THE
PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thanks for the warm welcome. (Applause.) Laura
and I were in the neighborhood - (laughter) -- we thought we'd come by
to say hello to the nation's "Arctic Warriors." (Applause.) We're proud
to stand with the courageous airmen of Elmendorf Air Force Base, the
soldiers of Fort Richardson, the Coast Guard -- (applause) -- the Coast
Guard men and women here in Alaska -- (applause) -- the men and women of
the Alaskan Command, and all those who wear the uniform of our country.
(Applause.)
The General is right about one thing -- (laughter) -- I did
live in Alaska. (Laughter.) In 1974, and I remember it just the way it
looked coming in on Air Force One, this vast, majestic land, so
beautiful, and full of decent, honorable, independent-minded people.
(Applause.) People who love their country. (Applause.)
Here at Elmendorf Air Force Base, you're defending our nation's
frontiers. You're securing freedom for future generations of Americans.
Servicemen and women have departed this base to help liberate Iraq and
Afghanistan, assist tsunami victims in Indonesia, and help those hit by
the recent earthquake in Pakistan. Your courage and commitment are
saving lives every day. First thing I want to tell you is the American
people are grateful for your service -- and so is the
Commander-in-Chief. (Applause.)
I also want to thank the military families who are with us today.
(Applause.) Please be seated unless you don't have a seat. (Laughter.) I
know that for many of you Alaska is a long way from home -- and it gets
especially lonely when your loved ones are deployed on dangerous
missions in distant lands. You have built a strong and close-knit
community here. You support each other -- and you support your loved
ones who stand in harm's way. I am proud of our men and women in the
armed forces -- and I am grateful to the military families who stand
behind them. (Applause.)
I want to thank General Fraser and his wife, Rena. I appreciate
Brigadier General Hawk Carlisle. (Applause.) Kind of sounds like a
general -- Hawk Carlisle. (Laughter.) I appreciate Craig Christensen and
Hazen Baron.
I want to thank Senator Lisa Murkowski for flying all the way from
Washington today to make sure she was here to see her fellow Alaskans,
as well as to be with the President. It means a lot to me. I don't know
if you know this or not, but after this speech, she said, make sure you
keep it short because she's got to fly back to Washington this evening
to make important votes for the people of Alaska. Lisa, thank you for
your service. (Applause.) She's doing a fine job. And I see she brought
her parents with her.
Governor and First Lady Nancy, thank you all for being here.
We're proud to share the stage with you. I want to thank the Lieutenant
Governor and his wife, Carolyn, for joining us. I appreciate the mayor
of the City of Anchorage, Mayor Begich, and his wife, Deborah, for
joining us today. I want to welcome former Governor Walter Hickle here
today. He's a man who served his country and his state with dignity and
class. (Applause.) I know we got a lot of state and statehouse folks and
local folks, thank you all for being here. But most of all, thank you.
Thanks for taking time out of your day to let me come by and share some
thoughts with you.
In the 20th century, the men and women of Elmendorf Air Force Base
and Fort Richardson stood guard on the frontlines of freedom -- serving
in the shadow of the Soviet Union. From here, you gave our nation "Top
Cover" -- standing ready to defend America at a moment's notice. And
because of the courage of men and women like those who served here, the
cause of liberty prevailed in the Cold War -- and millions who once
lived in chains now live in freedom. (Applause.)
On September the 11th, 2001, history called on our nation to defend
freedom once again. On that morning more than four years ago, Americans
witnessed the violence and the hatred of a new enemy. We saw the
terrorists' destructive vision for us and for all who love freedom. And
in the face of this threat, our nation has made a clear choice: We will
confront this mortal danger. We will stay on the offensive, we will not
wait to be attacked again, and we will press on until this war is won.
(Applause.)
This is a vital mission for our armed forces, and you're helping to
carry out that mission. Since September the 11th, 2001, thousands of men
and women from Elmendorf, Fort Richardson, U.S. Army Alaska, and Alaska
National Guard have served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other fronts in the
war on terror. The 517th Airlift Squadron has served for over a year in
support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Applause.) Crews from the 68th
Medical Company have saved the lives of our injured and wounded in
Afghanistan. The 172nd Stryker Combat Team is taking the fight to the
enemy with Task Force Freedom in Mosul. (Applause.) Soldiers of the 95th
Chemical Company are in Kuwait dealing with port decontamination and
hazardous material operations. And the Fourth Battalion of the 123rd
Aviation Regiment has been flying support missions throughout Iraq and
Kuwait. From the deserts of Iraq to the mountains of Afghanistan,
America's Arctic Warriors are leaving their mark, and leaving a legacy
of freedom. (Applause.)
Each of you is a volunteer. You stepped forward and took an
oath to defend America. And every day you put on your uniforms, you
reflect our nation's highest values and our greatest hopes. Through your
hard work and dedication to duty, you are sacrificing to build a better
and safer world for all Americans. And as you defend our freedom, the
American people stand with you. (Applause.)
Every man and woman who volunteers to defend our nation deserves an
unwavering commitment to the mission, and a clear strategy for victory.
And a clear strategy begins with a clear understanding of the enemy we
face. For more than four years, we've seen the brutal nature of the
terrorists. They've targeted the innocent in many countries, people from
all walks of life. In Casablanca, they killed diners enjoying their
evening meal. In Bali, they killed tourists who were on a holiday. In
Beslan, they killed Russian school children. They've murdered workers in
Riyadh, commuters in Madrid, and hotel guests in Jakarta, and guests at
a wedding celebration in Amman, Jordan. They kill Iraqi children in
Baghdad.
The tragic images of innocent victims can make it seem like these
terrorist attacks are random and isolated acts of madness. While these
killers choose their victims indiscriminately, their attacks flow from
an ideology and a terrifying vision for the world. Their acts are evil,
but they're not insane. Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others,
militant jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism. Whatever we choose to
call this enemy, we must recognize that this ideology is very different
from the tenets of the great religion of Islam. This form of radicalism
exploits Islam to serve a violent, political vision: the establishment
-- by terrorism, subversion, and insurgency -- of a totalitarian empire
that denies all political and religious freedom.
We know this vision of the radicals because they openly state it.
They put it in videos and audiotapes and letters and declarations and on
websites. These extremists want to end American and Western influence in
the broader Middle East, because we stand for democracy and peace and
stand in the way of their ambitions.
The tactics of al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists have been
consistent for a quarter century: They hit us, and they expect us to
run. The terrorists witnessed our response after the attacks on American
troops in Beirut in 1983, and in Mogadishu in 1993, and they concluded
that America can be made to run again -- only this time on a larger
scale, with greater consequences. The terrorists are mistaken. America
will never run. We will stand, we will fight, and we will win the war on
terror. (Applause.)
The terrorists want to use the vacuum that would be created by
an American retreat to gain control of a country, to build a base from
which to launch attacks and conduct their war against America and
non-radical Muslim governments. That's what they tell us. That's their
stated goal. Over the past few decades, radicals have specifically
targeted Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and Jordan for potential
takeover. And for a time, they achieved their goal in Afghanistan --
until they came face to face with the men and women of the United States
Armed Forces. (Applause.)
In Afghanistan, we put the terrorists on the run, we routed them, and
now they've set their sights on another country. They're trying to turn
Iraq into what Afghanistan was under the Taliban -- a terrorist
sanctuary from which they can plan and launch attacks against our
people. The terrorists regard Iraq as the central front in their war
against humanity. And we must recognize Iraq as the central front in the
war on terror.
These militants believe that controlling one country will rally the
Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow moderate governments in the
region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that reaches from
Indonesia to Spain. If they are not stopped, the terrorists will be able
to advance their agenda to develop weapons of mass destruction, to
destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to break our will and blackmail
our government into isolation. I make you this solemn commitment: That's
not going to happen so long as I'm the President of the United States.
(Applause.)
Some might be tempted to dismiss the terrorist goals as fanatical or
extreme. They are fanatical and extreme -- but we cannot afford to
dismiss them. Evil men, obsessed with ambition and unburdened by
conscience, must be taken very seriously. Against such an enemy, there
is only one effective response: We will never back down, we will never
give in, and we will never accept anything less than complete victory.
(Applause.)
We didn't ask for this global struggle, but we're answering history's
call with confidence, and with a comprehensive strategy to win this war.
First, we are determined to prevent attacks by terrorist networks --
by protecting the homeland, and working with our allies to destroy the
terrorist networks and incapacitate their leadership. Together with our
coalition partners, we've disrupted a number of serious al Qaeda
terrorist plots since September the 11th -- including several plots here
on the homeland. Our coalition against terror has stayed on the
offensive. We have killed or captured nearly all those directly
responsible for the September the 11th attacks. (Applause.) We have
killed or captured several of bin Laden's most senior deputies,
including that -- the man who planned the U.S. -- the bombing of the USS
Cole. We've killed and captured al Qaeda and -- and managers -- al Qaeda
managers and operatives in countries all around the world. We will stay
on the hunt. We will keep the pressure on these people. We will not
relent until the terror networks that threaten us are exposed and
broken, and their leaders are held to account for their murder.
(Applause.)
Second, we are determined to deny weapons of mass destruction
to outlaw regimes, and to their terrorist allies who would use them
without hesitation. Working with Great Britain and Pakistan and other
nations, we exposed and disrupted a major black-market operation in
nuclear technology led by A.Q. Khan. Libya has abandoned its chemical
and nuclear weapons programs, as well as its long-range ballistic
missiles. And in the last year, America and our partners in the
Proliferation Security Initiative have stopped more than a dozen
shipments of suspect weapons technology -- including equipment for
Iran's ballistic missile program. We're going to continue to deny the
world's most dangerous men the world's most dangerous weapons.
Third, we're determined to deny radical groups the support and
sanctuary of outlaw regimes. So I've laid out a clear doctrine: The
United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of
terror and those who support and harbor the terrorists because they're
equally guilty of murder. (Applause.) Any government that chooses to be
an ally of terror has also chosen to be an enemy of civilization -- and
the civilized world will hold those regimes to account.
Fourth, we're determined to deny the militants control of any nation,
which they would use as a home base and a launching pad for terror. This
mission has brought new and urgent responsibilities to all who wear the
uniform. American troops are fighting beside our Afghan partners against
the remnants of the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies. And you're
fighting alongside courageous Iraqis against the remnants of a regime
and a network of terrorists who want to stop the advance of a free Iraq.
Our goal is to defeat the terrorists and their allies in the heart of
their power, so we will defeat the enemy in Iraq.
As we pursue the terrorists, we have a strategy to go forward.
Our military is helping to train Iraqi security forces so they can
defend their people and take the fight to the enemy. And we're making
steady progress. With every passing month, more and more Iraqi forces
are standing up, and the Iraqi military is gaining new capabilities and
new confidence. At the time of our Fallujah operations just a year ago,
there were only a few Iraqi army battalions in combat. Today, there are
nearly 90 Iraqi army battalions fighting the terrorists alongside our
forces. American and Iraqi troops are conducting major assaults to clear
out enemy fighters in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. Iraqi police and
security forces are helping clear the terrorists from their strongholds,
hold on to the areas we've cleared, and prevent the enemy from
returning.
Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we
will stand down. And when our commanders on the ground tell me that the
Iraqi forces can defend their freedom, our troops will come home with
the honor they have earned. (Applause.)
And the second part of our strategy is a political strategy. Iraqis
are making inspiring progress toward building a democracy. A month ago,
millions of Iraqis turned out to vote for a constitution that guarantees
fundamental freedoms and lays the foundation for a lasting democracy. In
a few weeks, Iraqis will vote again, to choose a fully constitutional
government to lead them for the next four years. This country is making
amazing progress from the days of being under the thumb of a brutal
tyrant. In two-and-a-half years, they've gone from tyranny, to an
election for a transitional government, to the ratification of a
constitution, to the election of a free government. It's amazing
progress when you think about it. (Applause.)
The Iraqi people are proving their determination to build a future
founded on democracy and peace. And the United States of America will
help them succeed. (Applause.)
The fifth element of our strategy in the war on terror is to deny the
militants future recruits by replacing hatred and resentment with
democracy and hope across the broader Middle East. If the Middle East is
left to grow in bitterness, if countries remain in misery while radicals
stir the resentments of millions, then that part of the world will be a
source of endless conflict and mounting danger. If the peoples of that
region are permitted to choose their own destiny, and advance by their
own energy and participation as free men and free women, then the
extremists will be marginalized, and the flow of violent radicalism to
the rest of the world will slow and eventually end. History has proven
that free nations are peaceful nations, and that democracies do not
fight their neighbors. By advancing the hope of freedom and democracy
for others, we make our own freedom more secure. (Applause.)
The work ahead involves great risk. A time of war is a time of
sacrifice, and the greatest burden falls on our military families. We've
lost some of our nation's finest men and women in the war on terror.
Each of these men and women left grieving families and loved ones back
home. Each loss is heartbreaking. And the best way to honor the
sacrifices of our fallen troops is to complete the mission and lay the
foundation of peace for generations to come. (Applause.)
The outcome of this war will affect every single American. And that
makes it a subject of vital debate. And it's important to be clear about
the facts. When our nation was attacked on September the 11th, leaders
of both political parties recognized a new reality: If we wait for
threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long. We had to
take a hard look at every threat to America after September the 11th,
and when we did, one stood apart: Saddam Hussein.
Under Saddam's dictatorship, Iraq was the only country in the world
where American military pilots faced regular attack. Iraq was the only
country that had used chemical weapons on its own people, invaded its
neighbors, and fought a war against the United States and a great
coalition. Iraq was only one of seven countries listed as a state
sponsor of terror, and it was judged by intelligence agencies around the
globe to possess weapons of mass destruction. After more than a decade
of diplomacy, we gave Saddam Hussein a final chance to comply with the
United Nations Security Council resolutions, ordering him to disclose,
disarm, or face serious consequences. When he refused, we had a choice:
Do we take the word of a madman and forget the lessons of September the
11th, or do we take action to defend our country? Given that choice, I
will defend America every time. (Applause.)
Combat forces of the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Poland,
and other countries enforced the demands of the United Nations, and put
an end to Saddam's regime. Because we acted, the Iraqi people now live
in freedom, and the people of the United States are safer.
Reasonable people can disagree about the conduct of the war, but it
is irresponsible for Democrats to now claim that we misled them and the
American people. Leaders in my administration and members of the United
States Congress from both political parties looked at the same
intelligence on Iraq, and reached the same conclusion: Saddam Hussein
was a threat.
Let me give you some quotes from three senior Democrat leaders:
First, and I quote, "There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein
is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons." Another senior
Democrat leader said, "The war against terrorism will not be finished as
long as Saddam Hussein is in power." Here's another quote from a senior
Democrat leader: "Saddam Hussein, in effect, has thumbed his nose at the
world community. And I think the President is approaching this in the
right fashion."
They spoke the truth then, and they're speaking politics now.
(Applause.)
The truth is that investigations of intelligence on Iraq have
concluded that only one person manipulated evidence and misled the world
-- and that person was Saddam Hussein. In early 2004, when weapons
inspector David Kay testified that he had not found weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq, he also testified that, "Iraq was in clear material
violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441. They
maintained programs and activities, and they certainly had the
intentions at a point to resume their programs. So there was a lot they
wanted to hide because it showed what they were doing that was illegal."
Eight months later, weapons inspector Charles Duelfer issued a report
that found, "Saddam Hussein so dominated the Iraqi regime that its
strategic intent was his alone. He wanted to end sanctions while
preserving the capability to reconstitute his weapons of mass
destruction when the sanctions were lifted."
Some of our elected leaders have opposed this war all along. I
disagreed with them, but I respect their willingness to take a
consistent stand. Yet some Democrats who voted to authorize the use of
force are now rewriting the past. They are playing politics with this
issue and they are sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy.
And that's irresponsible.
As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of
life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send
them into war continue to stand behind them. (Applause.) Our troops
deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets
tough. (Applause.) And our troops deserve to know that whatever our
differences in Washington, our will is strong, our nation is united, and
we will settle for nothing less than victory. (Applause.)
Thanks to our men and women in uniform, the Iraqi and Afghan people
are building democracies, and as they do so, they inspire people across
the broader Middle East. And freedom's advance has only just begun. In
our lifetime, we've seen the power of freedom to conquer evil, and take
root in previously unfamiliar soil. Freedom is the mightiest force of
history -- because the desire for liberty is embedded in the soul of
every man, woman, and child on the face of this earth. (Applause.) If we
are steadfast, if we do our duty, this young century will be freedom's
century -- and we will have done our duty by laying the foundation of
peace for generations to come. (Applause.)
We'll -- be honored -- are honored to be here with those who wear our
nation's uniform. We're honored to be here with those who support those
who wear our nation's uniform. And we're really happy to be back in
Alaska. May God bless our troops, may God bless their families, and God
continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you all.
(Applause.)