    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [November 19, 2001]
    [Pages 1423-1426]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Cabinet Meeting and an Exchange With Reporters
    November 19, 2001

    Operation Enduring Freedom

        The President. We just had a very productive Cabinet meeting. We
    discussed a variety of subjects, spent a fair amount of time on the war
    and the progress we're making in Afghanistan. We have made great
    progress there, but there's still a lot of work to do. And the degree of
    difficulty is increasing as we work hard to achieve

    [[Page 1424]]

    our objectives, not the least of which is to bring the Al Qaida to
    justice.
        They're running, and they're trying to hide, and we're in pursuit.
    And we will stay the course until we bring them to justice. The American
    people must know it may take longer than some anticipate. They also need
    to know that we're a very patient group.
        Secondly, we've been briefed by Andrew Natsios of the USAID about the humanitarian aid mission. And that,
    too, is a tough mission. There are millions of Afghans who were starving
    prior to September the 11th as a result of drought. Obviously, to
    complicate matters, there has been a war in that land. And yet, this
    good Nation is doing everything we can to move enormous amounts of food
    into the areas where people are likely to starve. I'm talking about
    thousands of tons, metric tons, of food. There are over 2,000 trucks now
    in place that are able to move more freely now that the Northern
    Alliance and our military have liberated the northern part of
    Afghanistan, where the starvation is most likely to occur.
        And so we've had a great discussion. And I'm proud of the way our
    Cabinet has been performing during these very difficult periods.
        I'd be glad to answer a few questions. John [John Roberts, CBS
    News], have you got one?

    Situation in the Middle East

        Q. Mr. President, your Secretary of State a little while ago said
    that he would use U.S. influence to try to bring the two sides together
    and forge a Middle East peace. Wouldn't it be swifter, sir, if you used
    the power of your office to do it personally, by meeting with these
    individuals? And at what point would you do that?
        The President. Well, John, first of all, this administration has
    been working the Middle East ever since we came into office. I've been
    on the phone with the Prime Minister of Israel,
    our longtime friend, a lot, as has the Secretary of State. We've been dealing with the Europeans--all kinds of people
    are interested in the Middle East--reminding them that it takes willing
    parties. It takes--people must say that they want to work for peace.
        And so our objective is to convince both parties to make a conscious
    decision to come to the peace table. And when they do so, we're more
    than willing to help. But first things first--is to convince the parties
    that peace is necessary.
        It also is important for us to remind Mr. Arafat that in order for the peace discussions to begin, that
    the level of violence must substantially be reduced. And so we're
    working hard with not only the Palestinians but as well as with others
    who have an interest in the area to work to reduce violence, so that
    peace discussions can begin in relative security.
        Our mind is, of course, on the war in Afghanistan, but it hasn't
    diverted our attention away from the need to work hard to bring peace to
    the Middle East. And we would hope to be able to do so.

    Usama bin Laden

        Q. Mr. President, there have been reports out of Afghanistan that
    the U.S. military knows or thinks they know where bin Laden might be.
    Does that mean----
        The President. I certainly hope so.
        Q. Does that mean the fellow to your left knows? And how soon might
    America see bin Laden----
        The President. Listen, if our military knew where Mr. bin Laden was,
    he would be brought to justice. We're hunting him down. He runs, and he
    hides. But as we've said repeatedly, the noose is beginning to narrow;
    the net is getting tighter. But this is a difficult assignment. Things
    happened very quickly in Afghanistan recently, as--went to show that our
    strategy was a well-thought-out strategy. But the objective is yet to be
    achieved, and we're not leaving until we do achieve the objective.

    [[Page 1425]]

        And the Secretary of Defense and
    General Tommy Franks, who is doing a
    magnificent job, understand the objective. We talk about it every single
    morning. And we will achieve the objective. But I've told the American
    people right from the get-go of this effort: It may take a month; it may
    take a year; or however long it takes, we'll succeed.

    Economic Stimulus Legislation

        Q. Sir, what can you do personally to jumpstart negotiations further
    on an economic stimulus package? And do you still need one?
        The President. Well, I think we need an economic stimulus package.
    I've said so from the beginning. I'll be meeting a week from tomorrow
    with the leadership of the Senate and the House and urge the Senators to
    bring a bill to the floor and get it into conference, so we can resolve
    whatever differences there may be.
        There was a period of time when people said we'd never get an
    airline security bill. And after a lot of hours of hard work, we got a
    good bill, which I signed today. And I hope I'll be able to sign an
    economic stimulus package; I think I will be able to do so. But it's
    going to require the Senators to come together and move a bill, and then
    we can reconcile the differences with the House version.

    Usama bin Laden

        Q. Mr. President, you just said the noose is getting tighter.
    Without compromising the search, do you have evidence you're getting
    closer to bin Laden?
        The President. Well, it's going to be hard for me to tell you that
    without compromising the search, except I can point to the map of
    Afghanistan where more and more territory are now in friendly hands. And
    the people of Afghanistan understand what Al Qaida and the Taliban
    Government have meant to their ordinary lives. Women are treated lower
    than low. There's no respect for human life. There's jubilation in the
    cities that we have liberated. And the sooner Al Qaida is brought to
    justice, the sooner Afghanistan will return to normal. People understand
    that.
        And so we've got--let me put it to you this way--the more territory
    we gain, the more success there is on the ground, the more people we've
    got looking to help us in our mission. The Secretary of
    Defense is doing everything he can, as
    are our military, to bring these people to justice, and we will.
        Press Assistant Reed Dickens. Thank you
    all. Lights. Thank you all.
        The President. Go ahead, Terry [Terry Moran, ABC News].

    Military Order

        Q. On the subject of justice, what do you say to the Members of
    Congress and people in law schools and civil liberties----
        The President. On what subject?
        Q. On justice, that your order establishing military----
        The President. Yes.
        Q. ----to try terrorists, they argue, represents a retreat or an
    abandonment of traditional American principles.
        The President. I say it's the absolute right thing to do. And it
    is--to set up the option to use a military tribunal in the time of war
    makes a lot of sense. We're fighting a war, Terry, against the most evil
    kinds of people. And I need to have that extraordinary option at my
    fingertips. I ought to be able to have that option available should we
    ever bring one of these Al Qaida members in alive. It's our national
    interests; it's our national security interests we have a military
    tribunal available. It is in the interests of the safety of potential
    jurors that we have a military tribunal.
        These are extraordinary times. And I would remind those who don't
    understand the decision I made, that Franklin Roosevelt made the same
    decision in World War II. Those were extraordinary times, as well.

    [[Page 1426]]

        This Government will do everything we can to defend the American
    people within the confines of our Constitution. And that's exactly how
    we're proceeding. And so, to the critics, I say, I made the absolute
    right decision.
        Press Assistant Reed Dickens. Thank you
    all.

    [At this point, the President turned toward Secretary of Defense Donald
    Rumsfeld.]

        The President.  Do you know where Al Qaida is? [Laughter]

    Note: The President spoke at 4:12 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of
    Israel; Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority; and Usama
    bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization. S. 1447, the
    Aviation and Transportation Security Act, approved November 19, was
    assigned Public Law No. 107-71. 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.