Editor’s note: Each week, WorldNetDaily White House correspondent Les Kinsolving asks the tough questions no one else will ask. And each week, WorldNetDaily brings you the transcripts of those dialogues with the president and his spokesman. If you’d like to suggest a question for the White House, submit it to WorldNetDaily’s exclusive interactive forum MR. PRESIDENT!
At today’s White House news briefing, WND asked presidential press secretary Ari Fleischer about what progress the administration has seen from the Palestinian Authority on fulfilling requirements of the so-called “road map” to peace.
WND: Since the Palestinian Authority has done no more to fulfill its obligations to the road map than it did for the Oslo Accords, and since yesterday’s killings of five Israeli soldiers, my question is, can you cite any reason why, with the road map completely road blocked, that the president should not end his exemption of Palestinian terrorists from his promise of war on all terrorists?
FLEISCHER: The road map is just beginning. The road map is just being implemented.
WND: What have they done? What have the Palestinians done to fulfill any of the requirements of last month for the road map?
FLEISCHER: When you take a look at the statements that have been made by the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, this president –
WND: Statements? That’s –
FLEISCHER: This is exactly how the road map was designed to begin. The prime minister of the Palestinian Authority is determined to work with the United States and the Arab nations to rebuild their security forces so that he can, indeed, live up to the terms of the road map, which involve cracking down and dismantling terrorism. The president has confidence that over time, with the help of the United States and the help of the Arab nations and the help of Israel, that Prime Minister Abbas is the best hope for implementing the terms of the road map.
This is an issue that has always been fraught with extremists who seek to derail the road map. What is important now is that the Palestinian Authority is led by someone who is not an extremist, but somebody who is dedicated to implementing the road map. And the president will continue to work with both the Israelis and the Palestinians, despite the recent violence, to help them to implement the peacemaking sides of the road map.
WND also asked Fleischer about the recent New York Times credibility scandal.
WND: Since both you and the president surely must believe in the importance to this nation of a media that is both free and honest, and since The New York Times has forced the resignations of editors Howell Raines and Gerald Boyd for allowing so many Jayson Blair lies into print, my question: You don’t blame The Times for doing this, even though The Washington Post failed to fire Ben Bradley for allowing as many Janet Cooke lies into print, do you, Ari?
FLEISCHER: You asked about this topic a couple weeks ago when you brought up the Jayson Blair stories. And I said at the time that this is, indeed, a serious matter and that The New York Times is taking it seriously. I’m not going to make any comments about personnel matters at The New York Times, but I go back to what I said before: It’s a serious matter and I think The New York Times is taking it seriously.
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