[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)] [January 1, 2004] [Pages iii-xiii] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]Public Papers of the President, 2004, 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 [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] [[Page iv]] [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Published by the Office of the Federal Register National Archives and Records Administration For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing OfficeInternet: 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 first 6 months of 2004. During this period, my Administration worked to address many key domestic priorities. I urged the Congress to adopt policies that would make health care more affordable and accessible; give Americans the skills needed for the jobs of the 21st century; reduce high energy prices; and protect job creators from frivolous lawsuits. In January, I outlined my vision for immigration reform and border security, including a temporary worker program that would decrease pressure on our borders by legally matching willing foreign workers with willing employers for jobs Americans are not doing. We also acted to reflect the compassionate spirit and values of America. To turn the tide against HIV/AIDS in our country, I announced new funding to deliver life-saving drugs to people in America living with HIV/AIDS. In April, I signed into law the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which extended the protection of Federal law to unborn children who are harmed or killed in crimes against their mothers. And in May, we dedicated a national historic site in Topeka, Kansas, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed segregation in America's public schools. These months also brought solemn reminders of the sacrifices made during the past century to protect our liberty. In May, we dedicated the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring a generation of Americans who gave so much to ensure freedom's triumph. In June, I traveled to France to attend ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, when free nations came together to reclaim Europe from Nazi tyranny. That same month, America mourned the passing of one of freedom's greatest champions: President Ronald Reagan, whose steadfast leadership helped the free world to win the Cold War. As we honored the legacy of freedom's past defenders, we also worked to protect and spread freedom's blessings in our own time. Thanks to the support of the United States and our Coalition partners and the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, Afghanistan and Iraq continued their remarkable journeys toward freedom and democracy. At the beginning of 2004, Afghanistan adopted a new constitution that provided a framework for national elections later in the year. In early March, the Iraqi Governing Council approved a Transitional Administrative Law that laid the foundation for democratic elections and a new constitution. This document included a bill of rights that was uprecedented in the Arab world--providing essential freedoms and rights to all Iraqis regardless of gender, religion, or ethnic origin. And on June 28th, the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty back to the Iraqi people. [[Page vi]] In the midst of all this progress, we were also reminded that freedom's enemies remained evil and ruthless. On the morning of March 11th, members of a terrorist cell in Spain exploded bombs on commuter trains in Madrid, killing nearly 200 people and injuring more than 1,500. In Iraq, illegal militias and remnants of the old regime, joined by foreign terrorists, tried to take by force the power they could not gain by the ballot. Terrorists brutally murdered innocent civilians and committed other acts of unspeakable savagery in Iraq, hoping to shake the will of our Coalition and convince us to abandon the Iraqi people. I vowed that America would never retreat in the face of thugs and assassins, because any concession or retreat on our part would only embolden the terrorist enemy and invite more bloodshed. As I told the American people in April: ``The defeat of violence and terror in Iraq is vital to the defeat of violence and terror elsewhere; and vital, therefore, to the safety of the American people. Now is the time, and Iraq is the place, in which the enemies of the civilized world are testing the will of the civilized world. We must not waver.'' In a speech in Istanbul in late June, I declared that just as the defense of freedom in the 20th century had brought peace to Europe, the defense of freedom in the 21st century would bring peace to the broader Middle East. ``The historic achivement of democracy in the broader Middle East will be a victory shared by all,'' I said--and I recognized that ``this transformation is one of the great and difficult tasks of history.'' Yet ``by our own patience and hard effort, and with confidence in the peoples of the Middle East, we will finish the work that history has given us.'' 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 January 1-June 30, 2004. 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 Adia Mulligan, assisted by William K. Banks, Loretta F. Cochran, Kathleen M. Fargey, Stephen J. Frattini, Alison M. Gavin, Diane Hiltabidle, Alfred Jones, Ashley Merusi, 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, January 1-June 30, 2004 . . . 1 Appendix A Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 1157 Appendix B Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 1189 Appendix C Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 1203 Appendix D Presidential Documents Published in the Federal Register . . . 1215 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 Alphonso R. Jackson..... (appointed April 1)..... 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...... [[Page xii]] Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Michael O. Leavitt...... United States Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick...... 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 2004