    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [November 14, 2005]
    [Pages 1710-1716]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the War on Terror in Anchorage, Alaska
    November 14, 2005

        Thank you all. Thanks for the warm welcome. Laura and I were in the neighborhood--[laughter]--thought
    we'd come by to say hello to the Nation's ``Arctic Warriors.'' We're
    proud to stand with the courageous airmen of Elmendorf Air Force Base,
    the soldiers of Fort Richardson, the Coast Guard men and women here in
    Alaska, the men and women of the Alaskan Command, and all those who wear
    the uniform of our country.
        The General is right about one thing--
    [laughter]--I did live in Alaska. [Laughter] In 1974, and I remember it
    just the way it looked coming in on Air Force One, this vast, majestic
    land, so beautiful and full of decent, honorable, independent-minded
    people, people who love their country.
        Here at Elmendorf Air Force Base, you're defending our Nation's
    frontiers. You're securing freedom for future generations of Americans.
    Service men and women have departed this base to help liberate Iraq and
    Afghanistan, assist tsunami victims in Indonesia, and help those hit by
    the recent earthquake in Pakistan. Your courage and commitment are
    saving lives every day. First thing I want to tell you is the American
    people are grateful for your service and so is the Commander in Chief.
        I also want to thank the military families who are with us today.
    [Applause] Please be seated, unless you don't have a seat. [Laughter] I
    know that for many of you, Alaska is a long way from home, and it gets
    especially lonely when your loved ones are deployed on dangerous
    missions in distant lands. You have built a strong and close-knit
    community here. You support each other, and you support your loved ones
    who stand in harm's way. I am proud of our men and women in the Armed
    Forces, and I am grateful for the military families who stand behind
    them.
        I want to thank General Fraser and his
    wife, Rena. I appreciate Brigadier General Hawk
    Carlisle--kind of sounds like a
    general, Hawk Carlisle. [Laughter] I appreciate Craig
    Christensen and Hazen Baron.
        I want to thank Senator Lisa Murkowski
    for flying all the way from Washington today to make sure she was here
    to see her fellow Alaskans as well as to be with the President. It means
    a lot to me. I don't know if you know this or not, but after this
    speech, she said, ``Make sure you keep it short,'' because she's got to
    fly back to Washington this evening to make important votes for the
    people of Alaska. Lisa, thank you for your service. She's doing a fine

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    job, and I see she brought her
    parents with her.
        Governor and First Lady
    Nancy, thank you all for being here.
    We're proud to share the stage with you. I want to thank the Lieutenant
    Governor and his wife, Carolyn, for joining us. I appreciate the mayor of the City of
    Anchorage, Mayor Begich, and his wife,
    Deborah, for joining us today. I want to
    welcome former Governor Walter Hickel here
    today. He's a man who served his country and his State with dignity and
    class. I know we got a lot of State and statehouse folks and local
    folks; thank you all for being here. But most of all, thank you. Thanks
    for taking time out of your day to let me come by and share some
    thoughts with you.
         In the 20th century, the men and women of Elmendorf Air Force Base
    and Fort Richardson stood guard on the frontlines of freedom, serving in
    the shadow of the Soviet Union. From here, you gave our Nation ``Top
    Cover,'' standing ready to defend America at a moment's notice. And
    because of the courage of men and women like those who served here, the
    cause of liberty prevailed in the cold war, and millions who once lived
    in chains now live in freedom.
        On September the 11th, 2001, history called on our Nation to defend
    freedom once again. On that morning more than 4 years ago, Americans
    witnessed the violence and the hatred of a new enemy. We saw the
    terrorists' destructive vision for us and for all who love freedom. And
    in the face of this threat, our Nation has made a clear choice: We will
    confront this mortal danger; we will stay on the offensive; we will not
    wait to be attacked again; and we will press on until this war is won.
        This is a vital mission for our Armed Forces, and you're helping to
    carry out that mission. Since September the 11th, 2001, thousands of men
    and women from Elmendorf, Fort Richardson, U.S. Army Alaska, and Alaska
    National Guard have served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other fronts in the
    war on terror. The 517th Airlift Squadron has served for over a year in
    support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Crews from the 68th Medical
    Company have saved the lives of our injured and wounded in Afghanistan.
    The 172d Stryker Combat Team is taking the fight to the enemy with Task
    Force Freedom in Mosul. Soldiers of the 95th Chemical Company are in
    Kuwait dealing with port decontamination and hazardous material
    operations. And the Fourth Battalion of the 123d Aviation Regiment has
    been flying support missions throughout Iraq and Kuwait. From the
    deserts of Iraq to the mountains of Afghanistan, America's ``Arctic
    Warriors'' are leaving their mark and leaving a legacy of freedom.
        Each of you is a volunteer. You stepped forward and took an oath to
    defend America. And every day you put on your uniforms, you reflect our
    Nation's highest values and our greatest hopes. Through your hard work
    and dedication to duty, you are sacrificing to build a better and safer
    world for all Americans. And as you defend our freedom, the American
    people stand with you.
        Every man and woman who volunteers to defend our Nation deserves an
    unwavering commitment to the mission and a clear strategy for victory.
    And a clear strategy begins with a clear understanding of the enemy we
    face. For more than 4 years, we've seen the brutal nature of the
    terrorists. They've targeted the innocent in many countries, people from
    all walks of life. In Casablanca, they killed diners enjoying their
    evening meal. In Bali, they killed tourists who were on a holiday. In
    Beslan, they killed Russian school children. They've murdered workers in
    Riyadh, commuters in Madrid, and hotel guests in Jakarta, and guests at
    a wedding celebration in Amman, Jordan. They kill Iraqi children in
    Baghdad.
        The tragic images of innocent victims can make it seem like these
    terrorist attacks are random and isolated acts of madness. While these
    killers choose their victims indiscriminately, their attacks flow from
    an ideology and a terrifying vision for the

    [[Page 1712]]

    world. Their acts are evil, but they're not insane. Some call this evil
    Islamic radicalism; others, militant jihadism; still others, Islamo-
    fascism. Whatever we choose to call this enemy, we must recognize that
    this ideology is very different from the tenets of the great religion of
    Islam. This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a violent,
    political vision: The establishment by terrorism, subversion, and
    insurgency of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and
    religious freedom.
        We know this vision of the radicals because they openly state it.
    They put it in videos and audiotapes and letters and declarations and on
    web sites. These extremists want to end American and Western influence
    in the broader Middle East, because we stand for democracy and peace and
    stand in the way of their ambitions.
        The tactics of Al Qaida and other Islamic extremists have been
    consistent for a quarter century: They hit us, and they expect us to
    run. The terrorists witnessed our response after the attacks on American
    troops in Beirut in 1983 and in Mogadishu in 1993, and they concluded
    that America can be made to run again, only this time on a larger scale,
    with greater consequences. The terrorists are mistaken. America will
    never run. We will stand; we will fight; and we will win the war on
    terror.
        The terrorists want to use the vacuum that would be created by an
    American retreat to gain control of a country, to build a base from
    which to launch attacks and conduct their war against America and
    nonradical Muslim governments. That's what they tell us. That's their
    stated goal. Over the past few decades, radicals have specifically
    targeted Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and Jordan for potential
    takeover. And for a time, they achieved their goal in Afghanistan, until
    they came face to face with the men and women of the United States Armed
    Forces.
        In Afghanistan, we put the terrorists on the run. We routed them,
    and now they've set their sights on another country. They're trying to
    turn Iraq into what Afghanistan was under the Taliban, a terrorist
    sanctuary from which they can plan and launch attacks against our
    people. The terrorists regard Iraq as the central front in their war
    against humanity, and we must recognize Iraq as the central front in the
    war on terror.
        These militants believe that controlling one country will rally the
    Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow moderate governments in the
    region and establish a radical Islamic empire that reaches from
    Indonesia to Spain. If they are not stopped, the terrorists will be able
    to advance their agenda to develop weapons of mass destruction, to
    destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to break our will, and blackmail
    our government into isolation. I make you this solemn commitment: That's
    not going to happen so long as I'm the President of the United States.
        Some might be tempted to dismiss the terrorist goals as fanatical or
    extreme. They are fanatical and extreme, but we cannot afford to dismiss
    them. Evil men, obsessed with ambition and unburdened by conscience,
    must be taken very seriously. Against such an enemy, there is only one
    effective response: We will never back down; we will never give in; and
    we will never accept anything less than complete victory.
        We didn't ask for this global struggle, but we're answering
    history's call with confidence and with a comprehensive strategy to win
    this war.
        First, we are determined to prevent attacks by terrorist networks,
    by protecting the homeland and working with our allies to destroy the
    terrorist networks and incapacitate their leadership. Together with our
    coalition partners, we've disrupted a number of serious Al Qaida
    terrorist plots since September the 11th, including several plots here
    on the homeland. Our coalition against terror has stayed on the
    offensive. We have killed or captured nearly all those directly
    responsible for the September the

    [[Page 1713]]

    11th attacks. We have killed or captured several of bin Laden's most senior deputies, including that--the man
    who planned the U.S.--the bombing of the USS Cole. We've killed or captured Al Qaida and--and managers--Al
    Qaida managers and operatives in countries all around the world. We will
    stay on the hunt. We will keep the pressure on these people. We will not
    relent until the terror networks that threaten us are exposed and broken
    and their leaders are held to account for their murder.
        Second, we are determined to deny weapons of mass destruction to
    outlaw regimes and to their terrorist allies who would use them without
    hesitation. Working with Great Britain and Pakistan and other nations,
    we exposed and disrupted a major black-market operation in nuclear
    technology led by A.Q. Khan. Libya has
    abandoned its chemical and nuclear weapons programs as well as its long-
    range ballistic missiles. And in the last year, America and our partners
    in the Proliferation Security Initiative have stopped more than a dozen
    shipments of suspect weapons technology, including equipment for Iran's
    ballistic missile program. We're going to continue to deny the world's
    most dangerous men the world's most dangerous weapons.
        Third, we're determined to deny radical groups the support and
    sanctuary of outlaw regimes. So I've laid out a clear doctrine: The
    United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of
    terror and those who support and harbor the terrorists, because they're
    equally guilty of murder. Any government that chooses to be an ally of
    terror has also chosen to be an enemy of civilization, and the civilized
    world will hold those regimes to account.
        Fourth, we're determined to deny the militants control of any nation
    which they would use as a home base and a launching pad for terror. This
    mission has brought new and urgent responsibilities to all who wear the
    uniform. American troops are fighting beside our Afghan partners against
    the remnants of the Taliban and their Al Qaida allies. And you're
    fighting alongside courageous Iraqis against the remnants of a regime
    and a network of terrorists who want to stop the advance of a free Iraq.
    Our goal is to defeat the terrorists and their allies in the heart of
    their power, so we will defeat the enemy in Iraq.

        As we pursue the terrorists, we have a strategy to go forward. Our
    military is helping to train Iraqi security forces so they can defend
    their people and take the fight to the enemy. And we're making steady
    progress. With every passing month, more and more Iraqi forces are
    standing up, and the Iraqi military is gaining new capabilities and new
    confidence. At the time of our Fallujah operations just a year ago,
    there were only a few Iraqi army battalions in combat. Today, there are
    nearly 90 Iraqi army battalions fighting the terrorists alongside our
    forces. American and Iraqi troops are conducting major assaults to clear
    out enemy fighters in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. Iraqi police and
    security forces are helping clear the terrorists from their strongholds,
    hold on to the areas we've cleared, and prevent the enemy from
    returning.

        Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we
    will stand down. And when our commanders on the ground tell me that the
    Iraqi forces can defend their freedom, our troops will come home with
    the honor they have earned.

        And the second part of our strategy is a political strategy. Iraqis
    are making inspiring progress toward building a democracy. A month ago,
    millions of Iraqis turned out to vote for a constitution that guarantees
    fundamental freedoms and lays the foundation for a lasting democracy. In
    a few weeks, Iraqis will vote again, to choose a fully constitutional
    government to lead them for the next 4 years. This country is making
    amazing progress from the days

    [[Page 1714]]

    of being under the thumb of a brutal tyrant. In 2\1/2\ years, they've
    gone from tyranny to an election for a transitional government, to the
    ratification of a constitution, to the election of a free government.
    It's amazing progress when you think about it.
        The Iraqi people are proving their determination to build a future
    founded on democracy and peace. And the United States of America will
    help them succeed.
        The fifth element of our strategy in the war on terror is to deny
    the militants future recruits by replacing hatred and resentment with
    democracy and hope across the broader Middle East. If the Middle East is
    left to grow in bitterness, if countries remain in misery while radicals
    stir the resentments of millions, then that part of the world will be a
    source of endless conflict and mounting danger. If the peoples of that
    region are permitted to choose their own destiny and advance by their
    own energy and participation as free men and free women, then the
    extremists will be marginalized, and the flow of violent radicalism to
    the rest of the world will slow and eventually end. History has proven
    that free nations are peaceful nations and that democracies do not fight
    their neighbors. By advancing the hope of freedom and democracy for
    others, we make our own freedom more secure.
        The work ahead involves great risk. A time of war is a time of
    sacrifice, and the greatest burden falls on our military families. We've
    lost some of our Nation's finest men and women in the war on terror.
    Each of these men and women left grieving families and loved ones back
    home. Each loss is heartbreaking. And the best way to honor the
    sacrifices of our fallen troops is to complete the mission and lay the
    foundation of peace for generations to come.
        The outcome of this war will affect every single American, and that
    makes it a subject of vital debate. And it's important to be clear about
    the facts. When our Nation was attacked on September the 11th, leaders
    of both political parties recognized a new reality: If we wait for
    threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long. We had to
    take a hard look at every threat to America after September the 11th,
    and when we did, one stood apart: Saddam Hussein.
        Under Saddam's dictatorship, Iraq was the
    only country in the world where American military pilots faced regular
    attack. Iraq was the only country that had used chemical weapons on its
    own people, invaded its neighbors, and fought a war against the United
    States and a great coalition. Iraq was only one of seven countries
    listed as a state sponsor of terror, and it was judged by intelligence
    agencies around the globe to possess weapons of mass destruction. After
    more than a decade of diplomacy, we gave Saddam Hussein a final chance
    to comply with the United Nations Security Council resolutions, ordering
    him to disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. When he refused,
    we had a choice. Do we take the word of a madman and forget the lessons
    of September the 11th, or do we take action to defend our country? Given
    that choice, I will defend America every time.
        Combat forces of the United States, Great Britain, Australia,
    Poland, and other countries enforced the demands of the United Nations
    and put an end to Saddam's regime. Because we
    acted, the Iraqi people now live in freedom, and the people of the
    United States are safer.
        Reasonable people can disagree about the conduct of the war, but it
    is irresponsible for Democrats to now claim that we misled them and the
    American people. Leaders in my administration and Members of the United
    States Congress from both political parties looked at the same
    intelligence on Iraq and reached the same conclusion: Saddam
    Hussein was a threat.
        Let me give you some quotes from three senior Democrat leaders: First, and I quote, ``There is unmistakable
    evidence that Saddam Hussein is working
    aggressively to

    [[Page 1715]]

    develop nuclear weapons,'' end quote. Another senior Democrat leader
    said, ``The war against terrorism will not be finished as long as Saddam
    Hussein is in power,'' end quote. Here's another quote from a senior
    Democrat leader: ``Saddam Hussein, in effect, has thumbed his nose at
    the world community, and I think the President is approaching this in
    the right fashion,'' end quote.
        They spoke the truth then, and they're speaking politics now. The
    truth is that investigations of intelligence on Iraq have concluded that
    only one person manipulated evidence and misled the world, and that
    person was Saddam Hussein. In early 2004,
    when weapons inspector David Kay testified that he
    had not found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he also testified
    that, quote, ``Iraq was in clear material violation of United Nations
    Security Council Resolution 1441. They maintained programs and
    activities, and they certainly had the intentions at a point to resume
    their programs. So there was a lot they wanted to hide because it showed
    what they were doing that was illegal.''
        Eight months later, weapons inspector Charles Duelfer issued a report that found, quote, ``Saddam
    Hussein so dominated the Iraqi regime that
    its strategic intent was his alone. He wanted to end sanctions while
    preserving the capability to reconstitute his weapons of mass
    destruction when the sanctions were lifted.''
        Some of our elected leaders have opposed this war all along. I
    disagreed with them, but I respect their willingness to take a
    consistent stand. Yet some Democrats who voted to authorize the use of
    force are now rewriting the past. They are playing politics with this
    issue, and they are sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy.
    And that's irresponsible.
        As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way
    of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to
    send them into war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to
    know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And
    our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington,
    our will is strong; our Nation is united; and we will settle for nothing
    less than victory.
        Thanks to our men and women in uniform, the Iraqi and Afghan people
    are building democracies, and as they do so, they inspire people across
    the broader Middle East. And freedom's advance has only just begun. In
    our lifetime, we've seen the power of freedom to conquer evil and take
    root in previously unfamiliar soil. Freedom is the mightiest force of
    history because the desire for liberty is embedded in the soul of every
    man, woman, and child on the face of this Earth. If we are steadfast, if
    we do our duty, this young century will be freedom's century, and we
    will have done our duty by laying the foundation of peace for
    generations to come.
        Laura and I are honored to be here with those
    who wear our Nation's uniform. We're honored to be here with those who
    support those who wear our Nation's uniform. And we're really happy to
    be back in Alaska. May God bless our troops. May God bless their
    families, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
    Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:35 p.m. in Hangar One at Elmendorf Air
    Force Base. In his remarks, he referred to Lt. Gen. Douglas M. Fraser,
    USAF, commander, Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace
    Defense Command Region, 11th Air Force, and Joint Task Force--Alaska;
    Brig. Gen. Herbert J. ``Hawk'' Carlisle, USAF, commander, 3d Wing,
    Elmendorf Air Force Base; Brig. Gen. Craig N. Christensen, USA,
    assistant adjutant general and director, Alaska Army National Guard;
    Col. Hazen L. Baron, USA, chief of staff, 82d Airborne Division; Gov.
    Frank H. Murkowski and Lt. Gov. Loren Leman of Alaska; Mayor Mark Begich
    of Anchorage, AK; Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, Al Qaida's chief of
    operations for the

    [[Page 1716]]

    Persian Gulf; A.Q. Khan, former head of Pakistan's nuclear program;
    David Kay, former CIA Special Adviser for Strategy Regarding Iraqi
    Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs; and Charles Duelfer, Special
    Adviser to the Director of Central Intelligence. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.