For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
June 14, 2004
Vice President's Remarks at a Reception for the James Madison Institute
Rosen Convention Center Hotel
Orlando, Florida
11:41 A.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank
you. (Applause.) Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that warm
welcome and that fine introduction. I'm delighted to be here today.
And my wife, Lynne, is down here in the front row. Of course, I'm
reminded when you talk about our marriage in 1964, I've explained to a
number of people that came about as the direct result of a great
election victory by Dwight Eisenhower in 1952.
In those days, I was a youngster living in Lincoln, Nebraska with
my folks. Dad worked for the Department of Agriculture, and Eisenhower
got elected, and he reorganized the Agriculture Department. Dad got
transferred to Casper, Wyoming -- which is where I met Lynne. We grew
up together, and went to high school together, and we'll celebrate our
40th anniversary come August. (Applause.)
I explained to a group the other night that if it hadn't been for
that election victory by President Eisenhower in 1952, Lynne would have
married somebody else. And she said, right, and now he'd be Vice
President of the United States. (Laughter.) There's no doubt in my
mind.
But I'm delighted to be back in Orlando, and I thank the members
and the leadership of the James Madison Institute for hosting us today,
as well as Congressman Tom Feeney, who is with us. I bring greetings
to all of you -- (Applause.) I bring greetings to all of you from our
President, George W. Bush. (Applause.)
Last week, America said good-bye to one of its finest citizens,
President Ronald Reagan. In Washington, and all across America, this
has been a period of reflection, as President Bush led the nation in
saying farewell. From the tributes from world leaders, to the homemade
memorials in California, we were reminded once again of the profound
influence Ronald Reagan had on the people of this nation.
Just a few months ago, Lynne and I had the opportunity to visit
with Nancy Reagan at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, in California.
We admired the expansive view of California from the hilltop where our
40th President now rests, a fitting place for a man who saw the endless
possibilities for this great country.
The passing of Ronald Reagan makes all of us feel the passing of
time as we recall both the man and the period in which he led us. We
remember the President who lifted up the nation, restored our
confidence, unleashed the greatness of American enterprise, and won the
Cold War.
For my part, I remember working with him when I was a congressman
during the 1980s. And then during the early '90s, as Secretary of
Defense, I was honored to take charge of the superb military forces
that Ronald Reagan had built for the nation. In fact, right after our
victory in the Persian Gulf War, I placed a phone call to our former
President and thanked him for the foresight, and the commitment, and
the courage that made our military second to none.
I also remember, as we all do, the President's terrific sense of
humor -- always ready with a great story, or a perfect joke. He once
said somebody asked him, how come you look younger every day that I see
a new picture of you riding horseback. Reagan replied, that's easy, I
just keep riding older horses. (Laughter.)
Behind that sense of humor was a good heart, and great wisdom about
the world. It's a very fortunate country that has leaders like that
come along when we need them, and we will always miss Ronald Reagan.
President Reagan is remembered as one of the great leaders of the
20th century, and rightly so. For decades, America had waged the Cold
War, and few believed it could possibly end in our own lifetime.
Ronald Reagan was one of those few. And he knew that to prevail, we
must be strong and resolute. We must be clear in our purposes and true
to our word. And in the face of evil, we must have the courage to call
it by name and to oppose it.
The danger that faces free nations today in the form of terrorist
enemies intent on destroying us also requires strength, resolve, and
moral clarity. And we are fortunate to have in President George W.
Bush a leader who is fit for our times. (Applause.)
Under his leadership, our nation has made dramatic progress in the
war on terror. And to make that point, I'd like to step back for a
moment and consider where we were when President Bush and I assumed
office in January of 2001. As we were being sworn in that day,
planning for 9/11 was already well underway. In 1996, Khalid Shaykh
Muhammad, the top operational planner for 9/11, had first proposed to
Osama bin Laden that airliners be used to attack targets in the United
States. And by the beginning of 2001, a good deal of work had been
done: hijackers had been recruited; funds raised; the training was
underway; some of the hijackers were already in the United States.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban were in power. Al Qaeda was a major --
had a major operating base in that country and was operating training
camps that in the late '90s turned out an estimated 20,000 terrorists.
In Pakistan, a country on which the United States had imposed sanctions
because of their nuclear program, a strong, radical Islamic movement
had taken root. Al Qaeda had a significant presence there. The future
direction of Pakistan was somewhat in doubt, and there was a concern
that Islamic extremists might take over a military armed with nuclear
weapons.
In January 2001, Saudi Arabia was a major area of support for al
Qaeda. Fundraisers and facilitators in that country were providing
money and logistical support for al Qaeda. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers
who would attack our country on 9/11 came from Saudi Arabia.
In Iraq, Saddam Hussein was in power, overseeing one of the
bloodiest regimes of the 20th century. He had started two wars --
produced and used weapons of mass destruction against Iran and the
Kurds, and was in repeated violation of U.N. Security Council
resolutions. He was a patron of terrorism -- paying $25,000 to the
families of suicide bombers in Israel, and providing safe-haven and
support for such terrorist groups as Abu Nidal and Palestinian Islamic
Jihad. He had long established ties with al Qaeda.
We had a serious problem with proliferation -- especially in the
nuclear area, with A.Q. Khan, the man who put Pakistan's nuclear
program in place, having established a proliferation network that was
providing nuclear weapons technology to rogue states -- Iran, North
Korea, Libya. Moammar Ghadafi, the A.Q. Khan network's biggest
customer, was spending millions to acquire nuclear weapons design,
basic uranium feedstock, and centrifuges to enrich uranium.
The final problem was that the terrorists had learned two
unfortunate lessons from the United States. There was a pattern
extending back many years that convinced our enemies that they could
attack the United States with relative impunity. Terrorists attacked
the World Trade Center for the first time, in 1993; and they attacked
us at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, in '96; in East Africa at our
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in 1998; and they attacked the USS
Cole, in 2000 -- and in none of these cases did we respond very
forcefully.
Our enemies also became convinced during these years that if they
attacked the United States hard enough, if they inflicted sufficient
casualties, they could even get us to change policy and withdraw -- as
we did in Beirut, in 1983; and from Somalia, after they killed 19 of
our soldiers in Mogadishu, in 1993. From their perspective, it looked
as though going after America was not only painless, it was
productive.
And then came September 11th. And it became clear to all of us
that we were at war. Under this President's leadership, we moved to
strengthen our defenses, to attack the financial networks that
supported terrorists, and to improve our intelligence capabilities. No
longer would attacks on America go unanswered. No longer would America
wait for the next attack.
In what will surely rank as one of the most important strategic
shifts in our nation's history, the President declared that we would
take the war to the enemy. And he established the Bush doctrine, which
holds that any person or regime that harbors or supports terrorists is
equally guilty of terrorist crimes and will be held to account.
In Afghanistan, where al Qaeda terrorists trained and lived, the
Taliban were the first to find out exactly what America's new strategy
means. Working with the Northern Alliance, we launched a military
campaign of stunning effectiveness and, in a matter of weeks, drove the
Taliban from power, captured or killed hundreds of al Qaeda, and put
Osama bin Laden on the run.
Now, a new government has been established under President Hamid
Karzai. A nation is being rebuilt. Children are going to school. A
new constitution has been written. And free elections will be held in
Afghanistan this fall. (Applause.)
In Pakistan, President Musharraf became an ally of the United
States, and has provided support for our operations. With his help,
we've killed or captured hundreds of al Qaeda -- including Khalid
Shaykh Muhammad, the operational planner of 9/11. President Musharraf,
twice targeted for assassination by al Qaeda, has strongly supported
and led in the war on terror.
Saudi Arabia is now working closely with the United States to root
out al Qaeda. Since 9/11, and especially since attacks in Riyadh last
May, the Saudis have recognized they are a prime target of Osama bin
Laden and al Qaeda. And they've helped wrap up al Qaeda operators,
facilitators, and sources of financial support.
In Iraq, Saddam Hussein is in jail. (Applause.) His sons are
dead. His government is gone. There's a new interim government in
place, operating under a law that protects basic freedoms. Sovereignty
will pass to that new interim government on June 30th. (Applause.)
Elections will be held by next January. While a continuing U.S. and
coalition presence will be required in Iraq, the Iraqis themselves are
taking on more and more responsibility for their own country. Our
armed forces will keep working with them to improve their abilities to
keep the peace.
In Libya, Moammar Ghadafi, having witnessed our determination in
Afghanistan and Iraq has given up his nuclear ambitions. (Applause.)
Five days after Saddam Hussein was captured, he announced he would turn
over all of his weapons of mass destruction materials. The designs,
the uranium, the centrifuges now reside at a U.S. facility at Oak
Ridge, Tennessee.
And A.Q. Khan, the proliferator, is under house arrest in
Pakistan. His network is being dismantled. The world's worst source
of proliferation of nuclear weapons technology has been shut down.
(Applause.)
Three years ago, I think it would have been impossible to imagine
these accomplishments. It would have -- who could have conceived that
we would see the President of Afghanistan addressing a joint session of
Congress, as Hamid Karzai will tomorrow, to express his gratitude to
the American people for the liberation of his nation? Who could have
imagined that we would see an Iraqi President come to our country and
thank us, as President Ghazi al Yawar, did last week for liberating his
country?
Three years ago, when the President and I assumed office, the
United Nations Security Council was trying -- without success -- to get
Saddam Hussein to abide by some 12 U.N. resolutions. Who could have
imagined then that the Security Council would be voting unanimously --
as happened last Tuesday -- for a resolution supporting Iraq's
transition to full sovereignty, and laying out a path to democracy
consistent with the plan President Bush has proposed to lead to free
national elections in Iraq by next January? (Applause.)
Our nation should be very proud of what we've accomplished not only
because we have removed threats, but because we are helping these
nations along the road to freedom. A central fact that history teaches
is that institutions of self-government turn human beings away from
violence to the peaceful work of building better lives. Democracies do
not breed the anger and the radicalism that drag whole societies or
export violence. Terrorists do not find fertile recruiting grounds, or
welcome bases of operations in societies where young people have the
right to guide their own destinies, and to choose their own leaders.
For decades, we settled for mere stability in the Middle East. And
all too often, that outcome was tyranny and repression. That, too, has
changed under this President that now we seek to help nations build the
institutions of freedom. By turning the energies of men and women away
from violence, we not only make those countries more peaceful, we add
to the security of our own country.
That is not always an easy mission, but we are seeing encouraged
progress. Business and civil society leaders have issued reform
declarations at Aqaba and Sanaa. In the ancient city of Alexandria,
leaders declared that reform is necessary and urgently needed. And at
last month's Arab League Summit, governments in the region pledged
further progress, declaring their determination to firmly establish the
basis for democracy. In their quest for reform, the people of the
Middle East can count on the friendship and the support of the United
States and of other free nations.
At Sea Island last week, President Bush led the G8 Summit's
creation of a Partnership for Progress and a Common Future to support
political, economic and social reform in the broader Middle East and
Africa. This new plan calls on the world's free nations to share their
energies and talents to promote investment, literacy, and democratic
development in the region. Three years ago, who would have imagined
this?
In talking of our progress, I do not mean to underestimate the
challenges that lie ahead. The terrorists understand as well as we do
that the stakes in Iraq are historic. As democracy grows, their
prospects diminish. And they will try with all of the murderous hatred
they can muster to prevent both Iraq and Afghanistan from becoming free
and self-governing nations. But the United States under this President
will not waver in our commitment. (Applause.)
We will keep working in Afghanistan and Iraq and beyond, to spread
freedom and the prosperity and security that it brings. And here at
home, we will continue to take every measure and provide every resource
needed to secure the people of the United States. Let me say, that as
a former Secretary of Defense, I have never been prouder than I am
today of our young men and women in uniform. (Applause.)
As President Bush said recently, we are now about three years into
the war against terrorism. We've met great challenges. There are more
ahead. This is no time for impatience and self-defeating pessimism.
We have work to do in the defense of our country, and for the good of
humanity. And by doing our duty and holding firmly to our values, this
generation will give the world a lesson in the power of liberty.
Ladies and gentlemen, our nation has been strong and courageous and
well led by our President. I've watched him make the decisions and set
the strategy. I've seen a man who is calm and deliberate; comfortable
with responsibility; consistent in his objectives; and resolute in his
actions. When he makes a commitment, there is no doubt he will follow
through. As a result, America's friends know they can trust, and
America's enemies know they must fear the decisive leadership of
President George W. Bush.
Thank you. (Applause.)
END 12:00 P.M. EDT
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