    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [March 17, 2003]
    [Pages 277-280]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Address to the Nation on Iraq
    March 17, 2003

        My fellow citizens, events in Iraq have now reached the final days
    of decision. For more than a decade, the United States and other nations
    have pursued patient and honorable efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime
    without war. That regime pledged to reveal and destroy all its weapons
    of mass destruction as a condition for ending the Persian Gulf war in
    1991.
        Since then, the world has engaged in 12 years of diplomacy. We have
    passed more than a dozen resolutions in the United Nations Security
    Council. We have sent hundreds of weapons inspectors to oversee the
    disarmament of Iraq. Our good faith has not been returned.
        The Iraqi regime has used diplomacy as a ploy to gain time and
    advantage. It has uniformly defied Security Council resolutions
    demanding full disarmament. Over the years, U.N. weapon inspectors have
    been threatened by Iraqi officials, electronically bugged, and
    systematically deceived. Peaceful efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime
    have failed again and again because we are not dealing with peaceful
    men.
        Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt
    that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most
    lethal weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of
    mass destruction against Iraq's neighbors and against Iraq's people.
        The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East.
    It has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided,
    trained, and harbored terrorists, including operatives of Al Qaida.
        The danger is clear: Using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear
    weapons obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill
    their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of
    innocent people in our country or any other.
        The United States and other nations did nothing to deserve or invite
    this threat. But we will do everything to defeat it. Instead of drifting
    along toward tragedy, we will set a course toward safety. Before the day
    of horror can come, before it is too late to act, this danger will be
    removed.
        The United States of America has the sovereign authority to use
    force in assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me as
    Commander in Chief, by the oath I have sworn, by the oath I will keep.
        Recognizing the threat to our country, the United States Congress
    voted overwhelmingly last year to support the use of force against Iraq.
    America tried to work with the United Nations to address this threat
    because we wanted to resolve the issue peacefully. We believe in the
    mission

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    of the United Nations. One reason the U.N. was founded after the Second
    World War was to confront aggressive dictators actively and early,
    before they can attack the innocent and destroy the peace.
        In the case of Iraq, the Security Council did act in the early
    1990s. Under Resolutions 678 and 687, both still in effect, the United
    States and our allies are authorized to use force in ridding Iraq of
    weapons of mass destruction. This is not a question of authority. It is
    a question of will.
        Last September, I went to the U.N. General Assembly and urged the
    nations of the world to unite and bring an end to this danger. On
    November 8th, the Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1441,
    finding Iraq in material breach of its obligations and vowing serious
    consequences if Iraq did not fully and immediately disarm.
        Today, no nation can possibly claim that Iraq has disarmed, and it
    will not disarm so long as Saddam Hussein
    holds power. For the last 4\1/2\ months, the United States and our
    allies have worked within the Security Council to enforce that Council's
    longstanding demands. Yet, some permanent members of the Security
    Council have publicly announced they will veto any resolution that
    compels the disarmament of Iraq. These governments share our assessment
    of the danger but not our resolve to meet it.
        Many nations, however, do have the resolve and fortitude to act
    against this threat to peace, and a broad coalition is now gathering to
    enforce the just demands of the world. The United Nations Security
    Council has not lived up to its responsibilities, so we will rise to
    ours.
        In recent days, some governments in the Middle East have been doing
    their part. They have delivered public and private messages urging the
    dictator to leave Iraq, so that disarmament can proceed peacefully. He
    has thus far refused.
        All the decades of deceit and cruelty have now reached an end.
    Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48
    hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict,
    commenced at a time of our choosing. For their own safety, all foreign
    nationals, including journalists and inspectors, should leave Iraq
    immediately.
        Many Iraqis can hear me tonight in a translated radio broadcast, and
    I have a message for them: If we must begin a military campaign, it will
    be directed against the lawless men who rule your country and not
    against you. As our coalition takes away their power, we will deliver
    the food and medicine you need. We will tear down the apparatus of
    terror, and we will help you to build a new Iraq that is prosperous and
    free. In a free Iraq, there will be no more wars of aggression against
    your neighbors, no more poison factories, no more executions of
    dissidents, no more torture chambers and rape rooms. The tyrant will
    soon be gone. The day of your liberation is near.
        It is too late for Saddam Hussein to
    remain in power. It is not too late for the Iraqi military to act with
    honor and protect your country by permitting the peaceful entry of
    coalition forces to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Our forces
    will give Iraqi military units clear instructions on actions they can
    take to avoid being attacked and destroyed. I urge every member of the
    Iraqi military and intelligence services: If war comes, do not fight for
    a dying regime that is not worth your own life.
        And all Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen
    carefully to this warning: In any conflict, your fate will depend on
    your actions. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs
    to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass
    destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will
    be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And it will be no defense
    to say, ``I was just following orders.''
        Should Saddam Hussein choose
    confrontation, the American people can know that every measure has been
    taken to avoid

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    war and every measure will be taken to win it. Americans understand the
    costs of conflict because we have paid them in the past. War has no
    certainty, except the certainty of sacrifice. Yet, the only way to
    reduce the harm and duration of war is to apply the full force and might
    of our military, and we are prepared to do so.
        If Saddam Hussein attempts to cling to
    power, he will remain a deadly foe until the end. In desperation, he and
    terrorists groups might try to conduct terrorist operations against the
    American people and our friends. These attacks are not inevitable. They
    are, however, possible. And this very fact underscores the reason we
    cannot live under the threat of blackmail. The terrorist threat to
    America and the world will be diminished the moment that Saddam Hussein
    is disarmed.
        Our Government is on heightened watch against these dangers. Just as
    we are preparing to ensure victory in Iraq, we are taking further
    actions to protect our homeland. In recent days, American authorities
    have expelled from the country certain individuals with ties to Iraqi
    intelligence services. Among other measures, I have directed additional
    security of our airports and increased Coast Guard patrols of major
    seaports. The Department of Homeland Security is working closely with
    the Nation's Governors to increase armed security at critical facilities
    across America.
        Should enemies strike our country, they would be attempting to shift
    our attention with panic and weaken our morale with fear. In this, they
    would fail. No act of theirs can alter the course or shake the resolve
    of this country. We are a peaceful people. Yet we're not a fragile
    people, and we will not be intimidated by thugs and killers. If our
    enemies dare to strike us, they and all who have aided them will face
    fearful consequences.
        We are now acting because the risks of inaction would be far
    greater. In 1 year, or 5 years, the power of Iraq to inflict harm on all
    free nations would be multiplied many times over. With these
    capabilities, Saddam Hussein and his
    terrorist allies could choose the moment of deadly conflict when they
    are strongest. We choose to meet that threat now, where it arises,
    before it can appear suddenly in our skies and cities.
        The cause of peace requires all free nations to recognize new and
    undeniable realities. In the 20th century, some chose to appease
    murderous dictators, whose threats were allowed to grow into genocide
    and global war. In this century, when evil men plot chemical,
    biological, and nuclear terror, a policy of appeasement could bring
    destruction of a kind never before seen on this Earth.
        Terrorists and terror states do not reveal these threats with fair
    notice, in formal declarations. And responding to such enemies only
    after they have struck first is not self-defense; it is suicide. The
    security of the world requires disarming Saddam Hussein now.
        As we enforce the just demands of the world, we will also honor the
    deepest commitments of our country. Unlike Saddam Hussein, we believe the Iraqi people are deserving and capable
    of human liberty. And when the dictator has departed, they can set an
    example to all the Middle East of a vital and peaceful and self-
    governing nation.
        The United States, with other countries, will work to advance
    liberty and peace in that region. Our goal will not be achieved
    overnight, but it can come over time. The power and appeal of human
    liberty is felt in every life and every land. And the greatest power of
    freedom is to overcome hatred and violence and turn the creative gifts
    of men and women to the pursuits of peace.
        That is the future we choose. Free nations have a duty to defend our
    people by uniting against the violent. And tonight, as we have done
    before, America and our allies accept that responsibility.
        Good night, and may God continue to bless America.

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    Note: The President spoke at 8:01 p.m. in the Cross Hall at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.
    The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of this address.