National Issues

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate five individuals, appoint two individuals, and designate one individual to serve in his Administration.

President Bush on Monday said, "The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor a President can bestow, and I'm honored recipients of the Medal of Honor have joined us. Thank you for coming. During my time in office, I've had the privilege of performing this duty on nine separate occasions. Every ceremony has been inspiring. Many have been joyful. Some have been poignant. But I'm not sure I can remember many ceremonies quite like this one."

President Bush on Monday said, "I also know that you're dealing with a wide variety of issues. I was the governor of Texas. I see the Attorney General of Texas here. It's been -- it was a great joy to work with Greg when I was the governor. We have a solemn responsibility together, and that's to protect the country. You do it in a variety of ways, and we've got a responsibility here. As a matter of fact, there's no greater responsibility at the federal government than to protect the American people, which means that we must make sure our professionals have the tools they need to do the jobs we've asked them to do."

President Bush on Monday said, "General Ray Odierno served for 30 months in Iraq. He's nominated to Vice Chairman of the Army. And I asked him to come in for several reasons. One, I wanted to thank him. And in thanking the General, I'm really thanking everybody who has worn the uniform and served in this war against the extremists and terrorists. And in thanking the General, I'm also thanking Mrs. Odierno, and every wife or every husband whose spouse has been far away from home and is serving."

President Bush on Saturday said, "I want to share with you some of the things we talked about. First of all, we talked about the war on terror and ideological struggle of the 21st century. I appreciate your clear vision of the threats we all face -- and the opportunities that, by working together, we can help young democracies survive, and help people realize the blessings of free societies."

DIRECTOR WALTERS: Welcome to everybody on the call. I will just give a brief summary, and then I'll be happy to take your questions on any of the topics we touch on, or others related to the drug control strategy.

With the release of his first National Drug Control Strategy in 2002, the President set the ambitious goal of cutting drug use among young people by 25 percent over five years. Through a balanced approach that emphasized prevention, education, and treatment, as well as enhanced law enforcement and international cooperation, youth drug use has declined 24 percent since 2001 - 860,000 fewer young people using drugs today than six years ago. In addition, teen marijuana use is down 25 percent, Ecstasy use has dropped by more than half, and youth use of methamphetamine has plummeted 64 percent.

In his weekly radio address, President Bush said, "Today, my Administration is releasing our 2008 National Drug Control Strategy. This report lays out the methods we are using to combat drug abuse in America. And it highlights the hopeful progress we're making in the fight against addiction."

Sec. 3. Establishment of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. (a) There is hereby established, within the Executive Office of the President and exclusively to advise and assist the President as set forth in this order, the President's Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB).

Since the earliest days of our Republic, Irish Americans have enriched our culture with their faith, values, and hard work. During the month of March, we celebrate the contributions of Americans who trace their ancestry back to Ireland's shores.

As we face new challenges in the 21st century, we must work to ensure that Americans are kept safe in the marketplace. During National Consumer Protection Week, as my Administration works with Congress to improve our consumer product safety system, we also encourage Americans to make informed financial decisions and take advantage of the resources that can help them become responsible consumers, savers, and investors.

Tim Goeglein has loyally served President Bush for over seven years and worked tirelessly on his behalf to promote the President's policies. Among his contributions, Tim helped establish the President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative, and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. He also played an important role in the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices Roberts and Alito.

Today the President signed legislation to extend the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) until December 31, 2008. ATPA is designed to promote economic development and reduce illegal crop production in the Andean region by providing duty-free access to the U.S. market for most imports from Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.

President Bush on Friday said, "We've had a lot of things to discuss. A couple of key points: One, Afghanistan. The United States is committed to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. We're committed to a comprehensive strategy that helps folks in Afghanistan realize security, at the same time, economic prosperity and political progress. Secondly, our hope is that nations that have applied to join NATO continue to meet their MAP obligations. I'm looking forward to getting an assessment of the progress that these three nations have made from you, before we take the vote on enlargement."

Don Powell is an exceptional leader who has worked tirelessly and effectively to help the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region recover and rebuild from one of our Nation's most destructive natural disasters.

On Friday, February 29, 2008, the President signed into law: H.R. 5264, the "Andean Trade Preference Extension Act of 2008," which extends the Andean Trade Preference Act through 12/31/08 and H.R. 5478, which provides for the continued minting and issuance of certain $1 coins in 2008.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 650(b) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (Division J, Public Law 110-161) (the "Act"), I hereby certify that it is important to the national security interests of the United States to waive the provisions of section 650(a) of the Act, in order to provide funds appropriated to carry out chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, to the Palestinian Authority.

Pursuant to section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (Public Law 95-216, 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)), I transmit herewith the Agreement Between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Denmark on Social Security, which consists of two separate instruments: a principal agreement and an administrative arrangement. The agreement was signed at Copenhagen on June 13, 2007.

President Bush on Thursday said, "And so I want to thank you all for your briefing. I appreciate your concern about our fellow citizens. We share concerns about it. We want them doing well. And we believe that in the long-term we're going to do just fine. This is a resilient economy. We've got good, hardworking people in America. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong. And we'll make it through this period, just like we've made it through other periods of uncertainty during my presidency -- and each time we came out stronger and better, and that's what's going to happen this time, too."

On Thursday, February 28, 2008, the President signed into law: H.R. 1216, the "Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007 or the K.T. Safety Act of 2007" and H.R. 5270, the "Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2008".