    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [April 2, 2005]
    [Pages 548-550]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    April 2, 2005

        Good morning. Before I begin today, I would like to say a word about
    Pope John Paul II. His Holiness is a
    faithful servant of God and a champion of human dignity and freedom. He
    is an inspiration to us all. Laura and I join
    millions of Americans and so many around the world who are praying for
    the Holy Father.
        This week, the members of the independent Commission looking into
    America's

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    intelligence capabilities presented their report. I asked these men and
    women to give an unvarnished look at our intelligence about weapons of
    mass destruction, and they have delivered. I appreciate their hard work.
    Their recommendations are thoughtful and extremely significant, and
    their central conclusion is one that I share: America's intelligence
    community needs fundamental change to enable us to successfully confront
    the threats of the 21st century.
        My administration has already taken steps consistent with the
    Commission's recommendations. In February, I nominated John
    Negroponte to be our first Director of
    National Intelligence. This post was created to help ensure that our
    intelligence community works as a single, unified enterprise. When
    Members of Congress return to Washington, I urge them to move quickly on
    his confirmation because he will have a key role in the continued reform
    and restructuring of our intelligence capabilities.
        This week, I also directed Homeland Security Adviser Fran
    Townsend to oversee the interagency
    review of the Commission's findings and ensure that concrete action is
    taken.
        The Commission's report delivers a sharp critique of the way
    intelligence has been collected and analyzed against some of the most
    difficult intelligence targets, like Iraq. To win the war on terror, we
    will correct what needs to be fixed and build on what the Commission
    calls ``solid intelligence successes.'' These include the uncovering of
    Libya's nuclear and missile programs, which led Libya's leader to
    renounce weapons of mass destruction. In Pakistan, our intelligence
    helped expose and shut down the world's most dangerous nuclear
    proliferation network. We need to learn from the successes we've had and
    apply the lessons elsewhere.
        We also acknowledge the hard work and sacrifices of the men and
    women in our intelligence community. These talented people are on the
    frontlines in the war on terror. Their work is critical. We must prevent
    terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass murder that they would use
    against our people.
        The work our intelligence community is doing is also extremely
    difficult. Every day, dangerous regimes are working to conceal their
    programs and their possible relationships with terrorists. And the work
    our intelligence men and women do is, by nature, secret. The American
    people never hear about many of America's intelligence successes, but
    I'm aware of them. I'm proud of our efforts of our intelligence workers
    to defend our country, and the American people should be as well.
        The President and his national security team must have intelligence
    that is timely and accurate. In its report, the Commission points out
    that America needs to know much more about the weapons programs and
    intentions of our most dangerous adversaries. The members of the
    Commission have given useful and important guidance that will help
    transform our intelligence capabilities for the needs of a dangerous new
    century, and we will continue to give our intelligence professionals the
    tools they need and the structure they deserve so they can succeed in
    their essential work.
        It is not possible to guarantee perfect security in our vast free
    Nation, but at a time when we're at war and our margin for error is
    getting smaller, the consequences of underestimating a threat could be
    tens of thousands of innocent lives. I can assure you that the men and
    women in our intelligence community are working around the clock and
    doing everything they can to keep us safe, and my administration will
    continue to make intelligence reforms that will allow them to identify
    threats before they fully emerge so we can take action to protect the
    American people.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:34 a.m. on April 1 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April

    [[Page 550]]

    2. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on April 1 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.
    In his address, the President referred to Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-
    Qadhafi, leader of Libya. He also referred to the Commission on the
    Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass
    Destruction. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.