    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [November 26, 2001]
    [Pages 1443-1447]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Welcoming Ceremony for Humanitarian Aid Workers Rescued From Afghanistan and
    an Exchange With Reporters
    November 26, 2001

        The President. Good morning. I'm so honored to welcome two
    courageous souls to the Rose Garden to celebrate a story of joy and a
    story of hope, a story of two women who were rescued, a story about the
    faith that sustained them and a family that clearly loves them.
        Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry decided to go to help people who
    needed help. Their faith led them to Afghanistan. One woman who knows
    them best put it this way: They had a calling to serve the poorest of
    the poor, and Afghanistan is where that calling took them.
        And Heather and Dayna's faith in God sustained them throughout their
    ordeal. It's a wonderful story about prayer, about a faith that can
    sustain people in good times and in bad times. Their faith was a source
    of hope that kept them from becoming discouraged.
        I talked to them right after their release, their freedom, and I
    sensed no bitterness in their voice, no fatigue, just joy. It was an
    uplifting experience for me to talk to these courageous souls.
        Theirs is also a story about people who--in our country--who rallied
    for them. People prayed all around the country. I was particularly
    struck by the fact that Heather's dad offered to
    take her place in prison. I was struck by the fact that a country

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    preacher out of central Texas flew to
    Afghanistan to lend his presence in any way that would help. I know
    there are a lot of people right outside of Crawford that were praying
    for these girls' release. And when they were, people all across Baylor
    University cheered. Something besides football became more important in
    their lives: life, itself.
        This is a story of a military that is committed to achieving certain
    objectives. In my speech in front of the United States Congress, I said
    to the Taliban that one of the objectives was to release the
    humanitarian aid workers that were being detained against their will.
    We've achieved that objective. And I want to thank our military for
    rescuing these girls. And I want to thank those on the ground in
    Afghanistan who helped with their rescue, as well.
        So it's a joyous day to welcome two good souls to the Rose Garden.
    I'll ask them to say a few comments, and then I'll be glad to answer
    some questions, if you have any.

    [At this point, Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry made brief remarks.]

        The President. Good job.

    Operation Enduring Freedom

        Q. Mr. President, following up on the talk of the military's role in
    rescuing these two ladies, can you tell us why you have deployed 1,000
    marines, at least 1,000 marines this weekend on the ground, what their
    mission is? How many more are coming? And how much more risky has their
    mission become with this advancement of the troops?
        The President. Well, first, I'll let the Defense Department explain
    the mission. Well, first of all, we know the mission. The mission is to
    bring Al Qaida to justice and to make sure Afghanistan no longer serves
    as a haven for terrorists. And we've got a military strategy that we're
    implementing. I'll let the Secretary of Defense, in his daily briefing,
    go into the operational details as he sees fit.
        But this is a dangerous period of time. This is a period of time in
    which we're now hunting down the people who are responsible for bombing
    America. I said a long time ago, one of our objectives is to smoke them
    out and get them running and to bring them to justice. We're smoking
    them out; they're running; and now we're going to bring them to justice.
    I also said we'll use whatever means is necessary to achieve that
    objective. And that's exactly what we're going to do.
        The American people must understand that we've got a long way to go
    in order to achieve our objective in this theater. But we're patient;
    we're resolved; and we will stay the course until we achieve our
    objective.

    National Economy

        Q. Mr. President, what's your reaction, sir, to news that the U.S.
    economy has been in a recession since March?
        The President. My reaction that--since March? Well, I knew that the
    economy was not in good shape right after I took office; that's why I
    urged that we pass a tax relief plan. I remember the debate clearly,
    about people saying, ``Well, the economy is strong.'' But it wasn't. It
    was flagging; it was weakening.
        And that tax relief plan is going to be part of an economic recovery
    package that will make sense for the long term of the country. We've got
    low interest rates. We've got reasonable energy prices. We've got good
    tax policy in place. We've got the framework for economic recovery. I
    hope Congress moves quickly on an economic stimulus package. The Senate
    needs to get a bill and get it into conference, so we can resolve
    differences and I can sign it before Christmas. But I am, obviously,
    aware that our economy is slow. And we will do everything we can to
    enhance recovery.

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    Operation Enduring Freedom

        Q. Mr. President, getting back to the earlier question, aside from
    September 11th, which cannot be forgotten, the war on terrorism has been
    truly relatively American-casualty free. And in recent years, Americans
    have been generally casualty-averse in its military operations.
        Are you concerned that Americans may suddenly start getting back
    into that pattern where they're less accepting of American casualties?
        The President. Well, first of all, obviously, no President or
    Commander in Chief hopes anybody loses life in the theater. But it's
    going to happen. I said this early on, as the campaign began: America
    must be prepared for loss of life. I believe the American people
    understand that we've got a mighty struggle on our hands and that there
    will be sacrifice. After all, some people made the greatest sacrifice
    possible on September the 11th, and that is those who took the airplane
    down. They said the Lord's Prayer on the phone to their loved ones; the
    loved ones heard, ``Let's roll''; and they took a plane down so that it
    might not kill others, such as people working in the White House or at
    the Capitol.
        No, I think the American people understand we're in for a long, long
    struggle in order to rid the world of terrorism and that there might be
    loss of life. I pray that not be the case. But our brave men and women
    who signed up for the military understand the risk inherent with being
    in the military.
        Major [Major Garrett, Cable News Network].
        Q. Mr. President, at Fort Campbell, you said, ``Across the world and
    across the years, we will fight the evil ones, and we will win''----
        The President. Yes.

    Future Counterterrorism Efforts

        Q. ----suggesting very strongly that Afghanistan is only the first
    step. What would you say about Iraq, as you begin to look at the next
    steps in the campaign against global terrorism? What message would you
    like to send to them now?
        The President. Well, my message is, is that if you harbor a
    terrorist, you're a terrorist. If you feed a terrorist, you're a
    terrorist. If you develop weapons of mass destruction that you want to
    terrorize the world, you'll be held accountable. And I also have said,
    as I recall, at the White House, we're going to make sure that we
    accomplish each mission that we tackle. First things first.
        Now having said that, we--the coalition has arrested over 300
    people. I can't wait to thank my friend President Aznar of Spain for having arrested eight terrorists in
    Spain. In other words, there is an international drag--international
    effort to bring people to justice. And over 300 people that have been
    involved with Al Qaida have been brought to justice. Terrorism is
    terrorism. In this country, we'll deal with it.
        Bill [Bill Plante, CBS News].

    Military Tribunals

        Q. Sir, you mentioned President Aznar of Spain. Spain says that they
    don't want to extradite those people unless they can be tried under our
    standard court system and not by a military tribunal. Are you concerned
    with the amount of dissent over your decision to establish military
    tribunals?
        The President. Not the least bit concerned. I made the right
    decision. A President must have the option of using a military tribunal
    in times of war. I look forward to explaining to my friend the President
    of Spain why I made that decision. It makes
    eminent sense to have the military tribunal option available. It makes
    sense for national security purposes. It makes sense for the protection
    of potential jurors. It makes sense for homeland security. It is the
    right decision to make, and I will explain that to any leader who asks.
        Terry [Terry Moran, ABC News].

    [[Page 1446]]

    Human Cloning

        Q. Mr. President, it seems an important line has been crossed with
    the attempt to clone a human being by a private laboratory. What's your
    reaction to that? Do you think there's any way to put this genie back in
    the bottle?
        The President. My reaction, Terry, is that the use of embryos to
    clone is wrong. We should not, as a society, grow life to destroy it.
    And that's exactly what's taking place. And I have made that position
    very clear. I haven't changed my mind. And this evidence today that
    they're trying to achieve that objective, to grow an embryo in order to
    extract a stem cell, in order for that embryo to die, is bad public
    policy. Not only that, it's morally wrong, in my opinion.
        Yes.

    The Vice President

        Q. Mr. President, does the current threat justify the Vice President
    remaining in an undisclosed location? And even though he's not----
        The President. I just ate breakfast with him. It's no longer
    undisclosed. [Laughter] And he looks great. I think my adjective was
    ``swell.'' He still looks swell.
        Q. How long is this separation going to go on? Do you think that----
        The President. I had breakfast with him. I mean, I shouldn't say
    that. Right after I had breakfast, I met with him. I spent the morning
    with him. As a matter of fact, he was here to welcome these families
    into the White House.
        Q. But do you still consider him, even though he's not as visible
    and doesn't, in terms of visibility, appear to be playing the same kind
    of role we saw before September 11th----
        The President. No, the Vice President is very much engaged in the
    administration, and I value his advice. I trust his judgment. I talk to
    him every single day. And today I was visiting with him face to face. As
    I say, he looks swell.
        Stretch. [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News].

    Iraq

        Q. To follow up on Major's question.
        The President. What was his question?
        Q. Whether Iraq could be the next target of the antiterror campaign.
        The President. Oh, okay.
        Q. Does Saddam Hussein have to agree to allow weapons inspectors
    back into Iraq? Is that an unconditional demand of yours?
        The President. Saddam Hussein agreed to
    allow inspectors in his country. And in order to prove to the world he's
    not developing weapons of mass destruction, he ought to let the
    inspectors back in.
        Yes.
        Q. And if he does not do that, sir, what will be the consequence? If
    he does not do that, what will be the consequences?
        The President. That's up for--he'll find out.
        Q. Sir, what is your thinking right now about taking the war to
    Iraq? You suggested that on Wednesday, when you said Afghanistan was
    just the beginning.
        The President. I stand by those words. Afghanistan is still just the
    beginning. If anybody harbors a terrorist, they're a terrorist. If they
    fund a terrorist, they're a terrorist. If they house terrorists, they're
    terrorists. I mean, I can't make it any more clearly to other nations
    around the world. If they develop weapons of mass destruction that will
    be used to terrorize nations, they will be held accountable. And as for
    Mr. Saddam Hussein, he needs to let
    inspectors back in his country to show us that he is not developing
    weapons of mass destruction.
        Yes, David [David Gregory, NBC News].

    Weapons of Mass Destruction

        Q. Mr. President, following up on that thought, when you initially
    made--defined terrorism in your speech before Congress, you did not
    include the weapons of mass destruction. Are you now extending this to

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    countries like North Korea, other places where we have had evidence over
    the years that there's been development of such weapons?
        The President. Well, clearly, in terms of North Korea, we want North
    Korea to allow inspectors in, to determine whether or not they are.
    We've had that discussion with North Korea. I made it very clear to
    North Korea that in order for us to have relations with them, that we
    want to know, are they developing weapons of mass destruction? And they
    ought to stop proliferating.
        So part of the war on terror is to deny terrorist weapons getting--I
    mean, weapons to be used for means of terror getting in the hands of
    nations that will use them. And so I'm not quite sure of the----
        Q. I'm just asking if you've expanded your definition to countries
    who don't just harbor terrorists but also develop such weapons.
        The President. Have I expanded the definition? I've always had that
    definition, as far as I'm concerned.
        Yes, ma'am.

    Pakistan

        Q. Mr. President, you've said a number of times you will go to all
    lengths to get members of Al Qaida. There's now news that Pakistan has
    airlifted some of its citizens back to Pakistan. Are you concerned that
    they may be taking members of Al Qaida and will not turn them over?
        The President. No, I'm not. We've had good discussions with
    Pakistan. They understand the objective is to bring Al Qaida to justice,
    and they've indicated they'll help us do so.
        All right, thank you all very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:35 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Ms. Mercer's father, John Mercer;
    Danny Mulkey, assistant pastor, Antioch Community Church, Waco, TX;
    President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain; and President Saddam Hussein of
    Iraq. The military order of November 13 on detention, treatment, and
    trial of certain non-citizens in the war against terrorism is listed in
    Appendix D at the end of this volume.