    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [July 12, 2004]
    [Pages 1287-1292]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
    July 12, 2004

        Thank you for the warm welcome. I realize the Y-12 National Security
    Complex doesn't get a lot of visitors--[laughter]. Thanks for the
    special arrangements. I'm also glad to have the opportunity to thank
    each one of you for the vital work you do here. And please pass the word
    to your fellow employees, many of whom were waving, I want you to know,
    as we drove in, for which I'm thankful. The Nation counts on your great
    expertise and your professionalism in producing, protecting, and
    maintaining material that is critical to our security. America is safer
    because of your service at Oak Ridge. You need to know our Nation is
    grateful for that service.
        I appreciate our Secretary of Energy, Spence Abraham. He traveled with me today. Thank you, Mr. Secretary,
    for your service.
        I want to thank Jeffrey Wadsworth, who's the Director of Oak Ridge
    National Laboratory. It's not the first time I have met
    Jeffrey. I appreciate Jon
    Kreykes. I want to thank all the people who
    helped make this visit a successful visit.
        I want to thank Senator Lamar Alexander,
    the other Members of the United States Congress who are traveling with
    us today--strong supporters, by the way, of Oak Ridge.
        I appreciate the mayor being here, David Bradshaw. Mr. Mayor, appreciate you taking time to come. I want to
    thank my fellow citizens for giving me a chance to come and visit.
        I've just had a close look at some of the dangerous equipment
    secured in this place. Eight months ago, the centrifuge parts and
    processing equipment for uranium were 5,000 miles away in the nation of
    Libya. They were part of a secret nuclear weapons program. Today, Libya,
    America, and the world are better off because these components are
    safely in your care.
        These materials are the sobering evidence of a great danger. Certain
    regimes, often with ties to terrorist groups, seek the ultimate weapons
    as a shortcut to influence. These materials voluntarily turned over by
    the Libyan Government are also encouraging evidence that nations can
    abandon these ambitions and choose a better way.
        Libya is dismantling its weapons of mass destruction and long-range
    missile programs. This progress came about through quiet diplomacy
    between America, Britain, and the Libyan Government. This progress was
    set in motion, however, by policies declared in public to all the world.
    The United States, Great Britain, and many other nations are determined
    to expose the threats of terrorism and proliferation and to oppose those
    threats with all our power. We have sent this message in the strongest
    diplomatic terms, and we have acted where action was required.
        Every potential adversary now knows that terrorism and proliferation
    carry serious

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    consequences, and that the wise course is to abandon those pursuits. By
    choosing that course, the Libyan Government is serving the interests of
    its own people and adding to the security of all nations.
        America's determination to actively oppose the threats of our time
    was formed and fixed on September the 11th, 2001. On that day, we saw
    the cruelty of the terrorists and we glimpsed the future they intend for
    us. They intend to strike the United States to the limits of their
    power. They seek weapons of mass destruction to kill Americans on an
    even greater scale. And this danger is increased when outlaw regimes
    build or acquire weapons of mass destruction and maintain ties to
    terrorist groups.
        This is our danger but not our fate. America has the resources and
    the strength and the resolve to overcome this threat. We are waging a
    broad and unrelenting war against terror and an active campaign against
    proliferation. We refuse to live in fear. We are making steady progress.
        To protect our people, we're staying on the offensive against
    threats within our own country. We are using the PATRIOT Act to track
    terrorist activity and to break up terror cells. Intelligence and law
    enforcement officials are sharing information as never before. We've
    transformed the mission of the FBI to focus on preventing terrorism.
    Every element of our homeland security plan is critical because the
    terrorists are ruthless and resourceful, and we know they're preparing
    to attack us again. It's not possible to guarantee perfect security in
    our vast, free Nation. But I can assure our fellow Americans, many fine
    professionals in intelligence and national security and homeland
    security and law enforcement are working around the clock, doing
    everything they can to protect the country. And we're grateful to them
    all.
        To overcome the dangers of our time, America is also taking a new
    approach in the world. We're determined to challenge new threats, not
    ignore them or simply wait for future tragedy. We're helping to build a
    hopeful future in hopeless places, instead of allowing troubled regions
    to remain in despair and explode in violence. Our goal is a lasting,
    democratic peace in which free nations are free from the threat of
    sudden terror.
        Our strategy for peace has three commitments: First, we are
    defending the peace by taking the fight to the enemy. We will confront
    them overseas so we do not have to confront them here at home. We are
    destroying the leadership of terrorist networks in sudden raids,
    disrupting their planning and financing, and keeping them on the run.
    Month by month, we are shrinking the space in which they can freely
    operate by denying them territory and the support of governments.
        Second, we're protecting the peace by working with friends and
    allies and international institutions to isolate and confront terrorists
    and outlaw regimes. America is leading a broad coalition of nations to
    disrupt proliferation. We're working with the United Nations, the
    International Atomic Energy Agency, and other international
    organizations to take action in our common security. The global threat
    of terrorism requires a global response. To be effective, that global
    response requires leadership, and America will lead.
        Third, we are extending the peace by supporting the rise of
    democracy and the hope and progress that democracy brings, as the
    alternative to hatred and terror in the broader Middle East. In
    democratic and successful societies, men and women do not swear
    allegiance to malcontents and murderers; they turn their hearts and
    labor to building better lives. And democratic governments do not
    shelter terrorist camps or attack their peaceful neighbors. When justice
    and democracy advance, so does the hope of lasting peace.
        We have followed this strategy--defending the peace, protecting the
    peace, and extending the peace--for nearly 3 years. We have been focused
    and patient, firm

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    and consistent. And the results are all now clear to see.
        Three years ago, the nation of Afghanistan was the home base of Al
    Qaida, a country ruled by the Taliban, one of the most backward and
    brutal regimes of modern history. Schooling was denied girls. Women were
    whipped in the streets and executed in a sports stadium. Millions lived
    in fear. With protection from the Taliban, Al Qaida and its associates
    trained, indoctrinated, and sent forth thousands of killers to set up
    terror cells in dozens of countries, including our own.
        Today, Afghanistan is a world away from the nightmare of the
    Taliban. That country has a good and just President. Boys and girls are
    being educated. Many refugees have returned home to rebuild their
    country, and a Presidential election is scheduled for this fall. The
    terror camps are closed and the Afghan Government is helping us to hunt
    the Taliban and terrorists in remote regions. Today, because we acted to
    liberate Afghanistan, a threat has been removed and the American people
    are safer.
        Three years ago, Pakistan was one of the few countries in the world
    that recognized the Taliban regime. Al Qaida was active and recruiting
    in Pakistan and was not seriously opposed. Pakistan served as a transit
    point for Al Qaida terrorists leaving Afghanistan on missions of murder.
    Yet the United States was not on good terms with Pakistan's military and
    civilian leaders, the very people we would need to help shut down Al
    Qaida operations in that part of the world.
        Today, the Governments of the United States and Pakistan are working
    closely in the fight against terror. President Musharraf is a friend of our country who helped us capture
    Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the operational
    planner behind the September the 11th attacks. And Pakistani forces are
    rounding up terrorists along their nation's western border. Today,
    because we're working with the Pakistani leaders, Pakistan is an ally in
    the war on terror and the American people are safer.
        Three years ago, terrorists were well-established in Saudi Arabia.
    Inside that country, fundraisers and other facilitators gave Al Qaida
    financial and logistical help with little scrutiny or opposition. Today,
    after the attacks in Riyadh and elsewhere, the Saudi Government knows
    that Al Qaida is its enemy. Saudi Arabia is working hard to shut down
    the facilitators and financial supporters of terrorism. The Government
    has captured or killed many first-tier leaders of the Al Qaida
    organization in Saudi Arabia, including one last week. Today, because
    Saudi Arabia has seen the danger and has joined the war on terror, the
    American people are safer.
        Three years ago, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of America who
    provided safe haven for terrorists, used weapons of mass destruction,
    and turned his nation into a prison. Saddam Hussein was not just a dictator; he was a proven mass murderer
    who refused to account for weapons of mass murder. Every responsible
    nation recognized this threat and knew it could not go on forever.
        America must remember the lessons of September the 11th. We must
    confront serious dangers before they fully materialize. And so my
    administration looked at the intelligence on Iraq, and we saw a threat.
    Members of the United States Congress from both political parties looked
    at the same intelligence, and they saw a threat. The United Nations
    Security Council looked at the intelligence, and it saw a threat. The
    previous administration and the Congress looked at the intelligence and
    made regime change in Iraq the policy of our country.
        In 2002, the United Nations Security Council yet again demanded a
    full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons
    programs. As he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein refused to comply.
    In fact, according to former weapons inspector David Kay, Iraq's weapons programs were

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    elaborately shielded by security and deception operations that continued
    even beyond the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom. So I had a choice to
    make: Either take the word of a madman, or defend America. Given that
    choice, I will defend America every time. [Applause] Thanks.
        Although we have not found stockpiles of weapons of mass
    destruction, we were right to go into Iraq. We removed a declared
    enemy of America who had the capability of
    producing weapons of mass murder and could have passed that capability
    to terrorists bent on acquiring them. In the world after September the
    11th, that was a risk we could not afford to take.
        Today, the dictator who caused decades of
    death and turmoil, who twice invaded his neighbors, who harbored
    terrorist leaders, who used chemical weapons on innocent men, women, and
    children, is finally before the bar of justice. Iraq, which once had the
    worst government in the Middle East, is now becoming an example of
    reform to the region. And Iraqi security forces are fighting beside
    coalition troops to defeat the terrorists and foreign fighters who
    threaten their nation and the world. Today, because America and our
    coalition helped to end the violent regime of Saddam Hussein and because
    we're helping to raise a peaceful democracy in its place, the American
    people are safer.
        Three years ago, the nation of Libya, a longtime supporter of
    terror, was spending millions to acquire chemical and nuclear weapons.
    Today, thousands of Libya's chemical munitions have been destroyed. And
    nuclear processing equipment that could ultimately have threatened the
    lives of hundreds of thousands is stored away right here in Oak Ridge,
    Tennessee. Today, because the Libyan Government saw the seriousness of
    the civilized world and correctly judged its own interests, the American
    people are safer.
        Three years ago, a private weapons proliferation network was doing
    business around the world. This network, operated by the Pakistani
    nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, was selling
    nuclear plans and equipment to the highest bidder and found willing
    buyers in places like Libya, Iran, and North Korea. Today, the A.Q. Khan
    network is out of business. We have ended one of the most dangerous
    sources of proliferation in the world, and the American people are
    safer.
        Breaking this proliferation network was possible because of the
    outstanding work done by the CIA. Dedicated intelligence officers were
    tireless in obtaining vital information, sometimes at great personal
    risk. Our intelligence services do an essential job for America. I thank
    them for their dedication and hard work.
        The Senate Intelligence Committee has identified some shortcomings
    in our intelligence capabilities; the committee's report will help us in
    the work of reform. Our Nation needs more intelligence agents--what is
    called human intelligence--to cover the globe. We must have the best
    cutting-edge technology to listen and look for dangers. We must have
    better coordination among intelligence services. I need and the Congress
    needs the best possible intelligence in order to protect the American
    people. We're determined to make sure we get it.
        Three years ago, the world was very different. Terrorists planned
    attacks with little fear of discovery or reckoning. Outlaw regimes
    supported terrorists and defied the civilized world without shame and
    with few consequences. Weapons proliferators sent their deadly shipments
    and grew wealthy, encountering few obstacles to their trade.
        The world changed on September the 11th, and since that day, we have
    changed the world. We are leading a steady, confident, systematic
    campaign against the dangers of our time. There are still terrorists who
    plot against us, but the ranks of their leaders are thinning, and they
    know what fate awaits them. There are still regimes actively supporting
    the terrorists, but fewer

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    than there used to be. There are still outlaw regimes pursuing weapons
    of mass destruction, but the world no longer looks the other way. Today,
    because America has acted and because America has led, the forces of
    terror and tyranny have suffered defeat after defeat and America and the
    world are safer.
        All this progress has been achieved with the help of other
    responsible nations. The case of Libya's nuclear disarmament is a good
    example. In the fall of 2003, American and British intelligence were
    tracking a large shipment of nuclear equipment bound for Tripoli aboard
    a German-registered cargo ship. We alerted German and Italian
    authorities, who diverted the ship to an Italian port where the cargo
    was confiscated. We worked together. These events helped encourage Libya
    to reconsider its nuclear ambitions. That was a dramatic breakthrough,
    achieved by allies working together. And the cooperation of America's
    allies in the war on terror is very, very strong.
        We're grateful to the more than 60 nations that are supporting the
    Proliferation Security Initiative to intercept illegal weapons and
    equipment by sea, land, and air. We're grateful to the more than 30
    nations with forces serving in Iraq and the nearly 40 nations with
    forces in Afghanistan. In the fight against terror, we've asked our
    allies to do hard things. They've risen to their responsibilities. We're
    proud to call them friends.
        We have duties, and there will be difficulties ahead. We're working
    with responsible governments and international institutions to convince
    the leaders of North Korea and Iran that their nuclear weapons ambitions
    are deeply contrary to their own interests.
        We're helping governments fight poverty and disease so they do not
    become failed states and future havens for terror. We've launched our
    Broader Middle East Initiative to encourage reform and democracy
    throughout the region, a project that will shape the history of our
    times for the better. We're working to build a free and democratic
    Palestinian state, which lives in peace with Israel and adds to the
    peace of the region.
        We're keeping our commitments to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq,
    who are building the world's newest democracies. They're counting on us
    to help. We will not abandon them. Delivering these nations from tyranny
    has required sacrifice and loss. We will honor that sacrifice by
    finishing the great work we have begun.
        In this challenging period of our history, Americans fully
    understand the dangers to our country. We remain a nation at risk,
    directly threatened by an enemy that plots in secret to cause terrible
    harm and grief. We remain a nation at war, fighting for our security,
    our freedom, and our way of life. We also see our advantages clearly.
    Americans have a history of rising to every test; our generation is no
    exception. We've not forgotten September the 11th, 2001. We will not
    allow our enemies to forget it either.
        We have strong allies, including millions of people in the Middle
    East who want to live in freedom. And the ideals we stand for have a
    power of their own. The appeal of justice and liberty, in the end, is
    greater than the appeal of hatred and tyranny in any form. The war on
    terror will not end in a draw. It will end in a victory, and you and I
    will see that victory of human freedom.
        I want to thank you all for coming. Thank you for your dedication.
    May God bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless our
    great country. Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:18 a.m. in Building 4500 of the
    laboratory. In his remarks, he referred to Jon Kreykes, manager,
    National Security Advanced Technology Programs, Oak Ridge National
    Laboratory; Mayor David Bradshaw of Oak Ridge, TN; President Hamid
    Karzai of Afghanistan;

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    President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan; and former President Saddam
    Hussein of Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a
    Spanish language transcript of these remarks.