1:13 P.M. EST
MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon. The President, this morning, called President-elect Saca of El Salvador, to congratulate him on his electoral victory. The two leaders discussed their mutual interest in continuing the strong, cooperative relationship the United States and El Salvador have enjoyed.
....
And with that, I will be glad to take your questions.
Q On the energy bill, even if it were passed, it's not going to reap any benefits for years. So what can the President do immediately on the price of gas?
MR. McCLELLAN: John, first of all, you hit on a very good point. We continue -- we continue to go from crisis to crisis when it comes to -- whether it's electricity, or whether it's gas prices. ....
Q Is he still against any release from the SPRO to --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, keep in mind that you're talking about a national security concern. ....
Q When he was running for President, the President said that President Clinton should get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say, we expect you to open up your spigots. But it doesn't appear that he's doing that --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that's wrong. No, this -- go ahead.
Q Well, excuse me, I was just going to ask, could you tell us what calls the President has made?
MR. McCLELLAN: This administration remains actively engaged with our friends in OPEC, as well as non-OPEC producers from around the world. ....
Q But he's not making calls, himself?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?
Q He's not making calls, himself?
MR. McCLELLAN: The President makes his views known on a regular basis to leaders, and this administration remains actively engaged in discussions -- over the last few days, today, we remain actively engaged in discussions with our friends in OPEC, as well as others.
Q Scott, our friends in OPEC don't seem to be paying any attention. It seems as if the President has been unpersuasive with our friends in OPEC. Is it fair to conclude that --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I disagree with your characterization.
Q Well, they're jacking the price on us. Is it fair to conclude that he's not -- what he's doing isn't working?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that's why I emphasized that we stay in close discussion with our friends in OPEC. ...
Q But so far, nothing he's done or the administration has done has had any effect.
MR. McCLELLAN: Let me repeat, Terry. We need a comprehensive national energy policy ....
Q Just one thing. You just said, we would not be in this situation if Senate Democrats had not blocked the energy policy in May, 2001. Prove that.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Senate Democrats are the ones that had been holding up, through their procedural moves, holding up the Senate moving forward. The House moved forward, and they moved forward quickly --
Q But how would that --
MR. McCLELLAN: -- and so the Senate Democrats are the ones who are holding this up through procedural moves. ....
Q But how would passing the President's energy bill in May of 2001, have changed OPEC's mind in March of 2004?
MR. McCLELLAN: It would of -- what it would have done, it would have helped reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy; ....
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Q The incidents in Iraq today -- five Marines killed in one incident, four civilians killed in another -- first of all, has it been confirmed that an American was killed in the civilian incident?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think the coalition and the military in Iraq can give you that information. ...
Q Scott, did anyone at the White House approve the Treasury's decision to analyze Kerry's tax plan --
MR. McCLELLAN: Not that I'm aware of.
Q Did they think that's proper for civil servants to be doing that kind of work?
MR. McCLELLAN: For the Treasury Department to do analysis of --
Q For civil servants to be --
MR. McCLELLAN: -- tax proposals?
Q For civil servants to --
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know if I agree with the characterization of your question. I think you ought to talk to the Treasury Department. I think they have addressed this matter.
Q Okay, the second question, on Richard Clarke. A lot has been made about Dr. Rice's testimony, whether she would testify. But not a lot has been made about the perjury charges that Bill Frist made on Friday, on the Senate floor. He said, basically, that Mr. Clarke had two different stories under oath. Isn't that perjury, and shouldn't he be prosecuted for that?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, those are decisions that others make, obviously. I think that this is a decision that was made by Senate leaders. They made a request of us, and our role is to look at those issues and see what could be declassified.
Q The question is about the declassification --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that was a decision --
Q But if he did have two different, contradictory statements under oath, shouldn't he be prosecuted for perjury?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not going to get into speculating about that. We've made our views very well-known. I think most Americans view Dick Clarke and his contradictions as yesterday's story. ....
Q Can I stay on that subject -- we need to stay on that subject, briefly. Could you explain to us why the White House requested that the President and Vice President jointly answer questions, as opposed to separately?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, one, we've said from the very beginning that it's important for the 9/11 Commission to have all the information they need to do their job. ....
Q Why the specific insistence that they be together? I mean, they could --
MR. McCLELLAN: This is a good way to help them get the information they need and do so in a timely manner. ....
Q But they were separate interviews, right?
MR. McCLELLAN: What they're trying to do is get the information they need to complete their work and provide a full report to the American people. ....
Q But why is the joint session better than separate sessions, which is what they --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, one, it will help make sure they get that information in a timely manner. They can talk to both of them and help better understand how to piece together all the information that they've already received.
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Thank you.
Call me naive, but it still blows my mind that there is more substance in the reporters' questions than in anything that comes out of McClellan's mouth.
