    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [May 6, 2003]
    [Pages 440-442]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Appointment of L. Paul Bremer III  Paul
    ``Jerry'' III as Presidential Envoy to Iraq and an Exchange
    With Reporters
    May 6, 2003

        The President. Today it's my honor to announce that Jerry Bremer has
    agreed to become the Presidential Envoy to Iraq. In selecting Jerry
    Bremer, our country will be sending one of our best citizens. He's a man
    of enormous experience, a person who knows how to get things done. He's
    a can-do type person. He shares the same values as the American--most
    Americans share, and that is our deep desire to have an

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    orderly country in Iraq that is free and at peace, where the average
    citizen has a chance to achieve his or her dreams.
        The Ambassador goes with the full blessings of this administration
    and the full confidence of all of us in this administration that he can
    get the job done.
        So, Mr. Ambassador, thanks for taking this on. I'm proud of you, and
    I appreciate so very much you're willing to sacrifice not only on behalf
    of our country but on behalf of the people of Iraq who deserve a free
    and democratic society. Good luck to you.
        Ambassador Bremer. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. I'll answer some questions.
        Yes.

    Resignation of Office of Management and Budget Director Mitchell
    Daniels, Jr.  Jr.

        Q. Mr. President, how did Mitch Daniels explain his resignation
    today? And does that departure affect your prospects for a tax package
    on the Hill?
        The President. Mitch told me that he wants to go back home to the
    State of Indiana and perhaps pursue a run for political office. I told
    him, I said, ``Mitch, we're going to miss you a lot in this
    administration.'' He has served us well. He has been a really good
    watchdog of the taxpayers' money. And you know, I'm going to miss him.
    On the other hand, this administration's loss is the gain of the people
    of Indiana.
        And we're going to get a tax package through because it's the right
    thing to do, and I hope Congress acts decisively and boldly. I put up a
    package that will increase the number of new jobs by a million folks at
    the end of 2004. And I expect them to understand, there's a lot of
    people looking for work, and the burden is on them right now. And we're
    going to send a lot of people up there from around the country, and
    we'll be sending our own folks here in the administration to work with
    Members of the Congress to remind them that the size of the tax package
    will depend on them, and the bigger the package, the more likely it is
    that people are going to find a job here.
        Randy [Randall Mikkelsen, Reuters].
        Q. Mr. President, following up briefly on Scott's [Scott Lindlaw,
    Associated Press] question, will fiscal discipline be as high on the
    qualification list for Mitch Daniels' successor as it was when he
    entered office?
        The President. First of all, fiscal discipline was high on my
    agenda. And therefore, anybody that works for me will place a premium on
    fiscal discipline. It turns out that the--that appropriators love to
    appropriate here in Washington. Given a pot of money, they will
    appropriate it, unless there's an administration willing to fight on
    behalf of the taxpayers. This administration is willing to fight on
    behalf of the taxpayers. We will insist upon fiscal discipline here in
    Washington, DC.
        Angle [Jim Angle, FOX News].

    Iraqi Weapons Lab

        Q. Mr. President, Defense officials are now saying they are
    confident they have found a mobile biological lab, exactly what
    Secretary Powell described before the United Nations. Are you aware of
    the details? What can you tell us about that? And has Secretary Rumsfeld
    given you any details?
        The President. I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons
    program of Saddam Hussein because he had a
    weapons program. I will leave the details of your question to the
    experts, but one thing we know is that he had a weapons program. We also
    know he spent years trying to hide the weapons program. And over time,
    the truth will come out and the American people will see that when we
    rid Saddam Hussein from--got him out of power, we made America more
    secure.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:19 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House, following a meeting with Secretary of Defense

    [[Page 442]]

    Donald H. Rumsfeld  In his remarks, he
    referred to former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The Office of the
    Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these
    remarks.