[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[March 31, 2005]
[Pages 541-543]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Prior to a Briefing on the Findings of the Commission on the 
Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass 
Destruction
March 31, 2005

Death of Theresa Marie Schiavo

    Today millions of Americans are saddened by the death of Terri 
Schiavo. Laura and I extend our condolences to 
Terri Schiavo's families. I appreciate the example of grace and dignity 
they have displayed at a difficult time. I urge all those who honor 
Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life, where all 
Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who 
live at the mercy of others.
    The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to 
protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions, 
the presumption should be in the favor of life.

Intelligence Capabilities

    The most solemn duty of the American President is to protect the 
American people. Since September the 11th, 2001, we've taken bold and 
vigorous steps to prevent further attacks and overcome emerging threats. 
We face a new and different kind of enemy. The threats today are 
unprecedented. The lives of our citizens are at stake. To protect them, 
we need the best intelligence possible, and we must stay ahead of 
constantly changing intelligence challenges.

    So last year I issued an Executive order creating an independent 
Commission to look at America's intelligence capabilities, especially 
our intelligence about weapons of mass destruction. I asked two fine 
Americans to chair this Commission, Judge Laurence Silberman and former Senator Chuck Robb. They have done an excellent job. I appreciate 
your service to our country.

    I also want to thank the other members of the Commission, Senator 
John McCain, Rick Levin, Harry Rowen, Walt 
Slocombe, Bill Studeman, Judge Patricia Wald, 
Chuck Vest, and Lloyd Cutler. I want to thank them for their hard work. They spent a 
lot of time on this project. I asked these distinguished individuals to 
give me an unvarnished look at our intelligence community, and they have 
delivered.

    This morning the Commission presented me with their recommendations, 
which are thoughtful and extremely significant. The 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.

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    My administration has taken steps consistent with the Commission's 
recommendations. In February, I named John Negroponte the first Director of National Intelligence, a post that 
was created to help ensure that our intelligence community works as a 
single, unified enterprise. It's important for Congress to move quickly 
on John's confirmation, because he'll have a key role in the continued 
reform and restructuring of intelligence capabilities.
    Today I've directed Homeland Secretary Adviser Fran 
Townsend to oversee the interagency 
process, to review the Commission's findings, and to ensure that 
concrete action is taken. The Commission report delivers a sharp 
critique of the way intelligence has been collected and analyzed against 
some of the most difficult intelligence targets, especially 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. In 
Pakistan, our intelligence helped expose and shut down the world's most 
dangerous nuclear proliferation network. Where we have had success, the 
Commission reports we have seen innovative collection techniques and a 
fusion of interagency intelligence capabilities. We must work to 
replicate these successes in other areas.
    The men and women of our intelligence community work hard, and the 
sacrifices they have made have helped protect America. And our Nation is 
grateful for their hard work. The work they're doing is critical. We 
need to prevent terrorists from getting their hands on the weapons of 
mass murder they would like to use against our citizens.
    The work of our intelligence community is extremely difficult work. 
Every day, dangerous regimes are working to prevent us from uncovering 
their programs and their possible relationships with terrorists. And the 
work our intelligence men and women do is, by nature, secret, which is 
why the American people never hear about many of their successes. I'm 
proud of the efforts of our intelligence workers, and I'm proud of their 
commitment to the security of our country. And the American people 
should be proud too.
    And that's why this report is important. It will enable these fine 
men and women to do their jobs in better fashion, to be able to more 
likely accomplish their mission, which is to protect the American 
people. And that's why I'm grateful to the Commission for this hard 
work.
    The President and his national security team must have intelligence 
that is timely and intelligence that is accurate. In their report today, 
the Commission points out that America needs to know much more about the 
weapons programs and intentions of our most dangerous adversaries. They 
have given us useful and important guidance that will help us transform 
our intelligence capabilities for the needs of a dangerous new century.
    In other words, we need to adjust. We need to understand the threats 
and adjust our capabilities to meet those threats. We will work to give 
our intelligence professionals the tools they need. Our collection and 
analysis of intelligence will never be perfect, but in an age where our 
margin for error is getting smaller, in an age in which we are at war, 
the consequences of underestimating a threat could be tens of thousands 
of innocent lives. And my administration will continue to make 
intelligence reforms that will allow us to identify threats before they 
fully emerge so we can take effective action to protect the American 
people.
    I'm grateful for your hard work. And now the Chairman of the Commission and the Cochairman of the Commission have agreed to answer 
your questions.

Note: The President spoke at 11:31 a.m. in Room 450 of the Dwight D. 
Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The Office of the

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Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these 
remarks.