In a rare press conference at the White House on Tuesday, President Bush touted recent good news about the economy and defended his policies on retooling Social Security, Iraq and his stance on rogue nuclear nations.
ALEX CHADWICK, host: This is DAY TO DAY.  I'm Alex Chadwick.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: Coming up, a new mix of old sounds from north Africa, the music of      Maghreb.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: First, this:  President Bush held a short-notice news conference today to      call on Congress to follow his leadership and to counter reports that his      second-term presidency has been losing momentum.  Mr. Bush's poll numbers      are at a low point for his presidency.  Several of his initiatives are      stalled or slowed on Capitol Hill.  And the conflict in Iraq has become      more violent. But the president didn't flinch on any of these issues      speaking to reporters today.  Joining us is NPR's senior Washington      editor, Ron Elving.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: Ron, welcome back to the show.  And what about this news conference?</s>RON ELVING (NPR Senior Washington Editor): Well, the president has begun      to do one of these each month, usually towards the end of the month,      after having been very low-visibility for press conferences in his first      term.  But he likes to come out and get his message across the best way      he can, so he was highlighting good news on the economy, pretty good news      on the job front, good news on consumer confidence.  Gas prices are a      little lower, although he didn't mention gas prices this morning.</s>RON ELVING (NPR Senior Washington Editor): And he had four things he wanted Congress to do, things like Social      Security, which we've been hearing about, and a trade agreement and lower      spending, and he also wants the energy bill passed.  And the odds are      stacked against him on three or four of those issues, but the president      wanted to press ahead, wanted to tell them that this was still what he      expected and what the American people expected them to do.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: There were 20 questions over a course of about 50 minutes, one      on the situation in Iraq.  Here's how Mr. Bush responded.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: President GEORGE W. BUSH:  I believe the Iraqi government's gonna be      plenty capable of dealing with them.  And our job is to help train them      so that they can.  I was heartened to see the Iraqi government announce      40,000 Iraqi troops are well-trained enough to help secure Baghdad.  That      was a very positive sign.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: Ron, is that how people in Congress are going to be looking at      the news from Iraq this week?</s>RON ELVING (NPR Senior Washington Editor): There's a lot of uneasiness in Congress about Iraq.  Announcing      that you have 40,000 troops well-trained enough to deal with the      situation is one thing, but having them actually deal with it is another.      And what we've seen is a month of May that was one of the bloodiest      since the war began.  The death rate is up sharply:  over 70 Americans in      recent weeks; hundreds and hundreds of Iraqis.</s>RON ELVING (NPR Senior Washington Editor): The latest blow, of course, to United States prestige with respect to      creating democracy and freedom in the Middle East is this report from the      Amnesty International people calling our anti-terror prisons like      Guantanamo Bay `a new Gulag.'</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: Very, very sharp reaction from Mr. Bush on that.</s>RON ELVING (NPR Senior Washington Editor): He said it was absurd.  That was the word he used.  He said      anyone who would say such things would have to be someone who hated      America.  And he said that we had investigated all complaints made about      our treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and other facilities and      that our investigations had been completely transparent.  So the      president really had absolutely no use for this report, and Dick Cheney      has had dismissive terms for it in recent hours as well.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: OK.  Speaking of hope, the president said he's hoping to get      up-or-down votes for his judicial nominees.  He said he hoped he      would--although he was not quite sure what to make of that bipartisan      agreement that we spoke about last week on filibusters that are ended in      all but, quote, "extraordinary circumstances."  Here's Mr. Bush.</s>Pres. BUSH: I'll put a best face on it, and that is that since they're      moving forward with Judge Owen, for example, and others, that      extraordinary circumstances means just that, really extraordinary.  I      don't know what that means.  I guess we're about to find out.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: How about that, Ron?  Are we?</s>RON ELVING (NPR Senior Washington Editor): Well, the president did get Priscilla Owen confirmed, and he'll      get a couple of his other nominees to the appellate bench confirmed.  But      after that, the Democrats expect that it's one case at a time.  A      filibuster is still an option for them; it's still very much on the      table, and that that would apply to a choice for chief justice of the      Supreme Court.  We may be doing that this summer.  The president made      clear that he had not changed his means of choosing a nominee to the      Supreme Court.  He will have some discussions with Congress and will      listen to their opinions, but then he plans to make his own decision.  No      change there.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: How about John Bolton's nomination for UN ambassador, also a      question?</s>RON ELVING (NPR Senior Washington Editor): The president stands by Bolton, and he also said today he would      not release the documents that the Democrats have said are their price      for an up-or-down vote on Bolton.  So that one's at an impasse, and we'll      see who blinks first.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: OK.  And over and over again today, he kept saying, `Social      Security, Social Security.'</s>RON ELVING (NPR Senior Washington Editor): Absolutely.  One of the four things right at the top of the      speech, the president said, `I'm still pressing ahead on Social Security.      I'm like water cutting through a rock.  If I have enough time, I'm gonna      cut right through that rock.'</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: NPR's senior Washington editor, Ron Elving.  He's also the      author of the political column Watching Washington.  It runs every Monday      on our Web site, npr.org.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: Ron, thanks again.</s>RON ELVING (NPR Senior Washington Editor): Thank you, Alex.