Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
82579140
label
Focus on the Family Briefing, Tuesday 10/14/2003, 9:00am - 11:00am
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
82579140
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
Focus on the Family Briefing, Tuesday 10/14/2003, 9:00am - 11:00am
citationUrl
collections
Records of the Office of Public Liaison (George W. Bush Administration)
Matthew Smith's Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
82579140
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
otherTitles
t080-022-focus_fam_brief-20150037f
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
4832973e30136769
ocrText
2015-0037-F
[
]
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
FOIA Marker
This is not a textual record. This FOIA Marker indicates that material has been removed
during FOIA processing by George W. Bush Presidential Library staff.
Public Liaison, White House Office of
Smith, Matthew (Matt)
Location or
NARA Number:
FRC ID:
OA Number:
Stack: Row: Sect.: Shelf: Pos.:
Hollinger ID:
W
33
21
3
3
2031
14966
3386
3554
Folder Title:
Focus on the Family Briefing, Tuesday, 10/14/2003, 9:00am-11:00am
Withdrawn/Redacted Material
The George W. Bush Library
DOCUMENT FORM
SUBJECT/TITLE
PAGES
DATE
RESTRICTION(S)
NO.
001
CD
[Focus on the Family 2003 White House Briefing] - To:
1
2003
Transferred
Matthew Smith - From: Jason Parko
002
Email
WAVES Appt. U62261 Confirmation for SMITH - To:
1
10/14/2003
P6/b6; b7c; b7e;
Matthew Smith
b7f;
003
Email
WAVES Appt. U62261 Confirmation for SMITH - To:
4
10/13/2003
P6/b6; b7c; b7e;
Matthew Smith
b7f;
004
List
[Event Participants]
1
N.D.
P6/b6;
COLLECTION TITLE:
Public Liaison, White House Office of
SERIES:
Smith, Matthew (Matt)
FOLDER TITLE:
Focus on the Family Briefing, Tuesday, 10/14/2003, 9:00am-11:00am
FRC ID:
2031
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advise between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
2201(3).
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA].
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
Deed of Gift Restrictions
concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
A. Closed by Executive Order 13526 governing access to national
Records Not Subject to FOIA
security information.
B. Closed by statute or by the agency which originated the document.
Court Sealed - The document is withheld under a court seal and is not subject to
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
the Freedom of Information Act.
of gift.
2015-0037-F
Page 1 of 1
This document was prepared on Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Light Productions
A Digital Imaging Company
Ronald. G. Walters
President
3900 N.5th St. Apt 2
Arlington, VA 22203
U.S.A.
Office/Fax 703.807.0843
Cellular 703.629.4717
website:www.lightproductions.net
E-mail:[email protected]
Light Productions
A Digital Imaging Company
Ronald G. Walters
President
3900 N.5th St. Apt 2
Arlington, VA 22203
U.S.A.
703.807.0843 Office/Fax
703.629.4717 Cellular
www.lightproductions.net
[email protected]
Focus ON ThE FAMILY
2003 white House
BRIEFING
MR. MATTHEW Smith
0 ffice of Rublic
LiAison
JA SCM PARKS
202-456-6697
Transferred Material Marker
The George W. Bush Library
FORM
SUBJECT/TITLE
PAGES
DATE
TRANSFERRED TO
/UNITS
CD
[Focus on the Family 2003 White House Briefing] - To: Matthew
1
2003
AV
Smith - From: Jason Parko
This marker identifies the original location of the transferred item listed above.
COLLECTION:
Public Liaison, White House Office of
SERIES:
Smith, Matthew (Matt)
FOLDER TITLE:
Focus on the Family Briefing, Tuesday, 10/14/2003, 9:00am-11:00am
FRC ID:
FOIA ID and Segment:
2031
2015-0037-F
OA Num.:
3554
NARA Num.:
3386
This Document was transferred on 3/28/2016 by erl
Light Productions
3900 N.5th St. Apt 2
Arlington, VA 22203
703.807.0843 office/fax
www.lightproductions.net
[email protected]
Mr. Matthew Smith
Office of Public Liaison
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20502
November 24, 2003
Dear Mr. Smith,
It was a pleasure meeting you at the White House Briefing for Focus On The Family
where I was the contract photographer. Enclosed is a photo CD with highlights
from the event.
I recently relocated to Arlington from New Jersey. I've worked with the Republican
Party in New Jersey and was the campaign photographer for Congressman Mike
Ferguson and former Congressman Mike Pappas. I've also worked with the Family
Research Council, Christian Coalition, and had to opportunity to photograph
President Bush, Speaker Hastert, Steve Forbes, other senators and members of
congress.
I would appreciate any people or organizations you might know that I could contact
who could use my services. I work exclusively with the Republican Party who I feel
best represents my beliefs as an African American.
If I can be of any assistance to you, please feel free to contact me. You can view all
the photos from the event on my website.
Go to www.lightproductions.net-click on Online Internet StoreFront. Click Recent
Events and use the password-dcbriefing.
Best wishes,
West ars
Ronald G. Walters,
President, Light Productions
Office of Public Liaison
THE WHITE HOUSE
RESIGNOTON
EEOB Room 188 - Washington D.C. 20502 (202) 456-2380 phone
White House Briefing
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Moderator
Matt Smith
Associate Director of Public Liaison
Speakers
David Leitch
Deputy White House Counsel
Elliott Abrams
Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council
Senior Director for Near East & North African Affairs
Jim Towey
Deputy Assistant to the President &
Director of the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives
Jay Lefkowitz
Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
Office of Faith-Based &
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Community Initiatives
708 Jackson Place - Washington D.C. 20502 (202) 456-6708
Jim Towey
Deputy Assistant to the President and
Director of the White House
Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives
President George W. Bush named Jim Towey Deputy Assistant to the
President and Director of the Office of Faith Based and Community
Initiatives on Friday, February 1, 2002.
Jim Towey founded Aging With Dignity in 1996 after his experiences at
Mother Teresa's homes for the dying inspired him to promote better care
for people facing the end of life. Towey, who is an attorney, was legal
counsel for 12 years to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and he lived for one
year as a full-time volunteer in her home for people with AIDS in
Washington, D.C.
Before meeting Mother Teresa, Towey worked in public service, leading
the state of Florida's health and social services agency, the largest in the
United States, and serving in the cabinet of Governor Lawton Chiles.
Earlier, he worked in Washington as legislative director and legal counsel
for Senator Mark O. Hatfield. Towey, his wife, Mary, and their four
children live in the Washington, DC area.
Domestic Policy Council
THE WHITE HOUSE
The White House
Jay Lefkowitz
Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
Jay Lefkowitz is Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic
Policy. For the first year of the Bush Administration, he served as
General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget in the
Executive Office of the President. Before joining the Administration,
Mr. Lefkowitz was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of
Kirkland & Ellis, where he specialized in commercial and appellate
litigation.
He previously served in the White House under former President Bush
as Director of Cabinet Affairs and Deputy Executive Secretary of the
Domestic Policy Council. He was also a delegate to the United
Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
Mr. Lefkowitz has written widely on politics, law, and religion for the
Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post and
other publications. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his wife,
Elena, and their 3 children.
National Security Council
THE WHITE HOUSE
Washington D.C. 20504
Elliott Abrams
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for
Near East and North African Affairs
National Security Council
In December 2002. Dr. Condoleezza Rice appointed Mr. Abrams Special Assistant to the President
and Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs, including Arab/Israel relations and
U.S. efforts to promote peace and security in the region. From June 2001 to December 2002, Mr.
Abrams served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Democracy, Human
Rights and International Operations.
Prior to joining the NSC, Mr. Abrams was president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in
Washington, D.C., from June 1996 to June 2001. He was a member of the United States
Commission on International Religious Freedom for two years, from May 1999 to May 2001, and
Chairman of the Commission in the latter year.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Abrams spent four years working for the United States Senate: as
Assistant Counsel to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in 1975; as Special
Counsel to Senator Henry M. Jackson in 1975-1976; and as Special Counsel and then Chief of Staff
to Senator Daniel P. Moynihan from January 1977 to June 1979. Mr. Abrams served in the State
Department during all eight years of the Reagan Administration. In January, 1981 Mr. Abrams
became Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. In this capacity he
supervised United States participation in the United Nations system. On December 10, 1981, he
was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. On July
17, 1985, Mr. Abrams was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Inter- American Affairs, where
he supervised U.S. policy in Latin America and the Caribbean. In August 1988, Mr. Abrams
received the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award from Secretary George P. Shultz for
his work in the Department.
Mr. Abrams was a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute from 1989 to 1996, prior to becoming
president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Mr. Abrams's articles and book reviews have appeared in Commentary, The Weekly Standard, The
National Interest, The Public Interest, and National Review, where he is a Contributing Editor. He
is the author of three books, Undue Process (1993), Security and Sacrifice (1995), and Faith or Fear:
How Jews Can Survive in a Christian America (1997), and the editor of three more, Close Calls:
Intervention, Terrorism, Missile Defense and "Just War" Today; Honor Among Nations: Intangible
Interests and Foreign Policy; and The Influence of Faith: Religion and American Foreign Policy.
He has appeared on Meet The Press, Face The Nation, Nightline, and most major television news
programs.
Mr. Abrams was born in New York City. He and his wife Rachel live in Virginia. They have three
children: Joseph, a high school student; Sarah, a college student; and Jacob, who is serving in the
United States Navy.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Marriage Protection Week, 2003
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essential to the continued strength of our
society. Marriage Protection Week provides an opportunity to focus our efforts on preserving the
sanctity of marriage and on building strong and healthy marriages in America.
Marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and my Administration is working to support
the institution of marriage by helping couples build successful marriages and be good parents.
To encourage marriage and promote the well-being of children, I have proposed a healthy
marriage initiative to help couples develop the skills and knowledge to form and sustain healthy
marriages. Research has shown that, on average, children raised in households headed by
married parents fare better than children who grow up in other family structures. Through
education and counseling programs, faith-based, community, and government organizations
promote healthy marriages and a better quality of life for children. By supporting responsible
child-rearing and strong families, my Administration is seeking to ensure that every child can
grow up in a safe and loving home.
We are also working to make sure that the Federal Government does not penalize marriage. My
tax relief package eliminated the marriage penalty. And as part of the welfare reform package I
have proposed, we will do away with the rules that have made it more difficult for married
couples to move out of poverty.
We must support the institution of marriage and help parents build stronger families. And we
must continue our work to create a compassionate, welcoming society, where all people are
treated with dignity and respect.
During Marriage Protection Week, I call on all Americans to join me in expressing support for
the institution of marriage with all its benefits to our people, our culture, and our society.
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 the week of October 12 through October 18, 2003, as Marriage Protection Week. I call
upon the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate programs, activities,
and ceremonies.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of October, in the year of
our Lord two thousand three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-eighth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
The President has kept his commitment to foster a culture of life both here and
abroad:
Support for the partial birth abortion ban as well as the Department of Justice formal opposition
to partial birth abortion in the Ohio case
Signed into law the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, a major piece of pro-life legislation
Opposition to cloning along with U.S. led efforts at the United Nations to ban cloning
Opposition to taxpayer-financed embryonic stem cell research
Support for the child custody protection act
Support for the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2002
Support for the Unborn Victims of Violence Act
Opposition to euthanasia evidenced in the Department of Justice work on the Oregon case
HHS issuing a new regulation allowing states to use the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) to provide health coverage for prenatal care and delivery to mothers and their
unborn children -- helping to ensure that low-income mothers have healthy pregnancies and that
their babies are born healthy and strong.
Rejection of funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Restoration of the Mexico City Policy first thing Monday morning after Inauguration and
subsequent extension in August 2003.
Promoting adoption throughout the Administration and with Public Service Announcements
Nomination of pro-life Dr. David Hager to FDA advisory committee for Reproductive Health
Drugs
Twice making remarks to the National March for Life on the Mall, twice issuing Sanctity of Life
Sunday proclamations, and his remarks about the Holy Father's commitment to Life at the
Cultural Center in 2001 (note: not in office in time to issue proclamation in 2001).
Removal of inconclusive reproductive health services language from Centers for Disease Control
and Department of Health and Human Services websites.
U.S. delegation demands to remove "reproductive health services" from the United Nations
ESCAP document at the Asian and Pacific Population Conference in Bangkok. "The United
States support the sanctity of life from conception to natural death." The U.S. stood alone in its
efforts to change portions of the Cairo agreement.
U.N. General Assembly announcement of the transfer of $25 million from UNFPA to the Child
Survival and Health Programs Fund.
The President has kept his commitment to support the institution of marriage:
Healthy Marriage initiative in Welfare Reform Reauthorization and $2.2 million in grants from
HHS to 12 marriage promotion programs (4 of which were faith-based)
Twice speaking about the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman
Proclaiming Marriage Protection Week 2003 from October 12 to October 18, 2003
The President has kept his commitment to be pro-teen abstinence:
Asking for $135 million more to fund abstinence-education programs in public schools, totaling
up to $300 million total in the President's budgets
The President has kept his commitment to be concerned about issues affecting the
family:
Signing the PROTECT Act (Amber Alert Legislation)
Comments on Trafficking to the United Nations, the Department of Homeland Security's
"Operation Predator" anti-trafficking program, the obscenity indictments of Robert Zicari and
Janet Ramano, and the recent prosecution under the Protect Act of Michael Lewis Clark.
Bush Department of Justice child pornography prosecutions have increased 26% since taking
office
School Choice provision in No Child Lefi Behind and remarks at D.C. KIPP Academy supporting
vouchers in D.C. Appropriations bill (The Reagan administration was not successful here)
Support for the "dot kids" domain and petition to the Supreme Court to reexamine COPA
(Children Online Protection Act)
Office of National Drug Control Policy 5 year campaign to discourage drug use among the young
Nationwide FBI/DEA raids on U.S. based drug paraphernalia traffickers
No Child Left Behind's pro-accountability and higher standards in education
The President has kept his commitment to reduce taxes, promote fair trade, reduce
government regulations, reduce government waste, and control spending during a
time of war and recession:
2001 Passage of the largest tax cut in American history, $1.35 billion over the next ten years.
Support for Permanent Death Tax Repeal Act
Support for Permanent Marriage Penalty Relief Act
Support for Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act
Victory on Economic Growth and Jobs package
Victory on Trade Promotion Authority, Ambassador Zoellick's efforts to create free trade
agreements in Central America, free trade agreements with Chile and Singapore, seeking total
elimination of all tariffs on manufactured goods over the next 13 years, and Secretary Evans
criticism of China unfair trade practices
Signing the Parsonage Tax Credit into law
Proposing a comprehensive energy plan
FY 2004 budget focusing on strengthening the economy, prosecute the war against terror, defend
our nation and allow Americans to keep more of their money
OMB Peer Review Standards on Regulatory Science, policy revision allowing private-sector
printers to bid for government work, and pro-market reforms by making 850,000 federal jobs open
to competition from the private sector saving taxpayers 30% on each contract
Reversal of snowmobile rule in national parks, forming National Environmental Policy Act
agency to block frivolous lawsuits, reform of the New Source Review (Clean Air Act), giving
managers in the national forests the leeway over logging and other commercial activities
There has never been a President who has been stronger in fighting terrorism,
supporting our military, and encouraging peace and democracy throughout the
world:
Freedom from oppressive regimes and terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq
$14 billion increase in military spending in FY'04 budget including pay increases for those in
uniform
Signing of the Sudan Peace Act
Commitment to peace in the Middle East with the Middle East Peace Roadmap, maintaining
support for Israel and the first president to call for leadership change from the Palestinians
$15 billion commitment to fight Global AIDS and first Republican president to visit Africa
Presidential directive to deploying a missile defense system and rejection of the ABM treaty
Maintaining the embargo on Cuba
Pressing China leaders on human rights
Fighting trafficking in persons
Linking foreign aid to Egypt with human rights
The Millennium Challenge Account to ensure foreign aid is used for free market principles
October 10, 2003 initiatives to assist the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom.
The President has kept his commitment to appoint highly qualified judges to the
bench who interpret the law not legislate from the bench and has also:
Signed into law the reaffirmation of "in God We Trust" as the national motto and keeping the
phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the Solicitor General's brief before
the Supreme Court defending keeping "under God" in the Pledge
The President has advanced his compassion agenda through:
Executive Orders freeing up barriers to funds available to faith-based organizations
Pending victory of H.R. 7
Signing of the Prison Rape Elimination Act
Support for mentors to children with parents in prison
Support for voucher programs for those suffering from addiction
Low-income minority homeownership initiatives through HUD
The President has kept his commitment to support the Second Amendment through
the Solicitor General's statement in 2001 and support for legislation allowing airline
pilots to carry guns in the cockpit
The President is pro-Social Security reform and pro-Medicare reform
DEFENSE
US Department of Defense
Talking Points - Iraq Six Months Progress Report - Oct. 9, 2003
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer today briefed the media in Baghdad on the accomplishments in Iraq
six months after the fall of the capital city and the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. Following
are highlights of his report. A complete copy of his remarks can be found on the Coalition
Provisional Authority's web page http://www.cpa-iraq.org/:
The strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq has four elements:
Create a secure environment;
Begin restoration of essential services;
Begin to transform the economy; and
Begin the transformation to democracy.
Creating a secure environment:
There are 40,000 police on duty, nearly 7,000 in Baghdad alone.
Coalition Forces and Iraqi police are conducting joint patrols; there were 1,731 last night.
The first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty.
Across the country more than 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.
Nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.
For the first time in more than a generation the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.
The curfew in Baghdad has been reduced to four hours per night.
Begin restoring essential services:
Power generation hit 4,518 megawatts of electricity on Oct. 6. Six months ago the country
could barely generate 300 megawatts.
If the funding in the President's emergency supplemental is approved, enough
electricity could be produced for all Iraqis to have electrical service 24 hours per day.
All 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as are nearly all
primary and secondary schools.
Teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.
Public health spending has increased more than 26 times what it was under Saddam.
All 240 hospitals and more than 1,200 clinics are open.
Doctors' salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.
More than 22 million vaccination doses have been administered to Iraq's children.
Over three-quarters of pre-war telephone services and over two-thirds of the potable water
production have been restored.
Begin transforming the economy:
The central bank is fully independent.
Banks are making loans to finance businesses.
More than 95 percent of all pre-war bank customers have service and first-time customers
are opening accounts daily.
On Oct. 15 Iraq will get a new currency.
Begin the transformation to a democracy:
The Ministry of Information has been abolished.
More than 170 newspapers are in print.
Representative government is flourishing.
Twenty-five cabinet ministers, selected by the Iraqi Governing Council, run the day-to-
day business of government.
The Iraqi government regularly participates in international events, including meetings
of the U.N. General Assembly, the Arab League, the Islamic Conference Summit, the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
There are 88 advisory councils in Baghdad alone.
Religious freedom exists.
Today, for the first time in 35 years, thousands of Shiites in Karbala celebrated the
pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.
The progress made is just a beginning.
Cronyism, negligence and war mongering have devastated Iraq; the profound damage
cannot be repaired overnight.
Bringing Iraq up to a minimum of self-sufficiency will require the full $20 billion requested
by the President.
The Coalition will continue to fight terrorism in Iraq until the hopes of Iraqis and the world
are no longer threatened.
Published by the Department of Defense Office of Public Affairs
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
October 10, 2003
REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT
TO THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Washington, D.C.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. And, Ed, thank you, and thank you for the
welcome and for allowing me to be here this morning to see SO many old friends in the room,
including distinguished scholars and writers whose work I've admired for years. The Heritage
Foundation sets a very high standard of scholarship and public advocacy. In my various jobs
over the years as Congressman, Secretary of Defense and now Vice President -- I've benefited
greatly from the work done in this building. I want to thank all of you for what you do for all of
us.
All of you are serious observers of public affairs, especially in matters of national security. And
that's why I've come here this morning to discuss the war on terror, the choices America has
made in that war, and the choices still before us.
For most of this year, the attention of the world has centered on Iraq. From the final ultimatum
to Saddam Hussein last March, to the removal of his regime, and on up to the present, as we
continue to battle with Saddam loyalists and foreign terrorists. Iraq has become the central front
in the war on terror. It was crucial that we enforced the U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Now, having liberated that country, it is crucial that we keep our word to the Iraqi people,
helping them to build a secure country and a democratic government. And we will do so.
(Applause.)
Our mission in Iraq is a great undertaking and part of a larger mission that the United States
accepted now more than two years ago. September 11, 2001, changed everything for this
country. We came to recognize our vulnerability to the threats of the new era. We saw the harm
that 19 evil men could do, armed with little more than airline tickets and box cutters and driven
by a philosophy of hatred. We lost some 3,000 innocent lives that morning, in scarcely two
hours' time.
Since 9/11, we've learned much more about what these enemies intend for us. One member of al
Qaeda said 9/11 was the "beginning of the end of America." And we know to a certainty that
terrorists are doing everything they can to gain even deadlier means of striking us. From the
training manuals we found in the caves of Afghanistan to the interrogations of terrorists that
we've captured, we have learned of their ambitions to develop or acquire chemical, biological or
nuclear weapons. And if terrorists ever do acquire that capability -- on their own or with help
from a terror regime -- they will use it without the slightest constraint of reason or morality.
That possibility, the ultimate nightmare, could bring devastation to our country on a scale we
have never experienced. Instead of losing thousands of lives, we might lose tens of thousands, or
even hundreds of thousands of lives in a single day of war. Remember what we saw on the
morning of 9/11, and knowing the nature of these enemies, we have as clear a responsibility as
could ever fall to government: we must do everything in our power to keep terrorists from ever
acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
This great and urgent responsibility has required a shift in national security policy. The strategy
of deterrence, which served us so well during the decades of the Cold War, will no longer do.
Our terrorist enemy has no country to defend, no assets to destroy in order to discourage an
attack. Strategies of containment will not assure our security, either. There is no containing
terrorists who will commit suicide for the purposes of mass slaughter. There is also no
containing a terror state that secretly passes along deadly weapons to a terrorist network. There
is only one way to protect ourselves against catastrophic terrorist violence, and that is to destroy
the terrorists before they can launch further attacks against the United States.
For many years prior to 9/11, it was the terrorists who were on the offensive. We treated their
repeated attacks against Americans as isolated incidents and answered, if at all, on an ad hoc
basis, and rarely in a systematic way. There was the attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut in
1983, killing 241 men; the bombing of the World Trade Center, in 1993; five more murders
when the Saudi National Guard Training Center in Riyadh was struck in 1995; the killings at
Khobar Towers in 1996; the East Africa Embassy bombings in 1998; and in 2000, the attack on
the USS Cole.
There was a tendency to treat incidents like these as individual criminal acts to be handled
primarily through law enforcement. Ramzi Yousef, who perpetrated the first attack on the World
Trade Center is the best case in point. The U.S. government tracked him down, arrested him and
got a conviction. After he was sent off to serve a 240 year sentence, some might have thought,
"case closed." But the case was not closed.
The leads were not successfully followed, the dots were not adequately connected, the threat was
not recognized for what it was. For al Qaeda, the World Trade Center attack in 1993 was part of
a sustained campaign. Behind that one man, Ramzi Yousef, was a growing network with
operatives inside and outside the United States, waging war against our country. For us, that war
started on 9/11. For them, it started years ago, when Osama bin Laden declared war on the
United States. In 1996, Khalid Shaykh Mohammad, the mastermind of 9/11 and the uncle of
Ramzi Yousef, first proposed to bin Laden that they use hijacked airliners to attack targets in the
U.S. During this period, thousands of terrorists were trained at al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
Since September 11th, the terrorists have continued their attacks in Riyadh, Casablanca,
Mombasa, Bali, Jakarta, Najaf and Baghdad
Against this kind of determined, organized, ruthless enemy, America requires a new strategy
not merely to prosecute a series of crimes, but to conduct a global campaign against the terror
network. Our strategy has several key elements. We've strengthened our defenses here at home,
organizing the government to protect the homeland. But a good defense is not enough. We are
going after the terrorists wherever they plot and plan. Of those known to be directly involved in
organizing the attacks of 9/11, most are now in custody or confirmed dead. The leadership of al
Qaeda has sustained heavy losses -- they will sustain more.
We are also dismantling the financial networks that support terror, a vital step never before
taken. The hidden bank accounts, the front groups, the phony charities are being discovered and
the assets seized, to starve terrorists of the money that makes it possible for them to operate.
Our government is also working closely with intelligence services all over the globe, including
those of governments not traditionally considered friends of the United States.
And we are applying the Bush doctrine: Any person or government that supports, protects or
harbors terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and will be held to account.
(Applause.) The first to see this doctrine in application were the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan
by violence, while turning the country into a training camp for terrorists. With fine allies at our
side, we took down the regime and shut down the al Qaeda camps. Our work there continues --
confronting Taliban and al Qaeda remnants, training a new Afghan army, and providing security
as the new government takes shape. Under President Karzai's leadership, and with the help of
our coalition, the Afghan people are building a decent and just society a nation fully joined in
the war on terror.
In Iraq, we took another essential step in the war on terror. The United States and our allies rid
the Iraqi people of a murderous dictator, and rid the world of a menace to our future peace and
security. Saddam Hussein had a lengthy history of reckless and sudden aggression. He
cultivated ties to terror -- hosting the Abu Nidal organization, supporting terrorists, making
payments to the families of suicide bombers in Israel. He also had an established relationship
with al Qaeda, providing training to al Qaeda members in the areas of poisons, gases, making
conventional bombs. Saddam built, possessed and used weapons of mass destruction. He
refused or evaded all international demands to account for those weapons.
Twelve years of diplomacy, more than a dozen Security Council resolutions, hundreds of U.N.
weapons inspectors, thousands of flights to enforce the no-fly zones, and even strikes against
military targets in Iraq -- all of these measures were tried to compel Saddam Hussein's
compliance with the terms of the 1991 Gulf War cease-fire. All of these measures failed. Last
October, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly to authorize the use of force in Iraq.
Last November, the U.N. Security Council passed a unanimous resolution finding Iraq in
material breach of its obligations, and vowing serious consequences in the event Saddam
Hussein did not fully and immediately comply. When Saddam Hussein failed even then to
comply, our coalition acted to deliver those serious consequences. In that effort, the American
military acted with speed and precision and skill. Once again, our men and women in uniform
have served with honor, reflecting great credit on themselves and on the United States of
America. (Applause.)
In the post-9/11 era, certain risks are unacceptable. The United States made our position clear:
We could not accept the grave danger of Saddam Hussein and his terrorist allies turning weapons
of mass destruction against us or our friends and allies. And, gradually, we are learning the
details of his hidden weapons programs. This work is being carried out under the direction of
Dr. David Kay, a respected scientist and former U.N. inspector who is leading the weapons
search in Iraq.
Dr. Kay's team faces an enormous task. They have yet to examine more than a hundred large
conventional weapons arsenals
-- some of which cover areas larger than 50 square miles. Finding comparatively small volumes
of extremely deadly materials hidden in these vast stockpiles will be time consuming and
difficult. Yet, Dr. Kay and his team are making progress, and have compiled an interim report,
portions of which were declassified last week. Let me read to you a couple of passages from Dr.
Kay's testimony to Congress, which deserve closer attention.
He notes; "Iraq's WMD programs spanned more than two, involved thousands of people,
billions of dollars and were elaborately shielded by security and deception operations that
continued even beyond the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom."
Dr. Kay further stated, "We have discovered dozens of WMD-related program activities and
significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations during the
inspections that began in late 2002. The discovery of these deliberate concealment efforts have
come about both through the admissions of Iraqi scientists and officials concerning information
they deliberately withheld, as well as through physical evidence of equipment and activities that
the Iraq survey group has discovered [that] should have been declared to the United Nations."
Among the items Dr. Kay and his team have already identified are the following: a clandestine
network of laboratories and safe houses within the Iraqi intelligence service that contained
equipment suitable for continuing chemical and biological weapons research; a prison laboratory
complex, possibly used in human testing of biological weapons agents, that Iraqi officials were
explicitly ordered not to declare to the United Nations; reference strains of biological organisms,
concealed in a scientist's home, one of which can be used to produce biological weapons; new
research on BW-applicable agents, Brucella and Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever, and
continuing work on ricin and aflatoxin, which has not been declared to the United Nations;
documents and equipment hidden in scientists' homes that would have been useful in resuming
uranium enrichment by centrifuge and electromagnetic isotope separation; a line of unmanned
aerial vehicles, not fully declared, and an admission that they had been tested out to a range of
500 kilometers -- 350 kilometers beyond the legal limit imposed by the U.N. after the Gulf War;
plans and advanced design work for new long-range ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges
capable of striking targets throughout the Middle East, which were prohibited by the U.N. and
which Saddam sought to conceal from the U.N. weapons inspectors; clandestine attempts
between late 1999 and 2002 to obtain from North Korea technology related to 1,300-kilometer
range ballistic missiles, 300-kilometer range anti-ship cruise missiles and other prohibited
military equipment.
Ladies and gentlemen, each and every one of these finding confirms a material breach by the
former Iraqi regime of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441. Taken together, they constitute a
massive breach of that unanimously-passed resolution and provide a compelling case for the use
of force against Saddam Hussein.
Even as more evidence is found of Saddam's weapons programs, critics of our action in Iraq
continue to voice other objections. And the arguments they make are helping to frame the most
important debate of the post-9/11 era.
Some claim we should not have acted because the threat from Saddam Hussein was not
imminent. Yet, as the President has said, "Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced
their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike?" I would remind the critics of
the fundamental case the President has made since September 11th. Terrorist enemies of our
country hope to strike us with the most lethal weapons known to man. And it would be reckless
in the extreme to rule out action, and save our worries, until the day they strike. As the President
told Congress earlier this year, if threats from terrorists and terror states are permitted to fully
emerge, "all actions, all words and all recriminations would come too late.' That is the debate,
that is the choice set before the American people. And as long as George W. Bush is President
of the United States, this country will not permit gathering threats to become certain tragedies.
(Applause.)
Critics of our national security policy have also argued that to confront a gathering threat is
simply to stir up hostility. In the case of Saddam Hussein, his hostility to our country long
predates 9/11, and America's war on terror. In the case of the al Qaeda terrorists, their hostility
has long been evidenced. And year after year, the terrorists only grew bolder in the absence of
forceful response from America and other nations. Weakness and drift and vacillation in the face
of danger invite attacks. Strength and resolve and decisive action defeat attacks before they can
arrive on our soil.
Another criticism we hear is that the United States, when its security is threatened, may not act
without unanimous international consent. Under this view, even in the face of a specific, stated,
agreed upon danger, the mere objection of even one foreign government would be sufficient to
prevent us from acting. This view reflects a deep confusion about the requirements of our
national security. Though often couched in high-sounding terms of unity and cooperation, it is a
prescription for perpetual disunity and obstructionism. In practice, it would prevent our own
country from acting with friends and allies, even in the most urgent circumstance. To accept the
view that action by America and our allies can be stopped by the objection of foreign
governments that may not feel threatened, is to confer undue power on them, while leaving the
rest of us powerless to act in our own defense. Yet we continue to hear this attitude in arguments
in our own country -- so often, and so conveniently, it amounts to a policy of doing exactly
nothing.
In Afghanistan, in Iraq, on every front in the war on terror, the United States has cooperated with
friends and allies, and with others who recognize the common threat we face. More than 50
countries are contributing to peace and stability in Iraq today including most of the world's
democracies and more than 70 are with us in Afghanistan The United States is committed to
multilateral action wherever possible. Yet this commitment does not require us to stop
everything, and neglect our own defense, merely on the say-so of a single foreign government.
Ultimately, America must be in charge of her own national security. (Applause.)
This is the debate before the American people, and it is of more than academic interest. It
comes down to a choice between action that assures our security and inaction that allows dangers
to grow. And we can see the consequences of these choices in real events. The contrast is
greatest on the ground in Iraq. Had the United States been constrained by the objections of
some, the regime of Saddam Hussein would still rule Iraq, his statues would still stand, and his
sons would still be running the secret police. Dissidents would still be in prison, the apparatus of
torture and rape would still be in place, and the mass graves would be undiscovered. We must
never forget the kind of man who ran that country, and the depravity of his regime.
Last month, Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner of New York, returned from Iraq
after spending four months helping to activate and stand up a new national police force. Bernie
Kerik tells of many things he saw, including the videos of interrogations in which the victim is
blown apart by a hand grenade. Another video, as he describes it shows: "Saddam sitting in an
office, allowing two Doberman Pinschers to eat alive a general because he did not trust his
loyalty."
Those who declined to support the liberation of Iraq would not deny the evil of Saddam
Hussein's regime. They must concede, however, that had their own advice been followed, that
regime would rule Iraq today.
President Bush declined the course of inaction, and the results are there for all to see. The torture
chambers are empty, the prisons for children are closed, the murderers of innocents have been
exposed, and their mass graves have been uncovered. The regime is gone, never to return. And
despite difficulties we knew would occur, the Iraqi people prefer liberty and hope to tyranny and
fear. (Applause.)
Our coalition is helping them to build a secure, hopeful and self-governing nation which will
stand as an example of freedom to all the Middle East. We are rebuilding more than a thousand
schools, supplying and reopening hospitals, rehabilitating power plants, water and sanitation
facilities, bridges and airports. We are training Iraqi police, border guards and a new army, so
that the Iraqi people can assume full responsibility for their own security. Iraq now has its own
Governing Council, has appointed interim government ministers, and is moving toward the
drafting of a new constitution and free elections.
The contrast of visions is evident as well throughout the region. Had we followed the counsel of
inaction, the Iraqi regime would still be a menace to its neighbors and a destabilizing force in the
Middle East. Today, because we acted, Iraq stands to be a force for good in the Middle East.
Comparing both sides of the debate, we can see certain consequences for the world beyond the
Middle East, consequences with direct implications for our own security. If Saddam Hussein
were in power today there would still be active terror camps in Iraq, the regime would still be
allowing terrorist leaders into the country, and this ally of terrorists would still have a hidden
biological weapons program capable of producing deadly agents on short notice. There would
be today, as there was six months ago, the prospect of the Iraqi dictator providing weapons of
mass destruction, or the means to make them, to terrorists for the purpose of attacking America.
Today we do not face this prospect. There are terrorists in Iraq, yet there is no dictator to protect
them, and we are dealing with them one by one. Terrorists have gathered in that country and
there they will be defeated. We are fighting this evil in Iraq so we do not have to fight it on the
streets of our own cities. (Applause.)
The current debate over America's national security policy is the most consequential since the
early days of the Cold War and the emergence of a bipartisan commitment to face the evils of
communism. All of us now look back with respect and gratitude on the great decisions that set
America on the path to victory in the Cold War and kept us on that path through nine
presidencies. I believe that one day, scholars and historians will look back on our time and pay
tribute to our 43rd President, who has both called upon and exemplified the courage and
perseverance of the American people. (Applause.) In this period of extraordinary danger,
President Bush has made clear America's purposes in the world, and our determination to
overcome the threats to our liberty and our lives.
Sometimes history presents clear and stark choices. We have come to such a moment. Those
who bear the responsibility for making those choices for America must understand that while
action will always carry cost, measured in effort and sacrifice, inaction carries heavy costs of its
own. As in the years of the Cold War, much is asked of us and much rides on our actions. A
watching world is depending on the United States of America. Only America has the might and
the will to lead the world through a time of peril, toward greater security and peace. And as
we've done before, we accept the great mission that history has given us.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END
Message
Page 1 of 1
Smith, Matthew E.
From:
Smith, Matthew E.
Sent:
Monday, October 13, 2003 10:34 AM
To:
Montiel, Charlotte L.; Cooper, Colby J.; Vestewig, Lauren J.; Ryun, Catharine A.
Subject: Line-up for Tuesday Focus on the Family Briefing
Room 450
9:00 - 9:30 David Leitch
9:30 - 10:00 Elliott Abrams
10:00 - 10:30 Jay Lefkowitz
10:30 - 11:00 Jim Towey
Thanks everyone.
Matthew Smith
Associate Director of Public Liaison
The White House
(202) 456-2380 phone
(202) 456-2130 fax
10/13/2003
Smith, Matthew E.
From:
[email protected]
Sent:
Tuesday, October 14, 2003 9:26 AM
To:
Smith, Matthew E.
Subject:
WAVES Appt. U62261 Confirmation for SMITH
ADDRESSEES: MATTHEW E. [email protected]
SUBJECT:
WAVES Appt. U62261 Confirmation for SMITH
FROM:
WAVES OPERATIONS CENTER - ACO (b)(6), (b)(7)c, (b)(7)e, (b) (7)f
Date:
10-14-2003
Time:
08:23:58
This message serves as confirmation of an appointment for the
visitors listed below.
Appointment With:
SMITH
Appointment Date:
10/14/2003
Appointment Time:
8:30:00 AM
Appointment Room:
450
Presidential Attendance:
NO
Appointment Building:
OEOB
Appointment Requested by:
SMITH MATTHEW
Phone Number of Requestor: 67702
WAVES APPOINTMENT NUMBER: U62261
If you have any questions regarding this appointment,
please call the WAVES Center at 456-6742 and have the
appointment number listed above available to the
Access Control Officer answering your call.
TOTAL NUMBER OF NAMES SUBMITTED FOR ENTRY : 2
TOTAL NUMBER OF NAMES OF CLEARED FOR ENTRY: 2
ARMSTRONG, ROBERT
(b)(6)
CRAWFORD, BILL
Ron Walten
(b)(6)
1
THE WHITE HOUSE
David G. Leitch
Deputy Counsel to the President
David Leitch was appointed Deputy Counsel to President George W. Bush on
December 9, 2002. In his capacity as Deputy Counsel, he advises the President and White
House staff on a variety of legal issues, including issues involving the war on terror, judicial
nominations, legislative proposals, and ethics.
Prior to his White House appointment, Leitch served as Chief Counsel of the Federal
Aviation Administration from June of 2001 to December of 2002. As Chief Counsel, he was
the top legal advisor to the Administrator of the FAA, and was responsible for all aspects of
the FAA's legal activities, including its regulatory program, administrative and judicial
litigation, nationwide enforcement activities, legislation, and legal relations with foreign civil
aviation authorities. He supervised nearly 200 attorneys in FAA offices across the nation.
During Leitch's tenure at the FAA, he also served as counsel to the Transition Planning
Office for the Department of Homeland Security, which President Bush established by
Executive Order to coordinate transition planning throughout the executive branch of the
Government in preparation for establishment of the proposed Department of Homeland
Security.
Prior to joining the FAA, Leitch was a partner at Hogan & Hartson L.L.P., Washington
D.C.'s largest law firm, where he was engaged in a diverse litigation practice with a
concentration on appellate practice and issues involving administrative, constitutional, and
commercial law. He argued appeals in both state and federal courts on a variety of issues.
From 1990 to 1993, he served in the Office of Legal Counsel at the United States
Department of Justice, finishing his tenure there as Deputy Assistant Attorney General. He
has also served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and to Circuit Judge J.
Harvie Wilkinson, III, and was an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law
School.
Leitch graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Duke University.
He earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a
member of the Law Review and graduated first in his class. He and his wife Ellen have three
children and live in McLean, Virginia.
Withdrawal Marker
The George W. Bush Library
FORM
SUBJECT/TITLE
PAGES
DATE
RESTRICTION(S)
Email
WAVES Appt. U62261 Confirmation for SMITH - To: Matthew Smith
4
10/13/2003
P6/b6; b7c; b7e;
b7f;
This marker identifies the original location of the withdrawn item listed above.
For a complete list of items withdrawn from this folder, see the
Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet at the front of the folder.
COLLECTION:
Public Liaison, White House Office of
SERIES:
Smith, Matthew (Matt)
FOLDER TITLE:
Focus on the Family Briefing, Tuesday, 10/14/2003, 9:00am-11:00am
FRC ID:
FOIA ID and Segment:
2031
2015-0037-F
OA Num.:
3554
NARA Num.:
3386
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advise between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
2201(3).
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
Deed of Gift Restrictions
concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
A. Closed by Executive Order 13526 governing access to national
Records Not Subject to FOIA
security information.
B. Closed by statute or by the agency which originated the document.
Court Sealed - The document is withheld under a court seal and is not subject to
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
the Freedom of Information Act.
of gift.
This Document was withdrawn on 3/28/2016
by erl
Armstrong, Robert,
(b)(6)
Crawford,Bill,
(b)(6)
62261
Office of Public Liaison
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
EEOB Room 188 - Washington D.C. 20502 (202) 456-2380 phone
White House Briefing
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Moderator
Matt Smith
Associate Director of Public Liaison
Speakers
David Leitch
Deputy White House Counsel
Elliott Abrams
Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council
Senior Director for Near East & North African Affairs
Jim Towey
Deputy Assistant to the President &
Director of the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives
Jay Lefkowitz
Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
Office of Faith-Based &
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Community Initiatives
708 Jackson Place - Washington D.C. 20502 (202) 456-6708
Jim Towey
Deputy Assistant to the President and
Director of the White House
Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives
President George W. Bush named Jim Towey Deputy Assistant to the
President and Director of the Office of Faith Based and Community
Initiatives on Friday, February 1, 2002.
Jim Towey founded Aging With Dignity in 1996 after his experiences at
Mother Teresa's homes for the dying inspired him to promote better care
for people facing the end of life. Towey, who is an attorney, was legal
counsel for 12 years to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and he lived for one
year as a full-time volunteer in her home for people with AIDS in
Washington, D.C.
Before meeting Mother Teresa, Towey worked in public service, leading
the state of Florida's health and social services agency, the largest in the
United States, and serving in the cabinet of Governor Lawton Chiles.
Earlier, he worked in Washington as legislative director and legal counsel
for Senator Mark O. Hatfield. Towey, his wife, Mary, and their four
children live in the Washington, DC area.
Domestic Policy Council
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
The White House
Jay Lefkowitz
Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
Jay Lefkowitz is Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic
Policy. For the first year of the Bush Administration, he served as
General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget in the
Executive Office of the President. Before joining the Administration,
Mr. Lefkowitz was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of
Kirkland & Ellis, where he specialized in commercial and appellate
litigation.
He previously served in the White House under former President Bush
as Director of Cabinet Affairs and Deputy Executive Secretary of the
Domestic Policy Council. He was also a delegate to the United
Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
Mr. Lefkowitz has written widely on politics, law, and religion for the
Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post and
other publications. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his wife,
Elena, and their 3 children.
National Security Council
THE WHITE HOUSE
Washington D.C. 20504
WASHINGTON
Elliott Abrams
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for
Near East and North African Affairs
National Security Council
In December 2002, Dr. Condoleezza Rice appointed Mr. Abrams Special Assistant to the President
and Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs, including Arab/Israel relations and
U.S. efforts to promote peace and security in the region. From June 2001 to December 2002, Mr.
Abrams served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Democracy, Human
Rights and International Operations.
Prior to joining the NSC, Mr. Abrams was president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in
Washington, D.C., from June 1996 to June 2001. He was a member of the United States
Commission on International Religious Freedom for two years, from May 1999 to May 2001, and
Chairman of the Commission in the latter year.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Abrams spent four years working for the United States Senate: as
Assistant Counsel to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in 1975; as Special
Counsel to Senator Henry M. Jackson in 1975-1976; and as Special Counsel and then Chief of Staff
to Senator Daniel P. Moynihan from January 1977 to June 1979. Mr. Abrams served in the State
Department during all eight years of the Reagan Administration. In January, 1981 Mr. Abrams
became Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. In this capacity he
supervised United States participation in the United Nations system. On December 10, 1981, he
was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. On July
17, 1985, Mr. Abrams was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Inter- American Affairs, where
he supervised U.S. policy in Latin America and the Caribbean. In August 1988, Mr. Abrams
received the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award from Secretary George P. Shultz for
his work in the Department.
Mr. Abrams was a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute from 1989 to 1996, prior to becoming
president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Mr. Abrams's articles and book reviews have appeared in Commentary, The Weekly Standard, The
National Interest, The Public Interest, and National Review, where he is a Contributing Editor. He
is the author of three books, Undue Process (1993), Security and Sacrifice (1995), and Faith or Fear:
How Jews Can Survive in a Christian America (1997), and the editor of three more, Close Calls:
Intervention, Terrorism, Missile Defense and "Just War" Today; Honor Among Nations: Intangible
Interests and Foreign Policy; and The Influence of Faith: Religion and American Foreign Policy.
He has appeared on Meet The Press, Face The Nation, Nightline, and most major television news
programs.
Mr. Abrams was born in New York City. He and his wife Rachel live in Virginia. They have three
children: Joseph, a high school student; Sarah, a college student; and Jacob, who is serving in the
United States Navy.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Marriage Protection Week, 2003
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essential to the continued strength of our
society. Marriage Protection Week provides an opportunity to focus our efforts on preserving the
sanctity of marriage and on building strong and healthy marriages in America.
Marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and my Administration is working to support
the institution of marriage by helping couples build successful marriages and be good parents.
To encourage marriage and promote the well-being of children, I have proposed a healthy
marriage initiative to help couples develop the skills and knowledge to form and sustain healthy
marriages. Research has shown that, on average, children raised in households headed by
married parents fare better than children who grow up in other family structures. Through
education and counseling programs, faith-based, community, and government organizations
promote healthy marriages and a better quality of life for children. By supporting responsible
child-rearing and strong families, my Administration is seeking to ensure that every child can
grow up in a safe and loving home.
We are also working to make sure that the Federal Government does not penalize marriage. My
tax relief package eliminated the marriage penalty. And as part of the welfare reform package I
have proposed, we will do away with the rules that have made it more difficult for married
couples to move out of poverty.
We must support the institution of marriage and help parents build stronger families. And we
must continue our work to create a compassionate, welcoming society, where all people are
treated with dignity and respect.
During Marriage Protection Week, I call on all Americans to join me in expressing support for
the institution of marriage with all its benefits to our people, our culture, and our society.
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 the week of October 12 through October 18, 2003, as Marriage Protection Week. I call
upon the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate programs, activities,
and ceremonies.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of October, in the year of
our Lord two thousand three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-eighth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
The President has kept his commitment to foster a culture of life both here and
abroad:
Support for the partial birth abortion ban as well as the Department of Justice formal opposition
to partial birth abortion in the Ohio case
Signed into law the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, a major piece of pro-life legislation
Opposition to cloning along with U.S. led efforts at the United Nations to ban cloning
Opposition to taxpayer-financed embryonic stem cell research
Support for the child custody protection act
Support for the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2002
Support for the Unborn Victims of Violence Act
Opposition to euthanasia evidenced in the Department of Justice work on the Oregon case
HHS issuing a new regulation allowing states to use the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) to provide health coverage for prenatal care and delivery to mothers and their
unborn children -- helping to ensure that low-income mothers have healthy pregnancies and that
their babies are born healthy and strong.
Rejection of funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Restoration of the Mexico City Policy first thing Monday morning after Inauguration and
subsequent extension in August 2003.
Promoting adoption throughout the Administration and with Public Service Announcements
Nomination of pro-life Dr. David Hager to FDA advisory committee for Reproductive Health
Drugs
Twice making remarks to the National March for Life on the Mall, twice issuing Sanctity of Life
Sunday proclamations, and his remarks about the Holy Father's commitment to Life at the
Cultural Center in 2001 (note: not in office in time to issue proclamation in 2001).
Removal of inconclusive reproductive health services language from Centers for Disease Control
and Department of Health and Human Services websites.
U.S. delegation demands to remove "reproductive health services" from the United Nations
ESCAP document at the Asian and Pacific Population Conference in Bangkok. "The United
States support the sanctity of life from conception to natural death." The U.S. stood alone in its
efforts to change portions of the Cairo agreement.
U.N. General Assembly announcement of the transfer of $25 million from UNFPA to the Child
Survival and Health Programs Fund.
The President has kept his commitment to support the institution of marriage:
Healthy Marriage initiative in Welfare Reform Reauthorization and $2.2 million in grants from
HHS to 12 marriage promotion programs (4 of which were faith-based)
Twice speaking about the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman
Proclaiming Marriage Protection Week 2003 from October 12 to October 18, 2003
The President has kept his commitment to be pro-teen abstinence:
Asking for $135 million more to fund abstinence-education programs in public schools, totaling
up to $300 million total in the President's budgets
The President has kept his commitment to be concerned about issues affecting the
family:
Signing the PROTECT Act (Amber Alert Legislation)
Comments on Trafficking to the United Nations, the Department of Homeland Security's
"Operation Predator" anti-trafficking program, the obscenity indictments of Robert Zicari and
Janet Ramano, and the recent prosecution under the Protect Act of Michael Lewis Clark.
Bush Department of Justice child pornography prosecutions have increased 26% since taking
office
School Choice provision in No Child Left Behind and remarks at D.C. KIPP Academy supporting
vouchers in D.C. Appropriations bill (The Reagan administration was not successful here)
Support for the "dot kids" domain and petition to the Supreme Court to reexamine COPA
(Children Online Protection Act)
Office of National Drug Control Policy 5 year campaign to discourage drug use among the young
Nationwide FBI/DEA raids on U.S. based drug paraphernalia traffickers
No Child Left Behind's pro-accountability and higher standards in education
The President has kept his commitment to reduce taxes, promote fair trade, reduce
government regulations, reduce government waste, and control spending during a
time of war and recession:
2001 Passage of the largest tax cut in American history, $1.35 billion over the next ten years.
Support for Permanent Death Tax Repeal Act
Support for Permanent Marriage Penalty Relief Act
Support for Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act
Victory on Economic Growth and Jobs package
Victory on Trade Promotion Authority, Ambassador Zoellick's efforts to create free trade
agreements in Central America, free trade agreements with Chile and Singapore, seeking total
elimination of all tariffs on manufactured goods over the next 13 years, and Secretary Evans
criticism of China unfair trade practices
Signing the Parsonage Tax Credit into law
Proposing a comprehensive energy plan
FY 2004 budget focusing on strengthening the economy, prosecute the war against terror, defend
our nation and allow Americans to keep more of their money
OMB Peer Review Standards on Regulatory Science, policy revision allowing private-sector
printers to bid for government work, and pro-market reforms by making 850,000 federal jobs open
to competition from the private sector saving taxpayers 30% on each contract
Reversal of snowmobile rule in national parks, forming National Environmental Policy Act
agency to block frivolous lawsuits, reform of the New Source Review (Clean Air Act), giving
managers in the national forests the leeway over logging and other commercial activities
There has never been a President who has been stronger in fighting terrorism,
supporting our military, and encouraging peace and democracy throughout the
world:
Freedom from oppressive regimes and terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq
$14 billion increase in military spending in FY'04 budget including pay increases for those in
uniform
Signing of the Sudan Peace Act
Commitment to peace in the Middle East with the Middle East Peace Roadmap, maintaining
support for Israel and the first president to call for leadership change from the Palestinians
$15 billion commitment to fight Global AIDS and first Republican president to visit Africa
Presidential directive to deploying a missile defense system and rejection of the ABM treaty
Maintaining the embargo on Cuba
Pressing China leaders on human rights
Fighting trafficking in persons
Linking foreign aid to Egypt with human rights
The Millennium Challenge Account to ensure foreign aid is used for free market principles
October 10, 2003 initiatives to assist the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom.
The President has kept his commitment to appoint highly qualified judges to the
bench who interpret the law not legislate from the bench and has also:
Signed into law the reaffirmation of "in God We Trust" as the national motto and keeping the
phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the Solicitor General's brief before
the Supreme Court defending keeping "under God" in the Pledge
The President has advanced his compassion agenda through:
Executive Orders freeing up barriers to funds available to faith-based organizations
Pending victory of H.R. 7
Signing of the Prison Rape Elimination Act
Support for mentors to children with parents in prison
Support for voucher programs for those suffering from addiction
Low-income minority homeownership initiatives through HUD
The President has kept his commitment to support the Second Amendment through
the Solicitor General's statement in 2001 and support for legislation allowing airline
pilots to carry guns in the cockpit
The President is pro-Social Security reform and pro-Medicare reform
OFFENSE
US Department of Defense
Talking Points - Iraq Six Months Progress Report - Oct. 9, 2003
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer today briefed the media in Baghdad on the accomplishments in Iraq
six months after the fall of the capital city and the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. Following
are highlights of his report. A complete copy of his remarks can be found on the Coalition
Provisional Authority's web page http://www.cpa-iraq.org/.
The strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq has four elements:
Create a secure environment;
Begin restoration of essential services;
Begin to transform the economy; and
Begin the transformation to democracy.
Creating a secure environment:
There are 40,000 police on duty, nearly 7,000 in Baghdad alone.
Coalition Forces and Iraqi police are conducting joint patrols; there were 1,731 last night.
The first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty.
Across the country more than 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.
Nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.
For the first time in more than a generation the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.
The curfew in Baghdad has been reduced to four hours per night.
Begin restoring essential services:
Power generation hit 4,518 megawatts of electricity on Oct. 6. Six months ago the country
could barely generate 300 megawatts.
If the funding in the President's emergency supplemental is approved, enough
electricity could be produced for all Iraqis to have electrical service 24 hours per day.
All 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as are nearly all
primary and secondary schools.
Teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.
Public health spending has increased more than 26 times what it was under Saddam.
All 240 hospitals and more than 1,200 clinics are open.
Doctors' salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.
More than 22 million vaccination doses have been administered to Iraq's children.
Over three-quarters of pre-war telephone services and over two-thirds of the potable water
production have been restored.
Begin transforming the economy:
The central bank is fully independent.
Banks are making loans to finance businesses.
More than 95 percent of all pre-war bank customers have service and first-time customers
are opening accounts daily.
On Oct. 15 Iraq will get a new currency.
Begin the transformation to a democracy:
The Ministry of Information has been abolished.
More than 170 newspapers are in print.
Representative government is flourishing.
Twenty-five cabinet ministers, selected by the Iraqi Governing Council, run the day-to-
day business of government.
The Iraqi government regularly participates in international events, including meetings
of the U.N. General Assembly, the Arab League, the Islamic Conference Summit, the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
There are 88 advisory councils in Baghdad alone.
Religious freedom exists.
Today, for the first time in 35 years, thousands of Shiites in Karbala celebrated the
pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.
The progress made is just a beginning.
Cronyism, negligence and war mongering have devastated Iraq; the profound damage
cannot be repaired overnight.
Bringing Iraq up to a minimum of self-sufficiency will require the full $20 billion requested
by the President.
The Coalition will continue to fight terrorism in Iraq until the hopes of Iraqis and the world
are no longer threatened.
Published by the Department of Defense Office of Public Affairs
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
October 10, 2003
REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT
TO THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Washington, D.C.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. And, Ed, thank you, and thank you for the
welcome and for allowing me to be here this morning to see so many old friends in the room,
including distinguished scholars and writers whose work I've admired for years. The Heritage
Foundation sets a very high standard of scholarship and public advocacy. In my various jobs
over the years -- as Congressman, Secretary of Defense and now Vice President -- I've benefited
greatly from the work done in this building. I want to thank all of you for what you do for all of
us.
All of you are serious observers of public affairs, especially in matters of national security. And
that's why I've come here this morning to discuss the war on terror, the choices America has
made in that war, and the choices still before us.
For most of this year, the attention of the world has centered on Iraq. From the final ultimatum
to Saddam Hussein last March, to the removal of his regime, and on up to the present, as we
continue to battle with Saddam loyalists and foreign terrorists. Iraq has become the central front
in the war on terror. It was crucial that we enforced the U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Now, having liberated that country, it is crucial that we keep our word to the Iraqi people,
helping them to build a secure country and a democratic government. And we will do so.
(Applause.)
Our mission in Iraq is a great undertaking and part of a larger mission that the United States
accepted now more than two years ago. September 11, 2001, changed everything for this
country. We came to recognize our vulnerability to the threats of the new era. We saw the harm
that 19 evil men could do, armed with little more than airline tickets and box cutters and driven
by a philosophy of hatred. We lost some 3,000 innocent lives that morning, in scarcely two
hours' time.
Since 9/11, we've learned much more about what these enemies intend for us. One member of al
Qaeda said 9/11 was the "beginning of the end of America." And we know to a certainty that
terrorists are doing everything they can to gain even deadlier means of striking us. From the
training manuals we found in the caves of Afghanistan to the interrogations of terrorists that
we've captured, we have learned of their ambitions to develop or acquire chemical, biological or
nuclear weapons. And if terrorists ever do acquire that capability -- on their own or with help
from a terror regime -- they will use it without the slightest constraint of reason or morality.
That possibility, the ultimate nightmare, could bring devastation to our country on a scale we
have never experienced. Instead of losing thousands of lives, we might lose tens of thousands, or
even hundreds of thousands of lives in a single day of war. Remember what we saw on the
morning of 9/11, and knowing the nature of these enemies, we have as clear a responsibility as
could ever fall to government: we must do everything in our power to keep terrorists from ever
acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
This great and urgent responsibility has required a shift in national security policy. The strategy
of deterrence, which served us so well during the decades of the Cold War, will no longer do.
Our terrorist enemy has no country to defend, no assets to destroy in order to discourage an
attack. Strategies of containment will not assure our security, either. There is no containing
terrorists who will commit suicide for the purposes of mass slaughter. There is also no
containing a terror state that secretly passes along deadly weapons to a terrorist network. There
is only one way to protect ourselves against catastrophic terrorist violence, and that is to destroy
the terrorists before they can launch further attacks against the United States.
For many years prior to 9/11, it was the terrorists who were on the offensive. We treated their
repeated attacks against Americans as isolated incidents and answered, if at all, on an ad hoc
basis, and rarely in a systematic way. There was the attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut in
1983, killing 241 men; the bombing of the World Trade Center, in 1993; five more murders
when the Saudi National Guard Training Center in Riyadh was struck in 1995; the killings at
Khobar Towers in 1996; the East Africa Embassy bombings in 1998; and in 2000, the attack on
the USS Cole.
There was a tendency to treat incidents like these as individual criminal acts to be handled
primarily through law enforcement. Ramzi Yousef, who perpetrated the first attack on the World
Trade Center is the best case in point. The U.S. government tracked him down, arrested him and
got a conviction. After he was sent off to serve a 240 year sentence, some might have thought,
"case closed." But the case was not closed.
The leads were not successfully followed, the dots were not adequately connected, the threat was
not recognized for what it was. For al Qaeda, the World Trade Center attack in 1993 was part of
a sustained campaign. Behind that one man, Ramzi Yousef, was a growing network with
operatives inside and outside the United States, waging war against our country. For us, that war
started on 9/11.) For them, it started years ago, when Osama bin Laden declared war on the
United States. In 1996, Khalid Shaykh Mohammad, the mastermind of 9/11 and the uncle of
Ramzi Yousef, first proposed to bin Laden that they use hijacked airliners to attack targets in the
U.S. During this period, thousands of terrorists were trained at al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
Since September 11th, the terrorists have continued their attacks in Riyadh, Casablanca,
Mombasa, Bali, Jakarta, Najaf and Baghdad.
Against this kind of determined, organized, ruthless enemy, America requires a new strategy
not merely to prosecute a series of crimes, but to conduct a global campaign against the terror
network. Our strategy has several key elements. We've strengthened our defenses here at home,
organizing the government to protect the homeland. But a good defense is not enough. We are
going after the terrorists wherever they plot and plan. Of those known to be directly involved in
organizing the attacks of 9/11, most are now in custody or confirmed dead. The leadership of al
Qaeda has sustained heavy losses they will sustain more.
We are also dismantling the financial networks that support terror, a vital step never before
taken. The hidden bank accounts, the front groups, the phony charities are being discovered and
the assets seized, to starve terrorists of the money that makes it possible for them to operate.
Our government is also working closely with intelligence services all over the globe, including
those of governments not traditionally considered friends of the United States.
And we are applying the Bush doctrine: Any person or government that supports, protects or
harbors terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and will be held to account.
(Applause.) The first to see this doctrine in application were the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan
by violence, while turning the country into a training camp for terrorists. With fine allies at our
side, we took down the regime and shut down the al Qaeda camps. Our work there continues --
confronting Taliban and al Qaeda remnants, training a new Afghan army, and providing security
as the new government takes shape. Under President Karzai's leadership, and with the help of
our coalition, the Afghan people are building a decent and just society -- a nation fully joined in
the war on terror.
In Iraq, we took another essential step in the war on terror. The United States and our allies rid
the Iraqi people of a murderous dictator, and rid the world of a menace to our future peace and
security. Saddam Hussein had a lengthy history of reckless and sudden aggression. He
cultivated ties to terror -- hosting the Abu Nidal organization, supporting terrorists, making
payments to the families of suicide bombers in Israel. He also had an established relationship
with al Qaeda, providing training to al Qaeda members in the areas of poisons, gases, making
conventional bombs. Saddam built, possessed and used weapons of mass destruction. He
refused or evaded all international demands to account for those weapons.
Twelve years of diplomacy, more than a dozen Security Council resolutions, hundreds of U.N.
weapons inspectors, thousands of flights to enforce the no-fly zones, and even strikes against
military targets in Iraq -- all of these measures were tried to compel Saddam Hussein's
compliance with the terms of the 1991 Gulf War cease-fire. All of these measures failed. Last
October, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly to authorize the use of force in Iraq.
Last November, the U.N. Security Council passed a unanimous resolution finding Iraq in
material breach of its obligations, and vowing serious consequences in the event Saddam
Hussein did not fully and immediately comply. When Saddam Hussein failed even then to
comply, our coalition acted to deliver those serious consequences. In that effort, the American
military acted with speed and precision and skill. Once again, our men and women in uniform
have served with honor, reflecting great credit on themselves and on the United States of
America. (Applause.)
In the post-9/11 era, certain risks are unacceptable. The United States made our position clear:
We could not accept the grave danger of Saddam Hussein and his terrorist allies turning weapons
of mass destruction against us or our friends and allies. And, gradually, we are learning the
details of his hidden weapons programs. This work is being carried out under the direction of
Dr. David Kay, a respected scientist and former U.N. inspector who is leading the weapons
search in Iraq.
Dr. Kay's team faces an enormous task. They have yet to examine more than a hundred large
conventional weapons arsenals
some of which cover areas larger than 50 square miles. Finding comparatively small volumes
of extremely deadly materials hidden in these vast stockpiles will be time consuming and
difficult. Yet, Dr. Kay and his team are making progress, and have compiled an interim report,
portions of which were declassified last week. Let me read to you a couple of passages from Dr.
Kay's testimony to Congress, which deserve closer attention.
He notes: "Iraq's WMD programs spanned more than two, involved thousands of people,
billions of dollars and were elaborately shielded by security and deception operations that
continued even beyond the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom."
Dr. Kay further stated, "We have discovered dozens of WMD-related program activities and
significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations during the
inspections that began in late 2002. The discovery of these deliberate concealment efforts have
come about both through the admissions of Iraqi scientists and officials concerning information
they deliberately withheld, as well as through physical evidence of equipment and activities that
the Iraq survey group has discovered [that] should have been declared to the United Nations."
Among the items Dr. Kay and his team have already identified are the following: a clandestine
network of laboratories and safe houses within the Iraqi intelligence service that contained
equipment suitable for continuing chemical and biological weapons research; a prison laboratory
complex, possibly used in human testing of biological weapons agents, that Iraqi officials were
explicitly ordered not to declare to the United Nations; reference strains of biological organisms,
concealed in a scientist's home, one of which can be used to produce biological weapons; new
research on BW-applicable agents, Brucella and Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever, and
continuing work on ricin and aflatoxin, which has not been declared to the United Nations;
documents and equipment hidden in scientists' homes that would have been useful in resuming
uranium enrichment by centrifuge and electromagnetic isotope separation; a line of unmanned
aerial vehicles, not fully declared, and an admission that they had been tested out to a range of
500 kilometers 350 kilometers beyond the legal limit imposed by the U.N. after the Gulf War;
plans and advanced design work for new long-range ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges
capable of striking targets throughout the Middle East, which were prohibited by the U.N. and
which Saddam sought to conceal from the U.N. weapons inspectors; clandestine attempts
between late 1999 and 2002 to obtain from North Korea technology related to 1,300-kilometer
range ballistic missiles, 300-kilometer range anti-ship cruise missiles and other prohibited
military equipment.
Ladies and gentlemen, each and every one of these finding confirms a material breach by the
former Iraqi regime of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441. Taken together, they constitute a
massive breach of that unanimously-passed resolution and provide a compelling case for the use
of force against Saddam Hussein.
Even as more evidence is found of Saddam's weapons programs, critics of our action in Iraq
continue to voice other objections. And the arguments they make are helping to frame the most
important debate of the post-9/11 era.
Some claim we should not have acted because the threat from Saddam Hussein was not
imminent. Yet, as the President has said, "Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced
their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike?" I would remind the critics of
the fundamental case the President has made since September 11th. Terrorist enemies of our
country hope to strike us with the most lethal weapons known to man. And it would be reckless
in the extreme to rule out action, and save our worries, until the day they strike. As the President
told Congress earlier this year, if threats from terrorists and terror states are permitted to fully
emerge, "all actions, all words and all recriminations would come too late." That is the debate,
that is the choice set before the American people. And as long as George W. Bush is President
of the United States, this country will not permit gathering threats to become certain tragedies.
(Applause.)
Critics of our national security policy have also argued that to confront a gathering threat is
simply to stir up hostility. In the case of Saddam Hussein, his hostility to our country long
predates 9/11, and America's war on terror. In the case of the al Qaeda terrorists, their hostility
has long been evidenced. And year after year, the terrorists only grew bolder in the absence of
forceful response from America and other nations. Weakness and drift and vacillation in the face
of danger invite attacks. Strength and resolve and decisive action defeat attacks before they can
arrive on our soil.
Another criticism we hear is that the United States, when its security is threatened, may not act
without unanimous international consent. Under this view, even in the face of a specific, stated,
agreed upon danger, the mere objection of even one foreign government would be sufficient to
prevent us from acting. This view reflects a deep confusion about the requirements of our
national security. Though often couched in high-sounding terms of unity and cooperation, it is a
prescription for perpetual disunity and obstructionism. In practice, it would prevent our own
country from acting with friends and allies, even in the most urgent circumstance. To accept the
view that action by America and our allies can be stopped by the objection of foreign
governments that may not feel threatened, is to confer undue power on them, while leaving the
rest of us powerless to act in our own defense. Yet we continue to hear this attitude in arguments
in our own country -- so often, and so conveniently, it amounts to a policy of doing exactly
nothing.
In Afghanistan, in Iraq, on every front in the war on terror, the United States has cooperated with
friends and allies, and with others who recognize the common threat we face. More than 50
countries are contributing to peace and stability in Iraq today -- including most of the world's
democracies -- and more than 70 are with us in Afghanistan. The United States is committed to
multilateral action wherever possible. Yet this commitment does not require us to stop
everything, and neglect our own defense, merely on the say-so of a single foreign government.
Ultimately, America must be in charge of her own national security. (Applause.)
This is the debate before the American people, and it is of more than academic interest. It
comes down to a choice between action that assures our security and inaction that allows dangers
to grow. And we can see the consequences of these choices in real events. The contrast is
greatest on the ground in Iraq. Had the United States been constrained by the objections of
some, the regime of Saddam Hussein would still rule Iraq, his statues would still stand, and his
sons would still be running the secret police. Dissidents would still be in prison, the apparatus of
torture and rape would still be in place, and the mass graves would be undiscovered. We must
never forget the kind of man who ran that country, and the depravity of his regime.
Last month, Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner of New York, returned from Iraq
after spending four months helping to activate and stand up a new national police force. Bernie
Kerik tells of many things he saw, including the videos of interrogations in which the victim is
blown apart by a hand grenade. Another video, as he describes it shows: "Saddam sitting in an
office, allowing two Doberman Pinschers to eat alive a general because he did not trust his
loyalty."
Those who declined to support the liberation of Iraq would not deny the evil of Saddam
Hussein's regime. They must concede, however, that had their own advice been followed, that
regime would rule Iraq today.
President Bush declined the course of inaction, and the results are there for all to see. The torture
chambers are empty, the prisons for children are closed, the murderers of innocents have been
exposed, and their mass graves have been uncovered. The regime is gone, never to return. And
despite difficulties we knew would occur, the Iraqi people prefer liberty and hope to tyranny and
fear. (Applause.)
Our coalition is helping them to build a secure, hopeful and self-governing nation which will
stand as an example of freedom to all the Middle East. We are rebuilding more than a thousand
schools, supplying and reopening hospitals, rehabilitating power plants, water and sanitation
facilities, bridges and airports. We are training Iraqi police, border guards and a new army, so
that the Iraqi people can assume full responsibility for their own security. Iraq now has its own
Governing Council, has appointed interim government ministers, and is moving toward the
drafting of a new constitution and free elections.
The contrast of visions is evident as well throughout the region. Had we followed the counsel of
inaction, the Iraqi regime would still be a menace to its neighbors and a destabilizing force in the
Middle East. Today, because we acted, Iraq stands to be a force for good in the Middle East.
Comparing both sides of the debate, we can see certain consequences for the world beyond the
Middle East, consequences with direct implications for our own security. If Saddam Hussein
were in power today there would still be active terror camps in Iraq, the regime would still be
allowing terrorist leaders into the country, and this ally of terrorists would still have a hidden
biological weapons program capable of producing deadly agents on short notice. There would
be today, as there was six months ago, the prospect of the Iraqi dictator providing weapons of
mass destruction, or the means to make them, to terrorists for the purpose of attacking America.
Today we do not face this prospect. There are terrorists in Iraq, yet there is no dictator to protect
them, and we are dealing with them one by one. Terrorists have gathered in that country and
there they will be defeated. We are fighting this evil in Iraq so we do not have to fight it on the
streets of our own cities. (Applause.)
The current debate over America's national security policy is the most consequential since the
early days of the Cold War and the emergence of a bipartisan commitment to face the evils of
communism. All of us now look back with respect and gratitude on the great decisions that set
America on the path to victory in the Cold War and kept us on that path through nine
presidencies. I believe that one day, scholars and historians will look back on our time and pay
tribute to our 43rd President, who has both called upon and exemplified the courage and
perseverance of the American people. (Applause.) In this period of extraordinary danger,
President Bush has made clear America's purposes in the world, and our determination to
overcome the threats to our liberty and our lives.
Sometimes history presents clear and stark choices. We have come to such a moment. Those
who bear the responsibility for making those choices for America must understand that while
action will always carry cost, measured in effort and sacrifice, inaction carries heavy costs of its
own. As in the years of the Cold War, much is asked of us and much rides on our actions. A
watching world is depending on the United States of America. Only America has the might and
the will to lead the world through a time of peril, toward greater security and peace. And as
we've done before, we accept the great mission that history has given us.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END
Smith, Matthew E.
From:
Cooper, Colby J.
Sent:
Tuesday, October 07, 2003 9:53 AM
To:
Smith, Matthew E.
Cc:
Cooper, Colby J.
Subject:
Re: Speaking Request for Tuesday, October 14, 2003
elliot is available on the 14th between 9:30-10:25 and is available to speak for 20 minuts in that window. please let me
know what will work.
v/r
colby
From:
Matthew E. Smith/WHO/EOP@Exchange on 10/02/2003 02:27:04 PM
Record Type:
Record
To: See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
CC:
Subject:
Speaking Request for Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Room:
450
Time:
9 - 11 a.m.
What:
Briefing for Focus on the Family inner circle.
Invited Speakers:
Wade Horn
Subject: TANF Reauthorization
Jay Lefkowitz
Subject: Social Issues/AIDS initiative 10-10:30
Karl Rove
Subject: Stop-by, President update ?
Jim Towey
Subject: Update on Faith-based intiative --/0:30-11:00
Dr. Rice/Elliott
Subject: Update on Iraq 9:30-10:00
David Leitch
Subject: Judicial Nominations 9-9130
Let me know if you have any questions.
Matt
x6-7702
Message Sent To:
Barbara J. Goergen/WHO/EOP@Exchange
Michael Drummond/WHO/EOP@EOP
Lauren J. Vestewig/OPD/EOP@Exchange
Charlotte L. Montiel/WHO/EOP@Exchange
Colby J. Cooper/NSC/EOP@EOP
1
Message
Page 1 of 1
Smith, Matthew E.
From:
Ryun, Catharine A.
Sent:
Friday, October 10, 2003 1:57 PM
To:
Smith, Matthew E.
Subject: When do you need Jim Tues am?? he has a 9-9:30 already in his office
Catharine
Catharine Ryun
Executive Assistant to the Director
Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives
The White House
202-456-5675
10/13/2003
Smith, Matthew E.
From:
Cooper, Colby J.
Sent:
Tuesday, October 07, 2003 9:53 AM
To:
Smith, Matthew E.
Cc:
Cooper, Colby J.
Subject:
Re: Speaking Request for Tuesday, October 14, 2003
elliot is available on the 14th between 9:30-10:25 and is available to speak for 20 minuts in that window. please let me
know what will work.
v/r
colby
From:
Matthew E. Smith/WHO/EOP@Exchange on 10/02/2003 02:27:04 PM
Record Type:
Record
To: See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
CC:
Subject:
Speaking Request for Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Room:
450
Time:
9 -11 a.m.
What:
Briefing for Focus on the Family inner circle.
Invited Speakers:
Wade Horn
Subject: TANF Reauthorization
Jay Lefkowitz
Subject: Social Issues/AIDS initiative
Karl Rove
Subject: Stop-by, President update
Jim Towey
Subject: Update on Faith-based intiative
Dr. Rice/Elliott
Subject: Update on Iraq
David Leitch
Subject: Judicial Nominations
Let me know if you have any questions.
Matt
x6-7702
Message Sent To:
Barbara J. Goergen/WHO/EOP@Exchange
Michael Drummond/WHO/EOP@EOP
Lauren J. Vestewig/OPD/EOP@Exchange
Charlotte L. Montiel/WHO/EOP@Exchange
Colby J. Cooper/NSC/EOP@EOP
1
Smith, Matthew E.
From:
Vestewig, Lauren J.
Sent:
Monday, October 06, 2003 1:39 PM
To:
Smith, Matthew E.
Subject:
FW: Speaking Request for Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Jay is now open from 10-10:30. can he speak sometime in there?
Original Message
From: Lefkowitz, Jay P.
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 4:03 PM
To: Vestewig, Lauren J.
Subject: Re: Speaking Request for Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Sure
Original Message
From: Vestewig, Lauren J. <[email protected]>
To: Lefkowitz, Jay P. <Jay P. [email protected]>
Sent: Thu Oct 02 15:37:23 2003
Subject: FW: Speaking Request for Tuesday, October 14, 2003
interested?
Original Message
From: Smith, Matthew E.
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 2:27 PM
To: Goergen, Barbara J.; Drummond, Michael; Vestewig, Lauren J.; Montiel, Charlotte L.;
Cooper, Colby J.; Ryun, Catharine A.
Subject: Speaking Request for Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Room:
450
Time:
9 11 a.m.
What:
Briefing for Focus on the Family inner circle.
Invited Speakers:
Wade Horn
Subject: TANF Reauthorization
Jay Lefkowitz
Subject: Social Issues/AIDS initiative
Karl Rove
Subject: Stop-by, President update
Jim Towey
Subject: Update on Faith-based
intiative
Dr. Rice/Elliott
Subject: Update on Iraq
David Leitch
Subject:
Judicial Nominations
Let me know if you have any questions
Matt
x6-7702
1
Message
Page 1 of 1
Smith, Matthew E.
To:
Goergen, Barbara J.; Drummond, Michael; Vestewig, Lauren J.; Montiel, Charlotte L.; Cooper,
Colby J.; Ryun, Catharine A.
Subject: Speaking Request for Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Room:
450
Time:
9 -11 a.m.
What:
Briefing for Focus on the Family inner circle.
Invited Speakers:
Wade Horn
Subject: TANF Reauthorization
Jay Lefkowitz
Subject: Social Issues/AIDS initiative
Karl Rove
Subject: Stop-by, President update
Jim Towey
Subject: Update on Faith-based intiative
Dr. Rice/Elliott
Subject: Update on Iraq
David Leitch
Subject: Judicial Nominations
Let me know if you have any questions.
Matt
x6-7702
10/2/2003
8605 EXPLORER DRIVE, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. 80920 (719) 531-3400
FOCUS
July 15, 2003
Mr. Tim Goeglein
Special Assistant the President &
Deputy Director of the
Office of Public Liaison
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Tim:
I trust this letter finds you well and that you are keeping up with your tremendous
responsibilities. I am sure that all of them pour upon one another without end.
I want to confirm by means of this letter the arrangements that I made through Matt
Smith of your office via email. It is for an executive briefing at the White House to be
held the morning of October 14, 2003. I believe Matt has set your briefing room aside on
that morning for our purpose and I appreciate it so much.
May God continue to give you strength.
Sincerely,
Tom
Tom Minnery
Vice President, Public Policy
TM:jl:L096
cc: Matt Smith
DI
Ken Windebank
SW
no
que
assqe
provide
DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE HOME
JAMES C. DOBSON, PH.D., PRESIDENT
FOODS
ADDRESS SERVICE
REQUESTED
PRESCRTE
FIRST CLAS
Jyb To SPRINGS 3
E0309
"DMETER
00
7124611
U.S. POSTAGE
**07-17-03 FOF COS. CO 808
COLORADO SPRINGS
CO 80920
Tom Minnery
Mr. Matt Smith
Office of Public Liaison
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
SINGLE PIECE
! !
#013
ACO
#126
Schedule for EEOB
Conference Rms
Room 450
wysiwyg://29/http://whccroomscheduler/schedule.asp?Topic=RES& TopicId=7
Home
Print View
Search
Reports
Login
My Information
I
Help
EEOB (i) Conference Rms 0 Room 450
7
Schedule Oct 14, 2003
Executive Office of the
Oct
2003
President
14
Room 450
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
EEOB
2003
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
EEOB is in US -
S M T W T F S
Conference Rms
District of
28 2930 1 2 3 4
DAY
WEEK
MONTH
Columbia (EDT)
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Room 180
6:00 AM
Flip Chart:
No
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
6:30 AM
Dry Erase
No
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Room 211
Board:
26 27 28 29 30 31
1
7:00 AM
Computer & No
Room 450
Printer:
Reservation
7:30 AM
Powerpoint: Yes
Room 472
Wizard
Overhead No
8:00 A
OPL Meeting
Projector:
Room 474
8:30 AM
Focus On the
Telephone No
-QUICK RESERVE-
Room 476
9:00 AM
w/speaker:
TV & VCR:
No
Resource:
9:30 AM
Room 48A
Family
Food
No
Room 450
10:00 AM
Allowed:
WHCC
10:30 AM
Overflow
No
Date:
11:00 AM
Capacity:
Conference Rms
Room Setup ***Attention:
Oct 14
11:30 AM
Message: YOU MUST
Eisenhowe
12:00 PM
ADD AT LEAST
Start:
1 HOUR TO
12:30 PM
Jackson
THE
Select
Y
1:00 PM
BEGINNING
Lincoln
OF YOUR
00
1:30 PM
EVENT TO
Truman
End:
ALLOW TIME
2:00 PM
FOR
Select
Wilson
SETUP AND
2:30 PM
CLEANUP IN
Mhr Favorites
00
3:00 PM
THIS ROOM!
Room
N/A
or All Day
3:30 PM
Layout:
Reservation Title:
4:00 PM
4:30 PM
Save
More..
5:00 PM
5:30 PM
6:00 PM
6:30 PM
7:00 PM
7:30 PM
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
11:00 PM
11:30 PM
Add this to my favorites.
1 of 2
5/30/03 1:36 PM
Karl
]
Ken Wishebank
719-531-3352
Document Originally
Attached to
Following Page
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80995
(719)531-5181
July 17, 2003
Mr. Tim Goeglein
Special Assistant of the President & Deputy
Director of the Office of Public Liaison
The White House
Washington D.C. 20500
Tim,
Greetings! I hope this letter finds you and your staff doing well. We are looking forward to being
with you this fall and anticipate an exciting and informative event.
Please let me take a moment and briefly state my understanding of the details Tom Minnery and I
have arranged up to this point, working through Matt Smith. On Oct 14th at 8am 175 guests will
arrive at the Executive Office Building North entrance. We will proceed through security and
receive our credentials. We will then move on to the Briefing room were we are scheduled from
9:00-10:30 am.
On Monday October 13th between the hours of 5 and 6:30 pm we will be hosting a reception at
the Library of Congress. If your schedule allows we would like for you to join us and bring a 10-
15 minute greeting.
Also, we briefly discussed the process of inviting our guests to this two-day event. I would like to
make a suggestion that I feel would allow this process to help meet our needs as well as yours. I
would send a list of prospective guests to you no later than July 25th. If an approved list could be
returned to us by August 15th it would enable my staff to send out invitations and receive
responses 2-3 weeks prior to the engagement. We would then send you a confirmed pre-approved
list of those attending.
We are now in the process of creating the invitation. If possible, it would be an honored to
include the White House logo. May we do that? We would be happy to overnight or fax you the
preliminary "copy art" of the invitation for your approval if chose this format.
Again, we want to convey our thanks to your staff for the hard work they have put into preparing
this event.
Blessings,
Ken Ky Widbe Windebank
08
Assistant to the Chairman
Focus on the Family
cc: Matt Smith
Tom Minnery
DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE HOME
JAMES C DOBSON, P H D'.., PRESIDENT
WWW.FAMILY.ORG
FAMILY
JUL 2.1'0 3
SCONIMAS
50375
"
PB
METER
COLORADO SPRINGS N
00
7124611
U.S. POSTAGE
CO 80995
Mr. Tim Moeglein
Special Assistant of the President & Deput
Director of the Office of Public Liaison
The White House
Washington D.C. 20500
QCV #020
#151
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80995
.
(719) 531-5181
FOCUS
July 17, 2003
Mr. Tim Goeglein
Special Assistant of the President & Deputy
Director of the Office of Public Liaison
The White House
Washington D.C. 20500
Tim,
Greetings! I hope this letter finds you and your staff doing well. We are looking forward to being
with you this fall and anticipate an exciting and informative event.
Please let me take a moment and briefly state my understanding of the details Tom Minnery and I
have arranged up to this point, working through Matt Smith. On Oct 14th at 8am 175 guests will
arrive at the Executive Office Building North entrance. We will proceed through security and
receive our credentials. We will then move on to the Briefing room were we are scheduled from
9:00-10:30 am.
On Monday October 13th between the hours of 5 and 6:30 pm we will be hosting a reception at
the Library of Congress. If your schedule allows we would like for you to join us and bring a 10-
15 minute greeting.
Also, we briefly discussed the process of inviting our guests to this two-day event. I would like to
make a suggestion that I feel would allow this process to help meet our needs as well as yours. I
would send a list of prospective guests to you no later than July 25th. If an approved list could be
returned to us by August 15th it would enable my staff to send out invitations and receive
responses 2-3 weeks prior to the engagement. We would then send you a confirmed pre-approved
list of those attending.
We are now in the process of creating the invitation. If possible, it would be an honored to
include the White House logo. May we do that? We would be happy to overnight or fax you the
preliminary "copy art" of the invitation for your approval if chose this format.
Again, we want to convey our thanks to your staff for the hard work they have put into preparing
this event.
Blessings, K Widbe
Ken Windebank
Assistant to the Chairman
Focus on the Family
cc: Matt Smith
Tom Minnery
DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OFTHE HOME
JAMES C. DOBSON PHD PRESIDENT
WWW FAMILY.ORG
SPRING
JUL 2103
S
E0.37
221.
"D METER
COLORADO SPRINGS
00
7124611
U.S. POSTAGE
CO 80995
Mr. Matt Smith
Office of Public Liaison
The White House
Washington D.C. 20500
QCV #020
#151
07/31/2003 04:38
7195313366
PA
PAGE 01
Focus on the Family
8605 Explorer Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
facsimile transmittal
To: Matt Smith
Fax: (202)456-2130
Phone:
From: Ken Windebank Date: 7/31/03
Phone: (719) 531-3352
FAX:
719.531.3366
Re: White House Briefing Pages: 2 (including cover sheet)
Urgent
For Review
Please Comment
Please Reply
Please
Recycle
CONFIDENTIAL ***
This message is intended only for the use of the Addressee and may contain
information that is PRIVILEGED and CONFIDENTIAL. If you are not the
intended recipient, dissemination of this communication is prohibited. If
you have received this communication in error, please erase all copies of
the message and its attachments and notify us immediately.
07/31/2003 04:38
7195313366
PA
PAGE 02
COLORADO SPRINGE. CO 80995 (719) 531-5181
July 31, 2003
Tim,
Greetings! I hope this letter finds you and your staff doing well. We are looking forward
to being with you this fall and anticipate an exciting and informative event.
Please lct me take a moment and briefly state my understanding of the details that Tom
Minnery and I arranged up to this point, working through Matt Smith. On Tuesday,
October 14th at 8 am, 175 guests will arrive at the Executive Office Building North
entrance. We will proceed through security and receive our credentials. We will then
move on to the Briefing Room where we are scheduled from 9:00-10:30 am.
On Monday, October 13th between the hours of 5:00 and 6:30 pm, we will be hosting a
reception at the Library of Congress. If your schedule allows, we would like for you to
join us and give a 10-15 minute greeting.
Also, wc briefly discussed the process of inviting our guests to this two-day event. I
would like to make a suggestion that I feel would allow this process to help meet our
needs as well as yours. I would send a list of prospective guests to you no later than
August 8th. If an approved list could be returned to us by August 25th, it would enable my
staff to send out invitations and receive responses 2-3 weeks prior to the engagement.
We would then send you a confirmed, pre-approved list of those attending.
We are now in the process of creating the invitation. If possible, it would be an honor to
include the White House logo. May we do that? We would be happy to overnight or fax
you the preliminary "copy art" of the invitation for your approval if you choose this
format.
Again, we want to convey our thanks to your staff fro the hard work they have put into
preparing for this event.
Blessings,
Ken K Windebank
Assistant to the Chairman
Focus on the Family
CC: Matt Smith
DEDICATED to THE PRESERVATION OF THE HOME
JAMES C. DONSON, P M . D . PRESIDENT
WWW.FAMILY.ORG
8605 EXPLORER DRIVE, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80920 (719) 531-3400
FOCUS
October 21, 2003
Mr. Matt Smith
Office of Public Liaison.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvani Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Matt,
Thank you so much for your hard work in arranging a superb briefing for our Focus on
the Family group on October 14. We have little idea of the tremendous load you carry
every day, and the fact that you would give so much of your time to make our event
memorable is something for which we are deeply appreciative.
You're a cherished friend, Matt, and you occupy a significant role in an administration
that is guiding the country through perilous times. May God give you multiple blessings!
Sincerely,
5 Founder and Chairman
Tow Minery
KiWak
James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
Tom Minnery
Ken Windebank
Vice President
Senior Director
Public Policy
Public Affairs
JUS Wjo IV 95
INCLIDE 28 comprus TOL MAIDH N.G 315 gearn? able OCCURAD
short USA [uct THE Aon Mome DAG NO WO recept N here DUS 10 wake 001 CACIN
THE Stend ON OCCUPS If MS USAG HMS gen of DIS jose] Non
Fort soldency LOL MOLK IV $ about 100 GOL goods ON
TOTAL
DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE HOME
JAMES C DOBSON, PH D PRESIDENT
WWW FAMILY ORG
SPRING
S
£0.37
OMSTER
00
7124611
U.S. POSTAGE
8605 EXPLORER DRIVE
COLORADO SPRINGS
CO 80920
Tom Minnery
Mr. Matt Smith
Office of Public Liaison.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
20500+0005
CV #021
#144