    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [November 12, 2002]
    [Pages 2064-2068]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Visit to District of Columbia Metropolitan Police
    Department Headquarters
    November 12, 2002

        Thanks a lot. I want you to note, the Mayor said I made him a senior adviser. [Laughter] Mr. Mayor,
    you're doing a great job for the city of Washington, DC. I'm honored
    that I'm living in your neighborhood. And as I told a lot of the folks
    who I had the honor of meeting just a while ago at the Emergency
    Operations Center, I feel safe living here. And so does my family. And
    so do a lot of families, thanks to the dedication and hard work of
    people on the frontline of making sure that this city is buttoned up,
    dealing with the threats we face. I'm here to thank you all for your
    hard work.
        I'm here as well to tell all the first-responders across the
    District as well as around the country how much our country is grateful
    for your service, your dedication, and remind you that we have not only
    a duty to prepare for emergencies, we have a duty in this country to
    prevent them from happening in the first place.
        It's a new charge. It's a new charge because we learned on that
    fateful day that America is now a battlefield. It used to be that oceans
    would protect us. We didn't have to take certain threats seriously. We
    could say, ``Well, we can deal if we want to deal with them.'' But we
    learned a tough lesson, that the old ways are gone, that the enemy can
    strike us here at home, and we all have new responsibilities. And I'm
    confident we can meet those responsibilities because I understand the
    nature of the people who wear the uniform all across America, fine,
    dedicated, honorable public servants who are willing to serve something

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    greater than themselves. So, thank you for what you do.
        And the Federal Government has got a job as well. Our job--our
    Government's greatest responsibility is to protect the American people.
    That's our most important job, and this requires Congress to create a
    new Department of Homeland Security so we can better do our job. I think
    this work can be done soon. The Congress is coming back for a brief
    period of time, and in that period of time, they can get the job done.
    If they put their mind to it, they can get a job done on behalf of the
    American people. And I urge them to do so.
        I'm honored to be here with Eleanor Holmes Norton. Thank you for coming, Madam Congresswoman. I
    appreciate your service.
        I appreciate being up here with Tom Ridge, my
    buddy who was a Governor. I said, ``Look, we've got a new issue we've
    got to deal with here in America. We've got to do everything we can to
    protect the homeland, so you need to leave Pennsylvania and come and
    join us.'' And fortunately, he did, and he is doing a fabulous job
    inside the White House of laying the groundwork for what I hope will
    soon be a Department of Homeland Security. And I appreciate you coming,
    Tom.
        Mr. Mayor, thanks again. Margret
    Kellems, it's good to have met you. It's an
    honor to be in the presence of the Deputy Mayor, as well.
        I'm impressed with Chief Ramsey. I
    don't know if this helps you or hurts you, Chief. [Laughter] He does a
    fine job. I got to know him at the inauguration, and I've been watching
    him ever since. This is a city with a lot of complex issues. It's a city
    where a lot of people come to exercise their right as Americans, and we
    appreciate that. And I'm proud that this city is able to allow people to
    express themselves and, at the same time, maintain order. Mr. Chief, you
    and your troops do a fabulous job here.
        I want to thank Chief Adrian Thompson
    for coming as well. I appreciate you being here, Chief. This is--the
    fire and emergency teams have got just as an important role to play as
    our police officers do.
        I want to thank Peter LaPorte, who is the
    director of the Washington, DC, Emergency Management Agency, for coming.
    I appreciate Jim Buford, who is the acting
    director of the Washington, DC, Department of Health. I want to thank
    Linda Cropp for coming as well.
        On September the 11th, 2001, our Nation was confronted by a new kind
    of war. See, we're at war. This is a war. This isn't a single isolated
    incident. We are now in the first war of the 21st century, and it's a
    different kind of war than we're used to. I explained part of the
    difference is the fact that the battlefield is now here at home. It's
    also a war where the enemy doesn't show up with airplanes that they own
    or tanks or ships. These are suiciders. These are coldblooded killers.
    That's all they are. The new kind of war has now placed our police and
    firefighters and rescue workers on the frontlines. You're already on the
    frontlines. Now you got another line. There's another front to do our
    duty to the American people.
        For the courageous individuals on September the 11th, it was a day
    of great loss. But it was also a grave--day of great--great honor. It
    reminded the American people of the sacrifices that the people who wear
    the uniform go through on a daily basis and the risks that you take
    every day.
        We still weep and mourn for those who lost lives to save others. But
    we also recognize there's a renewal in America of appreciation for what
    you do. The entire Nation appreciated the calm determination, the steady
    hand, the ability to respond under severe circumstances. And like our
    military, which is also on the front line of the war against terror, you
    deserve all the tools and resources to do your work. This country is
    going to support you because we now understand the stakes.

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        Since September the 11th, every level of government has taken
    important steps to better prepare against terrorism. We've now been
    notified. We understand that history has called us into action. There
    should be no doubt in anybody's mind the nature of the enemy. There
    should be no doubt in anybody's mind that we must do everything we can
    to protect the homeland.
        For the first time ever, customs agents are now at overseas ports
    inspecting containers before they come close to the United States. In
    other words, we're adjusting to the new world we're in. We've put more
    marshals now on airplanes. Everybody's aware of that. We've stepped up
    security at our powerplants and our ports and, as importantly, at our
    border crossings. We need to know who's coming into the country, what
    they're bringing into the country, and if they're leaving when they say
    they're going to leave. We need to know that for the sake of the
    homeland.
        We've deployed detection equipment to look for weapons of mass
    destruction. Whoever would have thought that this country needed to use
    technologies to prevent people from smuggling in weapons of mass
    destruction? But we needed to have that technology in place, so we can
    better protect the American people. There's a real threat that somebody
    might smuggle in one of these weapons that would create incredible havoc
    here at home. So we're on alert. We're stockpiling enough small pox
    vaccine for every man, woman, and child in America.
        The U.S. PATRIOT Act has helped us detect and disrupt terrorist
    activity in this country. What I'm telling you there is, anytime we get
    a hint that somebody is thinking about doing something to America, we're
    moving on it. Anytime we get an inkling that somebody is planning to
    hurt the American people, to take innocent life, we're using every tool
    we can to disrupt and deny. And we're doing that at the local level and
    at the State level and at the Federal level. That's what the American
    people expect, and that's what's going to happen.
        We act decisively in the clearest areas of vulnerability. We're
    moving. And this is only the beginning of our effort to protect our
    country from a global threat. The threats to the homeland are growing
    threats. These people aren't going away anytime soon. And so the need
    for action is important.
        And one of my jobs is to make sure nobody gets complacent. One of my
    jobs is to remind people of the stark realities that we face. See, every
    morning I go into that great Oval Office and read threats to our
    country--every morning. As a matter of fact, there hasn't a morning that
    hasn't gone by that I haven't saw--seen or read threats. Some of them
    are blowhards, but we take every one of them seriously. It's the new
    reality.
        The Congress is in session today, and the House and the Senate have
    pressing responsibilities to work with us for our security. And I'm
    confident they'll meet those responsibilities. And the single most
    important business before Congress is the creation of a Department of
    Homeland Security. Certain Members of the Senate and the House have got
    all kinds of agendas they'd like to discuss; the single most important
    one is to get this bill done.
        The importance of the Homeland Security means that we'll be able to
    better coordinate and organize and that there be clear lines of
    authority. One reason this department works so well and one reason the
    center we just saw works well is, there's great coordination with clear
    lines of authority. And that's important. That's what you do here in
    Washington, and that's what we ought to do at the Federal level as well,
    in this new Department.
        The responsibility for protecting the homeland here in Washington,
    at least at the Federal level, is spread out among more than 100
    different organizations, and

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    not one organization has the primary responsibility. Each agency
    operates separately, sometimes completely unaware of what others are
    doing. The result is duplication that we cannot afford and
    inefficiencies which create problems. So I set out to do something about
    it, for the good of the country. And that is to call for a single
    Cabinet-level Department of Government, staffed by dedicated
    professionals who wake up every single day with one overriding duty, to
    protect the American people. That's their duty. That's their most
    important responsibility.
        The new Department will work, of course, with our State and local
    authorities to avert attacks, to plan for emergencies, and to respond.
    That's the functions of the new Department. We've got to make sure our
    first-responders are well equipped and trained and organized for their
    duties. You do a fine job here in Washington. There are some places that
    need help, and the new Department will help first-responders.
        The new Department will control our borders. I mentioned the
    border--we need to know who's coming in, we need--but there's three
    agencies on the border right now, and they're all full of fine people.
    They wear different uniforms. They have different strategies. Sometimes
    they talk; sometimes they don't. There is a better way to enforce our
    border here in America.
        It will bring together scientists who develop technologies that
    detect biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons and discover drugs and
    treatments to protect our citizens. So there will be a scientific
    component in this new Department.
        For the first time in our history, information on the threats to
    America will be gathered and analyzed, together with information on our
    vulnerabilities, in one place. We've got a lot of good people working
    hard to collect intelligence. This new agency will analyze the
    intelligence to address vulnerabilities here in America.
        Establishing the new Department will require the latest
    reorganization of the Federal--the largest reorganization of the Federal
    Government since 1940. In other words, it's not going to be easy. But I
    think Congress understands the need to do that. And I think Congress is
    willing to take the task. I want to thank very much the House of
    Representatives for passing a good bill, one that gives me the authority
    and the flexibility to work hard to defend America.
        The Senate--it got stuck in the Senate. But it looks like it's going
    to come out of the Senate, I hope. And we're working hard to bring it
    forth in a way that will enable this President and future Presidents to
    meet the needs of the United States. To meet the threats, I must be
    able--and future Presidents--must be able to move people and resources
    where they're needed and to do it quickly, without being forced to
    comply with a thick book of rules.
        The enemy moves quickly, and America must move quickly. We cannot
    have bureaucratic rules preventing this President and future Presidents
    from meeting the needs of the American people. To meet the threats to
    our country, a President must have the authority, as every President
    since John F. Kennedy has had, to waive certain rights for national
    security purposes. It makes no sense in a time of war to diminish the
    capacity of the President to be able to put the right people at the
    right time at the right place.
        This debate is often misunderstood. The rights of Federal workers
    should be and will fully be protected in the Department of Homeland
    Security. Every employee will be treated fairly and protected from
    discrimination. The men and women who work in that Department will need
    and want leadership that can act quickly and decisively, without getting
    bogged down in endless disputes. When the Department is created, we've
    got to do it right. It is our chance to do it right. And I will not give
    up national security authority at the price for creating a Department we
    badly need to secure America.

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        Fortunately, I'm encouraged by the ongoing discussions. I believe we
    can get this done. I believe Congress can show the country that they can
    finish their work on a high note of achievement. That's what the people
    want. The people want us to come together and work together and do
    what's right. And I think Congress can show that's possible to do.
        Securing our homeland means not only a great--a new Department of
    Homeland Security, it means hunting these killers down one at a time. It
    means staying on task. It means holding--make sure that the doctrines
    still exist. And there's one out there that says, ``If you--you're
    either with us or with the enemy.'' That was true right after September
    the 11th, and it's very true today. We're calling on all these nations
    that love freedom to join us in an international manhunt. There's no
    cave deep enough for these people to hide in, as far as I'm concerned.
    There's no shadow of the world dark enough for them to kind of slither
    around in. We're after them, and it's going to take a while. It can take
    a while. We're after them one person at a time. We owe that to the
    American people. We owe that to our children.
        I can't imagine what was going through their mind when they hit us.
    They must have thought we'd just file a lawsuit. They just don't
    understand America, do they? They don't understand our love for freedom.
    They don't understand that when it comes to our freedoms, it doesn't
    matter how long it takes, nor the cost, we will do our duty.
        The world's going to be more peaceful as a result of America being
    strong and resolved. Peace is going to happen. You see, the enemy hit
    us, and out of the evil done to this country is going to come some
    incredible good, a more secure America, a more peaceful world.
        People will look back--your kids and your grandkids will look back
    and say, ``You know, my dad or my mother was involved, actively involved
    in one of the most dramatic periods in our country's history.'' And I'm
    confident they'll look back and say, ``I'm proud of their service
    because America became a better place as a result of their sacrifices.''
        I'm honored you had me here. May God bless you and your families.
    May God bless your work. And may God continue to bless America. Thank
    you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:54 a.m. in the Old Council Chambers at
    One Judiciary Square, NW, following a tour of the Synchronized
    Operations Command Complex at Metropolitan Police Department
    headquarters at 300 Indiana Ave., NW. In his remarks, he referred to
    District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams, Deputy Mayor for Public
    Safety and Justice Margret Kellems, Metropolitan Police Chief Charles H.
    Ramsey, and Fire and Emergency Medical Services Interim Chief Adrian H.
    Thompson; and Linda Cropp, chairman, Council of the District of
    Columbia. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of these remarks.