    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [January 1, 2003]
    [Pages iii-xii]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Public Papers of the President, 2003, Book I

    [[Page iii]]

             P U B L I C  P A P E R S  O F  T H E  P R E S I D E N T S

                                    O F  T H E

                             U N I T E D  S T A T E S

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                                Published by the

                         Office of the Federal Register

                  National Archives and Records Administration

     For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
                                     Office

       Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov  Phone: (202) 512-1800
                           Fax: (202) 512-2250

                  Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20401

    [[Page v]]
                                    Foreword

        This volume collects my speeches, major statements, and papers from
    the first 6 months of 2003.

        The year began with Saddam Hussein still defying the world. For more
    than a decade, the United States and other nations had sought through
    patient diplomacy to disarm the Iraqi regime of its weapons programs and
    to have international inspectors verify this disarmament. These efforts
    had not been successful. In November 2002, the United Nations Security
    Council unanimously passed Resolution 1441, which declared Hussein's
    regime in material breach of its longstanding obligations--and vowed
    serious consequences if Iraq continued its violations of U.N.
    resolutions. Saddam Hussein offered no proof that he had abandoned his
    weapons programs, and he continued to deceive weapons inspectors.

        We knew that Saddam Hussein had a long history of aggression, that
    he had developed and used weapons of mass destruction in the past, and
    that he had cultivated ties to terrorist groups and had harbored known
    terrorists. And we knew that in a post-September 11th world, America
    must confront gathering threats before it is too late. We gave Saddam
    Hussein another chance, a final chance, to meet his responsibilities to
    the civilized world--and again, he refused. By mid-March, we had
    exhausted all diplomatic options. Faced with continued defiance from
    Baghdad, America and its allies were obligated to enforce the just
    demands of the world.

        On my orders, on March 19 our Armed Forces began striking selected
    military targets to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war. In
    one of the swiftest advances of heavy arms in history, our Marines and
    soldiers charged to Baghdad across 350 miles of hostile ground,
    alongside troops from other coalition countries. By April, the world was
    watching Iraqis pull down a statue of their former dictator.

        As the Iraqi people celebrated the end of Saddam Hussein's
    dictatorship, we mourned the loss of the brave men and women in the
    coalition forces who gave their lives in battle. We also recognized that
    many difficult challenges remained to secure peace and freedom in Iraq
    and that the transition would take time. Many of the old regime's
    leaders were still at large, parts of Iraq remained dangerous, and basic
    services needed to be reestablished. The highest priority was to replace
    Saddam Hussein's tyranny with a government of, by, and for the Iraqi
    people.

        The liberation of Iraq was part of a broader American effort to
    combat terrorism, promote peace, and bring hope to the suffering. In my
    January 2003 State of the Union address, I proposed a historic $15
    billion initiative to address the worldwide HIV/AIDS pandemic. I also
    announced Project Bioshield, a new initiative to develop vaccines and
    other countermeasures against biological weapons and other dangerous
    agents, as well as the creation of a new office to merge and analyze all
    threat infor-

    [[Page vi]]
    mation in a single location. To enhance protection of the
    homeland, the new Department of Homeland Security began operations in
    March. That same month, our actions to disrupt the al-Qaida terrorist
    network continued to progress when American and Pakistani authorities
    captured Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a mastermind of the September 11th
    attacks on our country.

        At home, my Administration worked with Congress to address a number
    of priorities, including a broad reform of Medicare that would add a
    prescription drug benefit and give seniors more choices and control over
    their health care. In April, I signed into law the PROTECT Act, which
    gave law enforcement additional tools to prevent, investigate, and
    prosecute violent crimes against children. And to speed our economic
    recovery and help create jobs, in May I signed into law the Jobs and
    Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act, which delivered substantial tax
    relief to tens of millions of Americans. It reduced taxes for everyone
    who pays income taxes, increased the child tax credit, cut taxes on
    dividends and capital gains, and gave small business owners incentives
    to invest for the future.

        As we pursued our goals at home and abroad, our Nation was saddened
    by the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia in February. From the
    bravery of our astronauts, to the valor of our soldiers charging through
    sandstorms to liberate millions, the daring and decent character of our
    country was evident during the first 6 months of 2003.

                              B

    [[Page vii]]

                                     Preface

        This book contains the papers and speeches of the 43d President of
    the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary
    during the period January 1-June 30, 2003. The material has been
    compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National
    Archives and Records Administration.

        The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates
    shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In
    instances when the release date differs from the date of the document
    itself, that fact is shown in the textnote. Every effort has been made
    to ensure accuracy: Remarks are checked against a tape recording, and
    signed documents are checked against the original. Textnotes and cross
    references have been provided by the editors for purposes of
    identification or clarity. Speeches were delivered in Washington, DC,
    unless indicated. The times noted are local times. All materials that
    are printed full-text in the book have been indexed in the subject and
    name indexes, and listed in the document categories list.

        The Public Papers of the Presidents series was begun in 1957 in
    response to a recommendation of the National Historical Publications
    Commission. An extensive compilation of messages and papers of the
    Presidents covering the period 1789 to 1897 was assembled by James D.
    Richardson and published under congressional authority between 1896 and
    1899. Since then, various private compilations have been issued, but
    there was no uniform publication comparable to the Congressional Record
    or the United States Supreme Court Reports. Many Presidential papers
    could be found only in the form of mimeographed White House releases or
    as reported in the press. The Commission therefore recommended the
    establishment of an official series in which Presidential writings,
    addresses, and remarks of a public nature could be made available.

        The Commission's recommendation was incorporated in regulations of
    the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, issued under
    section 6 of the Federal Register Act (44 U.S.C. 1506), which may be
    found in title 1, part 10, of the Code of Federal Regulations.

        A companion publication to the Public Papers series, the Weekly
    Compilation of Presidential Documents, was begun in 1965 to provide a
    broader range of Presidential materials on a more timely basis to meet
    the needs of the contemporary reader. Beginning with the administration
    of Jimmy Carter, the Public Papers series expanded its coverage to
    include additional material as printed in the Weekly Compilation. That
    coverage provides a listing of the President's daily schedule and
    meetings, when announced, and other items of general interest issued by
    the Office of

    [[Page viii]]
    the Press Secretary. Also included are lists of the President's
    nominations submitted to the Senate, materials released by the Office of
    the Press Secretary that are not printed full-text in the book, and
    proclamations, Executive orders, and other Presidential documents
    released by the Office of the Press Secretary and published in the
    Federal Register. This information appears in the appendixes at the end
    of the book.

        Volumes covering the administrations of Presidents Herbert Hoover,
    Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B.
    Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan,
    George Bush, and William J. Clinton are also included in the Public
    Papers series.

        The Public Papers of the Presidents publication program is under the
    direction of Frances D. McDonald, Managing Editor, Office of the Federal
    Register. The series is produced by the Presidential and Legislative
    Publications Unit, Gwendolyn J. Henderson, Chief. The Chief Editor of
    this book was Stacey A. Mulligan, assisted by Karen Howard Ashlin,
    William K. Banks, Loretta F. Cochran, Kathleen M. Fargey, Stephen J.
    Frattini, Alison M. Gavin, Christopher Gushman, Alfred Jones, and
    Michael J. Sullivan.

        The frontispiece and photographs used in the portfolio were supplied
    by the White House Photo Office. The typography and design of the book
    were developed by the Government Printing Office under the direction of
    Bruce R. James, Public Printer.

    Raymond A. Mosley
    Director of the Federal Register

    Allen Weinstein
    Archivist of the United States

    [[Page ix]]
                                    Contents

                        Foreword . . . v

                        Preface . . . vii

                        Cabinet . . . xi

                        Public Papers of George W. Bush,
                        January 1-June 30, 2003 . . . 1

                        Appendix A
                        Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 727

                        Appendix B
                        Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 765

                        Appendix C
                        Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 787

                        Appendix D
                        Presidential Documents Published in the Federal
                        Register . . . 799

                        Subject Index . . . a-1

                        Name Index . . . b-1

                        Document Categories List . . . c-1

    [[Page xi]]
                                    Cabinet

            Secretary of State

                                              Colin L. Powell.........

            Secretary of the Treasury

                                              John Snow...............

            Secretary of Defense

                                              Donald H. Rumsfeld......

            Attorney General

                                              John Ashcroft...........

            Secretary of the Interior

                                              Gale A. Norton..........

            Secretary of Agriculture

                                              Ann M. Veneman..........

            Secretary of Commerce

                                              Donald L. Evans.........

            Secretary of Labor

                                              Elaine L. Chao..........

            Secretary of Health and Human

            Services

                                              Tommy G. Thompson.......

            Secretary of Housing and Urban
            Development

                                              Mel R. Martinez.........

            Secretary of Transportation

                                              Norman Y. Mineta........

            Secretary of Energy

                                              Spencer Abraham.........

            Secretary of Education

                                              Roderick R. Paige.......

            Secretary of Veterans Affairs

                                              Anthony J. Principi.....

            Secretary of Homeland Security

                                              Tom Ridge...............

            Chief of Staff

                                              Andrew H. Card, Jr......

            Administrator of the Environmental

            Protection Agency

                                              Christine Todd Whitman..

            United States Trade Representative

                                              Robert B. Zoellick......

    [[Page xii]]

            Director of the Office of
            Management

            and Budget

                                              Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr.

            Director of National Drug Control

            Policy

                                              John P. Walters.........

                        Administration of George W. Bush

                                      2003