The Complete Bush Quotes

January 1, 2006
President Visits Troops at Brooke Army Medical Center, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas
***
"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself -- not here at the hospital, but in combat with a Cedar. I eventually won. The Cedar gave me a little scratch."

***

"I've been thinking long and hard about 2006."

***

Q What do you tell a young soldier or his young wife about how a loving God could permit or cause some of the things you saw today?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, Mike, I'm conscious not to be trying to substitute myself for God.

 

January 3, 2006
President Discusses Use and Reauthorization of USA PATRIOT Act, The Roosevelt Room
***

"And may God bless those who are trapped below the earth, and may God bless those who are concerned about those trapped below the earth."

 

January 4, 2006
President Discusses War on Terror Following Pentagon Briefing, The Pentagon
***
"During our briefing we talked about the areas of concern in this global war on terror, recognizing that the enemy, which has an ideology of hate and a desire to kill, lurks in parts around the world."

***

"If you really think about it, there was three important elections that took place, and in an atmosphere that some predicted wouldn't yield democracy."

***

"The ideology of the enemy says, a few people will choose, and if you don't like what we tell you to believe in, we'll kill you, or -- or treat you harshly."

***

"See, al Qaeda thinks they can use Iraq as a safe haven from which to launch attacks. That's their stated objective. I'm not making this up."

 

January 5, 2006
President's Remarks at U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
***
"It's interesting, isn't it, that the State Department and the Defense Department are sponsoring a language initiative. It says something about the world we live in."

***

"That makes sense, doesn't it, to have a language-proficient military -- to have people that go into the far reaches of this world and be able to communicate in the villages and towns and rural areas and urban centers, to protect the American people. We need intelligence officers who, when somebody says something in Arabic or Farsi or Urdu knows what they're talking about. That's what we need. We need diplomats -- when we send them out to help us convince governments that we've got to join together and fight these terrorists who want to destroy life and promote an ideology that is so backwards it's hard to believe. These diplomats need to speak that language."

***

"You can't have an ideology that works if you say to half the population in a part of the world, you have no rights. You can't say to a group of people, my ideology is better than freedom, and if you speak out you're going to get -- you'll be tortured."

***

"And you can't convince people unless you can talk to them. And I'm not talking to them right now directly; I'm talking through an interpreter on some of these Arabic TV stations."

***

"In order to convince people we care about them, we've got to understand their culture and show them we care about their culture. When somebody comes to me and speaks Texan, I know they appreciate the Texas culture. (Laughter.) I mean, somebody takes time to figure out how to speak Arabic, it means they're interested in somebody else's culture."

***

"You can't figure out America when you're looking on some of these TV stations -- you just can't -- particularly given the message that they spread. Arabic TV does not do our country justice. They put out some kind -- sometimes put out propaganda that just is -- just isn't right, it isn't fair, and it doesn't give people the impression of what we're about."

***

"Every time I meet with him, it strikes me as an amazing fact of history that Number 41, President 41, at age 18 fought the Japanese, and 43, his son, is sitting down with the Prime Minister working on keeping the peace. It's amazing to me. And something happened between 41 going into combat and 43 talking to the Prime Minister whether it be about troops in Iraq to help this young democracy flourish in the heart of the Middle East, or whether it be dealing with the leader of North Korea who is starving his people to death, and how do we solve that?"

 

January 6, 2006
President Discusses Strong and Growing Economy, Hilton Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
***
"I can't imagine a tax code that penalizes marriage. It seems like to me we ought to be encouraging marriage to [sic] our tax code." (Applause.)
***
"I'll never forget going to an automobile manufacturing plant in Mississippi. It was a very diverse group of workers. I said, how many of you own your own 401K? In other words, how many of you have a stock portfolio. Nearly 90 percent held their hands up. When you cut taxes on capital gains, and you cut taxes on dividends, you're helping the line workers in the automobile plant."

***

"I view the role of the federal government is to help the elderly. And we got good Medicare reforms done."

***

"I can't tell you how neat it is to travel the world and represent the United States of America."

 

January 9, 2006
Remarks by the President on the No Child Left Behind Act, North Glen Elementary School Glen Burnie, Maryland
***
"I didn't spend a lot of time talking today to the principal about the different analysis that went on, but I bet it was pretty in-depth."

***

"Laura and I's [sic] spirits are uplifted any time we go to a school that's working, because we understand the importance of public education in the future of our country."

 

January 10, 2006
President Addresses Veterans of Foreign Wars on the War on Terror, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C.
***
"Thanks for the warm welcome. It is an honor to stand with the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars -- again. This is one of America's great organizations. I appreciate the proud and patriotic work you do across America."

***

"Your members include veterans who served in World War II. I just happened to spend Christmas with one of your members." (Laughter.)

***

"I want to thank the Commander-in-Chief of the VFW, Jim Mueller. I had the honor of welcoming him to the Oval Office the other day, where we discussed issues important to our nation's veterans and issues important to our nation's security. He's a clear thinker. He's a patriot."

***

"You took an oath to defend our flag and our freedom, and you kept that oath underseas [sic] and under fire." (Applause.)

***

"Like earlier struggles for freedom, the war on terror is being fought on many battlefronts. Yet the terrorists have made it clear that Iraq is the central front in their war against humanity. And so we must recognize Iraq as the central front in the war against the terrorists."

***

"History has shown that free nations are peaceful nations."

***

"Our top commander in the region, General John Abizaid, has said he expects the coming weeks to produce 'some of the hardest bare-knuckle politics ever in the Arab world.' We should welcome this for what it is -- freedom in action."

 

January 11, 2006
President Participates in Discussion on the Global War on Terror, Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky
***
"Let me -- I wish I didn't have to say this, but we're still at war. And that's important for the citizens of this commonwealth to understand. You know, no President ever wants to be President during war."

***

"I also said, after September the 11th, that oceans no longer protected us. You know, when I was growing up, or other baby boomers here were growing up, we felt safe because we had these vast oceans that could protect us from harm's way."

***

"I understand that the intelligence didn't turn out the way a lot of the world thought it would be."

***

"But I felt it was important to say to the world that this international body that we want to be effective, spoke loud and clear not once, but 15 odd times to Saddam Hussein -- said, disarm, get rid of your weapons, don't be the threat that you are, or face serious consequences. That's what the international body said."

***

"First let me make sure you understand the enemy. The enemy is, in our judgment, my judgment, three types of people. One, we call them rejectionists -- these are Sunnis who had privileged status under Saddam Hussein, even though they were in the minority the country. "

***

"The second group is the Saddam loyalists. These are the thugs and people that basically robbed the country blind, and not only got privilege status, but they were the all-powerful."

***

"It's hard for me to believe that there is such brutality in the world where people going to a funeral to mourn the dead, and a suicider shows up and kills people."

***

"I can't tell you how good the caliber of our military brass -- and those in the field, by the way, all the way up and down the line, are good, they are good people -- (applause) -- better trained, not just numbers, I'm talking about capacity to take the fight and stay in the fight."

***

"Now, having said that, they got these surveys -- and I must confess I'm not much of a survey guy, but they got them, and most Iraqis are optimistic about the future. And as I said yesterday, they're willing to live with intermittent darkness, as opposed to the darkness -- and freedom -- as opposed to the darkness of tyranny. That's what you're seeing."

***

"I also said that this is a different kind of war, the kind of war we've never faced before."

***

"And so, you're right, I did say it's a war, the first war of the 21st century, but I've been emphasizing it's a different kind of war. "

***

"We're doing -- we've done a good job so far. If Osama bin Laden were the top guy, and Mr. Zawahiri -- he was the person that put out the strategy, by the way, for al Qaeda, for everybody to see. I don't think he put it out for everybody to see. It just happened to be exposed for everybody to see eventually. But Abu Zubaydah, Khalid Shaykh Muhammad -- there's a series of chief operators who are no longer a threat to the United States. I mean, we are dismantling the operators."

***

"So, in other words, it's not going to be that kind of -- it's not the kind of war that you talked about earlier, and so the peace won't be the kind of peace that we're used to."

***

"We are a rule -- a country of law. We have a Constitution, which guides the sharing of power. And I take that -- I put that hand on the Bible, and I meant it when I said I'm going to uphold the Constitution."

***

"The main reason [we enforce our borders] is security reasons, seems like to me. And security means more than just a terrorist slipping in. It means drugs."

***

"So it's a security issue. It's more than just the war on terrorist security issue. It's the issue of being able to try to secure the lifestyle of our country from the use of drugs, drug importation, for example."

***

"Secondly, one of the problems we faced is that people get stopped and they get let back out in society, and say, come on back for your hearing. But guess what? They don't come back for the hearing. That's the catch-and-release."

***

"Now, some of you all may be old enough to remember the days of Prohibition. I'm not. (Laughter.) But remember, we illegalized whisky, and guess what? People found all kinds of ways to make it, and to run it. NASCAR got started -- positive thing that came out of all that." (Laughter.)

***

"There's an achievement gap in America that's not right. And that's wrong."

***

"You're teaching the test. I'm telling you if a child can read, it can pass a reading comprehensive test."

 

January 12, 2006
President Participates in Roundtable with Small Business Owners and Community Leaders in New Orleans, New Orleans Metropolitan Convention Center And Visitors Bureau, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana
***
"One issue I do want to touch on is the levees. Now, the Mayor made it very clear to me that we need a federal policy, a strong federal policy on the levees in order to encourage investors and investment in New Orleans. In other words, if there's any doubt about levees, people wouldn't be willing to reinvest in this city. If we couldn't get people to reinvest in this city, the recovery wouldn't be as strong as we hope it to be."

***

"Working with the Corps of Engineers we've put forth a plan that said that the levee system will be stronger and better than the previous levee system."

***

"You can't have a revitalized New Orleans unless people have a place to live."

***

"It may be hard for you to see, but from when I first came here to today, New Orleans is reminding me of the city I used to come to visit. It's a heck of a place to bring your family. "

***

"I know you're beginning to welcome citizens from all around the country here to New Orleans. And for folks around the country who are looking for a great place to have a convention, or a great place to visit, I'd suggest coming here to the great -- New Orleans.

Anyway, thank you all very much."

END 11:16 A.M. CST

 

January 12, 2006
President Visits Mississippi, Discusses Gulf Coast Reconstruction, St. Stanislaus College, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
***
"It's hard sometimes, unless you've got a perspective. I have the perspective of having spent some time here, but not all my time. And I can remember what was, and now what is, and I can see what's going to be, too."

***

"And so I'm standing in the White House at a Christmas reception, and in walks Tommy Longo. He's the Mayor of Waveland, of course. And he had on a fantastic suit. (Laughter.) I nearly fell out. (Laughter.) Tommy Longo in a suit? (Laughter.) I said, 'Where did you get that thing?' He said, 'It's amazing what you can find in the rubbish.' (Laughter.)

***

"Doc Blanchard went here, in case you didn't know it, the Heisman Trophy winner who carried the leather for West Point. And one of the things the Brother told me -- he said, we wanted to make sure we saved the Heisman Trophy that Doc Blanchard had made sure was housed here at this facility."

***

"I stood in Jackson Square early on in -- after the storm hit, and I said we're not just going to survive, but thrive. By that I meant, it's one thing to kind of ride it out; it's another thing to take out of the harm that came, convert this into a better life. I said we're not just going to cope, but we'll overcome. I meant what I said."

***

"Of that $85 billion, about $25 billion has been spent. So $85 billion is available, $25 billion of it is already in the pipeline -- that's $60 billion more coming your way."

***

"I remember when Haley invited me down, and he said -- I think we were in a tent at that time, and there wasn't a lot of electricity, it was like an old-time daytime revival without electricity. It was hot in the tent -- it was the first meeting, I think, at least the first called meeting of the commission headed by Jim Barksdale."

***

"And I recognize there are some rough spots, and I'm going to mention some of them here in a minute -- and we're going to work to make them as smooth as possible. The first challenge we had after the storm hit was to take care of the people that were displaced. Millions of people, or over a million people evacuated and scattered. It was an amazing period in our history, when you think about it. One day people's lives are turned upside down and they're looking for help and they're looking for compassion -- and they found it. People found it in churches, in synagogues, in community centers, in private homes. It's an amazing part of our history when you think about it. It's like there's a great capacity to absorb hurt in our country, because we've got individuals that are so decent and honorable."

***

"I mean, when you have to evacuate, you don't have time to plan."

***

"I can remember people hollering for trailers. We became the largest consumer of trailers probably in the history of mankind. (Laughter.) And I know it was slow to begin with. The production needed to be ramped up, and, frankly, the government crowded out other purchasers in order to set priorities for people down in this part of the world."

***

"People ended up in hotel rooms. At one time there was about 80-some thousand people in hotel rooms. It's now down to 25,000 families in hotel rooms."

***

"We're trying to bridge from being an evacuee to a person in a place until their own home gets ready to move into."

***

"I remember being down in Biloxi. I think it was my first trip. And it was hot and it was steamy. An old lady walked up to me and said to me -- I said, "How are you doing?" And she looked at me and she said, "Not worth a darn." (Laughter.) And I said, "Well, I don't blame you." She said, "I've been paying all my life for my insurance. Every time that bill came I paid it. Every single month. And all of a sudden the storm hit, Mr. President, and I came time to collect, and they told me, no." And she was plenty unhappy and she was looking for anybody she could be unhappy with, and I just happened to be the target." (Laughter.)

***

"One way to handle the issue -- I know you got a lawsuit here; I'm not going to talk about the lawsuit. But Haley did something innovative, which was take the CDBG grants -- a lot of money for Mississippi, and going to help the people do the job that many think the insurance companies should have done in the first place." (Applause.)

***

"There's going to be a building boom down here; there just is."

***

"An ownership society has got to be a part of a new vision, where people from all walks of life can say, I'm owning my own business, I'm operating my own business, I'm owning my own home."

***

"It's going to be an exciting time down here, just so long as you're able to get enough material and enough labor."

***

"Congress did a smart thing, in my judgment -- was to provide tax incentives for businesses who are in this part of the world. They provide tax incentives for small businesses to expense up to $200,000 of investment and private -- and incentive for all businesses to provide a 50-percent bonus depreciation for investment made. What I'm telling you is, it's kind of economic talk for saying, if somebody spends money in an investment in this part of the world, they get a tax incentive to do so. In other words, if you're able to make the tax code attract capital so people invest, it means you're more likely to be able to find work here. It goes on -- and again, I want to thank the members of Congress for working on that."

***

"There are SBA loans for this. And I understand for some the word "SBA" means "slow bureaucratic paperwork." (Laughter.)

***

"You're dependent upon good highways and good bridges in this part of the world."

***

"Things have changed a lot when it comes to debris."

***

"Think about a country where the compassion is so strong that a neighbor in need can find a stranger that wants to help them get their feet back on the ground." (Applause.)

***

"So we learned some lessons about how to respond, and we're going to change. But some of the lessons shouldn't change, and that is the decency and character of the American people."

 

January 13, 2006
President Welcomes German Chancellor Merkel to the White House, The East Room
***
"There's something uplifting to talk to somebody who knows the difference between just talking about tyranny and living in freedom and actually done it."

 

January 19, 2006
President Highlights Importance of Small Business in Economic, Growth, JK Moving & Storage, Sterling, Virginia
***
"Think of how robust our economy is when it's growing at 4.1 percent in the third quarter of this year, in the face of storm and high energy prices -- it's got to affect your business, doesn't it, all those high energy prices. And, yet, you're growing. In other words, we've got an economy that is robust."

***

"Do you realize we've got a crisis when it comes to OB/GYNs in America. These good docs who have got the great compassionate job of taking care of youngin's, they're getting run out of business because of frivolous and junk lawsuits. It makes no sense."

***

"I envision the day when we're using corn, corn husks, different kind of grasses to be able to convert into energy."

***

"One of the coolest things to do in my presidential work, one of the -- (laughter) -- seeing if you're paying attention up there -- (laughter) -- things I like to do is to welcome my buddies, and Laura feels the same way, people we grew up with -- we both grew up in Midland, Texas. I remember having some of my friends that I went to 1st grade with, a guy I grew up across the street with, Michael Proctor, they came up to have dinner at the White House. You know, and they kind of walk in there. You can imagine what it's like. It's a great honor, pretty awe-inspiring deal. They walk in there and, kind of, "What are you doing here, Bush?" You know?" (Laughter.)

***

"Think about Europe. It's hard for some of us to think about Europe because Europe didn't really affect our lives, did it, much. But if you look back over the recent history of the United States and the world, two world wars started in Europe."

***

"The enemy which attacked us on September the 11th was not just acting out of anger, although they were, not acting out of hate, although I believe their hearts are hateful, but they were acting based upon an ideology."

 

January 23, 2006
President Discusses Global War on Terror at Kansas State University Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas
***
"You know, really one of the interesting things about being the President is to invite my guys, buddies I grew up with from Texas, to the White House. It's really neat to see how they react to the majesty of the White House and the Oval Office and the South Lawn, and just the beauty of Washington."

***

"I make a lot of decisions. I make some that you see that obviously affect people's lives, not only here, but around the world. I make a lot of small ones you never see, but have got consequence. Decision-maker is the job description."

***

"You know, a lot of us grew up thinking that oceans would protect us; that if there was a threat overseas, it really didn't concern us because we were safe. That's what history had basically told us -- yes, there was an attack on Pearl Harbor, obviously, but it was a kind of hit-and-run and then we pursued the enemy."

***

"See, we're in an ideological struggle. It's very important for the students here to understand that there is an enemy which has an ideology, and they're driven by an ideology. They make decisions based upon their view of the world, which is the exact opposite of our view of the world."

***

"But since we're not able to track vast battalions or armadas, we've got to have intelligence, good intelligence, to help us locate the dark corners of the world where these people hide."

***

"In order to make the right decision about how to win this war, it's important to understand the nature of the enemy and to take the enemy's word seriously and to understand their lethality and not let the kind of lull in the action lull us to sleep."

***

"Threats must be taken seriously now, because geography doesn't protect us and there's an enemy that still lurks."

***

"He [Sadaam Hussein] was a state sponsor of terror. In other words, the government had declared, you are a state sponsor of terror."

***

"It said --- see, now, I actually gave a speech to the United Nations, you might remember, and I said to them, basically, how many resolutions is it going to take before this threat will take us seriously?"

***

"We've seen some problems about what it means to have lived in a society where people want to seek revenge."

***

"As you study history, I want you to watch the effects of freedom around the world."

***



"I want you to know that this Patriot Act is under constant review, and there has been no documented abuses under the Patriot Act."

***

"After the enemy attacked us, and after I realized that we were not protected by oceans, I asked people that work for you -- work for me, how best can we use information to protect the American people?"

***

"You know, it's amazing, when people say to me, well, he was just breaking the law -- if I wanted to break the law, why was I briefing Congress?" (Laughter and applause.)

***

"Look, if you're a cattle raiser in Kansas, you want to be able to sell your product in Japan or South Korea or China. I mean, people want the beef."

***

"Now, I went to church in China. And I was a little nervous, at first, frankly, about a licensed church. I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to go to a church or not a church, and went -- Laura and I went with a guy named Luis Palau. And I was impressed by the spirit I felt in the church."

***

Q: W is for Wisconsin. You're a rancher. A lot of us here in Kansas are ranchers. I was just wanting to get your opinion on "Brokeback Mountain," if you've seen it yet? (Laughter.) You would love it. You should check it out.

THE PRESIDENT: I haven't seen it. I'll be glad to talk about ranching, but I haven't seen the movie. (Laughter.) I've heard about it. I hope you go -- you know -- (laughter) -- I hope you go back to the ranch and the farm is what I'm about to say. I haven't seen it. (Laughter and applause.)

January 30, 2006
President Bush Meets with the Cabinet Cabinet Room
***
"I can't tell you how upbeat I am about our future, so long as we're willing to lead."

 

January 31, 2006
President Bush Delivers State of the Union Address United States Capitol Washington, D.C.
***
"We're on the offensive in Iraq, with a clear plan for victory."

***

"And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world."

 

February 1, 2006
President Discusses 2006
Agenda Grand Ole Opry House Nashville, Tennessee
***
"I like my buddies from West Texas. I liked them when I was young, I liked them then I was middle-age, I liked them before I was President, and I like them during President and I like them after President. And it's fun to have them come to the White House. It's neat to show off this fantastic experience that Laura and I are being able to go through."

***

"Who wants to live all your day worried about the next attack? That's my job, to worry about the attack."

***

"When we grew up, oceans protected us, it seemed like. We felt pretty safe and secure from a attack on American soil. We were concerned about a nuclear threat, but nevertheless, we felt secure because we were isolated from threats it seemed like."

***

"And the third aspect -- and it's one that I know is dear to the hearts of many people -- is, how long will we be in Iraq? And the answer is this --it's a security aspect."

***

"Today, by video, I met with my -- I met not only in the room with my national security team, but we had the Ambassador and General Casey from Baghdad. And it's interesting to be able to communicate with your commanders on the ground in real time."

***

"Interestingly enough, one of the people that I work closest with in the world is the Prime Minister of Japan. Isn't that interesting? At least it is to me."

***

"In other words, Congress authorized me to use force in the fundamental incidents of war, which means in this case, you can't defeat the enemy until you know when the enemy is going to hit."

***

"Last night I said to members of Congress the truth: We're not going to be able to solve this issue until we bring Republicans and Democrats together. It's a big issue solving the baby boomer -- (applause.)"

***

"But I do want to talk about ethanol right quick. You know, we're making ethanol out of corn right now."

 

February 2, 2006
President Attends 54th Annual National Prayer Breakfast Hilton Washington Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"You know, I was trying to figure out what to say about Bono -- (laughter) -- "

BONO: Careful. (Laughter.)

***

"So I've gotten to know Bono. (Laughter.) He's a doer. The thing about this good citizen of the world is he's used his position to get things done. You're an amazing guy, Bono. God bless you." (Applause.)

 

February 2, 2006
President Discusses American Competitiveness Agenda 3M Corporate Headquarters Maplewood, Minnesota
***
"I see the Governor out there -- he says, you want to have some lunch? I said, sure, what are you serving? He said, "Lutefisk." (Laughter.) I said, no, I think I'll eat on Air Force One." (Laughter.)

***

"You know, it's amazing when you come to 3M to talk to George W. about the number of products you make and -- products that people just take for granted, but products, many of which started in a laboratory as the result of a really smart, capable person making the technological advances necessary to get these products to market."

***

"Twenty-five years ago, most Americans used the typewriter. Isn't that interesting?"

***

"Technology is changing the way we think. I don't know if you remember those awful trips when you had to drive with your family; you played the license plate game. (Laughter.) Now we got the DVDs -- (laughter) -- right there in the car."

***

"I guess I shocked some people, being from Texas, to say we're addicted to oil, but we are, and it's a problem."

***

"That's the whole thing behind No Child Left Behind."

***

"Sometimes you have a good teacher sitting there, but they really don't understand what works when it teaches -- how to teach a child math."

 

February 3, 2006
President Participates in American Competitiveness Panel Intel New Mexico Rio Rancho, New Mexico
***
"I remember the pride that Frank had when he described his daughter's service to me."

***

"And finally, we want to get 30,000 adjunct professors into classrooms. That's a fancy word for saying we want engineers and chemists and physicists in places like Intel, or retired professionals, to go in the classroom and excite students about the possibility of math and science."

***

"I hope people listening hear what Craig has just said, those particularly in CEO America, corporate America, that there is such a thing as corporate responsibility. He said, I take this responsibility serious."

***

"The other day, I was talking about how research is -- I mean, how technology has changed our strategy, and I ended with te example, I remember driving across Texas playing the license plate game, and they're driving across Texas watching a DVD."

 

February 8, 2006

President Discusses 2007 Budget and Deficit Reduction in New Hampshire Radisson Hotel Manchester-Center of New Hampshire Manchester, New Hampshire
***
"You know, one of the interesting things abut my job is you get to make a lot of decisions."

***

"I love the fact that America is an ownership society."

***

"One of the things about our economy, which is interesting, is that there's a lot of turnover when it comes to jobs."

***

"I talked about a very important issue that I think surprised old Judd a little bit -- you know, he knows I'm from Texas, a little concerned about my views on energy, I think, at times -- prejudged me the wrong way."

***

"When we have the breakthrough, when it comes in ethanol, I'm convinced that this country is going to become what we want it to be -- not reliant upon Middle Eastern oil."

***

"Of course, you'd like to take a vacation every week, you know, some exotic place -- but you've got to set your priorities -- you can't do that. You want do this or do that, go to a fancy restaurant every night, but that's not setting priorities."

***

"The math doesn't work."

***

"It's amazing what happens when you interject competition into the health care system."

***

"You can't be the preeminent economy in the world if your economy doesn't grow."

 

February 9, 2006
President Discusses Progress in War on Terror to National Guard National Guard Building Washington, D.C.
***
"We remain a nation at war. I wish I could report, you know, a different sentence to you. But my job as the President of the United States is to keep the American people fully informed of the world in which we live."

***

"On September the 11th, 2001, our nation saw that vast oceans and great distances could no longer keep us safe."

***

"We now know that in October 2001, Khalid Shaykh Muhammad -- the mastermind of the September the 11th attacks -- had already set in motion a plan to have terrorist operatives hijack an airplane using shoe bombs to breach the cockpit door, and fly the plane into the tallest building on the West Coast. We believe the intended target was Liberty [sic] Tower in Los Angeles, California.*" *Library Tower

 

February 10, 2006
President Addresses House Republican Conference Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Cambridge, Maryland
***
"It's hard work to cut out and cut back on programs that don't work."

 

February 13, 2006
President Congratulates Chicago White Sox, 2005 World Series Champions The East Room
***
"You know, there was great players, but nobody off the chart, if you know what I mean, which means you competed as a team."

***

"I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to -- the beauty of playing baseball."

***

MR. KONERKO: Mr. President, on behalf of our organization, and all the fans on the South Side and all over the world, we want to present you with this jersey and jacket.

THE PRESIDENT: I thought you were going to give me a loan. (Laughter.)

 

February 14, 2006
President Welcomes University of Texas Longhorns, 2005 NCAA Football Champions, to the White House, The South Lawn
***
"One reason the mighty Horns are here is because they were in good shape, and they were tough, and they were in good condition."

 

February 16, 2006
President Bush Welcomes Colombian President Uribe to the White House The Oval Office
***
"Free trade agreements are never easy to negotiate -- es muy difcile -- and because there's interests."

 

February 15, 2006
President Discusses Health Care Wendy's International, Inc. Dublin, Ohio
***
"Let me start by giving you kind of a state of the economy -- it's strong. I recognize there's parts of Ohio that aren't necessarily as strong as other parts of the country, but from an overall perspective, when you look at the nation's economy, it's strong, and it's getting stronger."

***

"People see China and India out there looming as competitors and the reaction with some is, let's don't compete, let's just kind of shut her down, let's get protectionist, or, why don't we isolate?"

***

"To be wise -- to be competitive in the future, we've got to get off being hooked on Middle Eastern oil. (Applause.) In order for us to grow -- I said something in the State of the Union that probably surprised some of you. I said, we have a serious problem -- we're addicted to oil."

***

"I can't wait for the day, and I know future Presidents can't wait for the day, when somebody walks in with the farm report, and says, Mr. President, the crops are up, and we're less dependent on Middle Eastern oil. And it's coming, it's coming." (Applause.)

***

"Workers have lost good coverage because they're changing jobs. I've told you, there's uncertainty in the marketplace because people are changing work."

***

"You hear rhetoric, of course, that we're "starving the poor." The car is going the speed limit -- it's not going backwards."

***

"Nothing will pass the House or the Senate unless there's agreement. And now is the time to put aside the politics that have stopped rational people from coming up with a rational answer to a very serious problem -- to set it aside, sit down at the table, and solve this problem once and for all, so we can travel the country looking at young workers and saying, you're not going to pay payroll taxes into a bust system anymore."

 

February 16, 2006
President Participates in Panel Discussion on Health Care Initiatives U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Washington, D.C.
***
"There's no consumer advocacy for reasonable price when somebody else pays the bills. And one of the reasons why we're having inflation in health care is because there is no -- there is no sense of market."

***

"It must be exciting to be on the leading edge of an interesting innovation and to a -- into health care. It's hard to believe that ours is a market society in which people are able to shop based upon price and quality in almost every aspect of our life, with the exception of health care."

***

"And tell us, you know, the transparency issue -- we had a little visit ahead of time, since it's not the first time I've seen her; she gave me a little hint about what she was going to talk about. Go ahead and share with people -- smal clinic, relatively small clinic, big hospital guy, small clinic person."

***

"It's an interesting -- the transparency reform is going to take place in both large entities and smaller entities, because consumers shouldn't be restricted to shopping only in a large entity or a small entity."

 

February 17, 2006
President's Remarks at Republican Party of Florida Dinner Disney's Contemporary Resort Lake Buena Vista, Florida
***
"There's uncertainty in our economy today. It's an interesting phenomenon, isn't it -- you get unbelievable economic growth, and yet, people are worried."

***

"America needs to be confident about the future, because we intend to shape the future."

***

"But isn't it fun to watch a government being formed by people who had just finished living under the thumb of one of the most brutal tyrants in the history of mankind, Saddam Hussein?"

***

"And the world requires our help in helping defeat HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa, to feed the hungry, to give relief in the outreaches of Pakistan, to help those who suffer from tsunami."

 

February 17, 2006
President Discusses Global War on Terror Following Briefing at CENTCOM Port of Tampa, Tampa, Florida
***
"In order for us to be competitive and lead in the world, we've got to get -- we've got to get off of Middle Eastern oil. I know it shocks some of you to hear a Texan say, we're addicted to oil."

***

"If this technology comes true, which we believe it will, then pretty soon a President is going to say, we're growing a lot of crops and we're less dependent on Middle Eastern oil."

***

"Now, we're living in historic times when you think about this world we're in."

***

"I make a lot of decisions. My buddies in Texas, when they show up to Washington, after they get over the initial surprise that I'm still there -- (laughter) -- or got there in the first place -- (laughter) -- say, like, what's it like, you know? What is the job description? What's it like to be President? And the best way to answer it is, I make a lot of decisions. And part of the reasons -- my thinking was shaped on September the 11th, let me put it to you that way."

***

"So a lot of my decision-making is based upon the attack. And I know we're at war, see -- I knew it then, and the enemy has, unfortunately, proved me right because they continue to attack. In order to win the war against the enemy you got to understand the nature of the enemy."

***

"You might remember some of those days. Old Mayor Martinez, I know he remembers those days when we felt pretty comfortable here in America. We could see a threat overseas, but oceans made it pretty clear that -- to a lot of folks -- that nothing would happen, you know. September 11th came along and made it clear that we are vulnerable, that the enemy can hit us if they -- if they want to."

***

"It's an interesting war we're in."

***

"And so when Saddam Hussein chose war -- and believe me, he made the choice -- the hardest thing for the President of the United States to do is commit troops into combat. It's the last option, the very last option. Except September the 11th taught me, and September the 11th taught me, that we got to take threats seriously."

***

"Victory is a state -- a democracy that can sustain itself and defend itself and join America in fighting the war on terror. That's the goal of victory. That's the definition of victory."

***

"What's amazing about this is that, like many whose relatives -- like many here whose relatives fought against the Japanese, my dad did, too. Isn't that interesting?"

***

"Thirdly, I knew I needed to tell members of Congress. See, they like to be a part of the process. They're a co-equal branch of government."

***

"And the interesting thing about ethanol is that the barriers to entry are pretty low, when it comes to manufacturing -- if the technology says that we can -- yields the capacity to convert switchgrasses and refuses to ethanol, once that technological breakthrough comes, the barriers to entry are pretty low when it comes to building the manufacturing capacity that converts raw material to ethanol."

***

"Every day in the morning, first thing in the morning, I get briefed by our intelligence officers about potential threats. Every morning I'm aware of the world around us. And I told you that it's -- 9/11 changed my thinking. My focus is there."

***

"There's -- issues come, they go, and they -- but I hope that when it's all said and done, people see me as a strategic thinker, and that I'm able to stay focused on a strategy that will leave behind peace and hope -- peace around the world, and hope not only around the world, but equally importantly, here at home, so people have this sense of the greatness of America. It's a -- we're a fantastic country."

 

February 20, 2006
President Discusses Solar Technology and Energy Initiatives in Michigan United Solar Ovonic LLC, Auburn Hills, Michigan
***
"The ultimate goal is to have solar technology on your home, and that home will become a little power-generating unit unto itself, and that if you have extra electricity, that you could put it back in your grid, so you become a power producer, but you're using renewable sources of energy to power your homes and to fire up your refrigerators. And this is real."

 

February 20, 2006
President Discusses Advanced Energy Initiative In Milwaukee Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Business Milwaukee, Wisconsin
***
"I like to kind of tease in a way, but beneath the tease is serious -- it will be good one day when the President is given the crop report. (Laughter.) It says, "Mr. President, corn is up." (Laughter.) And we're less dependent on foreign sources of energy."

***

"It's interesting when you think about a country like France, however, they have built 58 plants since the 1970s; they get 78 percent of their electricity from nuclear power. It's an interesting contrast [to the U.S.], isn't it?"

 

February 21, 2006
Roundtable Interview of the President by the Press Pool Aboard Air Force One
***
"This company operates all around the world. I have the list somewhere. We can get you the list. They're in Germany and elsewhere -- Australia."

***

"And I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British [sic] company."

 

February 21, 2006
President Participates in Energy Conservation & Efficiency Panel National Renewable Energy Laboratory Golden, Colorado
***
"We -- I have come today to discuss unbelievable opportunities for our country to achieve a great national goal, and that is to end our addiction on oil."

***

"Technology will make it so that the hybrid vehicles are even better in getting us less addicted on oil, and making it good for the consumer's pocketbook."

***

"Secondly, there is a fantastic technology brewing -- I say brewing, it's kind of a catch on words here -- (laughter) -- called ethanol. I mean, it's -- there's a lot of folks in the Midwest driving -- using what's called E85 gasoline. It means 85 percent of the fuel they're putting in their car is derived from corn. This is exciting news for those of us worried about addiction to oil."

***

"In 1981, I don't think anybody ever thought there would be such a thing as email. Matter of fact, we were still writing letters longhand, if I recall. Typewriters were kind of the -- now it's computer."

 

February 22, 2006
President Celebrates African American History Month at the White House The East Room
***
"I couldn't help but noticing A.C. Green. (Laughter.) Thanks, A.C., for setting such a good example and using your position to help others."

 

February 23, 2006
President's Remarks at Chocola for Congress Reception Bethel College Indiana Mishawaka, Indiana
***
"See, when I grew up, oceans would protect us. At least that's what we thought. You might remember the '50s and '60s. We'd see a threat overseas, and we were teenage kids and just didn't need to worry about it, did we, because oceans were there to protect us."

***

"I spend every morning thinking about -- at least every morning thinking about how to protect you."

***

"It's hard to be a risk-taker if all you think about is war. See, you've hired a lot of us to think on your behalf."

 

March 7, 2006
President Bush Votes in Texas Primary Election Crawford Fire Department Crawford, Texas

4:43 P.M. CST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.

Q Was it worth coming?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, you bet, it's always good to come home to vote. And I urge all people to vote when given a chance. It's also good to be home in Texas -- get a little rest here in my homestead and then heading over to New Orleans tomorrow and Mississippi. Thank you all.

END 4:44 P.M. CST

 

March 7, 2006

President and Mrs. Bush Celebrate Women's History Month and International Women's Day The East Room
***
"Welcome to the White House. We like to call this the people's house. I want to remind people from around the world that we're only temporary occupants here -- but we're trying to make the most of our time here."

***

"It breaks our hearts, our collective hearts, to realize many young girls are sold into sex slavery and we will use our prestige to stop that evil process." (Applause.)

 

March 8, 2006
President Bush and Governor Barbour Discuss Rebuilding in Mississippi New Home Construction Site Gautier, Mississippi
***
THE PRESIDENT: It's good to hear people hammering, isn't it?

***

MR. AKINS: Yes, sir. We have some lemonade and we have some refreshments.

THE PRESIDENT: You do? That's good. The other thing that's interesting is that we've got the Allens here from the Allen Brothers Construction Company, he's a local --

GOVERNOR BARBOUR: The Martins. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: The Martins. As I said, the Martins. You probably thought I said, the Allens. (Laughter.) I said, the Martins. (Laughter.)

You know, one of the interesting things is that there is going to be a lot of work, and here are the entrepreneurs with their sons helping to build this man's house. It's neat to be with them.

 

March 8, 2006
President and Mrs. Bush Discuss Gulf Coast Rebuilding in New Orleans Industrial Levee Canal New Orleans, Louisiana
***
"We just flew over affected parts of Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish and St. Bernard Parish, and getting a view of the progress that is being made."

***

"You know, we just came from a neighborhood where people are fixing to -- are in the process of cleaning up debris."

***

"And obviously, as the plan gets laid out and as the housing plan I'm fixing to discuss comes to fruition, people will feel more comfortable in granting the local authorities the right to remove debris from their homes to be cleaned up."

 

March 9, 2006
President's Remarks at Georgia Republican Party's President's Day Dinner Georgia International Convention Center College Park, Georgia
***
"Secondly, he [Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue] said his favorite title in life is not "Governor", but "Big Buddy." (Laughter.) You know who calls him "Big Buddy?" His grandkids. Sonny has got his priorities straight." (Applause.)
***
"One of the things that I love about being the President is, well, I've got a 45-second commute -- (laughter) -- and when I get home, there's a person there who is a wonderful partner in serving our country. She understands what I know: It's a huge honor to be the First Couple of the United States. And she is making an enormous difference in the lives of people in West Texas-type ways."

***

"Alec has got his priorities straight. I've known him for a long period of time. We're quite familiar with each other. He said, how many turkeys you got on your ranch? I said, I haven't been counting them lately. He says, well, I've been counting them on mine. The man's got his priorities straight." (Laughter.)

***

"We're living in historic times. We are a country still at war. I wish I could report -- give you a different report. My job is to see the world the way it really is, not to see the world the way some would hope it would be. My job is -- my thinking is really -- was defined on September the 11th, you've just got to know that."

***

"In order to make decisions, you've got to make decisions based upon principle. And if not exactly sure what information you need, you've got to rely upon good people to give you information so you can make good decisions. A lot of my decision-making has come about as a result of the attack on our country. See, after that day, I vowed that I would do everything in my power to protect the United States of America from further attack." (Applause.)

***

"After the attacks on the country, I did what you would expect me to do, and ask people who are on the front lines of defending you whether or not there was -- there's more we could be doing."

***

"Before I implemented the program, a program, by the way, which is limited in nature -- phone calls coming from inside the country out, and outside in, with one of the numbers being known al Qaeda, suspected al Qaeda, and affiliates -- I then recognized that the United States Congress would be interested in this subject."

***

"You see, prior to September the 11th, 2001, a lot of folks assumed that we were safe in America. In other words, we could see a threat somewhere overseas, but we were fine. Oceans protected us, perhaps our might protected us. But that all changed for me on September the 11th, 2001."

***

"Being addicted to oil is a problem."

***

"In order for this country to be competitive in the out years, in order for us to be confident about our national security, we have got to be less addicted to Middle Eastern oil, and I intend to lead that country this direction [sic]." (Applause.)

 

March 9, 2006
President Highlights Faith-Based Results at National Conference Washington Hilton Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"It's hard to be a faith-based program if you can't practice your faith, no matter what your faith may be."

***

"It's hard to be a results-oriented society unless you actually focus on results."

***

"One of the really successful programs in America is a program called Teen Challenge. I don't know if you're aware of Teen Challenge. (Applause.) So Pastor Arthur Stafford is with us. Arthur works at Teen Challenge New Haven. Notice I didn't say, "mister." I said, "Pastor." Teen Challenge is a faith-based program."

 

March 9, 2006
President Signs USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act The East Room
***
"This bill also will help protect Americans from the growing threat of methamphetamine. Meth is easy to make. It is highly addictive."

 

March 9, 2005 President Discusses Energy Policy Franklin County Veterans Memorial
***
"What were some of the true brains of America thinking about when it comes to encourage energy conservation?"

 

March 9, 2006
Interview of the President by Diana Moukalled, Future Television of Lebanon The Map Room
***
"Lebanon is a fabulous country; Beirut is one of the great international cities of all time."

 

March 10, 2006
President Welcomes President Toledo of Peru to the White House The Oval Office
***
"He cares deeply about the people of Peru. He's a man of -- he's got a corazon gigante."

 

March 10, 2006
President Addresses National Newspaper Association Conference Wyndham Washington Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"So for national security purposes, we have got to become not addicted to oil."

***

"I can't predict to you the course these legal challenges [to South Dakota's recent law banning abortions] will take. I can assure you, however, if it does make it to the Supreme Court, the two people I nominated and who were approved were not picked because of any litmus test. They will interpret laws based upon the Constitution -- is what they'll do.

***

"One of my best buddies in the international arena is Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. What's interesting about that is my dad fought the Japanese -- as did, I'm sure, your relatives, some of your relatives. And yet today, I can tell the newspaper owners that I work with Koizumi to keep the peace."

***

"I'll just give you an interesting public policy dilemma. When we first got down there, the government will remove debris off public property, but not private -- will pay to remove debris off public property, but not private property. The simplest way to explain why not is you start moving debris off private property, and the guy shows up and says, where's my million-dollar necklace?"

***

"The Chinese -- you know, our relationship is a very interesting relationship with the Chinese."

 

March 11, 2006
President Briefed by Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Task Force The Roosevelt Room
***
"We face an enemy that will use explosive devices in order to shake our will; in order to foment violence in Iraq; in order to try to convince the American people that we can't win in Iraq. That's what they're trying to do."

***

"So the briefing today was a series of briefing I get from our commanders on the ground, as well as our experts hired by the Pentagon to let me know what we're doing, so I can let the American people know that we recognize the nature of this enemy, we're addressing our tactics to defeat this enemy, for the sake of peace, for the sake of the security of the United States of America and for the sake of peace in the world."

***

"We're constantly gathering intelligence. We're monitoring influence. We are adjusting our tactics. We are -- obviously, if there's any kind of influence from a foreign country that is disruptive, any kind of influence -- if the Iranians are trying to influence the outcome of the political process, or the outcome of the security situation there, we're letting them know our displeasure."

***

"It's important for our friends in the rest of the Middle East to help this new democracy. And so, yes, we're interesting in negative influence; we're also interested in positive influence.

***

"And my optimism is based upon reality on the ground. One, there were some people trying to, obviously, foment sectarian violence. Some have called it a civil war. But it didn't work."

 

March 15, 2006
President Attends Celebration of Hungarian Contributions to Democracy Statutory Hall United States Capitol Washington, D.C.
***
"You know, it's an interesting world in which we live."

***

"You know, one of the interesting examples of Europe that I try to explain to our people is that for a hundred years there were war, where a lot of people lost their lives and a lot of Americans lost their life. But today Europe is at peace."

 

March 15, 2006
President Discusses Medicare Prescription Drug Benefits in Maryland Riderwood Village Silver Spring, Maryland
***
"Drug bills have been cut in half for the average -- for the typical senior. I'm not making it up. I'm just telling you what people who've signed realize what the plans available -- what it has meant to them."

***

"Yesterday, I met with a group of concerned citizens from different walks of life -- you know, the NAACP and the -- some Latino groups, business groups, pharmaceutical groups."

***

"Part of the rising cost of health care is the result of a really important industry not being a part of the 21st century technology."

"I had a good visit with President Musharraf, who is dedicated to routing out al Qaeda if they hide in his country, and we really appreciate his dedication."

***

"I went to a plant in Michigan the other day and saw these new roofing materials that got photovoltaic cells, a part of them."

 

March 16, 2006
President Attends National Republican Congressional Committee Dinner Washington Hilton Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"We believe in plug-in hybrid batteries. It's the wave of the future. We believe in the use of ethanol. I love the fact that when our farmers are growing crops it makes us less dependent on oil from the Middle East." (Applause.)

***

"Ours is a party that knows you got to challenge the status quo when it comes to energy."

***

"We believe that government shouldn't tell people the nature of their health care. We believe that government ought to say, here's some choices from which to choose."

 

March 16, 2006
President Meets with Members of Congress, Discusses Line-Item Veto The Cabinet Room
***
"I particularly want to thank my opponent in the 2004 campaign, Senator Kerry, for being here. I can remember on the campaign trail, he said that he supported a line-item veto, and he is following through on his word by being here at the table. I'm proud you're here, Senator."

 

March 20, 2006
President Welcomes NATO Secretary General to the White House The Oval Office
***
PRESIDENT BUSH: Fine-looking crowd we've attracted here, fine-looking crowd.

***

"However, some things have to happen prior to that happening, and the first thing is that the African Union must request from the United Nations a U.N. mission to convert the AU mission to a U.N. mission, at which point that's done, the -- NATO can move in with United States help within -- inside of NATO -- to make it clear to the Sudanese government that we're intent upon providing security for the people there, and intent upon helping work toward a lasting peace agreement. And so I appreciate your understanding of that."

 

March 20, 2006
President Discusses War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom Renaissance Cleveland Hotel Cleveland, Ohio
***
"Foreign policy used to be dictated by the fact we had two oceans protecting us. If we saw a threat, you could deal with it if you needed to, you think -- or not. But we'd be safe."

***

"I made it clear, I'll make it clear again, that we will use military might to protect our ally, Israel, and -- (applause.) At any rate, our objective is to solve this issue diplomatically."

***

Q Mr. President, at the beginning of your talk today you mentioned that you understand why Americans have had their confidence shaken by the events in Iraq. And I'd like to ask you about events that occurred three years ago that might also explain why confidence has been shaken. Before we went to war in Iraq we said there were three main reasons for going to war in Iraq: weapons of mass destruction, the claim that Iraq was sponsoring terrorists who had attacked us on 9/11, and that Iraq had purchased nuclear materials from Niger. All three of those turned out to be false. My question is, how do we restore confidence that Americans may have in their leaders and to be sure that the information they are getting now is correct?

THE PRESIDENT: That's a great question. (Applause.) First, just if I might correct a misperception. I don't think we ever said -- at least I know I didn't say that there was a direct connection between September the 11th and Saddam Hussein. We did say that he was a state sponsor of terror -- by the way, not declared a state sponsor of terror by me, but declared by other administrations. We also did say that Zarqawi, the man who is now wreaking havoc and killing innocent life, was in Iraq. And so the state sponsor of terror was a declaration by a previous administration. But I don't want to be argumentative, but I was very careful never to say that Saddam Hussein ordered the attacks on America.

Like you, I asked that very same question, where did we go wrong on intelligence. The truth of the matter is the whole world thought that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. It wasn't just my administration, it was the previous administration. It wasn't just the previous administration; you might remember, sir, there was a Security Council vote of 15 to nothing that said to Saddam Hussein, disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. The basic premise was, you've got weapons. That's what we thought.

When he didn't disclose, and when he didn't disarm, and when he deceived inspectors, it sent a very disconcerting message to me, whose job it is to protect the American people and to take threats before they fully materialize. My view is, he was given the choice of whether or not he would face reprisal. It was his decision to make. And so he chose to not disclose, not disarm, as far as everybody was concerned.

Y our question, however, the part that's really important is, how do we regain credibility when it comes to intelligence? Obviously, the Iranian issue is a classic case, where we've got to make sure that when we speak there's credibility. And so, in other words, when the United States rallies a coalition, or any other country that had felt that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction is trying to rally a coalition in dealing with one of these non-transparent societies, what do we need to do to regain the trust of not only the American people, but the world community?

And so what I did was I called together the Silberman-Robb Commission -- Laurence Silberman and former Senator Chuck Robb -- to take a full look at what went right and what went wrong on the intelligence, and how do we structure an intelligence network that makes sure there's full debate among the analysts? How do we make sure that there's a full compilation of data points that can help decision-makers like myself feel comfortable in the decision we make?

The war on terror requires the collection and analysis of good intelligence. This is a different kind of war; we're dealing with an enemy which hides in caves and plots and plans, an enemy which doesn't move in flotillas, or battalions. And so, therefore, the intelligence-gathering is not only important to make a diplomatic case, it's really important to be able to find an enemy before they hurt us.

And so there was a reform process they went through, a full analysis of what -- of how the operations worked, and out of that came the NDI, John Negroponte and Mike Hayden. And their job is to better collate and make sure that the intelligence-gathering is seamless across a variety of gatherers and people that analyze. But the credibility of our country is essential -- I agree with you.

***
"We're compassionate people. Nobody likes beheadings and it -- nobody -- when innocent children get car-bombed."

***

[This is an amazing question... next time you wonder who's understands Bush, well...] Q My son signed up after 9/11, and I didn't raise a terrorist. And let's face it, there's a continuum and a lack of clarity about who's violent and who's a terrorist. And we really do want to use the word "enemy" in a meaningful way. I think your speech has been very brave and very important and very clarifying. And in the interest of clarifying the purpose of our country to fight preventive war, which we know does involve violence, it's very important for us to understand what you're saying about your model community in Iraq. And my question is that you are killing the bad guys, and that's very important that's the entire story of the battle. And we want to know who the bad guys are. Do you feel that Iraq is like a honeycomb, and that we can draw the al Qaeda there so we can stand and fight them there? I'm really asking for clarification.

***

"History has proven that democracies can change societies. The classic case I like to cite is Japan. Prime Minister Koizumi is one of my best buddies in the international arena, and when we sit down, we talk the peace. I find it interesting that he is a peacemaker with me on a variety of issues, and yet my Dad fought the Japanese."

***

"I promise you this, but I suspect that if somebody were standing up at the City Club of Cleveland talking about, don't worry some day Japan is going to be peaceful with the United States and the 43rd President is going to be designing how keep the peace -- they'd say, get him off the stage."

***

Q Mr. President, with the war in Iraq costing $19,600 per U.S. household, how do you expect a generation of young people such as ourselves, to afford college a time like this, when we're paying for a war Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Well -- hold on for a minute. Hold on. We can do more than one thing at one time. And when you grow your economy, like we're growing our economy, there is an opportunity to not only protect ourselves, but also to provide more Pell grants than any administration in our nation's history, and increase the student loan program. So if you take a look, I think you'll find that we're robust in helping -- at the federal level, helping people go to college. And it's essential you go to college. It's essential that there be a group of youngsters coming up that are well-educated so that we can maintain our economic leadership position in the world. We've got a robust program to do just that.

But it's also essential that we keep policies in place that keep the economy growing. This economy of ours is strong, and it's -- it is, in my judgment, growing stronger. But it is possible to put policy in place that would weaken it, such as raising taxes. I think we got to keep taxes low to keep the economy moving. It's possible to put policy -- (applause) -- it's possible to put policy in place that would hurt this economy, like protectionist policy. It's possible to -- if we keep suing our people trying to risk capital, it's conceivable, we won't be the leader. That's why we need good tort reform. We got to make sure that -- (applause.)

My point to you is economic growth enables us to do more than one thing. And that's what we'll continue to do.

***

Q Could you explain why living within the legislation that allowed your administration to get a warrant from a secret court within 72 hours after putting in a wiretap wouldn't be just as effective?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I appreciate the question. He's talking about the terrorist surveillance program that was -- created quite a kerfuffle in the press, and I owe an explanation to.

***

Q First of all, I want to commend you on your presentation today. And I tell you I'm 100 percent behind your fight against terrorism. Also --

THE PRESIDENT: Why don't you just leave it at that?

Q Oh, no. Oh, no. (Laughter and applause.)

I tell you, one of the reasons I'm qualified to say that, you probably heard of Ernie Shavers, the boxer. I trained Ernie Shavers. He fought Muhammad Ali, and Muhammad Ali say he hit him so hard he woke up his ancestors in Africa. (Laughter.) So I know a little bit about boxing and things. But I know in boxing -- and I taught over 3,300 children over 13 years, two of them fought for world championships, including Ernie Shavers. I taught them that the best defense is a good offense. That's what you're doing over there now. And I commend you. (Applause.)

***

"Let me give you some broad principles on immigration reform as I see them. First of all, we do need to know who's coming into our country and whether they're coming in illegally, or not legally -- legally or not legally -- and whether they're coming in or going out."

***

"I mean, the idea of having a program that causes people to get stuck in the back of 18-wheelers, to risk their lives to sneak into America to do work that some people won't do is just not American, in my judgment."

 

March 21, 2006
Press Conference of the President James S. Brady Briefing Room
***
"I've heard people say, oh, he's just kind of optimistic for the sake of optimism. Well, look, I believe we're going to succeed."

***

"If the Iranians were to have a nuclear weapon they could proliferate."

***

"If you're a non-transparent society, you've got a negotiating advantage over six parties, because all you have to do is kind of try to find a -- the weakest link in the negotiating team. "

***

"You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life."

***

"Thirdly, in spite of the bad news on television -- and there is bad news. You brought it up; you said, how do I react to a bombing that took place yesterday -- is precisely what the enemy understands is possible to do."

***

"They're capable of blowing up innocent life so it ends up on your TV show."

***

"It's an election year, after all. And it seems like history tends to repeat itself when you're in the White House."

***

"I'm telling you what's on my mind. And what's on my mind is winning the war on terror."

***

"War creates trauma, particularly when you're fighting an enemy that doesn't fight soldier-to-soldier, they fight by using IEDs to kill innocent people. That's what they use. That's the tool they use."

***

"Listen, every war plan looks good on paper until you meet the enemy -- not just the war plan we executed in Iraq, but the war plans that have been executed throughout the history of warfare."

***

Q Just after the 2004 election, you seemed to -- you claimed a really enviable balance of political capital and a strong mandate. Would you make that claim today? Do you still have that?

THE PRESIDENT: I'd say I'm spending that capital on the war.

***

"I think the American people are now beginning to get the picture that if we don't do something, Social Security and Medicare will bust."

***

"I did notice that nobody from the Democrat Party has actually stood up and called for getting rid of the terrorist surveillance program. You know, if that's what they believe, if people in the party believe that, then they ought to stand up and say it. They ought to stand up and say the tools we're using to protect the American people shouldn't be used. They ought to take their message to the people and say, vote for me, I promise we're not going to have a terrorist surveillance program."

***

"I was particularly pleased that my opponent in the 2004 campaign, Senator Kerry, graciously came down and lent his support to a line- item veto, and also made very constructive suggestions about how to get one out of the United States Congress."

***

"I believe society's interest are met by saying -- defining marriage as between a man and a woman. That's what I believe."

***

THE PRESIDENT: I also said that -- let me make sure, Steve, that you -- first of all, I'm impressed that you're actually paying attention to it. The people I saw in the press pool weren't. They were, like, Elisabeth was half-asleep -- (laughter) -- yes, you were. (Laughter.)

Q No, I wasn't.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Well, the person next to you was. (Laughter.) They were dozing off. I could see them watching their watches, kind of wondering how long he's going to blow on for. Let's get him out of here so we can go get lunch, is what they were thinking. (Laughter.)

***

"There needs to be enforcement mechanisms that don't discourage the Border Patrol agents. They work hard, they get somebody coming in from country X; the person says, check back in with us in 30 days -- they don't. In other words, they end up in society."

 

March 23, 2006
President Signs Bill to Strengthen Trade Between U.S. and Ukraine Room 350 Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building
***
"I really want to thank the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a man who knows what he's talking about when it comes to the world, and that's Chairman Lugar from Indiana."

 

March 24, 2006
President's Remarks at Mike Sodrel for Congress and Indiana Victory 2006
Reception The Murat Centre Indianapolis, Indiana
***
"You see, before September the 11th it was assumed by policymakers and people in office that we were safe, that oceans protected us, that we're in good shape when it came to threats. We could see a threat overseas and we could deal with it if we wanted to, or not."

***

"And yet, today, interestingly enough, I sit at a table with the Prime Minister of Japan working on how to keep the peace. Isn't that interesting?"

***

"I want people driving with corn extract, ethanol, grown right here in the state of Indiana in order to keep these cars moving. (Applause.) One of these days, they're going to walk in with a crop report to the President and say, the harvest down there in Indiana is great. We've got us a lot of corn, that means we're less dependent on foreign sources of oil."

 

March 27, 2006
President Makes Remarks at Friends of Conrad Burns Reception The Madison Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"Senator, thank you. I kind of like being on the same platform as Senator Burns because he makes me sound like Shakespeare. (Laughter.) I like a plain-talking fellow."

***

"It's really easy to be out there talking about the world the way you'd like it to be. But we can't afford that luxury because we're in a war against some terrorists who would like to harm America again."

***

"I know some probably think that, well, this war on terror is isolated to a few angry individuals that got lucky on September the 11th. "

***

"The United States of America was formed on the natural rights of men and women."

***

"I like to remind people about this interesting fact of history. My dad -- 18-year-old kid -- raised his arm and said, I want to volunteer to defend the United States of America against the Japanese. What I find interesting is that some 60 years later, his son, the current President, sits down with the Prime Minister of Japan talking about keeping the peace."

***

"I want it to be said, when we have a technological breakthrough, which we're close to getting to, that we can use sawgrass grown in the state of Montana to help grow -- to help produce ethanol so we become less dependant on Middle Eastern oil."

 

March 27, 2006
President Participates in Roundtable Interview with Foreign Print Media The Roosevelt Room
***
"I'm looking forward to going to the Mayan ruins, which will be really exciting."

***

"I'm fully aware of the relationship -- the nature of the relationship between Canada and the United States. One, it's a vital relationship, but it's also one in which there is a certain skepticism about the United States and, therefore, I will do my very best to find common ground and to convince -- through my relationship with the Prime Minister, convince the people of Canada we genuinely care about our friends and neighbors to the north and will work to resolve different issues in an aboveboard way that is mutually beneficial."

***

"First, I think it's very important for both President Fox and myself to explain to both our countries the benefits of $300 million* two- way trade -- well, nearly $300 million* in the year 2005 of two-way trade."

*billion

***

"I just, as a matter of fact, gave a speech to a group of citizens that have become U.S. citizens today, in my presence. They had stood in line."

***

"And I think that -- I'm pretty confident that if we work closely, we can develop such a plan that enables a scanning device or a card that can be dealt with on a scanning device to not stop the flow of traffic of people who make a daily routine of it, and also make sure that we know who's coming in the country."

***

"I predict, however, that there will be other issues that arise because of our -- when we trade as much as we trade, nearly half-a- billion** two-way trade in '05, there's going to be issues that come up."

**trillion

***

"We're dealing with, you know, tomatoes, on occasion, or corn syrup, I think it was -- yes, corn syrup."

 

March 28, 2006
Interview of the President by CNN Español Map Room
***
"We're going to have a cultural event, we're going to go to the ruins, which will be fantastic, the Mayan ruins."

 

March 29, 2006
President Discusses Democracy in Iraq with Freedom House Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill Washington, D.C.
***
And I tell you why it was a lousy deal for America. It meant that we had to cut emissions below 1990 levels, which would have meant I would have presided over massive layoffs and economic destruction.

***
"But I do think it's illustrative to point out -- like I pointed out in the speech -- that Europe is now free, whole and at peace, and there's a reason why. It's what Americans have got to understand. We tend to forget. Ours is a society where things are like instant, so therefore, history almost is like so far back it doesn't count. But it counts when you really think about life lost on the continent of Africa and wonder why they're no war today."

***

"I haven't given up on Russia. I still think Russia understands that it's in her interest to be West, to work with the West, and to act in concert with the West."

 

March 30, 2006
President Bush Meets with President Fox in Cancun, Mexico Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun Hotel Cancún, Mexico
***
"I will never forget being on the -- in the Gulf Coast area of my country, helping people -- lift people's spirits."

 

March 31, 2006
President Bush, President Fox of Mexico, and Prime Minister Harper of Canada in Press Availability Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancún Hotel Cancún, Mexico
***
"Look, we got long borders, and we got to make sure we work hard to secure the borders. We also have got to make sure we got smart borders."

 

April 5, 2006
President Bush Participates in Panel on Health Savings Accounts Playhouse on the Green Bridgeport, Connecticut
***
"So thanks for coming and giving us a chance to discuss the issue. You notice I say "us" -- there's nothing than a guy kind of blowing away in a lecture, so I've invited fellow citizens to come and share their experiences about an interesting way to approach affordability and availability in health care."

***

"One reason we overcame the recession and the stock market collapse and the attacks on our country and the wars we've been through and the natural disasters we've been through is because people have got more money to save and invest and spend."

***

"I know it probably came as a shock to some of my fellow citizens here in Connecticut when I stood up in front of the country and said, we've got a problem, we're addicted to oil. And I meant it. We've got an economic problem being addicted to oil because when fossil fuels -- demand for fossil fuels rise in other parts of the world, it causes our energy bills to go up."

***

"When you've got people in the world who don't like us from which we get supplies of oil, it causes those problems to come into the Oval Office."

***

"These are wise use of taxpayers' money to help keep a federal commitment to helping the poor deal with health care. And same goes to Medicaid."

***

"For example, a restaurant in Bridgeport ought to be allowed to pool risk with a restaurant in Texas so that there's economies of risk."

***

"Association health plans will enable small businesses to better afford insurance. I'm looking forward to working with Congress to get that out of the Congress."

***

"You know what's an amazing statistic, is there are 1,700 counties * in our country that have no OB/GYN. They got run out of business."

* There are 1,500 counties in the U.S. without an OB/GYN.

***

"You know, LASIK surgery is an interesting -- it's interesting to think about. LASIK surgery is a surgery that helps correct your eyesight."

***

"Many of the health savings accounts owners are folks with their high school degree. A lot of health savings accounts owners are people with not an extraordinary amount of income."

 

April 6, 2006
President Welcomes 2005-06 NCAA Sports Champions to the White House The South Lawn
***
"The men's soccer team won its first national championship in almost 40 years. I thought it was interesting that on Times Square, the NASDAQ ticker displayed a message that said, "Go Terps," in honor of the soccer team." (Applause.)

 

April 6, 2006
President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, North Carolina
***
"I've known your Mayor for a long time. He's a man of accomplishment. I know he was particularly proud to land the NASCAR Hall of Fame. (Applause.) Pretty big deal, you know? It's a pretty big deal."

***

"My friends from Texas who, once they get over the shock that I'm actually the President -- (laughter) -- like to ask me what it's like to be President. And I guess the simple job description would be, it is a decision-making experience. And I make a lot of decisions. Some of them you see, some of them you don't see."

***

"The biggest decision I've had to make since I've been your President is putting kids in harm's way."

***

"They hide in kind of the far reaches of the world. They plot and plan, however, from the far reaches of the world. They're good at communications. They're good at deception. They're good at propaganda."

***

"In order to be effective, in order to maintain credibility, words have got to mean something. You just can't say things in the job I'm in and not mean what you say."

***

"You know, growing up in Midland, Texas, we all felt pretty secure as a kid, mainly because we thought oceans could protect us. Now in my case, we were really far away from oceans, too, but nevertheless, it's -- when you think about it, though, if you're a baby boomer, like me, you think about what it was like growing up, we knew there was a nuclear threat."

***

"Oceans could no longer protect us."

***

"I also told you earlier that when America speaks, we got to mean what we said."

***

"Words mean something in this world if you're trying to protect the American people."

***

"It's an interesting question, isn't it, why would somebody want to stop democracy -- like, what's wrong with democracy; Mister [Zarqawi], why are you afraid of it?"

***

"People don't -- you know, war is an unsettling thing. I fully understand that. Sometimes it's not conducive to risking capital during a time of war."

***

"My attitude is, about this job, is just do my job."

***

"I read three books on George Washington. I think it's really interesting, isn't it? Historians are still analyzing the first President of the United States."

***

Q You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you'd like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf. You are --

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not your favorite guy. Go ahead. (Laughter and applause.) Go on, what's your question?

Q Okay, I don't have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that I -- in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and --

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: No, wait a sec -- let him speak.

Q And I would hope -- I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I'm saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about.

THE PRESIDENT: It is, yes. (Applause.)

Q And I know that this doesn't come welcome to most of the people in this room, but I do appreciate that.

THE PRESIDENT: Appreciate --

Q I don't have a question, but I just wanted to make that comment to you.

 

April 7, 2006
President Attends National Catholic Prayer Breakfast Washington Hilton Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"Thanks for inviting a Methodist." (Laughter.)

***

"I'm so thrilled to be here with the cardinals of the church. Cardinal McCarrick I know is here, and Cardinal Bevilacqua -- must make you feel good to see there's not a slice of bacon around." (Laughter and applause.)

***

"We needed a hopeful moment for this world of ours. It's a time when more people have a chance to claim freedom that God intended for us all."

***

"Freedom is a gift from the Almighty because it is -- and because it is universal, our Creator has written it into all nature."

 

April 10, 2006
President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies The Johns Hopkins University Washington, D.C.

***

"The advance of democracy is the terrorists' greatest fear. That's an interesting question, isn't it -- why would they fear democracy?"

***

Q I was hoping that from your experience, you could share with us some wisdom or some insight -- not necessarily on tactics, but something we can take with us through our careers, that we can apply maybe at some point. Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the question. I would encourage those of you studying here to be a part of policymaking for our government. It's -- it is a high honor to serve your country. And my first advice is, never use force until you've exhausted all diplomacy. I -- my second advice is, if you ever put anybody in harm's way, make sure they have got all the support of the government. My third advice is, don't make decisions on polls. Stand your ground if you think what you're doing [is] right.

Much of my decision about what we're discussing these days was affected by an event. Look, I -- during the 2000 campaign, I don't remember ever discussing with people what -- could I handle war, or could my opponent handle war. The war wasn't on our mind. War came unexpectedly. We didn't ask for the attack, but it came. And so much of the statements I make and have made since that war were a result of that attack. I vowed then that I would use all assets of our power to win the war on terror. That's what I vowed."

***

"Now, if you're going to be the President or a policymaker, you never know what's going to come. That's the interesting thing about the world in which we live. We're a influential nation, and so, therefore, many problems come to the Oval Office. And you don't know what those problems are going to be, which then argues for having smart people around. That's why you ought to serve in government if you're not going to be the President."

***

"One of the decisions I made early on was to have a multinational approach to sending messages -- clear messages to the Iranians that -- that if they want to be a part of the -- an accepted nation in the world, that they must give up their nuclear weapons ambitions. And we're making pretty good progress."

***

"It's amazing that when we're in a bilateral position, or kind of just negotiating one on one, somehow the world ends up turning the tables on us. "

***

"The doctrine of prevention is to work together to prevent the Iranians from having a nuclear weapon. I know -- I know here in Washington prevention means force. It doesn't mean force, necessarily. In this case, it means diplomacy."

***

"Nobody likes war, particularly me. I knew exactly what was going to happen when I committed these troops into harm's way. I knew there would be -- people would lose their life."

***

"Yes. No, I -- this is -- there's an ongoing legal proceeding which precludes me from talking a lot about the case. There's also an ongoing investigation that's a serious investigation. I will say this, that after we liberated Iraq, there was questions in people's minds about the basis on which I made statements, in other words, going into Iraq."

***

"That's one of the lessons of the attack on the United States. You know, the world seemed fine, didn't it? It seemed kind of placid -- there was a bubble here, a bubble there. But everything seemed all right."

***

"I'm absolutely for this United States of America staying engaged to the world."

 

April 11, 2006
Remarks by the President at Iowans for Nussle Reception Hy-Vee Hall Des Moines, Iowa
***
"You know, I've gotten to see Nussle during some interesting times in our country -- we are living in historic times. I wish I could report to you that this was a nation that wasn't at war, but we are. And it's a deadly serious war."

***

"And Iraq is the central front on this broad war on terror. You know, I said this -- I gave a speech the other day and in it I said something -- I said, you know, I wonder why people -- what kind of people is it who wants to stop democracy?"

***

"I'll tell you what kind of people it is -- these are the kind of people who think the opposite of -- they adhere to an ideology that's dark and dangerous."

***

"I've got to see him when it comes time to spending your money. And he's pretty good about it."

***

"We have passed some lean budgets in Washington, D.C. because we want to cut the deficit in half."

***

"For the sake of economic security, and for the sake of national security, we got to get off of Middle Eastern oil. And the best way to do so is with Iowa corn." (Applause.)

***

"I can't wait for the day for some President to say, look, the crop -- look at the crop report. We got a lot of corn, which means we're less dependent on foreign sources of energy."

 

April 11, 2006
President Discusses Medicare in Iowa Wesley Acres Des Moines, Iowa
***
"I fully recognize that when you have a variety of choices from which to choose, it can be a little confusing at first. In other words, people get on the computer, and say, look at all these different options."

 

April 11, 2006
President Participates in Conversation on Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Etta and Joseph Miller Performing Arts Center Jefferson City, Missouri
***
"As you can see, I mean, there's several ways to have an educational event.

***

"I think the more that people -- citizens are given choice in life, the better off it is to meet their needs."

***

"There's pharmacists all over the country who, obviously, interface with seniors."

***

"You might be taking this kind of drug or that kind of drug. You might be taking a lot of drugs a month, or no drugs a month."

 

April 14, 2006

President and Mrs. Bush Release 2005 Tax Return

President and Mrs. George W. Bush reported taxable income of $618,694 for the tax year 2005. This resulted in a total of $187,768 in federal income taxes paid by President and Mrs. Bush.

The President's 2005 income included salary earned as President and investment income from the trusts in which their assets are held.

President and Mrs. Bush contributed $75,560 to churches and charitable organizations, including the American Red Cross - Hurricane 2005 Relief, the Salvation Army - Hurricane 2005 Relief, the Salvation Army - Pakistan Earthquake Relief, Martha's Table, the Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic Charities, the Mississippi Food Network, and the Federal Government's Combined Federal Campaign.

###

 

April 17, 2006
President Participates in Roundtable on Taxes and the Economy Europa Stone Distributors, Inc. Sterling, Virginia
***
"We've got folks that have benefited from the tax relief, both as a small business owner and/or an employee -- except for Mike; he's a firefighter."

***

"Owen -- I mean, Mike has got three children. He's a firefighter. The tax relief helped."

***

"And what's interesting is the tax relief is set to expire."

***

"It's Tax Day. And it's a day to recommit ourselves to low taxes. It's a day that understands that when these people filing out their forms and writing checks to the government that it's the people's money that's coming to Washington, D.C."

 

April 18, 2006
President Discusses American Competitiveness Initiative Parkland Magnet Middle School for Aerospace Technology Rockville, Maryland
***
"We just had an amazing tour. I say "amazing tour" because we saw what a unique place Parkland is, and we saw a really diverse student body. There's people from all kinds of backgrounds here."

***

"These are good, hard-working folks who said, I kind of want to lend my expertise to try to convince a child that science is cool. You know, sometimes -- you might remember those days, when you were in middle school, people say, you know, science isn't cool."

***

"We saw robotics."

***

"We saw people using little devices to look for sun spots. We saw the analysis of a parabola curve for sixth and seventh grade students. We saw a school that is setting high standards in the firm belief that every child can learn. That's what we saw."

***

"The iPod, interestingly enough, was built on years of government- funded research in microdrive storage and electrochemistry and signal compression. Isn't that interesting? I find it interesting."

***

"We live in a global world, and that creates uncertainty in some. I understand that. There's a sense of, well, the world is so big and so connected that it's -- maybe we're really not in charge of things here."

 

April 19, 2006
President Discusses the American Competitiveness Initiative at Tuskegee University Tuskegee, Alabama
***
"Booker T. Washington -- when you think Tuskegee, you think Booker T. Washington. And when you hear about Booker T. Washington, you think about Tuskegee. Ralph Ellison, or the music of Lionel Richie. I mean, Tuskegee has been a center for educational excellence and a place for opportunity for a long period of time here in the United States of America."

***

"It's a really interesting center of the -- where you'll see the future being explored and developed. There's a lot of science going on there. (Applause.)"

***

"Listen, I flew into Montgomery, I choppered over to the airfield. And what I found interesting was that is the airfield where the Tuskegee Airmen trained."

***

"The government funded research in microdrive storage, electrochemistry and signal compression. They did so for one reason: It turned out that those were the key ingredients for the development of the Ipod. I tune into the Ipod occasionally, you know?" (Laughter.)

 

April 27, 2006
President Discusses Refining Capacity in Biloxi, Mississippi BP Gas Station Biloxi, Mississippi
***
"One of the things we've got to do is make these trucks run on ethanol and batteries that won't require gasoline. That's what the future is going to be."

 

April 25, 2006
President Discusses Energy Policy Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"I like the idea of talking to people who are growing America's energy security."

***

"The way I like to put it, it would be a good thing when a President can sit there and say, gosh, we've got a lot of corn, and it means we're less dependent on foreign sources of oil." (Applause.)

***

"Many of these refineries are in the Midwest -- the Midwest because that is where the source of that -- the feedstock for ethanol comes from. That happens to be corn."

***

"Yet there -- you just got to recognize there are limits to how much corn can be used for ethanol. After all, we got to eat some. And the animals have got to eat."

 

April 28, 2006
President Meets with North Korean Defectors and Family Members of Japanese Abducted by North Korea The Oval Office
***
"President Meets with North Korean Defectors and Family Members of Japanese Abducted by North Korea It is hard to believe that a country would foster abduction."

 

April 28, 2006
President Meets with Darfur Advocates The Roosevelt Room
***
"They agree with thousands of our citizens -- hundreds of thousands of our citizens -- that genocide in Sudan is unacceptable."

***

"We're dependent on oil and we need to get off oil. And the best way to do so is through technology."

***

"But we also expect people to -- particularly the Sudanese government, to make a more concerted effort to control the jinjaweed [sic-"janja" is correct] and protect human life."

 

April 28, 2006
President Discusses the Economy, Participates in Press Availability Rose Garden
***
"So it's a combination of people investing the cash flows, as well as regulatory relief to enhance the ability for people to achieve the objective, which is more gasoline on the market, which will help our consumers."

***

"The biggest challenge we face is winning the war on terror and to protect the American people."

***

THE PRESIDENT: So there's a lot to do today, but we'll continue to be results-oriented. Martha Raddatz...

Q But I asked you about your internal changes and what that says about how you think things need to be changed. They've been very public, your internal changes.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, David, I'm a results-oriented person, and my job is to achieve things for the American people, positive results that make us more secure and more prosperous. And of course, I will have people by my side that work toward that objective.

Thank you for your penetrating question.

Q Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Plus, I'm not going to hire you, if that's what you were suggesting. (Laughter.)

Q I was not suggesting that. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: I would, except you can't pass the background check. (Laughter.) Okay, an unnecessary cheap shot, I take it back.

Martha...

***

THE PRESIDENT: Let's see -- Mark Smith.

Q Another one?

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, you already asked one?

Q Call on my colleagues.

THE PRESIDENT: Did you ask one?

Q Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, you did ask one -- (laughter.)

Q It was a memorable question.

Q Really a great question. (Laughter.)

***

"And we've got money in the sup to make sure that these levees are pre-Katrina or better prior to June 1st."

***

"The amazing thing in the area down there -- I don't know if you all went with me -- but it was -- there's this totally different attitude from when we were there before, early on, obviously, after the storm."

***

"I've looked at all suggestions, but my attitude is let's make it work. We're about six weeks away from -- we're getting pretty close."

***

"We remember those pictures of those buses -- people looking to get out, and yet there were these buses in flooded areas."

***

"It's going to be interesting -- let's pray -- first of all, pray there's no hurricanes. That would be, like, step one."

***

"And so it's going to be a -- and, therefore, there's a need to make sure that the forecasting is accurate -- and this is pretty much the way it is these days, been very accurate forecasting -- and that the response by all of us is in a timely fashion to give people time to prepare."

***

Q What is your view of this call for a national boycott on Monday?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not a supporter of boycotts. I am a supporter of comprehensive immigration.

***

"One of the great things about America is that we've been able to take people from all walks of life bound as one nation under God."

***

"I don't think anybody really wants there to be automatic amnesty for people -- one that allows somebody here to be able to get in -- if they want to be a citizen, to be able to get in line, but not the front of the line but the back of the line.

***

"Thank you for your time. I've enjoyed this. I will see you all tomorrow night, I guess. Looking forward to it. I hope you are, as well."May 1, 2006
President Discusses Health Care Initiatives Washington Hilton Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"We know from experience which of these systems works best. Other nations that have adopted for bigger government and more centralized control now have long waits for treatment for the people."

***

"In America, as you know, we follow a different path. We lead the world in health care because we believe in a system of private medicine that encourages innovation and change."

***

"The first thing is, we needed to develop a common standard of language so that health care providers in Los Angeles and health care providers in New York knew what the -- knew what we are talking about."

***

"Imagine how valuable this access to information will become. If you had someone who had an epileptic seizure outside their home town and ended up in a hospital in a nearby town, these electronic records would help save lives."

 

May 3, 2006
President Bush Welcomes German Chancellor to the White House Oval Office
***
"Mr. Moussaoui got a fair trial; the jury convicted him to life in prison, where he'll spend the rest of his life. In so doing, they spared his life, which is something that he evidently wasn't willing to do for innocent American citizens."

***

"A lot of us who grew up in the West take our liberties for granted, that freedom is something that's just prevalent everywhere, and where it's not prevalent, don't worry about it."

***

"It enhances the transatlantic relationship. And by working together we can help solve major problems. And this is a troubled world. We're dealing with Iran. We're dealing with Sudan. And it's very important for diplomacy to work, and it works better when you have a partner in peace, a partner -- an ally with -- a Germany that understands it can really make a difference in the international community."

 

May 3, 2006
President Bush Meets with Members of Congress, Discusses Energy Policy The Cabinet Room
***
"I want to thank the members of the House and the Senate, members of both parties, for a really constructive and important dialogue. We talked about ways to deal with America's energy problem. And we talked about it in a very constructive way, and I want to thank the members for joining us."

***

"If the American people want there to be a lower price of gasoline, we need more gasoline on the marketplace. And so we talked about common-sense ideas."

 

May 3, 2006
President Bush Discusses Strong and Growing U.S. Economy Grand Hyatt Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"I've got something to talk to you about, about the economy. What I'm really thrilled is, is that the American Council of Engineering Companies would allow a history major to come by to speak to you." (Laughter.)

***

"And for those of you who have been down there, or may live down there, you know what that storm did. I mean, you talk about wiping out a part of our country, just flat did."

***

"I tried last year, I took it on, Social Security in particular, and went around the country saying, folks, we got a problem -- on the theory that when the people said we got a problem, Congress would respond."

***

"And so it's -- and my attitude about this is to make sure you're not being mistreated at the pump, you're being treated fairly, but also recognize now is the time to spur strong research and development into using other ways to power our cars, such as hydrogen, or ethanol, or batteries that can give the first 40 miles on electricity, as opposed to gasoline."

***

"We're close to these new battery technologies that will enable people to drive the first 40 miles in a city not using gasoline. Ethanol is on the move."

***

"Another initiative I think you'll be interested in is this: To stay competitive, we got to make sure our children have the skill sets necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. That skill set happens to be based upon math and science. I think you know what I'm talking about."

***

"People say to me, why should the government invest in basic sciences, basic research -- research for the basic sciences? And the answer is, is because it's amazing what happens, what research can bring, such as the Internet."

***

"First of all, as people who are results-oriented people, I think you'll appreciate the approach we took in the No Child Left Behind Act which basically said, in return for spending federal money, particularly for Title I students, the poor students, which I support, why don't you show us whether or not we're getting results?"

***

"There's all kinds of debates that take place in public education. One of them is, does the curriculum work that you're using?"

 

May 4, 2006
President Attends American Jewish Committee's Centennial Dinner National Building Museum Washington, D.C.
***
"We have so much in common. We're both young countries born of struggle and sacrifice. We're both founded by immigrants escaping religious persecution."

 

May 6, 2006
President Bush Delivers Commencement Address at Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma
***
"You're privileged to live in the world's freest country at one of the most hopeful moments in human history."

 

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary May 7, 2006
Interview of the President by Sabine Christiansen of ARD German Television Diplomatic Reception Room, May 4, 2006

***
"I fully understand why a government or a people would be, you know, I guess disappointed in me in a way, and not understand why somebody would commit troops to achieve an objective."

***

"I was not pleased that Hamas has refused to announce [sic] its desire to destroy Israel."

 

May 7, 2006
Interview of the President by Kai Diekmann of BILD The Oval Office, May 5, 2006

***
THE PRESIDENT: Have you ever been in the Oval Office before?

Q Once, a long time ago --

THE PRESIDENT: I'll give you a quick tour before our interview. So, the first thing that a President does, which I didn't realize, was pick a rug. I have no idea about rugs. And so in this job you've got to delegate. The American President is in a position where there's just unbelievable complexities to the job -- Darfur, Iran -- a whole lot of issues. So I delegated the decision about the rug to my wife.

The second thing a President has got to do is have a strategic mind. In order to be successful, in my judgment, as the President, you've got to constantly think strategically. And so I said to her, you pick out the colors, you be the tactical person, but I want it to say "optimistic person." That's all I wanted it to say. Here is the result. Isn't it beautiful?

Q Yes, it is very beautiful.

***

"These are all Texas paintings. That's West Texas, those are other Texas paintings. At least if you're a Texan, it reflects a way of life and a way of thinking. The interesting thing about Washington is that they want me to change -- they being the -- and I'm not changing, you know."

***

"And I'm not changing. I don't care whether they like me at the cocktail parties, or not. I want to be able to leave this office with my integrity intact."

***

"Lincoln -- this is the place on the Oval Office wall where the President puts the most -- the best President, and I put Lincoln here, and I don't think there's any question -- now, people will have their -- but I think he was the most influential President ever."

***

"I understand in parts of Europe, some scoff at my faith. It doesn't bother me."

***

"The point now is not what went on in the past. The point now is how do we work together to achieve important goals. And one such goal is a democracy in Germany [sic]."

***

Q Are there things that bother you about the Germans? And are there things that you envy about the Germans?

THE PRESIDENT: I am -- look, I mean, Germans have always been incredibly efficient, capable businesspeople, and when they make a product, it is always of the highest of quality.

***

Q Three last very short questions. What was the most wonderful moment in your terms of being President so far, and what was the most awful moment?

THE PRESIDENT: The most awful moment was September the 11th, 2001. ...

...The best moment was -- you know, I've had a lot of great moments. I don't know, it's hard to characterize the great moments. They've all been busy moments, by the way. I would say the best moment was when I caught a seven-and-a-half pound large mouth bass on my lake. (Laughter.)

***

Q Very last question -- you're a great sports fan.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I am.

 

May 15, 2006
President Bush Attends Annual Peace Officers' Memorial Service United States Capitol
***
"I appreciate Vince Gill, he gave the best speech of the day. What a fantastic talent, and thank you for coming, Vince, to help heal the grief."

***

"The really interesting thing about the law enforcement community is there's such a strong bond between those who serve on the front lines of fighting crime."

 

May 16, 2006
President Bush Welcomes WNBA Champion Sacramento Monarchs to the White House East Garden
***
"I think it's pretty neat, isn't it, for people who -- from different backgrounds, different cultures are able to figure out a way to win."

 

May 16, 2006
President Bush and Prime Minister John Howard of Australia Participate in Joint Press Availability East Room
***
"I always remind my friends who talk to me about countries around the world, I say, I can't think of a country more like -- a place more like Texas than Australia."

***

"Look, ours is a world in which sometimes people tell you something and they don't mean it."

 

May 17, 2006
President Attends Republican National Committee Gala DAR-Constitution Hall Washington, D.C.
***
"Laura sends her love. (Applause.) She's a fabulous First Lady. (Applause.) She's got to be the most patient woman in America. (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: She's hot.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes -- well, wait a minute. (Laughter.) Muy caliente. (Laughter and applause.) I hope she's not watching, you know? (Laughter.)

***

"I particularly want to thank Diamond Rio for their fantastic singing."

***

"Think about the history of this economy. We've been through a recession and corporate scandals and an attack on the United States of America and high energy prices. And we've been through natural disasters. And yet this economy is roaring along."

***

"We got something to run on. We got something other than rhetoric to run on. We're going to run on principles and a strong record."

 

May 17, 2006
President Bush Welcomes 2006
U.S. Winter Olympic and Paralympic Teams The South Lawn
***
"We're honored that the "Flying Tomato" represented our country, and we want to thank all the dudes and dudesses of the snowboarders who are here." (Laughter and applause.)

 

May 17, 2006
President Bush Signs Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 South Lawn
***
"This economy of ours is hitting full stride."

 

May 18, 2006
President Bush Discusses Border Security and Immigration Reform in Arizona Yuma Sector Border Patrol Headquarters Yuma, Arizona
***
"I think it helps to have the President out here, seeing the part of the area of the country that one time was overrun by people coming in here, that's beginning to get settled down because of a strategy that's being employed. And so I really want to thank you all for greeting me. Plus I liked riding in the dune buggy." (Laughter.)

***

"We saw some new fencing taking place. It makes sense to use fencing along the border in key locations in order to do our job. We saw lighting. I just saw the cameras in place where we're beginning to install -- modernize the border is what I'm telling you."

 

May 19, 2006
President Attends Geoff Davis for Congress Reception Hilton Cincinnati Airport Florence, Kentucky
***
"I learned some lessons on September the 11th, and one of them is we face an enemy that is full of hate, that adheres to an ideology that is backwards, an ideology that's the opposite of freedom."

***

"One of the interesting lessons of September the 11th, in the world in which we live, is the United States cannot be complacent when we see a threat."

***

"It used to be we could see a threat and we'd say, wait a minute, we're okay, we've got oceans protecting us -- you know, we're fine, because we're pretty well insulated from those kind of threats."

***

"War is tough, particularly when you face an enemy that is able to put bloodshed on our TV screens on a regular basis."

 

May 19, 2006
President Discusses the American Competitiveness Initiative Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, Kentucky
***
"See, they're driven by an ideological fervor. In other words, they're not just isolated angry people; they're people that have got a point of view."

***

"See, the Internet came to be as a result of federal research dollars being spent. I like to mountain bike, I like to put a little country and western music on my iPod. (Laughter.) The iPod came to be because of federal research into micro drive storage and different technologies."

***

"But I walked into a classroom and had a young Latino -- guy had a pony tail on, and he said, I want to be an astrophysicist, Mr. President."

 

May 22, 2006
President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror Arie Crown Theater at Lakeside Center -- McCormick Place Chicago, Illinois
***
"I also get to meet the entrepreneurs of America, people who are willing to risk time, effort and money to grow a business. And as a result, we've got a great -- we've got fat wallets, relative to the rest of the world."

***

"The question then is, how do we -- do we have enough feedstock into the ethanol business to be able to really get major penetration? And that's where we're spending some money. Because we got corn, but sometimes you got to eat corn. And sometimes your pigs and cows have got to eat corn."

***

"Beneath the surface, there was a -- discontent and hopelessness and despair was beginning to take hold. And as a result, this group of killers sprung up, and they were able to recruit and train sophisticated suiciders."

 

May 23, 2006
President Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel Participate in Joint Press Availability The East Room
***
"If one were to measure progress on the number of suiciders, if that's your definition of success, I think it gives -- I think it will -- I think i obscures the steady, incremental march toward democracy we're seeing. In other words, it's very difficult -- you can have the most powerful army of the world -- ask the Israelis what it's like to try to stop suicider -- it is a difficult task to stop suicide bombers. That's the -- but that's one of the main -- that's the main weapon of the enemy, the capacity to destroy innocent life with a suicider."

***

"Trying to stop suiciders -- which we're doing a pretty good job of on occasion -- is difficult to do."

 

May 24, 2006
President Attends Pennsylvania Congressional Victory Committee Dinner The Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
***
"We grew up thinking oceans could protect us, and we realized that there's an enemy out there that will do incredible harm to the American people."

***

"They're Islamo-fascists. They will kill innocent life to achieve an objective."

***

"It's really interesting, isn't it? What makes it even more interesting is the fact that 60 years ago or so, my dad went to war with the Japanese."

***

"People say, why would the federal government be investing? Well, I'll give you why -- the Internet. The Internet came to be because of federal research dollars. iPods -- got one? I got one, you know?" (Laughter.)

***

"So today I went out to one of the most advanced nuclear power plants in the world -- at least in our country."

***

"The other bunch, they get angry and they yell and they, you know, scream and holler. We just go about and get the job done."

 

May 24, 2006
President Discusses Energy During Visit to Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania Limerick Generating Station Pottstown, Pennsylvania
***
"One of the really interesting developments that's taking place now in America is the use of corn-based ethanol -- pretty cool deal, isn't it, for the President to be able to say, you know, we're growing a lot of corn -- (laughter) -- and we're less dependent on foreign sources of oil."

***

"Flex-fuel means you can either have gasoline or ethanol, or a combination of the two. You've probably got one and you don't even know it."

 

May 25, 2006
President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom Participate in Joint Press Availability The East Room
***
"It's incredibly dangerous to think of an Iran with a nuclear weapon."

 

May 27, 2006
President Delivers Commencement Address at the United States Military Academy at West Point Mitchie Stadium, West Point, New York
***
"In this new war, we have set a clear doctrine."

***

"In this new war, we have acted boldly to confront new adversaries."

***

"In this new war, we have helped transform old adversaries into democratic allies."

***

"In this new war, we have forged new alliances, and transformed old ones, for the challenges of a new century."

***

"In this new war, we're positioning our forces to meet new threats."

***

"In this new war, we've undertaken the most sweeping reorganization of the federal government since the start of the Cold War."

 

May 31, 2006
President Attends Maryland Victory 2006
Reception BWI Airport Marriott Baltimore, Maryland
***
"You see, when we grew up, or some of us grew up, baby boomers grew up, we felt pretty confident that America could be secure from a foreign attack, except maybe by missile. And then that attitude changed dramatically when we realized oceans couldn't protect us. And so when we see a threat, we've got to take them seriously."

 

June 1, 2006
President Attends Swearing-In Ceremony for Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The Rose Garden
***
"Martha instilled in her son a passion for service and raised him to be true to the motto of his Jesuit high school: 'Men for others.'"

 

June 2, 2006
President Welcomes Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers to the White House The East Room
***
"I particularly want to say something about those in the training room and those who pick up the laundry. Those are the folks that generally don't get a lot of credit, but I know the players will give you credit, and I know the ownership gives you credit, and I know Bill Cowher gives you credit."

 

June 6, 2006
President's Remarks to the Travel Pool Laredo Border Patrol Sector Headquarters Laredo, Texas
***
"Well, the framework I've outlined recognizes that Congress has got the right to regulate what they call green cards. And if Congress thinks that the line for citizens from Mexico is too long, they can increase the number of green cards. If they think it's -- or they can shorten -- increase the number of green cards. If they think it's too short, they can eliminate the number of green cards. In other words, they can control the flow of people from a particular part of the country."

 

June 7, 2006
President Participates in Swearing-In Ceremony for Dirk Kempthorne as Secretary of the Interior The South Lawn
***
"I found it interesting that when Dirk and Patricia were married, they chose a wedding ceremony at sunrise high atop Idaho's Moscow Mountain. It's an interesting commitment to make, isn't it? (Laughter.) And an interesting place to make the commitment."

 

June 9, 2006
President Bush and Prime Minister Rasmussen of Denmark Participate in Joint Press Availability Camp David
***
"We talked about the new government in Iraq. The Prime Minister has met Prime Minister Maliki -- I have not, and so it was very useful for me to hear from him first hand about the Prime Minister's determination to succeed."

***

"Zarqawi's death helps a lot. Zarqawi was bin Laden's main advocate outside of some remote parts of the world."

***

"You know, last time -- I think it was in Denmark we talked about Abu Ghraib, if I'm not mistaken. I told the people in Denmark on your soil that it was a disgusting event. It soiled our soul."

***

"They want to have their view of the world. I call it totalitarian, Islamo-fascism. Whatever you want to call it, it is extreme and it's real. And Zarqawi was the implementer of that strategy. And he can no longer implement."

 

June 14, 2006
Press Conference of the President The Rose Garden
***
"This is a tough struggle, and the reason why is because the rules of warfare as we used to know them are out the window. I mean, there's no rule of warfare. It's just, if you can kill innocent life in order to shake somebody's will or create consternation in a society, just go ahead and do it."

***

"The enemy has an advantage in this war, because they can get on our TV screens every day."

 

June 15, 2006
President and Mrs. Bush Attend Congressional Picnic The South Lawn
***
"We got some interesting entertainment for you tonight. We got some people who can play music and some people who think they can play music. (Laughter.) We got three bands, one -- the first band will be called The Compassionates. The leader of that band is my Chief of Staff, Josh Bolten. (Applause.) Yes. Then we've got The Second Amendments will be playing tonight. (Applause.) That would be Congressman Collin Peterson, Dave Weldon, Kenny Hulshof, Thaddeus McCotter -- he's that rock and roll dude, Thaddeus McCotter. (Applause.) And Congressman Jon Porter. Once you get through those two bands, then a real group of musicians will be here, and we're fortunate Riders in the Sky will be playing for you tonight. (Applause.)"

 

June 15, 2006
President Bush Establishes Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument The East Room
***
"I like to fish, and I expect this government of ours to protect the fisheries so sports people can fish and get a good catch."

 

June 16, 2006
Remarks by the President at Heather Wilson for Congress Reception Hyatt Regency Albuquerque Albuquerque, New Mexico
***
"Think about the American President traveling to Graceland -- (laughter) -- with the Prime Minister of Japan. Let me ask you something -- 60 years ago, would you have thought that would be possible? (Laughter.) Think about it."

 

June 26, 2006
President Bush Celebrates Black Music Month The East Room
***
"And with us we have two great athletes, Alana Beard -- thank you for coming, Alana -- and Kareem Abdul Jabar [sic whitehouse. gov]. Proud you're here. (Applause.) I don't know whether you know this, but Kareem Abdul Jabar is a jazz expert, and he is working on a documentary about the connection between jazz and basketball. (Laughter.) Pretty good combination." (Laughter.)

 

June 19, 2006
Remarks by the President at the 2006
President's Dinner The Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C.
***
"When a lot of us were coming up, we thought oceans could protect us from harm, but the lesson of September the 11th is, oceans can no longer protect the United States."

 

June 21, 2006
President Bush Participates in Press Availabilty at 2006
U.S.-EU Summit Zeremoniensaal Hall Hofburg Palace Vienna, Austria
***
"I kind of startled my country when, in my State of the Union, I said we're hooked on oil and we need to get off oil. That seemed counterintuitive for some people to hear a Texan say."

***

"Well, yes, I thought it was absurd for people to think that we're more dangerous than Iran. It's a -- we're a transparent democracy. People know exactly what's on our mind. We debate things in the open."

 

June 28, 2006
Remarks by the President at Talent for Senate Dinner The Ritz-Carlton St. Louis, Missouri
***
"The second lesson is that when you see a threat, you must deal with that threat before it fully materializes. What that means is that oceans can no longer protect us, and if there's an enemy out there that's willing to do us harm, we must have United States senators who are willing to take action to protect the homeland."

***

"Oh, I know some of them in Washington are trying to rewrite history. But we all saw a threat in Saddam Hussein."

***

"There's an interesting debate in the world today -- it's an interesting debate as to whether or not liberty is universal, or not."

***

"You see, tomorrow I'm going to have an interesting day -- every day is interesting when you're the President." (Laughter.)

***

"The Prime Minister, my dear friend, loves Elvis. (Laughter.) So what better place to go [Graceland]."

***

"Isn't it interesting, though, when you think about this moment in history compared to what life was like 60 years ago."

***

"And yet, 60 years later, I'm meeting with the Prime Minister of the former enemy. I find that to be really interesting."

***

"I appreciate his work on methamphetamine eradication. He's a leader in the United States Senate. You've got a problem in Missouri, and we've got a problem around the country in methamphetamines. Jim Talent is working hard to deliver positive legislation and decent appropriations to fight methamphetamines."

 

June 29, 2006
President Bush Welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi in an Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn The South Lawn
***
"Officially, he's here to see the President -- but I know the highlight of his visit will be paying his respects to the King." (Laughter.)

 

June 29, 2006
President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Participate in a Joint Press Availability The East Room
***
"I've reminded the Prime Minister -- the American people, Mr. Prime Minister, over the past months that it was not always a given that the United States and America [sic] would have a close relationship."

 

June 29, 2006
President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Exchange Toasts State Dining Room
***
"Mr. Prime Minister, more than 25 years ago the White House welcomed another distinguished visitor who shared much in common with you. Like you, he had great hair." (Laughter.)

***

"It's amazing fact that we're able to have these discussions."

***

"I want to thank you for opening your markets to U.S. beef. I think the Japanese people are going to like the taste of U.S. beef. As a matter of fact, I had a good slice of beef last night, and you told me you did, as well, and you look like you're feeling pretty good. (Laughter.)

PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI: Very good. (Laughter.)

***

"The American people need to know that this [Supreme Court] ruling [on military tribunals], as I understand it, won't cause killers to be put out on the street."

***

"The Japanese cannot be -- afford to be held hostage to rockets. And neither can the United States or any other body who loves freedom."

 

June 30, 2006
President Bush Visits Graceland with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Graceland Memphis, Tennessee
***
Laura and I are -- we've known Elvis Presley since we were growing up. He's obviously a major part of our music history. He had an international reputation.

 

July 4, 2006
President Bush Thanks Military on Independence Day at Fort Bragg, North Carolina Iron Mike Plaza Fort Bragg, North Carolina
***
"Ever since I left the White House this morning I've been looking forward to coming here and saying, HOOAHH!

AUDIENCE: HOOAHH!

 

July 5, 2006
Statement by the President on Immigration Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins Alexandria, Virginia
***
Q Mr. President, North Korea -- do you believe there should be --

THE PRESIDENT: April, would you like me to buy you a cup of coffee?

MS. RYAN: I would love you to.

THE PRESIDENT: What would you want in it?

MS. RYAN: Anything you want to give me.

THE PRESIDENT: What would you like in it, cream and sugar?

MS. RYAN: Sure, sir. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: It's coming your way. It's in the spirit of --

MS. RYAN: Spirit of what?

THE PRESIDENT: Spirit of reaching out.

MS. RYAN: All right. And you got money in your pocket. Do you typically keep money in your pocket?

THE PRESIDENT: No, this is -- Jared let me have this. (Laughter.) I'll repay him. The man offered to give me the coffee for free. You can't run a business if you give your coffee away. I understand how commerce works. He offers a product I want, I then pay for that product -- I'll handle that, sir, thank you -- (laughter.)

MS. RYAN: Mr. President, thank you so much.

THE PRESIDENT: Anything for you.

MS. RYAN: Thank you. Presidential coffee, mmm.

END 11:08 A.M. EDT

 

July 6, 2006
President's Remarks After Dinner with the Mayor of Chicago and Opinion Leaders The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant Chicago, Illinois
***
"I've got a lot of birthday wishes. I hope our troops are safe. I hope Roger Ebert does well. That's a birthday wish. I know a lot of people here in Chicago are praying for him."

 

July 7, 2006
Remarks by the President at Citizens for Judy Baar Topinka Lunch The Drake Hotel Chicago, Illinois
***
"Having been a governor, I know what it means to be a governor."

***

"I love ethanol, and I intend to work with the governor here to make sure that is widespread, not only throughout Illinois, but throughout the United States of America."

***

"Before the Speaker and I get on the helicopter and go see one -- incredibly advanced plants, I do want to talk about the war on terror."

***

"They ask, what's the job like to be President. And the answer to that job [sic] is you make a lot of decisions. It's a decision- marking experience. Governor, you'll find it to be decision-making experience."

***

"I -- one of my all-time favorite stories is to talk about my relationship with Koizumi. It was enriched, by the way -- my relationship reached a new level of friendship when we went to Graceland. (Laughter.) Isn't that interesting? It should be, when you really put that visit in the context of -- in an historical context."

 

July 7, 2006
Press Conference by the President Museum of Science and Industry Chicago, Illinois
***
"Secondly, one of the serious issues we have, and one of the issues that the -- some of the leaders brought up yesterday was -- the guy said, we really shouldn't be in a position to be document verifiers. And when you make something illegal that people want, it's amazing what happens -- got a whole industry of smugglers and innkeepers and document forgers that sprung up. And so people show up and say, I want to work; the guy says, show me your document, and they don't know whether it's real or not. And we got a Basic Pilot program to help people verify whether documents are real."

***

"They didn't we couldn't have done -- made that decision, see. They were silent on whether or not Guantanamo -- whether or not we should have used Guantanamo. In other words, they accepted the use of Guantanamo, the decision I made. What they did say was, in terms of going forward, what should the court system look like? How can we use a military commission or tribunal?"

***

"Our missile systems are modest, our anti-ballistic missile systems are modest. They're new. It's new research. We've gotten -- testing them. And so I can't -- it's hard for me to give you a probability of success. But, nevertheless, the fact that a nontransparent society would be willing to tee up a rocket and fire it without identifying where it's going or what was on it means we need a ballistic missile system."

***

Q Why not call for an emergency energy summit and lift the issue to a higher priority?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I thought addressing the issue at the State of the Union was pretty much lifting it to a high priority. When you include it in the State of the Union it means it's a top priority, and it is.

***

"And so I am committed to the spread of liberty. It's, after all, how we were founded."

***

"I hope you thought it was interesting that Prime Minister Koizumi and I went to Graceland."

 

July 6, 2006
President's Remarks After Dinner with the Mayor of Chicago and Opinion Leaders The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant Chicago, Illinois
***
"I've got a lot of birthday wishes. I hope our troops are safe. I hope Roger Ebert does well. That's a birthday wish. I know a lot of people here in Chicago are praying for him."

 

July 7, 2006
Remarks by the President at Citizens for Judy Baar Topinka Lunch The Drake Hotel Chicago, Illinois
***
"Having been a governor, I know what it means to be a governor."

***

"I love ethanol, and I intend to work with the governor here to make sure that is widespread, not only throughout Illinois, but throughout the United States of America."

***

"Before the Speaker and I get on the helicopter and go see one -- incredibly advanced plants, I do want to talk about the war on terror."

***

"They ask, what's the job like to be President. And the answer to that job [sic] is you make a lot of decisions. It's a decision- marking experience. Governor, you'll find it to be decision-making experience."

***

"I -- one of my all-time favorite stories is to talk about my relationship with Koizumi. It was enriched, by the way -- my relationship reached a new level of friendship when we went to Graceland. (Laughter.) Isn't that interesting? It should be, when you really put that visit in the context of -- in an historical context."

 

July 7, 2006
Press Conference by the President Museum of Science and Industry Chicago, Illinois
***
"Secondly, one of the serious issues we have, and one of the issues that the -- some of the leaders brought up yesterday was -- the guy said, we really shouldn't be in a position to be document verifiers. And when you make something illegal that people want, it's amazing what happens -- got a whole industry of smugglers and innkeepers and document forgers that sprung up. And so people show up and say, I want to work; the guy says, show me your document, and they don't know whether it's real or not. And we got a Basic Pilot program to help people verify whether documents are real."

***

"They didn't we couldn't have done -- made that decision, see. They were silent on whether or not Guantanamo -- whether or not we should have used Guantanamo. In other words, they accepted the use of Guantanamo, the decision I made. What they did say was, in terms of going forward, what should the court system look like? How can we use a military commission or tribunal?"

***

"Our missile systems are modest, our anti-ballistic missile systems are modest. They're new. It's new research. We've gotten -- testing them. And so I can't -- it's hard for me to give you a probability of success. But, nevertheless, the fact that a nontransparent society would be willing to tee up a rocket and fire it without identifying where it's going or what was on it means we need a ballistic missile system."

***

Q Why not call for an emergency energy summit and lift the issue to a higher priority?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I thought addressing the issue at the State of the Union was pretty much lifting it to a high priority. When you include it in the State of the Union it means it's a top priority, and it is.

***

"And so I am committed to the spread of liberty. It's, after all, how we were founded."

***

"I hope you thought it was interesting that Prime Minister Koizumi and I went to Graceland."

 

July 7, 2006
President Discusses the American Competitiveness Initiative in Illinois Cabot Microelectronic Corporation Aurora, Illinois
***
"This is a company that strives upon our country's greatest asset, which happens to be the brain power of our citizens. And what's amazing as you walk through the labs and meet the people working here, you say, what's your degree in? Let me just say, there wasn't a lot of history majors -- physicists, chemists, PhDs., people with advanced degrees."

 

July 10, 2006
Roundtable Interview of the President by Foreign Print Media The Roosevelt Room
***
"I always view that as a sign of generous hospitality, when somebody says, come by my home area."

***

"We've got a good friendship with the Putins. We're comfortable around them."

***

"I've spoken to Vladimir Putin frequently over the last couple of weeks on a variety of subjects. And the world is complex."

***

"I will be -- it just so happens, it's a really interesting moment where there's the need to be -- protect our national security and economic security comes at a time when there's great concern about global warming, and it turns out that you can achieve economic and national security and protect the environment at the same time."

***

"We've got the Doha Round is out there, kind of -- people are wondering whether or not we'll be able to move it. I'm still upbeat about it, by the way. I think we can get something done. I just finished meeting with my trade minister, and our team, involved on the subject."

***

"So that's where we are -- them being the North Koreans come back to the table. And that's where we are. And so the Security Council option is always there. But to answer your question, the strategy at this point in time is for the Chinese to travel and to make the claim that it would be in North Korea's interests that they come back to the table, and remind them they've already been at the table, and they agreed to a Korean Peninsula that is nuclear-weapons free. That's what they've agreed to -- they being the North Koreans, along with the United States, the Russians, the South Koreans, the Japanese and the Chinese. So that's where we are."

***

"We're spending over a billion dollars on hydrogen technologies and research to determine whether or not you can actually drive your automobiles with hydrogen, a byproduct of which is nothing, water. The issue with hydrogen, however, is, one, obviously, the technologies."

***

"What's interesting about our country is that we've got -- we've had close ties with a lot of countries. My ranch was settled by Germans."

***

"In other words, so when you talk about relations with an American President, you've got to understand that there's a -- at least I have, I know my predecessors have, connections, close connections with people who have fond -- either fond memories and/or great pride in their motherland."

***

"Ask him about the time when I was riding my mountain bike on the beaches of Sea Island, Georgia. I came roaring by as fast as I could. There was Prodi with his head down. I made some kind of noise, or something startled him out of his walking shoes, you know. (Laughter.) My point is, there he was. He's a guy who I felt comfortable enough roaring by on a mountain bike, three Secret Service agents spewing up sand." (Laughter.)

***

"I'm not sure any President and Prime Minister are going to be able to duplicate our trip to Graceland. (Laughter.) It's an unbelievable experience, if you think about it. It's really one of the interesting lessons of history, isn't it?"

***

"The goal of the Iranians is no nuclear program."

 

July 11, 2006
President Bush Discusses Mid-Session Review East Room
***
"You know it's so much easy [sic] just to shove these problems down the road."

***

"We've got great faith in the people's ability to spend their money wiser than the federal government can do."

***

"It's an interesting thing about terrorists, by the way, they'll kill children like that. They don't care."

 

July 11, 2006
Remarks by the President at "Green for Wisconsin" Reception Hilton Milwaukee City Center Milwaukee, Wisconsin
***
"By the way, just so you know, when you're the Chief Executive Officer you make a lot of decisions."

***

"Iraq is part of protecting the country. I'm about to revisit a lot of history."

***

"I guess it's because we've got too many TV channels that things seem to move real quick."

***

"You know you might have noticed recently that I went to Graceland. That's Elvis' place. (Laughter.) With Prime Minister Koizumi. I think that's really interesting."

***

"The best way to defeat them in the long run is to spread a liberty. Freedom yields the peace we want. Freedom is able to convert." (Applause.)

***

"You've got to make sure you've got a good fiscal hog in your governor's seat. You've got to have somebody who's willing to take on the sacred cow."

***

"I mean government -- you can pass laws, you can hold people to account, and government is justice, as it should be.

 

July 13, 2006
President Bush and German Chancellor Merkel Participate in Press Availability Town Hall, Stralsund, Germany
***
"I'm looking forward to the feast you're going to have tonight. I understand I may have the honor of slicing the pig."

***

"It's an interesting conversation, you know, when you toss out what may seem to be a problem that's insoluble, and all of a sudden, two people start thinking about how to solve it, solve the problem."

***

"The key first step is, common goal, which is no nuclear weapon or program, and united message to the Iranians."

***

"And I guess that's about all -- we discussed a lot of things, in other words. And thank you for having me. I'm looking forward to that pig tonight." (Laughter.)

***

PRESIDENT BUSH: I thought you were going to ask me about the pig.

Q I'm curious about that, too. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT BUSH: The pig? I'll tell you tomorrow after I eat it.

***

Q And, Mr. President, were you surprised by President Putin replying to Vice President Cheney's criticism, saying that it was an "unsuccessful hunting shot?"

PRESIDENT BUSH: Did I think it was a clever response? It was pretty clever. Actually, quite humorous -- not to dis my friend, the Vice President."

***

"My own view of dealing with President Putin, though, is that nobody really likes to be lectured a lot, and if you want to be an effective person, what you don't go is scold the person publicly all the time; that you remind him where we may have a difference of opinion, but you do so in a respectful way, so you can then sit down and have a constructive dialogue."

***

"There are terrorists who will blow up innocent people in order to achieve tactical objectives. In this case, the objective is to stop the advance of peace -- which is a remarkable statement, isn't it? Willing to kill to stop peace."

 

July 16, 2006
President Bush Meets with British Prime Minister Blair Cottage Nine Konstantinovsky Palace Complex Strelna, Russia
***
"We talked about trade. We're both committed to a world that trades freely. All in all, it's a typical Blair-Bush conversation -- it was wide-ranging and conclusive."

***

"One of the interesting things about this recent flare-up is that it helps clarify a root cause of instability in the Middle East -- and that's Hezbollah and Hezbollah's relationship with Syria, and Hezbollah's relationship to Iran, and Syria's relationship to Iran. Therefore, in order to solve this problem it's really important for the world to address the root cause."

***

"It's becoming clear for everybody to see some of the root causes of instability."

***

"And in order to solve this problem, Dick, the world must address the root causes of the problem."

***

"I think most leaders are now beginning to recognize the root cause of the problem."

 

July 17, 2006
President Bush Meets with Indian Prime Minister Singh Cottage Nine Konstantinovsky Palace Complex
***
"We're going to work hard as nations to address the root cause."

 

July 17, 2006
Remarks by President Bush and President Lula of Brazil Konstantinovsky Palace Complex Strelna, Russia
***
"He represents a great country, right in the heart of our neighborhood."

***

"I'm, of course, interested in his views about different nations in our neighborhood. He's a man who looks at the world and is able to give a good assessment."

 

July 18, 2006
President Bush Meets with Bipartisan Members of Congress on the G8 Summit The Cabinet Room
***
"What was really interesting was that -- and I briefed this to the members -- that we were able to reach a very strong consensus that the world must confront the root causes of the current instability. And the root cause of that current instability is terrorism and terrorist attacks on a democratic country."

***

"Everybody abhors the loss of innocent life. On the other hand, what we recognize is that the root cause of the problem is Hezbollah."

***

"I want the world to address the root causes of the problem, and the root cause of the problem is Hezbollah."

***

"Remember, this started, this crisis started when Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers. They were unprovoked -- Hezbollah were unprovoked, and they then took hostages. Imagine how the United States would react if somebody provoked us with that kind of action. And secondly, started firing rockets. And it's this provocation of Hezbollah that has created this crisis, and that's the root cause of the problem."

 

July 20, 2006
President Bush Addresses NAACP Annual Convention Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C.
***
"It's a lot easier to change a law than to change a human heart. And I understand that many African Americans distrust my political party.

AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)

***

"You know, an amazing thing about our society today is wealthier white families have got the capacity to defeat mediocrity by moving. That is not the case for lower-income families."

***

"You know, one of my friends is Bob Johnson, founder of BET. He's an interesting man. He believes strongly in ownership."

 

July 21, 2006
President Bush Meets with Recently Returned Military Service Personnel Tamale Fiesta Kitchen Aurora, Colorado
***
"It's hard work to defeat terrorists, killers that wanted to achieve their objective"

***

"I want our troops to understand that not only does the country support them, but we'll -- we'll win. It's in our national interests that we win. And we will."

 

July 26, 2006
President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki Visit with Military Personnel and Families Fort Belvoir Community Club Fort Belvoir, Virginia
***
"We were talking here at the table, and I was commenting that it's amazing, isn't it, where some people decide to kill innocent lives to stop freedom."

 

July 30, 2006
President Attends White House Tee Ball Game The South Lawn
***
"You know, as we listen to our "National Anthem," it reminds us how blessed we are to live in a land where our boys and girls can grow up in a peaceful world."

 

July 27, 2006
President Addresses the National Association of Manufacturers Grand Hyatt Washington Washington, D.C.
***
"You know, we've overcome a lot together. Sometimes it's easy to forget short-term history."

***

"September the 11th, 2001 that still drives my foreign policy, the response of our government to defend ourselves; natural disaster, high energy prices."

***

"Let me talk about productivity for a minute -- it's kind of a concept that some may not relate to."

 

July 31, 2006
President Bush Tours Port of Miami U.S. Coast Guard Integrated Support Command Miami Miami, Florida
***
"I'm real proud of our Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is really, really good."

 

July 31, 2006
President Bush Discusses the Economy in Florida U.S. Coast Guard Integrated Support Command Port of Miami Miami, Florida
***
"Last night Jeb and I had some crabs with members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, Dan Marino and his really dynamic wife; TV stars -- Andy Garcia, a movie star."

***

"See, the Port of Miami is shipping what the world wants to buy."

***

"I'm confident that the values of the United States will remain strong, because I understand the character of Americans by birth and by choice."

 

August 1, 2006
President Thanks Naval Medical Staff After His Annual Physical National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Maryland
***
"I'm doing fine; my health is fine. I probably ate too many birthday cakes."

 

August 2, 2006
President Visits White House Press Briefing Room Prior to Renovation James S. Brady Briefing Room
***
"So, like, suede chairs? (Laughter.) Is that what you're looking -- kind of velvet armchairs? Armchairs. Everybody wants to be able to lean back."

***

Q How about your best moment in here, sir? Can you remember your --

THE PRESIDENT: My best moment in here is when my press conference ended. (Laughter.)

Q (Inaudible) -- about Mel Gibson --

THE PRESIDENT: I can't hear you, I'm over 60, just like you. (Laughter.)

Q -- Ronald Reagan could get away with that, sir.

***

"I appreciate the relationship with the press. I know these folks enjoyed the -- enjoyed dealing with you -- well, another crowd of you, been dealing with you, as well. It's an important relationship."

 

August 3, 2006
President Bush Discusses Comprehensive Immigration Reform in Texas Anzalduas Park McAllen, Texas
***
"So we landed, and we saw choppers with all kinds of new equipment on it -- airplanes that can interdict people flying in drugs, fast boats to stop the people trying to bring drugs or people up and down the coast of Texas."

***

"Wouldn't you rather have people who are doing work Americans are not doing not trying to sneak across the border?"

 

August 7, 2006
President Bush and Secretary of State Rice Discuss the Middle East Crisis Prairie Chapel Ranch Crawford, Texas
***
"People understand that there needs to be a cessation of hostilities in order for us to address the root causes of the problem."

***

"The intent of the resolution is to make sure that we address the root cause -- the resolution is to address the root cause, which was a state operating within the state. Hezbollah was -- or is an armed movement that provoked the crisis. And so whatever comes out of the resolutions must address that root cause."

***

"There are some places where -- it's like Darfur, people say to me, why don't you commit U.S. troops to Darfur as part of an international peacekeeping. And the answer there is that those troops would be -- would create a sensation around the world that may not enable us to achieve our objective."

***

"Part of the problem in the past in the Middle East is people would paper over the root cause of the problem, and therefore the situation would seemingly be quiet, and then lo and behold, there'd be another crisis."

***

"Not only do terrorists try to stop the advance of democracy through killing innocent people within those countries, they also try to shape the will of the western world by killing innocent westerners."

***

"Our view is, it's time to address root causes of problems."

***

"You know, I hear people say, well, civil war this, civil war that. The Iraqi people decided against civil war when they went to the ballot box."

***

"We believe that it's important to challenge the root cause now."

 

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary August 10, 2006
President's Statement on Kleptocracy
***
For too long, the culture of corruption has undercut development and good governance and bred criminality and mistrust around the world. High- level corruption by senior government officials, or kleptocracy, is a grave and corrosive abuse of power and represents the most invidious type of public corruption. It threatens our national interest and violates our values. It impedes our efforts to promote freedom and democracy, end poverty, and combat international crime and terrorism. Kleptocracy is an obstacle to democratic progress, undermines faith in government institutions, and steals prosperity from the people. Promoting transparent, accountable governance is a critical component of our freedom agenda.

At this year's G-8 meeting in St Petersburg, my colleagues joined me in calling for strengthened international efforts to deny kleptocrats access to our financial systems and safe haven in our countries; stronger efforts to combat fraud, corruption, and misuse of public resources; and increased capacity internationally to prevent opportunities for high-level public corruption. Today, I am announcing a new element in my Administration's plan to fight kleptocracy, The National Strategy to Internationalize Efforts against Kleptocracy, which sets forth a framework to deter, prevent, and address high-level, public corruption. It identifies critical tools to detect and prosecute corrupt officials around the world, so that the promise of economic assistance and growth reaches the people.

Our objective is to defeat high-level public corruption in all its forms and to deny corrupt officials access to the international financial system as a means of defrauding their people and hiding their ill-gotten gains. Given the nature of our open, accessible international financial system, our success in fighting kleptocracy will depend upon the participation and accountability of our partner nations, the international financial community, and regional and multilateral development institutions. Together, we can confront kleptocracy and help create the conditions necessary for people everywhere to enjoy the full benefits of honest, just, and accountable governance.

# # #

 

August 10, 2006
President Heralds U.S. Economy, Small Business in Wisconsin Fox Valley Metal-Tech Green Bay, Wisconsin
***
"It's a company that can't fill every order it gets because they're constrained by being able to find enough workers. It's one of the issues that faces America: Can we compete? And one way we compete is to make sure our education system educates people who've got the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century, just like they're being filled here at this company."

 

August 15, 2006
President Bush Meets with Counterterrorism Team National Counterterrorism Center McLean, Virginia
***
"A couple of observations: One, that of the work being done here by some really fine Americans because from different agencies in our government, America is safer than it has been."

 

August 16, 2006
President Discusses Economy During Visit to Pennsylvania Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations York, Pennsylvania
***
"I've been impressed by Harley-Davidsons. It's one of America's finest products."

***

"I'm impressed by the esprit de corps, I'm impressed by the fact that these people really enjoy what they're doing, I'm impressed by the fact that they're impressed by the product they make."

 

August 16, 2006
Remarks by the President at Lynn Swann for Governor Reception Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center Lancaster, Pennsylvania
***
"The people of Pennsylvania know that when you draft Lynn Swann -- (laughter) -- you get a man who performs." (Applause.)

***

"They don't have to be running for politics, see. They can be sitting, doing a lot of other things -- watching a football game, talking on TV -- (laughter) -- helping people help themselves."

***

"This is a different kind of war. Veterans of World War II and Korea would tell you we were able to measure progress based upon miles gained, or based upon tanks destroyed, or however people measured war in those days. This is different."

***

"I know it's hard for Americans to believe this, but the enemy that attacked us before has got people that want to act like them, are maybe taking instruction from -- I can't tell you whether this plot we disrupted was al Qaeda."

***

"This war on terror is more than just chasing down people hiding in caves, or preventing people from getting on airplanes to blow them up."

***

"They want to create such havoc on our TV screens by killing innocent people that the American people finally say, we've had enough -- leaving Iraq before the mission is complete."

***

"Who would want to stand with the United States of America if we didn't complete the mission, and a mission that can be completed and will be completed?" (Applause.)

***

"You know, when you have resentment and anger, that breeds hatred; that breeds recruiting grounds for people to become a suicider."

***

"Isn't it interesting today that the most violent parts of the world are where young democracies are trying to take root?"

***

"You might remember I recently went down to Graceland -- that's Elvis's place -- with the Prime Minister of Japan. Wasn't that interesting? (Laughter.) I thought it was." (Laughter.)

***

"It's interesting, isn't it, that the Prime Minister of a country with which we had a mighty war, thousands lost their lives -- as a matter of fact, it took us, I don't know how long, a decade or so to even get racial slurs out of our vocabulary, because of the enmity that arose as a result of fighting the Japanese."

***

"And we didn't spend much time talking about Elvis's place on the way down; we talked about the peace. Isn't that interesting."

 

August 21, 2006
Press Conference by the President White House Conference Center Briefing Room
***
Q ... Are you disappointed with the lack of progress by Iraq's unity government in bringing together the sectarian and ethnic groups?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I am aware that extremists and terrorists are doing everything they can to prevent Iraq's democracy from growing stronger. That's what I'm aware of.

***

"If I ask for any comments from the peanut gallery I'll call on you. (Laughter.) By the way, seersucker is coming back. I hope everybody -- (laughter.) Never mind."

***

"But you know something -- it's an amazing town, isn't it, where they say, on the one hand, you can't have the tools necessary -- we herald the fact that you won't have the tools necessary to defend the people, and sure enough, an attack would occur, and they say, how come you don't have the tools necessary to defend the people? That's the way -- that's the way we think around this town."

***

THE PRESIDENT: I'm going to stay out of Connecticut. (Laughter.)

Q You were born there.

THE PRESIDENT: Shhh. (Laughter.) I may be the only person -- the only presidential candidate who never carried the state in which he was born. Do you think that's right, Herman? Of course, you would have researched that and dropped it out for everybody to see -- particularly since I dissed that just ridiculous looking outfit. (Laughter.)

Q Your mother raised you better than that, Mr. President.

***

"I'm a thoughtful guy, I listen to people. (Laughter.) I'm open- minded. I'm all the things that you know I am."

***

THE PRESIDENT: ... You know, I've heard this theory about everything was just fine until we arrived, and kind of "we're going to stir up the hornet's nest" theory. It just doesn't hold water, as far as I'm concerned. The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East.

Q What did Iraq have to do with that?

THE PRESIDENT: What did Iraq have to do with what?

Q The attack on the World Trade Center?

THE PRESIDENT: Nothing, except for it's part of -- and nobody has ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a -- the lesson of September the 11th is, take threats before they fully materialize, Ken. Nobody has ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq. I have suggested, however, that resentment and the lack of hope create the breeding grounds for terrorists who are willing to use suiciders to kill to achieve an objective. I have made that case.

 

August 30, 2006
Remarks by the President in Photo Opportunity Cotham's in the City Little Rock, Arkansas
***
"Asa recommended I come in and get some fried chocolate chip pie, so I did."

***

"We have a duty in this country to defeat terrorists. That's why we'll stay on the offense and bring them to justice before they hurt us, and that's why we'll work to spread liberty in order to spread the peace."

 

August 30, 2006
Remarks by the President at Bob Corker for Senate and Tennessee Republican Party Dinner Loews Vanderbilt Hotel Nashville, Tennessee
***
"We face an enemy that has an ideology; they believe things. The best way to describe their ideology is to relate to you the fact that they think the opposite of the way we think."

***

"You know, amazing things have happened in Iraq, when you think about it. Oh, I know the news is full with terrible suiciders, and it shakes our will."

***

"Here's what we know: We know that when a soul has more of his own money to spend, save, or invest, the economy grows. It is a philosophical difference between what we think and what the other bunch thinks."

***

"You know, here is my great buddy, Michael W. Smith."

 

August 28, 2006
President Visits United States Marine, Inc. Gulfport, Mississippi
***
"My message to the people down here is that we understand there's more work to be done, and just because a year has passed, the federal government will remember the people. This is an anniversary, but it doesn't mean it ends. It's the beginning of what is going to be a long recovery. But I'm amazed by the opportunity, I'm amazed by the hope that I feel down here. Anyway, thought you would be interested."

***

"The citizens of our country and the citizens of this region have an important role to play, because this storm was so big it requires all aspects of American life to help the people."

***

"And I suspect that what you'll see, Toby, is there will be a momentum, momentum will be gathered. Houses will begat jobs, jobs will begat houses."

***

"The Governor was talking to me today about an interesting modular concept to expedite people getting out of trailers into something more permanent. But the storm was massive in scope. You came down with me and saw it."

***

"United States Senator Trent Lott had a fantastic house overlooking the bay. I know because I sat in it with he and his wife. And now it's completely obliterated."

 

August 28, 2006
President Bush Discusses Gulf Coast Recovery Biloxi Area Neighborhood Biloxi, Mississippi
***
"I've been to this neighborhood before. As a matter of fact, I was here a couple of days after Katrina hit. It's amazing, isn't it? It's amazing what the world looked like and the way it looks like now."

 

September 4, 2006
President Bush Honors American Work Force on Labor Day Paul Haul Center for Maritime Training and Education Piney Point, Maryland
***
"I mean, I bet the people down in this part of the world like to drive pickups, Mike. (Laughter.) But we're going to have a battery that makes those pickups go."

***

"Ethanol is derived from corn, so you've got to get out there growing corn; the corn goes into an ethanol plant and out comes fuel to drive the car. That seems to make a lot of sense to me to say, in order to become less dependent on foreign oil why don't we become more reliant upon America's farmers to produce energy for our automobiles? And that's the kind of things we're doing." (Applause.)

***

"If I was somebody who was driving a ship, or an engineer on a ship, I'd want to hear a President say, we want you to be selling U.S. products -- transporting U.S. products around the world."

 

September 7, 2006
Remarks by the President at Max Burns for Congress Reception The Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Center Pooler, Georgia
***
"Isn't it a wonderful country when people suffer when they see a child maimed by an extremist's car bomb."

***

"You might remember, recently I had the pleasurable experience of going to Elvis's place -- (laughter) -- Graceland. Right there in Memphis, Tennessee. Isn't that interesting? I thought it was." (Laughter.)

 

September 11, 2006
President's Address to the Nation The Oval Office
***
"We saw courage in passengers aboard Flight 93, who recited the 23rd Psalm -- and then charged the cockpit."

***

"Since the horror of 9/11, we've learned a great deal about the enemy. We have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy -- but not without purpose."

***

"We are in a war that will set the course for this new century -- and determine the destiny of millions across the world."

***

"The attacks were meant to bring us to our knees, and they did, but not in the way the terrorists intended."

 

September 15, 2006
Press Conference of the President The Rose Garden
***
"If there's any comparison between the compassion and decency of the American people and the terrorist tactics of extremists, it's flawed logic."

***

"Right here in the Oval Office, I get briefed nearly every morning about the nature of this world, and I get briefed about the desire of an enemy to hurt America."

***

"We didn't ask for this war. You might remember the 2000 campaign. I don't remember spending much time talking about what it might be like to be a Commander-in-Chief in a different kind of war."

***

"I wish I could tell the American people, don't worry about it, they're not coming again. But they are coming again."

***

"This debate is occurring because of the Supreme Court's ruling that said that we must conduct ourselves under the Common Article III of the Geneva Convention. And that Common Article III says that there will be no outrages upon human dignity. It's very vague. What does that mean, "outrages upon human dignity?"

***

"Now, the Court said that you've got to live under Article III of the Geneva Convention, and the standards are so vague that our professionals won't be able to carry forward the program, because they don't want to be tried as war criminals."

***

"And we believe a good way to go is to use the amendment that we worked with John McCain on, called the Detainee Treatment Act, as the basis for clarity for people we would ask to question the enemy. In other words, it is a way to bring U.S. law into play. It provides more clarity for our professionals."

***

"Now, this idea that somehow we've got to live under international treaties, you know -- and that's fine, we do, but oftentimes the United States passes law to clarify obligations under international treaty. And what I'm concerned about is if we don't do that, then it's very conceivable our professionals could be held to account based upon court decisions in other countries."

***

"I will tell you this, I've spent a lot of time on this issue, as you can imagine, and I've talked to professionals, people I count on for advice -- these are people that are going to represent those on the front line of protecting this country. They're not going forward with the program. They're not going -- the professionals will not step up unless there's clarity in the law."

***

"It would be better that they not sneak in, that they would come on a temporary basis, in an orderly way to do work Americans aren't doing and then go home."

***

Q My apologies, Mr. President, for talking too long at the start.

THE PRESIDENT: Don't worry. I'm not going to apologize for talking too long to your answer. (Laughter.)

***

"I would hope people aren't trying to rewrite the history of Saddam Hussein -- all of a sudden, he becomes kind of a benevolent fellow."

***

"Never have I said that Saddam Hussein gave orders to attack 9/11."

***

"And let me just repeat, Dave, we can debate this issue all we want, but the practical matter is, if our professionals don't have clear standards in the law, the program is not going to go forward."

***

"Imagine -- imagine an enemy that can't stand what we believe in getting a hold of oil resources and taking a bunch of oil off the market in order to have an economic punishment. In other words, they say, you go ahead and do this, and if you don't, we'll punish you economically."

***

"I find it interesting that young democracies are being challenged by extremists."

***

"Now, perhaps some in Congress don't think the program is important. That's fine. I don't know if they do or don't. I think it's vital, and I have the obligation to make sure that our professionals who I would ask to go conduct interrogations to find out what might be happening or who might be coming to this country, I got to give them the tools they need."

***

"David, you can give a hypothetical about North Korea, or any other country, the point is that the program is not going to go forward if our professionals do not have clarity in the law."

***

"We're constantly changing our tactics. We're constantly adapting to the enemy."

***

Q Hi, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Fine. How are you doing?

Q I'm well today, thank you. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Did you start with, hi, Mr. President?

Q Hello, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, that's fine. Either way, that's always a friendly greeting, thank you.

Q We're a friendly newspaper.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. (Laughter.) Let me just say, I'd hate to see unfriendly. (Laughter.)

***

"And there is a kind of an urban myth here in Washington about how this administration hasn't stayed focused on Osama bin Laden. Forget it. It's convenient throw-away lines when people say that."

***

"And I look forward to talking to President Musharraf. Look, he doesn't like al Qaeda. They tried to kill him. And we've had a good record of bringing people to justice inside of Pakistan, because the Paks are in the lead."

***

Q Thank you, Mr. President. It was reported earlier this week that in a meeting with conservative journalists, you said you'd seen changes in the culture, you referred to it as a Third Awakening. I wonder if you could tell us about what you meant by that, what led you to that conclusion? And do you see any contradictory evidence in the culture?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I said -- Mike, thanks. I was just speculating that the culture might be changing, and I was talking about when you're involved with making decisions of historic nature, you won't be around to see the effects of your decisions. And I said that when I work the ropelines, a lot of people come and say, Mr. President, I'm praying for you -- a lot. As a matter of fact, it seems like a lot more now than when I was working ropelines in 1994. And I asked them -- I was asking their opinion about whether or not there was a Third Awakening, I called it.

I'd just read a book on Abraham Lincoln, and his presidency was right around the time of what they called the Second Awakening, and I was curious to know whether or not these smart people felt like there was any historical parallels. I also said that I had run for office the first time to change a culture -- Herman and Hutch remember me saying, you know, the culture that said, if it feels good, do it, and, if you've got a problem, blame somebody else -- to helping to work change a culture in which each of us are responsible for the decisions we make in life. In other words, ushering in a responsibility era.

***

"It seems like to me that something is happening in the religious life of America."

 

September 18, 2006
President Bush Meets with Prime Minister Badawi of Malaysia Waldorf-Astoria Hotel New York, New York
***
"It's been my honor, Mr. Prime Minister, to be with you. You're one of the outstanding leaders in a very important part of the world. I want to thank you for strategizing our discussions. We talked about a lot of things."

 

September 18, 2006
President and Mrs. Bush Attend White House Conference on Global Literacy New York Public Library New York, New York
***
"Isn't this a wonderful place to meet? Obviously, it makes sense to meet in a library if you're going to talk about literacy."

***
"I mean, think about it, it's pretty clear; in order to be an informed consumer you have to read."

***

"In order to be a productive worker, you have to be able to read the manual."

 

September 21, 2006
Remarks by the President at Charlie Crist for Governor and Republican Party of Florida Reception Ritz-Carlton Orlando Orlando, Florida
***
"I want to remind you that -- what the world was like in 2001. In Iraq, there was a state sponsor of terror. There was a tyrant who brutally -- brutalized his own people. This man was the sworn enemy of the United States of America. He paid suicide -- families of suicide bombers to attack young democracies, for example.

***

"I mean, it should be clear to the American people, particularly after we recently, working with the Brits, foiled suicide attacks, bombing these airplanes when they're flying into the United States."

 

September 21, 2006
Remarks by the President at Charlie Crist for Governor and Republican Party of Florida Reception Ritz-Carlton Orlando Orlando, Florida
***
"It's essential that we set high standards and measure to make sure children are learning how to read and write and add and subtract. And if we find it early, we'll correct problems early so no child is left behind in America or in the state of Florida." (Applause.)

***

"Now, one way to make this point to you, and to the American citizens, is to remind people about an interesting experience that I just had, when I flew to Memphis, Tennessee with the Prime Minister of Japan. Prime Minister Koizumi and I went to Elvis' place. (Laughter.) It was an interesting experience."

***

"He [Koizumi] loved Elvis Presley. Isn't that interesting?"

***

"Isn't it interesting? My dad fought the Japanese -- or our dad fought the Japanese, and his son is now talking about the peace with the sworn enemy."

 

September 21, 2006
Remarks by the President at Gus Bilirakis for Congress Reception Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida
***
"And don't let people rewrite the history of the way the world was. He was a state sponsor of terror. He paid family of suiciders."

 

September 22, 2006
President Bush and President Musharraf of Pakistan Participate in Press Availability The East Room
***
"There is unbelievable propaganda in the Middle East these days that try to inflame passion."

 

September 26, 2006
President Bush Welcomes President Karzai of Afghanistan to the White House The East Room
***
"We discussed our cooperation in defeating those who kill innocent life to achieve objectives, political objectives."

***

"The Afghan people know firsthand the nature of the enemy that we face in the war on terror. After all, just yesterday, Taliban gunmen assassinated Safia Ama Jan -- cold-blooded kill -- she got killed in cold blood." (to view this exceptional moment, go to 1:30 on video: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926-3.html)

***

"And we're proud to call you ally and friend. I really am."

***

"It's unacceptable behavior for the free world and the civilized world to accept, Mr. President."

***

"He was captured in Indonesia, he escaped from prison in Afghanistan, he was killed hiding in Iraq."

***

"I know there's some in your country who wonder or not -- whether or not America has got the will to do the hard work necessary to help you succeed. We have got that will, and we're proud of you as a partner.

PRESIDENT KARZAI: Wonderful. Great.

***

"We understand that it's important for people to have access to markets. I thought our general had a pretty interesting statement -- he said, "Where the road ends, the Taliban tries to begin." The President understands that.

***

"The President gave me a very direct assessment of successes in eradicating poppies and failures in eradicating poppies."

***

"Tomorrow, President Karzai and President Musharraf and I will have dinner. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be an interesting discussion amongst three allies, three people who are concerned about the future of Pakistan and Afghanistan."

***

"I talked to John Negroponte today, the DNI. You know, I think it's a bad habit for our government to declassify every time there's a leak, because it means that it's going to be hard to get good product out of our analysts. Those of you who have been around here long enough know what I'm talking about. "

***

"You can read it for yourself. We'll stop all the speculation, all the politics about somebody saying something about Iraq, somebody trying to confuse the American people about the nature of this enemy."

***

Q My question --

PRESIDENT BUSH: What was that question?

Q Why is that declassification not --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Because I want you to read the documents so you don't speculate about what it says. You asked me a question based upon what you thought was in the document, or at least somebody told you was in the document. And so I think, Jennifer, you'll be able to ask a more profound question when you get to look at it yourself -- (laughter) -- as opposed to relying upon gossip and somebody who may or may not have seen the document trying to classify the war in Iraq one way or the other.

I guess it's just Washington, isn't it, where, you know, we kind of -- there's no such thing as classification anymore, hardly. But, anyway, you ought to take a look at it and then you'll get to see.

***

"I've got to stay -- I've got to do my job, which comes home every day in the Oval Office, and that is to protect the American people from further attack.

***

"They're out there, they're mean, and they need to be brought to justice."

***

"Secondly, when the Brits, along with our help, intercepted the plot to attack us, everybody started saying, they're still there."

 

September 28, 2006
Remarks by the President at Bob Riley for Governor Luncheon Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, Alabama
***
"I bring greetings from Laura Bush, a wonderful mother, a fantastic wife, and a great First Lady for the United States of America." (Applause.)

***

"The best way to achieve educational excellence for every child in your state is to measure, is to determine whether a child is learning how to read, write and add and subtract, and if not, correct problems early before it's too late."

***

"See, what happened is, is that the fine mayor of Hoover [Alabama] and its city council decided that they were going to use ethanol as the primary fuel for their police automobiles. That's called innovation. It's called thinking ahead.

***

"I found it to be really interesting to talk to the officers who drive the vehicles that are run on fuel that is 85 percent ethanol -- in other words, fuel made from corn. So I said to the guy, do you -- see, he has a choice, he can either use gasoline or ethanol. I said, which one do you use? He says, I like the ethanol. I said, why? He said, it's got a lot of get up and go to it. In other words, it works well."

***

"After all, a lot of the oil we get is from parts of the world that don't particularly care for us right now." (Applause.)

***

"I look forward to the day when I can say to the American people, because we've got more corn growing, we're less dependent on foreign sources of oil."

***

"In order to protect this people, we must understand the nature of the threats we face."

***

"In order to make sure we get the information necessary to protect you -- see, this is a different kind of war. We cannot measure the enemy's progress based upon the movement of tanks or airplanes. These people hide in remote regions of the world and then strike with lethality, as we learned firsthand in our country."

***

"This is the words of the enemy."

***

"Americans face the choice between two parties with two different attitudes on this war on terror. Five years after 9/11, the worst attack on American homeland in our history, the Democrats offer nothing but criticism and obstruction, and endless second-guessing. The party of FDR and the party of Harry Truman has become the party of cut-and-run." (Applause.)

***

"We see the stakes. We understand the nature of the enemy. We know that the enemy wants to attack us again. We will not wait to respond to the enemy. We're not going to wait for them to attack us in order to respond. We will fight them wherever they make a stand. We will settle for nothing less than victory."

 

September 28, 2006
President Bush Discusses Energy in Alabama Hoover Public Safety Center Hoover, Alabama
***
"When you hear somebody talk about fuel E85, that means 85 percent of the fuel comes from ethanol. And ethanol is produced from corn. And corn is grown right here in the United States of America."

***

"So anyway, so I said, Officer Parker, I said -- first, I told him thanks for serving. And then I said, you've got a choice, don't you, between gasoline and E85? He said, I do. I said, which one do you pick? He said, E85. I said, why? He said, because it's got a little better "git up" to it. In other words, it works just fine.

***

"We think it's in our national interest that ethanol penetrate more market -- in other words, more people use ethanol."

***

"In other words, corn is good, and so is sugar. But you can imagine it's going to put a little strain on the corn market after a while if the only raw material we use for ethanol is corn.

***

"I like the idea of a President or a Governor saying, you know something, there's a lot of corn, and we're less dependent on oil from overseas, or, we've got some new breakthroughs, which makes us less dependent on oil."

 

October 2, 2006
Remarks by the President at Heller for Congress Reception Mercury Air Center Reno, Nevada
***
"You know, it's amazing what happens when you grow the economy."

***

"You know, when I ran in 2000 -- I remember campaigning here -- you know, I didn't want to be a war President. As a matter of fact, anybody who says, vote for me, I want to be a war President, don't vote for him."

***

"I think it's important we take threats before they come home to hurt us."

***

"See, it's a different kind of war. You used to -- could measure progress based upon the number of airplanes in the air or number of ships on the sea."

***

"And I find it interesting -- not only interesting, I find it ironic in many ways that some 60 years later, the son of the 18-year-old fighter pilot was on Air Force One, flying to Memphis, Tennessee, with the Prime Minister of the former enemy, talking about how to keep the peace. We talked about North Korea, we talked about the fact that the way you defeat extremists and radicals is by helping people realize the blessings of liberty. Isn't that interesting?"

***

"What you're seeing is the beginning of a victory against an ideology of extremists, by an ideology that yields the blessings of peace, an ideology that enables the sons of former enemies to sit down, crafting strategy to make the world a better place for generations to come."

 

October 3, 2006
Remarks by the President at John Doolittle for Congress Reception Serrano Country Club El Dorado Hills, California
***
"You'll hear these -- all kinds of excuses about why they want to raise your taxes."

***

"This is a different kind of war. This isn't a war measured by the number of platoons, or size of a navy."

***

"You can't defend America if you can't tell the difference between brave CIA officers who protect their fellow citizens and brutal dictators who kill their citizens. (Applause.)

 

October 3, 2006
Remarks by the President at Richard Pombo for Congress Breakfast Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium Stockton, California
***
"Captured terrorists have unique knowledge about where their operatives are deployed and what plots may be underway. In other words, they know."

 

October 3, 2006
President Discusses California Fire Containment Upon Arrival in Los Angeles Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles, California
***
"We had a briefing on the fires that have been ravaging country here in California."

***

"I was briefed on the Healthy Forest Initiative, particularly in the urban interface, and was pleased to hear we're making progress on helping to contain fires once they start.

***

"I believe Congress needs to pass further law that will enable us to restore forests once they've been burned."

 

October 3, 2006
President's Remarks During School Visit in California George W. Bush Elementary School Stockton, California
***
"I was dismayed and shocked to learn about Congressman Foley's unacceptable behavior. I was disgusted by the revelations and disappointed that he would violate the trust of the citizens who placed him in office."

 

October 4, 2006
Remarks by the President at Rick Renzi for Congress Breakfast Camelback Inn Scottsdale, Arizona
***
"And if the other bunch gets elected, they're going to raise your taxes. Make no mistake about it, we have a different philosophy. See, they think they can spend your money better than you can. They want more of your money to enhance their vision of bigger government. Oh, I know that words get couched in different ways, or the reason we campaign is we help clarify Washington-speak."

***

"Yeah, they'll raise your taxes, all right; but they will figure out new ways to spend your money."

***

"It means that we can work together with local folks to thin out those forests so they're not full of combustionable [sic] fuel, to be able to help deal with the catastrophic fires that have plagued this state and other states."

***

"We believe in dissent in the public square. Oh, sometimes it gets a little loud, but nevertheless, we welcome dissent."

***

"See, it's a different kind of battle. World War II vets here -- and I thank you for your service -- will remember -- or the Korean War vets -- will remember the days that you could measure success against an enemy based upon the number of ships sunk, or aircraft shot out of the air. This is a different kind of war."

***

"Filibuster is Washington-speak for, like, try to talk it to death. I promise I'm not going to filibuster you here today." (Laughter.)

 

October 4, 2006
Remarks by the President at Bob Beauprez for Governor and Colorado Republican Party Reception Inverness Hotel and Conference Center Englewood, Colorado
***
"People say, well, how do you know? Well, sometimes in the -- pick people up on the battlefield that we know is al Qaeda or an al Qaeda affiliate, they might have some information in their possession. Take, for example, if they had a phone number in the United States, I think it makes sense for us to understand why somebody might be calling that phone number if the most important job is to protect you, which it is."

***

"People talk good in Washington, see."

 

October 4, 2006
Remarks by the President at Rick Renzi for Congress Breakfast Camelback Inn Scottsdale, Arizona
***
"I made the decision to defend this country and we have been in two theaters in this war on terror with troops."

***

"It means that we can work together with local folks to thin out those forests so they're not full of combustionable [sic] fuel, to be able to help deal with the catastrophic fires that have plagued this state and other states."

***

"One day we'll have hybrid vehicles with new batteries, plug-in hybrids, and you'll be able to drive the first 40 miles on electricity and your car won't have to look like a golf cart." (Laughter.)

***
* "World War II vets here -- and I thank you for your service -- will remember -- or the Korean War vets -- will remember the days that you could measure success against an enemy based upon the number of ships sunk, or aircraft shot out of the air. This is a different kind of war."

***

"Filibuster is Washington-speak for, like, try to talk it to death."

 

October 5, 2006
President Bush Discusses No Child Left Behind Woodridge Elementary and Middle Campus Washington, D.C.
***
"It's nice to be introduced by somebody with a Texas accent. (Laughter.) She's a good buddy, and she is doing a fine job as the Secretary of Education."

***

"You know, one of the interesting questions I like to ask to students when I go into the classroom is, how many of you are going to go to college?"

***

"By measuring, it helps us determine whether or not a curricula works. Is the reading curriculum you're using working?"

***

"Measuring is the gateway to success."

 

October 10, 2006
Remarks by the President at Mac Collins for Congress Reception Macon Centreplex Macon, Georgia
***
"We've got issues such as making sure we become less dependent on foreign oil. (Applause.) It's going to be helpful to have these Georgia farmers growing oil -- growing the feedstock for oil -- (laughter) -- like soy diesel or ethanol. It's coming."

 

October 10, 2006
President Bush Participates in Panel on School Safety National 4-H Conference Center Chevy Chase, Maryland
***
THE PRESIDENT: I agree. Pete, let me say -- first on the tests. Thanks for coming. It's good to see you again. I was probably more nervous than you were when you asked the question. (Laughter.)

Q You look the same. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: I like selected memory. (Laughter.)

 

October 11, 2006
Press Conference by the President The Rose Garden
***
"It is conceivable that there will be a world in which radical forms, extreme forms of religion fight each other for influence in the Middle East, in which they've got the capacity to use oil as an economic weapon."

***

"Our policy is to help this country succeed, because I understand the stakes. I'm going to repeat them one more time. As a matter of fact, I'm going to spend a lot of time repeating the stakes about what life is like in the Middle East."

***

"One has a stronger hand when there's more people playing your same cards."

***

"And I believe the diplomacy is -- we're making progress when we've got others at the table. I'll ask myself a follow-up. If that's the case, why did you use military action in Iraq?"

***

"Speaking about books, somebody ought to add up the number of pages that have been written about my administration. There's a lot of books out there -- a lot. I don't know if I've set the record, or not, but I guess it means that I've made some hard decisions and will continue to make hard decisions."

***

"And as you know, there are some things that I wish had happened differently -- Abu Ghraib. I believe that really hurt us. It hurt us internationally. It kind of eased us off the moral high ground."

 

October 11, 2006
President Bush Discusses the Economy and Budget Eisenhower Executive Office Building Room 450
***
"These budget numbers are not just estimates; these are the actual results for the fiscal year that ended February the 30th.* [sic]"

***

"We talked to the Under Armour man. I don't know if you ever heard of that product. I know I'm not supposed to advertise -- (laughter) -- so I won't. (Laughter.) But here's a dreamer. The man had an idea. He didn't like the way the cotton shirts that he wore absorbed his bodily fluids when he exercised, so he came up with a better product."

***

"My point to you is, is that America must remain entrepreneurial heaven if we want to be the leading economy in the world, and we will do so through good policy."

 

October 12, 2006
President Bush Discusses Energy at Renewable Energy Conference St. Louis Convention Center St. Louis, Missouri
***
"I think it is interesting that when we -- we got an energy conference going on here, that we have the Secretary of Energy, which makes sense -- (laughter) -- but the Secretary of Agriculture, as well. And the man who runs the EPA, whose job it is to make sure our environment is clean, is with us. And the reason I find that interesting is because we've got an interesting confluence of national security concerns and environmental concerns that come together, probably unlike any other time in our history."

***

"We live in a global world."

***

"You all know what hybrids are, it's a combination of gas and -- gasoline and electric battery that gets the driver a lot more miles per gallon.

***

"Most folks in the cities don't drive more than 40 miles, so you can envision consumer habits beginning to change: You drive to work; you go home; you plug in your automobile. And you go -- ride to work and go home the next -- and you're still on electricity."

***

"The way I like to tell our citizens is [Mike] Johanns [Sec. of Agriculture] is going to come in someday and say, 'Mr. President, corn is up, which means we're less dependent on oil.'"

***

"I was down in Alabama -- I'm going to tell you an interesting story when I was down there the other day. But I talked to a fellow from Auburn, he's a Ph.D. -- just reminded me the difference between a Ph.D. and a C student; the C student is the President, and the Ph.D. is the advisor." (Laughter and applause.)

***

"I have seen biodiesel poured into a new truck, and watched that truck crank right up, and realize it emitted no emissions."

***

"Oh, I'm sure there are some people out there saying, well, you know, he's just dreaming. Well, I'm just listening to the dreamers who happen to be good, smart, capable people who know what they're talking about --

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Out of Iraq now! Out of Iraq now! Soldiers are not renewables!

***

"Some day, some -- the 56th President will be standing up here saying, I appreciate the fact that there was some pioneers back in America in those days; I can't spent too much time because I've got to go get my limousine filled up by hydrogen -- (laughter) -- but I appreciate the fact that the solar panels are working so you can see me." (Laughter.)

 

October 12, 2006
Remarks by the President at Roskam for Congress, David Mcsweeney for Congress 2006, and Illinois Congressional Victory Committee 2006
Reception Hilton Chicago Chicago, Illinois
***
"One of the terrible lessons of September the 11th is that oceans can no longer protect us, and therefore, it is essential that the United States treat threats seriously before they come home to hurt us, before they fully materialize."

 

October 18, 2006
President Bush Discusses No Child Left Behind Act in North Carolina Waldo C. Falkener Elementary School Greensboro, North Carolina
***
"Most people say, I wish Laura had come and the old boy stayed home. (Laughter.) She's actually in El Paso, Texas, today -- I think she's in El Paso, Texas, today -- I'm confident, I think that's what she told me -- where a new school out there is opening up the Laura Bush Library."

***

"Can you imagine if the President came and said, by the way, your kids are scoring the lowest scores in the nation?"

 

October 19, 2006
Remarks by the President at Friends of George Allen Reception Science Museum of Virginia Richmond, Virginia
***
"It's interesting that recently the top Democrat leader in the House of Representatives made an interesting declaration. She said, "We love tax cuts."

***

"And the best way to protect America is to give our professionals the tools they need to protect you from attack."

***

"This bill came up before the -- in front of the United States Senate, and one of the strongest advocates for making sure our professionals had the tools necessary to protect you was Senator George Allen of the state of Virginia." (Applause.)

***

"You know, I like to tell people about an interesting experience I had. That's when I went to Elvis' place -- (laughter) -- with the then sitting Prime Minister of Japan. I went down there. I'd never been to Elvis' place. I thought it would be interesting to go there." (Laughter.)

 

October 19, 2006
Remarks by the President at Sherwood-Pennsylvania Victory Committee Reception Keystone College La Plume, Pennsylvania
***
"These people are nothing by cold-blooded killers. They're not religious people. I don't believe religious people kill innocent men, women, and children."

***

"We Republicans understand that we must give our professionals all the tools necessary to protect the American people." (Applause.)

***

"See, I find it very interesting that an 18-year-old George H.W. Bush volunteered to fight the Japanese. After all, they were the sworn enemy of the United States of America."

 

October 20, 2006
President Attends National Italian American Foundation Dinner The Washington Hilton Washington, D.C.
***
"You know, the list of Italian Americans that have made a significant contribution to our country is long. I mean, Tommy Lasorda. (Applause.) Yogi Berra. (Applause.) And for you Colt 45 fans -- that's the old Houston baseball team -- "Hollywood" Kenny Aspromonte. (Applause.) Where are you, Aspro? Yes, sir."

 

October 20, 2006
President Bush and Secretary Leavitt Discuss Medicare CVS Pharmacy Washington, D.C.
***
"Secretary Leavitt and I are pleased to be here at this counter where seniors come to buy prescription drugs."

 

October 24, 2006
President Bush Discusses the Economy, Small Business in Florida Gyrocam, Inc. Sarasota, Florida
***
"And one of the interesting things I was able to do was talk to a couple of Iraq vets who now work for this company. They're bringing their expertise off the battlefield to help this company design a product which will work. Interestingly enough, they then send people back to maintain the detectors."

 

October 25, 2006
President Bush Welcomes President Fernandez of the Dominican Republic to the White House The Oval Office
***
"Y por fin, we talked about the need for us to work closely on drug trafficking."

 

October 26, 2006
President Bush Signs Secure Fence Act The Roosevelt Room
***
"The Secure Fence Act builds on this progress. The bill authorizes the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our southern border."

 

October 26, 2006
Remarks by the President at Bouchard for U.S. Senate Reception Mabry Banquet and Convention Center Warren, Michigan
***
"You know, it's an interesting year. The other side is dancing in the end zone -- except they're on the 15-yard line." (Applause.)

***

"When we were confronted with recession and corporate scandal, and an attack on the United States, and the war -- needed to defend ourselves, and hurricanes and high energy prices, this economy was able to withstand those challenges because we cut the taxes."

***

"Imagine the message: If you don't abandon your relationship with Israel, for example, we'll run the price of oil up to -- if you don't retreat to allow us to continue to expand our caliphate or governing structure, we'll run the oil up."

***

"In other words, they don't believe Iraq is a part of the war on terror. They believe it is a separate theater of some kind. I'm not sure what they believe. This is a global war we're -- fight."

***

"My dad, like many of your -- who got relatives here, many of you whose relatives did the same thing, who are -- you're here, your relatives probably aren't -- (laughter) -- joined the Navy to fight the Japanese. You know the kind of people I'm talking about. He's an 18-year-old kid, the Japanese had attacked America. They killed more people on 9/11 than were killed at Pearl Harbor."

 

October 26, 2006
Remarks by the President at [Jeff] Lamberti for Congress and Iowa Victory 2006
Luncheon Iowa State Fairgrounds Des Moines, Iowa
***
"No doubt in my mind, with your help, Dave [sic] Lamberti will be the next United States congressman." (Applause.)

***

"Dave [sic] and I believe a lot of things. We believe that you ought to keep more of your own money. We believe in family values. We believe values are important. And we believe marriage is a fundamental institution of civilization."

***

"You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. [sic] No President wants to be a war President, but I am one."

***

"And what makes this war a tough war is that they're willing to kill innocent women and children to achieve their objectives."

***

"And so, therefore, after 9/11, after September the 11th, 2001, I vowed to give our professionals all the tools necessary to protect the American people from further attack."

***

"If the enemy is making a phone call in this different kind of war that requires instant information to protect you, we better understand what the enemy is thinking and what they're planning."

***

"One of my favorite stories to share is the story that happened here a couple of weeks ago -- or weeks ago -- when I went to Elvis's place in Memphis with then-sitting Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan."

 

October 28, 2006
Remarks by the President at Indiana Victory 2006
Rally Silver Creek High School Sellersburg, Indiana
***
"You know, recently, the First Lady was here. (Applause.) She told me there's no finer day to spend a Saturday than in southern Indiana." (Applause.)

 

November 2, 2006
Remarks by the President at Montana Victory 2006
Rally MetraPark Arena Billings, Montana
***
"Some of them are already measuring the drapes for their new offices. (Laughter.) See, they think this election is over. They don't understand that the people of Montana haven't voted yet." (Applause.)

***

"Here's what I want. I want Montana farmers growing crops that fuel our automobiles so I can tell the American people we're less dependent on oil from parts of the world where people don't like us." (Applause.)

***

"And yet, they have a plan that says they're going to extend their vision as far as they can extend it. It's called a caliphate."

***

THE PRESIDENT: On all these vital measures -- measures necessary to fight and win the war on terror -- the Democrats in Washington have followed a simple philosophy: Just say no. When it comes to listening on to the terrorist -- listening to the terrorists, what's the Democrats' answer? Just say no. When it comes to detaining terrorists, what's the Democrats' answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no.

THE PRESIDENT: When it came time to renew the Patriot Act, what was the Democrats' answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no.

THE PRESIDENT: When it comes time to questioning the terrorists, what's the Democrats' answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no.

THE PRESIDENT: So, when the Democrats ask for your vote on November the 7th, what's your answer?

AUDIENCE: No! (Applause.)

***

"People said, well, why did you go to Elvis' place? Well, one, I had never been down there. (Applause.) And Laura was kind of -- (laughter) -- pushing me. She said it's about time we took a family vacation. (Laughter.) Secondly, Prime Minister Koizumi wanted to go to Elvis' place. He's a big believer in -- he loved Elvis, in other words."

 

November 2, 2006
Remarks by the President at Nevada Victory 2006
Rally Elko Regional Airport Elko, Nevada
***
"We got to know what's on their mind, and we got to make sure our professionals have got the capacity to be able to protect you."

***

"In all these vital measures for protecting you in this war on terror, the Democrats in Washington follow a simple philosophy: Just say no. (Laughter.)

When it comes to listening on the terrorists, what's the Democrats' answer: Just say no.

When it comes to detaining terrorists, what's the Democrats' answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, when it comes to questioning terrorists, what's the Democrats' answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no.

THE PRESIDENT: When it comes to trying the terrorists, what the Democrats' answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no!

THE PRESIDENT: When it comes to trying the terrorists, what's the Democrats' answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no!

THE PRESIDENT: So when the Democrats ask you for their vote on November the 7th, what's your answer?

AUDIENCE: No! (Applause.)

 

November 3, 2006
Remarks by the President at Iowa Victory 2006
Rally Le Mars Community High School Le Mars, Iowa
***
"See, it used to be that if a threat were overseas, we could say, it's overseas."

 

November 3, 2006
Remarks by the President at Missouri Victory 2006
Rally Missouri Southern State University Joplin, Missouri
***
"I guess, maybe if -- I'm just trying to guess the mentality, but they must not think there's an enemy that wants to hit us again. It's the only justification I can give you for not making sure those professionals had the tools."

***

"You should expect people in Washington, D.C. to give our professionals the tools necessary to protect you."

***

"See, imagine what would happen if they were able to control enough energy, if they pulled enough off the market to run the price of oil up, and then said, fine, we'll let the price back down unless you give up your alliance with Israel, or until you withdraw, so that they could establish their -- what they declared they want to do, which is a caliphate."

 

November 4, 2006
Remarks by the President at Colorado Victory 2006
Rally Island Grove Regional Park Greeley, Colorado
***
"We are in a global struggle. By global struggle, I mean we will find and face the enemy wherever we can."

 

November 5, 2006
Remarks by the President at Kansas Victory 2006
Rally Kansas Expocentre Topeka, Kansas
***
"You got to act before the attack." (Applause.)

 

November 6, 2006
Remarks by the President at Florida Victory 2006
Rally Pensacola Civic Center Pensacola, Florida
***
"He just yelled, 'Happy birthday,' to Laura. (Applause.) And happy anniversary. (Applause.) Imagine, in a short period of time, a birthday and anniversary and Republican victory on Tuesday." (Applause.)

***

"I appreciate you recognizing Laura. No doubt about it, she is the A Team in my family." (Applause.)

***

"In other words, the Democrat's philosophy is this: If it breathes, tax it. (Laughter.) And if it stops breathing, find their children and tax them." (Laughter.)

***

"We face a brutal enemy that has an ideology, an ideology so backwards that many of our citizens can't possibly comprehend it."

***

"See, I believe our professionals have all the tools necessary to protect you; Democrats don't."

 

November 6, 2006
Remarks by the President at Arkansas Victory 2006
Rally Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Bentonville, Arkansas
***
"As a matter of fact, Laura and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. (Applause.) She was in Crawford, and I was campaigning." (Laughter.)

 

November 6, 2006
Remarks by the President at Perry for Governor 2006
Rally Reunion Arena Dallas, Texas
***
"Laura and I have been traveling quite a bit, and we're enthused by the enthusiasm we see."

***

"See, in this new kind of war, we can't protect you unless the intelligence folks whose job it is to figure out the designs and thinking of the enemy can share the information they have with the people whose job it is to stop the attacks. It's called the Patriot Act."

***

You happen to bump into a Democrat, you might want to ask this simple question: What's your plan? They say they want to protect the homeland, but oppose the Patriot Act, ask them this question: What's your plan?

AUDIENCE: What's your plan?

THE PRESIDENT: They say they want to uncover terrorist plots, but oppose listening in on terrorists' conversations, ask them this question: What's your plan?

AUDIENCE: What's your plan?

THE PRESIDENT: If they say they want to stop new attacks on our country, but oppose letting the CIA detain and question the terrorists who might know about the plot, ask them this question --

AUDIENCE: What's your plan?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. If they say they want to win the war on terror, but call for America to pull out from what al Qaeda says is the central front in the war on terror, ask them a simple question.

AUDIENCE: What's your plan?

 

November 8, 2006
Press Conference by the President The East Room
***
Q Mr. President, thank you. Can I just start by asking you to clarify, sir, if, in your meeting with Steve and Terry and Dick, did you know at that point --

THE PRESIDENT: I did not.

Q -- you would be making a change on Secretary Rumsfeld?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I did not. And the reason I didn't know is because I hadn't visited with his replacement -- potential replacement.

***

Q Thank you, sir. There's a bill that could come before the lame-duck session of Congress, that would extend voting rights to the District of Columbia, in Congress, and also give an extra seat to Utah. You've been passionate about democracy in Iraq. Why not here in D.C., and would you support this bill?

THE PRESIDENT: I haven't -- it's the first I've heard of it. I didn't know that's going to come up from the lame duck.

Q -- Congressman Davis's bill.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, well, it may or may not come up. I'm trying to get the Indian deal done, the Vietnam deal done, and the budgets done. But I'll take a look at it. It's the first I've heard of it. Thanks.

 

November 9, 2006
President Bush Welcomes President-Elect of Mexico to the White House Oval Office
***
"I know a fair amount about Mexico; after all, I was the governor of Texas."

November 16, 2006
Remarks by President Bush and Prime Minister Lee of Singapore The Istana, Singapore
***
"I always benefit when I get your advice and your counsel on the neighborhood."

***

"And I congratulate you on your leadership; congragulate the people of Singapore for really being a model for the neighborhood."

 

November 16, 2006
President Bush and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore Exchange Toasts The Istana, Singapore
***
"I thank you very much for serving that meat. (Laughter and applause.) It was so good, it had to be from Texas." (Laughter.)

***

"I cannot think of a more steadfast leader in you, and your willingness to make the hard steps necessary to deal with this challenge today so that our children won't have to deal with it in more severe terms tomorrow."

 

November 17, 2006
President Bush Meets with President Roh of the Republic of Korea The Sheraton Hanoi Hanoi, Vietnam
***
"We did discuss 1718, Resolution 1718, our mutual desire to effectively enforce the will of the world."

 

November 17, 2006
President Bush Meets with Prime Minister Howard of Australia Sheraton Hanoi Hanoi, Vietnam
***
Q One more, do you feel generous, one more?

PRESIDENT BUSH: No, I'm not generous. It's also hot out here, Gregory. We're in the sun, you're not. (Laughter.)

Q I don't see you sweat.

PRESIDENT BUSH: That's the problem, you might see me sweat.

END 1:29 P.M. (Local)

 

November 19, 2006
President Bush Meets with President Putin of Russia The Sheraton Hanoi Hanoi, Vietnam
***
"As usual, we've had a very important dialogue."

 

November 19, 2006
President Bush Meets with President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China Hanoi Daewoo Hotel Hanoi, Vietnam
***
"I strongly support your vision, Mr. President, of encouraging your country to become a nation of consumers and not savers, which will inure to the benefit of our manufacturers, both large and small, and our farmers, as well."

 

November 19, 2006
President Bush Attends Church Service in Vietnam Cua Bac Cathedral Hanoi, Vietnam
***
THE PRESIDENT: Laura and I just had a moment to converse with God in a church here in Hanoi.

 

November 20, 2006
President Bush Meets with President Yudhoyono of Indonesia Bogor Palace Bogor, Indonesia
***
"In this world of ours today, if there's an influenza outbreak in Vietnam, it could affect Indonesia or the people of America."

***

Q I would like to ask you -- as you mentioned before, Indonesia now is growing toward democratization, and how do you think the process of democratization in Indonesia -- the progress of democratization is going? And I have a second question.

PRESIDENT BUSH: How many do you get to ask here in Indonesia?

Q Excuse me?

PRESIDENT BUSH: How many questions do you get to ask? (Laughter.) Keep firing away. You're just setting a bad example for the American press corps. (Laughter.)

Q Well, lots of Indonesians think that you have a hidden agenda going here --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Oh, yes?

Q -- such as securing your Exxon deal in Natuna. And what is your comment on that?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, we didn't discuss it. No, we did not discuss it.

***

"But, so I haven't -- there's no need to comment on something [troop increases or decreases in Iraq] that may not happen. But if it were to happen, I will tell you the upsides and downside. "

***

"The other interesting fact for people to understand is that the technology to have a gasoline-driven automobile be powered by ethanol is very simple. It's what's called flex-fuel automobiles."

***

"Where the United States needs to go, though, is that we can't rely upon corn only to develop our ethanol."

 

Office of the Press Secretary November 28, 2006
National Methamphetamine Awareness Day, 2006
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
***
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 30, 2006, as National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.

 

November 28, 2006
President Bush Greets Democracy Promoters in Estonia Stenbock House Tallinn, Estonia
***
PRESIDENT BUSH: It's an amazing country you have here. They've got an e-government system that should be the envy of a lot of nations. They've got a tax system that is transparent, open and simple; people file their taxes over the Internet.

You're doing a fine job, Mr. Prime Minister. Proud of you.

END 10:32 A.M. (Local)

 

Office of the Press Secretary December 8, 2006
President Bush Meets with President Mbeki of South Africa Oval Office
***
"We talked about, interestingly enough, the Darfur [sic] round."

***

"And I told the President I am committed to the Darfur [sic] round. I believe in trade."

 

December 12, 2006
President Signs H.R. 2383, H.R. 3817, H.R. 4000, H.R. 4559, H.R. 4559, H.R. 5061, H.R. 5103, H.R. 5585, H.R. 5690, and H.R. 6121.
***
On Tuesday, December 12, 2006
the President signed into law:

H.R. 2383, which redesignates the facility of the Bureau of Reclamation in Byron, California, as the C.W. "Bill" Jones Pumping Plant;

 

December 4, 2006
President Bush Meets with United Nations Ambassador John Bolton The Oval Office
***
"I received the resignation of Ambassador John Bolton. I accepted. I'm not happy about it. I think he deserved to be confirmed. And the reason why I think he deserved to be confirmed is because I know he did a fabulous job for the country."

 

December 4, 2006
President Bush Meets with His Eminence Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim, Leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq The Oval Office
***
"I appreciated very much His Eminence's strong position against the murder of innocent life.

 

December 6, 2006
President Bush Welcomes President Arias of Costa Rica to the White House Oval Office
***
"Mr. President, you spent a lot of time talking about the importance of education, and I respect you for that, and I appreciate your emphasis on education. And we will investigate ways to determine whether or not the United States can help, if you so desire, on matters of education. And I congratulate you on being very successful in educating the younger children of your country. And I, again, admire your focus on extending the education through all grades in Costa Rica."

***

"I appreciated very much your advice, Mr. President, on the neighborhood in which you live. "

 

December 13, 2006
President Bush Meets with Senior U.S. Department of Defense Officials on Iraq The Pentagon
***
"I also -- one of the interesting things about this experience is that there's a lot of ideas and a lot of opinions. And I want to make sure I hear from as many of those ideas and opinions as possible. Today I heard from some opinions that matter a lot to me, and these are the opinions of those who wear the uniform."

***

"It would be a disaster for governments that have got energy resources to be in the hands of these extremists. They would use energy to extract blackmail from the United States."

 

December 14, 2006
President Bush Attends White House Summit on Malaria The National Geographic Society Washington, D.C.
***
"There are members of our own families here in America who are ill, and they live in villages halfway around the world away."

***

"Because of your work, children who once wanted [sic] to die are now preparing to live, and whole regions are replacing suffering and fear with hope and health."

 

December 20, 2006
President Bush Signs the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006
Room 450, Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building
***
"Vietnam will join the World Trade Organization in January. Isn't that amazing? I think it is. You'd be amazed at what it's like to be in Vietnam; Laura and I just returned."

 

Office of the Press Secretary December 20, 2006
Press Conference by the President Indian Treaty Room
***
"I've heard about new battery technologies that will be coming to the market that will enable people who -- people to drive the first 20 miles, for example, on electricity -- that will be the initial phase -- and then up to 40 miles on battery technologies. That will be positive, particularly if you live in a big city. A lot of people don't drive more than 20 miles, or 40 miles a day. And therefore, those urban dwellers who aren't driving that much won't be using any gasoline on a daily basis, and that will be helpful to the country."

***

"The first part of the [question] -- oh, last two years [of my presidency]. I'm going to work hard, Michael. I'm going to sprint to the finish, and we can get a lot done. And you're talking about legacy. Here -- I know, look, everybody is trying to write the history of this administration even before it's over. I'm reading about George Washington still. My attitude is, if they're still analyzing number 1, 43 ought not to worry about it and just do what he thinks is right, and make the tough choices necessary."

 

Office of the Press Secretary December 25, 2006
President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Death of James Brown
***
Laura and I are saddened by the death of James Brown. For half a century, the innovative talent of the "Godfather of Soul" enriched our culture and influenced generations of musicians. An American original, his fans came from all walks of life and backgrounds. James Brown's family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers this Christmas.

# # #

 

Office of the Press Secretary December 26, 2006
President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Passing of Former President Ford
***
Laura and I are greatly saddened by the passing of former President Gerald R. Ford.

President Ford was a great American who gave many years of dedicated service to our country. On August 9, 1974, after a long career in the House of Representatives and service as Vice President, he assumed the Presidency in an hour of national turmoil and division. With his quiet integrity, common sense, and kind instincts, President Ford helped heal our land and restore public confidence in the Presidency.

The American people will always admire Gerald Ford's devotion to duty, his personal character, and the honorable conduct of his administration. We mourn the loss of such a leader, and our 38th President will always have a special place in our Nation's memory. On behalf of all Americans, Laura and I offer our deepest sympathies to Betty Ford and all of President Ford's family. Our thoughts and prayers will be with them in the hours and days ahead.

# # #

 

December 28, 2006
President Bush Meets with His National Security Team Prairie Chapel Ranch Crawford, Texas
***
"I've got more consultation to do until I talk to the country about the plan."