[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[September 10, 2003]
[Pages 1133-1139]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy in Quantico,
Virginia
September 10, 2003
The President. Thanks a lot. Please be seated. Thanks for the warm
welcome. I'm proud to visit the FBI Academy here at Quantico, where so
much hard and essential work in the war on terror goes on.
The FBI Academy, new agents who risk their lives to keep America
safe learn their craft. In forensics lab, experts examine vital evidence
that leads to victory against terror. In the engineering research
facility, specialists apply the latest technology to fight crime and
terror. You do a terrific job for the American people, and I'm here to
tell you our Nation is grateful.
Quantico is also known as the ``crossroad of the Corps''----
Audience members. Hooah!
The President. ----since so many Marines pass through the Marine
Corps University here. I'm sure it's just a coincidence
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that Quantico, population 561 fine souls, is said to have the highest
number of barber shops--[laughter]--per capita than any town in the
Nation. What strikes me, it looks like all those barbers specialize in
one kind of haircut. [Laughter]
I appreciate the men and women who wear our Nation's uniform. The
Marines make us proud. I appreciate the men and women from the
Department of Homeland Security who are with us today. You've been given
a great responsibility, and you're carrying it out with focus and
professionalism.
I want to thank the DEA agents who are with us today. By working to
keep drug money from financing terror, you're playing an important part
of this war. I also thank the first-responders from the nearby
communities who are with us today. You're the ones Americans count on in
times of emergency, and you do not let us down.
The lives of every person here were changed by the events of
September the 11th, 2001. You felt the anger and the sense of loss that
day. You stood ready to serve your country in a time of need. And each
of you now has a part in protecting America against the threats of a new
era.
For 2 years, this Nation has been on the offensive against global
terror networks, overseas and at home. We've taken unprecedented,
effective measures to protect this homeland. Yet, our Nation has more to
do. We will never be complacent. We will defend our people, and we will
win this war.
I appreciate the Attorney General being
here today. I picked a good man, who's doing a fine job on behalf of all
Americans, when I picked John Ashcroft to be the Attorney General of the
United States.
I appreciate my friend Tom Ridge. See, we were
both Governors at one time, so I got to know him as the Governor of a
relatively small State--[laughter]--Pennsylvania. He did a great job as
Governor. He's been given an enormous task to reorganize our Government.
I'm proud that he's taken on the Secretary of the Department of Homeland
Security. I'm proud of the job he's doing on behalf of America.
I'm also honored to be up here with Bob Mueller, who is the head of the FBI. He was just recounting what
it was like to go to the Marine Corps University--a couple of decades
ago. [Laughter] A proud Marine then, he's now proud to run the FBI. He
knows what I know: Our Nation is fortunate to have such fine men and
women work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
I appreciate John Gordon being up here. He's
the Homeland Security Adviser, works right there in the White House. I
meet with him every single day. He's got good, sound judgment and good
advice. I'm honored that Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis is with us today. Congresswoman, we're glad you're here.
Thank you for coming today. I appreciate Dwight Adams, who is the Director of the FBI Laboratory. He just gave me
a fine tour. It's pretty sophisticated facilities. I appreciate the
chance to see it.
Tomorrow, America will mark a sad anniversary. The memories of
September 11th will never leave us. We will not forget the burning
towers and the last phone calls and the smoke over Arlington. We will
not forget the rescuers who ran toward danger and the passengers who
rushed the hijackers. We will not forget the men and women who went to
work on a typical day and never came home. We will not forget the death
of schoolchildren who were on a school trip.
And we will never forget the servants of evil who plotted the
attacks. And we will never forget those who rejoiced at our grief and
our mourning.
America honors and remembers the names of all victims. And tomorrow,
some families will be thinking of one name in particular, a person they
still love and deeply miss. The prayers of our whole Nation are with the
families of the lost who feel a grief that does not end.
Tomorrow's anniversary is a time for remembrance. Yet history asked
more than
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memory. The attacks on this Nation revealed the intentions of a
determined and ruthless enemy that still plots against our people. The
forces of global terror cannot be appeased, and they cannot be ignored.
They must be hunted; they must be found; and they will be defeated. We
will not wait for further attacks on innocent Americans. The best way to
protect the American people is to stay on the offensive, to stay on the
offensive at home and to stay on the offensive overseas.
And that is what this country is doing. We've undertaken a global
campaign against terrorist networks. We're going after the terrorists
wherever they hide and wherever they plan. We will keep them on the run.
We'll bring them to justice. We have made clear the doctrine that says,
``If you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide a
terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists.'' We're holding
regimes accountable for harboring and supporting terror.
We're determined to prevent terrorist networks from gaining weapons
of mass destruction. We're committed to spreading democracy and
tolerance and freedom in the Middle East, to replace the hatred and
bitterness with progress and hope and peace.
These 24 months have been a time of progress against the enemy.
Terrorists have lost their training camps in Afghanistan. They lost the
protection of the Taliban. Al Qaida has lost nearly two-thirds of its
known leaders. They've either been captured or they've been killed.
Terror networks have lost access to some $200 million, which we have
frozen or seized in more than 1,400 terrorist accounts around the world.
The terrorists have lost a sponsor in Iraq. And no terrorist networks
will ever gain weapons of mass destruction from Saddam
Hussein's regime. That regime is no more.
Now we are engaged in other essential missions in the war on
terrorism. We're helping the Afghan people to build free institutions
after years of oppression. We're working with the Iraqi people to build
a new home for freedom and democracy at the heart of the Middle East.
The spread of freedom is one of the keys to the victory against terror.
The Middle East will either be a place of increasing hope or a place of
a bitterness and violence that exports terrorism--exports terrorism to
America or other Nations. By removing the tyrants who support terror and
by ending the hopelessness that feeds terror, we are helping the people
of the Middle East, and we're strengthening the security of America.
The terrorists understand what is at stake. They understand that the
advance of freedom will discredit their cause, and they know that the
advance of freedom will isolate them from sources of support. That is
why Saddam holdouts and foreign terrorists
are desperately trying to throw Iraq into chaos by attacking our forces,
by killing aid workers, by destroying innocent Iraqis. This collection
of killers is desperately trying to shake the will of the civilized
world, but America will not be intimidated.
We are following a clear strategy with three objectives: We're going
to destroy the terrorists; we'll enlist the support for a free Iraq--
international support for a free Iraq; and we'll quickly transfer
authority to the Iraqi people. We're aggressively striking the
terrorists in Iraq with great troops. We're using better intelligence,
because we know when we defeat them there, we won't have to face them in
our own country.
We're calling on other nations to help Iraqis build a free nation,
which will make us all more secure. We're helping the Iraqi people
assume more of their own defense and move toward self-government. I
recognize these are not easy tasks, but they're essential tasks. And
this country will do what is ever necessary to win this victory in the
war on terror.
As we wage this war abroad, we must remember where it began, here on
our homeland. In this new kind of war, the enemy's objective is to
strike us on our
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own territory and make our people live in fear. This danger places all
of you, every person here and the people you work with, on the
frontlines of the war on terror.
Our methods for fighting this war at home are very different from
those we use abroad. Yet our strategy is the same: We're on the
offensive against terror; we're determined to stop the enemy before they
can strike our people.
Every morning I am briefed from the latest information on the
threats to our country, and those threats are real. The enemy is wounded
but still resourceful and actively recruiting and still dangerous. We
cannot afford a moment of complacency. Yet, as you know, we've taken
extraordinary measures these past 2 years to protect America. And we're
making progress. There are solid results that we can report to the
American people.
We have shut down phony charities that serve as fronts for
terrorists. We've thwarted terrorists in Buffalo and Seattle, in
Portland, Detroit, North Carolina, and Tampa, Florida. More than 260
suspected terrorists have been charged in United States courts; more
than 140 have already been convicted.
We're making progress because we have got skilled professionals on
the job, and we've got a clear strategy. We reorganized our Government
to enhance our strategy, and we set three national objectives for
homeland security: One, to prevent attacks on America; to reduce our
vulnerabilities; and to prepare for any attack that might come.
Under Director Mueller, the FBI
is transforming itself to face the new threats of our time. Instead of
just investigating past crimes, the agency is now dedicated to
preventing future attacks. Since September the 11th, the share of FBI
resources dedicating to fighting terror has more than doubled. The
agency remains fully committed to its traditional law enforcement
duties. Yet now the FBI is better at analyzing threats and sharing more
information with other agencies at every level of Government. The FBI,
much to the chagrin of the enemy, is fully engaged on the war on terror.
America is proud of your efforts.
To make our antiterror efforts more effective, we established the
Terrorism Threat Integration Center to merge and analyze in a single
place all the vital intelligence on global terror from across our
Government. We're doing a better job of talking to each other. The left
hand now knows what the right hand is doing. We're gathering
intelligence and preparing the homeland and the people in charge of
protecting the homeland with the best information we can possibly find.
We also have merged 22 Federal agencies into the Department of
Homeland Security. Employees of DHS go to work every day with a single
overriding responsibility, to make America more secure. Secretary Ridge
and his team have done a fine job in getting the difficult work of
organizing the Department, and we appreciate your service to America as
well.
DHS has spearheaded a massive overhaul of security at America's
airports. Some 48,000 professional screeners, employed and supervised by
the Transportation Security Administration, are now on the job across
America. With new equipment, we're now screening every bag that goes to
every airplane. The cockpit doors of every large passenger airplane that
flies in the United States have been hardened. Thousands of Federal air
marshals are flying on commercial flights. We're determined to protect
Americans who travel by plane and to prevent those planes from being
used as weapons against the American people.
The Department of Homeland Security is focused on making the border
more secure. Our Smart Border strategy uses technology and background
checks to allow law-abiding travelers to cross the border, while
officials concentrate on possible threats. We've improved the entry
process. People coming into the United States will soon
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be met by a single uniformed officer, rather than the separate officials
from Customs, Agricultural, and Immigration.
Working with the State Department, DHS is doing a better job of
screening visa applicants and keeping track of short-term visitors while
they're in our country. America will remain a welcoming society. We
welcome families and tourists, students and business people from other
countries. But our border must be closed to criminals and terrorists.
Since September the 11th, 2001, America has made the largest
commitment to securing our seaports since World War II. In these 2
years, the Coast Guard, which is now part of the Department of Homeland
Security, has conducted more than 124,000 port security patrols, more
than 13,300 air patrols, and has boarded more than 92,000 vessels. DHS
now requires electronic advance cargo manifests from ships 24 hours
before containers are loaded onto ships, giving officials time to check
for potential dangers. We're enforcing tough rules that require ports
and vessels and facilities to upgrade their security. This Nation is
determined to protect our ports from all the threats around the world.
We're determined as well to reduce the vulnerabilities of our
Nation's infrastructure. The Department of Homeland Security is working
closely with State and local governments to identify key vulnerabilities
in our communications systems, our power grids, and our transportation
networks, and we're taking action to protect them. DHS has established a
National Cyber Security Division to examine cybersecurity incidents, to
track attacks, and to coordinate nationwide responses. DHS is also
helping the operators of chemical facilities improve security. We're
working on Congress--with Congress on new legislation that establishes
uniform standards for security of chemical sites.
Even with all these measures, there is no such thing as perfect
security in a vast and free country. So all levels of government must be
prepared to respond quickly and effectively to any emergency. In
responding to most incidents, local officials such as firefighters will
be the first on the scene. America's first-responders need to be well-
equipped, and they need to be well-trained.
The Federal Government has a responsibility to help, and we're
meeting that responsibility. We've committed nearly $8 billion over the
past 2 years to better equip and train our State and local first-
responders and hospitals and laboratories. I proposed more than 5
billion more for the coming fiscal year. We're spending this money
wisely, I want you to know. We're targeting resources where they're
needed, where they'll do the most good.
An effective response system requires effective communications. You
know that. First-responders know what I'm talking about. So we're
upgrading communication systems all across the country to make sure that
people from all agencies, at all levels of government, can talk to one
another in crisis.
We're making a special effort to prepare for the possibility of a
biological or chemical attack. We've improved our ability to quickly
detect such attacks if they occur. We've enlarged the strategic national
stockpile of drugs and vaccines and medical supplies. We now have on
hand, for instance, enough smallpox vaccine to immunize every American
in the case of an emergency.
Earlier this year, I proposed Project BioShield which will speed the
development of new vaccines and treatments for biological agents that
could be used in a terrorist attack. The Senate needs to act on this
important measure. The House has acted, and I appreciate their action.
For the sake of national security, the Senate needs to pass Project
BioShield.
Since September the 11th, this Nation has been unrelenting in the
work on protecting the homeland. And we'll stay that way. That's our
duty. That's our job. We accept the responsibility.
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Across our Government, there's a new spirit, sense of mission. In
our country, Americans are volunteering to help, and I want to thank
them for that. For example, they're volunteering their expertise in the
Citizen Corps efforts to help local communities prepare for emergencies.
And I appreciate the bipartisan efforts in Congress to prepare our
country and to give law enforcement officials the tools they need.
Almost 2 years ago, I signed the USA Patriot Act. That essential
law, supported by a large bipartisan majority in the Congress, tore down
the walls that blocked America's intelligence and law enforcement
officials from sharing intelligence. It enabled our team to talk to each
other, to better prepare against an enemy which hates us because of what
we love--freedom.
The Patriot Act imposed tough new penalties on terrorists and those
who support them. But as the fight against terrorists progressed, we
have found areas where more help is required. Under current Federal law,
there are unreasonable obstacles to investigating and prosecuting
terrorism, obstacles that don't exist when law enforcement officials are
going after embezzlers or drug traffickers. For the sake of the American
people, Congress should change the law and give law enforcement
officials the same tools they have to fight terror that they have to
fight other crime.
Here's some examples. Administrative subpoenas, which enable law
enforcement officials to obtain certain records quickly, are critical to
many investigations. They're used in a wide range of criminal and civil
matters, including health care fraud and child abuse cases. Yet,
incredibly enough, in terrorism cases, where speed is often of the
essence, officials lack the authority to use administrative subpoenas.
If we can use these subpoenas to catch crooked doctors, the Congress
should allow law enforcement officials to use them in catching
terrorists.
Today, people charged with certain crimes, including some drug
offenses, are not eligible for bail. But terrorist-related crimes are
not on that list. Suspected terrorists could be released, free to leave
the country or worse, before the trial. This disparity in the law makes
no sense. If dangerous drug dealers can be held without bail in this
way, Congress should allow for the same treatment for accused
terrorists.
Let me give you another example. Under existing law, the death
penalty applies to many serious crimes that result in death, including
sexual abuse and certain drug-related offenses. Some terrorist crimes
that result in death do not qualify for capital punishment. Sabotaging a
defense installation or a nuclear facility in a way that takes innocent
life does not carry the Federal death penalty. This kind of technicality
should never protect terrorists from the ultimate justice.
These and other measures have long been on the books for other
crimes. They have been tested by time, affirmed by the court, and what
we are proposing, they are fully consistent with the United States
Constitution.
Members of the Congress agree that we need to close the loopholes--
not every Member, but a lot of them agree with that. People in law
enforcement are counting on Congress to follow through. We're asking a
lot of these folks out here. You need to have every tool at your
disposal to be able to do your job on behalf of the American people. The
House and the Senate have a responsibility to act quickly on these
matters. Untie the hands of our law enforcement officials so they can
fight and win the war against terror.
Two years ago, this Nation saw the face of a new enemy. We
discovered that there is no safety behind vast oceans. For our own
safety, we resolve to take the battle to the enemy. America is making
progress on every front--every front--in this war. For that progress, we
know who to thank. We thank the men and women who wear
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our Nation's uniform. We thank their families. We thank our intelligence
officers. We thank every branch of law enforcement. We thank our first-
responders.
All of you may serve on different fronts, but you're serving in the
same war. I don't know how long this war will go on, but I do know this:
However long it takes, this Nation will prevail.
May God bless you all. Thank you all very much.
Note: The President spoke at 3:04 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to
Dwight E. Adams, Assistant Director, Laboratory Division, Federal Bureau
of Investigation; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The
Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
transcript of these remarks.