Lawrence Ari Fleischer

“ The President is very concerned that an action was taken that was wrong and inappropriate, and the President apologizes for it on behalf of the White House. I want to say that the Secret Service has one of the most difficult jobs in the government, and they do it on an extraordinarily sound and good basis. And everybody who works in this White House is grateful to the Secret Service for the good work they do. ”

“ On Wednesday, the President will travel to Philadelphia, where he will meet with members of the Greater Exodus Baptist Church to continue to talk about the power that his faith-based initiative can bring to those who need help and have been left behind in our society. ”

“ Does the White House believe there is room on the congressional plate to do energy, on faith-based initiatives and -- MR. FLEISCHER: I'll tell you something. The President is becoming increasingly concerned that the Senate is failing to take action on education. It's important that the House and the Senate are able to proceed to a conference. There should be no higher priority than educating our nation's children. And the President understands that you can have a crowded Senate calendar, but that needs to begin with education. ”

“ It's a remarkable reflection about the progress of American medicine that heart patients -- not only Dick Cheney, but millions of others that are just like him -- are able to go into a hospital, have an out-patient procedure, and return to their normal lives, which includes their family lives and their business lives, the very next day. ”

“ The President believes that everybody has a responsibility to behave in a fashion that stresses individual responsibility, and that all individuals need to act responsibly, they need to understand the consequences of the choices they make. The President believes, and the report does have some indication on this, that the best way to prevent pregnancy, the only sure-fire way is through abstinence. ”

“ But the President continues to believe that abstinence and abstinence education is the most effective way to prevent AIDS, to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Q Local control, though, means a public health hazard, and AIDS could be spread because people are not taking precautions. Isn't the White House concerned about that? MR. FLEISCHER: The White House is concerned about many things, but that also means that local control is local control and it means that not everything gets dictated from the White House. ”

“ Well, I think that is a question you need to address to medical personnel. Medical personnel are the ones who -- first of all, the procedure and the tests will take place tomorrow. And then if they proceed with the step of installing a pacemaker, I think that's an appropriate question for medical personnel. They understand the technology of pacemakers better than I do. Q Why is it not an appropriate question for the White House, given the White House has made -- MR. FLEISCHER: I think the question is, what are the medical implications of pacemakers. ”

“ There are four installments to the tax cut over the next nine months, and the first one I'm pleased to report begins this Sunday.
Q When do the checks go out, Ari? Do you know when they go out? MR. FLEISCHER: The checks will begin going out sometime in late summer, early fall. They will go out in order of people's Social Security numbers. So if you want to know when you're going to get your check, you can take a look at the last two digits of your Social Security number. The lower your last two digits, the sooner you'll get your check. ”

“ The President believes that he is the best person for the job and he enjoys the President's full support. Q Did the President appoint him to a National Security Council job which does not require Senate confirmation, as opposed to a State Department job, because he felt he was unconfirmable? MR. FLEISCHER: I can only talk to you about the job to which he has been appointed. Q On the Vice President again, many of people who get pacemakers implanted are warned to stay away from cell phones, microwave ovens. ”

“ The President believes it was an action that was not necessary, and the President believes that we do need to increase the number of inspectors on the borders, that we can and should have safe trucks operated in the United States. And the same standards should apply to all, whether they are Mexican or American. ”

“ He has many things to read. He's aware of the report. He's aware of what the report says. Q Has anyone here read it, Ari? Or can -- Q Well, what does he think about it? Can we get back to that? MR. FLEISCHER: Sure. The domestic policy has looked at it. Q Does the White House have a view on whether it is helpful and advances the debate, or whether its views are things the White House, itself, would endorse, the administration would endorse -- since you're distancing yourself from the Surgeon General? ”

“ Q Have you gotten any indication that the White House has been flooded with e-mails or -- MR. FLEISCHER: No more than the normal. Q Ari, Muslim leaders representing more than -- American Muslims in this country were invited to a meeting here at the White House yesterday with the community and faith-based initiative. ”

“ People are appointed to terms. His term does not expire until next year. Q -- he didn't ask the Doctor to stay on? MR. FLEISCHER: Well, do you have any evidence? You just said the President asked him to stay on. Q I believe the Doctor said that he was asked to stay on. MR. FLEISCHER: He has a term. He has a term that has not expired. Q Ari, some environmental organizations are claiming victory with some sort of web demonstration against the White House. They're claiming that they sent so many e-mails that the White House web server was brought down. ”

“ So if your last two numbers end in 01, you'll get a check most likely sometime late summer. And for people whose numbers end around 99, they'll get it sometime this fall. Q What about joint filers, so there are two numbers? MR. FLEISCHER: For the joint filers, whoever the signatory is will have the Social Security number. Q Ari, the White House this morning made a decision that the Vice President's announcement of his condition and his procedure tomorrow would be made very abruptly, and it was an abrupt public announcement. ”