    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [September 13, 2003]
    [Pages 1157-1158]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    September 13, 2003

        Good morning. Two years ago this week, America suffered a brutal
    attack. We will never forget the burning towers and the smoke over
    Arlington Cemetery and the passengers who rushed the hijackers. Yet
    history asks for more than memory. On September the 11th, 2001, we began
    a war on global terror that continues to this hour.
        In the decades before that terrible day, the terrorists conducted a
    series of bolder and bolder attacks in the Middle East and beyond. They
    became convinced that free nations were decadent and weak and would
    never offer a sustained and serious response. They now know otherwise.
        Together with a coalition of nations, we have struck back against
    terror worldwide, capturing and killing terrorists and breaking cells
    and freezing assets. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban regime that
    harbored Al Qaida. In Iraq, we defeated a regime that sponsored terror,
    possessed and used weapons of mass destruction, and defied the United
    Nations Security Council for 12 years. We have helped to liberate people
    from oppression and fear.
        Today, with our help, the people of Iraq are working to create a
    free, functioning, and prosperous society. The terrorists know that if
    these efforts are successful, their ideology of hate will suffer a grave
    defeat. So they are attacking our forces, international aid workers, and
    innocent civilians. Their goal is to drive us out of Iraq before our
    work is done. They are mistaken, and they will fail. We will do what is
    necessary to win this victory in the war on terror.

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        We are following a clear strategy with three objectives: Destroy the
    terrorists; enlist international support for a free Iraq; and quickly
    transfer authority to the Iraqi people. Through a series of ongoing
    operations, our military is taking direct action against Saddam
    loyalists and foreign terrorists. One major effort underway right now,
    called Operation Longstreet, is seeking and finding our enemies wherever
    they hide and plot. Already, this operation has yielded hundreds of
    detainees and seized hundreds of weapons, and we will remain on the
    offensive against the terrorists.
        We are expanding international cooperation in rebuilding Iraq. Today
    in Geneva, Secretary of State Powell is
    meeting with Secretary-General of the United Nations and representatives of the five permanent members of the
    Security Council. They are discussing ideas for a new resolution to
    encourage wider participation in this vital task.
        And we're moving forward on a specific plan to return sovereignty
    and authority to the Iraqi people. We have created a Governing Council
    made up of Iraqi citizens. The Council has selected a committee that is
    developing a process through which Iraqis will draft a new constitution
    for their country. Day-to-day operations of many government tasks have
    been turned over to ministers appointed by the Governing Council. And
    when a constitution has been drafted and ratified by the Iraqi people,
    Iraq will enjoy free and fair elections, and the coalition will yield
    its remaining authority to a free and sovereign Iraqi Government.
        We have a strategy in Iraq and a mission. We will fight and defeat
    the terrorists there so we don't have to face them in America. And we
    will help transform Iraq into a example of progress and democracy and
    freedom that can inspire change and hope throughout the Middle East.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 1:20 p.m. on September 11 in the
    Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on September
    13. In his remarks, the President referred to Secretary-General Kofi
    Annan of the United Nations. The transcript was made available by the
    Office of the Press Secretary on September 12 but was embargoed for
    release until the broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also
    released a Spanish language transcript of this address.