[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.........