For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 11, 2006
Press Gaggle by Tony Snow
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Andrews Air Force Base
1:58 P.M. EDT
MR. SNOW: We're just going low-tech here. I don't have any
statements, so -- questions.
Q -- interactions with families at the two sites?
MR. SNOW: Mostly, at the first site with first responders, with
firemen and EMS, what the President did is he went table to table, and
also posed for photos with each of the tables, and spent a lot of time
not only talking about what they've been through in the last five years,
but many also had messages that they wanted to pass on to him.
When we got to Shanksville, I don't know -- were you guys out
there? Did you get to see it? So you had a large semi-circle in which
family --
Q -- started his way around and then --
MR. SNOW: Yes, he and the First Lady started at opposite ends and
both of them worked all the way around. In some ways, because you had a
lot more family members, these were more emotional. There were some
people who were still clearly grieving about what happened five years
ago. And he just chatted with them, took his time, listened to what
people had to say, had condolences.
Also, with regard to Shanksville, a number of the families had been
to the White House to see the United 93 movie, so in a number of cases,
the President and some of us who had been at the movie, as well, had
seen family members at least for the second time.
Q -- expecting the benediction in Shanksville? Did you know
that was going to happen?
MR. SNOW: You know what, I did not study the schedule.
Q Can you give us any hints of what's to come in the speech
tonight, and whether or not the President will say anything at the
Pentagon, or will we have sort of a wordless day from the President
until the speech?
MR. SNOW: You will have, effectively, to use your phrase, a
wordless day until the speech. A wreath-laying -- the President will be
meeting with the Defense Secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
There will be some family members also and he will meet with them at the
Pentagon. But there will be no formal remarks until the Oval Office
tonight.
As I said before, really it's a reflective speech, what we have
learned since September 11th, where we're going. But it is, as I've
been at some pains to say in the last few days, it's not a political
speech, it's not trying to draw political distinctions or issue calls to
action. I think this is a time to try to talk in a way that unifies the
American people.
Q Can you talk about the unscripted stop, the unscheduled stop
last night to the firehouse and the memorial site? When was it planned,
and just tell us a little about the specifics behind that?
MR. SNOW: Honestly, I don't know. I mean, I knew it had been in
the works. This is a site that formally opened today and had just been
previewed yesterday morning by some of the family members. This had
been organized in part by family members of September 11th.
Q Why was it not on the schedule? Why was it a surprise?
MR. SNOW: Because we wanted to add some spice and zest to your
life.
Q Was the President surprised by anything, or was this day
basically what he expected? Or has he talked about anything striking
him as unexpected at either of the stops?
MR. SNOW: I don't think there has been. My conversations have
been cursory at this point. He's now -- he knew going in that this was
going to be emotional, and it has been. You see people directly
affected when we were at the firehouse. It's interesting because you
sit around a table with people who mention -- matter-of-factly, but not
casually -- the memorial services for people who died, how long it took
to find bodies. For them, it's an incredible reality -- what's gone on
with the family members, the ways in which, since September 11th,
they've chosen to put together memorials, whether they be at hospitals
or schools or neighborhoods. There have been people handing out
pictures and cards and commemorations. It's very personal.
And again, with Shanksville, you have family members who were
weeping and recalling what had happened. There's an interesting little
detail which I got at both sites. The people in New York said, the
weather has been exactly the same every September 11th since September
11th, 2001; and the people at Shanksville said the same thing, the same
kind of weather conditions have prevailed each year since. I don't know
what you make of it, but it's one thing that people took pains to
mention.
So, again, going in, he knew this was going to be emotional, and it
will be emotional at the Pentagon. We'll be talking -- for those of us
who live in Washington, we have a lot more direct experience because we
know a lot of the people, including survivors, as well as people who
died.
Surprises -- I don't know if you go in with fixed expectations to a
day like this. You go in knowing that you're going to be commemorating,
you're going to be reaching out to people. I don't think it's the kind
of day where you're surprised so much as you've just got to be ready for
whatever you encounter.
Q -- one thing that maybe moved the President more than anything
else? Just something that really sits with him from this day or last
night?
MR. SNOW: I'd hesitate to characterize it just because, again, I
haven't asked him that specific a question and I wouldn't want to try to
make a guess at what stands out more. I'll try to find out, but I don't
know.
Q Has the President expressed any frustration with the pace of
reconstruction at Ground Zero? Have you heard him say, why is it taking
so long?
MR. SNOW: I think the President realizes what's going on at Ground
Zero is a byproduct of New York politics and it will have to get worked
out.
Q -- sort of temporary nature of some of these memorials? I
mean, the families set up this Visitors Center. I mean, it doesn't
seem, after five years, like the best we could do.
MR. SNOW: Well, I think what you're asking for, Richard, is a
federal program right now. I think it's astounding, you not only had
that memorial, but I don't know if you guys saw the little area where we
were observing as they walked down to lay the wreath yesterday. But
it's still crowded with pictures and with badges and hats and uniform
fragments. I think people, in various ways, know that they're not going
to forget. And for that bit of remembrance, they don't need federal
help. What they do need is for other people to remember and other
people to pitch in and say, absolutely, we're going to do everything we
can to prevent this from happening again.
Again, with the peculiar nature of what's going on in New York, we
hope that authorities will work it out and they'll get going.
Q -- on the speech on the flights today on the chopper, on the
plane?
MR. SNOW: The speech is pretty much wrapped up. It's now really
down to very small touches, a word here, a word there. And it's been in
that condition probably for -- well, certainly for the last 24 hours.
Q -- leave some space to kind of talk about for a few minutes
what he saw today in the text?
MR. SNOW: Yes, there's a little bit. Again, it will be a short
speech, reflective, but also talking about our commitment to winning the
war on terror. I think what's probably going to happen is we're going
to go back after the Pentagon, everybody is going to catch their breath.
We'll probably do a run-through or two before the Oval Office address
tonight.
All right, thanks.
END 2:06 P.M. EDT
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