MR. SNOW: Quick note on the ground rules. This is an on-the-record briefing, but it is embargoed until the time of the delivery of the speech.So, why do the briefing ahead of time? Hmmmm.
Q But can a sending governors say "no"?Really, it sure sounds like you are federalizing the Guard here.
MR. BARTLETT: Sure.
MS. TOWNSEND: Yes. This is predicated on the agreement between the sending and the receiving governor.
Q So they're not being federalized?
MS. TOWNSEND: No, that's correct. They are not being federalized.
MR. SNOW: The governors still serve as commanders-in-chief of their own National Guards.
Q What if the receiving governor doesn't want them?
MR. SNOW: The receiving governor has to ask for them.
Now here's were I start to get a bit befuddled:
Q You said the President supports this, sort of, notion that an illegal immigrant who has been here five years should be treated differently than an illegal immigrant who has been here one year. Can you talk about the philosophical underpinnings of basically saying, I stole your car five years ago, but I haven't gotten a speeding ticket since, and I should be treated differently than if I stole it six months ago?Okay, so Snow is using a "Clintonian" phrase to defend their policy decisions? My goodness, the W, Rove and Co. has to be in deep trouble. Well, that's about all Tony had to say today. Let's take a look at two real related issues.
MR. BARTLETT: Well, I don't know where you got five years, but I --
Q The Senate has talked about that, if you --
MR. BARTLETT: They talked --
Q Five years, but he said the longer that someone has been here --
MR. KAPLAN: I assume that the rational middle ground should recognize that there are differences between someone who has been here recently and someone who has been here a long time and who has built a home and a family and has contributed to our society.
MR. SNOW: Let's get to your analogy for a moment, because you said I stole your car five years ago and I did now. You know, this program, number one, the President says there's not going to be amnesty. In other words, for those who have come here illegally, you're going to find you've got some tax obligations, you've got to keep your nose clean, you've got to keep working. It is not simply -- you know, amnesty means, hey, all is forgiven, go about -- go at it as you were.
You've got at least four separate requirements here, and one can say that there is a difference between somebody who has held a job, paid taxes, obeyed the law, contributed to Social Security, and done those for an extended period of time as opposed to somebody who came over two weeks ago. But where you draw the lines, we will -- that's an issue to be decided. But the point is, I think one can make the argument to somebody who has stayed here -- to use a Clintonian phrase -- has worked hard and played by the rules, that is something where people say to themselves, okay, there may be differences.
Q But you said it's not amnesty. If it's not amnesty -- they have to have not done anything illegal, but it is amnesty for the fact they did something illegal --
MR. SNOW: It's a funny kind of amnesty where this is a misdemeanor. This is a misdemeanor where you can get a stiff fine, where you're going to pay taxes, where you're going to go to the back of the line if you want to become a citizen. If you break the law, you're out. You've got to hold a job continuously. That is probably stiffer than any similar set of circumstances one can think of.
Amnesty -- 1986, or whatever -- amnesty is, we forget about it, everybody stay. We'll start all over.
Q But didn't they break the law by coming here?
MR. KAPLAN: And they'll pay their obligation to society.
MR. SNOW: Yes, you pay a fine for breaking the law.
Q You all are making this argument, but as you know there's a good many Republicans who are saying -- who take the argument, but say it's still a question of how long ago did you break the law to come into this country. So I understand the argument you're making, but you're up against -- particularly House Republicans -- who are saying, sorry, no deal here, this is a non-starter. So how do you overcome that? I know the argument.
MR. SNOW: Well, the political process is going to have to work its way out. But I think what the President is trying to do is to insert a little bit of precision in the use of the term amnesty. There is a significant difference. We've already pointed out the benchmarks that people are going to have to surmount if they want to become eligible to be citizens. I mean, this gives them an opportunity to stand in line for, what, a dozen years.
Q Can you be specific about what fine, how long, how many guest workers?
MR. SNOW: No.
1) How much will this new deployment cost the American Taxpayer?
Q How much out of the federal treasury is going to pay for the 6,000 Guardsmen? You spoke of it coming out of the $1.9 billion -- how much of that would be Guard?So, the answer is, they don't know...which incidentally, does this whole program sound like bigger or smaller federal government to you?
MR. BARTLETT: Well, there's too many variables at this point. We're talking to Congress right now and including the appropriators; I think it's more appropriate for us to allow those briefings to go forward. We'll have information for you after the President's speech.
MR. KAPLAN: But we do envision the -- it comes out of -- the $1.9 billion will cover the '06 and '07 costs assumed for the National Guard deployment -- fiscal year '06 and fiscal year '07 costs.
2) When will the hypocrisy stop?
Q Dan, the President, when it came to No Child Left Behind, ridiculed people who judged a program by inputs. He said you must judge a program not by how much money you spend on education, but by what you get out of it. But you're doing exactly this here. You're saying we're spending more on Border Patrol, and what people out at the grassroots are asking is, show us some evidence that what you're doing works. What are you offering as evidence that what you're doing works?
MR. BARTLETT: Well, he will use a very powerful figure in the speech tonight. During his presidency, we've denied 6 million people -- apprehended and returned back 6 million people. That is what our efforts and the increased Border Patrol funding and agents have resulted in. We've also, as Fran pointed out, cut the time it has taken for us to deport those who are what's called OTMs, other than Mexicans, that have to go to other countries. We've cut that administrative time almost in half. So there are tangible benefits and results based on the investments we've made to date.
The question is, or the point that the President will make is, we can and must do more; these additional resources and dollars will get additional results. So it is very similar.
Q But what you're hearing from the grassroots, though, is what you're talking about is the increase is less than it might have been otherwise. But people are still seeing a flood. And what you're hearing from a lot of people and what you see in a lot of in the polling is that people want proof the border is secure before they want to talk about anything else. Why can't you make some kind of proposal like that?
1 comment:
I watched Snow do the briefing today with reporters. He isn't like Ari or Scottie. I had no desire to pick up my tv and toss it out the window. He's much more human and even if what he's saying is not what I want to hear, I don't I don't have the urge to poke my fingers in his eyes.
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