MR. GIBBS: No, I think the — again, I think today’s numbers underscore, partly because of the math involved in the Senate and partly because of the math involved by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, that we do — we work in a bipartisan fashion to get something done quickly. I don’t think there has to be an either/or mentality to this, and neither does the President. In order to get something moved forward, we’re going MB3-461 Braindumps to have to work with Democrats and Republicans.But the statistics today underscore more than ever, more than last month, more than the month before that, and certainly taken in total through the course of this recession, we see a jobs market that is deteriorating rapidly and that pace is accelerating; that we have to do — and this Congress and this President have to do what is necessary now to move the process forward and to get this economy back on track.Margaret.
Q: Thanks. Robert, it’s a Guantanamo follow-up, and I’m wondering — there’s a controversy right now in Britain and I’m wondering whether President Obama or the administration is planning to release or allow Britain to release some classified documents that are related to the alleged torture of a British resident held in Guantanamo — what you can tell us about that, whether it’s been resolved or not.
MR. GIBBS: I don’t have any information on that, but I can do some checking.
Q: Is the President concerned that the Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan could be a proliferation risk now he’s been released from house arrest? And will he renew the U.S. request for him to be interviewed by U.S. intelligence agencies?
MR. GIBBS: Well, obviously we’ve seen the reports of the release, but have not received — have yet to receive official word from the government. Obviously this President has made clear many times the great concern that he has about nuclear proliferation, and as we hear from the government about these reports, obviously the President and this government want assurances that Dr. Khan is not involved or engaged in any of the activity that resulted in his house arrest earlier.
Q: Robert, you mentioned on Guantanamo earlier, I think in response to Jake’s question, that the President’s main concern was that there be swift justice there. My recollection from the campaign, though, was that his main concern was that it was a fundamentally unfair process. Is that still his concern, that this process that was going forward, the military commissions, were going to be unfair to the accused down there?
MR. GIBBS: Well, I think that the process has resulted in a failure to move forward and bring about that justice. The President also has — believes that the detention facility there has not made us safer. In signing the executive order, the President discussed first his primary responsibility to the American people, which is to keep them safe; second, to underscore and understand our values in keeping this country safe; and finally, to do all that we can to protect the men and women that protect our freedom each day. He thought the best way to ensure all of those things was through the executive order that set up a process by which detainees would be evaluated and the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay would be closed.
Q: So his main concern was not that people’s rights were being violated?
MR. GIBBS: I think his concern was that the American people weren’t seeing the swift justice that they deserved.
Q: Robert, you like to say you like to step back on issues. On the –
MR. GIBBS: And if Mr. Feller said “thank you,” that’s when I probably would have stepped back. (Laughter.)
Q: On the legislation, notwithstanding the President’s efforts, he did not attract a single Republican in the House and he’s having lots of mb2-423 Braindumps difficulty getting any Republican support in the Senate. What lesson do you draw from that?
MR. GIBBS: As I’ve said earlier, that sometimes old habits die hard, that changing the ways that the town works won’t happen in the first three weeks of the administration. But I think the lesson the President has always drawn in his career is that we can disagree about ideas or policies without being disagreeable, and that the best way to move forward is by working together across party or ideological differences to get something done for the American people.
Q: Was it another lesson that this sort of fist in the velvet glove approach — last night, his change in tone was pretty tough.
MR. GIBBS: I think the President’s tone denotes the economic crisis that we face. Whether it was unemployment claims yesterday, or unemployment numbers today, or numbers that will come in the future, I think they underscore the real need for us to work together, move the process forward, get something on the President’s desk so that the help that the American people need will get to them as quickly as possible.
You have a news conference question? Yes.
Q: Exactly. First of all, thank you so much for letting us know in advance. I mean that. And I hope you’ll continue that pattern.
MR. GIBBS: We expect the quality of questions will be directly influenced by the amount of time with which you have to prepare. (Laughter.)
Q: It really, really is very, very helpful. What will the format be? Will there be an opening statement? How long will it last? And will the President ask questions from a seating chart, the way the last President did?
Q: She wants a question. (Laughter.)
Q: I do.
MR. GIBBS: As if you don’t, April. (Laughter.)
I don’t have exact timing. It’s at 8:00 p.m. The President will give and deliver an opening statement before taking questions. You’re mb2-422 Braindumps ahead of me on the seating chart, but we’ll have — the press advance guys will have more information on that. But he will make an opening statement on the recovery plan.
Q: Is he going to do it in the East Room, Robert?
MR. GIBBS: Yes, it’s in the East Room.
Q: It’s Friday, let’s ask about the raccoons. Have you found the raccoon?
MR. GIBBS: I should have Bill do this, because he’s our chief deputy spokesperson for wildlife. (Laughter.) Actually, right before we came out here, Bill got on a phone in my office and asked for — literally, asked for a raccoon update. (Laughter.) There are a few that roam in my backyard, so I don’t — I don’t have any particular tips, and no raccoons that I know of have been caught or dispersed in other places in Washington.