    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [October 23, 2001]
    [Pages 1292-1294]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Congressional Leaders and an Exchange
    With Reporters
    October 23, 2001

        The President. It's been my honor to brief key Members of the Senate
    and the House on our trip to the Far East. It was a very successful
    trip, in that we were able to have an honest dialog about the need to
    fight terror.
        And the 21 nations--20 other nations represented there agreed with
    our country, and they appreciate our determination to fight and win the
    war against terror. They understand that an attack on America could have
    been an attack on them. And the cooperation was very strong and very
    evident, and I am most grateful.
        And I am most grateful for the opportunity to share with the Members
    of the House and the Senate this essential--and I want to, first, thank
    Chairman Biden and Chairman Hyde and the other Members here for standing solidly with
    the administration to formulate and conduct a foreign policy that's in
    the best interest of our country.

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        It is oftentimes said that when it comes to foreign policy,
    partisanship stops, and that's exactly what has happened here at this
    table. I've had a lot of discussions with both Chairmen up to now, and I will
    continue having discussions with the leaders of the House and the
    Senate, because whether you're Republican or Democrat, we all want to
    win this war.
        I'd be glad to answer a couple of questions.

    Anthrax at the White House Complex

        Q. Sir, is the White House under attack now--the latest anthrax
    case?
        The President. Well, there is no question that evildoers are
    continuing to try to harm America and Americans. Today, at a remote
    facility, we detected some anthrax. And just like at the Congress, our
    Government is responding very quickly.
        We're working hard to find out who is doing this and bring them to
    justice. We're also working to develop measures necessary to protect
    American citizens and postal workers. All of us around this table grieve
    when we hear the fact that a citizen has lost a life. Two postal workers
    passed away, and our hearts are with their families. Our prayers are
    with their loved ones. And the evil ones continue.
        Q. Is there any way, sir, that whatever contaminated that machine,
    whether it be a letter or a package, got into the West Wing? Or has all
    mail been cut off to prevent that from happening?
        The President. Ron [Ron Fournier, Associated Press], we're making
    sure that the West Wing, the White House is safe. Let me put it this
    way: I'm confident, when I come to work tomorrow, that I'll be safe.

    U.S. Response to Anthrax

        Q. Mr. President, have you or the Vice President been tested for
    anthrax? And what is your sense of this latest development, sir? For the
    most part, these attacks have been aimed at prominent people and
    prominent places. Is it your sense that the real purpose here is to sow
    fear and confusion in the American public?
        The President. First of all, I don't have anthrax. It's hard for
    Americans to imagine how evil the people are who are doing this. We're
    having to adjust our thinking. We're a kind nation. We're a
    compassionate nation. We're a nation of strong values, and we value
    life. And we're learning people in this world want to terrorize our
    country by trying to take life.
        They won't succeed. This country is too strong to allow terrorists
    to affect the lives of our citizens. I understand people are concerned,
    and they should be. But they need to know our Government is doing
    everything we possibly can to protect the lives of our citizens--
    everything. We're waging an aggressive campaign overseas to bring Al
    Qaida to justice.
        Today I've--in working with the Postmaster General--got our OMB to allocate $175 million for
    immediate relief, immediate safety at post offices around the country.
    This is what he requested; he thinks this is what is necessary to assure
    the post office employees that they will be as safe as possible. And
    we're going to spend that money.
        Our health care workers are working around the clock to help people
    in need, and I will tell you that I think not only are they doing a good
    job; I think they probably saved a lot of lives by their quick action.
    And I'm proud of how quickly and how hard they're working.
        The object of terrorism is to try to force us to change our way of
    life, is to force us to retreat, is to force us to be what we're not.
    And that's--they're going to fail. They're simply going to fail. I want
    to assure my fellow Americans that our determination--I say ``our;'' I'm
    talking about Republicans and Democrats here in Washington--has never
    been stronger to succeed in bringing terrorists to justice, protecting
    our homeland, because what we do today will affect our children and
    grandchildren. This is our calling. This is the time for

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    us to act in a bold way, and we are doing just that.

    Situation in the Middle East

        Q. Mr. President, are you now operating on the assumption that the
    September 11th attacks and the anthrax attacks, anthrax letters, are
    linked? And if I may shift gears for a second and ask about your meeting
    with Foreign Minister Peres. Would an Israeli failure to withdraw from
    the Palestinian areas make it harder to keep Arab states in the
    international antiterrorism----
        The President. Well, I told Shimon Peres
    that, first of all, our country and the people of our country are
    saddened by the fact that a Cabinet Minister was assassinated. It's just
    unacceptable behavior. I also told him that we continue to call upon
    Chairman Arafat to do everything he can to
    bring the killer to justice. It's very important that he arrest the
    person who did this, or those who did this act, and continue to arrest
    those who would disrupt and harm Israeli citizens. He must--he must show
    the resolve necessary to bring peace to the region.
        And finally, I did express our concern about troops in Palestinian
    territory, and I would hope the Israelis would move their troops as
    quickly as possible.
        Q. Did you get any satisfaction?
        The President. Well, he's a very thoughtful
    man. He's a friend, a friend of America's, and I listened very
    carefully.
        Your first question was?

    Anthrax and September 11 Attacks

        Q. The link between September 11th and----
        The President. Well, we don't have any hard evidence. But there's no
    question that anybody who would mail anthrax with the attempt to harm
    American citizens is a terrorist. And there's no question that Al Qaida
    is a terrorist organization. So it wouldn't put it past me that there--
    you know, it wouldn't surprise me that they're involved with it. But I
    have no direct evidence.
        I do know that this country is strong enough to endure, to endure
    the evil ones. And we're making great progress on the ground in
    Afghanistan, and we'll bring the Al Qaida to justice, and we'll--we're
    doing everything we can to find out who mailed these letters.
        Stretch [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News].

    President's Health

        Q. Mr. President, have you been tested for anthrax?
        The President. I don't have anthrax.
        Q. So you've been tested, sir?
        The President. I don't have it.

    Note: The exchange began at 4:48 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, the President referred to Foreign Minister Shimon
    Peres of Israel and Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority.
    A tape was not available for verification of the content of these
    remarks.