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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)

Bush Dodges Shoes on Farewell Iraq Visit

December 14, 2008 8:13 AM

ABC News' Martha Raddatz reports from Baghdad:

President Bush's fourth and final visit to Baghdad may not have been quite the fond farewell he had in mind. Amid official visits with Iraqi leaders, the president wound up having to dodge a pair of shoes thrown by a screaming Iraqi journalist.

The surprise trip, Bush's first to Iraq since September 2007, was intended to celebrate a security pact between the U.S. and the Iraqi government.

Bush's schedule included talks with Iraqi leaders, U.S. troops and officials stationed in Iraq.

But at a joint news conference held with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a man identified as Muntadhar al-Zaiydi, a local television correspondent, threw a shoe at Bush and yelled, "This is a farewell kiss, dog!" and, "This is the end!"

The shoe sailed right past the president's head and the thrower was grabbed and dragged out of the room screaming.

Bush joked about it, saying, "That was a size 10 shoe he threw at me, you may want you to know."

The man's screams were still audible after he had been taken to a separate room.

Displaying the soles of one's shoes is considered a deep insult in much of the Arab world.

Despite the dramatically improved security in Iraq, every effort was made to keep the president’s travel plans quiet.

Reporters invited to make the trip were not told about it until Friday and were allowed to tell only one superior and a spouse.

By 7 p.m. Saturday, the reporters had assembled at Andrews Air Force Base, where they were escorted through an unmarked gate.

Secret Service agents took all the reporters’ cell phones, Blackberries and iPods. The group then was loaded into a black van and taken to a closed hangar where Air Force One, a massive 747, awaited.

The reporters were loaded onto the dark plane and told to keep their window shades down. Within an hour the president arrived by car at the hangar.

The president almost never comes to the back of the plane, but shortly after 9 p.m. he did come back.

He was dressed casually in a jacket and a baseball cap reading “43.” He joked with reporters that the plan for a secret departure had worked, and that no on had recognized him.

"They thought I was a different president,” he said.

Once the president returned to the front of the plane, the 747 was wheeled out of the hangar and took off in darkness, arriving in Baghdad in daylight more than 10 hours later.

Upon landing in Baghdad, the president was greeted by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and the top general in Iraq, Ray Odierno.

Bush will leave office on Jan. 20 with Iraq remaining the defining issue of his presidency. Since the 2003 invasion of the country, more than 4,200 U.S. military men and women have been killed and the U.S. has spent nearly $600 billion fighting the war. The Status of Forces Agreement, a new U.S. and Iraqi security agreement that calls for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2011, will go into effect in January.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made an unannounced stop in Iraq Saturday. Gates has been tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to remain in his post.

During the president election, Obama called for the careful removal of all U.S. combat troops within the first 16 months of his presidency. He has singled an interest in increasing U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan.

December 14, 2008 in White House | Permalink | User Comments (287)

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)

Bush Calls Troops on Thanksgiving

November 27, 2008 10:09 AM

ABC News' Jennifer Duck reports: President Bush is spending his final Thanksgiving as president at Camp David with family and friends.  He made his traditional call to troops overseas wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving.

"Thanksgiving is a time to think about family, and I've also been thinking about our troops overseas," President Bush said. 

According to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino the president told eleven members of U.S. Armed Forces stationed all over the world, "I'm very proud of your service to our country. Thanks for stepping up and honoring your country. Thank you for your courage."

President Bush also said he is "proud" to be commander-in-chief and thanked the troops "for being out there and securing our country's future."

Receiving phone calls from the president were Staff Sergeant Kevin R. Everett, Staff Sergeant David A. “Dave” Mickem, Sergeant Paul E. Savage, Jr., Lance Corporal Levi Koski, Petty Officer First Class Corey A. Snowden, Petty Officer Second Class Ronnie C. Giordani, Senior Airman Victoria L. Drefs, Airman First Class Thomas A. “Adam” Everett, Petty Officer Third Class James Nichols, Seaman Michael “Mike” Manning, and Sergeant Shannon M. Dyer.

November 27, 2008 in White House | Permalink | User Comments (22)

Bush Calls Indian Prime Minister

November 27, 2008 8:35 AM

ABC News' Jennifer Duck reports: Senior Administration officials met Friday afternoon to continue discussions about the terror attacks in Mumbai.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the focus of the discussion was to ensure that everything possible is being done to help American citizens affected by these horrible attacks on innocent people.

She added that the administration has also continued to work with the Indian government at all levels and has offered assistance and support.

President George W. Bush has received regular updates since the attacks on Wednesday night.

The president spoke Thursday morning by telephone with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to express condolences to the victims of the terror attacks in Mumbai, India, and solidarity with the people of India. 

"The president offered support and assistance to the Government of India as it works to restore order, provide safety to its people and comfort to the victims and their families, and investigate these despicable acts," said Perino.

Perino said that in addition to the president's call to the Indian Prime Minister, National Security Council, State Department, counterterrorism, and intelligence community officials gathered Thursday morning to review the situation in Mumbai.

"Secretary Rice arrived at Camp David today for Thanksgiving and she has been providing updates to President Bush," Perino said.

The FBI and the State Department have been co-ordinating in India, and State Department personnel visited hospitals and hotels in the region to locate and identify any injured US citizens.

"US officials will continue to cooperate and work together with Indian officials to focus on this ongoing situation," Perino said.

November 27, 2008 in White House | Permalink | User Comments (3)

Obama Points to Farm Subsidies for Budget Cuts

November 25, 2008 4:39 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf and Nitya Venkataraman Report: Asked today where he would start cutting spending once he becomes President, Barack Obama immediately pointed to abuse of farm subsidies.

If changing government is his goal, he'll have no more difficult time than with farm subsidies, which confound academics and politicians in both parties, but represent a lifeblood of revenue for the middle of the country.

"Let me give you one example of what I'm talking about," Obama said of government waste at a press conference in Chicago today. "There's a report today that from 2003 to 2006, millionaire farmers received $49 million in crop subsidies even though they were earning more than the $2.5 million cutoff for such subsidies. If this is true, it is a prime example of the kind of waste I intend to end as president." (Read the report here.)

While Obama was talking about people gaming the subsidy system, it is interesting that he immediately thought of farm subsidies - sold every five years when the Farm Bill is passed as a way to help family farmers stay in business and keep American agriculture competitive in the global economy - goals that many people think farm subsidies miss by a wide margin as John Stossel found in Nebraska in October.

Fred Kirschenmann who owns a 3500-acre mixed grain and livestock farm in North Dakota says "in the short term, subsidies are necessary when you have volatility in prices" but ultimately are "not a sustainable system" for small family farms.

Farmers, he says, have never been in a position to bring a product in and determine its value against the market. "They have no economic power to negotiate a price that compensates them for their cost of production."

"What we need to be doing is gradually transitioning away from subsidies to a system that allows farmers to recoup their cost of production,' he says. "Subsidies should not be a handout they ought to be designed so that they provide a basic support to a system so a farmer doesn't go out of business."

Obama grudgingly supported the farm bill last Spring, and supported overriding President Bush's veto of it. He argued at the time that while the bill was not perfect, it was good.

That was not the tack President Bush took when he vetoed the bill in large part for not working enough to cut farm subsidies. In the official administration policy against the Farm Bill, the White House said "the bill continues to increase price supports and send farm subsidies to people who are among the wealthiest 2 percent of American tax filers whose three-year average Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is greater than $200,000. Payments should be targeted to those who really need them, especially those who have a meaningful connection to production agriculture. This action does not represent fiscal stewardship nor is it farm program reform."

Ending farm subsidies altogether is a favorite topic of Obama's favorite Republican, Indiana Republican Richard Lugar.

Lugar and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, in late 2007 offered an amendment to the most recent farm bill that would have ended direct subsidy payments to farmers altogether and instead created a safety net - think large-scale, no cost insurance for emergencies.

Their proposal got 37 votes in 2007. Obama was campaigning, but his Illinois colleague Dick Durbin supported the amendment.

On his change.gov transition website, President-elect Obama promises to "Fight for farm programs that provide family farmers with stability and predictability. Implement a $250,000 payment limitation so we help family farmers -- not large corporate agribusiness. Close the loopholes that allow mega farms to get around payment limits."

Cutting subsidy payments at $250,000 was the same level sought by President Bush (and overridden by Congress with Obama's help).

November 25, 2008 in Bush, George W., Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans, Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (28)

For Obama, a Cautionary Tale on Budget Cuts

November 25, 2008 4:04 PM

ABC News' Jonathan Karl Reports: When President-elect Obama promised today to "scour our federal budget, line by line, and make meaningful cuts" he sounded like the current president.

"Just as we trust Americans with their own money, we need to earn their trust by spending their tax dollars wisely," President Bush said during his State of the Union address on January 28.  "Next week, I'll send you a budget that terminates or substantially reduces 151 wasteful or bloated programs, totaling more than $18 billion."

True to his word,  President Bush's 2009 budget submission proposed to "terminate or reduce 151 discretionary programs" and calculated that making all 151 of those cuts would reduce 2009 spending by $18 billion.

Given the size of the deficit (it was more than $430 billion last year), $18 billion in savings is quite modest.  But how many of those 151 programs were ultimately eliminated?

None.  Instead Congress added an extra $20 billion in spending.

November 25, 2008 in Bush, George W., Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans, Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (4)

McCain to Seek Senate Re-Election in 2010

November 25, 2008 2:32 PM

ABC News' Lindsey Ellerson Reports: Former Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, age 73, said Tuesday in Arizona that he intends to seek a fifth Senate term in 2010.

"I intend to run again," said McCain during his first news conference since his White House loss to President-elect Barack Obama.  "We will make a formal announcement at the appropriate time."

McCain was unable to escape the press conference without a flurry of questions about his former running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. The GOP Senator stood by his veep pick, forecasting a "very bright" future for Palin.

"I think she did a great job of energizing our base. I'm very proud of her. It's one of the great pleasures I've had, to get to know her and her family. And I think she has a very bright future in a leadership position in the Republican Party," McCain said.

McCain also took a light-hearted tone when discussing the failed GOP presidential ticket, joking that the curse of Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater's unsuccessful presidential run in 1964 has become Arizona's continued legacy.

"Unfortunately, now it's Goldwater, Udall, Babbitt, McCain, all who have made it, again, impossible for mothers in Arizona to tell their children that some day they can grow up and be president of the United States," said McCain.

McCain applauded Obama for his recently announced economic team, as well as Obama's top pick for the director of the Department of Homeland Security, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

"I have already talked with her and look forward to moving her nomination as quickly as possible through the United States Senate," said McCain of the popular Democratic governor.

"I think she's highly qualified.  And we as citizens of Arizona are very proud to have a border state governor and someone with her knowledge and expertise serving in this very, very important and vital position."

When asked if he had any intension to run for governor of Arizona if the post was vacant, McCain said he remains committed to a fifth term in the Senate.

"My attention will be focused on -- on running for re-election in the Senate," said McCain.  "That's a six-year term, and I would be committed to fulfilling that."

The Arizona Republican pledged to work together with Obama and referenced their meeting last week at the president-elect's transition headquarters in downtown Chicago. 

"As you know, President-elect Obama and I had a very good meeting and discussed a number of issues, ranging from Afghanistan and Iraq to the need for -- address the challenges facing our economy, including various reforms in the practices of the Congress, as far as spending and budgetary issues are concerned," said McCain. "So I look forward to working with President-elect Obama and -- as we face these enormous challenges that we have."

McCain also said that he looks forward to resuming his work in the Senate, adding that he is eager to get back to his duties on behalf of Arizonians.

"I will resume my duties in the Indian Affairs Committee and work on Native American issues, land, water, and, of course, the significant military presence we have here in Arizona," said the Senator.  "I'll be looking forward to working on those issues, as well as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee."

The Republican Senator also announced his intension to visit the Middle East in the near future.

"I intend to travel soon to both Iraq and Afghanistan," said McCain.  "Obviously, the situation in Iraq, as regards to the status-of-forces agreement and the status of our forces and the -- the success of the strategy, and now the next steps we need to take, I look forward to discussing with General Odierno and the leaders of the Iraq government."

November 25, 2008 in McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (26)

The Note: Obama Waits on Change for January

November 21, 2008 8:21 AM

ABC News' Rick Klein reports in Friday's Note:

Change doesn’t have to wait until January.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is gone. (A sign of a new day.)

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., is gone, partly, too. (A sign of a new order.)

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., isn’t going anywhere. (But she’s gone quite a distance to get there.) 

Penny Pritzker leaves before she ever even arrives. 

And the auto bailout came back to life after it was declared dead, only to die again. (It may yet rise again -- though not until next month.) 

As for President-elect Barack Obama -- he is, for the most part, waiting for January.

Read the rest of The Note -- and get all the latest on the 2008 election, Congress, the White House and the wide world of politics every day -- from Rick Klein by bookmarking this link.

Thus far through the transition, we’re learning that Obama remains, at his core, a cautious and patient politician -- one who can be quite stingy with his political capital.

Meanwhile, the stock market is in freefall, Detroit is near collapse, and Congress is in a stalemate. Obama has had nearly half of his Cabinet filled for him, without a single formal announcement.

(If you’re scoring at home, he’s now had more haircuts than press conferences as president-elect.)

Other than a few comments, Obama has chosen not to play in the current crisis: “With the stock market plunging and the credit market entering a new freeze, cries are being heard for a new government intervention to prop up major financial institutions before President-elect Barack Obama takes office,” Floyd Norris writes in The New York Times. “By resigning from the Senate before the current session began and allowing it to appear that a sense of drift could prevail until he is inaugurated, Mr. Obama may have missed an opportunity to exert leadership.” 

“How much can go wrong in the two months before Mr. Obama takes the oath of office? The answer, unfortunately, is: a lot,” Paul Krugman writes in his column. “At minimum, the next two months will inflict serious pain on hundreds of thousands of Americans, who will lose their jobs, their homes, or both. What’s really troubling, however, is the possibility that some of the damage being done right now will be irreversible.” 

“The problem is that nothing of significance can or will happen until the new President takes office in January, even though there is -- finally -- a great appetite for action in Washington. This is going to be a very frustrating few months,” Time’s Joe Klein writes.

Continue reading today's Note by clicking HERE.

ABC News' Hope Ditto contributed to this report.

November 21, 2008 in Biden, Joe, Bush, George W., Clinton, Bill, Clinton, Hillary, Inauguration, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah, Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (43)

A Fete for Uncle Ted

November 20, 2008 1:51 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports from Capitol Hill: Since we called out Sen. Mitch McConnell yesterday for not giving Uncle Ted Stevens a send-off speech, it is only fair to point out that today, the seventh-longest serving Senator and recently convicted felon, who just yesterday conceded his quest for reelection, received a two hour tribute and a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle during his last speech on the Senate floor.

Stevens lost his re-election effort Wednesday to Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, bringing the Democratic net gain in the U.S. Senate to 7 seats.

On the floor of the Senate Thursday, the Alaska Republican was called a model of service and a moral example for the body by GOP Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky.

"I have found Ted Stevens to be the most straightforward, honest senator I have ever worked with," said Bunning.

Sen. Larry Craig talked about riding in a cab in Alaska to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Craig, the Idaho Republican who will forever be linked with the airport in Minneapolis and did not seek reelection because of the legal problems he encountered there, said of Stevens, "As we round the curb and pull up to exit the cab, I look up, and there is your name. And I said, oh, my, Ted's got an airport," said Craig. "That's neat."

The cab driver told Craig to give his best to Uncle Ted in Washington. That said, Craig is why he calls Stevens "Uncle Ted."

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., chimed into the tribute adding, "I think its fair to say that no senator in the history of the us has ever done more for his state than Sen. Ted Stevens," as Sen. Robert Byrd, R-W.Va., yelled "That's right! That's right!" from right across the aisle.  "Alaska would not be what it is today if it were not for him," McConnell said of Stevens, ignoring Byrd.

When it was his turn to speak, Byrd, the longest serving Senator who speaks hunched over his desk, reading from a binder, said, "Politics is a rough business. Lots of Highs. Lots of lows. After long time in politics, there comes a time to stand that the point of it all is helping people. Ted Stevens has helped a lot of people."

Even Nevada Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid weighed in on the conversation.

"Although Senator Stevens flew in World War II with the flying tigers in the Senate, he will be known as a lion," said Reid.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, called Stevens one of the "greatest men I've ever met" and said the stain will ultimately wash away from Stevens and his legacy, which before Stevens' legal troubles had more to do with helping steer tax dollars to Alaska, rights for native Alaskans, fighting to open the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, and his quirky fascination with the Incredible Hulk.

"I always loved -- loved that when he wore the incredible hulk tie," said Hatch. "I always got a big kick out of it. I even liked his crankiness because there was always a little smile behind that. he never held a grudge against anybody and he was always willing to lend a helping hand and to give good advice. and, frankly, I admire him so much. Ted, I believe this cloud will be lifted from you. and it should be."

Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-HI, who has also served longer than Stevens and is one of the few remaining World War II veterans left in the Senate said, "The events of recent weeks have been less than pleasant and at times dismal and heartbreaking," referring to Stevens convictions and loss. "But to my friend I say stand tall, Ted, because you have every good reason to do so. your good and courageous service to our nation is part of our history. It can never be obliterated."

Stevens spoke too, calling the Senate, where he has served for 40 years, his second home and acknowledged the regret he feels about leaving.

"I really must pinch myself to fully understand that I'm privileged to speak on the floor of the united states senate. coming from a boyhood I had I could never even have dreamed to be here today. and home is where the heart is, Mr.. president. if that is so, I have two homes  one is right here in this chamber; and the other is my beloved state of Alaska. I must leave one -- leave one to return to the other."

A pit stop along the way will be appealing his conviction in September on seven felony counts for hiding gifts on financial disclosure forms and hopefully for Stevens staying out of the Big House.

"I look only forward and I still see the day when I can remove the cloud that currently surrounds me. That's it, Mr. President  40 years distilled into a few minutes. I close by saying and asking God bless Alaska and our governor, God bless the United States of America and our president, and god bless the senate and every member of this body. I yield the floor for the last time."

November 20, 2008 in Vote 2008: Republicans, Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (33)