[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.