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

    Public Papers of the President, 2003, Book II

    [[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

                                George W. Bush

                                     2003
                                (IN TWO BOOKS)

                    BOOK II--JULY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2003

                    -----------------------------------
                   UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
                             WASHINGTON : 2006

    [[Page iv]]

                                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 and papers from the second half of
    2003.

        These months brought significant legislative accomplishments in
    Washington. In December, after months of bipartisan work by Members of
    Congress, I signed into law the ``Medicare Prescription Drug,
    Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.'' This new law gave seniors
    prescription drug coverage, as well as better choices and more control
    over their health care. It also established tax-free Health Savings
    Accounts, so more Americans could save for health care expenses and more
    small businesses could secure health insurance for their workers. During
    this period, we also showed our Nation's compassion and good heart by
    creating the American Dream Downpayment Fund, to help low-income
    citizens afford the down payment on homes of their own. To promote a
    culture of life, we banned the brutal practice of partial-birth
    abortion, and we also passed new incentives for the adoption of older
    children in foster care.

        Meanwhile, the American economy continued to gain strength from the
    tax relief we passed in 2001, 2002, and May 2003--creating almost
    400,000 new jobs during the final 4 months of the year. In the third
    quarter of 2003, our economy grew at a rate of 7.2 percent, the fastest
    quarterly growth rate since before the attacks of September 11, 2001. To
    build on this progress, I signed free trade agreements into law with
    Chile and Singapore, opening new markets for American workers, farmers,
    and entrepreneurs. I also continued to urge the Congress to exercise
    spending restraint, pass legal and regulatory reforms, and reduce
    America's dependence on foreign sources of energy.

        During the latter half of 2003, I made several trips abroad to
    reaffirm America's commitment to advancing liberty, human dignity, and
    peace. In July, I began my week-long trip to Africa by visiting
    Senegal's Goree Island, where slaves once departed for American shores.
    I noted there that our Nation's history had taught us that ``freedom is
    not the possession of one race'' or ``one nation,'' and that ``this
    belief leads America into the world''--including Africa, where it
    motivates our efforts to help the people of that great continent
    overcome the challenges of HIV/AIDS, poverty, and civil war.

        In November, I visited the United Kingdom to reaffirm the strong
    alliance between our two nations and thank Prime Minister Tony Blair and
    the British people for their sacrifices and commitment in the War on
    Terror. In my speech at Whitehall Palace in London, I said that America
    was now pursuing a ``forward strategy of freedom'' in the Middle East:
    ``We will consistently challenge the enemies of reform and confront the
    allies of terror. We will expect a higher standard from our

    [[Page vi]]

    friends in the region--and we will meet our responsibilities in
    Afghanistan and in Iraq by finishing the work of democracy we have
    begun.''

        During these months, our Government worked tirelessly to meet this
    commitment to protect the American people and spread the blessings of
    freedom. We continued to hunt down al-Qaida leaders and associates
    around the world. In a strong bipartisan vote, the Congress approved $87
    billion in supplemental spending to support our troops in Afghanistan
    and Iraq and to help those nations rebuild. In Iraq, Coalition forces
    worked with the newly free Iraqi people to destroy remnants of the old
    regime and various extremist networks. Uday and Qusay Hussein were
    killed by American forces in July. In December, Coalition forces
    captured Saddam Hussein--ensuring that he would answer for his many
    crimes. At the same time, the Coalition Provisional Authority worked to
    rebuild schools, reopen hospitals, and restore damaged water,
    electrical, and communications systems in Iraq. The Iraqi people took a
    crucial step in July, when they formed a governing council that would
    draft an interim constitution to prepare for free elections.

        We also continued our efforts beyond Iraq and Afghanistan to keep
    the world's deadliest weapons out of the hands of terrorists and
    dangerous regimes. In the fall, American and British intelligence
    tracked a cargo ship bound for Libya that was carrying parts for nuclear
    centrifuges. We alerted German and Italian authorities, who intercepted
    the ship--and in December, Libya pledged to disclose and dismantle all
    of its weapons of mass destruction programs.

        The heaviest burdens in our War on Terror fell on our Armed Forces
    and our intelligence services. These brave men and women faced the enemy
    abroad so we would not face them here at home. On Thanksgiving Day, I
    had the honor of visiting some of these fine Americans in Baghdad, where
    I expressed the gratitude of our entire country for their skill,
    courage, and sacrifice. In 2003, these men and women advanced the cause
    of freedom--an
    d their fellow Americans were safer because of it.

                              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 July 1-December 31, 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. At the request of the Office of the Press
    Secretary, the Bush property known as Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford,
    Texas, is referred to simply as the Bush Ranch. 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 William K. Banks, Loretta
    F. Cochran, Kathleen M. Fargey, Stephen J. Frattini, 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,
                        July 1-December 31, 2003 . . . 805
                        Appendix A
                        Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 1763

                        Appendix B
                        Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 1793

                        Appendix C
                        Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 1805

                        Appendix D
                        Presidential Documents Published in the Federal
    Register . . . 1817

                        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

                                              Michael O. Leavitt......

            United States Trade Representative

                                              Robert B. Zoellick......

    [[Page xii]]

            Director of the Office of
            Management

            and Budget

                                              Joshua B. Bolten........

            Director of National Drug Control

            Policy

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

    [[Page xiii]]

                        Administration of George W. Bush

                                      2003