    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [February 1, 2006]
    [Pages 154-169]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Nashville, Tennessee
    February 1, 2006

        The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Please be
    seated.
        Audience member. We love you--[inaudible].
        The President. Thanks for being here. Yes. I can see--[applause].
    Did you say you love Laura? So do I. You stole my
    line. [Laughter] Thanks for coming. This is an amazing experience to be
    here. I can see why my buddy Gatlin finds that
    extra note when he stands out here and sings. It's a fantastic hall. The
    last time Laura and I were here, we were honoring Mother and Dad for their 50th
    wedding anniversary. Mother thought he'd lost his mind when he said,
    ``Honey, I want to celebrate the 50 years of marriage at the Grand Ole
    Opry.'' I said, ``Gosh, you got good judgment, Dad, you know.''
    [Laughter] So

    [[Page 155]]

    thanks for coming. I'm really thrilled to be here.
        I should have probably come before I gave my speech. When I was on
    the plane flying down here, I thought, how cool would it be to give a
    State of the Union address in a Porter Wagoner outfit. [Laughter]
        I do want to give you some of the thoughts behind what I said in my
    State of the Union. That's what I've come to do. You know, it's one
    thing to give the speech--I think it's important to come here to
    Nashville to tell people the reason why I said some of the things I
    said. I think it will help you understand why I have made some of the
    decisions I have made.
        One of the interesting things about the Presidency is we get to
    entertain a lot, and my favorite--the favorite folks to entertain are
    the people that Laura and I grew up with. I like
    my buddies from west Texas. I liked them when I was young; I liked them
    when I was middle-age; I liked them before I was President; and I like
    them during President; and I like them after President. And it's fun to
    have them come to the White House. It's neat to show off this fantastic
    experience that Laura and I are being able to go through. When they
    first walk in there, they're amazed at the White House. And the second
    thing is, they're amazed I'm in the White House. [Laughter] And they
    always say, ``What's it like to be President of the United States?'' And
    after I say it's just a huge honor, which it is, I say, ``If I could
    give you the job description, it would be decisionmaker.'' I have to
    make a lot of decisions. And today what I'd like to do is share with you
    why I have made decisions in the context of the State of the Union I
    gave last night.
        Before I do, I really am thrilled Laura's
    traveling with me. She's a great First Lady. She is--[applause]. I'm
    proud to be traveling with your two United States Senators--the majority leader of the United States Senate, Bill
    Frist. He's a good man. He's a good guy to deal
    with. He is doing a fantastic job of herding cats. [Laughter] And I'm
    proud to be here with Senator Lamar Alexander as well.
        A little later on, I'm going to talk about a key component of the
    competitive agenda, and that is to make sure our folks are educated for
    the jobs of the 21st century. And I will tell you that Lamar had a lot to do with planting this in my mind. He's, as
    you know, made his fame here in Tennessee for being a great education
    Governor. You'll be pleased to hear he's carried over that passion into
    the Halls of the United States Senate. And so in case I forget to give
    him credit later on, he deserves a lot of credit for making sure that
    we're competitive in the 21st century.
        I appreciate the members of the statehouse who are here. Thanks for
    serving. I appreciate those in local government who are here. I
    understand the mayor is here, Mayor Purcell. I
    appreciate you taking time out of your busy day. I know you didn't ask
    for any advice. My only advice is, fill the potholes. [Laughter] Works
    every time, Mayor. [Laughter]
        I want to thank the good folks here at Gaylord Entertainment for
    letting me come by and just explain some things to the people of
    Tennessee. This is such a fantastic facility. I had been here before my
    mother and dad's
    50th wedding anniversary when I was--happened to be involved in the
    baseball business. I can remember the winter meetings we held here. And
    we're still looking for two of our guys that worked for us. They got
    lost--[laughter]--in one of the 14 lobbies in this fantastic facility.
    It's a wonderful place.
        I want to thank those of you who wear our Nation's uniform who have
    joined us today. We particularly want to recognize Lieutenant Colonel
    Dan Epright. He's in active duty, U.S. Air
    Force. He's on a 2-week leave from Iraq, where he's stationed in the
    International Zone in Baghdad as the American Forces Network--Iraq,
    commander. He's in his 20th year of active

    [[Page 156]]

    duty. I don't know where Colonel Epright is, but wherever you are,
    thanks for serving. Welcome back--Epright. Thank you very much. Is that
    your wife? I knew exactly where Epright was; I just forgot. [Laughter]
    And I'm proud that his wife is with him.
        Yesterday I said something I really mean: As we give praise to our
    troops who wear the uniform, we must also remember to give praise to
    military families who support the troops.
        Our state of the Union is strong. I say that because America is
    working hard to protect ourselves; we're spreading freedom; our economy
    is vigorous and strong as well. But there's some uncertainty in people's
    minds. People are uncertain, in spite of our strong union, because of
    war. And I understand that. I think it is--my job is as much educator in
    chief as it is Commander in Chief. And during times of uncertainty, it's
    important for me to do what I'm doing today, which is to explain the
    path to victory, to do the best I can to articulate my optimism about
    the future.
        But I understand there's an anxiety about a time of war. That's
    natural, it seems like to me. Even though this economy is roaring--and
    it's strong, particularly when you think--recognize we've overcome a
    lot. This year alone we've overcome higher energy prices and natural
    disasters, and yet we really are the envy of the world. Our economy is
    the envy of the world. And yet people are changing jobs a lot, and
    there's competition from India and China, which creates some
    uncertainty.
        My worry is, is that people see that uncertainty and decide to adopt
    isolationist policies or protectionist policies. In other words, in
    uncertain times, it's easy to--for people to lose confidence in the
    capacity of this country to lead and to shape our future.
        Last night in my speech, I talked about a couple of themes. And one
    of the themes was that we must never lose sight of our capacity to lead
    this world toward peace, and that we must never fear--and we must never
    fear competition. But, on the other hand, we've got to put solid policy
    in place to make sure that we can compete.
        First, let me talk about foreign policy and why I'm concerned about
    isolationism. We're at war, see. A lot of my thinking in the speech I
    gave last night--and speeches that I have been giving--is based upon my
    understanding that we're at war. On September the 11th, 2001, I vowed to
    the American people that we would not rest and tire in order to protect
    us. And I have never forgotten that vow. As a matter of fact, every day
    of my Presidency, I think about this war. That's what you've got to
    understand. And so when you hear me give a speech and talk about the
    dangers to America, they are real, not imagined. Some would like us to
    look at the world the way we would hope it would be. My job as your
    President is to look at the world the way it is.
        And I clearly see the threats to America. My job is to worry about
    those threats. That's not your job. We got a lot of people in Government
    worrying about those threats on your behalf, so you can go about your
    life. That's what we want. I knew after September the 11th, people
    would--they would tend to forget the nature of the enemy and forget the
    war, because it's natural. Who wants to live all your day worried about
    the next attack? That's my job, to worry about the attack. It's the job
    of the intelligence community and our military and law enforcement.
    That's what you pay us to do. But I also recognize that if we ever get
    weary or tired or uncertain and withdraw within our boundaries, the
    enemy is not going away.
        The enemy is a bunch of coldblooded killers that have taken a great
    religion--taken parts of a great religion and converted it into an
    ideology that is--they perverted a great religion, and they have an
    ideology. We've been through ideological struggles in the past. We've
    had an ideological struggle against fascism and communism. And we're in
    that same kind of

    [[Page 157]]

    struggle now. That's what's important for the American people to
    understand. They have ambition. They want to spread their totalitarian
    empire.
        People say, ``What do you mean by that?'' I say, the best thing to
    think about is what life was like in Afghanistan for the Taliban--under
    the Taliban, for the people under the Taliban. It's a life where young
    girls couldn't get an education. Think about that. You talk about a dark
    vision of the future--it's a life where if you didn't agree with their
    view of religion, you were punished. It's a life in which freedom of
    expression was not encouraged. It was a dim view of the world. That's
    what these people think like.
        They have stated clearly their desire to hurt us. And we got to take
    what they say seriously. When the enemy says something, an enemy which
    attacked us brutally on September the 11th, I would hope you would want
    the people in Government to take their word seriously--which I do. They
    have said they want to drive us out of Iraq. They have said they want
    weapons of mass destruction. In other words, they've got an ideology
    that they want to spread, and they want us to retreat. That's what they
    have openly stated. And that is why it's essential that we remain active
    in the world and keep the lead for peace. We have the duty to protect
    the American people. And so our strategy is to never give in, and never
    be--and never--[applause]. It's to never lose heart. This enemy has got
    one weapon, and it's the weapon of fear.
        What a fantastic country America is. We deeply care about every
    human life. The life of a child in Baghdad is precious. And so when we
    see these killers kill somebody--a young child outside a hospital where
    one of our soldiers is handing out candy--we weep, because Americans
    have a deep compassion for every human being. And the only weapon they
    have is to cause us to weep and lose our nerve. And as I said last
    night--it's something I truly believe--they don't understand the nature
    of America. We love our freedom, and we will do everything in our power
    to defend our freedom.
        And so we're on the hunt for Al Qaida, and we're going to stay on
    the hunt. And we will bring them to justice. No doubt in my mind--no
    doubt in my mind we are bringing them to justice. We're making great
    progress in dismantling Al Qaida, and the others who hide won't be able
    to hide long enough. We're using every asset in our power to keep them
    on the defense, to find them and bring them to justice.
        Secondly, I said something that I meant early on in this war against
    these terrorists, and that is, is that--to countries, ``If you harbor a
    terrorist, you're equally as guilty as the terrorist.'' In other words,
    one of the--[applause]. Because I understand that these terrorist
    networks need safe haven in order to plan and plot. We're not dealing
    with nation-states; we're dealing with an ideological movement that
    needs a nation in which to hide. And so we made it clear that if you're
    complicit with the murderers, you're just as guilty as the murderers
    themselves. And that's why we took the action in Afghanistan. We gave
    the Taliban an opportunity to get rid of Al Qaida. They chose not to,
    and we acted.
        So, thirdly, when we see a threat, we've got to deal with the
    threat. I remember growing up in Midland--Gatlin grew up in Odessa, by the way, right down the road--or
    the Gatlins did. I was white collar; he was blue collar. Anyway--
    [laughter]. I'm President; he's a singer. Anyway--[laughter]. You can
    tell I like him, because when I put the needle out, it's a sign of
    affection. Just don't give him the mike. Anyway--[laughter].
        When we grew up, oceans protected us, it seemed like. We felt pretty
    safe and secure from a attack on American soil. We were concerned about
    a nuclear threat, but nevertheless, we felt secure because we were
    isolated from threats, it seemed like. September the 11th changed my way
    of thinking. It changed my way of thinking

    [[Page 158]]

    on a lot of things, and one way it changed is that when we see a threat,
    we got to deal with it. We can't hope for the best. One of the lessons
    of September the 11th is we--threats should not be allowed to fully
    materialize; otherwise, it will cause harm to the American people.
        I saw a threat in Iraq. The world saw a threat in Iraq. We gave
    Saddam Hussein a chance to deal with the
    world in good faith by honoring the United Nations Security Council
    resolutions. He chose--it was his choice; he chose to defy the
    resolutions. And so we took action. The world is safer and America is
    more secure without Saddam Hussein in power.
        I recognize in a free society like ours, there can be and should be
    debate on big matters. I welcome the debate. But as I said last night to
    Congress, whether you agree or not agree with the decision, this country
    has one option, and that's victory in Iraq. I say that because the enemy
    has said they want to drive us out of Iraq and use it as safe haven.
    We've got to take the word seriously of those who want to do us harm.
        I want to describe right quick our plans for victory in Iraq. First
    of all, anytime we put our troops in harm's way, we got to go in with
    victory in mind. And the victory is for Iraq to be a democracy that can
    sustain itself and govern itself and defend itself, a country which will
    be an ally in the war on terror, a country which will deny safe haven to
    the Al Qaida, and a country which will serve as a powerful example of
    liberty and freedom in a part of the world that is desperate for liberty
    and freedom.
        The Iraqis have shown incredible courage and a strong desire to live
    in democracy. If you really think about last year, the year 2005, the
    progress toward democracy was remarkable. Anyway you look at it, it was
    remarkable. This young democracy has gone from tyranny--[inaudible]--a
    brutal dictator that killed or had killed
    thousands of people to a country which had a transitional government in
    an election, to a country which wrote a progressive Constitution for the
    Middle East and had that Constitution ratified, to a country in which 11
    million people voted in elections last December. You see, one of the
    things that--[applause]--one of the inherent parts of my foreign policy
    is my strong belief that liberty is universal, that everybody desires to
    be free, that freedom is not just a Western idea or an American idea;
    freedom is lodged in the soul of every person. I used--I put it--let me
    put it another way to you: I believe there's an Almighty, and I believe
    the Almighty's gift is freedom to every single person in this world.
        And if you believe that--I'm just getting wound up here. [Laughter]
    I told Laura, I'd try to keep it under a couple
    hours. [Laughter] If you believe that, that freedom is universal, then
    it shouldn't surprise you that 11 million people, more or less, went to
    the polls. People want to be free, and the Iraqis are showing the world
    that.
        Secondly, we've got to make sure their economy is able to function
    as good as possible so that people see the benefits of democracy. It's
    one thing to have elections; it's another thing for people to say,
    ``Democracy is good for me; democracy is good for my family.'' And so
    we're working on reconstruction and fighting corruption and making sure
    that there are tangible benefits. And it's been difficult because the
    enemy is not only brutal in terms of killing people, the enemy is just
    relentless in trying to destroy infrastructure so that people cannot see
    the benefits of democracy.
        And the third aspect--and it's one that I know is dear to the hearts
    of many people--is, how long will we be in Iraq? And the answer is this:
    It's a security aspect. And that is that if people want to be free and
    if 11 million people chose to vote, the question on people's mind is, is
    there a willingness for the Iraqis to defend their own freedom? And I
    will tell you, the answer we have seen, our commanders on

    [[Page 159]]

    the ground have seen, is, absolutely. Absolutely. There is great bravery
    amongst these Iraqi soldiers. Our job is to convert their desire to
    protect their new democracy into effective forces. And that's what we're
    doing.
        We've changed our training patterns. When we first got in there--one
    of the things I talked about over the Christmas season or the holiday
    season--prior to the holiday season--was that we've adjusted. That's
    what happens. We see things, and we change. We've done things
    differently. When we first went in there, we helped train an army for an
    external threat. Well, sure enough, the external threat wasn't nearly as
    significant as the internal threat. And so we started adjusting our
    training tactics. And we got good advice from Members of the Senate and
    the House from both political parties who went to Iraq and came back and
    said, ``Here's what we've seen.'' And so we're changing.
        And the security forces of Iraq are up to about 230,000, more or
    less. But the question is not just numbers. I first asked about numbers.
    You'd read about these suiciders knocking people off that were trying to
    stand these recruiting stations, and so the question is, are you able to
    get recruits? If it's dangerous to sign up, are you able to sign people
    up? And the answer is, absolutely. People wanted to serve the Iraqi
    military, which is a good sign about whether or not we're succeeding in
    our mission in training folks to defend their freedom. And if they're
    willing to sign up in the face of suiciders, it says something about
    their desire to protect their country.
        The second question is, can they do the job? Are we training them
    well enough so they can take the fight on their own? And the election
    was an interesting example where the Iraqis were in the lead, and the
    violence in the last election was significantly lower than the violence
    in the first election.
        Today, by video, I met with my--I met not only in the room with my
    national security team, but we had the Ambassador and General Casey
    from Baghdad. And it's interesting to be able to communicate with your
    commanders on the ground in real time. And the reason I bring that up is
    that they are constantly updating the national security team and me
    about the effectiveness of these troops and how much territory we're
    turning over to the Iraqi troops.
        What I have told the American people is, as the Iraqis stand up, we
    will stand down. As the Iraqis are capable of taking the fight to the
    enemy, we will reduce our troop levels. We have two less brigades there
    than we thought. In other words, these troops are being trained--the
    troops that we're training are more effective, more capable of taking
    the fight to the enemy. The commanders on the ground say, ``We need less
    American presence.''
        Now, I'm going to talk--tell you something about timetables and
    withdrawals and all that business. It is a mistake to have a definitive
    timetable of withdrawal, because the enemy will react; the Iraqis will
    react. And it's not fair to our men and women who wear the uniform.
        So I will make my decisions based upon what these commanders tell
    me. That's what you expect of the Commander in Chief. My job is to set
    the strategy. I just told you what victory is all about. We've defined
    victory. And now it's up to the commanders on the ground to help us
    achieve that victory. And if they say these Iraqis are capable of taking
    the fight, they're there firsthand to tell me that, and then we'll
    reduce our troops based upon their recommendation, not based upon the
    politics in Washington, DC.
        Another reason--in other words, we can't be isolationists and win
    the war on terror. And we can't be isolationist, either, because it
    would prevent us from doing our duty around the world, and not only make
    this world a place where terrorists have trouble recruiting, but to live
    to that admonition, ``To whom much is given, much is required.''

    [[Page 160]]

        Effective foreign policy is--recognizes that we can help change
    conditions on the ground to make life better for future generations of
    Americans. And I believe that helping defeat HIV/AIDS on the continent
    of Africa is--not only reflects the great compassion of America, but it
    will improve lives for generations of Americans to come. I believe
    defeating hopelessness and despair and helping others defeat poverty is
    in our national interest. I also know it reflects the deep character of
    the American people.
        If this country were to become isolationist and withdraw and say we
    don't care about conditions of life elsewhere, we're not only ceding the
    ground to terrorists, we're not doing our duty as a compassionate
    nation.
        Do you realize we feed a lot of the hungry in the world--and I'm
    proud of that record--that we're providing incredibly important
    lifesaving antiretroviral drugs to help defeat HIV/AIDS on the continent
    of Africa? There is a pandemic sweeping that continent, and the United
    States of America is leading the world in helping save lives. Do you
    realize that when the tsunami hit earlier this past year, it was the
    United States military that moved in and provided immediate help and aid
    and comfort and organization? Our choppers were flying rescue missions
    in Pakistan after the devastating earthquake. In my judgment, an active
    foreign policy, one that aids the suffering and helps the poor, is one
    that is in the interest of the United States of America, both short term
    and long term.
        And finally, if we were to withdraw, not only would we cede ground
    to the terrorists and endanger this country, we would miss a fantastic
    opportunity to help spread liberty. In my speech, I mentioned Roosevelt
    and Kennedy, Truman, and Reagan. I did so because I wanted to remind the
    American people that these leaders were one that acted in confidence in
    our values. They understood when America led, not only was America
    better off, but the world was. And we're spreading freedom now.
        For those of you who are young, I want you to watch the spread of
    freedom in our world. It's amazing to see, when you think about it. The
    vote in Afghanistan was part of freedom's march. The vote in Iraq is
    part of freedom's march. People in Lebanon want to be free from Syria,
    and we're working--the Palestinians voted. Now, that election was an
    important election because it said what the people on the street wanted.
    They wanted clean government. They want people to pay attention to the
    education needs and their health needs. In order for us to--and Hamas,
    by the way, now has a choice to make. If they want to work with the
    United States of America, they must renounce their desire to destroy
    Israel; they must be a partner in peace.
        Last night I spoke to the people of Iran--spoke first to the
    Government of Iran and said, ``The world will continue to come together
    in unity to say you can't have nuclear weapons.'' But I also spoke to
    the people, because I believe that everybody desires to be free, and I
    just wanted to assure them that someday, that they will be able to have
    a choice in their Government, and the United States looks forward to a
    friendship with a free and democratic Iran.
        Liberty is universal, but it's important also to understand that
    freedom and liberty yield the peace we all want. One reason to be active
    in the world is to spread peace. If the United States were to withdraw,
    we'd miss an opportunity to make this world a more peaceful place for
    generations to come.
        I like to tell people about my relationship with Prime Minister
    Koizumi because it helps drive home the
    point about freedom yielding peace. You know, my dad and, I suspect, a lot of your relatives fought against
    the Japanese in World War II. They were the sworn enemy of the United
    States of America. If there are any World War II vets here, they'll tell
    you what it was

    [[Page 161]]

    like during that period of time. The Japanese attacked us, and we vowed
    to do everything in our power to defeat them. And we sent a lot of kids
    into battle, and we lost a lot of lives, and the Japanese lost a lot of
    lives. It was a brutal battle, and we won.
        Interestingly enough, one of the people that I work closest with in
    the world is the Prime Minister of Japan.
    Isn't that interesting? At least it is to me. My dad fought them, and now his son is working to keep the
    peace with the Prime Minister of the country that he went to war
    against. And so what happened between when he was 18 and I'm sitting
    here at 59? I'll tell you what happened in between: Japan adopted a
    Japanese-style democracy. Freedom has the capacity to convert enemies
    into allies. Freedom has the capacity to lay--[applause]--freedom has
    that capacity to lay that foundation for peace for generations to come.
        I believe we will be victorious in Iraq, and I know that by laying
    that foundation of peace in the Middle East, we'll be able to say, job
    well done. We have laid--we have made a better chance for peace for a
    generation of Americans coming up. Someday, an American President will
    be sitting down with a duly elected leader of Iraq, working on keeping
    that peace, and a new generation of Americans will say, thank goodness
    this generation accepted the responsibilities given to them.
        Talk about a couple of other issues. There is a duty of us in
    Washington to protect you. One of the important aspects of protecting
    you is to make sure our law enforcement has all the tools necessary to
    do their job. Right after September the 11th, members of both political
    parties came together and said, ``Let us make sure that we tear down
    walls between intelligence gathering service and law enforcement
    services in America so they can share information to connect dots and
    protect the people.'' And so they passed what's called the PATRIOT Act.
        The PATRIOT Act is an important piece of legislation, in my
    judgment, because it says to folks, ``Here's some tools that we use in
    other areas of law enforcement now applicable to intelligence, to
    protecting you.'' For example, some of the tools in the PATRIOT Act were
    already being used by people fighting off drug lords or Medicaid fraud,
    interestingly enough. The PATRIOT Act had safeguards designed in it
    where the programs were reviewed, and if people had complaints about
    abuse of civil liberty, they could bring them, and we would know whether
    or not the law was meeting intended consequences.
        The law has worked. It's been a very important tool for our law
    enforcement officials. The PATRIOT Act is set to expire. The war against
    terrorists is not expiring. These people need the tools necessary to do
    their job. It's essential that Congress reauthorize the PATRIOT Act.
        I want to take a little time to explain the terrorist surveillance
    program to you. First, if I was trying to pull a fast one on the
    American people, why did I brief Congress? In other words--[applause].
    Right after September the 11th, it was apparent that there was some of
    the hijackers in the United States who were calling Al Qaida--Al Qaida
    operatives calling overseas. We don't know what they were talking about.
    Matter of fact, we found out about the calls after it was too late. But
    I was concerned about a system that wasn't doing everything we could to
    protect the American people, within the Constitution. And so, as you
    would hope that the Commander in Chief would do, I said to our
    operators, people responsible for protecting you, ``Are we doing
    everything we can to protect you? Come up with other ways to connect the
    dots.'' And this terrorist surveillance program was designed by very
    capable operatives.
        But before I implemented the program--I'm mindful of the fact that I
    took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the

    [[Page 162]]

    laws of the United States. So I had lawyers--the Attorney
    General and the Justice Department--look
    at what I was doing. I'm also mindful that people want to make sure the
    President safeguards civil liberties while we protect the country, that
    there needs to be a balance. And so this is a program--and I became
    comfortable with that balance and confident that I had the legal
    authority to do what I did.
        And so let me tell you what I did without talking about the
    operating details. I'm sure you can understand why you don't want the
    President or anybody talking about the operating details. If you're at
    war and you're trying to stop an enemy from attacking you, why in the
    world would you want to tell the enemy what they're doing to stop them,
    because they'll adjust. So I've authorized NSA to listen to a phone call
    from outside the United States in, or inside the United States out. In
    other words, this is not a program where we're listening to phone calls
    inside the United States. One of the people making the call has to be Al
    Qaida, suspected Al Qaida, and/or affiliate.
        This is a program in which we have briefed key Members of the
    Congress a lot of times. It is constantly reviewed by a legal team,
    constantly reviewed. It is constantly reviewed inside NSA by a legal
    team. We are safeguarding your liberties.
        Federal courts have ruled that the President--a President has
    constitutional authority to use foreign intelligence surveillance
    against enemies. Previous Presidents have used the same constitutional
    authority I have. I've got statutory authority as well. The Congress
    passed the authorization to use military force against Al Qaida after
    September the 11th, and the Supreme Court, in a recent opinion, ruled
    that the President--the Congress gave me the authority to use what's
    called the ``fundamental incidents of war.'' In other words, Congress
    authorized me to use force in the fundamental incidents of war, which
    means in this case, you can't defeat the enemy until you know when the
    enemy is going to hit. And therefore, using this surveillance to find
    out the intention of the enemy is a fundamental incident of war to
    protect the American people. Let me put it to you in Texan: If Al Qaida
    is calling into the United States, we want to know.
        Here's the challenge at home--we got a great economy. The American
    people are amazing when you unleash their creativity and talent. The
    entrepreneurial spirit of this country is strong when we reinforce that
    entrepreneurial spirit. Over the past 2\1/2\ years, this economy has
    created 4.6 million new jobs; the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent.
    Small businesses are flourishing. After-tax income since `01 is up 7
    percent. Productivity is very high, which is important for quality of
    life and higher standards of living. Homeownership is at an alltime
    high; more minorities own a home today in America than ever before in
    our Nation's history. This economy is doing just fine.
        But the question is, how do we stay competitive? What do we do to
    make sure, in a world in which competition is becoming fiercer and
    fiercer--what do we do to stay ahead of it? Now, some would say,
    ``Protect yourselves by withdrawing from the world.'' I think that is a
    huge mistake. Protectionism doesn't work. Protectionism would default to
    other countries in the world. That's not the American way. America must
    be confident and lead and do what is necessary to keep us competitive.
        And I've got some ideas for you. First, in order to make sure we're
    competitive, this economy has got to continue to grow. Last night I said
    an interesting statistic, at least I thought it was; otherwise, I
    wouldn't have said it, but--[laughter]. I said the tax relief we passed
    left $880 billion in the hands of American families and small businesses
    and entrepreneurs. See, my philosophy is that the more money you got,
    the more of your own money you keep, you will save and invest and spend,
    and that's how this economy grows. And the tax relief

    [[Page 163]]

    we passed is working because the American people are responding.
        And so how do we make sure that we have economic vitality and
    growth. Well, one thing you don't want to do is take money out of--if it
    has worked, why take money out of your pocket? And the tax relief we
    passed is set to expire. If Congress doesn't do anything, your taxes are
    going to go up, which, in my judgment, would be bad for the economy. In
    order to keep America competitive, the Congress needs to make the tax
    relief permanent.
        You'll hear folks say, ``Well, we got to run up your taxes in order
    to balance the budget.'' That's not the way it works in Washington.
    They're going to raise your taxes so they can find new ways to spend
    your money. That's how it works. So I want the tax cuts permanent, and I
    want to work on the deficit by controlling Federal spending.
        We can meet priorities. We can meet priorities. See, you got to set
    priorities in order to meet priorities. So long as we've got kids in
    harm's way, a priority will be to make sure our troops have what's
    necessary to do their job.
        We got a plan to cut this deficit in half by 2009. It's just going
    to take Congress making some hard choices. Part of my job is to present
    a budget that gives them a chance to show how to cut that deficit in
    half by 2009. Looking forward to working with them on achieving this
    objective. [Laughter] But the long-term problem we got is the mandatory
    spending. And I want to spend a little time on it.
        There's--we got a real issue with Social Security and Medicare. And
    the reason why is, guys like me are fixing to retire. I'm turning 62,
    retirement age, in 2008, which is a convenient coincidence. [Laughter]
    I'm looking around and I see some other baby boomers out there too. And
    we're going to stress the system. There's a lot of us getting ready to
    retire, a heck of a lot more than have been retired. And we've been
    promised a lot. And a lot of young guys are going to be having to pay
    into a system that is flat going broke. That's the reality.
        It's hard for me to be the President and look at young workers,
    young people coming into the workforce, paying payroll taxes into a
    system that I know is going broke. And it is. We've been promised too
    much, and too few people paying into the system. And now we need to do
    something about it, because this mandatory spending, these entitlement
    programs, are going to make it really hard for future Congresses and
    future taxpayers.
        I tried last year with the Social Security plan. I thought my job
    was not only to raise the issue but to come up with some solutions. One
    of my first objectives was to explain to the American people, we got a
    problem. I believe that until Congress hears from the people that we got
    a problem that their attitude is going to be, ``Nobody thinks we got a
    problem; why do anything about it?'' People now know we got a problem.
        Last night I said to Members of Congress the truth: We're not going
    to be able to solve this issue until we bring Republicans and Democrats
    together. It's a big issue solving the baby boomer--[applause]. We can
    get the job done. You don't have to cut benefits to people; you just got
    to slow them down so that the next generation can afford them. Do you
    realize my benefits or your benefits grow faster than the rate of
    inflation? I mean, in other words, there's ways to make it work. But
    it's going to require a new attitude in Washington, DC. There's too much
    politics up there. There's too much zero-sum. I want the Democrats on
    Capitol Hill to hear loud and clear: I want a bipartisan solution on
    mandatory and entitlement spending for the sake of future generations of
    Americans.
        I want to talk about four other issues right quick. You still awake?
    [Laughter] They didn't come all the way to hear this, kind of getting
    shortchanged. I'll make it

    [[Page 164]]

    quick. It's important for us to stay competitive, to open up markets.
    The temptation is to shut markets down. I'm confident in our ability.
    I'm confident in our farmers; I'm confident in our entrepreneurs. I
    think the job--I know the job of the President is to work to open up
    markets and level the playing field. My attitude is this: We say to
    countries, ``You treat us the way we treat you,'' and when they do,
    nobody can outcompete the American worker and farmer and entrepreneur.
        A big issue is immigration. It's important for us to get this issue
    solved so that we can be competitive as we go out into the 21st century.
    First of all, the obligation of the Federal Government is to enforce our
    borders, is to make sure that--[applause]. And I want to thank Leader
    Frist for passing a strong appropriations bill to
    provide resources necessary for more Border Patrol technology along the
    border. Listen, the border is long, and it's not easy to enforce. But
    with proper use of technology, some physical barriers, I think we'll be
    able to do a much better job.
        The second issue along the border, by the way, is that when we catch
    somebody sneaking into our country illegally, we just can't release them
    out into the system. We've got to have more detention space so that--it
    used to be they'd catch them, a lot of the folks, they'd say, ``All
    right, check back in with your immigration judge here in 45 days.'' And
    the guy would say, ``Yes, you bet--[laughter]--see you later.'' So we're
    changing that along the border.
        I do want to talk about the worker issue. A lot of people here in
    America have come to do jobs Americans won't do. And they're here
    because they can make money for their families. I used to tell people in
    Texas that family values didn't stop at the Rio Grande River. If you're
    a mother or a dad and you want to put food on the table for your
    children, and you had the choice between $5 and $50, you'd head for $50
    if you could.
        I believe a very significant part of enforcing our border--make it
    easier for our Border Patrol to do the job--is to end this system that
    encourages smuggling and pressure on the border by people sneaking
    across, and saying if there is somebody that's willing to do a job an
    American won't do, let's give him a fool-proof pass so they can be here
    on a temporary basis.
        Now, I'm against amnesty, and the reason I am is, I believe if you
    grant amnesty to people that are here, it will cause another wave of
    people to want to come. But I am for recognizing reality and saying that
    if you're doing a job, if you're an employer and you're looking for
    somebody to do a job an American won't do, then here is a card for a
    temporary worker. That's a humane way to treat the issue. I can't stand
    a system that has caused people to get stuffed in the back of 18-
    wheelers and they're driving across the desert. We have--because of our
    policy, we have caused there to be a whole smuggling industry and a
    forgery industry. If you're out there working and somebody shows up, and
    you can't find somebody to find work, and they show up and you say,
    ``Show me your card''--you don't know whether it's real or not real.
    There's people forging cards in order to help these people find work.
        We've got Border Patrol agents chasing people getting smuggled
    across the border to do work. If you are able to have a rational plan on
    a temporary-worker basis, it doesn't seem like to me--they're not going
    to have to try to sneak across the border, and our Border Patrol will be
    able to do a better job on drugs and terrorists and guns that are trying
    to be snuck in and out of this country. Immigration is an important
    issue, and I'm looking forward to working with Congress to get a job
    done on behalf of the American people.
        I want to talk about health care right quick. The job of the Federal
    Government is to take care of the elderly and the poor. We're rolling
    out a Medicare plan that is going to make medicine for our seniors

    [[Page 165]]

    modern, up to date, and work well. It's a really important reform.
        Listen, if you say, ``We're going to provide medicine for our
    seniors,'' you need to provide the best medicine possible for our
    seniors. And that means including prescription drug coverage for the
    seniors. And that's what's happening. We got--millions of people are
    signing up for this program. We've been in it for about 4 weeks. We're
    going to correct problems. Most of the people signing up are finding out
    it's a good deal. I urge seniors to look at this program carefully and
    sign up.
        We also have an obligation to the poor, which we're taking care of
    in Medicaid. But I want to give you another way of dealing with medicine
    other than having the Federal Government run it all, which I am
    unalterably opposed to. I think, one, we ought to have policies that
    encourage the doctor-patient relationship, strengthen that relationship.
    Secondly, we got to be wise about how we help control costs. One way to
    control costs is to spread information technology out--throughout the
    health care field.
        Let me put it to you this way: Health care is kind of lagging behind
    when it comes to using modern technology. Think about it. You got docs
    still writing out those files. And they hand that file to you and say,
    ``Take it down the hall.'' You're moving paper still in a paperless
    world. The problem is, not only are you moving paper, but doctors can't
    write in the first place. [Laughter] It creates inefficiencies in the
    system. There are too many medical errors. By spreading information
    technology, which--Bill Frist and I went to a
    hospital--I think it was here in Nashville--where they've got a modern
    information technology system being put in place. They're going to save
    20 percent to 30 percent on health care costs. It's a rationale way of
    helping control health care without the Federal Government getting in
    your business.
        I'm for allowing small businesses to pool risk across jurisdictional
    boundaries so they have the opportunity of buying health care at the
    same discount big businesses get.
        I am big believer in health savings accounts. For those of you who
    don't know health savings accounts, investigate health savings accounts.
    They're an innovative way to make sure the doctor-patient relationship
    is strong, that people are in charge of making the health care decisions
    themselves, that there is an incentive to taking care of your body
    through good exercise and good nutrition. It's a way to save money tax-
    free in your health care and, at the same time, get coverage for
    catastrophic illness. These make sense for small businesses; they make
    sense for individuals. And I'm going to ask Congress to make them more
    available and more attractive for individual consumers all across the
    United States.
        Finally, if you want to do something about availability of health
    care and affordability of health care, we have got to get the United
    States Senate to pass medical liability reform. You don't have to worry
    about Frist. No, he understands. We got a problem
    with ob-gyns. I said last night a statistic which should alarm the
    American people: There are 1,500 counties in America in which a woman
    can't find an ob-gyn. And a lot of that has to do with lawsuits driving
    good docs out of practice. This isn't right, folks. This isn't right.
    It's time for those Senators who are blocking that bill, those Senators
    who are representing the trial lawyers of America, to understand the
    damage they're doing to the health care industry of this country.
        I'm just getting warmed up. [Laughter] In order to stay competitive,
    America must end its dependence on oil. When you're hooked on oil from
    the Middle East, it means you've got an economic security issue and a
    national security issue. And I spoke last night to some exciting
    opportunities here in America. I believe--I know that technology is
    going to enable us to

    [[Page 166]]

    diversify away from being dependent on hydrocarbon, from oil.
        Let me talk about cars, and that's really the area where we can
    achieve a lot of independence. We use a lot of foreign oil in our
    automobiles, and we drive a lot. And people say, well, CAFE this and
    CAFE that. Actually, we have increased CAFE standards for certain types
    of vehicles during my administration, and that's important, as is giving
    people choice, and marketplace function is important. But most important
    of all, it seems like to me, if you recognize the fact that being
    dependent upon oil is a problem for the long term, then why don't we
    figure out how to drive our cars using a different type of fuel?
        Now, let me talk about two things that we're working on. We spent--I
    said last night, we've spent $10 billion, since I've been President, on
    research, and we're close to some really interesting breakthroughs. One
    such breakthrough is advanced batteries, which will make the hybrid car
    or the electric car much more affordable and much more suitable to the
    consumer demands. You don't want your battery running out halfway
    between here and somewhere else.
        But I do want to talk about ethanol right quick. You know, we're
    making ethanol out of corn right now. We're very close to a breakthrough
    where we'll be able to figure out how to make ethanol from other forms,
    other materials, like grasses, woods. Now, think about that. All of a
    sudden--we may be in the energy business by being able to grow grass on
    the ranch--[laughter]--and have it harvested and converted into energy.
    And that's what's close to happening. We're told that if we continue to
    focus on research, we'll be able to, within 6 years, have a competitive
    fuel to gasoline.
        Now, people say, ``Well, that's great. How about the automobile?''
    Will they be able to use it? Four-and-a-half million cars today are
    flex-fuel automobiles. In other words, they can either use gasoline or
    ethanol. So the technology is there for the automobile, and we're close
    to the technology of providing a competitive fuel to gasoline by
    converting that which we grow into fuel. It's coming. It's an exciting
    time. I can't wait to work with Congress to continue promoting this kind
    of research so that someday we're no longer dependent on Middle Eastern
    oil.
        People say, ``Well, why can't--once you get the fuel, why can't you
    just convert your fleet instantly?'' We've got 200 million cars out
    there. It takes a while for new automobiles to become the main, dominant
    part of the automobile fleet. What I'm telling you is, is that we're
    close to some breakthroughs. These are exciting times. Technology is
    going to help keep this country competitive.
        But the thing that's going to keep the country most competitive is
    making sure our workforce has got the skills to compete. This is a
    dynamic world. Whether the people want to recognize it or not, we're in
    a competitive world. Some will say, ``It's so competitive; let's
    withdraw and protect ourselves.'' That's not my attitude. My attitude is
    if it's competitive, let's get in a position where we can out-compete
    the rest of the world. And the most important place is going to be to
    make sure our kids have got the skills to fill the jobs of the 21st
    century. If our kids don't have those skills, those jobs will go
    somewhere else.
        And so this is the initiative that I praised Lamar about; it's called the America Competitiveness
    Initiative. It basically says that we're going to focus on research,
    both in public and private sector, to make sure that the technologies
    and skill base of our science and engineering community leads the world.
    It also recognizes that we've got to make sure our children have got
    math and science skills.
        By the way, that starts with making sure children can read. One of
    Laura's most important initiatives and inherent
    in the No Child Left Behind Act is the absolute demand by our Government
    that schools

    [[Page 167]]

    teach every single child how to read by fourth grade--or third grade--
    and remain at grade level throughout their entire public school career.
        One of the ways to make sure that our children have got math and
    science skills that will give them the basis on which to compete--and,
    by the way, when you test our scores relative to other children, we're
    doing just fine in elementary school, and we start slipping off in
    middle school, and we're not doing worth a darn in high school. And so
    one way to reverse that trend is to make sure our high school teachers
    have got the necessary skills to teach kids the skill sets to be able to
    compete. And so we believe that we can help train 70,000 high school
    teachers to lead Advanced Placement courses in math and science.
        Advanced Placement works. AP is a vital program. If you study your
    AP results here in Tennessee schools, you'll see it makes a lot of
    sense. We want AP programs to be available to children from all walks of
    life so that they have the skills necessary to compete. We got a plan to
    get 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in our classrooms.
    And we want to make sure, just like we do on No Child Left Behind, that
    we focus on math as well, and we find math deficiencies early--we
    provide money to correct them. See, if you diagnose and don't correct,
    you're doing a child a disservice. If you don't diagnose, you're doing a
    child a disservice. The best thing to do is what we're doing, is
    diagnose and solve problems early, before they're too late. And that's
    what we're going to do in this very exciting initiative.
        A couple of other things I want to talk about. What I just told you
    is how to stay competitive. See, we have a choice. We can withdraw and
    say, ``Okay, you all go do your thing, and we'll just protect ourselves
    inside America,'' or we can compete. And I just laid out an agenda for
    America to lead. I believe that the way you enhance prosperity for the
    American people is you shape your own destiny. And America has been a
    leader and will continue to be a leader in the world economy.
        What really matters in the long term is the character of the
    American people. The great strength of this country is the compassion of
    our citizens. It really is. I like to remind people that de Tocqueville
    got it right when he came and looked at America in the 1830s and
    recognized the voluntary associations. The ability for people to serve
    something greater than themselves was the strength of America then, and
    it's the strength of America now.
        One of the reasons why I mentioned Laura last
    night and her program is not only I want her to get a little air time--
    [laughter]--but she's heading up a very important effort to encourage
    mentors to help say to a child, ``I love you. What can I do to help you?
    How can I help you realize you need to make the right choices in life in
    order to succeed?''
        I see a Scout there. The Scouting program is a great mentoring
    program. But there are all kinds of ways you can help, all kinds of ways
    you can help get involved with people's lives. Last night we honored
    some folks by putting them in the box there during the State of the
    Union. I guess it's an honor when you sit there and have to listen to an
    old guy for an hour. But anyway, nevertheless, they were there. And one
    of them was a young guy that was volunteering down there in--for those
    affected by the hurricanes.
        One of the things about that hurricane is we're going to make sure
    that we analyze the response. And, as I said, we just didn't do as good
    a job as we should have done at all levels of government. As the head of
    the Federal Government, I take responsibility for that. But having said
    that, the response of the American people to these hurricanes was
    unbelievable. People were uprooted out of their homes. They were
    wandering out there, wondering whether or not anybody cared. And
    thousands of our fellow citizens had open arms and said, ``I

    [[Page 168]]

    care about you. How can I help you?'' It was a remarkable, remarkable
    thing to watch. It's reconfirmed my great faith in the American people.
        The Government has got a role. As I mentioned last night, we've
    committed $85 billion to help the people get on their feet down there.
    We're going to stay with them. We'll help them. And the American people
    are helping them as well.
        Another thing I talked about last night, to make sure that our
    country is hopeful and the spirits are up, is that when you look at
    Washington, you've got to be assured that people are upholding the
    integrity that you expect them to. I look forward to working with
    Congress on ethics reform. We have a solemn duty and an obligation to
    say to the American people that we will uphold the honor of the offices
    to which we have been elected.
        I do want to say something about judges. I want to thank both Senators here for voting to
    confirm a good man. Laura and I are going to--if
    I can ever stop speaking here--[laughter]--we're going to go back and
    have a swearing-in ceremony for Judge Sam Alito. The reason I bring this up is that part of making sure
    America knows there's a hopeful tomorrow is that--a lot of Americans
    don't like it when judges kind of write the law. We've got plenty of
    legislators in Washington. Believe me, we've got plenty of legislators
    in Washington. And so I'm going to put judges on the bench who know the
    difference between interpreting the Constitution and trying to write the
    law. I'll continue to do that.
        And so that's what's on my mind, and it took me an hour to tell you.
    [Laughter] I hope you get the sense of my optimism about the country. I
    told you mine is a decisionmaking job. I first learned that when the guy
    called me--I was getting ready to give my Inaugural Address, right
    before the swearing-in of the first Presidency--the first term. And a
    guy called me and said, ``What color rug do you want in the Oval
    Office?'' I said, ``Man, this is a decisionmaking job.''
    [Laughter]``What color rug do I want?'' The second thing about
    decisionmaking is you've got to know when it's time to delegate. So, not
    knowing much about rug designing, I said, ``Laura, give me a hand.'' [Laughter]
        And the third thing about my job is you've got to set a strategic
    vision. I set the strategic vision last night for our country: active in
    the pursuit of our own security and the spread of freedom; confident in
    our ability to compete in the world; understanding we need to
    continually recommit ourselves to serving others. And so I said,
    ``Laura, the only thing I want is that rug to
    say--you figure out how to say it--is, `Optimistic person comes here to
    work every day.' '' And she captured my spirit, because I am optimistic
    about our future.
        Thanks for giving me a chance to share that optimism with you. God
    bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:01 p.m. at the Grand Ole Opry House. In
    his remarks, he referred to entertainer Larry Gatlin of the Gatlin
    Brothers; entertainer Porter Wagoner; Mayor Bill Purcell of Nashville,
    TN; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
    Zalmay Khalilzad; Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., USA, commanding general,
    Multi-National Force--Iraq; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of
    Japan.

    [[Page 169]]