    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [August 11, 2005]
    [Pages 1323-1328]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference in Crawford, Texas
    August 11, 2005

        The President. Thank you all for coming. I'm pleased to welcome
    Secretary Rumsfeld and members of his
    team back to Crawford, and I'm pleased to welcome Secretary Rice and her team. We just had a meeting with the--the
    Vice President and I had a meeting with the
    defense team and earlier this morning with Condi Rice and Don Rumsfeld.
    We'll have a joint

    [[Page 1324]]

    luncheon, and then we'll visit with the Secretary of State's folks.
        We discussed recent developments in Iraq, including the political
    progress that is taking place in that country. Despite the acts of
    violence by the enemies of freedom, Iraq's elected leaders are now
    finishing work on a democratic constitution. And later this year, that
    constitution will be put before the Iraqi people for their approval.
        The establishment of a democratic constitution is a critical step on
    the path to Iraqi self-reliance. Iraqis are taking control of their
    country. They're building a free nation that can govern itself, sustain
    itself, and defend itself.
        And we're helping them succeed. We have a strategy to help them
    succeed. On the one hand, we're hunting down the terrorists, and we're
    training the Iraqi security forces so Iraqis can defend themselves. Our
    approach can be summed up this way: As Iraqis stand up, we will stand
    down. And when that mission of defeating the terrorists in Iraq is
    complete, our troops will come home to a proud and grateful nation. The
    mission in Iraq is tough, because the enemy understands the stakes. A
    free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will deliver a serious blow to
    their hateful ideology.
        The second part of our strategy is to help freedom prevail in Iraq.
    The recent violence in Iraq is a grim reminder of the brutal enemies we
    face in the war on terror. And we are a nation at war. The war arrived
    on our shores on September the 11th, 2001. And since that day, the
    terrorists have continued to kill. They have killed in Madrid and
    Istanbul and Jakarta and Casablanca and Riyadh and Bali and London and
    elsewhere, and they are determined to do more harm. And they kill
    indiscriminately. In other words, they don't care who they kill.
        And they kill because they're trying to shake our will. They're
    trying to drive free nations out of parts of the world, so they can
    topple governments across the Middle East and establish Taliban-like
    regimes in the Middle East and turn that region into a launching pad for
    attacks against free people. And they will fail.
        After September the 11th, I made a commitment to the American people
    that this Nation will not wait to be attacked again, and we're going to
    stay on the offense. And we're fighting the enemy in Iraq and
    Afghanistan and elsewhere so we do not have to face them here at home.
        We're also fighting the murderous ideology, the hateful ideology of
    the terrorists, and we're doing so by spreading freedom. See, our
    ideology is hopeful and optimistic and uplifting. I've got great
    optimism about the spread of freedom because I believe deep in
    everybody's soul is the desire to be free, and I know that history has
    shown that peaceful societies are those that are free, that democratic
    neighbors don't war, that democracies promote peace.
        In these times of war, a heavy burden falls on the men and women of
    our Armed Forces and their families. This morning, we discussed the
    steps we're taking to deal with the increased demand on our forces. For
    example, we've been working to rebalance our forces, moving about 80,000
    people out of skills that are in low demand into the skills that are
    high demand, so we do not have to call upon the same forces repeatedly.
        We've also taken steps to improve the call-up process for our Guard
    and for our reserves. We've provided them with earlier notifications.
    We've given them greater certainty about the length of their tours. We
    minimized the number of extensions and repeat mobilizations.
        We're working hard to ensure our troops and their families are
    treated with the dignity they deserve and the respect they've earned. In
    the war on terror, our troops are serving with courage and commitment,
    and their courage is inspiring others. All of our services met or
    exceeded their active duty recruitment goals in July. The Army,

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    which was below its monthly recruiting targets earlier this year,
    exceeded its July active duty recruitment goal by nearly 10 percent,
    though it's still behind for the year. The Navy, Air Force, and Marines
    are on track to meet or exceed their active duty recruiting goals for
    2005. And the troops closest to the fight continue to reenlist in
    impressive numbers. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are all on track
    to meet or exceed their reenlistment goals for the year. Americans can
    have pride and confidence in our All-Volunteer Force.
        I appreciate so very much the Secretaries and their teams who've
    joined me today. I want to thank the Vice President for being here. We've had fruitful discussions so far,
    and we'll continue to have fruitful discussions throughout the day.
        With that, I'll be glad to answer some of your questions. Deb [Deb
    Riechmann, Associated Press].

    Iran

        Q. Mr. President, on Iran again, has the U.S. intelligence sorted
    out what role the new Iranian President might have played in the '79
    Embassy takeover? And will he be given a visa to attend the U.N.
    meetings in New York early next month? And wouldn't denying him a visa
    damage the EU-3 negotiations on their nuclear program and inflame the
    anti-American sentiment that Karen Hughes--is the very thing that Karen
    Hughes is trying to abate?
        The President. That's a really long question. Whew. Let me start off
    by saying that we're still investigating allegations and/or this
    guy's potential involvement in the
    hostage crisis. We're in agreement with--we have an agreement with the
    United Nations to allow people to come to meet, and I suspect he will be
    here to meet--at the United Nations.
        On Iran, I can't remember the first four questions you asked on the
    question, but----
        Q. Well, those are the first two and then--[laughter]----
        The President. No disrespect, by the way.
        Let me talk about Iran. As you know, the IAEA today issued a report
    that expressed serious concerns about Iranian decisions, and that's a
    positive first step. You know, our strategy is to work with the EU-3,
    France and Great Britain and Germany, so that the Iranians hear a common
    voice speaking to them about their nuclear weapons ambitions. And I
    appreciate the IAEA's positive first step. As you know, there will be a
    report back after a period of time, and we look forward to working--
    hearing what that report says.
        But the point is that the world is coalescing around the notion that
    the Iranians should not have the means and the wherewithal to be able to
    develop a nuclear weapon.
        Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

    Iraq

        Q. Thank you, sir. You're increasing U.S. troop strength in Iraq for
    the upcoming elections. What happens--is it possible those troops will
    be asked to stay on longer if needed to help improve security? And if I
    may, what happens if Iraq misses the deadline for drafting the new
    constitution?
        The President. Right. As to the constitution, one of the meetings we
    had this morning was with Zal, our
    Ambassador in Baghdad. And he gave us a briefing as to the progress on
    the constitution. We have made it clear that we believe that
    constitution can be and should be agreed upon by August 15th. And so I'm
    operating on the assumption that it will be agreed upon by August the
    15th. And Zal said that, you know, obviously there are some difficult
    issues--federalism being one, role of religion. Hopefully the drafters
    of the constitution understand our strong belief that women ought to be
    treated equally in the Iraqi society. But those are issues that still
    are out there. Although--and he did say that there seems to be a spirit
    of cooperation and a deep desire for people to work closely together.

    [[Page 1326]]

        As for the troops, no decision has been made yet on increasing
    troops or decreasing troops. I know there's a lot of speculation and
    rumors about that. We did, as you might recall, increase troops for the
    Iraqi election and for the Afghanistan elections. It seemed to have
    helped create security, and I know the Secretary of Defense is analyzing that possibility.
        I also know there's a lot of folks here in the United States that
    are, you know, wondering about troop withdrawals. They're concerned
    about the violence and the death. They hear the stories about a loved
    one being lost to combat. And, you know, I grieve for every death. It
    breaks my heart to think about a family weeping over the loss of a loved
    one. I understand the anguish that some feel about the death that takes
    place.
        I also have heard the voices of those saying, ``Pull out now,'' and
    I've thought about their cry and their sincere desire to reduce the loss
    of life by pulling our troops out. I just strongly disagree. Pulling the
    troops out would send a terrible signal to the enemy. Immediate
    withdrawal would say to the Zarqawis of
    the world and the terrorists of the world and the bombers who take
    innocent life around the world, you know, the United States is weak, and
    all we've got to do is intimidate, and they'll leave.
        Pulling troops out prematurely will betray the Iraqis. Our mission
    in Iraq, as I said earlier, is to fight the terrorists, is to train the
    Iraqis. And we're making progress training the Iraqis. Oh, I know it's
    hard for some Americans to see that progress, but we are making
    progress. More and more Iraqi units are becoming more and more capable
    of fighting off the terrorists. And remember, and that's a country where
    8.5 million Iraqis went to the polls. They've said, ``We want to be
    free,'' and our mission is to help them have a military that's capable
    of defeating those who would like to dash their ambitions to be free.
        Withdrawing before the mission is complete would send a signal to
    those who wonder about the United States' commitment to spreading
    freedom. You see, I believe and know that we're at war, and we're at war
    against a hateful ideology. And the way to defeat that ideology in the
    long term is to spread a hopeful ideology, one that says to young girls,
    ``You can succeed in your society, and you should have a chance to do
    so,'' one that says to moms and dads, ``You can raise your child in a
    peaceful world without intimidation,'' and one that says to people from
    all walks of life, ``You have a right to express yourself in the public
    square.''
        It's the spread of liberty that is laying the foundation of peace,
    and it's very important for our citizens, no matter what side of the
    political aisle you're on, to understand that the mission is a vital
    mission, and it's one that will be--that we obviously couldn't complete
    if we didn't fulfill our goals, which was to help the Iraqis.
        Yes, Steve.
        Q. Just to make clear, you're referring to Mrs. Sheehan here, I
    think?
        The President. I'm referring to any grieving mother or father, no
    matter what their political views may be. Part of my duty as the
    President is to meet with those who've lost a loved one. And so, you
    know, listen, I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan.
    She feels strongly about her--about her position. And I am--she has
    every right in the world to say what she believes. This is America. She
    has a right to her position. And I've thought long and hard about her
    position. I've heard her position from others, which is, ``Get out of
    Iraq now.'' And it would be a mistake for the security of this country
    and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run, if we
    were to do so.
        But no, Steve, I've met with a lot of families, and I have done my
    best to bring comfort to the families and honor to the loved one, and
    get different opinions when you meet with moms and dads and sons

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    and daughters and wives and husbands of those who have fallen. One
    opinion I've come away with universally is that, you know, we should do
    everything we can to honor the fallen. And one way to honor the fallen
    is to lay the foundation for peace.
        Hutch [Ron Hutcheson, Knight Ridder].

    Speculation on Troop Withdrawals

        Q. Mr. President, these rumors about a troop drawdown really took
    flight when some of your military people starting talking about drawing
    down in spring. What was that about? Are they out of line?
        The President. I think they were rumors. I think they're
    speculation. One of the things that we did announce was a joint Iraqi-
    U.S. commission to look at the security situation in Iraq. Clearly--my
    position has been clear, and the position--therefore, the position of
    this Government is clear, that as Iraqis stand up, we'll stand down. And
    that means that there's a--obviously, the conditions on the ground
    depend upon our capacity to bring troops home, and the main condition,
    as to whether or not the Iraqis have got the capability of taking the
    fight to the enemy.
        And so I suspect what you were hearing was speculation based upon
    progress that some are seeing in Iraq as to whether or not the Iraqis
    will be able to take the fight to the enemy. In other words, you've got
    people--obviously, it's important to plan. It's important to think down
    the road. And you've got people saying, ``Well, if the Iraqis are
    capable, if more and more units are capable of taking the fight to the
    enemy, it would then provide an opportunity to replace coalition troops
    with those Iraqis.'' I think that's what you're seeing. I think it's
    kind of what we call speculation. And the decision finally will be made
    by me upon the recommendation of General Casey, through Secretary Rumsfeld, to me.
        Q. Does that speculation--grounded in fact, to you, given the way
    things have gone just recently?
        The President. Well, the--I am pleased with the progress being made
    when it comes to training Iraqi units. One of the things I announced at
    Fort Bragg was our strategy to embed our troops within Iraqi units so--
    to better facilitate the training of those Iraqi units. And this
    morning, General Casey reported to me
    and Secretary Rumsfeld and the folks
    standing right back here--reported to us that more and more units are
    becoming more and more capable and that the embedding process is
    working.
        Now, there's not that many that can stand alone yet, but there are a
    lot more that are--have gone from raw--you know, that raw-recruit stage
    to plenty capable. In some cases, some units need no United States or
    coalition force help. In some cases, they need minimal help. But the
    point is, is that there is a matrix, and we're following that matrix as
    more and more troops become capable and competent. And so my answer to
    you is that we are making progress.
        And I've said all along, we'd like to get our troops home as soon as
    possible, but ``soon as possible'' is conditions-based. And so we're
    monitoring progress. The important thing for the American people to know
    is we are making progress. There's a political track on which we're
    making progress and the security track on which we're making progress.
    And I know it's tough, and I know it's hard work. But America has done
    hard work before, and as a result of the hard work we have done before,
    we have laid the foundation for peace for future generations.
        And I remind people, when they think about the conflict we're in, to
    think about World War II, when an enemy of ours, Japan, for example, is
    now a loyal friend and an ally because of the hard work we did, not only
    during the war but in the post-war reconstruction of Japan.
        And the sacrifices that our troops are making, our family are
    making, are unbelievably noble, and I am incredibly proud

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    of our military, and I know most of the American people are as well.
        Listen, thank you all very much.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 12:01 p.m. at the Bush
    Ranch. In his remarks, he referred to President Mahmud Ahmadi-nejad of
    Iran; U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad; senior Al Qaida
    associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; Cindy Sheehan, whose son Spc. Casey
    Sheehan, USA, died in Iraq on April 4, 2004; and Gen. George W. Casey,
    Jr., USA, commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq. A reporter
    referred to Karen Hughes, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy.