Lawrence Ari Fleischer

“ The President has made it plain that we must be mindful of the rights of Arab Americans - and he has done so not only publicly, in one of his very first, most prominent live moments of that nation, when he was on the phone with Mayor Guiliani and Governor Pataki. ”

“ As the President said in his radio address this morning - let me find his exact words - he said, you'll be asked for your patience, for the conflict will not be short; you'll be asked for resolve; the conflict will not be easy - because victory may be long. ”

“ It seems like the President now is preparing the American people for a wider and longer operation than they might be expecting. But is there also the thought of preparing them for the idea there might not be anything in the immediate or near term -- it's sort of inherent now, you know, be patient, we'll do something, but we're not rushing into it. ”

“ Well, what the President is, in the war on terrorism it's not as if in the immediate reaction to a hostile act against our country you can target another nation's ships in a port, that you can target another nation's airplanes on a tarmac or another nation's tanks on a battlefield. It's not a 20th century war. And that's what the President is talking about when he's talking about terrorism being shadowy. Q I understand that, but specifically he said, this is without battlefields or beachheads. ”

“ Q Hey, Ari. Continental Airlines announced this morning that it's cutting 20 percent of its flight schedule, laying off 12,000 people, which is about one-fifth of its work force. Is the President concerned that the country is inevitably headed for a recession, at least in the short term? MR. FLEISCHER: You know, that's a question that I think only economists can answer. ”

“ Ari, when the President talks about, you know, those terrorists are going to hide in the hills and we're going to find them and we're going to smoke them out - is he preparing the American people for the possibility that U.S. ground troops may have to be used to try and have this sweeping and effective assault against terrorism? ”

“ In private meetings I've heard him call on members of congress and say that, all of you have a leadership responsibility to speak out and make sure that there are no actions taken against Arab Americans - they love our flag, too. ”

“ I can only tell you all these meetings are for the purpose of making decisions. I would not look at today's meeting in any different light than the many meetings that have taken place before and the many meetings that are going to take place after it. It's part of an ongoing process where the President and his team gather information, analyze information , make certain determinations and decisions and get ready for the next round of information that they collect. Q Were there any determinations or decisions made today? MR. FLEISCHER: I'm not going to get into any specifics of these meetings. ”

“ Because the nation is shifting from a footing - a peace footing to a footing based on preparations for things military. And that puts everything in an entirely different context of what our national capacity is to act. Four days ago, there was no authorization from the Congress for a use of force. Everything has changed. And that has put America on a different footing. And as a result of that, America's ability to mobilize and act is increasing. Q My only other question was, sort of a follow up on Kelly Wallace's question. ”

“ The President has said that a war has been waged against us, and this is a war with those who engage in these terrorist acts and those who harbor them. Q Do you have anything further for us on the attack that you say you have credible evidence was going to be made against Air Force One? ”

“ You know, to the degree that there's a - well, let me address the question of the airlines. The President is concerned about the economic health of the airlines. The administration is in touch with airline officials. No matter what the state of the economy, the country will have everything it needs and all the resources it needs to prevail in this war. Q Nobody is questioning that, Ari. But I mean - huge pot of money to -- MR. FLEISCHER: If you're asking me as the President's spokesman to give you a prediction about whether we go into a recession, that's not something I can do. ”

“ Q Ari, we're embarked on an effort that puts pressure on leaders in a part of the world where our alliances, even the strong ones, such as with the Saudis, have weak points. We are endeavoring to go after fundamentalists who are, themselves, a large threat to the leadership of places like Saudi Arabia and Jordan. I'm wondering whether we have - and if I can say parenthetically, we've had mixed success in getting help from the Saudis in things like the Khobar Tower bombing. ”

“ There are ongoing concerns about security, and the government, in a host of ways, is moving to address them through the various agencies - DOD, Coast Guard, et cetera - but you may want to check with the agencies on the specifics. ”

“ MR. FLEISCHER: Well, again, if it had gone through diplomatic channels, State would probably be in a better position. I don't know anything that I've heard about that topic here, Kelly. Q Okay. Let me just ask you, too, did you get to talk to the President following his meetings with family members or victims and the rescue workers about what that visit to New York meant to him and if it gave him even more strength to go forward with big decisions ahead? ”

“ Let them fret it and worry about it. But patience will be required in many ways from the American people. Q Okay, thanks very much. Q Hi, Ari. Can you describe some of the thinking among top advisors that went into what was a distinctly stepped-up and stronger tone today, if you look at the President's language that he used, and describe to what extent the President now feels it's important to frame issues differently for the public and how that might have changed, even over the last couple of days? ”

“ It doesn't mean that there will never be traditional aspects, it just means that it's gone so much beyond that which is traditional. Q There has been a number of people with Middle Eastern names who have been stopped by the IMS, by the police. Is there a concern at this point that peoples' civil liberties are being violated, or is the coming war effort so over-riding that that is incidental? ”