Bush's Speech UN General Assembly (includes audio)
Wednesday, 24 September 2003, 8:49 am
Speech: The White House
President Bush Addresses United Nations General Assembly The United Nations
New York, New York
10:59 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary General; Mr. President; distinguished delegates;
ladies and gentlemen: Twenty-four months ago -- and yesterday in the
memory of America -- the center of New York City became a battlefield,
and a graveyard, and the symbol of an unfinished war. Since that day,
terrorists have struck in Bali, Mombassa, in Casablanca, in Riyadh, in
Jakarta, in Jerusalem -- measuring the advance of their cause in the
chaos and innocent suffering they leave behind.
Last month, terrorists brought their war to the United Nations itself.
The U.N. headquarters in Baghdad stood for order and compassion -- and
for that reason, the terrorists decided it must be destroyed. Among the
22 people who were murdered was Sergio Vieira de Mello. Over the decades,
this good and brave man from Brazil gave help to the afflicted in Bangladesh,
Cypress, Mozambique, Lebanon, Cambodia, Central Africa, Kosovo, and East
Timor, and was aiding the people of Iraq in their time of need. America
joins you, his colleagues, in honoring the memory of Senor Vieira de
Mello, and the memory of all who died with him in the service to the
United Nations.
By the victims they choose, and by the means they use, the terrorists
have clarified the struggle we are in. Those who target relief workers
for death have set themselves against all humanity. Those who incite
murder and celebrate suicide reveal their contempt for life, itself.
They have no place in any religious faith; they have no claim on the
world's sympathy; and they should have no friend in this chamber.
Events during the past two years have set before us the clearest of divides:
between those who seek order, and those who spread chaos; between those
who work for peaceful change, and those who adopt the methods of gangsters;
between those who honor the rights of man, and those who deliberately
take the lives of men and women and children without mercy or shame.
Between these alternatives there is no neutral ground. All governments
that support terror are complicit in a war against civilization. No government
should ignore the threat of terror, because to look the other way gives
terrorists the chance to regroup and recruit and prepare. And all nations
that fight terror, as if the lives of their own people depend on it,
will earn the favorable judgment of history.
The former regimes of Afghanistan and Iraq knew these alternatives, and
made their choices. The Taliban was a sponsor and servant of terrorism.
When confronted, that regime chose defiance, and that regime is no more.
Afghanistan's President, who is here today, now represents a free people
who are building a decent and just society; they're building a nation
fully joined in the war against terror.
The regime of Saddam Hussein cultivated ties to terror while it built
weapons of mass destruction. It used those weapons in acts of mass murder,
and refused to account for them when confronted by the world. The Security
Council was right to be alarmed. The Security Council was right to demand
that Iraq destroy its illegal weapons and prove that it had done so.
The Security Council was right to vow serious consequences if Iraq refused
to comply. And because there were consequences, because a coalition of
nations acted to defend the peace, and the credibility of the United
Nations, Iraq is free, and today we are joined by representatives of
a liberated country.
Saddam Hussein's monuments have been removed and not only his statues.
The true monuments of his rule and his character -- the torture chambers,
and the rape rooms, and the prison cells for innocent children -- are
closed. And as we discover the killing fields and mass graves of Iraq,
the true scale of Saddam's cruelty is being revealed.
The Iraqi people are meeting hardships and challenges, like every nation
that has set out on the path of democracy. Yet their future promises
lives of dignity and freedom, and that is a world away from the squalid,
vicious tyranny they have known. Across Iraq, life is being improved
by liberty. Across the Middle East, people are safer because an unstable
aggressor has been removed from power. Across the world, nations are
more secure because an ally of terror has fallen.
Our actions in Afghanistan and Iraq were supported by many governments,
and America is grateful to each one. I also recognize that some of the
sovereign nations of this assembly disagreed with our actions. Yet there
was, and there remains, unity among us on the fundamental principles
and objectives of the United Nations. We are dedicated to the defense
of our collective security, and to the advance of human rights. These
permanent commitments call us to great work in the world, work we must
do together. So let us move forward.
First, we must stand with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq as they
build free and stable countries. The terrorists and their allies fear
and fight this progress above all, because free people embrace hope over
resentment, and choose peace over violence.
The United Nations has been a friend of the Afghan people, distributing
food and medicine, helping refugees return home, advising on a new constitution,
and helping to prepare the way for nationwide elections. NATO has taken
over the U.N.-mandated security force in Kabul. American and coalition
forces continue to track and defeat al Qaeda terrorists and remnants
of the Taliban. Our efforts to rebuild that country go on. I have recently
proposed to spend an additional $1.2 billion for the Afghan reconstruction
effort, and I urge other nations to continue contributing to this important
cause.
In the nation of Iraq, the United Nations is carrying out vital and effective
work every day. By the end of 2004, more than 90 percent of Iraqi children
under age five will have been immunized against preventable diseases
such as polio, tuberculosis and measles, thanks to the hard work and
high ideals of UNICEF. Iraq's food distribution system is operational,
delivering nearly a half-million tons of food per month, thanks to the
skill and expertise of the World Food Program.
Our international coalition in Iraq is meeting it responsibilities. We
are conducting precision raids against terrorists and holdouts of the
former regime. These killers are at war with the Iraqi people. They have
made Iraq the central front in the war on terror, and they will be defeated.
Our coalition has made sure that Iraq's former dictator will never again
use weapons of mass destruction. We are interviewing Iraqi citizens and
analyzing records of the old regime to reveal the full extent of its
weapons programs and its long campaign of deception. We're training Iraqi
police and border guards and a new army, so the Iraqi people can assume
full responsibility for their own security.
And at the same time, our coalition is helping to improve the daily lives
of the Iraqi people. The old regime built palaces while letting schools
decay, so we are rebuilding more than a thousand schools. The old regime
starved hospitals of resources, so we have helped to supply and reopen
hospitals across Iraq. The old regime built up armies and weapons, while
allowing the nation's infrastructure to crumble, so we are rehabilitating
power plants, water and sanitation facilities, bridges and airports.
I proposed to Congress that the United States provide additional funding
for our work in Iraq, the greatest financial commitment of its kind since
the Marshall Plan. Having helped to liberate Iraq, we will honor our
pledges to Iraq, and by helping the Iraqi people build a stable and peaceful
country, we will make our own countries more secure.
The primary goal of our coalition in Iraq is self-government for the
people of Iraq, reached by orderly and democratic process. This process
must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis, neither hurried, nor delayed
by the wishes of other parties. And the United Nations can contribute
greatly to the cause of Iraq self-government. America is working with
friends and allies on a new Security Council resolution, which will expand
the U.N.'s role in Iraq. As in the aftermath of other conflicts, the
United Nations should assist in developing a constitution, in training
civil servants, and conducting free and fair elections.
Iraq now has a Governing Council, the first truly representative institution
in that country. Iraq's new leaders are showing the openness and tolerance
that democracy requires, and they're also showing courage. Yet every
young democracy needs the help of friends. Now the nation of Iraq needs
and deserves our aid, and all nations of goodwill should step forward
and provide that support.
The success of a free Iraq will be watched and noted throughout the region.
Millions will see that freedom, equality, and material progress are possible
at the heart of the Middle East. Leaders in the region will face the
clearest evidence that free institutions and open societies are the only
path to long-term national success and dignity. And a transformed Middle
East would benefit the entire world, by undermining the ideologies that
export violence to other lands.
Iraq as a dictatorship had great power to destabilize the Middle East;
Iraq as a democracy will have great power to inspire the Middle East.
The advance of democratic institutions in Iraq is setting an example
that others, including the Palestinian people, would be wise to follow.
The Palestinian cause is betrayed by leaders who cling to power by feeding
old hatreds and destroying the good work of others. The Palestinian people
deserve their own state, and they will gain that state by embracing new
leaders committed to reform, to fighting terror, and to building peace.
All parties in the Middle East must meet their responsibilities and carry
out thecommitments they made at Aqaba. Israel must work to create the
conditions that will allow a peaceful Palestinian state to emerge. And
Arab nations must cut off funding and other support for terrorist organizations.
America will work with every nation in the region that acts boldly for
the sake of peace.
A second challenge we must confront together is the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction. Outlaw regimes that possess nuclear, chemical
and biological weapons -- and the means to deliver them -- would be able
to use blackmail and create chaos in entire regions. These weapons could
be used by terrorists to bring sudden disaster and suffering on a scale
we can scarcely imagine. The deadly combination of outlaw regimes and
terror networks and weapons of mass murder is a peril that cannot be
ignored or wished away. If such a danger is allowed to fully materialize,
all words, all protests, will come too late. Nations of the world must
have the wisdom and the will to stop grave threats before they arrive.
One crucial step is to secure the most dangerous materials at their source.For
more than a decade, the United States has worked with Russia and other
states of the former Soviet Union to dismantle, destroy, or secure weapons
and dangerous materials left over from another era. Last year in Canada,
the G8 nations agreed to provide up to $20 billion -- half of it from
the United States -- to fight this proliferation risk over the next 10
years. Since then, six additional countries have joined the effort. More
are needed, and I urge other nations to help us meet this danger.
We're also improving our capability to interdict lethal materials in
transit. Through our Proliferation Security Initiative, 11 nations are
preparing to search planes and ships, trains and trucks carrying suspect
cargo, and to seize weapons or missile shipments that raise proliferation
concerns. These nations have agreed on a set of interdiction principles,
consistent with legal -- current legal authorities. And we're working
to expand the Proliferation Security Initiative to other countries. We're
determined to keep the world's most destructive weapons away from all
our shores, and out of the hands of our common enemies.
Because proliferators will use any route or channel that is open to them,
we need the broadest possible cooperation to stop them. Today, I ask
the U.N. Security Council to adopt a new anti-proliferation resolution.
This resolution should call on all members of the U.N. to criminalize
the proliferation of weapons -- weapons of mass destruction, to enact
strict export controls consistent with international standards, and to
secure any and all sensitive materials within their own borders. The
United States stands ready to help any nation draft these new laws, and
to assist in their enforcement.
A third challenge we share is a challenge to our conscience. We must
act decisively to meet the humanitarian crises of our time. The United
States has begun to carry out the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, aimed
at preventing AIDS on a massive scale, and treating millions who have
the disease already. We have pledged $15 billion over five years to fight
AIDS around the world.
My country is acting to save lives from famine, as well. We're providing
more than $1.4 billion in global emergency food aid, and I've asked our
United States Congress for $200 million for a new famine fund, so we
can act quickly when the first signs of famine appear. Every nation on
every continent should generously add their resources to the fight against
disease and desperate hunger.
There's another humanitarian crisis spreading, yet hidden from view.
Each year, an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 human beings are bought, sold
or forced across the world's borders. Among them are hundreds of thousands
of teenage girls, and others as young as five, who fall victim to the
sex trade. This commerce in human life generates billions of dollars
each year -- much of which is used to finance organized crime.
There's a special evil in the abuse and exploitation of the most innocent
and vulnerable. The victims of sex trade see little of life before they
see the very worst of life -- an underground of brutality and lonely
fear. Those who create these victims and profit from their suffering
must be severely punished. Those who patronize this industry debase themselves
and deepen the misery of others. And governments that tolerate this trade
are tolerating a form of slavery.
This problem has appeared in my own country, and we are working to stop
it. The PROTECT Act, which I signed into law this year, makes it a crime
for any person to enter the United States, or for any citizen to travel
abroad, for the purpose of sex tourism involving children. The Department
of Justice is actively investigating sex tour operators and patrons,
who can face up to 30 years in prison. Under the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act, the United States is using sanctions against governments
to discourage human trafficking.
The victims of this industry also need help from members of the United
Nations. And this begins with clear standards and the certainty of punishment
under laws of every country. Today, some nations make it a crime to sexually
abuse children abroad. Such conduct should be a crime in all nations.
Governments should inform travelers of the harm this industry does, and
the severe punishments that will fall on its patrons. The American government
is committing $50 million to support the good work of organizations that
are rescuing women and children from exploitation, and giving them shelter
and medical treatment and the hope of a new life. I urge other governments
to do their part.
We must show new energy in fighting back an old evil. Nearly two centuries
after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, and more than a
century after slavery was officially ended in its last strongholds, the
trade in human beings for any purpose must not be allowed to thrive in
our time.
All the challenges I have spoken of this morning require urgent attention
and moral clarity. Helping Afghanistan and Iraq to succeed as free nations
in a transformed region, cutting off the avenues of proliferation, abolishing
modern forms of slavery -- these are the kinds of great tasks for which
the United Nations was founded. In each case, careful discussion is needed,
and also decisive action. Our good intentions will be credited only if
we achieve good outcomes.
As an original signer of the U.N. Charter, the United States of America
is committed to the United Nations. And we show that commitment by working
to fulfill the U.N.'s stated purposes, and give meaning to its ideals.
The founding documents of the United Nations and the founding documents
of America stand in the same tradition. Both assert that human beings
should never be reduced to objects of power or commerce, because their
dignity is inherent. Both require -- both recognize a moral law that
stands above men and nations, which must be defended and enforced by
men and nations. And both point the way to peace, the peace that comes
when all are free. We secure that peace with our courage, and we must
show that courage together.
May God bless you all. (Applause.)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People
United States Capitol
Washington, D.C. View the President's Remarks
Listen to the President's Remarks
9:00 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members
of Congress, and fellow Americans:
In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this chamber to report
on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed. It
has already been delivered by the American people.
We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to
save others on the ground -- passengers like an exceptional man named
Todd Beamer. And would you please help me to welcome his wife,
Lisa Beamer, here tonight. (Applause.)
We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers, working
past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of flags, the
lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers -- in
English, Hebrew, and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a
loving and giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own.
My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen
for itself the state of our Union -- and it is strong. (Applause.)
Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our
grief has turned to anger, and anger to resolution. Whether
we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice
will be done. (Applause.)
I thank the Congress for its leadership at such an important time. All
of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to see Republicans
and Democrats joined together on the steps of this Capitol, singing "God
Bless America." And you did more than sing; you acted,
by delivering $40 billion to rebuild our communities and meet the needs
of our military.
Speaker Hastert, Minority Leader Gephardt, Majority Leader Daschle and
Senator Lott, I thank you for your friendship, for your leadership and
for your service to our country. (Applause.)
And on behalf of the American people, I thank the world for its outpouring
of support. America will never forget the sounds of our National
Anthem playing at Buckingham Palace, on the streets of Paris, and at
Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
We will not forget South Korean children gathering to pray outside our
embassy in Seoul, or the prayers of sympathy offered at a mosque in Cairo. We
will not forget moments of silence and days of mourning in Australia
and Africa and Latin America.
Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our
own: dozens of Pakistanis; more than 130 Israelis; more than
250 citizens of India; men and women from El Salvador, Iran, Mexico and
Japan; and hundreds of British citizens. America has no truer
friend than Great Britain. (Applause.)
Once again, we are joined together in a great cause -- so honored the
British Prime Minister has crossed an ocean to show his unity of purpose
with America. Thank you for coming, friend. (Applause.)
On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against
our country. Americans have known wars -- but for the past
136 years, they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday
in 1941. Americans have known the casualties of war -- but
not at the center of a great city on a peaceful morning. Americans
have known surprise attacks -- but never before on thousands of civilians. All
of this was brought upon us in a single day -- and night fell on a different
world, a world where freedom itself is under attack.
Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking: Who
attacked our country? The evidence we have gathered all points
to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as
al Qaeda. They are the same murderers indicted for bombing
American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and responsible for bombing
the USS Cole.
Al Qaeda is to terror what the mafia is to crime. But its
goal is not making money; its goal is remaking the world -- and imposing
its radical beliefs on people everywhere.
The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been
rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics --
a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam. The
terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill
all Americans, and make no distinction among military and civilians,
including women and children.
This group and its leader -- a person named Osama bin Laden -- are linked
to many other organizations in different countries, including the Egyptian
Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. There
are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60 countries. They
are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods and brought to
camps in places like Afghanistan, where they are trained in the tactics
of terror. They are sent back to their homes or sent to hide
in countries around the world to plot evil and destruction.
The leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports
the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In
Afghanistan, we see al Qaeda's vision for the world.
Afghanistan's people have been brutalized -- many are starving and many
have fled. Women are not allowed to attend school. You
can be jailed for owning a television. Religion can be practiced
only as their leaders dictate. A man can be jailed in Afghanistan
if his beard is not long enough.
The United States respects the people of Afghanistan -- after all, we
are currently its largest source of humanitarian aid -- but we condemn
the Taliban regime. (Applause.) It is not only
repressing its own people, it is threatening people everywhere by sponsoring
and sheltering and supplying terrorists. By aiding and abetting
murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder.
And tonight, the United States of America makes the following demands
on the Taliban: Deliver to United States authorities all the
leaders of al Qaeda who hide in your land. (Applause.) Release
all foreign nationals, including American citizens, you have unjustly
imprisoned. Protect foreign journalists, diplomats and aid
workers in your country. Close immediately and permanently
every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, and hand over every terrorist,
and every person in their support structure, to appropriate authorities. (Applause.) Give
the United States full access to terrorist training camps, so we can
make sure they are no longer operating.
These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. (Applause.) The
Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will hand over
the terrorists, or they will share in their fate.
I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world. We
respect your faith. It's practiced freely by many millions
of Americans, and by millions more in countries that America counts as
friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who
commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah. (Applause.) The
terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack
Islam itself. The enemy of America is not our many Muslim
friends; it is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical
network of terrorists, and every government that supports them. (Applause.)
Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It
will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found,
stopped and defeated. (Applause.)
Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what
we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their
leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our
freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble
and disagree with each other.
They want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim countries,
such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. They want to drive
Israel out of the Middle East. They want to drive Christians
and Jews out of vast regions of Asia and Africa.
These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end
a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America
grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They
stand against us, because we stand in their way.
We are not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen
their kind before. They are the heirs of all the murderous
ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life
to serve their radical visions -- by abandoning every value except the
will to power -- they follow in the path of fascism, and Nazism, and
totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way,
to where it ends: in history's unmarked grave of discarded
lies. (Applause.)
Americans are asking: How will we fight and win this war?
We will direct every resource at our command -- every means of diplomacy,
every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every
financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war -- to the disruption
and to the defeat of the global terror network.
This war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive
liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not
look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops
were used and not a single American was lost in combat.
Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated
strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy
campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include
dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in
success. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one
against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge
or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or
safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now
has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. (Applause.) From
this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism
will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.
Our nation has been put on notice: We are not immune from
attack. We will take defensive measures against terrorism
to protect Americans. Today, dozens of federal departments
and agencies, as well as state and local governments, have responsibilities
affecting homeland security. These efforts must be coordinated
at the highest level. So tonight I announce the creation of
a Cabinet-level position reporting directly to me -- the Office of Homeland
Security.
And tonight I also announce a distinguished American to lead this effort,
to strengthen American security: a military veteran, an effective governor,
a true patriot, a trusted friend -- Pennsylvania's Tom Ridge. (Applause.) He
will lead, oversee and coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to
safeguard our country against terrorism, and respond to any attacks that
may come.
These measures are essential. But the only way to defeat terrorism
as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it, and destroy
it where it grows. (Applause.)
Many will be involved in this effort, from FBI agents to intelligence
operatives to the reservists we have called to active duty. All
deserve our thanks, and all have our prayers. And tonight,
a few miles from the damaged Pentagon, I have a message for our military: Be
ready. I've called the Armed Forces to alert, and there is
a reason. The hour is coming when America will act, and you
will make us proud. (Applause.)
This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at
stake is not just America's freedom. This is the world's fight. This
is civilization's fight. This is the fight of all who believe
in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom.
We ask every nation to join us. We will ask, and we will need,
the help of police forces, intelligence services, and banking systems
around the world. The United States is grateful that many
nations and many international organizations have already responded --
with sympathy and with support. Nations from Latin America,
to Asia, to Africa, to Europe, to the Islamic world. Perhaps
the NATO Charter reflects best the attitude of the world: An
attack on one is an attack on all.
The civilized world is rallying to America's side. They understand
that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own citizens
may be next. Terror, unanswered, can not only bring down buildings,
it can threaten the stability of legitimate governments. And
you know what -- we're not going to allow it. (Applause.)
Americans are asking: What is expected of us? I
ask you to live your lives, and hug your children. I know
many citizens have fears tonight, and I ask you to be calm and resolute,
even in the face of a continuing threat.
I ask you to uphold the values of America, and remember why so many have
come here. We are in a fight for our principles, and our first
responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled
out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background
or religious faith. (Applause.)
I ask you to continue to support the victims of this tragedy with your
contributions. Those who want to give can go to a central
source of information, libertyunites.org, to find the names of groups
providing direct help in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
The thousands of FBI agents who are now at work in this investigation
may need your cooperation, and I ask you to give it.
I ask for your patience, with the delays and inconveniences that may
accompany tighter security; and for your patience in what will be a long
struggle.
I ask your continued participation and confidence in the American economy. Terrorists
attacked a symbol of American prosperity. They did not touch
its source. America is successful because of the hard work,
and creativity, and enterprise of our people. These were the
true strengths of our economy before September 11th, and they are our
strengths today. (Applause.)
And, finally, please continue praying for the victims of terror and their
families, for those in uniform, and for our great country. Prayer
has comforted us in sorrow, and will help strengthen us for the journey
ahead.
Tonight I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already done and
for what you will do. And ladies and gentlemen of the Congress,
I thank you, their representatives, for what you have already done and
for what we will do together.
Tonight, we face new and sudden national challenges. We will
come together to improve air safety, to dramatically expand the number
of air marshals on domestic flights, and take new measures to prevent
hijacking. We will come together to promote stability and
keep our airlines flying, with direct assistance during this emergency. (Applause.)
We will come together to give law enforcement the additional tools it
needs to track down terror here at home. (Applause.) We
will come together to strengthen our intelligence capabilities to know
the plans of terrorists before they act, and find them before they strike. (Applause.)
We will come together to take active steps that strengthen America's
economy, and put our people back to work.
Tonight we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit of
all New Yorkers: Governor George Pataki, and Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani. (Applause.) As a symbol of America's
resolve, my administration will work with Congress, and these two leaders,
to show the world that we will rebuild New York City. (Applause.)
After all that has just passed -- all the lives taken, and all the possibilities
and hopes that died with them -- it is natural to wonder if America's
future is one of fear. Some speak of an age of terror. I
know there are struggles ahead, and dangers to face. But this
country will define our times, not be defined by them. As
long as the United States of America is determined and strong, this will
not be an age of terror; this will be an age of liberty, here and across
the world. (Applause.)
Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And
in our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment. Freedom
and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom -- the great
achievement of our time, and the great hope of every time -- now depends
on us. Our nation -- this generation -- will lift a dark threat
of violence from our people and our future. We will rally
the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We
will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail. (Applause.)
It is my hope that in the months and years ahead, life will return almost
to normal. We'll go back to our lives and routines, and that
is good. Even grief recedes with time and grace. But
our resolve must not pass. Each of us will remember what happened
that day, and to whom it happened. We'll remember the moment
the news came -- where we were and what we were doing. Some
will remember an image of a fire, or a story of rescue. Some
will carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever.
And I will carry this: It is the police shield of a man named
George Howard, who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others. It
was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son. This
is my reminder of lives that ended, and a task that does not end. (Applause.)
I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it. I
will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle
for freedom and security for the American people.
The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom
and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that
God is not neutral between them. (Applause.)
Fellow citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice -- assured
of the rightness of our cause, and confident of the victories to come. In
all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and may He watch over
the United States of America.
Thank you....(Applause.) |
