Press Briefing by Scott McClellan

As usual with Mr. McClellan, the obfuscator extraordinaire of the White House, one can learn more about the United States from the questions reporters ask than from the answers he gives.

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan:
Q Scott, when this becomes a permanently democratically elected government, obviously it's free to make decisions -- everything from, you know, requesting that our troops withdraw to other matters. But we're still going to have a lot of influence on Iraq. We have troops on the ground securing the country. We have billions of dollars of reconstruction aid. So what's the President's priority when it comes to helping to shape a new government in the future?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that would -- in terms of shaping the new government, that's going to be determined by the Iraqi people, just like it was yesterday. Now you'll have that assembly come --

Q We're not going to be that hands-off. We have influence over all kinds of democratically elected governments. What kind of influence does he want to wield over this government and the path that it follows?

MR. McCLELLAN: Democracy and freedom is about allowing people to make those choices and having the say over what the makeup will be. The President made it very clear in his inaugural address that we're not talking about imposing our standards or our values, that more often than not, the democracy that takes shape in countries around the world is going to be based on their own traditions and their own cultures, and I think you're seeing that in Iraq, as well. I think you will continue to see that going forward.

So it's a matter of supporting the Iraqi people as they put those institutions in place and as they determine the shape of their government. And that's what we'll continue to do.

Q But it just seems fanciful that we're not going to apply some pressure in areas that we care about.

MR. McCLELLAN: What areas are you talking about?

Q Well, you tell me. I mean, the President has talked about this before. They're going to write a constitution, you know, weapons of mass destruction or making sure it's a pluralistic government, a representative government. I mean, there are pressure points that this President can apply, just as he's applied in the past two weeks, calling every other day to say, don't get wobbly on us, have those elections on time.

So I'm trying to get at what role the United States wants to play here as they -- as the Iraqis build their government.

MR. McCLELLAN: We'll continue to make our views known about the values that should guide people as they move forward to put those institutions in place. I think the Iraqi people made it known through their interim government when they adopted the transitional law to be in place until that constitution is adopted by the Iraqi people.

But it's up to the Iraqi leaders who were elected yesterday by the Iraqi people to determine the specific makeup of that constitution. But I think that they've made it very clear that there are certain values that we all adhere to that are part of a fully functioning democracy. Rule of law, I think you mentioned that in your comments a minute ago; the respect and protection of minority rights, things of that nature. Those are important.

Q Just one more, if I can just follow. Senator Kerry, you may have seen, speculated that this government may be in private conversations with Iraqi leaders, encouraging them to ask the United States to withdraw troops pretty quickly. Is that -- any truth to that?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know what he was referring to. I didn't see what he had to say yesterday