Presidential News and Speeches

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate eight individuals and appoint one individual to serve in his Administration: Daniel W. Sutherland, Ronald Daniel Rotunda, Francis X. Taylor, Nanci E. Langley, Paul A. Schneider, Sheila McNamara Greenwood, Kenneth E. Carfine, Edwin Eck, and Joseph Torre.

Nominations sent to the Senate: Kenneth E. Carfine, Peter E. Cianchette, Colm F. Connolly, Edwin Eck, Sheila McNamara Greenwood, Paul A. Schneider. Withdrawals Sent to the Senate: Peter E. Cianchette, Stanley C. Suboleski, Catherine G. West.

President Bush on Tuesday said, "America is on a mission of mercy. We're treating African leaders as equal partners. We expect them to produce measurable results. We expect them to fight corruption, and invest in the health and education of their people, and pursue market-based economic policies. This mission serves our security interests -- people who live in chaos and despair are more likely to fall under the sway of violent ideologies. This mission serves our moral interests -- we're all children of God, and having the power to save lives comes with the obligation to use it."

As the housing market continues to transition, President Bush is helping responsible homeowners across America through a series of targeted actions. This past fall, he announced the creation of FHASecure - a program which gives HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA) greater flexibility to help Americans by offering more home mortgage financing and refinancing options. Today, the President was pleased to learn that over 100,000 Americans have turned to FHASecure to refinance their homes and avoid foreclosure since FHASecure was launched last fall. This program remains on track to help 300,000 Americans by the end of this calendar year.

President Bush on Tuesday said, "The trade bill with Colombia is a really important piece of legislation for America's national security. A stable neighborhood is in our interests. We want people to be prosperous, we want people to be free, we want people to feel comfortable about making, you know, the tough decisions that democracy requires. And the trade bill with Colombia would say a clear message to a strong democratic ally: We support you; we support you in your efforts."

Today, President Bush met with former Cabinet Secretaries and senior government officials and discussed the need for pro-growth economic policies, including opening new markets for U.S. exports through free trade agreements. Open markets contribute to America's prosperity. With exports now accounting for a larger percentage of our GDP than at any other time in our history, trade is playing an important role in supporting economic growth. Exports have reached a historic high as a share of the United States' national income, and jobs supported by goods exports pay wages 13 to 18 percent higher than the national average.

President Bush on Monday said, "Governor, thank you very much for your kind introduction. Thank you all for coming and thanks for supporting our Republican Governors. If you want to raise money, if you want to get a job done, call on the Texas governor -- and this governor has delivered."

The situation in Burma remains deplorable. The regime has rejected calls from its own people and the international community to begin a genuine dialogue with the opposition and ethnic minority groups. Arrests and secret trials of peaceful political activists continue, such as the recent arrest of journalists Thet Zin and Sein Win Maung. Severe human rights abuses by the Burmese Army, including burning down homes and killing civilians, continue in ethnic minority areas in eastern Burma.

Today, President Bush participated in a briefing on "The Quiet Revolution" report from the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (WHOFBCI). This report, available at www.fbci.gov, offers a portrait of the successful implementation of President Bush's vision to reshape government's approach to addressing human need. By leveling the playing field for faith-based charities and strengthening grassroots nonprofits to effectively help Americans in need, the Faith-Based and Community Initiative is having a tremendous impact on countless lives across our Nation and around the world.

Nominations Sent to the Senate : Joseph A. Benkert, Donald E. Booth, Carol Dillon Kissal, Scot A. Marciel, Nancy E. McEldowney, Stephen George McFarland, and Gillian Arlette Milovanovic.

The United States deplores the Belarusian regime's incomprehensible refusal to release political prisoner Aleksandr Kozulin during the days leading up to and following the death of his wife, Irina Kozulina, on February 23. We reiterate our call for Mr. Kozulin's immediate release.

President Bush on Monday said, "We share a responsibility to protect our country. I get briefed every morning about threats we face, and they're real. And therefore the question is, what do you do about them? In my judgment, we have got to give the professionals who work hard to protect us all the tools they need. To put it bluntly, if the enemy is calling to America, we really need to know what they're saying. And we need to know what they're thinking. And we need to know who they're talking to."

The President and Mrs. Bush will welcome King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan to the White House on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. The President looks forward to discussing with the King the bilateral relationship between the United States and Jordan, Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, the situation in Lebanon, and other regional issues. Following his meeting with King Abdullah, the President and Mrs. Bush will host the King and Queen for a private lunch.

The President has called on Congress to pass the bipartisan Senate bill, which would improve on the PAA by giving our intelligence professionals the tools they need to protect the Nation for the long term and by providing liability protection for companies alleged to have assisted in defending the Nation after 9/11. The House ignored this call and allowed the PAA to expire without replacing it with the bipartisan Senate bill. The President has listened to the judgment of these same professionals that the absence of long-term legislation creates uncertainty that poses a risk to those tools and could lead to the loss of intelligence information and that further short-term extensions of the PAA do not solve the problem. Stating that fact is not a scare tactic - it reflects the considered judgment of the intelligence community, whose principal concern is not politics, but doing their jobs.

President Bush on Sunday said, "I value our governors because our governors are some of the nation's foremost policy entrepreneurs. I appreciate what you do. I appreciate the sacrifice your families have made to serve America. It was in that spirit that Teddy Roosevelt hosted the first governors meeting here at the White House 100 years ago. I can't imagine what they were thinking about what America would look like a hundred years ago. And I'm not sure what people will think a hundred years from now. But I do know it makes sense to put wise policy in place in the meantime, so America can remain prosperous and strong and free."

Despite Speaker Pelosi's Misleading Claims, FISA Is No Substitute For The Bipartisan Senate Bill; Speaker Pelosi's Continued Refusal To Permit A Vote On The Senate Bill Is Weakening Our Ability To Protect The Country From Terrorist Attack

In his weekly radio address, President Bush said, "Members of Congress will soon be returning to Washington, as well, and they have urgent business to attend to. They left town on a 10-day recess without passing vital legislation giving our intelligence professionals the tools they need to quickly and effectively monitor foreign terrorist communications. Congress' failure to pass this legislation was irresponsible. It will leave our nation increasingly vulnerable to attack. And Congress must fix this damage to our national security immediately."

Today, The Washington Post incorrectly asserted that President Bush has neglected his commitment to democracy in Africa. The Post's blatantly one-sided article ignores the significant democratic progress that has been taking place across the African continent. During his recent trip to Africa, the President highlighted examples of the democratic reforms taking place in Benin, Tanzania, and Liberia.

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and ordered Federal aid to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of February 5-6, 2008.

THE PRESIDENT: I would say this is one of the most exciting trips of my presidency. Exciting because when we first got to Washington, Africa was -- parts of Africa were in turmoil, not much had been to arrest disease, there wasn't intense world focus on the continent -- the second trip to Africa for me, the fifth for Laura -- was a chance to herald courageous people in their efforts to deal with hopelessness. And what really made me happy was that the people of Africa have come to appreciate the generosity of the American people.