President George W. Bush delivers a statement on North Korea from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 9, 2006. White House photo by Kimberlee Hewitt
President Bush on Tuesday said, "We talked about world issues, we talked about issues regarding South America and Central America, and we talked about our bilateral relations. The central issue facing us right now is the passage of a free trade agreement. ... All in all, it was an excellent meeting."
Today's Press Briefing with White House Press Secretary Tony Snow has concluded. Video from the Press Briefing will be available on the web site shortly.
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.