For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
January 16, 2004
The Vice President Delivers Remarks to Veterans
Arizona Wing Museum
Mesa, Arizona
January 15, 2004
3:40 P.M. MST
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Sit down, please.
And thank you, Tony, for that warm introduction. I can't tell you what
a delight it is to have a man of Tony Principi's caliber and qualities
and character in charge of the Department of Veteran's Affairs. He's
done a superb job for all of us. And I'm delighted to call him a
colleague. (Applause.)
I rode in with Jon Kyl today, one of Arizona's great senators, and
a close friend and colleague of mine. (Applause.) And I just came in
from Nevada and Los Angeles today, aboard Air Force Two. It's a pretty
nice ride. (Laughter.) A little different than some of the aircraft
we've got around here today. But it's a worthy successor, if you will,
to some of the wonderful airplanes that we see around us.
I'm honored to be here, and I want to bring very best wishes to all
of our veterans from our commander-in-chief, President George W. Bush.
(Applause.)
Let me also thank our host, the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative
Air Force. This worldwide organization is one of the true guardians of
our military aviation heritage. By preserving in flying condition the
great combat aircraft that helped bring victory in the Second World
War, you remind every new generation of the heroic sacrifice and
service and the enormous achievements of that era.
In the space of three-and-a-half years, the nation assembled the
greatest fighting force in history, producing 300,000 aircraft and
training 2 million pilots, building the ships and the tanks, and the
trucks, and the weapons, and the ammunition necessary to wage a
two-front war. From his wheelchair in the White House, Franklin Delano
Roosevelt commanded an army of 16 million men, rallying Americans to
gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God.
Six decades ago, some of you were in planes like these over the
skies of Europe and the Pacific, helping to throw back tyrants, answer
aggression and liberate millions. Others here today, defended our
interests in the mountains of Korea, or in the jungles of Vietnam, or
during the decades-long vigil of the Cold War. Whenever and wherever
your service took place, you earned the nation's respect on the first
day you put on the uniform. And you still have our respect today.
(Applause.)
Here in Arizona, where so many veterans reside, there's a long
tradition of support for our military, and for those who've worn the
uniform. I think of two pilots with distinguished careers in public
service, Senator Barry Goldwater, who chaired the Armed Services
Committee, and Barry's successor, a naval officer who was shot down,
then held in brutal captivity and returned with honor, Senator John
McCain. (Applause.)
I recall, as well, my friend, the late Congressman Mo Udall, who
served in World War II, and other veterans of that war who served in
the Congress, who, frankly, died just in the last year, Eldon Rudd,
John Rhodes. And let me say a special word about Bob Stump. Bob and I
served in the House together for many years, served on the Intelligence
Committee together. When I was Secretary of Defense, he was one of my
closest friends and allies on the House Armed Services Committee. And
I was pleased to preside at his portrait hanging in the House Armed
Services Committee when he stepped down and retired. He'll be deeply
missed.
I'm honored, as well, in my present responsibilities to work with
Arizona's congressional delegation, and Senators Kyl and McCain and the
outstanding members in the House. And every day at the White House,
I'm proud to work beside a President who has united our nation behind
great goals, and who has brought honor and integrity to the presidency
of the United States. (Applause.)
President Bush and I came into our current offices almost exactly
three years ago, and in a few days, next Tuesday, the President will
give his report on the State of the Union. Much has happened since he
last spoke to Congress, and we begin the new year a stronger, more
prosperous and a more secure nation. The economy is showing continued
signs of vigorous recovery, with steady growth, higher productivity,
expanding exports. Strong growth has also begun to bring down the
unemployment rate.
Our administration and the Congress have also addressed other
urgent needs in domestic policy -- among them, historic Medicare
reform, giving seniors coverage for prescription drugs, and tax relief
for every person who pays income taxes. (Applause.)
We'll have a full agenda in the new year, and we will go about our
work as we have from the beginning. The President came to Washington
determined to solve problems, not to pass them along to future
generations. And we will never forget for a moment, or lose sight of
our number one responsibility: to protect the American people against
further attack, and to win the war that began on September 11, 2001.
(Applause.)
The terrorist attacks that morning that killed 3,000 of our fellow
citizens forced us to think in new ways about threats to the United
States, about our vulnerabilities, about our enemies, and about the
kind of military strategy we need to defend ourselves.
And we have to act on many fronts all at once. We've reorganized
the federal government to protect the homeland, and that effort
includes special attention to border security. Over the last two
years, we've increased funding for border security by 40 percent,
employed better technology to record and track movements of people and
cargo, and placed more than a thousand new agents on our borders.
We're acting on a fundamental belief, this nation's borders should be
open to legal travel and honest trade. Our borders must be shut and
barred tight to criminals, drug traffickers, and terrorists.
(Applause.)
At the same time we realize that the doctrines of deterrence and
containment which served us so well during the Cold War are not
sufficient to meet the threat of terrorism. It's hard to deter an
enemy that has no territory to defend, no standing army to counter, and
no real assets to destroy in order to discourage them from attacking
the United States. Containment is meaningless in the case of
terrorists. And neither containment nor deterrence offers protection
against an outlaw regime that develops weapons of mass destruction and
is willing to pass along those weapons secretly to terrorists on
suicide missions.
Given these realities, there can be no waiting until the danger has
fully materialized. By then, it would be too late. So we're waging
this war in the only the way it can be won, by taking the fight
directly to the enemy. (Applause.)
Today, over 140,000 members of our armed forces are deployed around
the world to fight terror. And in the 28 months since 9/11, we and our
friends and allies in many countries have inflicted heavy losses on al
Qaeda's leadership and foot soldiers, tracking and finding them in
hiding places from Pakistan to Indonesia. Those not yet captured or
killed live in fear, and their fears are well founded.
We're also working with governments on every continent to take down
the financial networks that support terror, the hidden bank accounts,
the front groups, and the phony charities that have helped them
function. And our government is working closely with intelligence
services all over the globe, and our own officers continue to be
engaged in some of the most perilous and sensitive intelligence
missions ever carried out.
This work has brought many successes, including the discovery of
terror plots that we were able to stop in their tracks. Americans can
be enormously grateful every day for the skillful and the daring
service of our nation's intelligence professionals. (Applause.)
On the night of September 11th, President Bush declared that the
United States would make no distinction between the terrorists and
those who support them. This principle, the Bush doctrine, is now
understood by all: Any person or government that supports, protects or
harbors terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and will
be dealt with accordingly. (Applause.)
The first to see its application were the Taliban, who ruled
Afghanistan by violence, while turning that country into one large
training camp for terrorists. With fine allies at our side, we took
down the regime and destroyed the al Qaeda camps. Our work there
continues. We have 13,000 soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan today as
part of an international security force that now includes 38 nations
and a major role for NATO. This force is on the hunt for the remaining
Taliban and al Qaeda members. We're helping to train an new Afghan
army, and providing security as their new government takes shape.
Under President Karzai's leadership, and with the help of the
coalition, the Afghan people are building a decent, a just, and a
democratic society, and a nation fully joined in the war against
terror. (Applause.)
In Iraq, the United States and our allies rid the Iraqi people of a
murderous dictator, and rid the world of a menace to our future peace
and security. Saddam Hussein had a lengthy history of reckless and
sudden aggression. His regime cultivated ties to terror, including the
al Qaeda network, and had built, possessed, and used weapons of mass
destruction. Year after year, the U.N. Security Council demanded that
he account for those weapons and comply with all the terms of
cease-fire for the 1991 Gulf War. Year after year, he refused.
Against that background, the Congress of the United States voted
overwhelmingly to authorize the use of force in Iraq. The U.N.
Security Council unanimously found Iraq in material breach of its
obligations, and vowed serious consequences in the event Saddam Hussein
refused to comply. When Saddam Hussein continued his defiance, our
coalition acted to deliver those serious consequences. (Applause.)
A year ago, Saddam Hussein controlled the lives and the future of
some 25 million people. Today, he's in jail in Baghdad, never again to
threaten the people of the United States. (Applause.)
In the liberation of Iraq, the American military acted with speed,
with precision, and with skill. And to this hour they continue their
work -- striking hard against the forces of murder and chaos,
conducting raids, countering attacks, seizing weapons and capturing
killers. Members of the active duty Armed Forces, of the National
Guard, and Reserves have faced conditions that many of you have
experienced -- tough duty, long deployments, and the loss of comrades.
And we've said farewell to some of our best. One of them was a
National Guard infantryman, from Tallahassee, Florida, Specialist
Robert Wise. Specialist Wise was laid to rest a few weeks ago at
Arlington National Cemetery. His father Davis said this to a reporter,
"I remember the phone call when he actually was being sent overseas,
asking, Son, are you sure you want to go. He said, 'Dad, I would
rather face them there than here.'"
The courage of that young infantryman -- (applause) -- the courage
of that young infantryman, and the courage of his family in this sad
hour show the spirit of this country in the face of difficulty.
America shares their loss. And we mourn the loss of every man and
every woman who never lived to be called a veteran. And this nation
will honor their memory forever. (Applause.)
By the devoted service of our military, our own safety is assured.
And people in lands faraway are getting the chance to lead their lives
in peace and freedom. And as in other eras, our people are
demonstrating the kindness and generosity of the United States,
treating Iraqi citizens with compassion, showing respect for Iraq's
ancient culture. In our servicemen and women, the United States --
excuse me --in our servicemen and women, the world is seeing the best
qualities of the United States, and we are proud of every single one of
them. (Applause.)
As our nation carries forward our commitment to overcome new
dangers, we recognize that lasting security depends on more than
military power. As President Bush has said, "America seeks the global
expansion of democracy and the hope and progress it brings as the
alternative to instability and hatred and terror."
Here we find an lesson from history. Twice in the last century,
the United States sent armies to Europe in order to prevent the
destruction of liberty on that continent. Yet in the decades after
World War II, dangers in Europe fell away as the frontiers of democracy
advanced -- in Germany and Italy, and then behind the Iron Curtain.
The lesson is that the spread of democratic institutions is the surest
way to bring peace among nations. (Applause.)
That is why America today is pursuing a forward strategy for
freedom in the greater Middle East. Millions in that region have known
decades of dictatorship and theocratic rule -- resulting in misery, in
bitterness, and ideologies of violence that directly threaten us. And
as the world has witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan, people liberated
from dictatorship welcome the arrival of freedom, welcome the chance
for a better life, welcome the responsibilities of governing their own
country.
By its very nature, freedom must be chosen. And the path to
democracy is not an easy one. It takes time and effort and patience
for democracy to take hold, and the Middle East has a long way to go.
But all who choose that path, by opposing terrorism and encouraging
reform, can know this: They will have the friendship and the support
of the United States of America. (Applause.)
In answering the great challenges that have come to us, our
government will go forward with confidence, but without illusion.
Defeating a resourceful and determined enemy, and advancing the cause
of human freedom in a vital and troubled region will place great
demands on us far into the future. Yet we are clear in our purposes.
We recognize the nature of the threat to our security and our duty to
oppose it. We accept the responsibilities we've been given as
freedom's home and defender. We understand that the hopes of millions
now depend on the strength and the resolve of the United States. And
we are showing the entire world that when America makes a commitment,
America keeps its word. (Applause.)
Not long after our great victory in World War II, America found
itself in a stand-off with the Soviet Union that would last for four
decades. As that era began, President Harry Truman said: "Events have
brought our American democracy to new influence and new
responsibilities. They will test our courage, our devotion to duty,
and our concept of liberty." Fifty-five years later, America and our
allies look back with pride on the perseverance and the moral clarity
that saw us through those many tests. Americans of today, and the
President, who leads us, have those same qualities, as we have seen
many times since the morning of September 11, 2001. We cannot know
every turn that lies ahead. Yet we can be certain that by the strength
and character of this country, and by the rightness of our cause, we
will prevail. (Applause.)
Once again, my thanks for the warm welcome this afternoon. The
American people are grateful to all of you for stepping forward to
serve your country when needed. As veterans, each and every one of you
has reflected great credit on the uniform, on your flag and on your
country, and your service inspires the new generation of freedom's
defenders. (Applause.)
Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
END 3:55 P.M. MST
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