“I think you can be certain that negotiations with terrorists are not on this president’s agenda,” she said. “The fact is that these are killers and thugs who are trying to intimidate the international community. They are trying to intimidate the United States and they will not succeed.”
[…]
Myers, President Bush’s top military adviser, added: “We’re not going to negotiate with terrorists about hostages. That’s been true forever.”
But, Myers said, “I can also tell you though that … we are going to do everything in our power to get them back and get them back alive and in good condition.”