English subtitles for clip: File:7-21-10- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Gibbs:
Mr. Feller, we'll go
ahead and (inaudible).

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The Press:
Thanks, Robert.

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Can you tell us what the White
House's position is right now on

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Shirley Sherrod?

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Should she get her job back?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, let me --
Secretary Vilsack is --

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has tried and is trying
to reach Ms. Sherrod.

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When the Secretary reaches her,
he will apologize for the events

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of the last few days and they
will talk about their next steps.

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I think it is --
I think, clearly,

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that a lot of people
involved in this situation,

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from the government's perspective on through,

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acted without all the facts.

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Now, as you saw Secretary
Vilsack's statement from last

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evening, now that we have
greater knowledge and a broader

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fact set, he is going to
review all of those facts,

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and that's what he'll talk
to Ms. Sherrod about today.

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The Press:
So does the Secretary plan
to offer her her job back?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, again, I think
that's something that --

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the Secretary and Ms. Sherrod
are going to talk through those next steps.

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The Press:
What was the President's involvement in this?

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Can you walk us through that,
from when he first found out to

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the present?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I believe the President was briefed on this sometime

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yesterday, most
likely in the morning.

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This was, as you heard Secretary
Vilsack say yesterday,

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a decision that was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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The President was briefed
yesterday and has been briefed

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obviously today as well.

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The Press:
So did he or anyone at the White House direct that she be fired?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Not to my knowledge, no.

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The Press:
And to a lot of people
trying to follow this story,

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they see a government employee
who ends up losing her job

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because of comments posted and
a videotape that appears to be

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taken out of context --
it just looks bungled.

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Is that a fair way to put it?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, Ben, I think
this is one --

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I think this is a fair way
to put it: Members of this

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administration,
members of the media,

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members of different political
factions on both sides of this

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have all made determinations and
judgments without a full set of facts.

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I think that is wholly
and completely accurate.

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I think without a doubt Ms.
Sherrod is owed an apology.

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I would do so certainly on
behalf of this administration.

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I think if we learn -- if we look back and decide what we

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want to learn out of this,
I think it is, as I said,

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everybody involved made determinations without knowing

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all the facts and
all the events.

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The Press:
Why do you think that happened?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I can't speak for
everybody involved,

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but I think we live in a culture
that things whip around,

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people want fast responses, we
want to give fast responses,

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and I don't think there's any
doubt that if we all look at

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this, I think the lesson -- one of the great lessons you take

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away from this is to ask all the questions first and to come to

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that fuller understanding.

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I say that, again, from
the perspective of this

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administration; I say that from
the perspective of those that

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cover this administration, and
those that are involved in the

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back and forth in the political
theater of this country.

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The Press:
One last one on this.

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That apology from the Secretary,
does that reflect the

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President's view as well?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I did so just a few moments ago on behalf of this

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entire administration.

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Yes, sir.

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The Press:
It does sound like you've spoken to the President about this.

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Mr. Gibbs:
I have.

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The Press:
So what does he think of it?

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Does he agree that she was a
victim of a rush to judgment?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I don't think
I'd be out here, Matt,

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giving you the answers that I
just gave to Ben without having

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those reflect the feelings of
the President and the feelings

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of members of this
administration.

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The Press:
Was he angry about the
way this has transpired?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, again, look, we -- decisions were made based on an

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incomplete set of facts.

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We now have a more complete set
of facts and a review is being

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done as it should be.

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The Press:
And what, if any, concern is there within the administration

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that the mishandling of this
Sherrod affair could hurt the

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President and the Democrats
as well in an election year?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I think this is -- your question encapsulates a little bit of

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what I was talking
about a minute ago.

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I know there is a -- we have this society and this culture

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now that's pervasive in this town where everything is viewed

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through the lens of who wins, who loses, how fast, by what margin.

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Look, a disservice was
done; an apology is owed.

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That's what we've done.

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This administration
has never looked at --

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I think if you go well
back into the campaign --

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never looked at a scoreboard at
the end of each day to figure

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out where we stood.

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The Press:
Just one other subject.

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Financial regulations -- the President signed the bill today.

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He said that reform
would, in fact,

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bring certainty to the
business community.

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But we have major
business groups --

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the Business Roundtable, the
Chamber of Commerce, the ABA --

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saying that it actually
brings greater uncertainty,

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could have unintended
consequences --

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Mr. Gibbs:
How so?

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How so?

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The Press:
Where business -- that the uncertainty about how the new

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regulations will be implemented, the welter of regulations that

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are being introduced --

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I think there are
people that believe that the

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regulations that governed our
economy and our financial

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industry up until the moment the
President signed that piece of

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paper into law, that
that was just fine;

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that if some people take some
risks, make some gambles,

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and we all owe
money because of it,

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or if 8 million people lose
their job because of it,

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that's just fine.

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The President has a
different take on that.

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The President is glad that we
are not approaching the second

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anniversary of the financial
collapse with the same rules in

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place that led to a tremendous
retraction in economic growth,

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more than 8 million jobs lost.

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I think in many ways government
is about choice and about choices.

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I will let those that oppose
this bill defend the choice that

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the rules that we had in place
are the ones that should

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continue to govern
the financial sector.

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The President certainly
does not believe that and,

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thank goodness, three
Republicans in the Senate put

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aside those partisan differences
to ensure that a very strong

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piece of legislation that will
protect consumers and Main

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Street is now the
law of the land.

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Ed.

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The Press:
Robert, I wanted to go back to Shirley Sherrod because when you

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started out by staying that
Secretary Vilsack is going to

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call her and apologize,
and then, as you put it,

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talk about the next steps -- here we are two days later;

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presumably people inside the White House have seen the full

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tape, realize that it seems
an injustice was done here.

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Why is there still vagueness?

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Why hasn't the President,
the Chief of Staff,

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or someone here picked
up the phone and said,

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here's what we're doing,
make a decision --

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instead of saying we're trying
to figure out the next steps?

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Why the vagueness?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I don't think
I'm being vague, Ed.

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The Secretary of Agriculture
employs a number of people to

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carry out the duties and the
functions of the Department of Agriculture.

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I think there are clearly some
things that Ms. Sherrod will

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likely want to talk
to Mr. Vilsack about,

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and we're going to let
that conversation happen.

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The Press:
Right, but this is the President's administration.

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It's bigger than Tom
Vilsack or any department.

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This appears to be an injustice.

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Why wouldn't the President
intervene instead of letting

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this all fall on the
Agriculture Department?

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Mr. Gibbs:
We have a fuller set of facts.

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A review is taking place and the
Secretary is trying to reach

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Ms. Sherrod to apologize for the
exact injustice that you talk about.

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The Press:
Shirley Sherrod --

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Mr. Gibbs:
Hold on, let me -- can
I -- if you don't mind,

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let me finish a
few of my answers.

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As I said, a disservice was
done, for which we apologize.

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I think the next step that has
to happen is the Secretary needs

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to speak with her.

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And he's tried to reach her
and we hope that that --

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The Press:
Is he going to tell her something specific or --

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Mr. Gibbs:
Again, Ed, I'm --

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The Press:
-- like offer her her
job back or something?

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Mr. Gibbs:
I know we've all got deadlines.

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We're going to let these
conversations happen.

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The Press:
Okay.

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Now, Shirley Sherrod has told
CNN several times that Cheryl

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Cook, the Deputy Under
Secretary at Agriculture,

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called her three times on Monday
when all this was starting to

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unfold, was pressuring
her to resign,

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and specifically said that the
"White House wants you to step down."

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Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I think I'd point you
to the interview that the

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Secretary did with --

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The Press:
The Secretary said that -- and told CNN yesterday he did not,

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himself, speak to anybody
inside the White House,

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but there are thousands
of people who work at the

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Agriculture Department.

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Mr. Gibbs:
Right, and as I
said to Ben earlier,

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I know of no conversations
that have happened like that,

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as the Secretary said.

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The Press:
So no one at the White
House urged her --

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Mr. Gibbs:
Ed, I answered your question.

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Jake.

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The Press:
Apparently she's watching
this briefing, Shirley Sherrod,

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on CNN right now.

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Is there anything you
want to say to her?

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(laughter)

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The Press:
We know where she is.

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(laughter)

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The Press:
I'm being quite serious.

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She's watching --

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Mr. Gibbs:
No, no, I understand --

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The Press:
She's watching you.

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Mr. Gibbs:
And let me -- the Secretary
is trying to reach her.

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I hope that the Secretary
reaches her soon and they have

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an opportunity to talk.

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The Secretary will apologize
for the actions that have taken

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place over the past
24 to 36 hours,

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and on behalf of
the administration,

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I offer our apologies.

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Again, this is more directed
at everybody writ large here.

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I think everybody
has to go back --

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we have, we will continue to -- and look at what has happened

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over the past 24 to 36 hours, and ask ourselves how we got

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into this.

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How did we get into -- how did we not ask the right questions?

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How did you all not ask
the right questions?

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How did other people not
ask the right questions --

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and go from there.

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The Press:
Well, I asked the
right questions.

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I actually called her before we
reported on this to find out

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what her end of the story is, so
you can fault the media if you want but --

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Mr. Gibbs:
No, no, I'm not faulting
the media, Jake, but I --

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no, no, hold on.

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I'm not here to fault the media.

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I apologize on behalf
of the administration.

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I will say a number of people
called quite quickly after these

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comments aired and wanted to
know what our response was.

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I don't know who else called.

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I don't know who made calls
trying to seek a greater understanding.

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We made a mistake on that and I
think many involved in this made

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mistakes on it.

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The Press:
I've heard conservatives and liberals say this administration

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overreacted because you're
afraid of conservative commentators.

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Do you think there's
any truth to that?

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Mr. Gibbs:
No.

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The Press:
All right.

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Can I ask a follow-up on
financial regulation?

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Mr. Gibbs:
Yes.

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The Press:
One of the things about -- one of the uncertainties a lot of

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people in the business community are worried about has to do with

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the fact that there's so much rulemaking that has yet to occur.

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Hundreds of rules,
dozens of studies.

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00:12:06,900 --> 00:12:09,970
Is that not a possible reason
because there's so many things

237
00:12:09,967 --> 00:12:11,697
that were left vague
in this legislation --

238
00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:12,800
is that not a possible reason --

239
00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,070
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, no, no, let's
not -- let's be clear.

240
00:12:15,066 --> 00:12:18,766
Rulemaking doesn't take place
based on legislative vagueness.

241
00:12:18,767 --> 00:12:22,297
Rulemaking is -- happens
in virtually every piece of

242
00:12:22,300 --> 00:12:27,100
legislation that is passed in order to implement legislative directives.

243
00:12:27,100 --> 00:12:28,870
The Press:
Okay, but the Vice President said that the business community

244
00:12:28,867 --> 00:12:32,567
right now should not have
uncertainty because this

245
00:12:32,567 --> 00:12:33,667
legislation has passed.

246
00:12:33,667 --> 00:12:34,937
But the truth is
they don't know --

247
00:12:34,934 --> 00:12:35,904
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I --

248
00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:37,200
The Press:
-- who's going to count as somebody whose derivatives need

249
00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:38,270
to be monitored.

250
00:12:38,266 --> 00:12:39,896
They don't know what the
fees are going to be.

251
00:12:39,900 --> 00:12:41,830
Mr. Gibbs:
I think the legislative
intent is clear.

252
00:12:41,834 --> 00:12:45,904
I do not believe that -- I think this provides certainty for

253
00:12:45,900 --> 00:12:48,570
people on Wall Street; it provides certainty for people

254
00:12:48,567 --> 00:12:51,437
that work in the
financial industry;

255
00:12:51,433 --> 00:12:53,103
and I think it provides certainty for those on Main

256
00:12:53,100 --> 00:12:56,970
Street that they're
going to be protected.

257
00:12:56,967 --> 00:13:00,897
Again, there were those -- I think many of the people that

258
00:13:00,900 --> 00:13:04,500
you discussed --
let's be clear --

259
00:13:04,500 --> 00:13:08,130
spent tens of
millions of dollars,

260
00:13:08,133 --> 00:13:12,033
hiring hundreds if not thousands
of lobbyists to water down the

261
00:13:12,033 --> 00:13:14,133
legislation and stop it.

262
00:13:14,133 --> 00:13:18,063
That's the role that many of
those people played that you

263
00:13:18,066 --> 00:13:19,936
just mentioned.

264
00:13:19,934 --> 00:13:24,364
I don't think that -- I think the motives of those I think are

265
00:13:24,367 --> 00:13:26,737
important to understand.

266
00:13:26,734 --> 00:13:31,234
And I do think this
provides certainty for all.

267
00:13:31,233 --> 00:13:32,663
The Press:
Last question about
Shirley Sherrod.

268
00:13:32,667 --> 00:13:36,167
Why do you think there
was such an overreaction?

269
00:13:36,166 --> 00:13:37,166
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know.

270
00:13:37,166 --> 00:13:41,596
I think, again, I think in
a frenzied culture where

271
00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:48,670
everything happens so quickly, where -- when everybody --

272
00:13:48,667 --> 00:13:52,397
when one person has a story
everybody has to have a story,

273
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:57,800
and responses are given,
mistakes in this case clearly were made.

274
00:13:57,800 --> 00:13:58,830
Yes, sir.

275
00:13:58,834 --> 00:14:02,404
The Press:
Robert, during the campaign, particularly during the speech

276
00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:05,000
on race in Philadelphia, the
President said he would use

277
00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:09,930
every opportunity to
advance dialogue on race.

278
00:14:09,934 --> 00:14:12,134
Since taking office the
President has had numerous

279
00:14:12,133 --> 00:14:16,703
opportunities or these teachable
moments to advance the dialogue on race.

280
00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:20,200
Why hasn't he done more to
advance the national discussion

281
00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:21,830
on race and race relations?

282
00:14:21,834 --> 00:14:26,634
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, I think this is
one of those teachable moments,

283
00:14:26,633 --> 00:14:33,763
and I think -- we contacted the Department of Agriculture last

284
00:14:33,767 --> 00:14:41,167
night in order to ensure that fairness was done in this and

285
00:14:41,166 --> 00:14:43,796
that a review that the Department of Agriculture is

286
00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:45,530
doing is undertaken.

287
00:14:45,533 --> 00:14:50,333
I think that is -- I think a teachable moment is a moment in

288
00:14:50,333 --> 00:14:57,933
which the facts change and you react to those different facts.

289
00:14:57,934 --> 00:14:59,404
I think this is one
of those moments,

290
00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:01,900
and I think that's
what's happened.

291
00:15:01,900 --> 00:15:06,330
The Press:
Will he call a national -- because the Congressional Black

292
00:15:06,333 --> 00:15:09,163
Caucus has asked for a
national summit on race.

293
00:15:09,166 --> 00:15:10,166
Would the President --

294
00:15:10,166 --> 00:15:12,066
Mr. Gibbs:
I have not heard a
discussion about that.

295
00:15:12,066 --> 00:15:13,296
Chip.

296
00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:14,630
The Press:
If it's a teachable
moment, who's the teacher?

297
00:15:14,633 --> 00:15:16,433
Are we going to hear from the
President on this, do you think?

298
00:15:16,433 --> 00:15:17,633
Mr. Gibbs:
Let me just be clear.

299
00:15:17,633 --> 00:15:22,533
I don't think the teacher
is -- I don't think --

300
00:15:22,533 --> 00:15:24,363
I don't know who the
teacher is in this, Chip.

301
00:15:24,367 --> 00:15:27,837
I don't think the teacher
is, in and of himself,

302
00:15:27,834 --> 00:15:29,204
necessarily the President.

303
00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:33,370
I think -- again, I think everybody asks themselves

304
00:15:33,367 --> 00:15:37,067
questions about the events
of the last 24 to 36 hours.

305
00:15:37,066 --> 00:15:42,836
I think based on those
common-sense questions that

306
00:15:42,834 --> 00:15:45,904
you're asking -- that
everybody asks themselves --

307
00:15:45,900 --> 00:15:48,730
you find a moment that
you can learn from.

308
00:15:48,734 --> 00:15:51,964
The Press:
Would you rule out the
President speaking about this,

309
00:15:51,967 --> 00:15:53,397
using it as a teachable moment?

310
00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:54,730
Mr. Gibbs:
No, I wouldn't rule it out, no.

311
00:15:54,734 --> 00:15:56,364
The Press:
Have you heard -- you
mentioned that you did --

312
00:15:56,367 --> 00:15:59,197
you were with the President when
he talked about this, I think.

313
00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:00,830
Could you give us
some specific words?

314
00:16:00,834 --> 00:16:03,364
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I talked to the
President today about this.

315
00:16:03,367 --> 00:16:08,597
I was in the -- I talked to
him about this yesterday --

316
00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:10,570
The Press:
Can you tell us specifically some things that he

317
00:16:10,567 --> 00:16:11,797
said about this?

318
00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:20,000
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I think he talked about the fact that a disservice had

319
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:24,330
been done here and that an
injustice had happened that --

320
00:16:24,333 --> 00:16:29,133
and that because the
facts had changed,

321
00:16:29,133 --> 00:16:33,803
a review of the decision based
on those facts should be undertaken.

322
00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,800
The Press:
On the question of why
there was this overreaction,

323
00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:40,730
some have suggested that it was
because this administration is

324
00:16:40,734 --> 00:16:43,464
particularly sensitive,
some say hypersensitive,

325
00:16:43,467 --> 00:16:45,067
on issues of race.

326
00:16:45,066 --> 00:16:46,836
What do you think about that?

327
00:16:46,834 --> 00:16:49,164
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't agree with that any more than I did the characterization

328
00:16:49,166 --> 00:16:54,266
about conservative
columnists or whatever.

329
00:16:54,266 --> 00:16:57,266
The Press:
And forgive me if I missed this, but has the President talked to

330
00:16:57,266 --> 00:16:58,496
Vilsack about this?

331
00:16:58,500 --> 00:16:59,770
Mr. Gibbs:
Not that I know of.

332
00:16:59,767 --> 00:17:00,837
The Press:
Is he planning to?

333
00:17:00,834 --> 00:17:02,004
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know; I can check.

334
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:03,370
The Press:
And what happens to Vilsack?

335
00:17:03,367 --> 00:17:04,467
Is his job safe?

336
00:17:04,467 --> 00:17:05,597
Is it up in the air?

337
00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:09,470
Mr. Gibbs:
Yes, I think -- again, I
think Secretary Vilsack will

338
00:17:09,467 --> 00:17:12,537
acknowledge the mistakes that he made based on the information

339
00:17:12,533 --> 00:17:16,463
that he had when he
made that decision.

340
00:17:16,467 --> 00:17:21,837
But I think he's doing terrific
work at the Department of Agriculture.

341
00:17:21,834 --> 00:17:23,634
The Press:
Robert, follow up on
Chip's question real fast?

342
00:17:23,633 --> 00:17:24,633
The Press:
Just very --

343
00:17:24,633 --> 00:17:25,833
Mr. Gibbs:
Let me come back.

344
00:17:25,834 --> 00:17:26,864
The Press:
Did you -- since
she is watching,

345
00:17:26,867 --> 00:17:28,367
did you want to
directly address her?

346
00:17:28,367 --> 00:17:29,497
Since she's watching?

347
00:17:29,500 --> 00:17:36,330
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, again, I would apologize on behalf on those involved here

348
00:17:36,333 --> 00:17:38,663
for what has happened.

349
00:17:38,667 --> 00:17:42,167
The Press:
Why -- have you gotten an explanation of why she wasn't

350
00:17:42,166 --> 00:17:43,996
simply put on
administrative leave --

351
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:49,470
why she went from administrative
leave to fired in less than 24 hours?

352
00:17:49,467 --> 00:17:50,967
Did you get a proper
explanation for that?

353
00:17:50,967 --> 00:17:55,167
Mr. Gibbs:
I have not asked that question, but I might direct you to USDA.

354
00:17:55,166 --> 00:17:58,696
The Press:
And does the President think this is a story about race or

355
00:17:58,700 --> 00:18:01,270
about the media?

356
00:18:01,266 --> 00:18:07,066
Mr. Gibbs:
I think it is a --
I have not talked --

357
00:18:07,066 --> 00:18:09,436
did not ask the President
that question directly.

358
00:18:09,433 --> 00:18:14,303
Again, I think there -- I think all of that is involved in a

359
00:18:14,300 --> 00:18:25,730
larger story that combines
rapid advances in technology,

360
00:18:25,734 --> 00:18:32,234
a whole host of things that are involved in culture and race and

361
00:18:32,233 --> 00:18:41,303
media and politics, that create an environment that we're living

362
00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:43,230
in today.

363
00:18:43,233 --> 00:18:49,363
I'm reminded of when the
President spoke at the memorial

364
00:18:49,367 --> 00:18:54,797
service for Walter
Cronkite and mentioned --

365
00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,670
and told the story that Cronkite
would tell about not just

366
00:18:58,667 --> 00:19:01,597
getting something first but
getting something right.

367
00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:07,230
I think that is true for
all of us involved here.

368
00:19:07,233 --> 00:19:12,003
The Press:
Do you think the issue with this government settlement with Black

369
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:18,270
Farmers had anything to do with
Secretary Vilsack's overreaction here?

370
00:19:18,266 --> 00:19:19,836
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I will say this.

371
00:19:19,834 --> 00:19:27,434
As many of you know, the
department is in the midst of

372
00:19:27,433 --> 00:19:36,963
paying out a settlement for
decades-long discrimination.

373
00:19:36,967 --> 00:19:40,267
I think as you saw in the
statements from Secretary

374
00:19:40,266 --> 00:19:45,166
Vilsack that, rightly, the
department has a zero-tolerance

375
00:19:45,166 --> 00:19:48,436
policy for discrimination.

376
00:19:48,433 --> 00:19:51,533
And the reason it does
so is because of --

377
00:19:51,533 --> 00:20:04,003
if you look back at the history
of some aspects of the way USDA

378
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:10,500
benefits have been dispensed,
they were done so in a way that

379
00:20:10,500 --> 00:20:13,270
people have acknowledged
were discriminatory.

380
00:20:13,266 --> 00:20:16,536
So I don't know whether that
played a direct role in this.

381
00:20:16,533 --> 00:20:20,933
I know that is something that
Secretary Vilsack is mindful of

382
00:20:20,934 --> 00:20:23,064
in having a
zero-tolerance policy.

383
00:20:23,066 --> 00:20:24,366
The Press:
Did you just misspeak?

384
00:20:24,367 --> 00:20:25,797
Because the money has not -- Congress has not approved --

385
00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:27,770
Mr. Gibbs:
No, no, but there were --
there have been a series of

386
00:20:27,767 --> 00:20:29,097
different settlements.

387
00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:31,400
I'm not suggesting that -- obviously there's several

388
00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:36,130
billion dollars on this.

389
00:20:36,133 --> 00:20:40,663
Again, the settlement has been
entered into based on a judgment

390
00:20:40,667 --> 00:20:42,367
of discrimination.

391
00:20:42,367 --> 00:20:46,437
The Press:
Quickly on financial reform, can you square this circle: If this

392
00:20:46,433 --> 00:20:51,633
ends "too big to fail," why is
there resolution authority to

393
00:20:51,633 --> 00:20:54,563
deal with "too big to fail"?

394
00:20:54,567 --> 00:20:57,097
Mr. Gibbs:
Because resolution authority -- no, no, resolution authority --

395
00:20:57,100 --> 00:20:58,230
The Press:
How do the two --

396
00:20:58,233 --> 00:20:59,963
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, let's go back to
our AIG example, right?

397
00:20:59,967 --> 00:21:04,967
You have what by all accounts
was a well-performing insurance

398
00:21:04,967 --> 00:21:09,267
company that somebody had the
bright idea of attaching a hedge

399
00:21:09,266 --> 00:21:11,696
fund to the top of, right?

400
00:21:11,700 --> 00:21:18,570
And when all that becomes
so intertwined that when

401
00:21:18,567 --> 00:21:24,197
mortgage-backed securities
fail miserably, you can't --

402
00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:25,930
you don't have the
authority -- hold on --

403
00:21:25,934 --> 00:21:28,664
you don't have the authority
to break those two apart.

404
00:21:28,667 --> 00:21:30,867
You either have
to figure out how,

405
00:21:30,867 --> 00:21:34,367
if there's systemic
risk involved,

406
00:21:34,367 --> 00:21:38,497
as what happened with AIG, the
decisions that were made at that

407
00:21:38,500 --> 00:21:43,970
point to ensure that that
failure didn't happen to a

408
00:21:43,967 --> 00:21:47,997
larger -- but now what we have is the ability to break apart.

409
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:53,800
In other words, if you can't
fix it, then you're liquidated.

410
00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:57,600
And that is a vast --

411
00:21:57,600 --> 00:21:59,100
The Press:
But then you haven't ended
"too big to fail" --

412
00:21:59,100 --> 00:22:00,800
you've just figured
out a way how to --

413
00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:02,500
Mr. Gibbs:
No, no, no, no --
"too big to fail" --

414
00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:04,230
The Press:
-- because you're allowing
these firms to get --

415
00:22:04,233 --> 00:22:07,833
Mr. Gibbs:
No, no, "too big to fail" presumes that once you become so

416
00:22:07,834 --> 00:22:12,604
big that -- well, first of all, I would say there obviously are

417
00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:17,400
limits on the size and scope
of certain aspects of financial

418
00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,670
instruments, derivatives being
brought into the sunlight.

419
00:22:20,667 --> 00:22:30,097
But understand this, Chuck, that
what happened with AIG was the

420
00:22:30,100 --> 00:22:33,070
only steps that could be taken
were to ensure that this

421
00:22:33,066 --> 00:22:37,096
meltdown didn't affect the
broader economy, because --

422
00:22:37,100 --> 00:22:40,500
because there's not the
authority legally to break apart

423
00:22:40,500 --> 00:22:43,370
these instruments and
say, let's sell this,

424
00:22:43,367 --> 00:22:47,067
let's keep this because it's a
successful business over here,

425
00:22:47,066 --> 00:22:49,096
let's not have -- I mean, again, somebody had the bright idea of

426
00:22:49,100 --> 00:22:52,030
putting a horribly risky
hedge fund on top of --

427
00:22:52,033 --> 00:22:53,003
The Press:
I understand that.

428
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,930
But is this legislation designed
to prevent AIG from doing that,

429
00:22:55,934 --> 00:22:57,734
or to unwind AIG if they do it?

430
00:22:57,734 --> 00:22:58,834
Mr. Gibbs:
Both.

431
00:22:58,834 --> 00:23:02,504
Both -- it prevents certain activities from happening.

432
00:23:02,500 --> 00:23:05,500
It takes certain activities
into the light of day.

433
00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:08,100
But it also allows that if
something like that gets into

434
00:23:08,100 --> 00:23:12,730
trouble, if a series of risky
investments are made and

435
00:23:12,734 --> 00:23:16,064
ultimately they can't cover the
damage that they're about to do,

436
00:23:16,066 --> 00:23:17,696
you break it apart
and you get rid of it.

437
00:23:17,700 --> 00:23:18,900
The Press:
I don't mean -- so
to follow your logic,

438
00:23:18,900 --> 00:23:22,170
so you're admitting that maybe everything you're trying to do

439
00:23:22,166 --> 00:23:25,266
to prevent these firms from getting bigger won't work and

440
00:23:25,266 --> 00:23:26,696
they could end up
getting risky --

441
00:23:26,700 --> 00:23:29,270
Mr. Gibbs:
No, no, no, no, I'm not
saying that that's --

442
00:23:29,266 --> 00:23:31,996
I'm saying that
there now is the --

443
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,000
understand this, Chuck.

444
00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:38,830
Before this signature, there's
no legal authority to resolve by

445
00:23:38,834 --> 00:23:39,934
breaking apart.

446
00:23:39,934 --> 00:23:42,604
There's no legal authority that
takes part of this business and

447
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:47,630
sells its assets to cover the
losses of something else.

448
00:23:47,633 --> 00:23:50,033
Legally, it's not -- the mechanism doesn't exist.

449
00:23:50,033 --> 00:23:52,663
Now, legally the
mechanism does exist.

450
00:23:52,667 --> 00:23:54,137
Jonathan.

451
00:23:54,133 --> 00:23:57,403
The Press:
At yesterday's -- yesterday morning's staff communications

452
00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:03,070
meeting, what did Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina say about

453
00:24:03,066 --> 00:24:07,036
the handling thus far of the
Shirley Sherrod incident?

454
00:24:07,033 --> 00:24:11,433
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know which meeting you're talking about.

455
00:24:11,433 --> 00:24:18,163
I've seen the reports of what
somebody believed Jim said.

456
00:24:18,166 --> 00:24:21,596
I did not hear Jim say that and
I think other people in that

457
00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,870
article say that Jim
didn't say that either.

458
00:24:24,867 --> 00:24:27,497
The Press:
So what do you say
happened at that meeting?

459
00:24:27,500 --> 00:24:30,670
Was there -- did this come up
at the staff meeting yesterday?

460
00:24:30,667 --> 00:24:33,197
Mr. Gibbs:
You mean talking about
the events at USDA?

461
00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:34,230
Yes.

462
00:24:34,233 --> 00:24:35,403
The Press:
Okay.

463
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,330
Now, you said that there is
no truth to the idea that

464
00:24:38,333 --> 00:24:42,033
right-wing media spooks
this administration.

465
00:24:42,033 --> 00:24:46,203
Yosi Sergant, Van Jones, now
Shirley Sherrod have all come

466
00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:48,930
under attack from Glenn
Beck, Bill O'Reilly,

467
00:24:48,934 --> 00:24:52,934
Andrew Breitbart -- none of them are at this moment members of

468
00:24:52,934 --> 00:24:54,834
this administration.

469
00:24:54,834 --> 00:24:59,604
How do you explain
those three departures?

470
00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:03,130
Do they really have nothing to
do with the campaign that had

471
00:25:03,133 --> 00:25:05,203
been waged against them?

472
00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,730
Mr. Gibbs:
I was asked a larger
question about this, and I --

473
00:25:07,734 --> 00:25:09,934
my answer doesn't change.

474
00:25:09,934 --> 00:25:13,704
Why do you do stories
on all three of them?

475
00:25:13,700 --> 00:25:16,630
The Press:
Well, they will be included in the stories tomorrow, I'm sure.

476
00:25:16,633 --> 00:25:18,503
Mr. Gibbs:
Why?

477
00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:21,500
The Press:
You do not -- you do not see
any connection between --

478
00:25:21,500 --> 00:25:22,670
Mr. Gibbs:
You answer my question --

479
00:25:22,667 --> 00:25:25,567
The Press:
-- and between Shirley
Sherrod's assertion --

480
00:25:25,567 --> 00:25:30,297
she was told that Glenn Beck was
going to have her on the TV that night.

481
00:25:30,300 --> 00:25:34,570
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, you want to answer my question about why you'd do

482
00:25:34,567 --> 00:25:38,597
those stories, too?

483
00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:40,230
The Press:
I'm not sure what
that question is.

484
00:25:40,233 --> 00:25:41,363
Why would I do that --

485
00:25:41,367 --> 00:25:42,997
Mr. Gibbs:
We'll check on that
and get back to you.

486
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,630
The Press:
Robert, has the press office or anyone here at the White House

487
00:25:46,633 --> 00:25:49,303
put the freeze on the
Agriculture Department in terms

488
00:25:49,300 --> 00:25:51,670
of taking questions
from reporters?

489
00:25:51,667 --> 00:25:55,997
It's been our experience in the
past 24 hours or so that they

490
00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:57,730
are not being responsive.

491
00:25:57,734 --> 00:25:59,304
Mr. Gibbs:
None that I'm aware of, no.

492
00:25:59,300 --> 00:26:02,630
That certainly wouldn't be a
directive that came from here, no.

493
00:26:02,633 --> 00:26:07,763
The Press:
Ms. Sherrod obviously did not enjoy, if you will, due process,

494
00:26:07,767 --> 00:26:09,497
to say the least,
through this whole thing.

495
00:26:09,500 --> 00:26:11,670
How do you think this whole
episode is going to affect the

496
00:26:11,667 --> 00:26:15,697
way future sensitive personnel
decisions are going to be

497
00:26:15,700 --> 00:26:17,400
handled by this
administration --

498
00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:21,230
Mr. Gibbs:
I hope in just the way
I discussed earlier.

499
00:26:21,233 --> 00:26:25,663
I hope that everybody involved
takes the time to learn what

500
00:26:25,667 --> 00:26:29,067
happened; that we make decisions
based on a full set of facts,

501
00:26:29,066 --> 00:26:33,466
not on a partial set of facts.

502
00:26:33,467 --> 00:26:36,297
The Press:
On financial re-reg, what's the White House going to do to fend

503
00:26:36,300 --> 00:26:41,270
off lobbying, to soften or
change the impact of the regulations?

504
00:26:41,266 --> 00:26:49,036
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, obviously there will be an extensive rulemaking procedure

505
00:26:49,033 --> 00:26:51,833
in order to fulfill the
legislative intent,

506
00:26:51,834 --> 00:26:56,834
and I think that -- again,
I think we're clear at what

507
00:26:56,834 --> 00:27:03,064
provisions mean and what they're trying to prevent and how and

508
00:27:03,066 --> 00:27:06,536
what activities should
and should not be allowed.

509
00:27:06,533 --> 00:27:10,063
Obviously the
implementation of this,

510
00:27:10,066 --> 00:27:14,736
the additional offices and
bureaus that the legislation

511
00:27:14,734 --> 00:27:18,834
calls for will be important
appointments for the President

512
00:27:18,834 --> 00:27:20,904
to consider.

513
00:27:20,900 --> 00:27:21,800
Major.

514
00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:24,630
The Press:
Following up on Ed's question, Ms. Sherrod seems very convinced

515
00:27:24,633 --> 00:27:28,763
that the White House did play
some role in this and is willing

516
00:27:28,767 --> 00:27:30,537
to say so publicly.

517
00:27:30,533 --> 00:27:33,263
That is her conviction, that she
is under the impression based on

518
00:27:33,266 --> 00:27:34,596
repeated conversations --

519
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:35,630
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I would
direct you to the --

520
00:27:35,633 --> 00:27:36,733
The Press:
Wait.

521
00:27:36,734 --> 00:27:39,164
Are you saying that she
has a misimpression,

522
00:27:39,166 --> 00:27:41,136
that she's somehow got
information incorrectly --

523
00:27:41,133 --> 00:27:43,363
Mr. Gibbs:
Major, I would direct you
to what the Secretary said

524
00:27:43,367 --> 00:27:45,567
yesterday and the
answer that I gave Ben.

525
00:27:45,567 --> 00:27:48,067
The Press:
Right, but the Secretary
talked about what he did.

526
00:27:48,066 --> 00:27:51,696
And she's asserting that
others indicated to her --

527
00:27:51,700 --> 00:27:53,370
Mr. Gibbs:
I think you're parsing
the way that --

528
00:27:53,367 --> 00:27:55,597
The Press:
No, I'm just trying to separate what is publicly available.

529
00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:58,200
The Secretary said he didn't,
which I'm not challenging.

530
00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:00,200
But others at the Agriculture
Department might have.

531
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,630
And she's under the impression
and is saying publicly she

532
00:28:02,633 --> 00:28:04,863
believes the White House
did play a role in this.

533
00:28:04,867 --> 00:28:07,337
Mr. Gibbs:
And as I said to Ben,
and as I said to Ed,

534
00:28:07,333 --> 00:28:09,703
that's not anything
based on my knowledge.

535
00:28:09,700 --> 00:28:12,030
The Press:
So you're absolutely convinced that that did not happen?

536
00:28:12,033 --> 00:28:14,763
Mr. Gibbs:
Major, I can only answer
your question three times.

537
00:28:14,767 --> 00:28:17,097
The Press:
You're actually only
answering it once.

538
00:28:17,100 --> 00:28:19,930
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I gave you the
same answer three times.

539
00:28:19,934 --> 00:28:21,834
The Press:
Fine.

540
00:28:21,834 --> 00:28:23,564
(laughter)

541
00:28:23,567 --> 00:28:26,967
Is there going to be any
effort put forward by the

542
00:28:26,967 --> 00:28:29,537
administration to let us talk to
Cheryl Cook about what she did

543
00:28:29,533 --> 00:28:32,733
or did not say to Ms. Sherrod?

544
00:28:32,734 --> 00:28:36,664
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't -- I'd direct you to USDA about speaking to her.

545
00:28:36,667 --> 00:28:38,067
The Press:
It's okay for her to
talk to us about this?

546
00:28:38,066 --> 00:28:42,036
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I'd direct you to
-- you ask the same question,

547
00:28:42,033 --> 00:28:43,503
I give you the same answer.

548
00:28:43,500 --> 00:28:44,570
The Press:
Okay.

549
00:28:44,567 --> 00:28:46,437
On -- no, I've got
a couple others.

550
00:28:46,433 --> 00:28:50,033
Ben Bernanke today said that
he believes the economy --

551
00:28:50,033 --> 00:28:54,203
the economic outlook remains
unusually uncertain.

552
00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:56,500
Would you agree, generally
speaking, with --

553
00:28:56,500 --> 00:28:59,500
Mr. Gibbs:
I'm not going the get into parsing or interpreting what the

554
00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:03,370
Fed chairman says.

555
00:29:03,367 --> 00:29:06,397
I think it is safe to
say that we have --

556
00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:16,570
if you look, Major, at where we
were and where we are, we are --

557
00:29:16,567 --> 00:29:18,237
we have improved
our circumstances,

558
00:29:18,233 --> 00:29:22,103
improved our conditions, but I
don't think there's any doubt

559
00:29:22,100 --> 00:29:27,470
that it's not improved
for enough people.

560
00:29:27,467 --> 00:29:29,937
And that's what the President
and the team will continue to work on.

561
00:29:29,934 --> 00:29:32,764
The Press:
Is there a component of uncertainty that this

562
00:29:32,767 --> 00:29:37,467
administration also sees out
there that the Fed chairman sees?

563
00:29:37,467 --> 00:29:44,867
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I think, Major, that
we are in, as we have been,

564
00:29:44,867 --> 00:29:49,267
quite frankly, since well
before December of 2007,

565
00:29:49,266 --> 00:29:53,996
we have a fragile economy.

566
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:55,230
The Press:
Just one more economic question.

567
00:29:55,233 --> 00:29:57,433
Rahm told The Washington Post
and it was published on Sunday

568
00:29:57,433 --> 00:30:01,333
that the administration was
looking forward to and had every

569
00:30:01,333 --> 00:30:04,203
reason to anticipate a strong
-- a somewhat strong second

570
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:09,070
quarter, but G forces that he described as the Greek debt

571
00:30:09,066 --> 00:30:13,296
situation, Germany's call for budget cuts throughout Europe,

572
00:30:13,300 --> 00:30:16,930
the Gulf oil spill, and the Gaza
flotilla situation created an

573
00:30:16,934 --> 00:30:20,904
atmosphere of uncertainty that
led consumers to not spend as

574
00:30:20,900 --> 00:30:23,000
much, led investors
not to invest as much,

575
00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,230
CEOs not to act
as economically --

576
00:30:25,233 --> 00:30:27,303
as aggressively as they might.

577
00:30:27,300 --> 00:30:28,270
Does the President believe that?

578
00:30:28,266 --> 00:30:29,736
Is that a theory that
the economic team --

579
00:30:29,734 --> 00:30:32,664
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, I've said
before I think --

580
00:30:32,667 --> 00:30:35,567
I won't get into every
one of your Gs, but --

581
00:30:35,567 --> 00:30:36,637
The Press:
They're not mine.

582
00:30:36,633 --> 00:30:38,363
I'm just quoting what he said.

583
00:30:38,367 --> 00:30:42,267
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, to understand where we were economically in April,

584
00:30:42,266 --> 00:30:46,366
what happened in
Europe with Greece,

585
00:30:46,367 --> 00:30:49,067
and not to assume that that has
had an impact on our economy --

586
00:30:49,066 --> 00:30:51,966
I've said that on a number
of occasions, of course.

587
00:30:51,967 --> 00:30:54,037
The Press:
And all the others?

588
00:30:54,033 --> 00:31:00,333
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, obviously there is
-- I'd lead with the Greek G.

589
00:31:00,333 --> 00:31:03,803
The Press:
If we can get back to Secretary Vilsack's role in all of this.

590
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,830
My understanding from the
timeline that you just suggested

591
00:31:06,834 --> 00:31:09,934
here and that other White House
officials have said was that the

592
00:31:09,934 --> 00:31:15,134
White House was informed but not
consulted about his decision to fire her.

593
00:31:15,133 --> 00:31:17,303
Mr. Gibbs:
I think the Secretary
has said that, too.

594
00:31:17,300 --> 00:31:22,030
The Press:
But that it took pressure from the White House last night for

595
00:31:22,033 --> 00:31:25,363
him to agree to
reconsider that decision.

596
00:31:25,367 --> 00:31:30,067
Mr. Gibbs:
I will say, as I think we have said to a number of you today,

597
00:31:30,066 --> 00:31:34,066
we, the White House contacted
the Department of Agriculture

598
00:31:34,066 --> 00:31:36,496
and a review was agreed upon.

599
00:31:36,500 --> 00:31:38,470
The Press:
Who made that call?

600
00:31:38,467 --> 00:31:41,037
Mr. Gibbs:
I'm not going to get into
who talked directly to them.

601
00:31:41,033 --> 00:31:46,503
The Press:
But what does this -- does this not do anything to alter the

602
00:31:46,500 --> 00:31:52,500
President's judgment of Secretary Vilsack's ability to

603
00:31:52,500 --> 00:31:55,800
run this department and
his judgment and his --

604
00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:59,100
especially given this
department's history on these

605
00:31:59,100 --> 00:32:00,670
kinds of issues?

606
00:32:00,667 --> 00:32:05,837
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, I think the Secretary rightly has a zero-tolerance

607
00:32:05,834 --> 00:32:07,904
policy for discrimination.

608
00:32:07,900 --> 00:32:12,270
I think that the Secretary
made a decision based on the

609
00:32:12,266 --> 00:32:18,296
information that he had, and
is in the process of trying to

610
00:32:18,300 --> 00:32:23,170
reach Ms. Sherrod to apologize
for having made that decision on

611
00:32:23,166 --> 00:32:25,136
that incomplete information.

612
00:32:25,133 --> 00:32:29,933
The Press:
And nobody asked for the
tape of the full speech or

613
00:32:29,934 --> 00:32:31,104
anything like that?

614
00:32:31,100 --> 00:32:36,830
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, we are -- based on the fuller information that we have,

615
00:32:36,834 --> 00:32:39,904
these decisions are
being reconsidered.

616
00:32:39,900 --> 00:32:41,000
The Press:
Lots of us have reached her.

617
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,130
Why can't he reach her?

618
00:32:43,133 --> 00:32:44,763
It's got to be that she's
not taking his call.

619
00:32:44,767 --> 00:32:45,967
Mr. Gibbs:
Maybe he's talking to you.

620
00:32:45,967 --> 00:32:47,367
I don't know.

621
00:32:47,367 --> 00:32:49,397
The Press:
Robert, can you just walk
us through a little bit of

622
00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:51,100
President Obama's role in this?

623
00:32:51,100 --> 00:32:52,570
When was he told?

624
00:32:52,567 --> 00:32:55,367
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, as I said earlier, he
was told about this I believe

625
00:32:55,367 --> 00:32:58,067
sometime like -- I
forget the time --

626
00:32:58,066 --> 00:33:01,066
probably likely late
morning yesterday.

627
00:33:01,066 --> 00:33:03,296
The Press:
And what was his initial reaction to what he had heard

628
00:33:03,300 --> 00:33:04,730
and how was --

629
00:33:04,734 --> 00:33:09,434
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, again, based
on what -- again,

630
00:33:09,433 --> 00:33:12,063
I don't have the
exact time with me.

631
00:33:12,066 --> 00:33:18,296
But, again, I think as
we had said yesterday,

632
00:33:18,300 --> 00:33:21,830
that based on incomplete
information and based on the

633
00:33:21,834 --> 00:33:25,134
decision that was made on
incomplete information,

634
00:33:25,133 --> 00:33:27,733
the White House was
supportive of that decision.

635
00:33:27,734 --> 00:33:31,104
Obviously, new
information came to light,

636
00:33:31,100 --> 00:33:34,430
and that's why the review
is being undertaken.

637
00:33:34,433 --> 00:33:35,403
The Press:
I understand that.

638
00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:37,830
But who was it that first
told Mr. Obama about this?

639
00:33:37,834 --> 00:33:40,704
How did he first learn of it?

640
00:33:40,700 --> 00:33:45,730
Mr. Gibbs:
A group of staff -- again,
I don't remember what time.

641
00:33:45,734 --> 00:33:47,564
The Press:
Do you remember when he
found out about the additional

642
00:33:47,567 --> 00:33:50,637
information that she actually -- that her quotes were taken out of --

643
00:33:50,633 --> 00:33:53,103
Mr. Gibbs:
At some point yesterday, but
I don't know the exact time.

644
00:33:53,100 --> 00:33:54,630
The Press:
And you weren't involved
in -- you don't know --

645
00:33:54,633 --> 00:33:57,263
Mr. Gibbs:
I was involved in the
first discussion with him.

646
00:33:57,266 --> 00:34:03,166
I don't know who -- I don't
know how he was briefed last --

647
00:34:03,166 --> 00:34:05,766
yesterday afternoon
and early evening.

648
00:34:05,767 --> 00:34:09,497
The Press:
And I understand, in response to some of the questions about why

649
00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:13,430
you think this has gone
so viral so quickly,

650
00:34:13,433 --> 00:34:15,503
you say a lot of this is
because of the frenzy,

651
00:34:15,500 --> 00:34:17,800
people react really quickly
without getting the facts.

652
00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:20,900
But why do you -- I
mean, a lot of this --

653
00:34:20,900 --> 00:34:23,130
part of the reason why people
reacted so quickly I think at

654
00:34:23,133 --> 00:34:25,763
the end of the day is
because this is about race.

655
00:34:25,767 --> 00:34:29,367
Why do you think this issue of
race remains so inflammatory?

656
00:34:29,367 --> 00:34:32,137
And what does the President
say about how to handle it?

657
00:34:32,133 --> 00:34:34,463
I mean, does he express
frustration when this sort of

658
00:34:34,467 --> 00:34:35,637
thing happens?

659
00:34:35,633 --> 00:34:37,203
How has he been --

660
00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:41,700
Mr. Gibbs:
You know this, I know this,
I think everybody knows this.

661
00:34:41,700 --> 00:34:52,770
This was -- race has been a topic of discussion for a long,

662
00:34:52,767 --> 00:34:56,037
long time in this country.

663
00:34:56,033 --> 00:35:00,363
We -- a war was fought about it.

664
00:35:00,367 --> 00:35:09,137
A movement to gain equal and
civil rights was had to rectify injustice.

665
00:35:09,133 --> 00:35:16,063
And it continues to be something
that we will discuss for quite some time.

666
00:35:16,066 --> 00:35:24,866
Again, I think this is -- this just continues many of those discussions.

667
00:35:24,867 --> 00:35:25,897
Mark.

668
00:35:25,900 --> 00:35:28,700
The Press:
Three real quick ones
on three other subjects.

669
00:35:28,700 --> 00:35:30,000
Jobless benefits.

670
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,630
Are you ready -- what are you hearing about the timing of it?

671
00:35:32,633 --> 00:35:33,833
And are you ready to sign --

672
00:35:33,834 --> 00:35:35,064
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I'll say this.

673
00:35:35,066 --> 00:35:39,236
I think many of you saw the
statement that we released.

674
00:35:39,233 --> 00:35:44,133
Despite the fact that the
procedural hurdles that we

675
00:35:44,133 --> 00:35:45,703
shouldn't have
had to go through,

676
00:35:45,700 --> 00:35:51,130
we went through and were passed,
Republicans have insisted on the

677
00:35:51,133 --> 00:35:56,103
full 30 hours of that debate.

678
00:35:56,100 --> 00:36:01,530
The partisan minority continues
its stalling effort for the

679
00:36:01,533 --> 00:36:06,163
unemployment insurance that 2.5
million Americans so desperately

680
00:36:06,166 --> 00:36:11,666
need -- that have -- those are the people that have been cut off from.

681
00:36:11,667 --> 00:36:13,637
As soon as the
Senate takes this up,

682
00:36:13,633 --> 00:36:15,533
the House will have
to take this up.

683
00:36:15,533 --> 00:36:19,463
And as soon as that happens,
that bill will come here and the

684
00:36:19,467 --> 00:36:21,137
President will sign it
as quickly as he can.

685
00:36:21,133 --> 00:36:22,733
The Press:
Public ceremony?

686
00:36:22,734 --> 00:36:25,404
Mr. Gibbs:
I think part of that
depends on the --

687
00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:28,900
Mark, our desire is to
get this signed into law.

688
00:36:28,900 --> 00:36:29,900
The Press:
Okay.

689
00:36:29,900 --> 00:36:33,370
Consumer protection agency,
are you able to move on that quickly?

690
00:36:33,367 --> 00:36:37,197
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, obviously, the
President, as I said earlier,

691
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:40,030
will make some appointments
based on the law that was signed.

692
00:36:40,033 --> 00:36:44,103
I do not expect an imminent
announcement on that.

693
00:36:44,100 --> 00:36:45,330
I would say --

694
00:36:45,333 --> 00:36:46,463
The Press:
Next week?

695
00:36:46,467 --> 00:36:47,597
Mr. Gibbs:
Not that I'm aware of, no.

696
00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:51,400
I think we've got highly
qualified candidates.

697
00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:55,230
Again, there's a number of
positions that the President

698
00:36:55,233 --> 00:36:56,633
will be looking at.

699
00:36:56,633 --> 00:36:58,503
And obviously the
consumer office is --

700
00:36:58,500 --> 00:37:01,870
the consumer bureau is one
of tremendous importance.

701
00:37:01,867 --> 00:37:04,937
The Press:
And does Elizabeth Warren's shall we say close questioning

702
00:37:04,934 --> 00:37:07,534
of Secretary Geithner
move her out for that?

703
00:37:07,533 --> 00:37:09,003
Mr. Gibbs:
Absolutely not.

704
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:13,870
She is -- look, I think in many ways, Elizabeth Warren is --

705
00:37:13,867 --> 00:37:19,367
this is what Elizabeth Warren
thought should be put in place

706
00:37:19,367 --> 00:37:24,737
to ensure that consumers were on
equal footing with big banks.

707
00:37:24,734 --> 00:37:31,204
I think she would be
a terrific nominee.

708
00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:34,130
I have seen comments by those
that questioned whether she

709
00:37:34,133 --> 00:37:37,463
could be confirmed, and I
don't agree with those at all.

710
00:37:37,467 --> 00:37:39,867
The Press:
Sorry, Robert, this all
sounds a little absurd.

711
00:37:39,867 --> 00:37:42,037
Ms. Sherrod has not
exactly been hiding.

712
00:37:42,033 --> 00:37:45,563
And Vilsack's office was able to
reach her three times yesterday

713
00:37:45,567 --> 00:37:46,737
on her cell phone.

714
00:37:46,734 --> 00:37:48,464
She says she has the
same cell phone with her.

715
00:37:48,467 --> 00:37:50,767
When did he start
trying to reach her?

716
00:37:50,767 --> 00:37:52,267
Mr. Gibbs:
Sometime today.

717
00:37:52,266 --> 00:37:54,836
The Press:
But it must have been fairly recently because apparently her

718
00:37:54,834 --> 00:37:56,934
phone still has not
rung, same phone she --

719
00:37:56,934 --> 00:37:59,764
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, Ann, if
you've got a number,

720
00:37:59,767 --> 00:38:02,537
I'd be happy to deliver it to
the Secretary to make sure that

721
00:38:02,533 --> 00:38:03,563
he's calling the right one.

722
00:38:03,567 --> 00:38:04,837
The Press:
She says since you --

723
00:38:04,834 --> 00:38:06,034
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, don't do that out here --

724
00:38:06,033 --> 00:38:08,063
The Press:
Since you've made your statement here and she heard you,

725
00:38:08,066 --> 00:38:11,436
she says that she was most
struck by how this would play

726
00:38:11,433 --> 00:38:16,233
for her grandkids that the first
black rural director in Georgia

727
00:38:16,233 --> 00:38:18,933
was fired by the
first black President.

728
00:38:18,934 --> 00:38:20,664
Does that have some resonance?

729
00:38:20,667 --> 00:38:25,337
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I would -- decisions
on personnel at USDA were made

730
00:38:25,333 --> 00:38:27,003
by USDA.

731
00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:32,430
Those decisions were made based
on an incomplete set of facts

732
00:38:32,433 --> 00:38:36,033
and they're being reviewed based
on a more complete set of facts.

733
00:38:36,033 --> 00:38:37,333
I will say this.

734
00:38:37,333 --> 00:38:45,463
This situation is -- regardless of who is involved and

735
00:38:45,467 --> 00:38:50,537
regardless of their race,
the decisions were wrong.

736
00:38:50,533 --> 00:38:54,703
The Press:
Robert, today the President signed yet another big,

737
00:38:54,700 --> 00:38:57,600
consequential piece of
legislation and this one is very

738
00:38:57,600 --> 00:38:59,370
popular with the public.

739
00:38:59,367 --> 00:39:03,697
I'm wondering -- all
of these accomplishments,

740
00:39:03,700 --> 00:39:06,730
legislative successes don't seem to be changing the public's

741
00:39:06,734 --> 00:39:09,864
opinion on the President's
job performance.

742
00:39:09,867 --> 00:39:11,767
And even though I know he says
he doesn't do them because --

743
00:39:11,767 --> 00:39:13,337
Mr. Gibbs:
Mara, he signed it
about three hours ago.

744
00:39:13,333 --> 00:39:14,863
The Press:
I know, I know, but this
has been around for a while.

745
00:39:14,867 --> 00:39:16,367
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know what instant polling has been done in the

746
00:39:16,367 --> 00:39:17,637
interim, but --

747
00:39:17,633 --> 00:39:19,233
The Press:
Well, okay, but it's not --
the fact that we're getting

748
00:39:19,233 --> 00:39:20,663
financial reform
isn't brand new.

749
00:39:20,667 --> 00:39:22,097
And he says he doesn't do these
things because they're popular,

750
00:39:22,100 --> 00:39:23,500
but because they're right.

751
00:39:23,500 --> 00:39:26,230
But I'm wondering what you think
it's going to take before all of

752
00:39:26,233 --> 00:39:29,233
these accomplishments
begin to have --

753
00:39:29,233 --> 00:39:31,863
Mr. Gibbs:
We still need 8.5
million jobs to come back.

754
00:39:31,867 --> 00:39:33,737
The Press:
And that's it, pure and simple?

755
00:39:33,734 --> 00:39:40,664
Mr. Gibbs:
I think people have, rightly so, a continued frustration about

756
00:39:40,667 --> 00:39:43,897
the economic situation
in this country.

757
00:39:43,900 --> 00:39:48,770
I think the rules that we had in
place that led to the financial

758
00:39:48,767 --> 00:39:54,797
collapse two years ago
contributed mightily to the 8.5

759
00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:58,000
million jobs that were lost.

760
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:05,100
That is not something that was
going to be easy to replace.

761
00:40:05,100 --> 00:40:13,270
If you look at the last six
months of 2008 and the last six

762
00:40:13,266 --> 00:40:20,266
months that we've had in 2010,
you find a difference of losing

763
00:40:20,266 --> 00:40:24,496
3 million jobs and gaining
more than half a million jobs,

764
00:40:24,500 --> 00:40:26,400
so we're moving in
the right direction,

765
00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:29,730
but we've got a
big hole to fill.

766
00:40:29,734 --> 00:40:34,364
And I think -- look, the President is frustrated.

767
00:40:34,367 --> 00:40:38,097
I think -- what was the
story that he said --

768
00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:46,230
if your neighbor had
lost their house,

769
00:40:46,233 --> 00:40:49,233
if your other neighbor had lost
their live savings to send their

770
00:40:49,233 --> 00:40:52,333
kid to college, and if
you'd lost your job,

771
00:40:52,333 --> 00:40:53,833
and a pollster
called you and said,

772
00:40:53,834 --> 00:40:55,964
how do you feel about
the country, I don't --

773
00:40:55,967 --> 00:40:57,567
or how do you feel
about the President,

774
00:40:57,567 --> 00:41:01,667
I don't think that it's a
wild-eyed stretch to believe

775
00:41:01,667 --> 00:41:07,137
that you would think things
still need to get better in this country.

776
00:41:07,133 --> 00:41:11,863
The Press:
What's happening tomorrow?

777
00:41:11,867 --> 00:41:18,297
Mr. Gibbs:
We are signing I believe the bill on improper payments that

778
00:41:18,300 --> 00:41:21,200
was passed recently -- and we'll have more information on that.

779
00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:22,700
The Press:
Improper --

780
00:41:22,700 --> 00:41:27,030
Mr. Gibbs:
Improper payments by government.

781
00:41:27,033 --> 00:41:31,603
The Press:
China has expressed concern
that the U.S.-South Korean naval

782
00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:35,600
exercises announced yesterday
will further destabilize the region.

783
00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:39,870
Do you accept -- does the White House accept those concerns?

784
00:41:39,867 --> 00:41:41,937
And what is the political
message that you're trying to

785
00:41:41,934 --> 00:41:43,104
send to China?

786
00:41:43,100 --> 00:41:44,500
Mr. Gibbs:
Wait a second -- are you guys changing the oil down there?

787
00:41:44,500 --> 00:41:45,830
(laughter)

788
00:41:45,834 --> 00:41:51,764
We need a smaller filter
for the four cylinder --

789
00:41:51,767 --> 00:41:52,937
The Press:
Part of Chuck's contract.

790
00:41:52,934 --> 00:41:54,104
(laughter)

791
00:41:54,100 --> 00:41:56,700
Mr. Gibbs:
I was going to say -- the makeup person is next, I presume.

792
00:41:56,700 --> 00:41:57,500
The Press:
Here we go.

793
00:41:57,500 --> 00:41:58,530
Mr. Gibbs:
Sorry, Stephen.

794
00:41:58,533 --> 00:42:00,303
The Press:
One TV guy cannot go
after another TV guy.

795
00:42:00,300 --> 00:42:02,170
(laughter)

796
00:42:02,166 --> 00:42:03,236
Mr. Gibbs:
All right.

797
00:42:03,233 --> 00:42:04,063
Go ahead.

798
00:42:04,066 --> 00:42:05,636
I don't know what's going on
down here, Stephen, but --

799
00:42:05,633 --> 00:42:07,633
a whole different set
of naval exercises.

800
00:42:07,633 --> 00:42:11,363
(laughter)

801
00:42:11,367 --> 00:42:15,037
The Press:
China has said that it's concerned that the U.S.-South

802
00:42:15,033 --> 00:42:20,333
Korean naval exercises will
destabilize the region even further.

803
00:42:20,333 --> 00:42:23,133
Does the White House
accept those concerns?

804
00:42:23,133 --> 00:42:25,903
And what political message are
you trying to send to North Korea?

805
00:42:25,900 --> 00:42:29,370
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, I think it's important to understand that

806
00:42:29,367 --> 00:42:34,137
these are exercises that
are defensive in nature,

807
00:42:34,133 --> 00:42:39,803
and defense sends a clear signal
of deterrence to the aggression

808
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:45,200
of North Korea and in support
of the defense of South Korea.

809
00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:47,800
I think you've heard the
condemnation of those in the

810
00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:50,200
administration and in the
international community for the

811
00:42:50,200 --> 00:42:53,770
events undertaken
by North Korea,

812
00:42:53,767 --> 00:42:58,967
and certainly we are strongly
supportive of exercises that

813
00:42:58,967 --> 00:43:03,667
demonstrate South Korea's
-- defending itself.

814
00:43:03,667 --> 00:43:05,137
The Press:
Robert, can I follow on that?

815
00:43:05,133 --> 00:43:06,603
The Press:
Let me ask quickly -- I'm sorry.

816
00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:08,070
I don't think this
has been asked.

817
00:43:08,066 --> 00:43:10,636
Is the President trying or does
the President want to reach

818
00:43:10,633 --> 00:43:12,003
Shirley Sherrod himself?

819
00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:15,330
Mr. Gibbs:
I do not believe the President has tried, but I will check.

820
00:43:15,333 --> 00:43:16,463
The Press:
Do you expect him to?

821
00:43:16,467 --> 00:43:17,837
Mr. Gibbs:
I will check.

822
00:43:17,834 --> 00:43:20,534
The Press:
Robert, a few questions on Shirley Sherrod and on the

823
00:43:20,533 --> 00:43:22,033
Black Farmers.

824
00:43:22,033 --> 00:43:26,463
One, who here at the White House
viewed the entire videotape?

825
00:43:26,467 --> 00:43:28,067
Mr. Gibbs:
I think a number of us have now.

826
00:43:28,066 --> 00:43:28,836
The Press:
Okay.

827
00:43:28,834 --> 00:43:30,064
Was the President one of those?

828
00:43:30,066 --> 00:43:32,196
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know if the President has seen the entire tape.

829
00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:33,070
The Press:
Okay.

830
00:43:33,066 --> 00:43:35,066
But he's seen portions of it,
is that what you're saying?

831
00:43:35,066 --> 00:43:35,936
Mr. Gibbs:
Yes.

832
00:43:35,934 --> 00:43:36,904
The Press:
Okay.

833
00:43:36,900 --> 00:43:40,900
Now, early on, you said -- you talked about the frenzy and the

834
00:43:40,900 --> 00:43:44,570
immediacy of the news cycle.

835
00:43:44,567 --> 00:43:47,237
This is not the first time this
administration has gotten caught

836
00:43:47,233 --> 00:43:51,403
up in the immediacy of the news
cycle when it comes to issues of race.

837
00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:54,430
The first time we saw the press
conference when President Obama

838
00:43:54,433 --> 00:43:57,663
talked about his friend Henry
Louis Gates and the police

839
00:43:57,667 --> 00:44:02,037
sergeant in Massachusetts.

840
00:44:02,033 --> 00:44:04,533
What say you on matters of race?

841
00:44:04,533 --> 00:44:07,063
I mean, some have accused this
administration of not being able

842
00:44:07,066 --> 00:44:11,096
to embrace race with the
historic nature of this presidency.

843
00:44:11,100 --> 00:44:13,870
But yet again you say you're
embracing it but you're very --

844
00:44:13,867 --> 00:44:18,067
you react without getting all
the facts on these two incidents of race.

845
00:44:18,066 --> 00:44:23,566
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, again, look, April, I'm not up here to make excuses for

846
00:44:23,567 --> 00:44:24,867
-- actually, quite
the contrary --

847
00:44:24,867 --> 00:44:29,067
on what has happened
in this case.

848
00:44:29,066 --> 00:44:36,196
I think many involved at all
levels believe, rightly,

849
00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:39,970
that not all
information was gotten.

850
00:44:39,967 --> 00:44:44,967
I think rectifying that is
tremendously important for everyone.

851
00:44:44,967 --> 00:44:50,167
The Press:
Do you feel serious domestic items are being hijacked because

852
00:44:50,166 --> 00:44:53,966
of issues of race and the racial
drama that's been playing out?

853
00:44:53,967 --> 00:44:55,767
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't, no.

854
00:44:55,767 --> 00:44:56,797
The Press:
All right.

855
00:44:56,800 --> 00:44:59,070
And going back to something that
Kevin had asked earlier about

856
00:44:59,066 --> 00:45:02,166
the CBC, they're asking
for a national dialogue.

857
00:45:02,166 --> 00:45:05,966
This is from the CBC and a quote
from them: "We also believe that

858
00:45:05,967 --> 00:45:09,067
a national dialogue
on race must be held.

859
00:45:09,066 --> 00:45:12,666
The basis for Ms. Sherrod's
resignation is another example

860
00:45:12,667 --> 00:45:15,467
of why we must not sweep
race under the rug.

861
00:45:15,467 --> 00:45:18,497
Rather, we must come together as
a nation and recognize that we

862
00:45:18,500 --> 00:45:21,930
do not live in a post-racial
era, and that, while difficult,

863
00:45:21,934 --> 00:45:25,734
we must confront these issues
head on with clarity and without fear."

864
00:45:25,734 --> 00:45:28,234
Bill Clinton held a
conversation on race.

865
00:45:28,233 --> 00:45:30,333
Does this administration
feel they need to hold one?

866
00:45:30,333 --> 00:45:32,903
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I will go back and check.

867
00:45:32,900 --> 00:45:35,770
As I said to Kevin, I have not
heard discussions about that in

868
00:45:35,767 --> 00:45:36,597
here today.

869
00:45:36,600 --> 00:45:39,130
The Press:
And Black Farmers -- you
brought it up with Chuck.

870
00:45:39,133 --> 00:45:40,363
Mr. Gibbs:
I don't know where
the legislation --

871
00:45:40,367 --> 00:45:45,737
I will check on, and you should
check with members on Capitol

872
00:45:45,734 --> 00:45:47,564
Hill that might
have, quite honestly,

873
00:45:47,567 --> 00:45:50,397
better intelligence about
the level at which --

874
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:54,800
what's in different drafts of
supplemental appropriations that

875
00:45:54,800 --> 00:45:55,700
need to go through.

876
00:45:55,700 --> 00:45:59,170
The Press:
John Boyd says the President doesn't want it in the war bill.

877
00:45:59,166 --> 00:46:01,536
He says that the administration
is saying no way,

878
00:46:01,533 --> 00:46:04,933
and the President in particular
doesn't want it there.

879
00:46:04,934 --> 00:46:06,434
Mr. Gibbs:
That's not the impression
that's been left with me,

880
00:46:06,433 --> 00:46:11,333
but I don't know -- I do not know the latest on what's in what bill.

881
00:46:11,333 --> 00:46:12,233
Glenn.

882
00:46:12,233 --> 00:46:15,103
The Press:
Robert, on the Shirley
Sherrod matter,

883
00:46:15,100 --> 00:46:18,870
administration officials have
repeatedly said that they were

884
00:46:18,867 --> 00:46:22,867
informed but not
consulted on her forced --

885
00:46:22,867 --> 00:46:25,637
Mr. Gibbs:
I think I agreed with
that statement earlier.

886
00:46:25,633 --> 00:46:27,333
The Press:
But what does that mean?

887
00:46:27,333 --> 00:46:30,333
What's the difference
between those two things?

888
00:46:30,333 --> 00:46:32,403
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I mean, I think --

889
00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:33,830
The Press:
I don't understand.

890
00:46:33,834 --> 00:46:35,064
Mr. Gibbs:
You don't understand that?

891
00:46:35,066 --> 00:46:36,836
The Press:
The difference between being informed and consulted.

892
00:46:36,834 --> 00:46:44,104
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I think the decisions that were made on hiring are

893
00:46:44,100 --> 00:46:48,070
made, as I said earlier, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

894
00:46:48,066 --> 00:46:52,566
and it's a department run by
the Secretary of Agriculture,

895
00:46:52,567 --> 00:46:56,737
and they informed the White House of the decisions that had been made.

896
00:46:56,734 --> 00:46:58,804
The Press:
At the White House, which official was informed initially

897
00:46:58,800 --> 00:46:59,930
that that decision --

898
00:46:59,934 --> 00:47:04,834
Mr. Gibbs:
I think there was interaction between a number of people.

899
00:47:04,834 --> 00:47:07,764
The Press:
Could someone have -- from
the White House have said,

900
00:47:07,767 --> 00:47:11,367
presumably after being informed, that this is not acceptable?

901
00:47:11,367 --> 00:47:12,337
Mr. Gibbs:
That --

902
00:47:12,333 --> 00:47:13,733
The Press:
This was not an
acceptable decision?

903
00:47:13,734 --> 00:47:15,104
I mean, was there someone in
the White House who could have

904
00:47:15,100 --> 00:47:17,970
red-lighted this at
that moment in time?

905
00:47:17,967 --> 00:47:22,897
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, again, this was a decision that the Secretary made based

906
00:47:22,900 --> 00:47:25,970
off of incomplete information.

907
00:47:25,967 --> 00:47:26,897
The Press:
We know about the Secretary.

908
00:47:26,900 --> 00:47:28,070
He's spoken publicly on this.

909
00:47:28,066 --> 00:47:32,996
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, I guess it's hard
to go back in terms of

910
00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:34,270
that hypothetical.

911
00:47:34,266 --> 00:47:35,266
The Press:
But it's not a hypothetical.

912
00:47:35,266 --> 00:47:37,936
Someone in the White House was
informed about this and decided

913
00:47:37,934 --> 00:47:39,504
not to say it was unacceptable.

914
00:47:39,500 --> 00:47:40,800
Who was that individual?

915
00:47:40,800 --> 00:47:43,970
Mr. Gibbs:
Again, this was
based on -- look,

916
00:47:43,967 --> 00:47:48,167
I'm not here to make excuses for the decisions that were made.

917
00:47:48,166 --> 00:47:50,796
They were wrong.

918
00:47:50,800 --> 00:47:53,530
The Press:
The notion of responsibility implies that an

919
00:47:53,533 --> 00:47:54,603
individual was --

920
00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:56,730
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, I've certainly --
for the actions of our

921
00:47:56,734 --> 00:47:58,404
administration, I've --

922
00:47:58,400 --> 00:47:59,430
The Press:
How about accountability?

923
00:47:59,433 --> 00:48:00,633
The Press:
But who was it?

924
00:48:00,633 --> 00:48:01,863
The Press:
Is someone going to
be held accountable?

925
00:48:01,867 --> 00:48:02,897
Mr. Gibbs:
But let me finish.

926
00:48:02,900 --> 00:48:04,000
The Press:
I understand.

927
00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:06,230
The Press:
But it goes to his question.

928
00:48:06,233 --> 00:48:08,033
Mr. Gibbs:
Weirdly, he didn't ask it.

929
00:48:08,033 --> 00:48:09,303
The Press:
Well, it's a better one.

930
00:48:09,300 --> 00:48:11,000
Mr. Gibbs:
Yes, there you go.

931
00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:16,370
You guys get together in a
group and we'll play Jeopardy.

932
00:48:16,367 --> 00:48:24,337
Look, I have, throughout this -- throughout today, right here,

933
00:48:24,333 --> 00:48:26,003
taken responsibility
for our actions.

934
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:27,370
The Press:
So was it you?

935
00:48:27,367 --> 00:48:28,937
(laughter)

936
00:48:28,934 --> 00:48:31,904
Mr. Gibbs:
No, I'm the lucky guy that
gets to go talk to you.

937
00:48:31,900 --> 00:48:34,270
The Press:
But can't -- I'm sorry -- can't we just put a final point on it?

938
00:48:34,266 --> 00:48:37,496
I mean, we're -- you talked quite significantly about sort

939
00:48:37,500 --> 00:48:40,800
of this frenzy of overreaction and the way that folks are responding --

940
00:48:40,800 --> 00:48:41,870
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I understand --

941
00:48:41,867 --> 00:48:43,637
The Press:
-- but who individually is responsible for this in the

942
00:48:43,633 --> 00:48:45,033
White House, as opposed to --

943
00:48:45,033 --> 00:48:47,263
Mr. Gibbs:
Look, I think there are a number of people that are responsible.

944
00:48:47,266 --> 00:48:49,496
I think there are a number of
people responsible at the USDA.

945
00:48:49,500 --> 00:48:54,870
I think there are a number of
people that have been involved

946
00:48:54,867 --> 00:48:57,697
in this situation at many
different levels and in many

947
00:48:57,700 --> 00:49:03,300
different venues, that
will, as a result of this,

948
00:49:03,300 --> 00:49:06,470
take a look at the actions
and decisions that were made.

949
00:49:06,467 --> 00:49:09,567
The Press:
Can you at least tell us who in the White House reversed course

950
00:49:09,567 --> 00:49:11,697
and called the Agriculture
Department and said,

951
00:49:11,700 --> 00:49:13,070
we need to review this?

952
00:49:13,066 --> 00:49:14,966
Can you at least tell
us that information?

953
00:49:14,967 --> 00:49:15,867
Mr. Gibbs:
The White House.

954
00:49:15,867 --> 00:49:16,797
The White House.

955
00:49:16,800 --> 00:49:18,030
The Press:
Different subject.

956
00:49:18,033 --> 00:49:19,303
The President was
scheduled to meet --

957
00:49:19,300 --> 00:49:20,700
or have lunch with
House members today.

958
00:49:20,700 --> 00:49:21,570
Mr. Gibbs:
Yes.

959
00:49:21,567 --> 00:49:23,767
The Press:
Who were they and
what was the topic?

960
00:49:23,767 --> 00:49:25,137
Mr. Gibbs:
I do not have the
list of members here,

961
00:49:25,133 --> 00:49:26,563
but I will get that.

962
00:49:26,567 --> 00:49:27,967
I don't think there
was a set topic.

963
00:49:27,967 --> 00:49:34,437
I think much like the senators
that came over here recently,

964
00:49:34,433 --> 00:49:36,133
there were I assume
a number of topics.

965
00:49:36,133 --> 00:49:39,203
I will try to get a clear
readout and the folks who came.

966
00:49:39,200 --> 00:49:40,330
Bill.

967
00:49:40,333 --> 00:49:42,363
The Press:
Robert, in terms -- back
to Shirley Sherrod --

968
00:49:42,367 --> 00:49:46,137
in terms of a teachable moment,
Van Jones and Shirley Sherrod

969
00:49:46,133 --> 00:49:48,803
aren't exact parallels, but is
one of the lessons to be learned

970
00:49:48,800 --> 00:49:51,530
here that the administration
should not be so quick to throw

971
00:49:51,533 --> 00:49:53,533
its own people under the bus?

972
00:49:53,533 --> 00:49:58,303
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, Bill, I don't
know that I would --

973
00:49:58,300 --> 00:50:03,070
I'm going to separate out and
not get into something that

974
00:50:03,066 --> 00:50:05,336
happened last year.

975
00:50:05,333 --> 00:50:13,803
I think that, again, decisions
were made based on what we knew

976
00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:15,370
at that time.

977
00:50:15,367 --> 00:50:16,337
The Press:
But both the cases --

978
00:50:16,333 --> 00:50:17,333
Mr. Gibbs:
Hold on, let me finish.

979
00:50:17,333 --> 00:50:18,403
The Press:
Yes, sorry.

980
00:50:18,400 --> 00:50:21,730
Mr. Gibbs:
The Secretary of Agriculture made that decision.

981
00:50:21,734 --> 00:50:27,404
I think everyone
goes back and thinks,

982
00:50:27,400 --> 00:50:28,600
what could you have
done differently,

983
00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:30,500
what would you have
done differently?

984
00:50:30,500 --> 00:50:33,670
And we'll all have an
opportunity to do that.

985
00:50:33,667 --> 00:50:36,797
I think that is
an important role.

986
00:50:36,800 --> 00:50:38,500
I think that's what
makes it teachable.

987
00:50:38,500 --> 00:50:41,100
I think that's what
you learn from.

988
00:50:41,100 --> 00:50:45,630
The Press:
So, Robert, is the lesson don't trust the Internet, or what?

989
00:50:45,633 --> 00:50:49,863
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I think you have to --
I think when somebody puts

990
00:50:49,867 --> 00:50:54,137
two-and-a-half minutes of
video up and people play

991
00:50:54,133 --> 00:50:58,103
two-and-a-half minutes of
video off of a 43-minute speech,

992
00:50:58,100 --> 00:51:02,170
it's probably important for
both the news organization

993
00:51:02,166 --> 00:51:05,366
transmitting the two-and-a-half minutes and what they purport

994
00:51:05,367 --> 00:51:09,167
that it means, and for those involved making decisions about

995
00:51:09,166 --> 00:51:14,366
somebody's career and their life, to do the same thing.

996
00:51:14,367 --> 00:51:17,797
I think that's true as I started
out this briefing by saying,

997
00:51:17,800 --> 00:51:21,270
those on the political playing
field that are going to

998
00:51:21,266 --> 00:51:23,736
commentate -- and I don't
mean necessarily pundits,

999
00:51:23,734 --> 00:51:26,364
interest groups on
this side or that --

1000
00:51:26,367 --> 00:51:27,367
to do the same thing.

1001
00:51:27,367 --> 00:51:32,267
I think that's clearly what the
NAACP has done over the course

1002
00:51:32,266 --> 00:51:34,066
of the past 24 hours.

1003
00:51:34,066 --> 00:51:36,366
I think this is
something where --

1004
00:51:36,367 --> 00:51:38,097
again, I think what
makes this teachable,

1005
00:51:38,100 --> 00:51:39,830
what makes this
something you learn from,

1006
00:51:39,834 --> 00:51:47,904
is us taking a step back and
looking at the decisions that

1007
00:51:47,900 --> 00:51:50,400
were made based on that
incomplete information,

1008
00:51:50,400 --> 00:51:52,000
what questions you
should have asked,

1009
00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:56,700
when you should have asked
them, both -- as Glenn asked --

1010
00:51:56,700 --> 00:52:00,900
both here and at the
Department of Agriculture.

1011
00:52:00,900 --> 00:52:04,470
Again, I had a lot of people
asking for a response to the

1012
00:52:04,467 --> 00:52:07,467
two-and-a-half minutes.

1013
00:52:07,467 --> 00:52:11,167
Nobody birthed on Monday that
the two-and-a-half minutes was

1014
00:52:11,166 --> 00:52:13,736
really 43.

1015
00:52:13,734 --> 00:52:16,434
My guess is you heard from a
lot of your editors saying,

1016
00:52:16,433 --> 00:52:18,933
go get reaction to this story.

1017
00:52:18,934 --> 00:52:22,304
And I think that groups
get involved in this.

1018
00:52:22,300 --> 00:52:23,030
Yes.

1019
00:52:23,033 --> 00:52:27,303
The Press:
This whole issue of, like, advances in technology,

1020
00:52:27,300 --> 00:52:30,300
24-hour news cycle, the
question right now --

1021
00:52:30,300 --> 00:52:35,300
are you saying, in effect, that advances in technology allow for

1022
00:52:35,300 --> 00:52:37,130
things to be taken
out of context,

1023
00:52:37,133 --> 00:52:40,903
as opposed to real journalistic
standards where you're supposed

1024
00:52:40,900 --> 00:52:45,230
to put things in context without
advancing any particular agenda,

1025
00:52:45,233 --> 00:52:46,403
whether it's liberal --

1026
00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:51,670
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, I don't doubt that even in some context some people might

1027
00:52:51,667 --> 00:52:57,637
decide -- look, we've always had opinion writers in this country.

1028
00:52:57,633 --> 00:53:01,533
But I think that sort of in
some ways oversimplifies this.

1029
00:53:01,533 --> 00:53:06,533
The context here wasn't somehow
that the two-and-a-half minutes

1030
00:53:06,533 --> 00:53:10,863
was not contextualized properly.

1031
00:53:10,867 --> 00:53:16,437
It wasn't a complete recitation
of what she had said.

1032
00:53:16,433 --> 00:53:19,733
Now, again, that is
put up on the Internet.

1033
00:53:19,734 --> 00:53:23,004
That is transmitted.

1034
00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:24,330
You all see it.

1035
00:53:24,333 --> 00:53:25,603
You all want reaction.

1036
00:53:25,600 --> 00:53:27,300
We get reaction.

1037
00:53:27,300 --> 00:53:30,870
You transmit both the two-and-a-half minutes -- not the 43 --

1038
00:53:30,867 --> 00:53:32,737
the reaction that's based off
the two-and-a-half minutes,

1039
00:53:32,734 --> 00:53:38,634
not the 43, and decisions are
made on personnel based on that.

1040
00:53:38,633 --> 00:53:43,003
I don't think there's anybody
involved in that chain that

1041
00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:49,300
wouldn't think that from start
to finish this couldn't have

1042
00:53:49,300 --> 00:53:52,170
been handled and shouldn't
have been handled differently.

1043
00:53:52,166 --> 00:53:56,596
The Press:
To follow up on an
unrelated subject -- on jobs.

1044
00:53:56,600 --> 00:53:59,870
Last week, at the jobs summit,
Chamber of Commerce CEO said,

1045
00:53:59,867 --> 00:54:04,037
if you really want to create
jobs, increase economic growth,

1046
00:54:04,033 --> 00:54:09,503
you temporarily extend the
2001 and 2003 tax cuts --

1047
00:54:09,500 --> 00:54:12,100
temporarily -- versus the President is only calling for an

1048
00:54:12,100 --> 00:54:15,000
extension of your
middle-class tax cuts.

1049
00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:18,130
Is there some possible medium,
just a temporary extension?

1050
00:54:18,133 --> 00:54:21,263
Mr. Gibbs:
Well, look, obviously this is an issue that is going to come to

1051
00:54:21,266 --> 00:54:26,736
the fore based on, as you said,
the expiration of the 10-year

1052
00:54:26,734 --> 00:54:29,604
2001 tax cuts.

1053
00:54:29,600 --> 00:54:32,700
The President's priority is on,
as you heard in the campaign,

1054
00:54:32,700 --> 00:54:37,300
those that affect
the middle class.

1055
00:54:37,300 --> 00:54:44,070
We had -- we instituted
those tax cuts at a time --

1056
00:54:44,066 --> 00:54:47,866
I was asked -- I think
I was asked yesterday --

1057
00:54:47,867 --> 00:54:49,497
I think it was
yesterday or Monday --

1058
00:54:49,500 --> 00:54:51,430
about unemployment benefits.

1059
00:54:51,433 --> 00:54:53,833
Well, the economic
situations have changed.

1060
00:54:53,834 --> 00:54:58,964
You can't -- how can
you continue to --

1061
00:54:58,967 --> 00:55:03,267
how can you pass an extension of
unemployment insurance based on

1062
00:55:03,266 --> 00:55:05,936
the fact that the budgetary
situation has changed?

1063
00:55:05,934 --> 00:55:08,364
I think we're going to have
to ask ourselves whether,

1064
00:55:08,367 --> 00:55:11,497
given our budgetary situation,
tax cuts for those,

1065
00:55:11,500 --> 00:55:15,170
as the President has said
on numerous occasions,

1066
00:55:15,166 --> 00:55:19,996
that people didn't need and
people weren't asking for are

1067
00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:24,370
something that,
given where we are,

1068
00:55:24,367 --> 00:55:26,797
can be afforded budgetarily.

1069
00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:28,330
Thanks, guys.