[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[January 1, 2008]
[Pages i-xii]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Public Papers Of The President Of The United States 2008 BOOK 1
[[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
2008-2009
(IN TWO BOOKS)
BOOK I -- JANUARY 1 TO JUNE 30, 2008
-----------------------------------------
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2012
[[Page iv]]
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 first half of
2008, the last year of my Presidency.
As the year began, I appeared before Congress to deliver my final
State of the Union message. I said, ``Seven years have passed since I
first stood before you at this rostrum. In that time, our country has
been tested in ways none of us could have imagined. We faced hard
decisions about peace and war, rising competition in the world economy,
and the health and welfare of our citizens. These issues call for
vigorous debate, and I think it's fair to say we've answered the call.
Yet history will record that amid our differences, we acted with
purpose. And together, we showed the world the power and resilience of
American self-government.''
This resilience was tested in the early days of 2008, when the
Nation's 52 consecutive months of job creation--the longest such period
on record--came to an end. As our economy began to slow, my
Administration took action to ease the burden on the American people. We
implemented a bipartisan stimulus plan that provided tax rebates for
nearly 120 million American households. We continued to push for
Congressional approval of free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama,
and South Korea--agreements that would open up new opportunities for
American workers, business owners, farmers, and ranchers. And we worked
to keep more Americans in their homes during a time of increasing
foreclosures.
This was also an important period in the war on terror. On the
domestic front, I urged Congress to modernize the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act to address the dangers of the 21st century.
Internationally, we saw important gains in Iraq. In April, General David
Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker reported to Congress on the
dramatic reductions in violence that had occurred in the wake of the
troop surge that began in 2007. Because of the effectiveness of this
strategy, the five brigades that had been added to our forces in Iraq
began returning home on success--and the Iraqi people grew increasingly
confident in their democracy.
These months also saw some of the most intensive international
travel of my Presidency. In January, I toured the Middle East, visiting
Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi
Arabia, and Egypt. In February, Laura and I took a moving trip to
Africa, where we saw firsthand the gratitude of those who had been
helped by America's efforts to fight disease and support development and
social justice on that continent. During the course of a week, we
traveled to Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Liberia. In April, I was
in Romania to attend the 2008 NATO summit, a trip that also included
stops in Ukraine, Croatia, and Russia. In May, I traveled to the Middle
East once more, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the state of
Israel with a speech in Jerusalem and visiting Egypt and
[[Page vi]]
Saudi Arabia. And In June, I made my final trip to Europe as President,
with stops in Slovenia, Germany, Italy, the Holy See, France, and the
United Kingdom.
Notwithstanding the extensive travel schedule Laura and I were
keeping, two of the most meaningful events of this period took place
here at home. In April, Pope Benedict XVI visited the White House. The
arrival ceremony, which took place on the Pope's 81st birthday, drew
more than 13,000 well-wishers to the South Lawn. And in May, Laura and I
made an emotional trip to Texas for the wedding of our daughter Jenna
and Henry Hager. The couple had a beautiful ceremony at our ranch in
Crawford. And I was proud to give my daughter away on what was one of
the most important days of her life.
Finally, this period saw two new cabinet secretaries join my
Administration. In February, Ed Schafer was sworn in as the Secretary of
Agriculture, and in June, Steve Preston took the oath of office as
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
In the days to follow, the election season would hit full stride and
the end of my term would draw near. I pledged to serve out my time in
office with as much energy as I had brought to my earliest days in the
White House. And in the coming months, my Administration would make good
on this promise to sprint to the finish.
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, 2008. 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 Lois Davis, Michael J. Forcina, Joseph G. Frankovic, Diane
Hiltabidle, Alfred Jones, Joshua H. Liberatore, Heather N. McDaniel,
Amelia E. Otovo, D. Gregory Perrin, Matthew R. Regan, 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
Davita Vance-Cooks, Acting Public Printer.
Michael L. White
Acting 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,
January 1-June 30, 2008 . . . 1
Appendix A
Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 897
Appendix B
Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 931
Appendix C
Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 947
Appendix D
Presidential Documents Published in the Federal
Register . . . 961
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...................Michael B. Mukasey
Secretary of the Interior..........Dirk Kempthorne
Secretary of Agriculture...........Edward T. Schafer
(appointed 1/28)
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
(resigned 4/18)
Steven C. Preston
(appointed 6/5)
Secretary of Transportation........Mary E. Peters
Secretary of Energy................Samuel W. Bodman
Secretary of Education.............Margaret Spellings
Secretary of Veterans Affairs......James B. Peake
Secretary of Homeland Security.....Michael Chertoff
Chief of Staff.....................Joshua B. Bolten
[[Page xii]]
Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency..................Stephen L. Johnson
United States Trade
Representative.....................Susan C. Schwab
Director of the Office of
Management and Budget..............James A. Nussle
Director of National Drug Control
Policy.............................John P. Walters