For Immediate Release
September 27, 2002
President Presses Congress for Action on Defense Appropriations Bill
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This is a different kind of war, and we need people with us. As I
mentioned, these are folks that like to hide in caves or the dark
recesses of cities around the world. They don't have tanks, they don't
have airplanes, they don't have ships. We don't measure success based
upon our capacity to destroy their ability to fight war. We measure
success based upon how many we have hauled in, or how many weren't so
lucky. We've gotten over a couple of thousand of them so far. "We" not
only means the United States, but others with whom we work. And like
number have not been as lucky. We're slowly, but surely, dismantling
the al Qaeda terrorist network. (Applause.)
It's not a very glamorous war for some to cover. It's hard to get
breathless over an arrest. Binalsheib popped his head up. He was the
guy that thought he was going to be the 20th hijacker, or wanted to be.
He's no longer a threat. He's no longer a threat to America, he's no
longer a threat to our friends. It doesn't matter how long it takes,
folks, the enemy has got to understand, we're going to get them. It
doesn't matter how long it takes, we're going to pursue them. You see,
we're fighting for our freedom. We're fighting for that which we hold
dear.
I sent up to Congress the largest increase in defense spending
since Ronald Reagan was the President. I did it for two reasons. One,
any time we commit our troops into harm's way, they deserve the best
pay, the best equipment, and the best possible training. (Applause.) We
owe that to our troops, and we owe it to their loved ones, as well. And
for those of you in the audience who have got a loved one in the
military -- one, proud of your son or daughter; two, I have got full
confidence in your son or daughter; and three, thank you for your
sacrifice. (Applause.)
And secondly, the reason I asked for a increase the size of which I
did is because I wanted to send a message to friend and foe alike that
when it comes to the defense of our freedoms, we're not quitting.
There's no calendar on my desk that says, well, we've reached this
time, it's time to stop. That's not how I think. That's not how America
thinks. We want our friends understanding that. We want the enemy to
know it, as well -- that when it comes to the defense of our country,
comes to defending the values we hold dear, it doesn't matter how much
it costs, it doesn't matter how long it takes, the United States will
be firm and resolved. We owe that to our children, and we owe it to our
children's children. (Applause.)
I've got a problem, however. The defense budget I submitted hadn't
made it to my desk yet. Here we are trying to defend the homeland, and
it's stuck. The House passed it, the Senate passed it. Now it's time
for the leadership in Washington, D.C. to get the defense bill to my
desk before they go home. It's important for -- it's important signal
to send. And they ought to stop playing politics with defense
appropriations at this time in American history. (Applause.)
There's not going to be an easy road to secure our freedom. There
is going to be -- there are some steep hills to climb. But we're ready
to climb them as a nation, I think. There's a steep hill to climb in
Iraq. I went to the United Nations the other day, and I want to share
with you why I went. First, I wanted to make sure the world heard the
case, this man is a dictator who tortures and rapes women -- has women
raped in order to make a point, who kills, stifles decent through
murder. A man who said he would get rid of weapons of mass destruction
and still has them. And we need to fear the fact that he has weapons of
mass destruction -- he's used them before. He's used them on his own
people before. He's invaded two countries. He's lied and deceived the
world.
The United States is no longer secure because we've got oceans.
We're vulnerable to attack, as we learned so vividly. My job is to not
only deal with problems, people kind of run around and lurk, my job is
also to anticipate problems. My job is to be realistic about our
future. My job is to make sure that the world's worst leader is not
able to blackmail or hurt America or our friends and allies with the
world's worst weapons. We've got to make sure that these dictators
aren't able to team up with terrorist groups, use their weapons of mass
destruction as a way to intimidate those of us who love freedom.
So I went to the United Nations. My message was, we want you to
succeed as an organization. We remember what it was like when the
collective body was the League of Nations, unable to stop
totalitarianism; that in order to secure the freedom in the 21st
century it's important to have an effective body. But you've been
ineffective, I said. For 11 long years you have said one thing to the
dictator in Iraq, and he has thumbed his nose. For 11 years you've
allowed this man to be -- to lie and deceive about weapons of mass
destruction, and you have not held him to account. And now is the time.
For the sake of freedom, you have got a choice: You can hold him to
account. And for the sake of freedom, he has got a choice: He can
disarm.
There's no negotiations, by the way, for Mr. Saddam Hussein.
There's nothing to discuss. He either gets rid of his weapons and the
United Nations gets rid of his weapons -- (applause) -- he can either
get rid of his weapons and the United States can act, or the United
States will lead a coalition to disarm this man. (Applause.)
I'm willing to give peace a chance to work. I want the United
Nations to work. I want him to do what he said he would do. But for the
sake of our future, now's the time, now's the time. For the sake of
your children's future, we must make sure this madman never has the
capacity to hurt us with a nuclear weapon, or to use the stockpiles of
anthrax that we know he has, or V-X, the biological weapons which he
possesses.
I appreciate both Republicans and Democrats in our country
understanding this issue. The other day I was at -- greeted in the
Cabinet Room members of both parties from the United States Congress,
both parties, who understand the stakes -- members of both parties who
understand the stakes. People who are willing to work with us to send a
clear message to the world, a unified message, a strong resolution
which defines our vision for peace.
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