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Rice Pushes for Gaza Cease-Fire That Is 'Durable and Sustainable'

January 02, 2009 11:08 AM

ABC News' Rachel Martin Reports: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to reporters at the White House after briefing President Bush this morning about the situation in the Middle East.

It's not often that Rice stops to talk to the press during trips to the White House, so while her statement didn't provide any new revelations, her appearance underscored the urgency of the current crisis of the Middle East. She didn't take any questions but she did take the opportunity to castigate Hamas.

"I want to begin by noting that Hamas has held the people of Gaza hostage every since their illegal coup against the forces of President Mahmoud Abbas, the legitimate president of the Palestinian people," Rice said.

She went on to talk about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, blaming Hamas for making like very difficult for the people of Gaza. During the White House briefing minutes later, deputy press secretary Gordon Johndroe would not label the situation in Gaza a "humanitarian crisis" per se. He said that although the administration "...is concerned about the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza", he said Israel is accusing Hamas of hoarding Israeli-supplied humanitarian aid in order to politicize the humanitarian crisis.

Secretary Rice said she has been in constant contact with the Israeli government and European allies to try to come up with a ceasefire that would bring about the cessation of Hamas rocket attacks into Israel.

"It is obvious that that cease-fire should take place as soon as possible, but we need a cease-fire that is durable and sustainable." Rice said the President has also been on the phone with the Israeli government and Arab heads of state.

Rice ignored a question about the possibility of an Israeli ground offensive into Gaza. And in the White House briefing Johndroe refused to speculate on a possible ground incursion.

When a reporter shouted a question to Rice about whether she would fly to the Middle East to try to broker a peace deal she said, "I have no plans at this point." And when pressed in the briefing on the subject of a final Rice trip to the Middle East, Johndroe said, the Secretary has been on the phones constantly for a week "so, we don't see a particular need for her to travel to the region when she can do her work from here."

January 2, 2009 in Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (49)

Defense Secretary Gates: Two Bosses Means 'Occasional Awkwardness'

December 11, 2008 2:41 AM

ABC News' Martha Raddatz and Richard Coolidge Report: Defense Secretary Robert Gates has landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in what was originally scheduled to be a farewell tour, but due to his re-appointment as Secretary of Defense by President-Elect Barack Obama, has instead turned into more of a checking-in-on-US troops tour, which will include town hall meetings with servicemen.

On the 14-hour flight from Andrews AFB to Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan -- his first stop -- Gates spoke to the traveling press and talked about his work so far with the president-elect.

“I have had several telephone calls with him, but they have been focused principally on personnel. So we really haven’t sat down yet for a thorough discussion of specific foreign policy issues, national security issues. I do not have specific candidates for specific jobs, and so they are providing me with names and I’m giving them feedback. And what I’m focused on more is the skill set that’s necessary for certain jobs," he said.

Does he have veto power?

“Well I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I certainly will interview everybody at the senior level and I’ll make a recommendation to the president-elect. I guess the way I would leave it is I believe I have substantial influence over those decisions, but if the President of the United States wants to appoint somebody to a job, nobody in the executive branch has a veto.”

Does he feel he has two bosses now?

“Well, first of all, as both the President and the president-elect have said, there’s only one commander in chief at a time and so I’m not forgetting at all for a second who is the president until noon on January 20th. And I think everybody recognizes that. It does create [some] occasional awkwardness though.”

Such as?

“Well, I would love to come to this meeting at the White House, but I actually have a meeting with the transition.”

Did he tell the President that?

“Well, not to the President.”

So he would choose to go to a meeting with the transition team over a meeting at the White House?

“Well, first of all it depends on – I haven’t missed any meetings with the President, let me put it that way. But, let’s just say that if I’m faced with a choice between attending a principals meeting on an issue that I think it not particularly hot, and a meeting with the transition folks, I’ll opt for the latter.”

December 11, 2008 in Washington | Permalink | User Comments (1)

Top Democrat to Obama: Keep Bush's Intel Chiefs

December 10, 2008 3:08 PM

ABC News' Jonathan Karl Reports: First Gates, Now Hayden?

The Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says President-elect Barack Obama should keep President Bush's intelligence chiefs for at least six months to ensure a smooth transition. 

It's a move that would likely cause a revolt on the left.

Keeping Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and Director of the CIA Mike Hayden would be hugely controversial among many of Obama's core supporters.

McConnell is disliked by many on the left because of his vocal support of the terrorist surveillance program that allowed some domestic wiretapping, and Hayden is controversial because he helped launch the program when he was head of the NSA and because of his steadfast support of the CIA's detainee interrogation program. 

"There's got to be some continuity, and the leadership of both the CIA and the DNI is going to be pivotal to keeping us safe and secure," House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, told Congress Daily.  Reyes said that it is up to Obama to decide how long to keep them.

"It gets back to a world that is very dangerous," Reyes added. "There are many different aspects that deal with our national security and it's critical that we have that overlap. ... I know that they're considering, they're weighing the options," he said of Obama's transition team.

McConnell has told colleagues that he intends to step down on Jan. 20.  Hayden, however, has said that he would be willing to stay on the job for a while longer.

Though he has announced the bulk of his national security team, Obama has not yet announced plans to replace the intel chiefs.

ABC News was first to report that retired Adm. Dennis Blair had emerged as Obama's top choice for national intelligence, but over the weekend ABC News' Martha Raddatz learned that he was no longer in the running for the post.

A source familiar with the transition indicated that Blair would have faced "Hill problems" during his confirmation process.

December 10, 2008 in Washington | Permalink | User Comments (53)

Congressional Investigation Finds FCC Chair Abused Power

December 09, 2008 3:08 PM

ABC News' Brian Hartman Reports:  House Democrats have released a scathing assessment of FCC chief Kevin Martin's tenure at the helm of the agency, just weeks before he loses his chairmanship at the commission when the Obama administration comes to power.

A 110-page report from House Energy and Commerce Committee staff finds, "some of the most egregious abuses of power, suppression of information and manipulation of data under Chairman Martin's leadership." 

Among the allegations: "Within weeks of becoming chairman in March 2005," according to committee staff interviewed for the report, Kevin Martin ordered FCC staff to rewrite a report that panned "a la carte" cable rules, which would let customers pick and choose which channels they want in a cable subscription package.

A separate 2004 report found "a la carte" would not benefit consumers. Martin allegedly wanted the report to say it would, in fact, benefit consumers.

So the committee alleges Martin ordered FCC staff to rewrite the findings. The staff then struggled with the rewrite because they didn't believe data supported what Martin wanted the report to say, according to the report.

In response, Martin allegedly yanked the assignment and gave it to more trusted staff who would write what he wanted.

"The outcome of the new report was predetermined and that underlying analysis was micro-managed by the Chairman's staff as it progressed," the committee staff wrote.

FCC spokesman Robert Kenny issued a statement saying the committee "did not find or conclude that there were any violations of rules, laws or procedures."

Kenny also said "the chairman makes no apologies... for fighting to lower exorbitantly high cable rates that consumers are forced to pay."

The full report can be viewed HERE.

December 9, 2008 in Washington | Permalink | User Comments (3)

Albright vs. Holbrooke Redux?

December 09, 2008 3:07 PM

ABC News' Kirit Radia reports: President-elect Barack Obama's intention to elevate the US Ambassador to the United Nations to a cabinet-level position pits Susan Rice, his pick for that job, squarely against Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton for influence over US foreign policy.

The possibility harkens back to the time of former President Bill Clinton, when then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright sparred with then-US Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke, who also held a spot in the cabinet.

UN ambassador usually falls under the Secretary of State's jurisdiction, but Rice, like Holbrook in the 90's, may not see it that way … and there are signs she may take the unusual step of maintaining an office Foggy Bottom although her job is in New York.

The Obama transition team has been allotted 5,300 sq ft of office space in the State Department, but last week Rice opened her own separate office space in the building, taking over a largely empty office belonging to the department's Bureau of International Organizations, which oversees US relations with the United Nations, according to a State Department official speaking on background.

No word yet on if her staff is playing nice with the rest of the State Department transition team, but there are reports that Clinton will look to replace the transition team with her own staff.

The AP reports that though both Clinton and Rice were visiting the State Dept yesterday, they did not overlap and did not meet.

Though both were in Washington D.C. yesterday, one official told ABC News Rice did not meet with the current UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who, by the way, is not in President George Bush's cabinet.

December 9, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, Washington | Permalink | User Comments (16)

WMD: Who's telling the truth?

December 08, 2008 3:48 PM

ABC News' Martha Raddatz and Richard Coolidge Report: On Sunday, the New York Times weighed into the debate over Weapons of Mass Destruction and whether it was the Bush administration's true causus belli to go to war in Iraq.

Quoting from the editorial, "The truth is that Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had been chafing to attack Iraq before Sept. 11, 2001. They justified that unnecessary war using intelligence reports that they knew or should have known to be faulty. And it was pressure from the White House and a highly politicized Pentagon that compelled people like Secretary of State Colin Powell and George Tenet, the Central Intelligence director, to ignore the counter-evidence and squander their good names on hyped claims of weapons of mass destruction."

In an interview with ABC News' anchor Charlie Gibson that aired last week, President Bush defended his decision to go to war and seemed to spread the blame around.

"The biggest regret of all the presidency has to have been the intelligence failure in Iraq. A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein. It wasn't just people in my administration; a lot of members in Congress, prior to my arrival in Washington D.C., during the debate on Iraq, a lot of leaders of nations around the world were all looking at the same intelligence. And, you know, that's not a do-over, but I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess.

And what if the intelligence had shown he didn't have any WMD?

"You know, that's an interesting question. That is a do-over that I can't do. It's hard for me to speculate."

But Karl Rove, last week, in a debate about the legacy of the Bush Presidency, was asked whether an invasion would have taken place had the intelligence been accurate (i.e. there had been no WMD), appeared to take a slightly different tack:

"In the aftermath of 9/11 the concern was about a tyrant guilty of enormous human rights abuses, but possessed with weapons of mass destruction and an intention to use them as a state sponsor of terror. Absent that, I suspect the administration’s course would have been to work to find more creative ways to constrain him than he’d been constrained in the nineties."

Today, the White House responded with a statement by National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley:

"While the President has repeatedly acknowledged the mistakes in the pre-war intelligence, there is no support for the Times’ claim that the President and his national security team “knew or should have known [the intelligence] to be faulty” or that “pressure from the White House” led to particular conclusions. Nothing in the many inquiries conducted into these matters supports the view of the Times’ Editorial Board. Indeed, the independent Silberman-Robb Commission and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence concluded that no political pressure was brought to bear on the Intelligence Community."

The President, however, seemed to be avoiding being drawn further into the debate. In an interview with National Review posted this morning, Bush was asked about the Rove remark. But he sidestepped, saying the President doesn't "get an opportunity to redo a decision," and Bush presented the counter argument that the world would have been left with a tyrant who had sponsored terrorism in the past, had the capacity to make nuclear weapons, next door to an unpredictable Iran, and therefore the region is today much better off without him.

It's a question to which we may never have a satisfactory answer.

December 8, 2008 in Bush, George W., Iraq, Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (92)

Chris Hill Meets with North Koreans

December 04, 2008 1:21 PM

ABC News' Kirit Radia reports: U.S. Six-Party Talks envoy Chris Hill is scrambling to ink a deal to verify North Korea's declared nuclear capability.

Hill met in Singapore today with his North Korean counterpart to put the verification terms on paper, though it appears that won't happen before Monday's six-party talks meeting in China.

But wait, wasn't verification agreed upon two months ago? Yes and no.

Hill thought he had the deal done when he visited Pyongyang in October. But sources say he never got the specific terms of verification in writing.

Now there are signs of unraveling as the North Koreans are refusing to comply with verification measures the United States insisted they would be allowed to do. For example, North Korea won't let experts remove samples from its nuclear facilities, something US officials told reporters at an October press conference they would be able to do.

Adding to Hill's troubles, Japan (not to mention many of Hill's American colleagues), is angry and feels mislead about the nature of the agreement with the North Koreans.

Hill was hoping to get this done before Monday, but it looks like he'll have to hammer out the details then.

The incoming Obama administration will no doubt inherit the North Korea talks, but it is unclear whether Chris Hill will be along for the ride. One source said other names are being considered to take over Hill's role as envoy.

December 4, 2008 in Washington | Permalink | User Comments (5)

Mukasey Showcases Humor in Recalling Speech Collapse

December 03, 2008 1:45 PM

ABC News' Pierre Thomas Reports:  Nearly two weeks after he collapsed on stage while giving a speech in Washington, Attorney General Michael Mukasey offered a rare glimpse of his sense of humor in speaking about the incident.

In his first press briefing since his Nov. 20 collapse, Mukasey, 67, jokingly asked the reporters, "Shall I pass out now?" before he took his seat.

Mukasey described his collapse at the Federalist Society's annual dinner, saying he was nearing the end of his speech "when the lights went out."

He had been delivering remarks on combating international terrorism before he appeared woozy, began slurring and repeating his words and then fell towards the podium. 

The attorney general said that when he regained consciousness a few minutes later, the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel’s ballroom was quiet and that it was quite evident he had "traumatized" the room full of people.                           

After he received emergency first aid at the scene, medical personnel transported him to George Washington University Hospital.  He said he spent the entire night arguing with doctors about when he would be released.

The morning after he entered the hospital, Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said that physicians gave the attorney general a "clean bill of health" and had ruled out a stroke or heart-related issue after numerous tests.

After his overnight stay, the hospital released Mukasey and he immediately returned to work at the Justice Department.                                 

Asked what caused his collapse, Mukasey said he still doesn't know.  At the time, Talamona speculated that the incident was merely a fainting spell, likely triggered by hot lights and the late hour of the nighttime speech.

December 3, 2008 in Washington | Permalink | User Comments (3)

Senate Dems Won't Reach 60

December 02, 2008 9:39 PM

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss has been re-elected to a second term, according to The Associated Press, crushing Democratic hopes of reaching a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate.

Chambliss, who fell short of the majority vote needed under Georgia law on Nov. 4, prevailed today in a run-off election against Democrat Jim Martin.

Although Democrats won't reach 60 votes in the Senate, they have still made big strides in the upper chamber during the 2008 election cycle.

With one Democratic pick-up opportunity still not decided, the Democrats have picked up seven seats in the Senate this year, giving them control of at least 58 seats next year.

The one outstanding race is in Minnesota, where the recount between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken is expected to continue for at least a couple more weeks.

No party has controlled 58 seats in the Senate since Democrats controlled that number during the final two years of Jimmy Carter's presidency.

While the Georgia run-off campaign featured high-profile Republican and Democratic surrogates, President-elect Barack Obama limited his involvement to cutting a radio ad and recording a robo call message. He refrained from appearing in television ads or personally campaigning in the state. His advisers feared that making an all-out push for a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate would undercut the "post-partisan" image he is trying to craft.

December 2, 2008 in Washington | Permalink | User Comments (83)

Bush Bails Out Birds: Pardons Pumpkin and Pecan

November 26, 2008 1:59 PM

ABC News' Kirit Radia Reports: Rapper John Forte isn't the only one getting a White House pardon this week.  President Bush officially pardoned the 2008 White House turkeys in a Rose Garden ceremony Wednesday morning. The President also announced the results of this year's naming contest: Pumpkin and Pecan.

"Pumpkin and Pecan are hereby granted a full and unconditional -- unconditional presidential pardon," Bush said.

Pumpkin stood patiently to the side and then calmly sat on a table as the President and a flock of schoolchildren came by to pardon him. (Lucky for him, Sarah Palin was nowhere in sight).

Pecan, the President said, was waiting in an "undisclosed location." Why? "In the unlikely event the main event chickens out," the president deadpanned.

Both turkeys were pardoned, free to live out a long life without fear of roasting pans and basters. But first, they'll have work one more day.

After spending last night in the luxury Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., the turkeys will fly first class to Disneyland in California late Wednesday aboard a flight the president dubbed "Turkey One." On Thursday, the birds will be the Grand Marshalls at the park's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

"I just hope they stay humble there," Bush said.

John McClintock of Disneyland Resort Public Relations confirmed that Disney paid all costs for first class air fare and the turkeys' hotel room was paid for by National Turkey Federation.  Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

The turkeys' journey to the White House began, where else, in Iowa, where they were raised under the direction of National Turkey Federation Chairman Paul Hill. Hill and his family were on hand at the White House Wednesday and will escort the birds to California tonight.

The White House Deputy Spokesman declined to answer a question about the president's decision to pardon the turkeys, telling reporters,: "On instruction from White House Counsel I have to refer all turkey pardoning questions to the Office of the Pardon Attorney."

The President said he has a lot to be thankful for this year, including the health of his mother who was rushed to the hospital last night.

"This is my final Thanksgiving as the President. Over the past eight years, I have been given may reasons to be thankful. I'm thankful for our men and women in uniform and I am incredibly proud to have been their Commander-in-Chief.

"I am thankful for the armies of compassion volunteers who feed the hungry and shelter the poor. I am thankful for the teachers and nurses and pastors police officers and firefighters, and others who serve their neighbors and better their communities.

"I'm thankful for the wonderful and supporting family that I have been blessed with. I'm grateful to Laura for her love. I'm grateful for two Thanksgiving miracles who were blessed -- who we were blessed with 27 years ago: Barbara and Jenna. I'm thankful for the fact that my mother is doing well. And this year we're looking forward to having another place at our Thanksgiving table with a  son-in-law, and I'm thankful for Henry."

November 26, 2008 in Washington | Permalink | User Comments (23)