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  1. #1
    Senior Member Dixie's Avatar
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    White House Press Briefing Tony Snow

    Press Briefing by Tony Snow (last half of breifing)
    James S. Brady Briefing Room

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...060605-3.html#

    There is also a video at the above link.

    12:36 P.M. EDT
    Some statements about gay marriage preceed the following.

    Q And also, on immigration -- I tried to bring this up last week -- your first day, I asked you a question about people of color being pitted against black Americans in the President's temporary worker program. And you said something to affect that -- well, you said something to do with -- many of your critics are saying, how could you say that?

    MR. SNOW: I'm glad you clarified it, because I didn't know what you were talking about the other day. A, I don't know who the critics are, but, B, let me give a response. The temporary worker program is designed in such a way that employers would have to certify that they were offering to immigrants jobs that were not being taken by Americans. I don't see how that pits anybody against anybody. If you have nobody lined up to take these jobs, it means that there is no necessary conflict between African Americans and immigrants, or any other group of Americans and immigrants. In fact, that is supposed to be one of the key points of the temporary worker program, precisely to avoid such conflicts.

    Q But the major issue is also that it drives down wages. And many of the immigrants are not allowed to negotiate. Those are the standard issues the critics are throwing at this administration, when you say about the fact that it drives down wages --

    MR. SNOW: I'm not sure it drives down -- you mean it drives down wages?

    Q Yes, it drives down wages.

    MR. SNOW: Look, there's wage competition throughout the economy. That typically happens. What you will always find, as a matter of fact, when people are embarked upon any form of economic enterprise, there are going to be attempts to hold down costs, to provide services to consumers for less money. And that's true whether you're talking about an immigrant population or Microsoft.

    Q Tony, two questions.

    MR. SNOW: I knew it couldn't just be one. Go ahead.

    Q There's a news release on the Internet today from Exodus International, which is the organization of former homosexuals with 135 member groups. And they're reporting that they are guests of the President today at the White House. And my question: You said there are no homosexual groups here today. Were any invited?

    MR. SNOW: Not that I'm aware of, Lester. I don't think so.

    Q Second, The New York Times has just reported, "This White House, like all White Houses, is obsessed with the press." My question, will you admit to this alleged obsession, or is this just one more New York Times exaggeration?

    MR. SNOW: It's more a love affair than an obsession, Lester. (Laughter.)

    Q Very good, Tony. Good. (Laughter.)

    Q I salute you. (Laughter.)

    Q On the immigration trip tomorrow, has the President got any new tack to help bridge some differences between the House and the Senate?

    MR. SNOW: I think one of the messages the President is going to want to convey is that when you take a look at sort of the priorities and interests of members of both parties and in the House and the Senate, you're going to find that there are quite a few issues on which they agree. And I've ticked them off before. But I think one of the points of emphasis may be to highlight some of those. Everybody agrees on the importance of border security. Everybody agrees on the importance of identifying people who are here illegally. There is widespread agreement that if you cannot move out all 11 million or 12 million or 15 million or whatever the number is, how do you make it so that they pay an appropriate debt to society? There is a question -- most people agree with a temporary worker program.

    In other words, there are vast areas of agreement. And I think quite often what happens here is many people developed opinions about the President's program before the President announced his program. And I think this is an opportunity not only to remind people of what he has said, but also to remind them that there's a fair amount of common ground, not only between different factions in the Republican Party, but between both parties.

    Q If I could follow up on that, what is the significance of his visit to the facility in Omaha on Wednesday?

    MR. SNOW: It's a Catholic Charities event, and the theme there is going to be assimilation.

    Q Tony, could you describe what he's going to see in Artesia?

    MR. SNOW: I probably could, but I have actually not looked at the trip notes. I know that we're going to be swearing in a new head -- is it the new head of the Border Patrol -- he'll be swearing a head of the Border Patrol. And we're also going to be taking a look at Border Patrol activities in Artesia.

    Q One more thing on the immigration trip, if I may. It sounds like you talk about these vast areas of shared priorities -- this is still a huge, heavy lift, isn't it, to try to get these two wildly different pieces of legislation --

    MR. SNOW: It's going to be a considerable amount of work, yes.

    Q On that topic, Tony?

    MR. SNOW: Go ahead.

    Q To that end, I'm interested that the President is, in essence, taking his show on the road, but the real work I think is back here in the Capitol, in bringing the House and the Senate together. Lawmakers have said the President will have to take a very active role. What is he planning on doing specifically to --

    MR. SNOW: I'm not going to tell you specifically what he does. Quite often, a President is most effective when he is working behind the scenes and not broadcasting through you or me. But I guarantee you that the President is actively involved. And part of also going around the country, there are a couple of things, a lot of times immigration is discussed almost in a vacuum. People have perceptions about immigration. They don't know what border stations look like. They don't know what a lot of these different situations may look like. And it gives the President an opportunity to illustrate and dramatize what is going on. And also, as you know, members of Congress keep coming back saying, man, I'm getting an earful from the people back home. Well, this gives the President an opportunity also to converse with the people back home.

    Q Is there a point where the President or the Representatives dealing with the House and Senate might ask the Speaker to suspend this one time, his doctrine, as it's called, of moving for a majority of the majority? Because that in essence now will be the ultimate road block in moving the President's --

    MR. SNOW: I'm not going to prejudge at this point. There are no plans at this juncture to ask the Speaker to suspend the majority of majority. But I can't speak for what may happen. Just don't know.

    Q Is that recognized as a significant hurdle to preparing this --

    MR. SNOW: The Speaker feels very strongly about it. It doesn't seem he's going to change.

    Q Thank you. In Hanoi today, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is calling for expanded military exchanges between Vietnam and the U.S. Experts say the reasons are to establish a key location in the (inaudible) war against terror and to set up a buffer against China and its expanding military. Is that true?

    MR. SNOW: I'm unfamiliar with the Secretary's comments, so I would refer you back to DOD, because they know what he said and I just haven't had time to track that today.

    Q An immigration politics question. There's a special election, congressional election in California tomorrow. Immigration is playing a huge role. First of all, is the President going to make a -- is he doing a recorded call, or is he going to have any influence in that race? And also, the Democrat candidate, Francine Busby, had the statement, "You don't need papers for voting." Last week, she made that statement. Any reaction to that?

    MR. SNOW: No, it obviously is a huge issue right now because she -- I guess it was in response to a question somebody was asking about voting, and she said, "You don't need papers for voting." She later said that what she really meant was, you don't need papers to help with the campaign. But in any event, it's obviously been a very hot topic out there in California.

    Q Two things on marriage. First, logistical. The remarks are in 450. Where is the meeting taking place?

    MR. SNOW: Roosevelt Room.

    Q Second, the President is generally a state's rights kind of guy on issues. Why not on this issue?

    MR. SNOW: He is. I mean, that's exactly what he is, and I'll tell you why. And I'm glad you asked, Ken, because state's rights -- here you have, in a number of states, including Massachusetts where the voters said, we want marriage to be defined as a man and a woman. The courts said, no. The people you ought to be asking about the sovereign rights of states may be state and federal courts which had been overturning what the states either legislatively -- or through ballot initiative -- have gone ahead and tried to inscribe into their own state laws. So I would argue that the President is trying to preserve the state's rights in this particular case.

    Q But he was trying to prevent -- if there is a state out there where the people want this, he does want to allow that to happen?

    MR. SNOW: Well, that is a hypothetical in this particular case, because I'm not aware of any state where that has achieved majority status.

    Q But why not allow a state to do what it wants? What's different about this issue, than, say, death penalty? Why not have a federal amendment dictating how you do death penalty?

    MR. SNOW: Because marriage is a unique institution in the history of American society --

    Q The death penalty --

    MR. SNOW: You can name a whole lot of issues that are important, but --

    Q And he usually does, in supporting letting states make their decisions.

    MR. SNOW: And again, I'm telling you that in this particular case -- we're talking past each other. What you're saying is that by coming up with a uniform definition of marriage you're getting in the way of states. It could be -- it is pretty obvious at this point that there are a number of judges around the country who are reading into the Constitution something the President does not believe is there. And furthermore, they are doing it despite the expressed opinions of people living in those states.

    So what is he trying to do? He is acknowledging, more in sorrow than anything else, that this may in fact require a constitutional amendment, which is the point. As you know, the Court has been all over the place when it comes to the death penalty. The reason why is the Court has sort of had its say now on the death penalty, and it has said everybody can decide.

    Q What is the U.S. reaction to the foiled Canada terror plot?

    MR. SNOW: Relief. We're very happy that there has been successful cooperation. It's an international effort, and the Canadian government -- not only relief, but we congratulate Canadian authorities on intercepting such a plot.

    Q Does the administration share in the concern of Republican Chairman Peter King of the House Homeland Security Committee? He said that there's a disproportionate number of al Qaeda members in Canada because of liberal immigration and refugee asylum policies. Do you share that concern?

    MR. SNOW: I'm not going to get into characterizing al Qaeda penetration and alleged al Qaeda penetration in Canada. I think it's worth saying that U.S. and Canadian authorities have been pretty vigorous in working the intelligence on this. And as you know, this has become a hot political issue in Canada. But far be it for me to try to get involved in internal Canadian politics.

    Q How much of a role did the FBI play in this foiled --

    MR. SNOW: This was primarily a Royal Canadian Mounted Police operation, and they kept us in the loop.

    Q Just a follow up to that, Tony. Was there any communication between Ottawa and Washington during this? Has the President spoken to the Canadian authorities at all?

    MR. SNOW: I don't believe he has spoken directly to Canadian authorities. I think that's probably been done through Homeland Security and the Justice Department.

    Q Canadians are also saying that they're going to send down emissaries in the next couple of weeks to dispel myths in this country about how bad Canada is. (Laughter.) As far as you know, is anything planned with the White House, any officials in the White House getting involved in that?

    MR. SNOW: As you know, typically we don't get ahead on the schedule, but, furthermore, let me tell you I know nothing about it. I just don't know.

    Yes, Lester.

    Q In Michigan, the Lansing State Journal said that U.S. Senators Stabenow and Levin "voted in favor of illegality, in favor of border insecurity." And my question, does the President believe that the Lansing --

    MR. SNOW: Lester, last time you asked a question like this, there was this big splashy thing on WorldNetDaily about what I did or did not believe. I'm not going to bite on an editorial in the Lansing state paper.

    Q Thank you.

    MR. SNOW: Thank you.

    END 1:05 P.M. EDT
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  2. #2
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    MR. SNOW: Because marriage is a unique institution in the history of American society --
    Not to get off the immigration topic, that was just more blah, blah, blah...

    But since when is marriage a unique institution to the history of the American Society. I am pretty sure that marriage has been going on for a very long time in alot of countries... or am I mistaken

  3. #3
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    Tony Snowme.
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    Senior Member CountFloyd's Avatar
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    MR. SNOW: Look, there's wage competition throughout the economy. That typically happens. What you will always find, as a matter of fact, when people are embarked upon any form of economic enterprise, there are going to be attempts to hold down costs, to provide services to consumers for less money. And that's true whether you're talking about an immigrant population or Microsoft.
    But not for your job, eh Tony?
    It's like hell vomited and the Bush administration appeared.

  5. #5
    Senior Member crazybird's Avatar
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    But since when is marriage a unique institution to the history of the American Society. I am pretty sure that marriage has been going on for a very long time in alot of countries... or am I mistaken
    No....it's definatly not "unique " to the history of the American Society. Where I think the conflict is , is one man and one woman. Other cultures have "marraige" too, but it can be multiple wives or husbands, arranged, etc.. I had a great anthropology teacher that spent much of her life in the Amazon jungles. If I'm not mistaken they could have one wife, but were allowed "access" to the wives of their brothers. Fortunatly they were able to be "exempt" from this tradition. It was interesting to learn about the variety of different arrangements. Bottom line though seemed to be what was necessary for the children and what the population balance was between the sexes as to how many additional spouses you could have to keep a clean reproductive line going and be able to take care of and what the society accepted. Love didn't seem to matter so much. Money did or power and fertility. We have just adopted the Jewish=Christian defination of marraige in this society, for the most part.
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  6. #6
    Senior Member LegalUSCitizen's Avatar
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    Snow
    MR. SNOW: I'm not going to tell you specifically what he does. Quite often, a President is most effective when he is working behind the scenes


    Oh we know very well how effective he is working behind the scenes. CAFTA ?!

    That's why we'll be right there behind the scenes with him every step of the way!!

    That's the kind of talk that really makes me mad.

    We can't let them fall prey to him. WE CAN'T !!!!
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  7. #7
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    Tony Snow: when people are embarked upon any form of economic enterprise, there are going to be attempts to hold down costs, to provide services to consumers for less money. And that's true whether you're talking about an immigrant population or Microsoft.
    Too bad that this doesn't apply to the health care costs and services "provided" to legal US citizens.

    Oh that's right, Tony doesn't have any health care costs now that he works the the government.

    The good thing is that fuel, energy, housing, and education costs are being held down by our current form of economic enterprise. (sarc)

    Tony, you keep ducking the real issues facing our nation while your handlers make up lame duck decoys.

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