    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [June 10, 2002]
    [Pages 955-956]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the International Democratic Union Leaders Dinner
    June 10, 2002

        If I may have your attention for a minute, please. It is a great
    pleasure for me to welcome the International Democratic Union's members
    and its new chairman, Prime Minister of Australia John Howard. And it's my pleasure to thank the outgoing chairman,
    William Hague, for his outstanding leadership.
        With us this evening are IDU members from 40 nations, including five
    current heads of state or government, and nine former heads of state or
    government. The presence of so many distinguished world leaders is a
    remarkable testament to the power and attractiveness of our ideas.
        More than a century ago, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer,
    Sir William Harcourt, declared, ``We're all socialists now.'' [Laughter]
    Today, it's fair to say, we're all democratic capitalists now. The
    democratic capitalists' vision of a free and just and compassionate
    society has captured the imagination of the world. Free markets, free
    governments, and free societies are not American ideas; they're not
    European or Western ideas; they're universal ideas. And they inspire all
    the member parties of the International Democratic Union.
        The historical record is clear: Economic systems that put freedom
    first have achieved greater levels of equality and well-being than
    systems that seek to strengthen the power of the state and stifle
    economic liberty. That's the record. But while the ideas the IDU stands
    for have made unprecedented gains, the free societies we love face
    unprecedented threats.
        We face coldblooded killers that hate the freedoms we cherish, and
    with the spread of chemical and biological and nuclear weapons, along
    with ballistic missile technology, freedom's enemies could attain
    catastrophic power. And there's no doubt that they would use that power
    to attack us and to attack the values we uphold.
        It is our commitment to freedom and human dignity and the strong
    belief that each individual matters that sets our enemies against us and
    draws our friends together in a great coalition of liberty. We will
    oppose the new totalitarians with all

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    our power. We will hunt them down, one by one, and bring them to
    justice.
        And we must never hate--hesitate to speak for what we believe. We
    believe we fight an enemy that is barbaric and that is evil. We believe
    targeting innocent civilians for murder is always and everywhere wrong;
    and political, social, and economic freedoms are always and everywhere
    right.
        The war on terror will be long and it will be dangerous. It will
    require us to be patient and steadfast and clear about what we're
    fighting for. We fight for the nonnegotiable demands of human dignity:
    The rule of law; limits on the power of the state; respect for women;
    respect for private property; and free speech and equal justice and
    religious tolerance.
        And so I'd like you to join me in a toast for the ideas which we all
    share, and for the great hope to replace poverty and repression and
    resentment with the promise of a better day for everyone who inhabits
    this Earth.
        May God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 7:03 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the
    White House.