[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
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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-
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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......
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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