The White House of USA

President Bush on Wednesday said, “Next week I’m going to travel to Japan for the eighth and final G8 summit of my presidency. At recent summits, G8 countries have made pledges to help developing nations address challenges, from health care to education, to corruption. Now we need to show the world that the G8 can be accountable for its promises and deliver results. As I said the other day, we need people who not only make promises, but write checks, for the sake of human rights and human dignity, and for the sake of peace.”

More than two centuries ago, bold and courageous visionaries pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor in signing the Declaration of Independence. Guided by ancient and eternal truths, our forefathers proclaimed to the world that liberty was the natural right of all mankind and in doing so began one of the greatest chapters in human history. On the Fourth of July, our country commemorates the great achievements of these heroes and reaffirms its unwavering confidence in the power of freedom.

President Bush on Tuesday said, “I’m confident in the long run America is going to be just fine. We’re a country that has overcome challenges before — and we’ve got some challenges: high gasoline prices, we’ve got some challenges in the housing industry. We know the way forward in housing — good legislation and helping people stay in their homes. And the truth of the matter is we know the way forward when it comes to energy. We depending too much on energy from overseas; we ought to be finding more energy here at home. If people want their gasoline prices down, let’s find energy here in America. And there’s plenty of energy to be had.”

MR. JOHNDROE: Good afternoon. This is an on-the-record, off-camera briefing by Dennis Wilder, National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs; Dan Price, Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs, and Deputy National Security Advisor; as well as Jim Connaughton, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality — a briefing on the President’s trip to Japan and the G8 Summit. We’ll start with Dennis.