[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[July 1, 2005]
[Pages iii-xii]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]




Public Papers Of The President Of The United States 2005, BOOK II



[[Page iii]]

          PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS 

                        OF THE 

                    UNITED STATES 


                    George W. Bush 



          [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


                        2005

                    (IN TWO BOOKS) 

          BOOK II - JULY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2005



          _______________________________________
          UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

                WASHINGTON : 2009 



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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 
2005.

 As this period began, the world was given a painful reminder of the
 ruthlessness of freedom's enemies. On the morning of July 7, members 
of a terrorist cell in England detonated bombs throughout London's 
public transportation system, killing 52 people and injuring more 
than 700. This attack took place as members of the G-8 were meeting 
in Gleneagles, Scotland. The terrorists' act illustrated the stark 
contrast between their hateful ideology and the hopeful vision of 
free nations-which were at the very same time working on a plan for 
combating poverty and disease in Africa. 

 During these months, America continued to take on the forces of 
radicalism throughout the world. Our men and women in uniform 
continued their urgent missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, where their 
efforts brought the hope of democracy to nations that had spent 
decades oppressed by tyranny. In Afghanistan, citizens braved deadly 
attacks and threats of violence to participate in their country's 
first parliamentary election in more than 30 years. In Iraq, 
citizens overcame similar threats to ratify a constitution, hold 
parliamentary elections, and put Saddam Hussein on trial for decades 
of crimes against his people. At year's end, I spoke to the American 
people from the Oval Office and said, "I know this war is 
controversial-yet being your President requires doing what I believe 
is right and accepting the consequences. And I have never been 
more certain that America's actions in Iraq are essential to the 
security of our citizens and will lay the foundation of peace for our 
children and grandchildren." 

 While we worked tirelessly to defeat our enemies, my Administration
also engaged in extensive diplomacy with Americaï¿½s allies. In August,
I met with President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia and discussed our mutual
efforts to fight drug trafficking and terrorism. In October, I continued
America's role in promoting Middle East peace by hosting Palestinian 
President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House. In November, the First Lady
and I traveled to Latin America, visiting Argentina, Brazil, and Panama.
While there, I spoke about the importance of democracy, freedom, and 
social justice in our hemisphere. And in my final international trip
of the year, Laura and I traveled to Asia, where I attended the leaders' 
meeting of the Asia-Pacific Ecoï¿½nomic Cooperation and visited China, 
Japan, Mongolia, and South Korea. 

 As America focused on these priorities abroad, we also made progress
at home. In July, I signed the `Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
Act of 2005,' a bill aimed at reducing medical errors and injuries 
through greater information-sharing in the health care industry. The 
Congress approved-and I was proud to sign-the 



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 `Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement,' an 
economic pact that promoted prosperity and sent a strong signal of 
support to young democracies in the region. 

 In late August, America was shocked and saddened by the destruction 
caused by Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive natural disaster in 
our Nation's history. The storm did widespread damage throughout the 
Gulf Coast, striking Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida-an 
area roughly the size of Great Britain. In New Orleans, the breaching 
of the levees left much of the city underwater and devastated the 
population. By the time the storm had passed, it had taken more than
1,300 lives. The Federal response to this catastrophe was unacceptable-
and I pledged to reform the Government's emergency management 
procedures to ensure we were better prepared for future natural 
disasters. 

 In September, I spoke to the American people from Jackson Square in
New Orleans and said that we would help rebuild communities that had
been damaged or destroyed by the hurricane. I told the people of the
Gulf Coast, `I know that when you sit on the steps of a porch where a
home once stood, or sleep on a cot in a crowded shelter, it is hard to
imagine a bright future. But that future will come. The streets of
Biloxi and Gulfport will again be filled with lovely homes and the
sound of children playing. The churches of Alabama will have their
broken steeples mended and their congregations whole. And here in New 
Orleans, the street cars will once again rumble down St. Charles, and
the passionate soul of a great city will return.' 

 Finally, the year saw dramatic change at the Supreme Court, with the
retirement announcement of Associated Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in 
July and the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist in September. 
I committed to nominate replacements who would be prudent in exercising
judicial power, firm in defending judicial independence, and, above 
all, faithful guardians of the Constitution. America saw these ambitious 
goals met with the confirmation of John Roberts as the 17th Chief 
Justice of the United States in September. And as the year closed, 
another talented jurist, Samuel Alito, awaited confirmation to our 
country's highest court. 


W


[[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, 2005. 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 Presidentï¿½s daily schedule and 
meet-


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ings, when announced, and other items of general interest issued by 
the Office of 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. The Chief Editor of this book was 
Stacey A. Mulligan, assisted by William K. Banks, Loretta F. Cochran, 
Lois Davis, Kathleen M. Fargey, Stephen J. Frattini, Michael J. Forcina, 
Allison M. Gavin, Gwendolyn J. Henderson, Diane Hiltabidle, Alfred 
Jones, Joshua H. Liberatore, Heather N. McDaniel, Ashley Merusi,
Amelia E. Otovo, Jennifer M. Partridge, D. Gregory Perrin, Matthew R.
Regan, 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 
Robert C. Tapella, Public Printer. 


Raymond A. Mosley 
Director of the Federal Register 

Adrienne C. Thomas 
Acting 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, 2005........1169 

Appendix A 
Digest of Other White House Announcements....1907 

Appendix B 
Nominations Submitted to the Senate..........1943 

Appendix C 
Checklist of White House Press Releases......1957 

Appendix D 
Presidential Documents Published in the Federal Register . . . 1971 

Subject Index...................A-1 

Name Index......................B-1 

Document Categories List........C-1 




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                    Cabinet 

Secretary of State .....................
Condoleezza Rice

Secretary of the Treasury ..............John W. Snow


Secretary of Defense ...................Donald H. Rumsfeld


Attorney General .......................Alberta R. Gonzales


Secretary of the Interior ..............Gale A. Norton


Secretary of Agriculture ...............Mike Johanns


Secretary of Commerce ..................Carlos M. Gutierrez


Secretary of Labor .....................Elaine L. Chao


Secretary of Health and Human 
Services..Michael O. Leavitt


Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development..Alphonso R. Jackson 


Secretary of Transportation ............Norman Y. Mineta


Secretary of Energy ....................Samuel W. Bodman


Secretary of Education .................Margaret Spellings


Secretary of Veterans Affairs ..........R. James Nicholson


Secretary of Homeland Security .........Michael Chertoff


Chief of Staff .........................Andrew H. Card, Jr.


Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency..Stephen L. Johnson


United States Trade Representative .....Robert J. Portman




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Director of the Office of Management and Budget..Joshua B. Bolten

Director of National Drug Control Policy..John P. Walters


Administration of George W. Bush 
2005