    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [November 4, 2003]
    [Pages 1461-1464]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the California Wildfires and an Exchange With Reporters in
    Harbison Canyon, California
    November 4, 2003

        The President. A lot of people in this neighborhood lost all their
    possessions, but the spirit is strong. America has got some wonderful
    citizenry who just refuse to be defeated. I met some families here that
    are obviously crushed by the material loss, and they look forward to
    rebuilding--rebuilding their lives. And the role of government, the
    Federal Government and the State government and the local government, is
    helping as best as we can.
        You know, the worst of nature can bring out the best in our fellow
    human beings. And to a person, they were thankful for the fact that
    neighbors do care about neighbors and people are helping people here.
    It's just tough for a lot of folks who live in this part of the world.
        I want to thank the supervisor and
    firefighters for welcoming us here.
        Let me answer a few questions, and we'll keep going.
        Q. What do you say to these people----
        The President. Hold it one second, please. We've got an order----
        Q. I'm sorry.

    Iraq/California Wildfires

        Q. Thanks, Mr. President. I've got a couple questions. One, what's
    your evaluation, your assessment of this scene you've seen here? And
    two, to more and more Americans, the situation in Iraq is looking like

    [[Page 1462]]

    a hot war. Are we back to major combat operations?
        The President. No, we're back to finding these terrorists and
    bringing them to justice. And we will continue to find the terrorists
    and bring them to justice. These people want to--``these people'' being
    the terrorists and those who would kill innocent life--want us to
    retreat. They want us to leave, because they know that a free and
    peaceful Iraq in their midst will damage their cause. And we will stay
    the course. We will do our job.
        First question?
        Q. What's your--what do you see when you look at this scene here?
        The President. I see more tragedy and heartache. I see the loss of a
    lot of material possessions. However, I see a strong spirit which exists
    here. I see people who are resolved to rebuild their lives. Amidst their
    tears, they do see hope, and that is a great tribute to the people in
    this part of California. This State has been devastated: Over 3,300
    homes have been destroyed; 4,000-some-odd structures have been
    destroyed; hundreds of thousands of acres have been burned. And yet the
    spirit is strong. People are resolved to move on with their life, and we
    want to help them. That's why I'm here with Federal agencies, with the
    Governor and Governor-elect, as well as local officials, all of whom are determined
    to provide the resources necessary to help.

    Iraq

        Q. Mr. President, again on Iraq, sir. Are you moving to a process of
    Iraqification, trying to use Iraqi----
        The President. What was the word?
        Q. Iraqification--to accelerate the transition to the Iraqi people,
    instead of bringing in more international aid. Are you having trouble
    getting a broader----
        The President. Randy, [Randall Mikkelsen, Reuters] we'll do both.
    We'll bring in aid from those countries that want to help. We had a very
    successful donors' conference. We just passed the supplemental
    yesterday. As you know, I look forward to signing it. I believe I'm
    going to sign it tomorrow. And it is a commitment by our Government and
    our country to help the Iraqis rebuild their society. And that
    rebuilding is part of the development of a peaceful and free Iraq. And a
    peaceful and free Iraq is essential to the security of the United
    States. This will help change the world in a positive way, so that years
    from now, people will sit back and say, ``Thank goodness America stayed
    the course and did what was necessary to win this battle in the war on
    terror.''
        Q. You seem to be accelerating the process of turning it over to
    Iraqis. Is that correct?
        The President. As you know, from the moment of liberating the
    country from Saddam Hussein, we have now
    stood up over 70,000 Iraqi citizens to be police, border patrol, and
    beginnings of the military, so that Iraqis will be able to run their own
    country. That has been our mission all along, to develop the conditions
    such that a free Iraq will emerge, run by the Iraqi citizens.
        You remember early on, I kept saying I've got great confidence in
    the capacity of the Iraq people to run their own country. And it is to
    this Nation's advantage that there be a peaceful and free Iraq. It's in
    our security interests. And it will help promote world peace for Iraq to
    emerge as a free and peaceful country.
        Edward [Ed Chen, Los Angeles Times].

    California Wildfires

        Q. Mr. President, clearly the residents here appreciate your coming
    and your seeing the devastation here. Do you bring additional help,
    beyond what has been announced, sir?
        The President. No, what I do is I answer questions, Ed, as to
    whether or not the help that is available is being delivered. Hopefully,
    I get the truth. I mean, if there is a frustration at the Federal level,
    I need to know about it. I haven't heard that yet.

    [[Page 1463]]

    I've been--frankly, Mike Brown and FEMA have been
    getting high marks. But I want to see, as best as the President can
    possibly see, the truth.
        First of all, I've seen the truth of the devastation of a fire.
    That's evident. Now I want to know whether or not the help that is
    available is being expedited and made available. So far the marks appear
    to be good. But if we're slow and if we're not doing what we need to be
    doing, we'll adjust and respond.

    Former President Saddam Hussein's Role in
    Iraq

        Q. You said that Saddam Hussein is no longer a menace, but there's
    reports that he may be behind these attacks. So how can we be sure that
    he is, in fact, no longer a menace?
        The President. Well, he's no longer running a country. He's no
    longer got rape rooms, no longer raping young girls, having young girls
    raped because their families don't agree with them. He's no longer
    torturing people. He's no longer developing mass graves. Remember, we
    discovered thousands and thousands and thousands of men, women, and
    children in mass graves in Iraq. He's no longer running the--no longer
    threatening people, and he is no longer in power. We'll get him. We'll
    find him.
        Q. He's not behind these attacks, though?
        The President. Oh, I'm sure he's trying to stir up trouble. As I've
    said, Saddam loyalists, those are the people, the torturers and murders
    and thugs that used to benefit from Saddam Hussein's regime are the
    ones--some of the ones creating the havoc, trying to create the
    conditions so that we leave, testing our will. And I'm sure that--I
    don't know, look, I can't tell you what he's doing. All I can tell you
    is, he's not running Iraq. And all I can tell you as well, there's a lot
    of--some people who are upset by the fact that he's no longer in power.

    Loss of Life in Iraq

        Q. Mr. President, as you know, Sunday was the deadliest day in Iraq
    since the end of major combat. What was your reaction to the downing of
    the Chinook and the 16 soldiers who were killed on board? And also,
    should Americans be prepared for more such deadly days ahead?
        The President. I am saddened any time that there's a loss of life.
    I'm saddened, because I know a family hurts. And there's a deep pain in
    somebody's heart. But I do want to remind the loved ones that their sons
    and daughters--or the sons in this case--died for a cause greater than
    themselves and a noble cause, which is the security of the United
    States. A free and secure Iraq is in our national security interests. We
    are at war.
        And it's essential that the people of America not forget the lessons
    of September the 11th, 2001. We are vulnerable to attack. There are
    people that hate us, and there are people who are willing to take
    thousands of lives in acts of tremendous violence. And the United States
    must understand that and adjust to the new realities. And part of that
    reality is defeating terrorism and defeating the terrorists.
        And that's precisely what the loved ones who died on that day were
    doing. They were making America more secure. And I want to thank their
    families for the ultimate sacrifice.
        Yes, ma'am. You've been very patient, unlike some of the others in
    the press corps----
        Q. Well, they took all my questions.
        The President. ----that's the case.

    California Wildfires

        Q. No, I'm kidding. You've had a chance to talk to a few of the
    families here. You know, I live here so I've seen the destruction, as
    I'm seeing it firsthand here for the first time. How do you continue to
    get these--give these folks hope? I mean, sometimes we're giving up.

    [[Page 1464]]

        The President. That's a really good question. The best thing I can
    do is to listen and hug and empathize as best as I can empathize. It's
    very difficult for me to put myself in their position, because it's
    their home and their possessions. As the lady just said, she said, ``All
    my pictures are gone. All my memories have been destroyed in one act of
    nature.'' And it is a sad moment for me to hear that.
        On the other hand, best as I possibly can, I try to encourage her
    and lift up her spirit by reminding her that some of the most precious
    things are still there, her husband, her daughter, who is, by the way,
    serving in the United States military. This was the lady up here with
    whom hopefully she'll be reunited soon and can hug and kiss and love.
        But it's a very sad moment to listen to the stories of those who are
    obviously devastated by what has taken place. And all our jobs, for
    those of us who are still standing, have got our lives intact, is to
    comfort and provide comfort and help.
        I met a lady at the airport when I
    landed at Miramar. She's a Red Cross volunteer. She spent 100 hours this
    week helping people who hurt. And I suspect the citizens here who are--
    at the darkest moments will find light when a fellow citizen loves them.
    And the response, as I understand, in this neighborhood had been
    terrific, where people have come together and they want to help their--
    help their fellow citizens.
        Okay, listen, thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:37 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Governor Gray Davis and Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger of
    California; Dianne Jacob, supervisor, second district, County of San
    Diego; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Mike Brown, Under
    Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of
    Homeland Security; and Red Cross volunteer Suellen Mayberry. A tape was
    not available for verification of the content of these remarks.