    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [July 11, 2005]
    [Pages 1202-1207]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia
    July 11, 2005

        Thanks for the warm welcome. It's my pleasure to be back here at
    Quantico, the FBI Academy. I'm honored to be with so many courageous men
    and women who have stepped forward to protect our Nation.
        Today, we are fighting a global war on terror. And here at Quantico,
    you're training and retraining for a critical mission, and that's to
    defend our homeland. You're fighting the terrorists who wish to harm us.
    You're breaking up their cells. You're disrupting their financing. You
    are stopping them before they can strike our country and kill our
    citizens. Your work is difficult. It is dangerous. I want you to know
    how much your country appreciates you, and so do I.
        I thank the FBI folks who have welcomed me here. I also want to
    thank the DEA agents who are with us here today. By working to keep drug
    money from financing terror, you're playing an important part in this
    world--in this war. I want to thank the U.S. and international police
    officers who are training here. I want to thank the local first-
    responders who have joined us. You protect us in times of emergency. I
    want to thank you for being on the frontlines of fighting these
    terrorists.
        Quantico is also known as the ``Crossroads of the Corps.'' In the
    war on terror, the Marines are serving with valor and distinction. You
    helped liberate 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, you
    stand between the American people and the worst dangers in the world. In
    this war, the Marines will fight, in the words of the Rifleman's Creed,
    ``Until victory is America's and there is no enemy.'' America is
    grateful to have the United States Marine Corps defending our freedom. I
    want to thank you for your courage and your sacrifice.
        I appreciate our Attorney General, Al Gonzales, who has joined us today. General, thank you for being
    here. I want to thank Ambassador John Negroponte, the Director of the National Intelligence. Thanks for
    coming, Mr. Director. I appreciate Director Bob Mueller of the FBI--doing a fantastic job. Thank you, Bob,
    for coming. Director Porter Goss of the CIA;
    Administrator Karen Tandy of the Drug
    Administration--the Drug Enforcement Administration--[laughter]--thank
    you, Karen.
        I appreciate the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
    Senator John Warner of Virginia, joining us
    today. Senator, thank you for coming. Senator George Allen from Virginia is with us as well. And I appreciate the
    vice chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Curt
    Weldon, for being with us today. Thank
    you all for being here.

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        Finally, I appreciate Colonel Mike Lowe,
    the Base Commander at Quantico. Colonel, thank you very much. I
    appreciate your hospitality today, and I appreciate your hospitality
    when I bring my mountain bike out here to ride. [Laughter]
        In London last Thursday, terrorists killed dozens of commuters and
    wounded hundreds more. Americans know what it's like to be attacked on
    our own soil. Our hearts go out to the many innocent people in London
    who suffered terrible injuries, and we pray for the families mourning
    the loss of loved ones. In this difficult hour, the people of Great
    Britain can know the American people stand with you.
        I was with the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Tony Blair, at the G-8 summit in Scotland when the terrorists struck
    his homeland. The contrast could not have been more vivid. We were there
    to discuss ways to make the world a better and more compassionate place,
    and in London, the terrorists were killing innocent men and women in
    cold blood. These attacks were barbaric, and they provide a clear window
    into the evil we face.
        We don't know who committed the attacks in London, but we do know
    that terrorists celebrate the suffering of the innocent. We do know that
    terrorists murder in the name of a totalitarian ideology that hates
    freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. Their aim--the aim
    of the terrorists is to remake the Middle East in their own grim image
    of tyranny and oppression by toppling governments, by exporting terror,
    by forcing free nations to retreat and withdraw.
        To achieve these aims, they attacked our country on September the
    11th, 2001. They've continued to kill in Bali, in Casablanca, Riyadh,
    Jakarta, Istanbul, Madrid, and elsewhere. These kind of people who blow
    up subways and buses are not people you can negotiate with or reason
    with or appease. In the face of such adversaries, there is only one
    course of action: We will continue to take the fight to the enemy, and
    we will fight until this enemy is defeated.
        The terrorists want to attack our country and harm our citizens.
    They believe that the world's democracies are weak and that by killing
    innocent civilians, they can break our will. They're mistaken. America
    will not retreat in the face of terrorists and murderers, and neither
    will the free world. As Prime Minister Blair said
    after the attacks in London, ``Our determination to defend our values
    and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death
    and destruction to innocent people.'' The attack in London was an attack
    on the civilized world. And the civilized world is united in its
    resolve: We will not yield; we will defend our freedom.
        Our Nation has no greater mission than stopping the terrorists from
    launching new and more deadly attacks. And whether you're fighting the
    terrorists in Afghanistan or Iraq or routing out terrorists here at
    home, America is counting on you to stop them.
        To accomplish this vital mission, we have a comprehensive strategy
    in place. We're working to protect the homeland. We're working to
    improve our intelligence so we can uncover terrorist plots before they
    unfold, and we're staying on the offensive. We're fighting the enemy in
    Iraq and Afghanistan and across the world so we do not have to face them
    here at home.
        And we are spreading the hope of freedom across the broader Middle
    East. By offering an alternative to the terrorists' dark vision of
    hatred and fear, we are laying the foundation of peace for our children
    and our grandchildren.
        To protect the American people, we continue to take extraordinary
    measures to defend the homeland. We created a new Department of Homeland
    Security. We're posting Homeland Security personnel at foreign ports and
    strengthening airport and seaport security. We're instituting better
    visa screening for those entering the United States. We're working to
    prevent potential

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    terrorists from coming across our borders and violating our immigration
    laws. We're protecting our Nation's critical infrastructure, our bridges
    and tunnels, our transportation systems, our nuclear powerplants and
    water treatment facilities, and the cyber networks that keep our
    Government and our economy running.
        We've provided more than $14 billion over the last 4 years to train
    and equip local first-responders. In all, we've more than tripled
    funding for homeland security since 2001. We're working tirelessly to
    protect the American people and to prevent new terrorists attacks. In an
    age of new dangers, we're doing everything in our power to do our jobs.
    And I want to thank you for your hard work.
        To defend our homeland, we need the best possible intelligence. We
    face a new kind of enemy. This enemy hides in caves and plots in shadows
    and then emerges to strike and kill in cold blood in our cities and
    communities. Staying a step ahead of this enemy and disrupting their
    plans is an unprecedented challenge for our intelligence community.
    We're reforming our intelligence agencies to meet the new threats. We've
    established a new National Counterterrorism Center where we are bringing
    together all the available intelligence on terrorist threats. We're
    sharing intelligence across all levels of government, the Federal level,
    the State level, and the local level.
        We're working with our allies to share information and to prevent
    terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction. Thanks to the
    hard work of hundreds in our intelligence community, we have stopped a
    number of grave threats to the American people. Together with our
    allies, we uncovered and dismantled Libya's nuclear program. We worked
    with Pakistan and other nations to shut down the world's most dangerous
    nuclear trading network. And since September the 11th, our coalition has
    disrupted a number of Al Qaida terrorist plots, arrested Al Qaida
    operatives here to case specific U.S. targets, and caught others trying
    to sneak into our country.
        Our enemy is constantly studying our defenses and adapting its own
    tactics, so we must constantly strengthen our capabilities. And that's
    why I appointed a bipartisan Commission, led by Judge Laurence
    Silberman and former Senator Chuck
    Robb. I asked them to give me an
    unvarnished look at our intelligence capabilities and our intelligence
    successes as well as analyzing our intelligence failures. Two weeks ago,
    after careful review, I approved 70 of the Commission's recommendations
    for implementation.
        One of the new steps we're taking is the creation of the National
    Security Service within the FBI, to more completely integrate the
    Bureau's work with the intelligence community. The purpose of this
    change is to strengthen the FBI, so it not only investigates terrorist
    crimes after they happen, but the FBI can be more capable to stop the
    terrorist acts before they happen. The FBI is in the fight. The FBI has
    deployed its personnel across the world, in Iraq and Afghanistan and
    other fronts in the war on terror. FBI agents are questioning captured
    terrorists and uncovering information that will help prevent new attacks
    on our homeland.
        Here in America, the FBI has helped break up terrorist cells and
    financing networks in California, in Oregon, Illinois, North Carolina,
    New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, and other States. And one of
    the important tools Federal agents have used to protect America is the
    PATRIOT Act. I call on Congress to reauthorize the 16 critical
    provisions of this act that are scheduled to expire at the end of this
    year. The terrorist threats against us will not expire at the end of
    this year and neither should the protections of the PATRIOT Act.
        The FBI efforts are central to our success in the war on terror. The
    agents and analysts in this hall and your colleagues

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    around the country, work around the clock to prevent new attacks, and I
    thank you for that. With every cell you uncover and every terrorist you
    arrest, you're making this country safer. Thanks for a job well done.
        We know that there is no such thing as perfect security and that in
    a free and open society, it is impossible to protect against every
    threat. As we saw in London last week, the terrorists need to be right
    only once. Free nations need to be right 100 percent of the time. The
    best way to defend America is to stay on the offense. When terrorists
    spread their--spend their days and nights struggling to avoid death or
    capture, they are less capable of arming and training and plotting new
    attacks.
        So, together with our allies, we're on the offense, and we will stay
    on the offense. We have damaged the Al Qaida network across the world.
    In the Persian Gulf, Al Qaida's chief of operations has been captured. In southeast Asia, a top
    strategist for Al Qaida's associate group was captured. In Pakistan, top Al Qaida leaders
    have been captured, including one of bin Laden's senior terrorist facilitators. We captured the
    mastermind of the September the 11th
    attacks. We captured a terrorist involved in the bombings of the U.S.
    Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and a key planner in the attack on the
    USS Cole. Our ally Pakistan has killed or captured more than 600
    terrorists, including bin Laden's chief of operations, a man named al-
    Libbi. Saudi Arabia has killed or
    captured more than two dozen of its most wanted terrorists.
        The terrorists remain dangerous, but from the mountains of
    Afghanistan to the border regions of Pakistan to the Horn of Africa and
    to the islands of the Philippines, our coalition is bringing our enemies
    to justice and bringing justice to our enemies. We will keep the
    terrorists on the run until they have no place left to hide.
        In the war on terror, Iraq is now a central front. The terrorists
    fight in Iraq because they know that the survival of their hateful
    ideology is at stake. They know that as freedom takes root in Iraq, it
    will inspire millions across the Middle East to claim their liberty as
    well. And when the Middle East grows in democracy and prosperity and
    hope, the terrorists will lose their sponsors. They'll lose their
    recruits. They will lose their hopes for turning that region into a base
    of attacks against America and our allies.
        The stakes in Iraq are high, and no one knows the stakes better than
    our troops. An American battalion commander in Iraq put it this way in
    an e-mail: ``I know that most of you are probably asking if our presence
    here and loss of human life are worth it. We're here for a purpose. And
    if not now, when will we stand up to the terrorists that are sick enough
    to do these things in God's name?''
        We are standing up, and the sacrifice is worth it. By helping
    Iraq's--the Iraqis build a free nation that is an ally in the war on
    terror, we are advancing the cause of freedom and the cause of peace.
        To help Iraqis build a free nation, we have a clear plan, with both
    a military track and a political track. Our military is pursuing the
    terrorists and helping to train Iraqi security forces so they can defend
    their people and fight the enemy on their own. Our plan can be summed up
    this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.
        Our troops see the progress the Iraqi security forces have made.
    Captain Glenn Colby of the Rhode Island National
    Guard says that when he arrived in Iraq over a year ago, the Iraqi
    police were afraid to go outside their building. Recently, he says, the
    soldiers were on patrol when the Iraqi police charged past them in hot
    pursuit of insurgents. He says of the Iraqi police, quote, ``Now you see
    them everywhere. You see them at checkpoints on the streets. You see
    them on patrol. You see them stand and fight.''
        The Iraqi people are seeing progress. They're stepping forward to
    the fight. One Iraqi who stepped forward is a traffic cop

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    named Jamal. Recently, Jamal was training in the city of Irbil with
    about 200 other recruits, when a red car came hurtling toward them and
    it exploded. He survived, but many of his comrades did not. Here's what
    he says: ``I saw friends killed and wounded and crying out and blood
    everywhere. It is not the first time they tried to kill us. We're not
    afraid. I'll stay a policeman and serve my country.'' Americans are
    proud to serve alongside such brave allies, people willing to take risk
    for democracy and freedom, people willing to sacrifice.
        The leaders of the new Iraqi military see the progress. The Iraqi
    general in charge of his country's elite
    special forces puts it this way: ``Before, the Americans were taking the
    lead, and we were following.'' Now, he said proudly of his forces,
    ``We're taking the lead.'' We are working for the day when the entire
    Iraqi army can say the same thing. Our coalition will help Iraqis so
    they can fight the enemy on their own. And then American forces can come
    home to a proud and grateful nation.
        We know that the terrorists will not be defeated by force of arms
    alone. Iraqis need a strong military to engage the enemy. But just as
    important is a strong and secure democracy that will provide an
    alternative to the terrorists' ideology of hate. So Iraqis are hard at
    work building the institutions of a free society.
        In January, more than 8 million Iraqis defied the terrorists and
    cast their ballots in the country's first free elections in decades.
    Now, their Transitional National Assembly is working to write a new
    constitution for a free Iraq. And Iraq's new leaders are reaching out to
    Sunni Arabs who did not participate in the January elections. Last week,
    15 Sunni Arab delegates jointed the committee that is drafting a new
    Iraqi constitution. More and more, Sunni Arabs say they intend to vote
    in the constitutional referendum later this year. Support for the
    democratic progress--process is growing throughout Iraq, including in
    the Sunni Arab communities.
        As a Iraqis take these steps toward political and military reform,
    they are building a free nation that will be a beacon--a beacon of
    liberty in the Middle East. The success of democracy in Iraq is sending
    forth the news from Damascus to Tehran that freedom can be the future of
    every nature.
        The Palestinian people have gone to the polls and have chosen a
    leader committed to negotiation
    instead of violence. In Lebanon, people took to the streets to demand
    the restoration of their sovereignty, and they have now gone to the
    polls and voted in free elections. And as freedom spreads in these
    countries, it is inspiring democratic reformers in places like Egypt and
    Saudi Arabia.
        Our troops on the frontlines see this transformation up close.
    Marine Lance Corporal Marty Schwader recently
    returned from Iraq. He says, ``We really kicked something off in the
    Middle East, and all the countries over there are starting to really
    think about the way they want to run their countries.''
        The heart of our strategy is this: Free societies are peaceful
    societies. So in the long run, the only way to defeat the ideologies of
    hatred and fear, the only way to make sure our country is secure in the
    long run, is to advance the cause of freedom.
        We have seen freedom conquer evil and secure the peace before. In
    World War II, free nations came together to fight the ideology of
    fascism, and freedom prevailed. And today, Germany and Japan are allies
    in securing the peace. In the cold war, freedom defeated the ideology of
    communism and led to a Europe whole, free, and at peace.
        Today in the Middle East, freedom is once again contending with an
    ideology that seeks to sow anger and hatred and despair. And like
    fascism and communism before, the hateful ideologies that use terror
    will

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    be defeated by the unstoppable power of freedom and democracy.
        The Prime Minister recently said, ``There is
    no hope in terrorism nor any future in it worth living, and it is the
    hope that is the alternative to this hatred.'' So we'll spread the hope
    of freedom and leave a more peaceful world for our children and our
    grandchildren.
        This week there's great suffering in the city of London, but
    Londoners are resilient. They have faced brutal enemies before. A city
    that survived the Nazi blitz will not yield in the face of thugs and
    assassins. And just as America and Great Britain stood together to
    defeat the totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century, we now stand
    together against the murderous ideologies of the 21st century.
        History teaches us that we can be confident in the future because
    the darkness of tyranny is no match for the shining power of freedom.
    There will be tough fighting ahead. There will be difficult moments
    along the path to victory. The terrorists know they can't defeat us on
    the battlefield. The only way the terrorists can win is if we lose our
    nerve. This isn't going to happen on my watch. America and its allies
    will continue to act decisively, and the cause of freedom will prevail.
        Thank you for your service.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:37 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; Abd al-Rahim al-
    Nashiri, Al Qaida's chief of operations for the Persian Gulf; Nurjaman
    Riduan Isamuddin (also known as Hambali), Al Qaida's chief operational
    planner in Southeast Asia; Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, senior Al Qaida
    leader responsible for planning the September 11, 2001, terrorist
    attack, who was captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003; Usama bin Laden,
    leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; Abu Faraj al-Libbi,
    senior Al Qaida associate arrested in Pakistan on April 30; and
    President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian Authority. The
    President 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 these remarks.