[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
[July 1, 2007]
[Pages C-9-xii]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]




Public Papers Of The President Of The United States 2007 BOOK
II

[[Page i]]

                      PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS

                                 OF THE

                              UNITED  STATES


[[Page iii]]

                      PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS

                                 OF THE

                              UNITED  STATES

                              George W. Bush


               [GRAPHIC(s) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                    2007
                              (IN TWO BOOKS)

               BOOK II - JULY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2007


               ________________________________________ 
               UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
                          WASHINGTON : 2011



[[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 
                                 Office

   Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov  Phone: (202) 512-1800 
                       Fax: (202) 512-1204

              Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20401



[[Page v]]
                                Foreword


    This volume collects my speeches and papers from the second half of 
2007.

    As this period began, the surge of American troops to Iraq had 
reached full strength. This increase in forces--and the new 
counterinsurgency strategy led by General David Petraeus--helped bring a 
steady decline in the violence that had gripped Iraq. In September, I 
spoke to the American people from the Oval Office. I said, ``One year 
ago, much of Baghdad was under siege. Schools were closed, markets were 
shuttered, and sectarian violence was spiraling out of control. Today, 
most of Baghdad's neighborhoods are being patrolled by coalition and 
Iraqi forces who live among the people they protect. Many schools and 
markets are reopening. Citizens are coming forward with vital 
intelligence. Sectarian killings are down. And ordinary life is 
beginning to return.''

    As these signs of hopeful progress emerged, Iraq's leaders worked to 
follow security gains with political reconciliation. In September, I 
traveled to Iraq's Al-Anbar Province and met with Iraqi Prime Minister 
Nouri Al-Maliki and other political leaders. While there, I saw the 
beginnings of political improvements, as many tribal leaders came 
forward to reject violence and murder in return for moderation and 
peace. To support this progress, I assured the people of Iraq that 
America would not abandon them.

    During this time, I also emphasized our Nation's ongoing commitment 
to the people of Afghanistan. In August, I hosted Afghan President Hamid 
Karzai at Camp David, where we discussed the continuing battle against 
the remnants of the Taliban. After having been forced from political 
power, these radicals had become desperate, even killing Afghan children 
on their way to school in cowardly attempts to regain power. I told 
President Karzai that the United States would continue to stand by 
Afghanistan's side.

    While the War on Terror continued to be of the utmost importance to 
my Administration, we also remained focused on other critical issues 
throughout the world. In July, I hosted a Conference on the Americas, an 
event that emphasized the close ties between the United States and our 
neighbors in the Western Hemisphere. In a speech at the State Department 
in October, I highlighted our support for one of those neighboring 
nations by emphasizing America's commitment to the freedom movement in 
Cuba. I said ``The socialist paradise is a tropical gulag. The quest for 
justice that once inspired the Cuban people has now become a grab for 
power. And as with all totalitarian systems, Cuba's regime no doubt has 
other horrors still unknown to the rest of the world. Once revealed, 
they will shock the conscience of humanity. And they will shame the 
regime's defenders and all those democracies that have been silent.''


[[Page vi]]

    I also engaged in wide-ranging diplomacy throughout the world. In 
August, I attended the North American Leaders' Summit in Canada, where I 
met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President 
Felipe Calderon to discuss an agenda of peace and prosperity for our 
continent. In September, I traveled to Australia for the Asia Pacific 
Economic Cooperation's annual leadership meeting. And in November, my 
Administration brought together the leaders of Israel and the 
Palestinian Authority for a historic conference in Annapolis, Maryland 
to encourage the expansion of freedom and peace in the Holy Land.

    This was also a time of accomplishment at home. In August, I signed 
the Protect America Act, a piece of legislation that modernized the 
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. This law gave our intelligence 
professionals the necessary legal authority to gather information about 
the intentions of our enemies while protecting the civil liberties of 
Americans. In December, I signed the Energy Independence and Security 
Act, a good bill that increased the supply of alternative fuel sources 
and increased fuel economy standards. And during this period, I welcomed 
two talented Americans to my cabinet--Michael Mukasey as Attorney 
General and Lieutenant General James Peake as Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs.

    As the year came to a close, I signed a bill approving a vital trade 
agreement between the United States and Peru. This expansion of 
America's participation in the global marketplace was a fitting close to 
a year that continued a trend of strong economic results. In December, 
America celebrated its 52nd consecutive month of job growth--the longest 
such period on record. The year to come would test the strength of our 
longstanding prosperity--but our economy would once again prove itself 
resilient.

                       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, 2007. 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, Joseph G. Frankovic, Michael J. Forcina, Stephen J. Frattini, 
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, 
Michael J. Sullivan, and Joseph K. Vetter.

    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

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, 2007 . . . 903

Appendix A
Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 1600

Appendix B
Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 1625

Appendix C
Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 1637

Appendix D
Presidential Documents Published in the Federal Register . . . 1651

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...........Henry M. Paulson, Jr.

        Secretary of Defense................Robert M. Gates

        Attorney General....................Alberto R. Gonzales
                                            (resigned 9/17)
                                            Michael B. Mukasey
                                            (appointed 11/9)

        Secretary of the Interior...........Dirk Kempthorne

        Secretary of Agriculture............Michael O. Johanns
                                            (resigned 9/19)

        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.........Mary E. Peters

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

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

        Secretary of Veterans Affairs.......R. James Nicholson
                                            (resigned 10/1)
                                            James B. Peake
                                            (apppointed 12/20)


[[Page xii]]

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

        Chief of Staff......................Joshua B. Bolten

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

        United States Trade Representative..Susan C. Schwab

        Director of the Office of 
        Management and Budget...............Robert J. Portman
                                            (resigned 9/3)
                                            James A. Nussle
                                            (appointed 9/4)

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