    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [August 23, 2003]
    [Pages 1053-1054]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    August 23, 2003

        Good morning. Earlier this week, terrorists struck the United
    Nations headquarters in Baghdad. The U.N. personnel and Iraqi citizens
    killed in the bombings were engaged in a purely humanitarian mission.
    Men and women in the building were working on reconstruction, medical
    care for Iraqis, and the distribution of food. Among the dead was Sergio
    Vieira de Mello, the U.N.
    Representative for Iraq, a good man serving an important cause.
        On the same day, a terrorist in Jerusalem murdered 20 innocent
    people riding a bus, including 5 Americans. The killer had concealed
    under his clothing a bomb filled with metal fragments, designed to kill
    and injure the greatest number of people possible. Among the 110 people
    hurt were 40 children.
        These two bombings reveal once again the nature of the terrorists
    and why they must be defeated. In their malicious view of the world, no
    one is innocent. Relief workers and infants alike are targeted for
    murder. Terrorism may use religion as a disguise, but terrorism violates
    every religion and every standard of decency and morality.
        The terrorists have declared war on every free nation and all our
    citizens. Their goals are clear: They want more governments to resemble
    the oppressive Taliban that once ruled Afghanistan. Terrorists commit
    atrocities because they want the civilized world

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    to flinch and retreat so they can impose their totalitarian vision.
    There will be no flinching in this war on terror, and there will be no
    retreat.
        From Afghanistan to Iraq to the Philippines and elsewhere, we are
    waging a campaign against the terrorists and their allies wherever they
    gather, wherever they plan, and wherever they act. This campaign
    requires sacrifice, determination, and resolve, and we will see it
    through. Iraq is an essential front in this war. Now we're fighting
    terrorists and remnants of that regime who have everything to lose from
    the advance of freedom in the heart of the Middle East.
        In most of Iraq, there is steady movement toward reconstruction and
    a stable, self-governing society. This progress makes the remaining
    terrorists even more desperate and willing to lash out against symbols
    of order and hope like coalition forces and U.N. personnel. The world
    will not be intimidated. A violent few will not determine the future of
    Iraq, and there will be no return to the days of Saddam
    Hussein's torture chambers and mass graves.
        Working with Iraqis, coalition forces are on the offensive against
    these killers. Aided by increasing flow of intelligence from ordinary
    Iraqis, we are stepping up raids, seizing enemy weapons, and capturing
    enemy leaders. The United States, the United Nations, and the civilized
    world will continue to stand with the people of Iraq as they reclaim
    their nation and their future.
        We're determined as well not to let murderers decide the future of
    the Middle East. A Palestinian state will never be built on a foundation
    of violence. The hopes of that state and the security of Israel both
    depend on an unrelenting campaign against terror, waged by all parties
    in the region. In the Middle East, true peace has deadly enemies. Yet
    America will be a consistent friend of every leader who works for peace
    by actively opposing violence.
        All nations of the world face a challenge and a choice. In continued
    acts of murder and destruction, terrorists are testing our will, hoping
    we will weaken and withdraw. Yet across the world, they are finding that
    our will cannot be shaken. Whatever the hardships, we will persevere. We
    will continue this war on terror until all the killers are brought to
    justice, and we will prevail.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 10:30 a.m. on August 22 in Bend, OR,
    for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on August 23. The transcript was made
    available by the Office of the Press Secretary on August 22 but was
    embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this address.