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partner with whom the U.N. and the inter- to govern themselves in freedom. In the national community can engage to build 83 days since I announced the end of major Iraq’s future. combat operations in Iraq, we have made Now that we have reached this important progress, steady progress, in restoring hope milestone, I urge the nations of the world in a nation beaten down by decades of tyr- to contribute militarily and financially to- anny. wards fulfilling Security Council Resolution Ambassador Bremer is showing great skill 1483’s vision of a free and secure Iraq. and resourcefulness and is demonstrating The U.N. report also urges a swift return fine leadership and the great values of our to full Iraqi sovereignty. country. Mr. Ambassador, thank you for And this morning, Ambassador Bremer what you’re doing for America. I appreciate briefed me on our strategy to accelerate you. progress toward this goal. He outlined a comprehensive plan for action for bringing greater security, essential services, eco- NOTE: The President spoke at 10:16 a.m. in nomic development, and democracy to the the Rose Garden at the White House. In his Iraqi people. The plan sets out ambitious remarks, he referred to L. Paul Bremer III, timetables and clear benchmarks to meas- Presidential Envoy to Iraq; Uday and Qusay ure progress and practical methods for Hussein, sons of former President Saddam achieving results. Hussein of Iraq, who were killed July 22 by Rebuilding Iraq will require a sustained U.S. military forces in Mosul, Iraq; Gen. John commitment. America and our partners P. Abizaid, USA, combatant commander, kept our promise to remove the dictator U.S. Central Command; and Secretary-Gen- and the threat he posed not only to the eral Kofi Annan of the United Nations. The Iraqi people but to the world. We also keep Office of the Press Secretary also released our promise to destroy every remnant of a Spanish language transcript of these re- that regime and to help the people of Iraq marks.

Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom July 23, 2003

The President. Good afternoon, and wel- Brzezinski is with us today; Liz Moynihan come to the White House. Laura and I is the widow of Senator Moynihan; and Ir- are really glad you all are here. We’re espe- ving Kristol. I thank you all for coming. cially pleased to welcome the distinguished The Presidential Medal of Freedom is guests we honor today and their proud fam- America’s highest civil award. It is con- ilies and friends. ferred upon men and women of high I appreciate former Secretary of State achievement in the arts and entertainment, Madeleine Albright for joining us today. public service, , education, athletics, Madam Secretary, thank you for coming. business, and other fields. For most recipi- I’m honored that Kay Bailey Hutchison ents, this award is a special distinction from the great State of is here with added to many prior honors. us today. I appreciate the ambassadors who Some recipients are no longer with us have joined us. I appreciate former Presi- but are still highly regarded and fondly re- dential Medal of Freedom recipients and membered. All who receive the Presidential their families who are here: Zbigniew

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Medal of Freedom have the continued re- him, his mother, Rildia Bee Cliburn. Today, spect of their peers and the lasting admira- throughout America and across the world, tion of the American people. musicians find inspiration in his example, Julia Child already holds the highest dis- and all of us associate the name Van tinction of the French Government. She Cliburn with grace and the perfect touch was awarded the Legion of Honor for shar- at the piano. ing with millions of Americans the appre- Like Van, the scholar Jacques Barzun ciation and artistry of French cooking. now lives in Texas. He began his life 95 Before Julia Child came along, no one years ago in France. He became an Amer- imagined it could be so interesting to watch ican citizen in 1933 and joined the faculty a meal being prepared. [Laughter] The rea- at and gained a rep- son, of course, is Julia herself, her friendly utation as a thinker of great discernment way, her engaging conversation, and her ea- and integrity. From his first book, pub- gerness to teach. American cuisine and lished 71 years ago, to his latest, a best- American culture have been enriched for seller published in 2000, Jacques Barzun decades by the unmistakable voice and the has influenced generations of serious read- presence of Julia Child. ers. Few academics of the last century have Americans are not always in the mood equaled his output and his influence, and for exquisite meals. Sometimes all we want today he has the profound gratitude of his is a hamburger at the drive-up window. adopted country. [Laughter] And a lot of those windows are Charlton Heston is known for his por- at places named for the daughter of Dave trayals of the most compelling dramatic fig- Thomas. The late founder of Wendy’s left ures: Moses, Judah Ben-Hur, Michelangelo, school without a diploma to begin working General Andrew Jackson, and Captain at a very young age. George Taylor. In the process, Charlton His great success as a restauranteur al- Heston himself has become one of the lowed Dave to fulfill other ambitions in great names in film . Over more than his life. He became a benefactor of good half a century, his talent and intensity have causes, especially the cause of adoption. proven big enough to fill any role. Dave himself was orphaned at an early age, The largeness of character that comes and many young men and women today across the screen has also been seen can thank Dave Thomas for helping to join throughout his life, during Charlton them with loving parents. Heston’s service in World War II, his lead- At the height of his career, Dave Thomas ership of a labor union, his activism on went back to school and earned a GED. behalf of civil rights, and his principled de- His classmates voted him ‘‘most likely to fense of the Bill of Rights. Charlton Heston succeed.’’ [Laughter] And today his country has left his mark on our country as an honors the hard work behind his success artist, as a citizen, and as a patriot, and and the great generosity Dave Thomas we’re honored he is with us today. showed others. We’re also honored as well by the pres- Van Cliburn was last here in 2001 as ence of an artist whose life brought two one of the Kennedy Center honorees. His experiences he never could have expected, life of honor started early, as the 23-year- that of a prisoner and that of a President. old winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition In the days of Communist rule over in Moscow. In the years since, he has even Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel ridiculed the further refined the gifts of a prodigy with pretensions of an oppressive government the discipline and consistency of a true and was viewed as an enemy of the state. master. He has lived up to the high stand- The most subversive act of this playwright ards of the music teacher who first inspired was telling the truth about tyranny, and

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when the truth finally triumphed in a at everything he attempted. Whether play- ‘‘kindhearted revolution,’’ the people elect- ing football or earning a Bronze Star in ed this dignified, charming, humble, deter- World War II or enforcing civil rights as mined man to lead their country. Deputy Attorney General, Byron White was Unintimidated by threats, unchanged by tough, and he was determined. political power, this good man has suffered When he was nominated, his close friend much in the cause of liberty, and he has at the Supreme Court, President John F. become one of liberty’s great heroes. Kennedy, called Byron White a man of When liberty was threatened by nazism, ‘‘character, experience, and a young Hungarian scientist named Edward force.’’ Over the next three decades, Justice Teller left Europe and found his way to White showed those qualities in majority the United States. Within a decade, the opinions of great depth and in dissenting German Reich was at war with America opinions of great wisdom and courage. and in search of the most terrible weapons. When he passed away last year, people Dr. Teller joined the Manhattan Project across our country felt that loss of a superb and applied his disciplined mind to the judge and a great American. most urgent task America had ever faced, John Wooden is also a Hall of Famer, to develop the atom bomb before Hitler. one of the only two enshrined both as bas- Dr. Teller contributed to the success of ketball player and basketball coach. In a that mission and helped us to meet other legendary career, Coach Wooden led his great national security challenges during the teams to 885 victories with only 203 losses. cold war. In recent decades, he has turned His players included some of the alltime his efforts to the great scientific and moral task of building a defense against ballistic greats: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill missiles. For a long life of brilliant achieve- Walton and Gail Goodrich, to name a few. ment and patriotic service, America is in But all his players will tell you the most debt to Dr. Edward Teller. important man on their team was not on Professor James Q. Wilson may be the the court. He was the man who taught most influential political scientist in Amer- generations of basketball players the fun- ica since the White House was home to damentals of hard work and discipline, pa- Professor Woodrow Wilson. Throughout his tience, and teamwork. Coach Wooden re- career, he has demonstrated the best vir- mains a part of their lives as a teacher tues of the academic profession. His theo- of the game and as an example of what ries and ideas are drawn from actual human a good man should be. Nell Wooden, the experience and therefore have great prac- coach’s wife of 53 years, would be incred- tical value in addressing social problems. ibly proud of him again. Coach Wooden, He writes with authority on a range of sub- it’s wonderful to see you with us today. jects, from the workings of government to Another recipient this afternoon would the causes and prevention of crime. What- have been 69 years old next month. Mil- ever his subject, James Q. Wilson writes lions of Americans remember hearing the with intellectual rigor, with moral clarity, news that Roberto Clemente had been lost to the appreciation of a wide and growing on a mission to help the people of Nica- audience. And it is my honor to congratu- ragua after an earthquake. His full name late Professor James Q. Wilson. was Roberto Clemente Walker, and in an Of the 108 Americans who have served era of Mays and Mantle and Aaron, he on the Supreme Court of the United ranked as one of the greats. States, only one is also in the College Foot- He was a young man with a quick bat, ball Hall of Fame. Justice Byron White was a rifle arm, and a gentle heart. In the a rare kind of person who seemed to excel words of one baseball executive, ‘‘I never

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saw any ballplayer like him. No, sir. When- [At this point, Lt. Col. John Newell, USAF, ever anybody signs a big contract these Air Force Aide to the President, read the days, we always wonder how many millions citations, and the President presented the Clemente would be worth.’’ As a former medals.] team owner, it would be a lot. [Laughter] The President. Thank you all for coming. Yet the true worth of this man, seen in And Laura and I would now like to invite how he lived his life and how he lost his you to join us for a reception to honor life, cannot be measured in money. And these great Americans and great member all these years later, his family can know of the Czech Republic, our great friend. that America cherishes the memory of Ro- Thank you all for coming. God bless. berto Clemente. Our country and our world have been improved by the lives of the men and NOTE: The President spoke at 3:05 p.m. in women we honor today. And now it is my the East Room at the White House. In his honor to present the awards, and I ask remarks, he referred to Senator Kay Bailey the military aide to read the citations. Hutchison of Texas.

Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Reallocation of Funds Previously Transferred From the Emergency Response Fund July 23, 2003

Dear Mr. Speaker: Administration to support activities to im- In order to continue the necessary and prove the security of the food supply. critical responses to the September 11 ter- The details of this action are set forth rorist attacks, I am notifying the Congress in the enclosed letter from the Director of my intent to reallocate funds previously of the Office of Management and Budget. transferred from the Emergency Response Sincerely, Fund (ERF). At this time, $5 million of ERF funds will be transferred to the Food and Drug GEORGE W. BUSH

Remarks Following a Roundtable Discussion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania July 24, 2003

Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank good of American families and for the good you all very much for allowing us to come. of our economy. And we delivered on that John, thanks for your leadership. He’s promise. And soon the mail carrier will be doing a fabulous job as the Secretary of delivering the checks that we promised to Treasury, and I’m so glad he decided to the American people. Twelve billion dollars join my administration. in tax relief is on its way to more than I want to thank you for the warm wel- 25 million American families. come, and I want to thank you all for help- And this is an appropriate place to come ing us keep a commitment to the American and talk about checks being mailed to people. We promised tax reductions for the American families, here at the Financial

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