Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr11/clin0610.zip/ZQ000014.TXT

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                           THE WHITE HOUSE

                    Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                    June 7, 1993


                           PRESS BRIEFING
                  BY DAVID GERGEN AND MARK GEARAN

                          The Briefing Room


1:15 P.M. EDT


         MR. GERGEN:  Good afternoon.  This is an unfamiliar
posture to be in, but I am delighted to see so many of you again.
I'm really here just briefly to make some announcements about the
communications operations, press operations here in the White House.

         As a preface, I might tell all of you that the
announcements we have today were all agreed upon Saturday by the
President in a meeting that Mack McLarty and George Stephanopoulos
and I had with the President.  And we all, the three of us on the
staff, unanimously recommended these moves to the President,
enthusiastically recommended them to the President.  He signed off on
all three at that time and wanted to go forward as quickly as
possible.

         First of all, I'm delighted, on behalf of the President,
to announce that Mark Gearan is going to become the Communications
Director of the White House.  He will serve as Assistant to the
President for Communications.  We'll have a statement for you in just
a little while from Mack McLarty about his service as Deputy Chief of
Staff.  Mark, as I think you know, has served extraordinarily well
here as Deputy Chief of Staff.  I'm also aware that he is very well-
respected by many of you in the press.  You respect him for his
credibility as well as his friendliness.  And those were two
important qualities, I thought, in having a Communications Director.
He's someone who respects the press, understands what you're about.

         Q      That will be refreshing.  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  Some things haven't changed.  (Laughter.)
Including Helen.  It's wonderful to see you again, Helen.
(Laughter.)

         I must -- I will also tell you that Mark was recommended
to me by many people here as someone who should be the Communications
Director.  I didn't know him terribly well.  We spent some time
together and I found out from talking to him he sounded like a very,
very good choice.  And I've been pleased, in fact, really impressed
by how many people within the staff, as this news has broken over in
The Washington Post this morning, how many people on the staff have
come forward and said what a wonderful choice it is.

         So Mark will be here in just a second and talk to you
more.  Now, the second --

         Q      What will be his job, before you go on?

         MR. GERGEN:  Let me just go ahead.  If you don't mind,
I'll just finish up.

         The second announcement I wanted to make was that the
President wants to reaffirm his support in Dee Dee Myers as Press
Secretary.  He's been extremely pleased with her performance here.
He has a very high regard for her as an individual and as someone who
has served extraordinarily well in the Press Office.

         The President has also expressed a desire, in view of
her continuing role and the fact that she'll be doing more briefings,
that he wants to ensure that she has maximum access to him and to
others within the administration; that's it's important when someone
comes out to this podium to talk to you all that that person be well-
informed, well-briefed on what's going on inside.  And he believed
very strongly in that principle, so Dee Dee and Mark were both in
seeing the President this morning to talk about events of the day.

         Now, the third announcement I want to make is that we
are going to be opening the door of the press room this afternoon.
It will be open as soon as we finish this session.  And I might just
say by way of background, because I know some of you may be curious,
when I had -- I don't know the history, frankly, of what happened
before, for whatever reason it was closed.  I'm just not privy to
that.

         I do know this, that in my first meeting with Mack
McLarty --we had dinner together over at his home, I think some of
you know, after the reconciliation bill was voted through the House.
And I raised the question about press relations as part of my
discussion with him about a number of issues that were pertinent to
me before coming here.  And he, at that time, said, I think it's time
we opened the door to the press.  And I said, I would
enthusiastically support that.  I had my first conversation with
George about this -- George Stephanopoulos about this.  He said, I
believe it's time to open the door.  My first conversation with the
President, he said, I believe it's time to open the door. (Laughter.)
So we opened up the door.

         Q      We've always believed it.

         Q      Are you moving the press to the Old EOB, David?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, that's the bad news.  (Laughter.) You
have to be outside the gate, but other than that, the door is open.
(Laughter.)

         Q      Really.  I'm serious.  There's more rumors about
that again.

         MR. GERGEN:  No, no, no.  That thought has never -- no,
there's been no discussion of that.  I said there's been -- I cannot
conceive of the circumstance.  The only time I know the press has
ever been in the Old Executive Office Building --

         Q      Since you were last in here.

         MR. GERGEN:  -- was when this room was being renovated
in preparation for renaming it after Jim Brady.  And remember there
was that period of time.  But, listen, I think it's only fair before
taking questions that Mark have a chance to say a few words and Dee
Dee have a chance to say a few works.

         Mark.

         MR. GEARAN:  Thank you.

         Q      Will you extend the five-minute rule?

         MR. GERGEN:  Yes, sure.  I think that -- I think we can
extend it through this discussion and then we'll go to the regular
briefing.

         MR. GEARAN:  Thank you, David.

         As David has outlined, Mack's plan here is to have David
think the big thoughts, Dee Dee to do most of the briefings each day,
and for me to seemingly make you happy.  (Laughter.)

         Q      No problem.  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  I'm glad that's your role.

         MR. GEARAN:  A task that -- there are many great
traditions, though, here in the White House.  And one, of course, is
for the prior occupants of the Communications Director's office to
leave notes to one's successor.  And when I arrived yesterday to move
in, I was left a note by George Stephanopoulos, along with all of the
other notes from prior communications directors and press
secretaries.  It's a wonderful tradition of the White House.  And
it's dated the 5th of June.  "Mark:  I can only give you one piece of
advice:  Open the hallway!  George."  (Laughter.)  So with that, and
based on all that David outlined that that's where we're going.

         But I am very honored to take up this assignment for the
President and for the Vice President.   I certainly take the job with
a full understanding of what you all have to do.  I don't know why
you do it, I don't know how you do it, but that's your problem and
not my problem.

         But I view this as an opportunity for the press staff
and the communications staff as a chance to make sure that we don't
go around you, past you, or underneath you, but to face on, really
head on what our responsibility is.  And that is to explain and
communicate what the President is doing, what this administration is
all about, and the direction that the President want to move this
country.

         We want to make the Communications Office open and
accessible and responsible, certainly.  And we pledge to you to
commit all of the staff of the Communications Office, certainly the
sense of humility in our public service as we approach our job each
day and to approach it certainly with the energy of our President.

         Thank you.  I look forward to working with all of you on
most difficult days.  We may have to bring back Madeleine Gearan if
things are really tough.  (Laughter.)  Thank you.

         MS. MYERS:  Well, I think we've all learned a lot of the
course of the first four months.  I hope we can build on those
lessons.  I hope we can have a little bit of fun, a few good laughs
and some good humor.  And I hope that we can well serve you with this
new arrangement, provide the kind of information that you all need to
do your jobs on a day-to-day basis, to serve both the administration
and the needs of the American people, to try to communicate our goals
and objectives on a daily basis.  So, hey, it's been fun so far and
look forward to -- (laughter) -- continued good times.

         Q      David, can you give us a breakdown of how the jobs
will work?  Whose responsibility is what?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, Mark Gearan, as Communications
Director, will take responsibility for running the department, which
has -- what -- some 52 people in it, I believe.

         Q      There were changes when George came in, though, in
the structure of that office and it was more political and less
independent than it had been under his Republican predecessors.  Is
that going to change?  Is it going to be independent of politics and
policy now?  And where do you fit in to the communications role --
that sort of thing?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, the arrangement -- I perhaps can
speak more to my side of that arrangement.  When I took this job I
was first approached and asked if I would -- Mack McLarty recruited
me here, to begin with, and he said, "I'm looking for someone who
can" -- and I think he used these words when all of this was
announced -- he said, "I'm looking for someone who will serve at the
intersection of policy and politics and communications.  Would you be
willing to consider that in a role as counselor?"  And our
conversations proceeded from there.

         He said, "We would also like to have the communications
department report through you."    Now, and it was my view then, has
been since, that we needed a new Communications Director, someone who
would actually run the department.  My hand, frankly, will be a very
light one on the communications department.  They have very able
people there and I would expect that Mark and Dee Dee will be
handling all of the day-to-day arrangements.  I will obviously have
some ideas.  And the President's going to have some ideas.  But I
want to make it clear that they're running the shop.  It's their
shop, and I think Mark will do extraordinarily well.

         Now, as to the critical element, I mean the thrust of
the communications department is to explain the President's policies
and views to the country.  And, of course, a central core of that is
its relations with the press.  The Press Office has always been, in
my judgment -- I mean, this podium is one of the most single most
important offices in the White House.

         And so, I think that that is going to be very central to
it.  Now, does politics ever color that?  Of course, it does.  Is it
going to serve as a political office?  No.  That's not the purpose of
the Communications Office.  It is -- the central thrust of it is to
explain.  Now, is there advocacy in a Communications Office?  Of
course, there is.  But I don't see it as a political arm of the White
House.  That's not what I see it.

         Q      Could we have just more facts and less advocacy?
Really, I mean that seriously.  Can we have the situation presented
very fairly.  I understand the advocacy; it's inherent.

         MR GERGEN:  I understand what you're saying.  I think --
this is my first day here.  I've asked to meet with the White House
Correspondents Association quickly.  I'd like to meet with them this
week.  I'd like to talk to people in print about their concerns.  It
seems to me that's the representative group.  There may be others or
as individuals or whatever I would want to talk to.  I'd like to make
sure that Dee Dee and Mark are part of those conversations.  I need
time to think about this and I think Mark need time.  And I think Dee
Dee needs to -- this is a time for us to turn a page.  We're turning
a new page now and I think this is an opportunity for us to look at
these things.

         Q      Is Clinton's staff a part of this, press staff?

         MR. GERGEN:  Formally they're not, but it's been quite
striking to me how deeply involved they are.  We had a meeting with
the communications staff last Friday that I had a chance to speak to
them and meet them for the first time.  And I invited  not only the
President's Press Secretary, but the Vice President's Press
Secretary, Mrs. Clinton's Press Secretary, as well as the Vice
President's -- Mrs. Gore's Press Secretary.  So there is more
integration here than I'm accustomed to in the past.  And I think
it's healthy, it's good.

         Q      David, why do you consider it necessary to make a
new beginning?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, I think that the change allows us --
the change in personnel allows us to turn the page.

         Q      But why is it necessary to turn a page?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, I said here the first day that I came
here, and Mack and I had a briefing here after that announcement
Saturday morning, that for whatever reason, the relationship between
the White House and the press was not all that it should be.  I think
you all -- many in the press have told me it's not all that it should
be.  I think there are people inside who feel it's not all that it
should be.  I think we can do better.

         Q      David, what other changes can we expect to see?  We
heard there were some other changes coming down the road.  What kind
of things can we see this week?

         MR. GERGEN:  I think what you should -- the background
of this is that Mack McLarty, at the direction of the President and
working with the President, has been spending a good deal of time in
the last two, three, four weeks -- I don't know how far back this
goes -- thinking about ways to strengthen the staff.  When he reached
out to me he said, this is part of a larger effort.  And he's pretty
far along on that.  And I would anticipate that within a matter of
days he will be in a -- he will be here --

         Q      Will any other new people be brought in?

         MR. GERGEN:  I really think that since he's leading the
charge on that, I think it's important that he be the one to talk to
you about it.  He'll be here and he will talk to you when that's
completely -- hold on one second.

         Q      Has he decided on a Supreme Court nominee?

         MR. GERGEN:  Glad to see you.

         Q      Has he decided on a Supreme Court nominee?  And
will it be Bruce Babbitt?

         MR. GERGEN:  I think that ought to be part of the
regular briefing, if you don't mind.  I'm not here for that.  And
we're going to turn to a regular briefing in just a moment.

         Q      David, as this reorganization was undertaken, did
anybody consider that it's possibly not the way the message is being
sold, but it's the message itself?  That Americans simply aren't
buying what the White House is selling?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, I think it's early to reach
conclusions like that from my point of view.  And I think probably a
lot of people in here have strong views about that inside the
building, but I'm not prepared to reflect on that.

         Q      Do you expect more formal presidential press
conferences?

         MR. GERGEN:  I think that all of us on the
communications staff would like to encourage more regular contact
between the press and the President, and I think the President is
interested in that.  He's expressed to me an interest in that.  He
and I talked in our first long conversation -- I guess it was a week
ago Friday night we had a lengthy conversation about the relationship
with the press and some of the things he'd like to do.  Because it
was one of the issues I wanted to explore with him as well as Mr.
McLarty, and I was very pleased by the answers I got.

         Sarah.  Sarah is such a wonderful institution here.
Please.

         Q      Thank you, sir.  You may not always agree with
that.  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  This is probably the last day I'll agree
with that.  (Laughter.)  Okay, go ahead.

         Q      David, there's a lot of confusion.  A lot of people
are wondering out there -- they've heard that you're an independent,
they've heard that you're a Republican.  What do you consider
yourself to be -- either independent or Republican politically?

         Q      Or a Democrat?  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  Or all of the above.  Or none of the above.

         Q      United We Stand.  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  Or United We Stand.  I'd forgotten about
that.  (Laughter.)

         Listen, let me just -- can I just say -- I grew up in a
state that was largely Democrat.  I grew up in North Carolina, and I
was a registered Democrat.  And I think many of you know that when I
was in college, I worked for Terry Sanford on civil rights in North
Carolina.  When I first was approached about a job in the Nixon White
House, frankly, I thought that they would never be interested in me.
When I had my first conversation -- someone said, why don't you come
over and have a conversation.  I said at that time you should know
that I'm a registered Democrat and that that's been my background.
And they reached out to me and said we'd like to have you come in
here.

         I was surprised, frankly.  I never thought I would pass
muster with Bob Haldeman.  But I did.  In fact, he was one of the
first people that called me after I took this job -- and a positive
conversation, too, I might add.  (Laughter.)

         Q      Start the tape machines.  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  Or stop the tape machine.  (Laughter.)

         In any event I came in here, and I think it's only fair
to say that I worked as hard as I could to support the presidents I
worked for.  And there's no question that there was some suspicion of
me at that time by some who were here and had been working Republican
circles for a long time and wondered why they were bringing this
person who had had a Democratic background in.

         Over time -- and I was a loyal as I could possibly be to
the three Republican presidents I worked for.  Over time I acquired
obvious Republican -- I began wearing Republican cloth and I voted
Republican and everything like that.  And I'm proud of the service
that I had the opportunity to do.  And I think it is a privilege to
serve here no matter who the President is.

         Now, things evolved.  When I left here and entered the
ranks of journalism, at least the best I could, I thought it was
important that I not be "seen" as a Republican.  I just didn't think
that was appropriate.  I didn't think that's what I owed the people
who were willing to listen to me or read what I was writing.  And
it's also fair to say that I evolved during that period of time and I
was trying to build an independent voice.

         But I'm not walking away in the slightest from my
background or what I did, and I'm proud that I had the opportunity to
serve.  And when Bill Clinton reached out for me he knew I was
moderately right of center.  We had known each other for a long time.
We'd been friends for a long time.  And he knew where I came from and
knew both what my strengths and my weaknesses.  And many of you are
aware of my weaknesses.  So he knows that I bring a voice that's
moderately right of center.  I'm not sure that -- we can keep
defining all of this, but I'm not sure where it gets us.

         Q      What did you and Ross Perot talk about last week,
David, in Bermuda?

         MR. GERGEN:  We talked about fish and about underwater
coral and things of that sort.  (Laughter.)  Bermuda was -- it was --

         Q      Any relationship to the administration being under
water or --

         Q      Is that the coral he blew up illegally?

         MR. GERGEN:  I want to tell you something.  I covered
Ross Perot as a journalist, as many of you have, in fact, probably
all of you have, and got to know him.  Interviewed him several times.
I interviewed him there at the -- we did a cover at U.S. News on "Why
is this man smiling?" which appeared about four weeks ago.  And
Gloria Borger, a wonderful colleague of mine at U.S. News, and I went
to Dallas to interview him.  And so I'd had some contact with him,
and our visit in Bermuda was a social visit.

         I was there with my family and I had called him to
simply say that, I want to make sure you know I've joined President
Clinton and I hope we can talk from time to time.  And he said, I
understand you're in Bermuda, and I said I was, and he said, why
don't we get together?  So we had a social visit.  It was family to
family.  We, frankly -- my hope is that there will be times he can
support this President.  Yes,  I understand he's going to oppose him
on some things, but at bottom, the Ross Perot I've known, essentially
he's a patriot.

         Q      Did you ask him that?

         MR. GERGEN:  I talked to him.  I said I hoped there were
times, that just in the same way I think there ought to be times the
Republicans can support the President.

         Q      What did he say?

         MR. GERGEN:  I think -- it's interesting -- I think that
-- we'll have to wait and see how things work out.  I don't think
it's appropriate to talk --

         Q      You said you had had numerous conversations with
the President about his relations with the press, et cetera.  How
does he view his relations with the press right now?

         MR. GERGEN:  I think he believes it's time to turn the
page.

         Q      What do you mean?  Well, I mean, does he think that
the press has been responsible for his problems?  Does he think he's
been misfairly represented?  Does he think he messed it up?  What
does he -- how does he view this?

         MR. GERGEN:  I don't think it's appropriate for me to
put words in his mouth.   That was a private conversation.  But I do
believe he supported all the changes we're announcing today.  He is
very enthusiastic about them.  I'm not sure I can shed much more
light on it than that.

         Q      David, did you just get inducted into the Bohemian
Club recently?

         MR. GERGEN:  I have not been inducted.

         Q      Did you join that?  What is that?

         MR. GERGEN:  You mean the Grove?

         Q      Yes.

         MR. GERGEN:  It's called the Grove not the club.

         Q      Sorry.  It's only men so it's hard for me to know
these things.

         Q      Are you going to run around nude?  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  No, you run around bald.  (Laughter.)  Yes,
I was approached about joining the Bohemian Grove some -- oh, I don't
know, I was approached two or three years ago about it.  And my name
is up for -- I guess I am now formally a member.  It's a long process
to get in.

         Q      It's a long process --

         MR. GERGEN:  Yes, it's a long process.  Typically --

         Q      Are you going to do what those men do?  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  I don't know what that is.

         Q      That's all male and all white?

         MR. GERGEN:  It's definitely not all white.  I went
there once about three or four years ago for a weekend, and it was --

         Q      To try out?  (Laughter.)

         Q      Are you going to remain a member?

         MR. GERGEN:  I have no intentions to resign.

         Why don't we move on?  I think we'll close this down.

         Q      Mark Shields said it took a long time to get you to
switch back toward the Democratic camp.  How did he do that?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, it was interesting.  I think there
were times that Mark and I were crossing.  He seemed to be moving
right sometimes when I seemed to be moving left on the issues over
the years.  But Mark has been a wonderful, wonderful partner.  I
could not have asked for a better partner.  He has been just
splendid.  We had a long conversation about this, and it was one of
the saddest parts and the hardest parts of my coming into government
was to end that partnership.

         Let's take a couple more and let's move on.

         Q      Where's your office?

         Q      You said that the communications shop would report
through you.  Who do you report to?

         MR. GERGEN:  I report to the President, but I do
everything in coordination with the Chief of Staff.  Mack McLarty
runs the White House.  He is the captain around here.  And we do
everything together and we've had a very, very splendid relationship.
And I must tell you, I've been terribly, terribly impressed by --
everything that he said we would try to do together we've been doing,
and it's been a good, close working relationship.  So I'm looking
forward to it.

         Why don't we just take one or two --

         Q      Are the two of you coequal?

         MR. GERGEN:  I don't see it in those terms at all.  I'm
not, frankly, interested in that kind of question at all.

         Now, Helen asked about the office space.  Mark Gearan
will be sitting in the office where George has been sitting.  That
will be -- he's been moving in.  You'll see boxes up there this
afternoon if you care to visit.

         Q      David, how much input will you have on the actual
policy-making of this presidency?  Or will you have any?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, I think we'll have to wait and see.
Let me just say this:  I've been invited to go to all the major
policy meetings and to have a voice in them.  And, I mean, that's
what the role of counselor -- in part what the role of counselor was
about.  That, in part, is what attracted me here.  I wanted an
opportunity, if I could, to advise him both on a wide range of
issues.  And they were very, very receptive to that.  They, in fact,
reached out and said that's what we would like.

         Now, I understand there are people who know far more
about some individual elements of policy than I do, and I would not
presume on many of those issues to say I think this is a detail or
this, that, or the other.  But I think there are some elements on
which, so far he's been -- the President's been very receptive to my
thoughts.  We'll see if I overstay my welcome.

         Q      Has a decision been reached about who is going to
succeed Mark as Deputy Chief of Staff?  Has a decision been reached
about who is going to succeed Mark?

         MR. GERGEN:  Mark, do you want to respond to that?

         MR. GEARAN:  No.  As David mentioned, Mack is reviewing
the entire staff organization.  And to the extent that there is some
further fine-tuning, I think you'll hear more about it later.

         Q      When?

         MR. GEARAN:  Later.  But Roy Neel is the Deputy Chief of
Staff doing the day-to-day operations here in the White House.

         Q      Do you know when the decisions will be made, or
that review --

         MR. GEARAN:  There's no final date for that, but I think
within the week you would hear something.

         Q      Mark, any other departments reporting to you, or
just the communications?

         MR. GEARAN:  Communications.  (Laughter.)

         Q      Would you answer my question?  Who did you vote for
for President last fall?

         MR. GEARAN:  You don't want to ask me that?  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  I don't think -- respectfully speaking,
respectfully, I don't think I have to answer that.

         Q      You don't have to answer it, I'm just asking you.

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, I guess the only hesitancy I had was
that I was --

         Q      Too embarrassing?

         MR. GERGEN:  No, it's not embarrassing at all.  Look,
the truth is I voted for Bill Clinton.  And I did so happily.  I
thought it was very, very important that this country move forward
aggressively to address its underlying social and economic needs.
And I thought he offered a program that held out -- not that I agree
with everything -- I thought he held out a program that represented
hope, that represented change.  And I wanted to see him succeed at
that.  And I think it's extremely important for this country to move
forward.

         I am not here because I need -- I've been here before.
And one of the things you find if you cover this as a member of the
press, it's not necessarily an assignment you seek out again, I
believe.  (Laughter.)  And if you served here in a staff position,
it's not necessarily an assignment you seek out again.  But I think
it's of overriding importance to our children that this country move
forward.  And if I can help in some modest way in that, and I know
that my help will be extremely modest, I'm willing to do that.

         I've been quite touched by Republicans who have called
me and said we understand that when a President calls you should
answer.  And there have been others in the past who have done that.
Someone reminded me last night -- I don't think I need to go into
analogies -- I think that would be pretty presumptuous --

         Q      David, what message should the President send with
a selection of a Supreme Court justice?  Who do you think can help
him most with choosing that person?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, I think it's totally inappropriate
for me to answer the latter part of that question.  I just refer you
back to what he said during the campaign about the qualities he's
looking for.

         Q      Is he looking for judicial experience?

         MR. GERGEN:  I think that's inappropriate for me to get
into that, please.

         Q      During the transition or around that period you
apparently wrote some memos and came around for some talks in the
White House.  And the White House staff says that these memos were
very helpful to the new administration.  How did you reconcile that
with your role as a journalist at the time?

         MR. GERGEN:  Yes, there were some memos that I wrote
that, as I understand, were looked at with great care by the White
House and were examined.  And, in fact, I was told on several
occasions that they were circulating.  It happened that I wrote those
in the transition of 1980.

         Q      1980?

         MR. GERGEN:  1980.

         Q      Oh.  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  Next question.

         Q         there are some issues where even Republicans
should be able to be garnered for support.  Does that apply to health
care as well as budget?  Will there be a redoubling of effort to get
bipartisan support on these issues?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, I think it's quite striking that Mrs.
Clinton has already been meeting with Republicans on a fairly regular
basis and having extensive conversations.  Of course, the
administration hopes that some Republicans would come forward and
that the President's proposal will attract bipartisan support.

         Q      Having worked for other presidents, have you ever
seen the climate as bad so early on in a new administration?

         MR. GERGEN:  You may remember I was here during the '73,
'74 period.  (Laughter.)  I've seen worse and so have you.

         Q      I'm talking about the early part?

         Q      You said you were going to be invited to all the
policy meetings.  Will Mark and Dee Dee also have that sort of
access?

         MR. GERGEN:  I think we're going to work that out as we
go, but there's no question that the President wants to ensure that
Dee Dee and Mark -- particularly as Dee Dee comes out here.  The deal
on briefings essentially will be that Dee Dee will do most of the
briefings, but Mark will be out here on a periodic basis, maybe once
a week or so, depending on how we work out.  (Laughter.)  Come on,
Mark.  (Laughter.)

         But it's important that they have access.  It's
important that you all feel and know that the people who are talking
to you can speak authoritatively for the President.  And that's part
of what we're doing.  I would like to see that other people come
forward out here.  I'd like to look at how often do I let people
within the administration come out and talk to you all.  I don't know
the answer to that question, but it's one of the questions I've been
posing and I'd like to look at that.

         I think it's been particularly helpful to me to serve a
stint in the press.  It's given me a much better understanding of the
needs of the press.  I always respected the press, but I think I
understand it better.  And I've certainly have a great deal of
respect for what your job is.  You are an incredibly important part
of the democratic process.  It's important that you are here.  And
it's important that you have your questions answered in a way that's
authoritative and straight.  You all believe that.  I believe that
and I think these folks believe it.  So we'll have to figure out --
how you structure that to make sure that happens I can't speak to
that on a day-to-day basis.

         Q      Your conversations with the President -- does it
strike you that he still has some lingering bitterness to the press
from the campaign?

         MR. GERGEN:  I really don't have a response to that.

         Q      David, did you come away from your meeting with
Ross Perot with any sense of whether he will again attack the
President in the way he did a couple weeks ago -- the attacks that
many people called personal?

         MR. GERGEN:  As a journalist, I tried to predict what
Mr. Perot would do from week to week, and I did not have a very good
batting record.  And I don't think that I really ought to say that.
I do think that he's -- I regard Ross Perot as a patriot.

         Q      You said that -- you referred us back to '73, '74.
Are you saying that this is the worst since Watergate?

         MR. GERGEN:  No, of course not.  I don't think that's a
fair interpretation and I certainly didn't mean to imply that.  I
find that many people in the press -- let me just say this.  I've had
many people in the press come to me and say, we would like a better
relationship.  There are things we think that could be done that
would improve the relationship, and we ought to look at those.  We
ought to be very open to that.  I don't think there's any -- I don't
think it's in the same league.  I'm sorry if I meant by that -- I
didn't mean to imply that.

         Q         was not the relation to the press, but just the
condition of the White House and the problems that --

         MR. GERGEN:  Oh, good grief, no, no, no, no.  This White
House -- listen, what I think the President would like to convey over
time is that sometimes some of the stories, the flaps and so forth,
have gotten in the way of his accomplishments and what he actually
has taken on and what he has accomplished.  I think he would like to
communicate that message more clearly than has sometimes been
possible.  But we'll see.  Let's take it day to day.

         Why don't we have one more question?  Yes, sir, please.

         Q      David, in what ways or way are we likely to see a
change in the President's message and the way it's delivered because
of your joining the team here?

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, we have a new Communications
Director.  I'll be looking to him for some thoughts.  I will have
some thoughts.  There are others here who have thoughts.  And we'll
take it on a day-to-day basis.  I'm not prepared to say.  This is my
-- I have now been officially here 14 hours.  It's 2:00 p.m.  What
time do people get here?  (Laughter.)  I have been here only -- this
is my first day.  And so it's very early to talk about things like
that.

         Thank you very much.  Mark, did you have anything more
to add here?

         MR. GEARAN:  No.  (Laughter.)

         Q      Don't be incommunicative.

         MR. GEARAN:  What's that?

         Q      Don't be incommunicative.  (Laughter.)

         MR. GERGEN:  Well, Madeleine may have some things.
Where did Madeline go?

         MR. GEARAN:  Madeleine is off camera.

         Q      Who can answer on Supreme Court?

         MR. GERGEN:  And Mary -- this is -- Mary, you can kiss
Mark goodbye now.  This is the last time you'll see him for a couple
of years.  (Laughter.)

         MR. GEARAN:  I guess the only thing is we do welcome you
up into the Press Office.  Dee Dee Myers is going to be cutting a
ribbon -- (laughter) -- to open up the hallway.  And we look forward
to seeing you.  And I guess early mornings on -- we're going to spend
a lot of early mornings together, I'm told.  (Laughter.)  Look
forward to it.

         MR. GERGEN:  Okay, it's all Dee Dee's.  Thank you very
much.

                                 END1:49 P.M. EDT