    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [June 12, 2002]
    [Pages 973-975]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Meeting of the President's Homeland Security Advisory
    Council
    June 12, 2002

        Well, thank you all very much for taking on this assignment.
    Joe, thank you for your being Chairman.
    And Bill Webster,> we've got a
    lot of talented folks around this table. And I want to thank you for
    agreeing to help our Nation.
        We're under attack; that's the way it is. The more we love freedom,
    the more we espouse values that are decent and honorable, the more we
    welcome religion in our society, open political discourse, the more this
    enemy is going to try to hit us. And we've got two courses of action.
    One is to run them down, wherever they try to hide, and bring them to
    justice. That's precisely what we're going to do.
        These people are the kind of people that--they try to find a soft
    spot around

    [[Page 974]]

    the world and burrow in and plot and plan. And we're just going to have
    to enforce the doctrine: Either you're with us, or against us; either
    you join the coalition of freedom, or you're on the other side of the
    fence.
        And we're making good progress; we really are. The other night when
    I announced this Department of Homeland Security, I made mention of the
    fact that our coalition has hauled in about 2,400 of these terrorists,
    these killers. The problem is there's still quite a number of them still
    out there.
        We're using our military--we've got a great military, by the way.
    I'm really proud of the men and women who wear our uniform, and our
    Nation stands squarely with our military. We're using diplomatic
    pressure. That's an important tool. We're cutting off their money.
    That's--we've been fairly effective at cutting off their money. We can
    all do a little better job of denying them the funds they need. They
    don't need a lot of money, but they do need money to conduct their
    attacks.
        We're sharing intelligence. I know many members of this committee
    have been very much involved in the intelligence gathering capacity of
    America, and we're doing a better job of finding our weaknesses here at
    home and working on the weaknesses. The CIA and the FBI now are doing a
    much better job today than they had been prior to September the 11th of
    sharing information across these--what were once formidable
    jurisdictional boundaries. The culture of our agencies have changed
    since the war. The FBI has got a--has got a new job, which is to prevent
    attack, and that's now their primary focus. And Bob Mueller is doing a good job of recognizing the
    cultural shift that needs to take place, of taking input, listening to
    people, and responding.
        So we're making progress; we really are. But until we rout out every
    terrorist cell and every terrorist, until attitudes change about freedom
    in America, we've got to protect our homeland in a new way. And I want
    to thank you all for agreeing to help us. You're breaking new ground,
    and you're going to help us leave a legacy, so that future Presidents,
    future administrations, and future Congress can deal more effectively
    with how to do the most important job any elected official has, which is
    to protect innocent life.
        As you know, I called for the Department of Homeland Security.
    Obviously, I wouldn't have done so if I didn't think it was the absolute
    right thing to do. I think it's important to focus the mission, through
    reorganization. I know it's going to make--help us be more effective
    here at home.
        I also recognize how tough the chore is going to be. I mean, after
    all, we are asking people in Congress to give up turf, as they say, give
    up a little power. And I'm under no illusions that asking folks to give
    up power can be a difficult assignment. So one of the things I'll do is
    remind the Members of Congress that this is not a political issue, that
    protecting America is an American issue, it's a duty we all have, and
    that I vow not to play politics with doing what's right.
        I'll also remind the Congress that I am going to speak to the
    American people about this issue. Once I propose it, I'm going to take
    my case beyond Washington to the true influence--the real influence
    peddlers of America; that's the American people, the people who work
    every day and who've got the capacity to inform their Members of
    Congress or the Senate their opinion. And that's what I'm going to
    continue to do.
        I'm going to continue to speak as plainly as I can about the need
    for this Department, assuring the American people that we're not
    interested in increasing the size and scope of the Federal Government,
    we're interested in efficiency. We want an organization that can work
    closely with local leaders such as my Mayor, Mayor Williams. We want to be able to respond better if something
    were to occur. We want to know how better to enforce our borders. We

    [[Page 975]]

    want to know when they're coming in the country and if they're
    overstaying their visas. We need to know that, in America, under this
    new--the new threats under which we live.
        We've got to--I signed a bioterrorism bill today. I want to thank
    you all for coming for the signing ceremony. I saw Jim
    Schlesinger there, and I'm sure you're
    glad I cut my remarks in half, because the temperature seemed to be--
    [laughter]--seemed to be a little warm out there. But the idea is to
    better coordinate our capacity to detect weapons of mass destruction and
    respond to them if they occur.
        And finally, we need an analytical capacity within a department that
    can take all the intelligence that's gathered, not only by the FBI or
    the CIA but all throughout our Government, and analyze it so we have a
    better feel for what the terrorists might be thinking and then how to
    respond.
        And you all can play a very useful role in this--in this process.
    You bring a lot of heft and a lot of experience and a lot of know-how.
    You can definitely help us understand how best to coordinate Government
    activities with the private sector, and that's essential, that we team
    up to do everything we need to do to protect America.
        So I want to thank you for your service. I want you to know this
    administration is totally committed to protecting the people. Many of
    you are aware of the President's briefing he gets, sees--or knows what
    the President reads. And they're still out there; these people--you
    know, these killers, they're still lurking around. But they picked on
    a--they picked on a group of people who are plenty determined, and
    that's the American people.
        We've got a fabulous nation. And we're tough, and we're determined,
    and we're united, and we're strong. And at the same time, we're showing
    the world that we're a compassionate nation as well. We won the first
    battle, or we're winning the first battle in the war of the 21st
    century, which was in Afghanistan. And we went into that country not as
    conquerors but as liberators. And I'm proud of our Nation, and I'm proud
    of your service to our Nation. And I want to thank you all for giving us
    your time.
        God bless you all. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:44 a.m. in the Indian Treaty Room of the
    Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he
    referred to Joseph J. Grano, Jr., Chair, William H. Webster, Vice Chair,
    and James R. Schlesinger and Washington, DC, Mayor Anthony A. Williams,
    members, President's Homeland Security Advisory Council. H.R. 3448, the
    Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of
    2002, approved June 12, was assigned Public Law No. 107-188.