[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
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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 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......
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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