President George W. Bush welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the White House for a meeting Monday, Nov. 13, 2006. White House photo by Eric Draper
President Bush on Monday said, "I appreciate the Prime Minister's strategic thoughts. He cares deeply about his country, and he cares deeply about securing the peace. ... But the whole central thrust of our discussions was based upon our understanding that we're involved in an ideological struggle between extremists and radicals versus people who just simply want to live in peace, and that as democracies we have an obligation, obviously, to listen to the will of our people, but at the same time, work together to help those who want to live in a peaceful society achieve their
ambitions."
In his 2006 State of the Union Address, President Bush described the state of our Union as strong - and he laid out an agenda of leadership to act confidently in pursuing the enemies of freedom and to build our prosperity by leading the world economy. The President rejected the roads of isolationism and protectionism and called for cooperation and courage in confronting challenges. America will lead freedom's advance, compete and excel in the global economy, and renew the defining moral commitments of this land, confident of victory.
The President announced three new domestic initiatives - the American Competitiveness Initiative, to encourage American innovation and strengthen our Nation's ability to compete in the global economy; the Advanced Energy Initiative, to help break America's dependence on foreign sources of energy; and a comprehensive agenda to make health care in America more affordable, portable, transparent, and efficient. With the right policies, we will maintain America's competitive edge, we will create more jobs, and we will improve the quality of life and standard of living for generations to come.
President Bush laid out ambitious goals for the future, behind which all Americans can unite, and urged the Nation to move forward with the work that needs to be done this year:
One of the principal purposes of the Cabinet is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of their respective offices.