Excerpts from White House Press Briefing Regarding Space Policy 16 Dec 2003

Q Can you tell us about the North Carolina speech tomorrow, the President attending the first flight anniversary?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President looks forward to going to North Carolina tomorrow to commemorate a very historic day in our nation’s history, and certainly in the history of flight, which was the first flight by the two brothers there. And he looks forward to making some remarks there to commemorate that special occasion of the Wright brothers’ historic flight.

Q Is he going to have a larger theme? Is he going to talk about the future of manned space flight?

MR. McCLELLAN: No comments from the front row here. I’ll come comment while you’re on tonight. (Laughter.)

Q Is he going to talk about the future of manned space flight, Scott?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don’t know if he might just make reference to it. I mean, I wouldn’t necessarily rule that out. But obviously, he is strongly committed to the exploration of space. He’s made that very well-known. In the aftermath of the Columbia, the President directed there to be an interagency review of our space policy. That interagency review has been underway. But I don’t — do not expect him to announce any new initiatives from that tomorrow.