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President Obama: Please, be seated. Before we begin tonight, I just want to provide everyone with a
few brief updates on some of the challenges we're dealing with right now.
First, we are continuing to closely monitor the emergency cases of the H1N1 flu virus throughout the
United States. As I said this morning, this is obviously a very serious situation, and every American
should know that their entire government is taking the utmost precautions and preparations.
Our public health officials have recommended that schools with confirmed or suspected cases of this flu
strongly consider temporarily closing. And if more schools are forced to close, we've recommended that
both parents and businesses think about contingency plans if their children do have to stay home.
I've requested an immediate $1.5 billion in emergency funding from Congress to support our ability to
monitor and track this virus and to build our supply of antiviral drugs and other equipment. And we will
also ensure that those materials get to where they need to be as quickly as possible. you would take to
prevent any other flu: keep your hands washed; cover your mouth when you cough; stay home from work
if you're sick; and keep your children home from school if they're sick.
We'll continue to provide regular updates to the American people as we receive more information. And
everyone should rest assured that this government is prepared to do whatever it takes to control the
impact of this virus.
The second thing I'd like to mention is how gratified I am that the House and the Senate passed a budget
resolution today that will serve as an economic blueprint for this nation's future.
I especially want to thank Leader Reid, Speaker Pelosi, all of the members of Congress who worked so
quickly and effectively to make this blueprint a reality.
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This budget builds on the steps we've taken over the last 100 days to move this economy from recession
to recovery and ultimately to prosperity.
We began by passing a recovery act that has already saved or created over 150,000 jobs and provided a
tax cut to 95 percent of all working families. We passed a law to provide and protect health insurance for
11 million American children whose parents work full time. And we launched a housing plan that has
already contributed to a spike in the number of homeowners who are refinancing their mortgages, which
is the equivalent of another tax cut.
But, even as we clear away the wreckage of this recession, I've also said that we can't go back to an
economy that's built on a pile of sand, on inflated home prices and maxed-out credit cards, on
overleveraged banks and outdated regulations that allow recklessness of a few to threaten the prosperity
of all.
We have to lay a new foundation for growth, a foundation that will strengthen our economy and help us
compete in the 21st century. And that's exactly what this budget begins to do.
It contains new investments in education that will equip our workers with the right skills and training, new
investments in renewable energy that will create millions of jobs and new industries, new investments in
health care that will cut costs for families and businesses, and new savings that will bring down our
deficit.
I also campaigned on the promise that I would change the direction of our nation's foreign policy. And
we've begun to do that, as well. We've begun to end the war in Iraq, and we forged with our NATO allies
a new strategy to target Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We have rejected the false choice between our security and our ideals by closing the detention center at
Guantanamo Bay and banning torture without exception.
And we've renewed our diplomatic efforts to deal with challenges ranging from the global economic crisis
to the spread of nuclear weapons.
So I think we're off to a good start, but it's just a start. I'm proud of what we've achieved, but I'm not
content. I'm pleased with our progress, but I'm not satisfied.
Millions of Americans are still without jobs and homes, and more will be lost before this recession is over.
Credit is still not flowing nearly as freely as it should. Countless families and communities touched by our
auto industry still face tough times ahead. Our projected long-term deficits are still too high, and
government is still not as efficient as it needs to be.
We still confront threats ranging from terrorism to nuclear proliferation, as well as pandemic flu. And all
this means you can expect an unrelenting, unyielding effort from this administration to strengthen our
prosperity and our security in the second hundred days, in the third hundred days, and all of the days
after that.
You can expect us to work on health care reform that will bring down costs while maintaining quality, as
well as energy legislation that will spark a clean-energy revolution. I expect to sign legislation by the end
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of this year that sets new rules of the road for Wall Street, rules that reward drive and innovation, as
opposed to short-cuts and abuse.
And we will also work to pass legislation that protects credit card users from unfair rate hikes and abusive
fees and penalties. We'll continue scouring the federal budget for savings and target more programs for
elimination. And we will continue to pursue procurement reform that will greatly reduce the no-bid
contracts that have wasted so many taxpayer dollars.
So we have a lot of work left to do. It's work that will take time, and it will take effort. But the United States
of America, I believe, will see a better day.
We will rebuild a stronger nation, and we will endure as a beacon for all of those weary travelers beyond
our shores who still dream that there's a place where all of this is possible.
I want to thank the American people for their support and their patience during these trying times, and I
look forward to working with you in the next hundred days, in the hundred days after that, all of the
hundreds of days to follow to make sure that this country is what it can be.
And with that, I will start taking some questions.
And I'll start with you, Jennifer.
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. With the flu outbreak spreading and worsening, can you talk about
whether you think it's time to close the border with Mexico and whether -- under what conditions you
might consider quarantining, when that might be appropriate?
Obama: Well, first of all, as I said, this is a cause for deep concern, but not panic. And I think that we
have to make sure that we recognize that how we respond intelligently, systematically, based on science
and what public health officials have to say, will determine in large part what happens.
I've consulted with our public health officials extensively on a day-to-day basis, in some cases an
hour-to-hour basis. At this point, they have not recommended a border closing. From their perspective, it
would be akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out, because we already have cases here in
the United States.
We have ramped up screening efforts, as well as made sure that additional supplies are there on the
border so that we can prepare in the eventuality that we have to do more than we're doing currently.
But the most important thing right now that public health officials have indicated is that we treat this the
same way that we would treat other flu outbreaks, just understanding that, because this is a new strain,
we don't yet know how it will respond.
So we have to take additional precautions, essentially, take out $1.5 billion, so that we can make sure
that everything is in place should a worst-case scenario play out.
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I do want to compliment Democrats and Republicans who worked diligently back in 2005 when the bird
flu came up. I was part of a group of legislators who worked with the Bush administration to make sure
that we had beefed up our infrastructure and our stockpiles of antiviral drugs, like Tamiflu.
And I think the Bush administration did a good job of creating the infrastructure so that we can respond.
For example, we've got 50 million courses of anti-viral drugs in the event that they're needed.
So, the government is going to be doing everything that we can. We're coordinating closely with state and
local officials. Secretary Napolitano at the Department of Homeland Security, newly installed Secretary
Sebelius of Health and Human Services, our acting CDC director, they are all on the phone on a daily
basis with all public health officials across the states to coordinate and make sure that there's timely
reporting, that if -- as new cases come up, that we're able to track them effectively, that we're allocating
resources so that they're in place.
The key now I think is to make sure that we're maintaining great vigilance, that everybody responds
appropriately when cases do come up, and individual families start taking very sensible precautions that
-- can make a huge difference.
So wash your hands when you shake hands. Cover your mouth when you cough. I know it sounds trivial,
but it makes a huge difference. If you are sick, stay home. If your child is sick, keep them out of school.
To -- if you are feeling certain flu symptoms, don't get on an airplane, don't get on a -- any system of
public transportation where you're confined and you could potentially spread the virus.
So those are the steps that I think we need to take right now. But understand that because this is a new
strain, we have to be cautious. If this was a strain that we were familiar with, then we might have to --
then I think we wouldn't see the kind of alert levels that we're seeing, for example, with the World Health
Organization. OK?
Deb Price of Detroit News. Where's Deb?
Good to see you.
Question: Thank you, Mr. President.
On the domestic auto industry, have you determined that bankruptcy is the only option to restructure
Chrysler? And do you believe that the deep cuts in plant closings that were outlined this week by General
Motors are sufficient?
Obama: Let me speak to Chrysler first because the clock is ticking on Chrysler coming up with a plan. I
am actually very hopeful, more hopeful than I was 30 days ago, that we can see a resolution that
maintains a viable Chrysler auto company out there.
What we've seen is the unions have made enormous sacrifices on top of sacrifices that they had
previously made. You've now seen the major debt holders come up with a set of potential concessions
that they can live with.
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All of that promises the possibility that you can get a Fiat- Chrysler merger and that you have an ongoing
concern. The details have not yet been finalized, so I don't know to jump the gun. But I am feeling more
optimistic than I was about the possibilities of that getting done.
With respect to GM, we're going to have another 30 days. They're still in the process of presenting us
with their plans. But I've always said that GM has a lot of good product there and if they can get through
these difficult times, and engage in some of the very difficult choices that they've already made, that they
can emerge a strong, competitive, viable company.
And that's my goal in this whole process. I would love to get the U.S. government out of the auto
business as quickly as possible. We have a circumstance in which a bad recession compounded some
great weaknesses already in the auto industry.
And it was my obligation and continues to be my obligation to make sure that any taxpayer dollars that
are in place to support the auto industry are aimed not at short-term fixes that continue these companies
as wards of the state, but rather institutes the kind of restructuring that allows them to be strongly
competitive in the future. I think we're moving in that direction. prudent and appropriate thing for Chrysler
to do to engage in the filings that they -- that received some notice a while back because they had to
prepare for possible contingencies.
It's not clear that they're going to have to use it. The fact that the major debt-holders appear ready to
make concessions means that, even if they ended up having to go through some sort of bankruptcy, it
would be a very quick type of bankruptcy and they could continue operating and emerge on the other
side in a much stronger position.
So my goal is to make sure that we've got a strong, viable, competitive auto industry. I think some tough
choices are being made. There's no denying that there's significant hardship involved, particularly for the
workers and the families in these communities.
And we're going to be coming behind whatever plan is in place to make sure that the federal government
is providing as much assistance as we have to ensure that people are landing back on their feet, even as
we strengthen these core businesses.
Jake? Where's Jake? There he is.
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. You've said in the past that waterboarding, in your opinion, is
torture. Torture is a violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions. Do you believe that the
previous administration sanctioned torture?
Obama: What I've said -- and I will repeat -- is that waterboarding violates our ideals and our values. I do
believe that it is torture. I don't think that's just my opinion; that's the opinion of many who've examined
the topic. And that's why I put an end to these practices.
I am absolutely convinced it was the right thing to do, not because there might not have been information
that was yielded by these various detainees who were subjected to this treatment, but because we could
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have gotten this information in other ways, in ways that were consistent with our values, in ways that
were consistent with who we are.
I was struck by an article that I was reading the other day talking about the fact that the British during
World War II, when London was being bombed to smithereens, had 200 or so detainees. And Churchill
said, "We don't torture," when the entire British -- all of the British people were being subjected to
unimaginable risk and threat.
And then the reason was that Churchill understood, you start taking short-cuts, over time, that corrodes
what's -- what's best in a people. It corrodes the character of a country.
And -- and so I strongly believed that the steps that we've taken to prevent these kinds of enhanced
interrogation techniques will make us stronger over the long term and make us safer over the long term
because it will put us in a -- in a position where we can still get information.
In some cases, it may be harder, but part of what makes us, I think, still a beacon to the world is that we
are willing to hold true to our ideals even when it's hard, not just when it's easy.
At the same time, it takes away a critical recruitment tool that Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations
have used to try to demonize the United States and justify the killing of civilians.
And it makes us -- it puts us in a much stronger position to work with our allies in the kind of international,
coordinated intelligence activity that can shut down these networks.
So this is a decision that I'm very comfortable with. And I think the American people over time will
recognize that it is better for us to stick to who we are, even when we're taking on an unscrupulous
enemy.
OK?
Question: (Off-mic)
Obama: I'm sorry?
Question: (Off-mic) sanctioned torture?
Obama: I believe that waterboarding was torture. And I think that the -- whatever legal rationales were
used, it was a mistake.
Obama: Mark Knoller?
Question: Thank you, sir. Let me follow up, if I may, on Jake's question. Did you read the documents
recently referred to by former Vice President Cheney and others saying that the use of so-called
"enhanced interrogation techniques" not only protected the nation but saved lives?
And if part of the United States were under imminent threat, could you envision yourself ever authorizing
the use of those enhanced interrogation techniques?
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Obama: I have read the documents. Now they have not been officially declassified and released. And so
I don't want to go to the details of them. But here's what I can tell you, that the public reports and the
public justifications for these techniques, which is that we got information from these individuals that were
subjected to these techniques, doesn't answer the core question.
Which is, could we have gotten that same information without resorting to these techniques? And it
doesn't answer the broader question, are we safer as a consequence of having used these techniques?
So when I made the decision to release these memos and when I made the decision to bar these
practices, this was based on consultation with my entire national security team, and based on my
understanding that ultimately I will be judged as commander-in-chief on how safe I'm keeping the
American people.
That's the responsibility I wake up with and it's the responsibility I go to sleep with. And so I will do
whatever is required to keep the American people safe. But I am absolutely convinced that the best way I
can do that is to make sure that we are not taking short cuts that undermine who we are.
And there have been no circumstances during the course of this first 100 days in which I have seen
information that would make me second guess the decision that I have made. OK?
Chuck Todd.
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. I want to move to Pakistan. Pakistan appears to be at war with the
Taliban inside their own country. Can you reassure the American people that if necessary America could
secure Pakistan's nuclear arsenal and keep it from getting into the Taliban's hands or, worst case
scenario, even al Qaeda's hands?
Obama: I'm confident that we can make sure that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is secure. Primarily, initially,
because the Pakistani army, I think, recognizes the hazards of those weapons falling into the wrong
hands. We've got strong military-to-military consultation and cooperation.
I am gravely concerned about the situation in Pakistan, not because I think that they're immediately going
to be overrun and the Taliban would take over in Pakistan. I'm more concerned that the civilian
government there right now is very fragile and don't seem to have the capacity to deliver basic services:
schools, health care, rule of law, a judicial system that works for the majority of the people.
And so as a consequence, it is very difficult for them to gain the support and the loyalty of their people.
So we need to help Pakistan help Pakistanis. And I think that there's a recognition increasingly on the
part of both the civilian government there and the army that that is their biggest weakness.
On the military side, you're starting to see some recognition just in the last few days that the obsession
with India as the mortal threat to Pakistan has been misguided, and that their biggest threat right now
comes internally. And you're starting to see the Pakistani military take much more seriously the armed
threat from militant extremists.
We want to continue to encourage Pakistan to move in that direction. And we will provide them all of the
cooperation that we can. We want to respect their sovereignty, but we also recognize that we have huge
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strategic interests, huge national security interes