    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [October 16, 2002]
    [Pages 1812-1814]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1812]]

    Remarks on Signing the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against
    Iraq Resolution of 2002
    October 16, 2002

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Good morning. Welcome to the White
    House. I want to thank the members of my Cabinet who have joined us. I
    want to thank the Members of Congress who are here on the stage. I want
    to thank the Members of Congress who are here in the audience. I'm
    honored to have you here.
        The resolution I'm about to sign symbolizes the united purpose of
    our Nation, expresses the considered judgment of the Congress, and marks
    an important event in the life of America.
        The 107th Congress is one of the few called by history to authorize
    military action to defend our country and the cause of peace. This is
    among the most serious and difficult decisions a legislator can face.
    Members of both Houses, both political parties, have deliberated with
    care, and they have spoken with clarity on behalf of the American
    people. We will face our dangers squarely, and we will face them
    unafraid.
        With this resolution, Congress has now authorized the use of force.
    I have not ordered the use of force. I hope the use of force will not
    become necessary. Yet, confronting the threat posed by Iraq is
    necessary, by whatever means that requires. Either the Iraqi regime will
    give up its weapons of mass destruction, or for the sake of peace, the
    United States will lead a global coalition to disarm that regime. If any
    doubt our Nation's resolve, our determination, they would be unwise to
    test it.
        The Iraqi regime is a serious and growing threat to peace. On the
    commands of a dictator, the regime is armed
    with biological and chemical weapons, possesses ballistic missiles,
    promotes international terror, and seeks nuclear weapons. The same
    dictator has a history of mass murder, of striking other nations without
    warning, of intense hatred for America, and of contempt for the demands
    of the civilized world.
        If Iraq gains even greater destructive power, nations in the Middle
    East would face blackmail, intimidation, or attack. Chaos in that region
    would be felt in Europe and beyond. And Iraq's combination of weapons of
    mass destruction and ties to terrorist groups and ballistic missiles
    would threaten the peace and security of many nations. Those who choose
    to live in denial may eventually be forced to live in fear.
        Every nation that shares in the benefits of peace also shares in the
    duty of defending the peace. The time has arrived once again for the
    United Nations to live up to the purposes of its founding, to protect
    our common security. The time has arrived once again for free nations to
    face up to our global responsibilities and confront a gathering danger.
        In 1991, Iraq was given 15 days to fully disclose all weapons of
    mass destruction. The dictator has
    successfully defied that obligation for 4,199 days. The dictator has--
    and during this 11-year period of his dictatorship, the regime has
    become highly skilled in the techniques of deception. It has blocked
    effective inspections of so-called Presidential sites--actually 12
    square miles with hundreds of structures where sensitive materials could
    be hidden. The regime has forged documents, disabled surveillance
    cameras, and developed mobile weapons facilities to keep ahead of any
    inspector.
        The Iraqi regime has frustrated the work of international inspectors
    by firing warning shots, by tapping their telephones, confiscating their
    documents, blocking aerial inspection flights, and barring access to
    sites

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    for hours while evidence is carried away. At one location, inspectors
    actually witnessed Iraqi guards moving files, burning documents, and
    then dumping the ashes in a river. Aboard U.N. helicopters, Iraqi
    escorts have physically struggled with inspectors to keep them from
    approaching certain areas.
        For Iraq, the old weapons inspection process was little more than a
    game in which cheating was never punished. And that game is over. The
    ploys and promises of the Iraqi regime no longer matter. The regime is
    free to continue saying whatever it chooses. Its fate depends entirely
    on what it actually does.
        Our goal is not merely to limit Iraq's violations of Security
    Council resolutions or to slow down its weapons program. Our goal is to
    fully and finally remove a real threat to world peace and to America.
    Hopefully, this can be done peacefully. Hopefully, we can do this
    without any military action. Yet, if Iraq is to avoid military action by
    the international community, it has the obligation to prove compliance
    with all the world's demands. It's the obligation of Iraq.
        Compliance will begin with a accurate and full and complete
    accounting for all chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons materials,
    as well as missiles and other means of delivery anywhere in Iraq.
    Failure to make such an accounting would be a further indication of the
    regime's bad faith and aggressive intent. Inspectors must have access to
    any site in Iraq at any time, without preclearance, without delay,
    without exceptions. Inspectors must be permitted to operate under new,
    effective rules. And the Iraqi regime must accept those rules without
    qualification or negotiation.
        To ensure that we learn the truth, the regime must allow witnesses
    to its illegal activities to be interviewed outside of the country.
    These witnesses must be free to bring their entire families with them,
    so they're beyond the reach of Saddam Hussein's terror, Saddam Hussein's torture, Saddam Hussein's
    murder.
        In addition to declaring and destroying all of its weapons of mass
    destruction, Iraq, in accordance with U.N. Security Council demands,
    must end its support for terrorism. As the U.N. demands, Iraq must cease
    the persecution of its civilian population. As the U.N. demands, Iraq
    must stop all illicit trade outside the oil-for-food program. Iraq must
    also release or account for all Gulf war personnel, including an
    American pilot whose fate is still unknown.
        The United States takes the resolutions of the Security Council
    seriously. We urge other nations to do the same. We're working to build
    the broadest possible coalition to enforce the demands of the world on
    the Iraqi regime. I've told all the members of the United Nations,
    America will play its historic role in defeating aggressive tyranny.
        I hope the good people of Iraq will remember our history and not pay
    attention to the hateful propaganda of their Government. America has
    never sought to dominate, has never sought to conquer. We've always
    sought to liberate and to free. Our desire is to help Iraqi citizens
    find the blessings of liberty within their own culture and their own
    traditions. The Iraqi people cannot flourish under a dictator that
    oppresses them and threatens them. Gifted people of Iraq will flourish
    if and when oppression is lifted.
        When Iraq has a government committed to the freedom and well-being
    of its people, America, along with many other nations, will share a
    responsibility to help Iraq reform and prosper. And we will meet our
    responsibilities. That's our pledge to the Iraqi people.
        Like the Members of Congress here today, I've carefully weighed the
    human cost of every option before us. If we go into battle, as a last
    resort, we will confront an enemy capable of irrational miscalculations,
    capable of terrible deeds. As the Commander in Chief, I know the risks
    to

    [[Page 1814]]

    our country. I'm fully responsible to the young men and women in uniform
    who may face these risks. Yet those risks only increase with time, and
    the costs could be immeasurably higher in years to come. To shrink from
    this threat would bring a false sense of temporary peace, leading to a
    future in which millions live or die at the discretion of a brutal
    dictator. That's not true peace, and we won't accept it.
        The terrorist attacks of last year put our country on notice. We're
    not immune from the dangers and hatreds of the world. In the events of
    September the 11th, we resolved as a nation to oppose every threat from
    any source that could bring sudden tragedy to the American people. This
    Nation will not live at the mercy of any foreign power or plot.
    Confronting grave dangers is the surest path to peace and security. This
    is the expectation of the American people and the decision of their
    elected representatives.
        I thank the Congress for a thorough debate and an overwhelming
    statement of support. The broad resolve of our Government is now clear
    to all, clear to everyone to see: We will defend our Nation and lead
    others in defending the peace.
        May God bless your work.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:17 a.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to President Saddam Hussein of Iraq;
    and missing American pilot Lt. Comdr. Michael S. Speicher, USN. H.J.
    Res. 114, approved October 16, was assigned Public Law No. 107-243.