[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


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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 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


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                                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


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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

                                          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