Presidential News and Speeches

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate three individuals and appoint nine individuals to serve in his Administration: Barbara McConnell Barrett, David R. Hill, T. Vance McMahan, Darlene Bramon, William Bynum, J. French Hill, Farah M. Jimenez, Nancy J. Leake, Terri Ludwig, Neal A. McCaleb, L. Raymond Moncrief, and Edwin A. Rodriguez.

The President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Ukraine, Romania, and Croatia in April 2008 to support the advance of freedom and democracy and to strengthen the NATO Alliance to confront 21st century challenges. The President will have a bilateral program in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 1, 2008, including meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Ukraine. The President and Mrs. Bush will then travel to Bucharest, Romania to participate in the NATO Summit on April 2-4. In addition to Summit events, President Bush will have bilateral meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Romania and the NATO Secretary General. The President and Mrs. Bush will also travel to Croatia, where he will meet with the President and Prime Minister of Croatia and leaders of those countries Allied leaders decide to invite to join NATO at the Bucharest Summit.

Nominations sent to the Senate: G. Steven Agee, Barbara McConnell Barrett, David R. Hill, and T. Vance McMahan. Withdrawals sent to the Senate: Charles A. Gargano, and David R. Hill.

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Illinois and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts in the area struck by record snow and near record snow during the period of February 5-6, 2008.

President Bush on Thursday said, "This week House leaders are finally bringing legislation to the floor. Unfortunately, instead of holding a vote on the good bipartisan bill that passed the United States Senate, they introduced a partisan bill that would undermine America's security. This bill is unwise. The House leaders know that the Senate will not pass it. And even if the Senate did pass it, they know I will veto it."

President Bush on Thursday said, "Our strategy in Afghanistan is, one, to provide enough security so civil society can move forward. Any counter -- effective counterinsurgency strategy will require more than just military action. It requires a military-civilian interface. And so if you look on the screen you see brave and courageous Americans in uniform and not in uniform, because they're a part of this strategy to help Afghans, one, understand the blessings of good governance -- in other words, the folks are attempting to fight corruption at the local level so that the local citizens are able to have a positive outlook about their government. We're also working to educate people, build roads, provide good health care. And our fellow citizens are there on the ground in some difficult circumstances, all aiming to help this young democracy survive and thrive. And there are difficulties, but we're also making progress."

To commemorate Saint Patrick's Day, President Bush will host Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern at the White House on March 17, 2008. In keeping with a decades-old tradition, the two leaders will participate in the "Shamrock Ceremony," symbolizing the deep cultural roots and close ties of friendship between the United States and Ireland. The President and the Prime Minister ("Taoiseach" in Gaelic) will meet before the ceremony to discuss a range of issues.

The Congress has agreed on legislation to extend current farm programs to April 18, 2008. I will sign this legislation to avoid serious disruptions that might result if the current law is allowed to expire without a responsible farm bill enacted in its place. Farmers and ranchers deserve to know the structure of policies that affect their day-to-day business activities, and right now they face uncertainty.

President Bush on Wednesday said, " Our nation is a better nation when we help people save lives. The collective will of the American people to help somebody who suffers, who they might not ever know, lifts our national spirit. And so on our trip to Africa, I tried to make sure that the people of Africa understood this wasn't a George Bush initiative or a Laura Bush initiative or a Condi Rice initiative; this was an initiative of the most compassionate people on the face of the earth -- the American people."

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. I don't know about you, but I'm excited about the year 2008. I intend to finish strong, with my head held high. And I intend to work to see to it that we keep the White House and elect John Boehner Speaker of the House of Representatives. (Applause.) And evidently you feel the same way.

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Missouri and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe winter storms and flooding during the period of February 10-14, 2008.

President Bush on Wednesday said, "And now I want to discuss trade with you. It's a sensitive subject in America, and it's an important subject. As business leaders, you understand that breaking down barriers to trade and investment creates opportunities for our workers, for American workers, and employees, and employers, and consumers. Trade adds to our prosperity, but as importantly, it adds to the prosperity our trading partners. We want people who are interested in our goods and services to do well economically. We believe that the world benefits when prosperity is abundant throughout the world."

The crisis between the United States and Iran constituted by the actions and policies of the Government of Iran that led to the declaration of a national emergency on March 15, 1995, has not been resolved. The actions and policies of the Government of Iran are contrary to the interests of the United States in the region and pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. Iran remains the world's most active state sponsor of terrorism, and continues to provide lethal support to Lebanese Hizballah, HAMAS, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and numerous other terrorist organizations in the region, as well as to the Taliban in Afghanistan and various Iraqi militant groups. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared with respect to Iran and maintain in force comprehensive sanctions against Iran to respond to this threat.

On March 15, 1995, by Executive Order 12957, the President declared a national emergency with respect to Iran pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of the Government of Iran. On May 6, 1995, the President issued Executive Order 12959 imposing more comprehensive sanctions to further respond to this threat, and on August 19, 1997, the President issued Executive Order 13059 consolidating and clarifying the previous orders.

The President and Mrs. Bush will host President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea and his wife, Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok, at Camp David on April 18-19, 2008. The President welcomes this important opportunity to consult with the new President on ways to continue to work together to advance our shared values of freedom, security, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The two leaders will also discuss a wide range of common goals, including ratifying the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula through the Six-Party Talks, continuing our cooperation in aiding the new democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and further strengthening the U.S.-Republic of Korea Alliance. This will be President Lee's first visit overseas since he took office.

President Bush will welcome Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham of The Bahamas, Prime Minister David Thompson of Barbados, and Prime Minister Dean Barrow of Belize to the White House on March 20, 2008. The Bahamas, Barbados, and Belize are longstanding friends of the United States and countries with whom we share deep social and familial ties as well as the values of democracy and respect for human rights. The President looks forward to discussing a range of issues--including strengthening democracy in the region, increasing social and trade ties, cooperating on security and crime, and improving the lives of the region's citizens--with these new Caribbean leaders, all of whom have been democratically elected within the past year.

On Wednesday, March 12, 2008, the President signed into law: S. 2272, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service known as the Southpark Station in Alexandria, Louisiana, as the John “Marty” Thiels Southpark Station.

Today, President Bush called on Members of Congress to move forward with the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement when they return from Easter recess. Congress should demonstrate their support for security in the Western Hemisphere and a level playing field for American products, work with the Administration to bring legislation to implement the Colombia agreement to the floor for approval, and then send it to the President's desk to be signed into law.

President Bush on Tuesday said, "This organization has had many important missions, but none more important than ensuring our airways -- America's airways -- stay open to those who preach the Good News. The very first amendment to our Constitution includes the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. Founders believed these unalienable rights were endowed to us by our Creator. They are vital to a healthy democracy, and we must never let anyone take those freedoms away."

Admiral William Fallon has served our Nation with great distinction for forty years. He is an outstanding sailor -- and he made history as the first Naval officer to serve as Commander of Central Command.