Lawrence Ari Fleischer

“ What I've said -- because I'm not going to be specific about any one organization -- what I have said is when the President commits this nation and others to fight terrorism, it's hard to tell where the bounds of one group begins and one groups ends, and in that, it goes beyond the United States; all nations have a reason to protect themselves. And as this coalition is formed, nations will have those reasons to protect themselves as part of this. ”

“ Number one, when I said the President is confident in the fundamentals of the economy, it's always important to keep in mind that our nation has gone through war before. And the American people, the American commerce, American industry adjusts. It does figure out how to get back on its footing. And that's part of the reason our nation is so resilient and strong for more than 200 years. In the case of the airline industry, they have been particularly harmed by what has taken place in the wake of the attack up in New York. ”

“ Looking back and looking forward to securing the safety of the American people, is the President concerned about the information flow -- one hand knowing what the other hand is doing, the head knowing nothing within the federal government? ”

“ Well, I think that any time you have a nation as open as ours, where you have so many hundreds of millions of people who come to visit this country, and you have so many crossings into this nation, we have a security system that is set up that is really among the best, if not the best in the world. I think in the wake of this, obviously, changes are being made to tighten up. ”

“ Q Ari, I just want to make it clear when we asked before about the President's statements about eradicating terrorism around the world, how -- and not being specific to Osama bin Laden and his organization -- how do we then work with Iran, which there's been talk of doing in spite of the fact that they harbor terrorists and fund Hezbollah? I mean, do we make their cooperation contingent upon serving Hezbollah to us? MR. FLEISCHER: I think it's going to be a very complicated matter. With different states it's going to be more complicated. ”

“ And he said, this is an economy that's going to get a dose of both supply side and Keynesian economics, meaning the advantages of tax cuts that stimulate the economy, and of course Congress just approved $40 billion in spending as an immediate -- which has an immediate impact as the money is spent. That's not $40 billion over a long period of time, that's $40 billion over a relatively short time, but also which is to address some of the human suffering that has taken place. ”

“ Three, he's asked the American people to go back to work. The President thinks it's very important that people resume their lives. Every time somebody shows back up at their office, every time somebody is able to enjoy entertainment once more, every time people travel, it strengthens our economy, it strengthens our country and makes it easier for the government to do what needs to be done to fight terrorism. ”

“ Well, the al Qaeda organization is present in, as you've heard from the President, more than 60 countries, and its links are -- its links are amorphous, and that's one of the ways that terrorism has so successfully operated around the world. ”

“ Clearly, the airlines have a dollar amount in mind, and that will be something that the government -- the administration, working with the Congress, considers. Q Ari, on the economy, the President and Congress are now discussing, we understand, seven or eight different options, some of which I gather include another tax cut to stimulate the economy. And I know the President is interested in having the administration consult with Congress and it's sort of in that today. But where is his head, at this time, about what would best stimulate the economy now? ”

“ There's nothing beyond that from today with the U.N. Q How about Pakistan and the Taliban? What do you hear? MR. FLEISCHER: Well, as you know, we are not indicating with specificity what actions we have asked Pakistan to take. Nevertheless, the status of our reaction to what Pakistan has done remains unchanged. In other words, the President continues to be very satisfied with the steps that Pakistan has taken to help the United States at this time. Q Ari, in light of what's happened -- Q And what do you hear from Afghanistan? ”

“ Anyone, anywhere in the world who reacted with any level of joy to the tragedy in New York needs to be denounced. But there still is a fundamental issue in the Middle East about how to achieve peace with Israel and her neighbors, and this President will remain committed to that process. Let me go to the back. Q On the airline bailout, I think $24 billion may sound like a large sum to a lot of people, and you said earlier that many industries are hurting. Is there any thought being given to helping other industries, and can you explain more about why the airline industry should be bailed out? ”

“ His charge to them was to come up with the specifics of a plan to help the airlines deal with the consequences of the attack on the United States and its implications for the airlines. That was the President's charge. And the plan that Secretary Mineta alluded to earlier that he is working on and will consult with the Congress on deals with helping the airlines so they can be secure, so they can be safe and they can be stable in the wake of this attack. ”

“ Well, the answer to that really is contained in what I talked about before, that America has gone through war before, and our people and our industries, our commerce has proven its resiliency and strength. ”

“ Afghanistan, at least the ruling Taliban, have been all over the lot. They've been giving a series of messages to the United States government, one seemingly contradictory from the other. So the message to Afghanistan remains loud and remains clear: Those nations who harbor terrorists will not be spared. Q Ari, a couple things. Yesterday I asked if the President had specifically decided whether or not to seek U.N. Security Council endorsement for any military act that would fall under the umbrella of this crusade against -- war against terrorism. ”

“ And so the President has directed his staff to take a look at any potential proposals that can come together to help the airline industry. I indicated the President is going to have other meetings today on the overall status of the economy, and to the degree that the President authorizes any actions to help the economy, it helps all those who, of course, participate in the economy. ”

“ And we remain an open nation, which has been one of our greatest strengths and assets, and will always be. But it does expose us to vulnerabilities. Q Does the President want to get a better system in place where information can be processed quickly to the people who are securing the country's safety? ”

“ I said that the links for one group begins and the other group ends are often amorphous, and the President has said we will go after terrorism in a way that is most effective. Q But we only go to war against terrorist groups that threaten the United States? ”

“ Beyond that, the President does understand that he has an important role to play in speaking for the nation. The American people want to know what he is doing, what he is thinking and why he is thinking it, so people continue to speak out and answer those questions. Q Thank you, Ari. On the international terrorism, I understand the President wants to change international tolerance for terrorism, but you listed a disparate group of terrorists in Northern Ireland, everyplace else. ”

“ Well, again, I think it gets back into the same list of specificity that I'm not going to go into if you're asking in the context of the attack, but it's going to be ways to combat terrorism and ways the Western world can unite. Q Ari, Britain has said that it, too, wants to aid its airline industry which is suffering, and said other countries may want to help their national carriers. ”

“ And again, many economies, many industries have been affected by this. But as the government reacts to all of this, security will always be an important concern. And I think that people recognize that. Q Ari, what about the Middle East and the President's reaction to talk of a cease-fire, and will he address this, do you think, in his meeting with Chirac for the cameras? ”

“ He will continue to say and answer things as he feels is right for the country. And that's really what you've been seeing. Q The reason I ask is because, obviously, to the extent that the American people are angry and are looking for action, there are sort of two graphs going -- one is going down as their attention span may begin to slip. ”