President Bush today announced the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civil award. Established by Executive Order 11085 in 1963, the Medal may be awarded by the President "to any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."
Among those to be honored by President Bush at a White House ceremony on Friday, December 15, 2006: Natan Sharansky, who was imprisoned in the gulag by the Soviet regime for his work to advance religious liberty and human rights. He remained steadfast in his defiance of tyranny and has continued to champion the principles that all people deserve to live in freedom and that the advance of liberty is critical to peace and security around the world. Sharansky is also the author of "The Case for Democracy", which heavily influenced President Bush.
In a 2005 interview with Wesley Pruden of The Washington Times, Bush said, "If you want a glimpse of how I think about foreign policy read Natan Sharansky's book 'The Case for Democracy.' Anybody read it? Read it. It's a great book. And I think it will help - it will help explain a lot of the decisions that you'll see being made - you've seen made and will continue to see made. And it will help explain what's going to happen in the Palestinian territories as far as we're concerned. For government, particularly for opinion makers, I would put it on your recommended reading list. It's short and it's good. This guy is an heroic figure, as you know. It's a great book."
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