[ This is an excerpt from the press briefing at the White House on
Monday June 6th, from the transcript at the official White House webpage
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030106-1.html ]

12:35 P.M. EST

MR. FLEISCHER: Good afternoon and happy New Year to everybody. The
President began his day with an intelligence briefing, followed by an
FBI briefing. Then he had a series of policy briefings. And this
afternoon, the President will look forward to a Cabinet meeting where
the President will discuss with members of his Cabinet his agenda for
the year. The President is going to focus on economic growth, making
America a more compassionate country, and providing for the security of
our nation abroad and on the homefront.

And with that, I'm more than happy to take your questions. Helen.

Q At the earlier briefing, Ari, you said that the President deplored
the taking of innocent lives. Does that apply to all innocent lives in
the world? And I have a follow-up.

MR. FLEISCHER: I refer specifically to a horrible terrorist attack on
Tel Aviv that killed scores and wounded hundreds. And the President, as
he said in his statement yesterday, deplores in the strongest terms the
taking of those lives and the wounding of those people, innocents in
Israel.

Q My follow-up is, why does he want to drop bombs on innocent Iraqis?

MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, the question is how to protect Americans, and our
allies and friends --

Q They're not attacking you.

MR. FLEISCHER: -- from a country --

Q Have they laid the glove on you or on the United States, the Iraqis,
in 11 years?

MR. FLEISCHER: I guess you have forgotten about the Americans who were
killed in the first Gulf War as a result of Saddam Hussein's aggression
then.

Q Is this revenge, 11 years of revenge?

MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, I think you know very well that the President's
position is that he wants to avert war, and that the President has
asked the United Nations to go into Iraq to help with the purpose of
averting war.

Q Would the President attack innocent Iraqi lives?

MR. FLEISCHER: The President wants to make certain that he can defend
our country, defend our interests, defend the region, and make certain
that American lives are not lost.

Q And he thinks they are a threat to us?

MR. FLEISCHER: There is no question that the President thinks that Iraq
is a threat to the United States.

Q The Iraqi people?

MR. FLEISCHER: The Iraqi people are represented by their government. If
there was regime change, the Iraqi --

Q So they will be vulnerable?

MR. FLEISCHER: Actually, the President has made it very clear that he
has not dispute with the people of Iraq. That's why the American policy
remains a policy of regime change. There is no question the people of
Iraq --

Q That's a decision for them to make, isn't it? It's their country.

MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, if you think that the people of Iraq are in a
position to dictate who their dictator is, I don't think that has been
what history has shown.

Q I think many countries don't have -- people don't have the decision --
 including us.