    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [July 1, 2006]
    [Pages i-xii]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Public Papers Of The President Of The United States 2006 Book II

    [[Page i]]

                         PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS

                                     OF THE

                                  UNITED STATES

    [[Page iii]]

                         PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS

                                     OF THE

                                  UNITED STATES

                                 2006
                            (IN TWO BOOKS)

                   BOOK II-JULY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2006

                  ----------------------------------------
                  UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
                            WASHINGTON : 2010

                                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) 512-2104

                  Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20401

    [[Page v]]

                                    Foreword

        This volume collects my speeches and papers from the second half of
    2006.

        This was a period when many important pieces of legislation came to
    my desk. In July, I signed the Voting Rights Reauthorization and
    Amendments Act, continuing America's commitment to ensure that every
    citizen's sacred right to vote is protected by law. The Congress also
    sent me a bill that would have overturned my Administration's balanced
    policy on embryonic stem cell research and compelled American taxpayers,
    for the first time in our history, to fund the deliberate destruction of
    human embryos. I vetoed that bill. On the same day, I signed a law
    prohibiting one of the most egregious abuses in biomedical research:
    trafficking in human fetuses created for the sole purpose of being
    aborted and harvested for parts.

        This was also a time when Americans joined together to commemorate a
    terrible anniversary. On September 11, the Nation paused to remember the
    terrorist attacks perpetrated against us 5 years earlier.

        On this anniversary, I addressed the Nation from the Oval Office. I
    said, ``We look to the day when moms and dads throughout the Middle East
    see a future of hope and opportunity for their children. And when that
    good day comes, the clouds of war will part, the appeal of radicalism
    will decline, and we will leave our children with a better and safer
    world. On this solemn anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to this
    cause. Our nation has endured trials, and we face a difficult road
    ahead. Winning this war will require the determined efforts of a unified
    country, and we must put aside our differences and work together to meet
    the test that history has given us. We will defeat our enemies. We will
    protect our people. And we will lead the 21st century into a shining age
    of human liberty.''

        The following week, I addressed the United Nations General Assembly
    and spoke about the importance of freedom in the Middle East. I said,
    ``Some have argued that the democratic changes we're seeing in the
    Middle East are destabilizing the region. This argument rests on a false
    assumption, that the Middle East was stable to begin with. The reality
    is that the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage.
    For decades, millions of men and women in the region have been trapped
    in oppression and hopelessness. And these conditions left a generation
    disillusioned, and made this region a breeding ground for extremism.''

        My Administration acted forcefully against the extremist threat at
    home and abroad. In the fall, I signed the ``SAFE Port Act of 2006,''
    which enhanced our Nation's ability to help keep our major shipping
    centers secure without unduly burdening foreign trade. I signed the
    Military Commissions Act, which allowed our intelligence community to
    continue questioning suspected terrorists and created the ability to
    prosecute these extremists for war crimes through fair trials. I also
    hosted

    [[Page vi]]

    the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan at the White House to
    discuss our continuing efforts against radicalism in their countries.

        These months also saw violence increase dramatically in Iraq.
    Terrorists waged a brutal effort to keep the people of Iraq's young
    democracy from succeeding. Our men and women in uniform performed
    valiantly against these challenges--but it became clear that a change in
    strategy was required. In November, I traveled to the Middle East, where
    I met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and American commanders
    on the ground to discuss a new way forward in Iraq. To help carry out
    our new strategy, I named a new Secretary of Defense--Robert Gates.

        In the closing days of 2006, the Iraqi people made an important
    break with their past when Saddam Hussein was convicted and executed for
    crimes against his own people. In the early days of 2007, America would
    take a decisive new step toward stemming the violence in Iraq and
    helping the Iraqi people secure their democracy.

    [[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, 2006. 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 Michael L. White, 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
    William J. Boarman, Public Printer.

    Raymond A. Mosley
    Director of the Federal Register

    David S. Ferriero
    Archivist of the United States

    [[Page ix]]

                                    Contents

                        Foreword . . . v

                        Preface . . . vii

                        Cabinet . . . xi

                        Public Papers of George W. Bush,
                        July 1-December 31, 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . 1313

                        Appendix A
                        Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 2231

                        Appendix B
                        Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . . . . 2263

                        Appendix C
                        Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . . 2275

                        Appendix D
                        Presidential Documents Published in the Federal
                        Register . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . .  2287

                        Subject Index . . . A-1

                        Name Index . . . B-1

                        Document Categories List . . . C-1

    [[Page xi]]

                                    Cabinet

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

            Secretary of the Treasury         John W. Snow............
                                              (resigned 6/30).........
                                              Henry M. Paulson, Jr....
                                              (confirmed 6/28)........

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

            Attorney General                 Alberto R. Gonzales.....

            Secretary of the Interior         Gale A. Norton..........
                                              (resigned 3/31).........
                                              Dirk Kempthorne.........
                                              (confirmed 5/26)........

            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........
                                              (resigned 7/7)..........
                                              Mary E. Peters..........
                                              (confirmed 9/30)........

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

            Secretary of Education            Margaret Spellings......

    [[Page xii]]

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

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

            Chief of Staff                    Andrew H. Card, Jr......
                                              (resigned 4/14).........
                                              Joshua B. Bolten........
                                              (appointed 4/14)........

            Administrator of the Environmental

            Protection Agency                 Stephen L. Johnson......

            United States Trade
            Representative                    Robert J. Portman.......
                                              (resigned 5/30).........
                                              Susan C. Schwab.........
                                              (confirmed 6/8).........

            Director of the Office of
            Management and Budget             Joshua B. Bolten........
                                              (resigned 4/14).........
                                              Robert J. Portman.......
                                              (confirmed 5/26)........

            Director of National Drug Control

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