A:Ann Gray, White House Intern Coordinator:
Approximately 100 interns are chosen to serve in the White House Intern Program for a fall, spring, or summer term. The program is highly competitive. For the Summer, 2004 class, twenty-five White House offices selected interns from almost 1000 applications. A White House Intern must be an American citizen, 18 years of age, and enrolled in school. An excellent candidate should have: a solid academic record, a history of school or community service, consistent internship/work experience, and a demonstrated interest in serving our President in any capacity. Additional information can be found on the White House website /government/wh-intern.html.

A:Jim Connaughton, Chairman of the Council of Environmental Quality:

Thank you for that good question, Lorie. The Bush Administration is implementing a variety of policies and programs to reduce the amount of waste entering our lakes and watersheds, and also clean up what has already crept in

A:Lynne Cheney, Wife of the Vice President:

Thank you for your question, Adam.

A:Jim Connaugton, Chairman of the Council of Environmental Quality:

Thank you for the question. You apparently are not aware that the President is an avid outdoorsman and conservationist who enjoys restoring habitat, planting native grasses and reforesting his own land. He also goes fishing, hiking and biking outside as much as his very busy schedule allows.

Congress passed the Healthy Forests legislation by an overwhelming, bipartisan vote of support, including both California senators who understand the danger to communities, wildlife habitat, and air and water quality from catastrophic wildfire. For example, the Biscuit fire in Oregon destroyed 100,000 acres of spotted owl habitat. Smoke from the fires also sent numerous people to hospitals. Interestingly, the majority of the 14 senators voting against the legislation are mainly from the Northeast and do not face the same problem with catastrophic wildfires.

The Healthy Forests Initiative improves the ways our lands are managed. For nearly 100 years, the Federal government had taken the unnatural approach of strict fire suppression, which resulted in dense brush, undergrowth and invasive species which choke off nutrients from old growth trees and create the conditions giving rise to the catastrophic fires we see so frequently now. This phenomenon is more fully explained at a /news/releases/2003/12/20031203-2.html and /infocus/healthyforests/toc.html.

Healthy Forests is based on sound science. Government and academic experts in forestry and fires are responsible for the design and management of the effort. The objective of this effort is to perform responsible thinning projects to return forests to more natural densities so forests can survive and be rejuvenated by natural fire cycles, which also happens to promote faster growth of larger trees. Just last month, the U.S. Forest Service released a study showing that such projects are an effective means to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire to communities. The study also showed that these treatments improve and maintain forest health. The report is available at http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr120.html. By the way, contrary to the assertions of some critics, the Healthy Forest legislation specifically ensures protection of old growth trees and keeps wilderness areas off limits.

We are happy that you are interested in forest health and hope that you will check out the information to learn even more. Thanks for the question!

A:Jimmy Orr, White House Internet Director:
Yes, “2,” someone does read these emails. You can imagine the number of emails we receive, but every email sent in to White House Interaction is read. I know, because I receive them.

Although we would prefer to answer each of them, we cannot. So, we answer emails which are representative of the thousands which come in. It is our goal to answer more and more of these.

White House Interactive is relatively young. But it is a defining moment on the Internet. Providing a forum in which the public and the White House can interact like this has NEVER happened before. It is important and it is our hope that these type of forums become the norm all across government. The Internet is a powerful communications medium and government needs to better utilize it in that fashion.

And as I mentioned, it is our goal to answer more and more questions. Thanks for yours...

A:Andrew Samwick, Chief Economist, CEA:
Job creation is a principal focus of this Administration. It has worked to create an atmosphere of lower taxes and sensible regulation in which businesses can thrive and create new jobs. An open world trading system is generally a positive contribution to economic prosperity. It increases living standards both at home and abroad. That is the reason the President has actively pursued trade agreements to open up markets abroad.

A:Jimmy Orr, White House Internet Director:
Hi Fred

A:White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan:
My job would certainly be much easier if only it were true. I can categorically say it has no basis in fact, but it was one of the more amusing conspiracy theories I have seen during my time at the White House. The White House press corps is represented by a bunch of professional journalists who are working hard to keep the American people informed about the decisions we make here in Washington. Part of their job is to ask the tough questions, but I can never foresee a day when they would ever submit those to us in advance.

A:Melissa Bennett, Special Assistant to the President and Director for Appointments and Scheduling:
The President has been to Rochester, Michigan and Rochester, Minnesota, but hasn't been to Rochester, New York yet. In April, he was near by in Buffalo, New York talking about the USA Patriot Act. He has also traveled to Wilmington, West Point, Fort Drum, Bay Shore, East Meadow and New York City. The President loves to travel and meet citizens from all over the country. I hope someday he will be speaking near your home in Rochester, New York too.

A:Richard Russell, White House Senior Director for Technology:
President Bush has set an aggressive goal for all Americans to have access to broadband by 2007. One way for us to meet that goal is to encourage new technologies such as Broadband Over Powerlines, or BPL. As with most new technologies, BPL has issues that need to be addressed. BPL presents the possibility of interference to certain radio systems. That is why technical standards are necessary to enable BPL to operate while protecting existing radio systems.

A:Jimmy Orr, White House Internet Director:
The University of Denver hockey team is here today. The President is congratulating four NCAA teams for winning national titles. The President will congratulate the University of Connecticut men's and women's basketball teams, the University of Denver men's hockey team, and the University of Minnesota women's hockey team.

A:Jim Wilkinson, Deputy National Security Advisor for Communications:
The Administration has been extremely cooperative with the September 11 Commission, including allowing unprecedented access to documents and interviews and meetings with Administration officials -- including the President and Vice President. Dr. Rice's testimony was public because the Administration wanted to work with the Commission to help give the public access to as much as possible. As for other September 11 Commission meetings, I would refer you to the Commission.

A:Eric Draper, White House Photo Director:
A fraction of a second can make the difference between a good photo and a bad one. In this case, timing and a little bit of luck helped me to compose this image of Marine One flying over the heads of French fire and emergency personnel as the President departed Evian, France following last year's G-8 Summit. I didn't know exactly what I was going to get but I took a chance and I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at my film.

A:Jim Connaughton, Chairman, Council of Environmental Quality:
Thank you for your inquiry. Indeed, the President's nonroad diesel announcement is ground-breaking. As Administrator Leavitt said, "We are going to make that burst of black smoke that erupts from diesels a thing of the past." For more information on the complete suite of diesel regulations, please click here (http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/).

In addition, the Bush Administration is addressing emissions from all cars.

EPA's Tier 2 Vehicle and Gasoline Sulfur Program, which we are currently implementing, affects every new passenger vehicle and every gallon of gasoline sold in our country. In addition, through EPA's Clean Diesel Trucks and Buses program, we are dramatically reducing the level of sulfur in highway diesel fuel as well.

Under these programs, for the first time:

SUVs, pick-up trucks, vans, and the largest personal vehicles are subject to the same national emission standards as cars.

Vehicles and the fuels they use are treated as one system. Cleaner vehicles will have the low-sulfur gasoline or diesel fuels they need to run their cleanest.

These programs will result in cars, SUVs, pick-ups, and vans that are 77-95 percent cleaner than today's cars and trucks, and will also result in cleaner-burning gasoline and diesel fuel that contains 90+ percent less sulfur.

Cleaner cars that run on cleaner fuels result in cleaner air, and better health for all Americans.

A:Ed McNally, Senior Associate Counsel and HSC General Counsel:

Doug --

Thank you for your question about the USA Patriot Act. The President is committed to protecting the rights, the liberties and the security of everyone in America.

The President signed the Patriot Act into law in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. Thanks to the President.s decisive leadership in the war on terrorism, the Patriot Act has played a key role in a number of successful operations to protect innocent Americans from terrorists. In passing the Patriot Act by an overwhelmingly favorable margin (the vote was 98 to 1 in the Senate), Congress provided for modest, incremental changes in the law. Congress took existing legal principles and adapted them to preserve the lives and liberty of the American people given the challenges posed by global terrorist threats. These changes have enabled the Federal Government to better track terrorists, disrupt their cells, seize their assets, and share more information with state and local law enforcement.

The short answer to your question is no - ordinary Americans are not losing their constitutional freedoms. To the contrary, the Patriot Act represents another important step in the government's fulfillment of its constitutional obligation to "provide for the common defense" of Americans against terrorist or other attacks. The Patriot Act is constitutionally sound, and has not been used to violate the rights of Americans. Consider, for example, the Washington Post's account concerning the remarks of one of your home state Senators -- U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Calif), that she made on this issue at a hearing last fall. The Post reported that although her office received 21,434 letters opposing the Act, none of those letters contained any alleged abuses of the Patriot Act. The Senator said: "I have never had a single abuse of the Patriot Act reported to me." When she asked the ACLU for examples of alleged violations of civil liberties under the Act, Senator Feinstein reported that the ACLU "had none." Source: Washington Post, 10/22/03

Similarly, this is what Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) had to say about the Patriot Act:

"If there is one key word that underscores this bill, it is 'balance.' . . . The balance between the need to update our laws given the new challenges and the need to maintain our basic freedoms which distinguish us from our enemies is real." Source: Congressional Record, October 25, 2001

If you would like more information about the role of the USA PATRIOT Act in protecting Americans in the war on terror, please visit the U.S. Department of Justice website at www.lifeandliberty.gov

-- Edward McNally

A:Margaret Spellings, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy:
Jennifer, thanks for writing and congratulations on completing your education. It is true that the No Child Left Behind Act requires that teachers be "highly qualified".

A:Jimmy Orr, White House Internet Director:
Thanks Carol

A:Secretary Andy Card, White House Chief of Staff:
The show stretches reality, but frequently has story lines based on credible experiences. The real West Wing is not as "large" as it appears in the television show, and the offices are much smaller. Never have I seen West Wing staffers running around the corridors in any panic. The President is also not likely to give a long speech to his staff in the Oval Office.

A:Sara Armstrong, Director of the White House Visitor's Office:
Thank you for your interest in visiting the White House. Tours are available for groups of 10 or more, regardless of age or type of group. Requests must be submitted through your Member of Congress and may be submitted up to six months in advance. We recommend that you submit your request as early as possible since the White House is a popular place to visit. The tours are self-guided and are scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

A: Brian Montgomery, Deputy Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary:
White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card, Jr., also serves as a member of the President's Cabinet and has a seat at the table for each Cabinet meeting. His official title is Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, not Counselor to the President. Additionally, the Chief of Staff is also referred to as "Secretary Card" since he served as Secretary of Transportation from 1992-93.

A: Dr. Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor:
I want to assure people in the Arab world, Iraq, around the world, and the American people, that the President is determined to get to the bottom of it, to know who is responsible and to make sure that whoever is responsible is punished for it and held accountable.

A: Judge Al Gonzales, White House Counsel:
The President's most solemn obligation is protecting the American people. The President is committed to aggressively pursuing the war on terror and to doing everything possible to try to prevent another attack. He is of course doing so in a way that upholds the Constitution and all U.S. laws.

A: Jim Towey, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives:
President Bush is following the precedent of his predecessors - a practice that began with President Washington, I believe, who proclaimed a national day of fasting and prayer. The event Thursday does not endorse any one religion nor is any citizen obliged to participate. This practice is Constitutional.