contra las fuerzas enemigas acampadas a orillas del río Delaware en Trenton, Nueva Jersey. Bajo la cubierta de la oscuridad, él condujo a unos cuantos miles de soldados por encima de las aguas congeladas en medio de una nevada feroz. La mayoría de los generales no hubieran tomado un riesgo igual. Pero el compromiso de Washington y de sus hombres era absoluto. Se lanzaron a la batalla con una contraseña valiente - “la victoria o la muerte”.

En cuestión de horas, la victoria fue suya. La moral mejoró inmediatamente. Y el pueblo estadounidense comenzó a creer que nuestra nación poseía la perseverancia y el valor para proteger nuestra libertad. El cambio de situación que comenzó esa noche terminó con el triunfo de Estados Unidos en la Revolución Americana – y el establecimiento permanente de una Nación libre.

Han pasado 232 años desde que George Washington atravesó el río Delaware. Pero en esta Navidad, su legado continúa vivo en los hombres y mujeres de las fuerzas armadas de Estados Unidos. Algunos de ellos están pasando este feriado ayudando a defender democracias emergentes como Irak o Afganistán. Algunos lo están pasando en tierras donde derrotamos a la tiranía hace mucho tiempo – tales como Alemania o Japón. Y algunos lo están pasando dentro de nuestras fronteras, en lugares como el Centro Médico Naval Nacional en Bethesda, o en Walter Reed.

No importe donde estén, nuestros hombres y mujeres en uniforme y las familias que los apoyan, nos recuerdan una lección clara: defender la libertad es un trabajo a tiempo completo. Nuestros enemigos no toman vacación. Por lo tanto, los miembros de nuestras Fuerzas Armadas están listos para proteger nuestra libertad a cualquier hora. Por su servicio, tienen el reconocimiento de una Nación agradecida – esta Navidad y para siempre.

Gracias por escuchar.

Para su publicación inmediata Oficina del Secretario de Prensa 23 de diciembre de 2008

Etiquetas De Technorati: Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación, y Presidente Bush

President George W. Bush and family

President George W. Bush and family gather at Camp David on Christmas, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008. Seated front row, Lauren Bush, Ashley Bush, Ellie LeBlond, Gigi Koch, Elizabeth Andrews, Marshall Bush, Pace Andrews, Walker Bush. Second row, John E. Bush, George P. Bush, Barbara Bush, Pierce Bush, former President George H.W. Bush, former First Lady Barbara Bush, President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Jenna Hager, Top row, Mandi Bush, Sam LeBlond, Neil Bush, Ally Bush, Maria Bush, Bobby Koch, Doro Koch, Margaret Bush, Marvin Bush, Columba Bush, former Gov. Jeb Bush, Henry Hager, Noelle Bush, and Robert Koch. White House photo by Eric Draper

President Calls Deployed Troops, Extends Holiday Greetings VIDEO

By John J. Kruzel American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 24, 2008 – President George W. Bush telephoned nine deployed servicemembers from each military branch this morning to pass along holiday greetings and thank them for their service.

A White House news release referred to the call recipients as “exemplary members of the armed forces who are stationed in remote locations worldwide.” Troops received calls in Iraq; Afghanistan; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Southwest Asia; and the Persian Gulf.

The recipients include:

-- Army Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Crissman of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, who is deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, with the 101st Airborne Division’s Special Troops Battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Crissman recently was selected as noncommissioned officer of the quarter for his battalion and for Combined Joint Task Force 101. He is on his second deployment since 2001; he previously served a tour in Samarra, Iraq.

-- Army Spc. Marcus T. Brown of Brooklyn, N.Y., who is deployed to Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team. Brown's unit came under fire April 30, and he was wounded by an armor-piercing makeshift bomb. Despite his wounds, he continued to fight and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with valor device. Brown is responsible for the technical attributes of his entire squad's weapon system and is an expert in all matters relating to the infantry mortar platoon.

-- Army Sgt. Aaron M. Simmons of Texas City, Texas, who is deployed to Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Simmons is a team leader in a mechanized infantry company, and he ensures soldiers meet standards in personal equipment, training them to maintain and account for all equipment and property.

-- Marine Corps Cpl. Louise M. Nowak of Pound, Wis., who is deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, with Combat Logistics Battalion 3, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Nowak is a combat engineer specializing in vertical and horizontal construction, demolitions, building bridges and working with mines. She also conducts mobility, survivability and counter-mobility missions.

-- Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jerry W. Pearse of Newberry Springs, Calif., who is deployed to Numaniyah Military Training Base, Iraq, with the Coalition Army Advisory Training Team, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq. Pearse is an engineering advisor, maintenance officer, and assistant contracting officer representative for the second largest Iraqi army training base in Iraq.

-- Air Force Staff Sgt. Matthew "Matt" Hise of Christiansburg, Va., deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, with the 19th Logistics Readiness Squadron. Hise is an air mobility load planner who ensures equipment and vehicles are certified for airlift. He also prepares weight and balance for cargo aircraft.

-- Air Force Senior Airman Daniel "Dan" Gutowski of Manistee, Mich., who is deployed to Southwest Asia with the 437th Airlift Wing’s 15th Airlift Squadron and is currently assigned to the 385th Air Expeditionary Group. Gutowski is a C-17A Globemaster III special operations-qualified loadmaster, responsible for the loading/unloading of C-17A aircraft, and providing safe and efficient airlift for passengers. He earned two Air Medals for completing 40 demanding C-17A combat missions through Afghanistan and Iraq.

-- Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Larry N. Ambrose of Edenton, N.C., who is deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with Coast Guard Port Security Unit 305. Ambrose serves as a leading petty officer and security fire team leader. He is directly responsible for the supervision and training of six junior enlisted personnel. He recently was selected as the unit’s sailor of the quarter.

-- Coast Guard Fireman Matthew "Matt" Frounfelker of Beaver Creek, Ohio, who is deployed with Coast Guard Cutter Aquidneck in the Persian Gulf. Frounfelker has participated in high-risk boardings, ensuring the safety and security of vessel traffic to and from the Al-Basra Oil Terminal and Khor al-Amaya Oil Terminal. His shipboard duties include assisting the damage control petty officer and acting as boarding team member, small boat crewman, in-port crewman and engineer of the watch.
News Archive

Presidential Message: Kwanzaa 2008

I send greetings to those observing Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is the celebration of African culture, community, and family traditions. For more than 40 years, millions of people have come together to reaffirm Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa.

These principles emphasize unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

As people across our country gather to commemorate this seven-day celebration, may we all be reminded that Kwanzaa is an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions of our African American citizens.

Laura and I send our best wishes for a joyous Kwanzaa.

GEORGE W. BUSH # # #

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary December 24, 2008

Fred Thompson on the Economy VIDEO

"Trying to fix problems caused by excess consumption with more spending is like telling a fat guy that the way to lose weight is to eat more donuts." by the Fred Thompson Political Action Committee

Obama transition officials and. Rod Blagojevich

Gregory Bestor Craig

TO: The President-Elect FROM: Greg Craig DATE: December 23, 2008 SUBJECT: Transition Staff Contacts with the Governor’s Office At your direction, I arranged for transition staff to provide accounts of any contacts that you or they may have had with Governor Blagojevich or his office in which the subject of your successor came up.

The accounts support your statement on December 11, 2008 that you “have never spoken to the Governor on this subject [or] about these issues,” and that you “had no contact with the Governor’s office.” In addition, the accounts contain no indication of inappropriate discussions with the Governor or anyone from his office about a “deal” or a quid pro quo arrangement in which he would receive a personal benefit in return for any specific appointment to fill the vacancy.

One member of the transition staff, Rahm Emanuel, did have contacts of the type covered by your request. I discuss the nature of those contacts in the attached report. David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, two other individuals on the transition staff, did not have any contacts with the Governor or his office but are included in the report to address questions raised by the press.

These accounts were communicated to the Office of the United States Attorney in interviews that were conducted last week. At the request of the Office, we delayed the release of this report until such time as the interviews could be completed. The interviews took place over a period of three days: Thursday, December 18, 2008 (the President-Elect); December 19, 2008 (Valerie Jarrett); and December 20, 2008 (Rahm Emanuel).

One other individual, Dr. Eric Whitaker, a family friend, was approached and asked for
information by a member of the Governor’s circle. I have included an account of this contact even though Dr. Whitaker is not a member of the transition staff.

Report to the President-Elect: On December 11, 2008, the President-Elect asked the White House Counsel-designate to determine whether there had been any staff contacts or communications – and the nature of any such contacts of communications – between the transition and Governor Blagojevich and his office relating to the selection of the President-Elect’s successor in the United States Senate. The results of that review are as follows:

The President-Elect: The President-Elect had no contact or communication with Governor Blagojevich or members of his staff about the Senate seat. In various conversations with transition staff and others, the President-Elect expressed his preference that Valerie Jarrett work with him in the White House. He also stated that he would neither stand in her way if she wanted to pursue the Senate seat nor actively seek to have her or any other particular candidate appointed to the vacancy.

After Ms. Jarrett decided on November 9, 2008 to withdraw her name from consideration as a possible replacement for him in the Senate and to accept the White House job, the President- Elect discussed other qualified candidates with David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel. Those candidates included Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Jesse Jackson, Jr., Dan Hynes and Tammy Duckworth. The President-Elect understood that Rahm Emanuel would relay these names to the Governor’s office as additions to the pool of qualified candidates who might already be under consideration. Mr. Emanuel subsequently confirmed to the President that he had in fact relayed these names. At no time in the discussion of the Senate seat or of possible replacements did the President-Elect hear of a suggestion that the Governor expected a personal benefit in return for making this appointment to the Senate.

Rahm Emanuel: Mr. Emanuel had one or two telephone calls with Governor Blagojevich. Those conversations occurred between November 6 and November 8, 2008. Soon after he decided to accept the President-Elect’s offer to serve as Chief of Staff in the White House, Mr. Emanuel placed a call to the Governor to give him a heads up that he was taking the Chief of Staff’s position in the White House, and to advise him that he would be resigning his seat in the House of Representatives. They spoke about Mr. Emanuel’s House seat, when he would be resigning and potential candidates to replace him. He also had a brief discussion with the Governor about the Senate seat and the merits of various people whom the Governor might consider. Mr. Emanuel and the Governor did not discuss a cabinet position, 501c(4), a private sector position for the Governor or any other personal benefit for the Governor.

In those early conversations with the Governor, Mr. Emanuel recommended Valarie Jarrett because he knew she was interested in the seat. He did so before learning -- in further conversations with the President-Elect -- that the President-Elect had ruled out communicating a preference for any one candidate. As noted above, the President-Elect believed it appropriate to provide the names of multiple candidates to be considered, along with others, who were qualified to hold the seat and able to retain it in a future election. The following week, Mr. Emanuel learned that the President-Elect and Ms. Jarrett with the President’s strong encouragement had decided that she would take a position in the White House.

Between the time that Mr. Emanuel decided to accept the position of Chief of Staff in the White House and December 8, 2008, Mr. Emanuel had about four telephone conversations with John Harris, Chief of Staff to the Governor, on the subject of the Senate seat. In these conversations, Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Harris discussed the merits of potential candidates and the strategic benefit that each candidate would bring to the Senate seat. After Ms. Jarrett removed herself from consideration, Mr. Emanuel – with the authorization of the President-Elect – gave Mr. Harris the names of four individuals whom the President-Elect considered to be highly qualified: Dan Hynes, Tammy Duckworth, Congresswoman Schakowsky and Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.
In later telephone conversations, Mr. Emanuel – also with the President-Elect’s approval –
presented other names of qualified candidates to Mr. Harris including Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Ms. Cheryle Jackson. Mr. Harris did not make any effort to extract a personal benefit for the Governor in any of these conversations. There was no discussion of a cabinet position, of 501c(4), of a private sector position or of any other personal benefit to the Governor in exchange for the Senate appointment.

Although Mr. Emanuel recalls having conversations with the President-Elect, with David
Axelrod and with Valerie Jarrett about who might possibly succeed the President-Elect in the Senate, there was no mention of efforts by the Governor or his staff to extract a personal benefit in return for filling the Senate vacancy.

Valerie Jarrett Ms. Jarrett had no contact or communication with Governor Blagojevich , with his Chief of Staff, John Harris or with any other people from the Governor’s office about a successor to replace the President-Elect in the United States Senate or how the decision should be made. Nor did she understand at any time prior to his arrest that the Governor was looking to receive some form of payment or personal benefit for the appointment. Her only contact with the Governor was at the Governor’s Conference in Philadelphia on December 2, 2008, over three weeks after she had decided not to pursue the Senate seat and had accepted the President-Elect’s offer to work in the White House. She had a brief conversation with him on that occasion. He wished her well.

On November 7, 2008 -- at a time when she was still a potential candidate for the Senate seat -- Ms. Jarrett spoke with Mr. Tom Balanoff, the head of the Illinois chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Mr. Balanoff is not a member of the Governor’s staff and did not purport to speak for the Governor on that occasion. But because the subject of the Governor’s interest in a cabinet appointment came up in that conversation, I am including a description of that meeting.

Mr. Balanoff told Ms. Jarrett that he had spoken to the Governor about the possibility of
selecting Valerie Jarrett to replace the President-Elect. He told her that Lisa Madigan’s name also came up.

Ms. Jarrett recalls that Mr. Balanoff also told her that the Governor had raised with him the question of whether the Governor might be considered as a possible candidate to head up the Department of Health and Human Services in the new administration. Mr. Balanoff told Ms. Jarrett that he told the Governor that it would never happen. Jarrett concurred.

Mr. Balanoff did not suggest that the Governor, in talking about HHS, was linking a position for himself in the Obama cabinet to the selection of the President-Elect’s successor in the Senate, and Ms. Jarrett did not understand the conversation to suggest that the Governor wanted the cabinet seat as a quid pro quo for selecting any specific candidate to be the President-Elect’s replacement. At no time did Balanoff say anything to her about offering Blagojevich a union position.

David Axelrod Mr. Axelrod had no conversations with anyone outside the President-Elect’s immediate circle about who should replace the President-Elect in the United States Senate. No one ever came to Mr. Axelrod to propose a deal involving the selection of a replacement, and nothing came up in any of his conversations with the President-Elect or the members of the President-Elect’s immediate circle that suggested that the Governor was seeking some kind of quid pro quo for the appointment.

Mr. Axelrod recalls that, after the election, the President-Elect discussed – with Mr. Axelrod and Mr. Emanuel – a number of individuals who were highly qualified to take his place in the Senate. Mr. Axelrod was under the impression that the President-Elect would convey this information to the Governor or to someone from the Governor’s office, which explains why Mr. Axelrod gave an inaccurate answer on this subject to questions from the press. He later learned that it was Mr. Emanuel who conveyed those names to the Governor’s Chief of Staff, John Harris.

Dr. Eric Whitaker: Dr. Whitaker had no contacts or communications with either the Governor or his Chief of Staff, John Harris. He did have contact and communication with one individual purporting to act on behalf of the Governor. In the period immediately following the election on November 4, 2008 – on either November 6, 7 or 8 – Deputy Governor Louanner Peters called him at his office and left a message. When he returned the call, Ms. Peters asked who spoke for the President-Elect with respect to the Senate appointment. She explained that the Governor’s office had heard from others with
recommendations about the vacant seat. She stated that the Governor’s office wanted to know who, if anyone, had the authority to speak for the President-Elect. Dr. Whitaker said he would find out.

The President-Elect told Dr. Whitaker that no one was authorized to speak for him on the matter. The President-Elect said that he had no interest in dictating the result of the selection process, and he would not do so, either directly or indirectly through staff or others. Dr. Whitaker relayed that information to Deputy Governor Peters.

Dr. Whitaker had no other contacts with anyone from the Governor’s office.

FULL DOCUMENT IN PDF FORMAT

Dr. Jane Lubchenco Biography

"Clean beaches, healthy seafood, abundant wildlife, and vibrant coastal communities all depend on maintaining diverse and resilient ocean ecosystems." JANE LUBCHENCO

Dr. Jane Lubchenco (born December 4, 1947) Denver, Colorado. President-elect Barack Obama selected Lubchenco to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where she would become the first woman to hold that position if confirmed by the Senate. NOAA is part of the Department of Commerce and has a budget of roughly $4 billion. NOAA's many divisions include the National Ocean Service, National Weather Service and National Marine Fisheries Service.

Dr. Lubchenco was the Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology Distinguished Professor of Zoology, Oregon State University

Jane is an environmental scientist and marine ecologist and biologist. She graduated from Colorado College, received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in marine ecology, taught at Harvard for two years, and has been on the faculty at Oregon State University since 1978.

Her expertise includes interactions between humans and the environment: biodiversity, climate change, sustainability science, ecosystem services, marine reserves, coastal marine ecosystems, the state of the oceans and of the planet.

She lead an interdisciplinary team of scientists who study the marine ecosystem off the west coast of the U.S. This PISCO team is learning how the ecosystem works, how it is changing and how humans can modify their actions to ensure continued benefit from ocean ecosystems.

She helped lead a panel created by Gov. Ted Kulongoski to develop an Oregon strategy on climate change.

She is Past-President of the International Council for Science and a former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Ecological Society of America. She was a Presidential appointee to two terms on the National Science Board which advises the President and Congress and oversees the National Science Foundation. She has often testifies before Congress, addresses the United Nations, or provided scientific advice to the White House, federal and international agencies, non-governmental organizations, religious leaders and leaders of business and industry. She co-chaired Oregon Governor Kulongoski's Advisory Group on Global Warming that recommended actions the state should take to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Jane founded the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program that teaches outstanding academic environmental scientists to be effective leaders and communicators of scientific information to the public, policy makers, the media and the private sector. She currently serves as Chair of the Advisory Board.

She participated actively in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), a 5-year, international scientific assessment of the consequences of environmental changes to human well-being. Among other things, she co-chaired the MA's Synthesis for Business and Industry.

Jane is a Founding Principal of COMPASS, the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea, a collaboration among academic scientists, communication and media specialists that communicates academic marine conservation science to policy makers, the media, managers and the public.

8 of her publications are "Science Citation Classics"; she is one of the "most highly cited" ecologists in the world (top 0.5%). She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Royal Society, and the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World.

She served on the Pew Oceans Commission and now the Joint Oceans Commission Initiative (a merger of the Pew Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy). She is a Director or Trustee of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, SeaWeb and Environmental Defense; Trustee Emerita of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and a former Trustee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' Beijer International Institute for Ecological Economics and the World Resources Institute.

Jane has received numerous awards including a MacArthur ("genius") Fellowship, a Pew Fellowship, eight honorary degrees (including one from Princeton University), the 2002 Heinz Award in the Environment, the 2003 Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest, the 2004 Environmental Law Institute Award (the first scientist to receive this honor) and the 2005 American Association for the Advancement of Science's Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology.

Dr. Lubchenco received the Heinz Award for the Environment for her role in broadening awareness of the importance of biological sustainability to the future of humanity, her efforts to raise the visibility of ocean issues, her commitment to opening the lines of communication between scientists and citizens, and her pioneering concept of the social contract that exists between science and society.

Her Education includes a Bachelor's in biology, Colorado College, 1969; master's in zoology, University of Washington, 1971; doctorate in ecology, Harvard University, 1975

Jane is married to Bruce Menge, a marine ecologist; and has two two sons.

SOURCES:

• Jane Lubchenco From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Jane Lubchenco - Distinquished Professor of Zoology
• Obama picks OSU professor to head science agency NOAA
• Jane Lubchenco OSU
• The Heinz Awards, Jane Lubchenco

Image Licensing: This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Author Obama-Biden Transition project

Light-speed computer connection will slash genetic data transfer time between TGen-ASU

Edward Suh, Sc.D. Senior Investigator & Director Computational Biology Division Chief Information Officer TGen

High-speed link will position collaborators as leaders in biomedical data analysis PHOENIX, Ariz. – Nov. 12, 2008 –– Hot on the heels of a new supercomputer, plans for a new light-speed data line between the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Arizona State University could slash the time is takes to transfer genetic information. Accelerating the flow of information could help speed discoveries that eventually could help produce treatments and cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's, autism, diabetes and various cancers.

Because of the huge amounts of data generated by TGen's experiments, it now take as long as 12 days using conventional cables to transmit 7 terabytes of information from a typical experiment 10 miles between TGen's downtown Phoenix labs and ASU's new Saguaro 2 supercomputer in Tempe.

But through a partnership between ASU and Obsidian Strategics Inc., an Edmonton, Alberta-based defense-intelligence contractor, the same voluminous data – the equivalent of 3.5 million iPod songs – soon could be transmitted in as short as 1 hour.

The difference is something called "dark fiber,'' unused fiber optic cables installed years ago throughout the nation in anticipation of future growth and development.

"The primary advantage of a link like this is it will allow us to move data faster from the instruments at TGen to the computation and storage at ASU,'' said Dan Stanzione, director of the High Performance Computing Initiative at ASU's Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering.

"This particularly applies to the next-gen sequencers,'' said Stanzione, referring to TGen's deployment of ever-faster tools for analyzing DNA in its quest to discover the causes, treatments and possible cures of various diseases.

Dr. Edward Suh, TGen's Chief Information Officer, said such capabilities will help expedite the translation of biomedical research from TGen labs into clinical drug treatments.

"The proposed high-speed data communication link, using Obsidian's network, will significantly reduce the time it takes to run complex data analyses and systems simulations on TGen's supercomputer systems,'' Suh said.

James Lowey, TGen's Director of High-Performance Biocomputing, said, "The high-speed link between TGen and ASU will enable TGen scientists to transfer data between their labs and the computational resources at ASU at an unprecedented rate, accelerating the pace of discovery.

"With the ever-increasing amount of data being generated by both proteomics and next-generation sequencing, it is critical to have state-of-the-art communications networks between locations where data is generated, and where it is analyzed,'' Lowey said. "Having this very high-speed link helps position TGen as being a leader in biomedical data analysis.''

Stanzione said ASU still is looking for a partner to provide the fiber optic cable, but that a planned pilot dark-fiber link would be between ASU and TGen.

A single experimental run from DNA sequencers can generate 7 terabytes, or 7,000 gigabytes, of data, Stanzione said. Existing ASU-TGen connections can move about 30 gigabytes an hour, he said, meaning the transfer of scientific experimental information can take more than a week.

The proposed system using Obsidian Strategics technology is expected to hit 8,000 gigabytes per hour, or about 8 terabytes, reducing the time it takes to move data between TGen scientific instruments and the ASU supercomputer to as little as 1 hour, Stanzione said.

Reducing transmission time will be come more critical in the future, with TGen's next generation sequencers easily producing as much as 30 terabytes of data, or the equivalent of an iPod with 15 million songs.

Obsidian Strategics is the leading developer of InfiniBand range extension, routing and encryption technology. ASU and Obsidian will join with others in a venture supported by the Canadian Consulate-Phoenix to advance the capabilities of the optical network, linking higher education facilities in Arizona, as well as in adjacent states.

Obsidian's Longbow technology leverages existing optical networks, and originally was designed to meet the demands of the U.S. Department of Defense's next generation large data communications architecture.

Saguaro 2, the TGen-ASU supercomputer dedicated Oct. 3 at ASU's Barry M. Goldwater Center for Science and Engineering, is capable of 50 trillion mathematical operations per second. ###

About TGen

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of translational research where investigators are able to unravel the genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process.

About the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University

The Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University serves more than 4,000 undergraduates and 2,000 graduate students, providing skills and knowledge for science and technology-oriented careers. Ranked nationally in the top 50 among more than 185 engineering schools rated by US News & World Report magazine, the school engages in use-inspired research in a multidisciplinary setting for the benefit of individuals, society and the environment.

Its 200-plus faculty members pursue research in electrical, chemical, mechanical, aerospace, civil and environmental engineering, bioengineering, computer science, and biomedical informatics. The Ira A. School of Engineering also includes the School of Computing and Informatics, the Del E. Web School of Construction and the School of Materials. Many faculty members work collaboratively with ASU's Biodesign Institute, the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the Global Institute of Sustainability. For more information, visit the web site www.fulton.asu.edu/fulton.

Media Contacts

Steve Yozwiak Senior Science Writer Translational Genomics Research Institute Phone: (602) 343-8704 syozwiak@tgen.org

Joe Kullman Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering Arizona State University Phone: (480) 965-8122 joe.kullman@asu.edu

Freedom Calendar 12/20/08 - 12/27/08

December 20, 2000, California Republican Ann Veneman nominated as first woman to be U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. December 21, 1981, President Ronald Reagan establishes Task Force on Legal Equality for Women.

December 22, 1870, African-American Republican Jefferson Long becomes U.S. Representative from Georgia.

December 23, 1815, Civil rights activist and Republican diplomat Henry Garnet born into slavery in Maryland; first African-American to address U.S. Senate (1865).

December 24, 1833, Birth of African-American Republican Joseph Corbin, Arkansas Superintendent of Education (1873-74)

Christmas Day December 25, 1804, Birth of U.S. Rep. George Ashmun (R-MA), anti-slavery activist and Chairman of 1860 Republican National Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln.

December 26, 1939, Birth of former U.S. Rep. Lynn Martin (R-IL), who as Vice Chair of the Republican Conference was the first Republican woman in a congressional leadership position; later served as Secretary of Labor in the administration of President George H. W. Bush.

December 27, 1910, Birth of African-American physician Aris Allen, Chairman of Maryland Republican Party and Secretary of 1980 Republican National Convention.

The Republican Party, on the contrary [to the Democrats], holds that this government was instituted to secure the blessings of freedom, and that slavery is an unqualified evil… . [Republicans] will oppose in all its length and breadth the modern Democratic idea that slavery is as good as freedom.”

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

Technorati Tags: President Bush and Freedom Calendar or Booker T. Washington and Republicans or African-Americans and Brown v. Board of Education or Ronald Reagan and Condoleezza Rice or Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass or 40 acres and a mule or Martin Luther King and Voting Rights Act of 1965 or Dred Scott

Bush radio address 12/20/08 PODCAST TEXT TRANSCRIPT

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bush radio address 12/20/08 full audio, text transcript. President's Radio Address In Focus: Economy

Subscribe to Our Podcast feed or online podnova Podcast Channel and receive the weekly Presidential Radio Address in English and Spanish with select State Department Briefings. Featuring real audio and full text transcripts, More content Sources added often so stay tuned.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. For years, America's automakers have faced serious challenges -- burdensome costs, a shrinking share of the market, and declining profits. In recent months, the global financial crisis has made these challenges even more severe. Now some U.S. auto executives say that their companies are nearing collapse -- and that the only way they can buy time to restructure is with help from the Federal government.

This is a difficult situation that involves fundamental questions about government's proper role. On the one hand, government has a responsibility not to undermine the private enterprise system. On the other hand, government has a responsibility to safeguard the broader health and stability of our economy.

Addressing the challenges in the auto industry requires us to balance these two responsibilities. If we were to allow the free market to take its course now, it would almost certainly lead to disorderly bankruptcy and liquidation for the automakers. Under ordinary economic circumstances, I would say this is the price that failed companies must pay -- and I would not favor intervening to prevent automakers from going out of business.

But these are not ordinary circumstances. In the midst of a financial crisis and a recession, allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action. The question is how we can best give it a chance to succeed. Some argue the wisest path is to allow the auto companies to reorganize through Chapter 11 provisions of our bankruptcy laws -- and provide a Federal loan to keep them operating while they try to restructure. But given the current state of the auto industry, my economic advisors believe that bankruptcy could now lead to its disorderly collapse -- sending our economy into a deeper and longer recession.

A more responsible option is to give auto companies an incentive to restructure outside of bankruptcy -- and a brief window in which to do it. My Administration proposed legislation to achieve this, but Congress was unable to get a bill to my desk before adjourning for the year. This means the only way to stave off a collapse of the auto industry is for the executive branch to step in. So yesterday, I announced that the Federal government will grant loans to auto companies, which will provide help to them in two ways.

First, the loans will give automakers three months to put in place plans to restructure into viable companies -- which we believe they are capable of doing. Second, if restructuring cannot be accomplished outside of bankruptcy, the loans will provide time for companies to make the legal and financial preparations necessary for an orderly Chapter 11 process that offers a better prospect of long-term success.

The terms of the loans will require the auto companies to demonstrate how they would become viable. They must pay back all their loans to the government, and show that their firms can earn a profit and achieve a positive net worth. This restructuring will require meaningful concessions from all involved in the auto industry -- management, labor unions, creditors, bondholders, dealers, and suppliers. If a company fails to come up with a viable plan by March 31st, it will be required to repay its Federal loans. Taken together, these conditions send a clear message to everyone involved in American automakers: The time to make the hard decisions to become viable is now -- or the only option will be bankruptcy.

The actions I'm taking represent a step that we all wish were not necessary. But given the situation, it is the most effective and responsible way to address this challenge facing our Nation. By giving the auto companies a chance to restructure, we will shield the American people from a harsh economic blow at a vulnerable time. And we will give American workers an opportunity to show the world once again that they can meet challenges with ingenuity and determination, and emerge stronger than before.

Thank you for listening. # # #

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary December 20, 2008

Tags: President Bush and White House radio address

Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación 12/20/08

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forre el audio de la dirección de radio 12/20/08 por completo, transcripción del texto. (nota de los redactores: ninguna lengua española mp3 lanzó esta semana, apesadumbrada) PODCAST

Suscribir a nuestro canal de Podcast de Odeo o del podnova y recibir la dirección de radio presidencial semanal en inglés y español con informes selectos del departamento del estado. Ofreciendo transcripciones audio y con texto completo verdaderas, más fuentes contentas agregaron a menudo así que la estancia templó.

Buenos Días.

Durante años, los fabricantes de automóviles en Estados Unidos han enfrentado grandes desafíos – costos agobiantes, una porción cada vez menor del mercado, y ganancias en decadencia. En meses recientes, la crisis financiera global ha hecho estos desafíos aún más severos. Ahora algunos ejecutivos automotrices dicen que sus compañías están al borde del colapso – y que la única manera que pueden comprar tiempo es reestructurando con ayuda del gobierno federal.

Esta es una situación difícil que implica preguntas fundamentales sobre el papel apropiado del gobierno. Por un lado, el gobierno tiene la responsabilidad de no socavar el sistema de la empresa privada. Por otro lado, el gobierno tiene la responsabilidad de salvaguardar la salud más amplia y la estabilidad de nuestra economía.

Enfrentar los desafíos en la industria automotriz requiere que mantengamos en equilibrio estas dos responsabilidades. Si dejamos que el libre mercado siga su curso ahora, es casi seguro que nos llevaría a una bancarrota desordenada y liquidación para los fabricantes de automóviles. Bajo circunstancias económicas ordinarias yo diría que éste es el precio que las compañías fallidas deben pagar – y yo no apoyaría la intervención para evitar que los fabricantes de automóviles fracasen.

Pero éstas no son circunstancias ordinarias. En medio de una crisis financiera y una recesión, permitir que la industria automotriz de Estados Unidos fracase no es un curso de acción responsable. La pregunta es cómo podemos darle la mejor oportunidad para que salga adelante. Algunos opinan que el mejor camino es permitir que las compañías automotrices se reorganicen usando las disposiciones del Capítulo 11 de nuestras leyes sobre bancarrota – y ofrecen un préstamo federal para que sigan en operación mientras tratan de reestructurarse. Pero dada la grave situación de la industria automotriz, mis asesores económicos consideran que la bancarrota ahora podría conducir a su colapso desordenado – llevando a nuestra economía hacia una recesión más profunda y más larga.

Una opción más responsable es la de dar a las compañías automotrices un incentivo para reestructurar sin ir a la bancarrota – y un breve período de tiempo dentro del cual hacerlo. Mi Administración propuso legislación para lograr esto, pero el Congreso no pudo enviarme un proyecto de ley antes del receso de fin de año. Esto significa que la única forma de evitar un colapso de la industria automovilística es que intervenga el Poder Ejecutivo. Por lo tanto, ayer anuncié que el gobierno federal otorgará préstamos a compañías automotrices – lo que les ayudará de dos maneras. Primero, los préstamos darán a los fabricantes de automóviles tres meses para poner en marcha planes para reestructurar en compañías viables – lo cual los creemos capaces de hacer. Segundo, si la reestructuración no se puede lograr sin bancarrota, los préstamos les darán tiempo a las compañías para efectuar las preparaciones legales y financieras necesarias para un proceso ordenado Capítulo 11 que ofrezca una mejor perspectiva de éxito a largo plazo.

Las condiciones de los préstamos exigirán que las compañías automotrices demuestren cómo llegarían a ser viables. Deben rembolsar todos sus préstamos al gobierno, y mostrar que sus empresas pueden tener ganancias y lograr un activo neto positivo. Esta reestructuración exigirá concesiones significativas de todos los involucrados en la industria automotriz – administración, sindicatos laborales, acreedores, obligacionistas, distribuidores y proveedores. Si una compañía no logra elaborar un plan viable hasta el 31 de marzo, tendrá que rembolsar sus préstamos federales. Tomadas en su conjunto, estas condiciones envían un mensaje claro a todo el mundo involucrado en la industria automotriz estadounidense: este es el momento de tomar las decisiones difíciles para ser viable – o la única opción será la bancarrota.

Las acciones que estoy tomando representan un paso que todos quisiéramos que no fuera necesario. Pero dada la situación, es la manera más efectiva y responsable de responder a este desafío que enfrenta la Nación. Al darle a las compañías automotrices una oportunidad de reestructurar, estaremos protegiendo al pueblo estadounidense contra un fuerte golpe económico en un momento vulnerable. Y daremos a los trabajadores estadounidenses la oportunidad de mostrar al mundo una vez más que pueden enfrentar desafíos con ingenio y determinación, y salir adelante más fuerte que antes.

Gracias por escuchar.

Para su publicación inmediata Oficina del Secretario de Prensa 20 de diciembre de 2008

Etiquetas De Technorati: Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación, y Presidente Bush

President Bush Discusses Administration's Plan to Assist Automakers VIDEO PODCAST

President George W. Bush delivers a statement regarding the automobile industry Friday, Dec. 19, 2008, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Said the President, "Today, I'm announcing that the federal government will grant loans to auto companies under conditions similar to those Congress considered last week... By giving the auto companies a chance to restructure, we will shield the American people from a harsh economic blow at a vulnerable time. And we will give American workers an opportunity to show the world once again they can meet challenges with ingenuity and determination, and bounce back from tough times, and emerge stronger than before." White House photo by Chris Greenberg

President Bush Discusses Administration's Plan to Assist Automakers FULL STREAMING VIDEO. Roosevelt Room PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE 9:01 A.M. EST. In Focus: Economy and Fact Sheet: Financing Assistance to Facilitate the Restructuring of Auto Manufacturers to Attain Financial Viability THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. For years, America's automakers have faced serious challenges -- burdensome costs, a shrinking share of the market, and declining profits. In recent months, the global financial crisis has made these challenges even more severe. Now some U.S. auto executives say that their companies are nearing collapse -- and that the only way they can buy time to restructure is with help from the federal government.

This is a difficult situation that involves fundamental questions about the proper role of government. On the one hand, government has a responsibility not to undermine the private enterprise system. On the other hand, government has a responsibility to safeguard the broader health and stability of our economy.

Addressing the challenges in the auto industry requires us to balance these two responsibilities. If we were to allow the free market to take its course now, it would almost certainly lead to disorderly bankruptcy and liquidation for the automakers. Under ordinary economic circumstances, I would say this is the price that failed companies must pay -- and I would not favor intervening to prevent the automakers from going out of business.

But these are not ordinary circumstances. In the midst of a financial crisis and a recession, allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action. The question is how we can best give it a chance to succeed. Some argue the wisest path is to allow the auto companies to reorganize through Chapter 11 provisions of our bankruptcy laws -- and provide federal loans to keep them operating while they try to restructure under the supervision of a bankruptcy court. But given the current state of the auto industry and the economy, Chapter 11 is unlikely to work for American automakers at this time.

American consumers understand why: If you hear that a car company is suddenly going into bankruptcy, you worry that parts and servicing will not be available, and you question the value of your warranty. And with consumers hesitant to buy new cars from struggling automakers, it would be more difficult for auto companies to recover.

Additionally, the financial crisis brought the auto companies to the brink of bankruptcy much faster than they could have anticipated -- and they have not made the legal and financial preparations necessary to carry out an orderly bankruptcy proceeding that could lead to a successful restructuring.

The convergence of these factors means there's too great a risk that bankruptcy now would lead to a disorderly liquidation of American auto companies. My economic advisors believe that such a collapse would deal an unacceptably painful blow to hardworking Americans far beyond the auto industry. It would worsen a weak job market and exacerbate the financial crisis. It could send our suffering economy into a deeper and longer recession. And it would leave the next President to confront the demise of a major American industry in his first days of office.

A more responsible option is to give the auto companies an incentive to restructure outside of bankruptcy -- and a brief window in which to do it. And that is why my administration worked with Congress on a bill to provide automakers with loans to stave off bankruptcy while they develop plans for viability. This legislation earned bipartisan support from majorities in both houses of Congress.

Unfortunately, despite extensive debate and agreement that we should prevent disorderly bankruptcies in the American auto industry, Congress was unable to get a bill to my desk before adjourning this year.

This means the only way to avoid a collapse of the U.S. auto industry is for the executive branch to step in. The American people want the auto companies to succeed, and so do I. So today, I'm announcing that the federal government will grant loans to auto companies under conditions similar to those Congress considered last week.

These loans will provide help in two ways. First, they will give automakers three months to put in place plans to restructure into viable companies -- which we believe they are capable of doing. Second, if restructuring cannot be accomplished outside of bankruptcy, the loans will provide time for companies to make the legal and financial preparations necessary for an orderly Chapter 11 process that offers a better prospect of long-term success -- and gives consumers confidence that they can continue to buy American cars.

Because Congress failed to make funds available for these loans, the plan I'm announcing today will be drawn from the financial rescue package Congress approved earlier this fall. The terms of the loans will require auto companies to demonstrate how they would become viable. They must pay back all their loans to the government, and show that their firms can earn a profit and achieve a positive net worth. This restructuring will require meaningful concessions from all involved in the auto industry -- management, labor unions, creditors, bondholders, dealers, and suppliers.

In particular, automakers must meet conditions that experts agree are necessary for long-term viability -- including putting their retirement plans on a sustainable footing, persuading bondholders to convert their debt into capital the companies need to address immediate financial shortfalls, and making their compensation competitive with foreign automakers who have major operations in the United States. If a company fails to come up with a viable plan by March 31st, it will be required to repay its federal loans.

The automakers and unions must understand what is at stake, and make hard decisions necessary to reform, These conditions send a clear message to everyone involved in the future of American automakers: The time to make the hard decisions to become viable is now -- or the only option will be bankruptcy.

The actions I'm announcing today represent a step that we wish were not necessary. But given the situation, it is the most effective and responsible way to address this challenge facing our nation. By giving the auto companies a chance to restructure, we will shield the American people from a harsh economic blow at a vulnerable time. And we will give American workers an opportunity to show the world once again they can meet challenges with ingenuity and determination, and bounce back from tough times, and emerge stronger than before.

Thank you.

END 9:08 A.M. EST For Immediate Release December 19, 2008

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Dana Perino 12/18/08 VIDEO PODCAST

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Dana Perino FULL STREAMING VIDEO, James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 10:17 A.M. EST PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE

MS. PERINO: Hey, everybody. A couple of things for you. The President just met with Rich Williamson -- he's the special envoy -- the President's special envoy to Sudan -- to receive an update from him on the situation in Darfur and the status of a comprehensive peace agreement that the North and South are trying to work out.

Also this morning, at 10:20 a.m., the President will drop by Mrs. Bush's meeting in the Yellow Oval Room in honor of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council. The President and President Karzai launched this council to support Afghan women in the areas of political and economic participation, literacy, education, legal awareness, and then access to health care. Mrs. Bush is welcoming new members and will announce that Georgetown University will manage the council with the transition to a new administration.

Earlier this morning, Mrs. Bush participated in a secure video teleconference with Afghan women entrepreneurs in the Roosevelt Room, and afterwards, Mrs. Bush will also participate in interviews with David Jackson of USA Today and Greta Van Susteren of Fox News.

This morning, at 10:45 a.m., the President will make remarks on presidential perspectives on domestic policy-making to employees and guests of the American Enterprise Institute at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, just across the street here in Washington. He will also answer questions that have been collected from audience members. So you'll have that in just a minute.

The President this afternoon will participate in an interview with Steve Scully of C-SPAN; that's at 1:15 p.m.

And then I would point you to, just to highlight, yesterday the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics announced that 2007 violent crime and property rates were at or near the lowest level since 1973. That was the first year that data was collected, in 1973. And more information can be found at the DOJ website, for Bureau of Justice Statistics.

And with that, I'll take a drink, and then take your questions.

Go ahead, Jennifer.

Q We've heard from the podium and then also from the President himself over the weekend on Air Force One that a decision about the automakers would come very quickly. And now we're into Thursday; the week is starting to wind down. Should we assume that this means that there may not be a way to find bailout money for the automakers?

MS. PERINO: No. I would just remind you, it was just a week ago that the legislation on Capitol Hill did not pass. And so what we were left with then was to try to come up with how do we move forward.

Just to step back for a minute, if you thought that our economy today could handle the collapse of the American auto industry, then you might come to the conclusion that doing nothing was an option. In a strong economy, we would probably come to that conclusion, as well. But we don't have a strong economy today. We're in the middle of a recession, and we have continued credit and financial market issues that we're trying to work through. And the overwhelming evidence is that the collapse of the American auto industry would have a terrible negative consequence for our national economy, resulting in massive job losses, the failure of many businesses who are dependent on the auto industry. The ripple effect would be quite strong.

And so once you've decided that the economy cannot withstand that type of a blow, then the only question is how do you deal with it. And I know that there are a lot of opinions out there about how to deal with it, or to not deal with it at all. But there's only one person who has the responsibility to make a decision and to get the answer right once Congress failed to act, and that's the President. And that's why it's just taking us a few days to get information from the companies, digest it, see how we could provide possible short-term help to them.

I will tell you this: The President is not going to allow a disorderly collapse of the companies. That is not an option. Some people have assumed that that's one of things that we would decide. That is not going to be the case. When the President says we're going to take all of this into account he means that we're going to do something. And we're nearing a conclusion, we're narrowing options. I just don't have anything for you today.

Q Let me just ask two things quickly. Do you think the week will end without a decision? And, two -- this may have been asked before, so forgive me if it's a repeat -- but when you say "disorderly collapse," can you explain what that means? Does that mean that there's some kind of collapse that's okay, but a certain other kind of one is not?

MS. PERINO: By that I mean a disorderly collapse would be something very chaotic that is a shock to the system. There's an orderly way to do bankruptcies that provides for more of a soft landing -- I think that's what we would be talking about. That would be one of the options. I'm not saying that that is necessarily what would be announced.

And you asked if it would be before the end of the week. I just -- I can't tell you right now, but I can tell you we're nearing a conclusion and we're very close.

Q A structured bankruptcy, as opposed to a disorderly collapse, would involve the cooperation of the unions, the companies, various other stakeholders, presumably including some of the equity holders, and might take longer to arrange. Is that why this is taking so long?

MS. PERINO: That is one of the considerations that we're taking into account. If you remember, the legislation that we supported going back the past several weeks was one in that we said that all the stakeholders, all the ones that you listed, were going to have to come to the table and be willing to make some really tough decisions and concessions on their part in order to become viable companies in the future and to qualify for any taxpayer assistance, if there was going to be any.

That was -- what we thought was reasonable and appropriate was to provide the auto industry an acceleration on the money that was already appropriated for the auto industry. But because Congress didn't act, then the President is left with, okay, well, even though majorities in both houses of Congress said that they supported this action, now we have to look back and say, how can we do it.

And that doesn't -- but that doesn't mean that those stakeholders aren't going to have to make tough decisions. No matter what in this -- in any scenario that comes forward after this decision-making process, all those stakeholders are going to have to make tough decisions.

Q Can you give us any indication of how far along the process is?

MS. PERINO: I can say we're very close, but other than that I don't want to characterize it.

Q So -- but a sort of managed bankruptcy is a possibility?

MS. PERINO: I'd say it's in the spectrum of options, and there are a lot of options.

Go ahead.

Q And Chrysler Corporation, with its workers being essentially shut out at 21 plants for a month -- reaction to that and the impact of that -- of those closures?

MS. PERINO: Well, we certainly took that into account. There's no doubt that we're -- they're in a very fragile state right now. They usually do shut production for some bit of time at this time --

Q But not for a month.

MS. PERINO: -- but not for a month. So we are taking that into consideration. And again, the President has the responsibility to look at the economy in the big -- from the big picture. And if the economy was as strong as it was just a couple of years ago, or a year ago right before the credit collapse -- or the credit crunch -- then we wouldn't necessarily be having this conversation. But because the economy is in such a weakened state, he feels that he needs to do something. And that's why he's tasked his advisors to work round the clock to try to come up with something that would protect the taxpayers, but not allow a collapse that would hurt everybody in America.

John.

Q Sort of following on Bill's question, is it reasonable to think that you're trying to set up a process where those tough decisions are going to be made, as opposed to reaching the tough decisions this week?

MS. PERINO: You know, as frustrating as it is for you to not get answers from me -- I mean, it's as frustrating for me. I can't provide you anything more. But as soon as we can, I will. And then we'll be able to talk to you about the process we went through.

Helen.

Q What are the President's options, and how does he feel about the senators who represent states producing foreign cars over American?

MS. PERINO: Well, they all have their opinions. And as I said, there's a lot of people with opinions, but there's only one person that has the responsibility to make a decision that would be best for all Americans, and that's what he's trying to do.

There's a range of things that we could do, from providing -- one of the things we've said is that the President could provide some short-term financing through the TARP money; this is the rescue money that we had passed I think just the first week of October. That's one option.

Q He can do that by executive order?

MS. PERINO: It's one option that they're looking at to see if that would be possible. The other one would be one of these bankruptcy -- I mean, there's a range of options. I don't want to rule anything in or out, but there's a whole list of them.

Richard, did you have one?

Q Yes. I was just going to ask if it would be preferable to have fewer than three auto companies in this plan? Is that -- if you were --

MS. PERINO: I would just say that we want a robust auto industry in America, and we think that they can be competitive and viable, but they're going to have to make tough decisions to get there.

Mark.

Q Dana, did the White House reply to these seven Republican senators who urged the President not to use TARP funds for the auto industry?

MS. PERINO: I don't know if we have, in terms of a formal letter of response. But we've got letters from all sorts of members of Congress and people from across the country, expressing their desires and opinions on this matter. And we always respond in due course.

Q In due course? After you announce the --

MS. PERINO: Not necessarily. I mean, I think that there's a lot of conversations that are ongoing between us and Capitol Hill. We don't -- we never close off communication. But we were left with a situation that the President had to do something when Congress failed to act last week.

Q And using TARP money is still an option?

MS. PERINO: Yes. Yes, ma'am.

Q My name is Nazira Karimi, correspondent for Ariana Television from Afghanistan. This is the first time that I've been here.

MS. PERINO: Welcome.

Q Thank you. Women in Afghanistan -- I am a woman, I know the situation, women feeling out of the (inaudible) but still they are worried about the Taliban. And they say, why the Taliban get more power and we are (inaudible) power. So what is going to be the next policy of the United States?

MS. PERINO: Well, you'll get to hear from the President soon. He's having the event today. The President was just in Afghanistan this weekend, and I had the pleasure of being able to be there.

There's remarkable changes that have taken place since 2001. The fact that you're here today I think is a testament to that. And we have all of NATO agreeing to be a part of a effort to try to beat back the Taliban. I think that one of the things that we need to remind people of is that Afghanistan is the fourth poorest country in the world. They have a 78 percent illiteracy rate. When we go to try to train their troops, it's not like you can hold a class. You have to go out in the field and do a lot of repetition. And they're good soldiers and good fighters, but they just need a slightly different type of training than you could maybe do in someplace else like Iraq.

So there's a lot to be done, but we've come a long way, especially when it comes for little girls being able to go to school. And the President and Mrs. Bush have both said in recent days that they plan to remain involved in Afghanistan. And Mrs. Bush in particular has a soft spot in her heart for the women of Afghanistan, and she'll continue to work on their behalf.

Ann.

Q The Prime Minister's office in Iraq says that the Iraqi journalist has apologized for what he called an ugly incident. Has that been communicated to President Bush, and does he think there -- that an apology was necessary?

MS. PERINO: I've seen the reports of it. I've not seen the President today as to whether or not he's actually been apprised of those reports, as well. But as I said, the President harbors no hard feelings about it, and the Iraqis have a process that they'll follow. But he did urge them not to overreact, because he was not bothered by the incident, although it's not appropriate for people to throw shoes at a press conference, at any leader.

Q Can I ask another one, as well? Can you explain what regulations the President is changing to protect health care providers who do not choose to participate in abortion practices?

MS. PERINO: I'm not as well versed in this, in terms of the details. The Department of Health and Human Services could provide you more. But over the past three decades, Congress has enacted several laws in order to protect people who have a -- who want to practice their health care according to their conscience when it comes to reproductive rights. And this new regulation will increase awareness of those laws and compliance with them, but it doesn't change any of the laws in regards to reproductive rights. So it's just about people.

Q It supports what's already been passed by Congress?

MS. PERINO: Yes, and we think it clarifies it, because there have been laws passed over the past three decades and we think this puts it all in one place so that people can have all of their rights respected. But the Department of Health and Human Services could provide you more detail.

Mark.

Q Sorry, let me come back to the automakers for a second. You said that you were waiting -- you'd gotten information back from the companies, you're digesting it. You didn't mention the unions. I ask because the unions, in an attempt to get concessions ahead of agreement, was kind of where Congress found it. Are you guys talking to unions, too?

MS. PERINO: I'm not aware of all the details, but I know that they've been talking to the head of the UAW, sure.

Q Dana, a follow-up on that, if I may.

MS. PERINO: Go ahead.

Q Do you have any information if the journalist has been beaten or tortured in Iraqi custody?

MS. PERINO: No, I don't.

Q And another one if -- I'm sorry.

MS. PERINO: Go ahead.

Q There's been a report this morning from North Koreans; they claim they've thwarted a terrorist attempt on their leader, whatever. Do you have any information, any --

MS. PERINO: This is the first I've heard of it.

April.

Q Dana, back to Ann's question and another question. You were hurt in that shoe-throwing melee and he sent an apology. Do you accept his apology? You were the victim.

MS. PERINO: I don't think he apologized to me.

Q He didn't -- but you were --

MS. PERINO: What happened to me was just an accident in the melee. It's not -- I'm not bothered by it. It's not all that pretty, but I'm not worried about it. (Laughter.)

Q You didn't like those close-ups?

MS. PERINO: Goyal, go ahead.

Q Two questions --

Q No, no, I have one more question.

MS. PERINO: Oh, sorry. Go ahead.

Q Last night a U.S. magistrate judge imposed a severe sanction against the Secret Service for "willful noncompliance with discovery obligations" in the evidence hearing of a case over an alleged culture of pervasive racial discrimination within the Secret Service. And it's a decades-long case, Ray Moore versus the Secret Service/Chertoff. What are your thoughts about that?

MS. PERINO: April, I'm aware of the case. I wasn't aware of the judge's ruling, and I also think that -- my instinct is that if there's a judge's ruling that it's probably not appropriate for me to comment on it from the podium.

Q And the -- I guess what people are saying, in the era of Barack Obama, is there concern that this U.S. Secret Service agency is able, if there is indeed what is claimed a pervasive culture of racial discrimination within the agency, that President-Elect Barack Obama could indeed be protected as well as he is supposed to be?

MS. PERINO: I've never seen anything but the utmost professionalism by our United States Secret Service.

I'll take one more. Go ahead.

Q Can I get back to Bill's question about the auto bailout? Did I understand you correctly to say that an orderly bankruptcy is an option?

MS. PERINO: Yes. Okay, thank you.

END 10:32 A.M. EST For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary December 18, 2008