    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [March 13, 2006]
    [Pages 462-470]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
    March 13, 2006

        Thanks for the warm welcome. Cliff,
    thanks for the introduction. It's a pleasure to be with the Foundation
    for the Defense of Democracies. This organization was formed in the wake
    of the September the 11th attacks to fight the ideologies that drive
    terrorism. You recognized immediately that the war on terror is a
    struggle between freedom and tyranny and that the path to lasting
    security is to defeat the hateful vision the terrorists are spreading
    with the hope of freedom and democracy.
        The foundation is making a difference across the world, and I
    appreciate the difference you're making. You have trained Iraqi women
    and Iranian students in the principles and practice of democracy. You've
    translated ``democracy readers'' into Arabic for distribution across the
    broader Middle East. You've helped activists across the region organize
    effective political movements so they can help bring about democratic
    change and ensure the survival of liberty in new democracies. By
    promoting

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    democratic ideals and training a new generation of democratic leaders in
    the Middle East, you are helping us to bring victory in the war on
    terror, and I thank you for your hard work in freedom's cause.
        I also want to thank the members of the Board of the Foundation for
    the Defense of the Democracies. I want to thank Steve
    Trachtenberg, the president of
    George Washington University, and his wife, Fran, for joining us today. Thanks for letting me come to your
    campus. I'm honored to be here. He informed me that my dad will be giving the graduation speech this year--
    [laughter]--and Mother is getting an honorary
    degree. [Laughter] Smart man.
        Mr. Secretary, thanks for joining us.
    I'm proud that Secretary Rumsfeld is with us. I want to thank Senator
    Dick Lugar for being with us today. Mr.
    Chairman, proud you're here. Thanks for coming. I want to thank the
    Members of the United States Congress who have joined us: Congressman
    Lungren, Adam Schiff, Joe Wilson, Tom
    Cole, and Dan Boren. I
    appreciate you all taking time to be here today; it means a lot.
        I want to thank the ambassadors who have joined us. I see two for
    certain, one from Jordan and one from
    Israel. Proud you both are here. If there's
    any other ambassadors here, I apologize for not introducing you, and you
    don't have as good a seat as these two guys. [Laughter]
        The mission of this foundation is to defeat terror by promoting
    democracy, and that is the mission of my administration. Our strategy to
    protect America is based on a clear premise: The security of our Nation
    depends on the advance of liberty in other nations. On September the
    11th, 2001, we saw that problems originating in a failed and oppressive
    state 7,000 miles away could bring murder and destruction to our
    country. We saw that dictatorships shelter terrorists, feed resentment
    and radicalism, and threaten the security of free nations. Democracies
    replace resentment with hope; democracies respect the rights of their
    citizens and their neighbors; democracies join the fight against terror.
    And so America is committed to an historic, long-term goal: To secure
    the peace of the world, we seek the end of tyranny in our world.
        We are making progress in the march of freedom, and some of the most
    important progress has taken place in a region that has not known the
    blessings of liberty, the broader Middle East. Two weeks ago, I got a
    chance to visit Afghanistan and to see firsthand the transformation that
    has taken place in that country. Before September the 11th, 2001,
    Afghanistan was ruled by a cruel regime that oppressed its people,
    brutalized women, and gave safe haven to the terrorists who attacked
    America.
        Today, the terror camps have been shut down; women are working; boys
    and girls are going to school; Afghans have voted in free elections--25
    million people have had the taste of freedom. Taliban and Al Qaida
    remnants continue to fight Afghanistan's democratic progress. In recent
    weeks, they have launched new attacks that have killed Afghan citizens
    and coalition forces. The United States and our allies will stay in the
    fight against the terrorists, and we'll train Afghan soldiers and police
    so they can defend their country. The Afghan people are building a
    vibrant young democracy that is an ally in the war on terror, and
    America is proud to have such a determined partner in the cause of
    freedom.
        Next week, we will mark the 3-year anniversary of the start of
    Operation Iraqi Freedom. In less than 3 years, the Iraqi people have
    gone from living under the boot of a brutal tyrant, to liberation, to sovereignty, to free elections, to a
    constitutional referendum, and last December, to elections for a fully
    constitutional government. In those December elections, over 11 million
    Iraqis--more than 75 percent of the Iraqi voting-age population--defied
    the terrorists to cast their ballots.

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        Americans were inspired by the images of Iraqis bringing elderly
    relatives to the polls, holding up purple ink-stained fingers, dancing
    in the streets, and celebrating their freedom. By their courage, the
    Iraqi people have spoken and made their intentions clear: They want to
    live in democracy, and they are determined to shape their own destiny.
        The past few weeks, the world has seen very different images from
    Iraq, images of violence and anger and despair. We have seen a great
    house of worship, the Golden Mosque of Samarra, in ruins after a brutal
    terrorist attack. We've seen mass protests in response to provocation.
    We've seen reprisal attacks by armed militias on Sunni mosques and
    random violence that has taken the lives of hundreds of Iraqi citizens.
        The terrorists attacked the Golden Mosque for a reason: They know
    that they lack the military strength to challenge Iraqi and coalition
    forces directly, so their only hope is to try and provoke a civil war.
    So they attacked one of Shi'a Islam's holiest sites, hoping to incite
    violence that would drive Iraqis apart and stop their progress on the
    path to a free society.
        Immediately after the attack, I said that Iraq faced a moment of
    choosing. And in the days that followed, the Iraqi people made their
    choice. They looked into the abyss and did not like what they saw. After
    the bombing, most Iraqis saw what the perpetuators of this attack were
    trying to do. The enemy had failed to stop the January 2005 elections;
    they failed to stop the constitutional referendum; they failed to stop
    the December elections. And now they're trying to stop the formation of
    a unity government. By their response over the past 2 weeks, Iraqis have
    shown the world they want a future of freedom and peace, and they will
    oppose a violent minority that seeks to take that future away from them
    by tearing their country apart.
        The situation in Iraq is still tense, and we're still seeing acts of
    sectarian violence and reprisal. Yet out of this crisis, we've also seen
    signs of a hopeful future. We saw the restraint of the Iraqi people in
    the face of massive provocation. Most Iraqis did not turn to violence,
    and many chose to show their solidarity by coming together in joint
    Sunni and Shi'a prayer services. We saw the leadership of Sunni and
    Shi'a clerics who joined together to denounce the bombing and call for
    restraint. Ayatollah Sistani issued a strong
    statement denouncing what he called sectarian sedition, and he urged all
    Iraqis--in his words--``not to be dragged into committing acts that
    would only please the enemies.'' We saw the capability of the Iraqi
    security forces, who deployed to protect religious sites, enforce a
    curfew, and restore civil order. We saw the determination of many of
    Iraq's leaders, who rose to the moment, came together, and acted
    decisively to diffuse the crisis.
        Iraq's leaders know that this is not the last time they will be
    called to stand together in the face of an outrageous terrorist attack.
    Iraq's leaders know that they must put aside their differences, reach
    out across political, religious, and sectarian lines, and form a unity
    government that will earn the trust and the confidence of all Iraqis.
    Iraqis now have a chance to show the world that they have learned the
    lesson of Samarra: A country that divides into factions and dwells on
    old grievances risks sliding back into tyranny. The only path to a
    future of peace is the path of unity.
        Soon the new Parliament will be seated in Baghdad, and this will
    begin the process of forming a government. Forming a new government will
    demand negotiation and compromise by the Iraqis; it will require
    patience by America and our coalition allies.
        In the weeks ahead, Americans will likely see a good deal of
    political maneuvering in Iraq, as different factions and leaders advance
    competing agendas and seek their share of political power. Out of this
    process, a free government will emerge that represents the will of the
    Iraqi people, instead of the will of one cruel dictator.

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        The work ahead in Iraq is hard, and there will be more difficult
    moments. The Samarra attack was a clear attempt to ignite a civil war.
    And we can expect the enemy will try again, and they will continue to
    sow violence and destruction designed to stop the emergence of a free
    and democratic Iraq.
        The enemies of a free Iraq are determined, yet so are the Iraqi
    people, and so are America and coalition partners. We will not lose our
    nerve. We will help the Iraqi people succeed. Our goal in Iraq is
    victory, and victory will be achieved when the terrorists and Saddamists
    can no longer threaten Iraq's democracy, when the Iraqi security forces
    can provide for the safety of their own citizens, and when Iraq is not a
    safe haven for terrorists to plot new attacks against our Nation.
        We have a comprehensive strategy for victory in Iraq, a strategy I
    laid out in a series of speeches last year. Our strategy has three
    elements. On the political side, we are helping Iraqis build a strong
    democracy so that old resentments will be eased and the insurgency
    marginalized. On the economic side, we are continuing reconstruction
    efforts and helping Iraqis build a modern economy that will give all its
    citizens a stake in a free and peaceful Iraq. And on the security side,
    we are striking terrorist targets and training the Iraqi security
    forces, which are taking responsibility for more Iraqi territory and
    becoming increasingly capable of defeating the enemy. In the coming
    weeks, I will update the American people on our strategy, the progress
    we are making, the lessons we have learned from our experiences, and how
    we are fixing what hasn't worked.
        Today I will discuss the third element of our strategy, the progress
    of our efforts to defeat the terrorists and train the Iraqi security
    forces so they can take the lead in defending their own democracy.
        At the end of last year, I described in detail many of the changes
    we have made to improve the training of Iraqi security forces, and we
    saw the fruits of those changes in recent days in Iraq. After the
    Samarra bombings, it was the Iraqi security forces--not coalition
    forces--that restored order. In the hours after the attack, Iraqi
    leaders put the Iraqi security forces on alert, canceling all leaves and
    heightening security around mosques and critical sites. Using security
    plans developed for the December elections, they deployed Iraqi forces
    in Baghdad and to other troubled spots.
        Iraqi police manned checkpoints, increased patrols, and ensured that
    peaceful demonstrators were protected, while those who turned to
    violence were arrested. Public order brigades deployed as rapid reaction
    forces to areas where violence was reported. The 9th Mechanized Division
    of the Iraqi Army, which was in the midst of a major training event,
    regrouped and entered the Baghdad city gates, taking up assigned
    positions throughout the city with T-72 tanks and armored infantry
    vehicles. During the past 2 weeks, Iraqi security forces conducted more
    than 200 independent operations--each of them Iraqi-planned, Iraqi-
    conducted, and Iraqi-led.
        Having Iraqi forces in the lead has been critical to preventing
    violence from spinning out of control. For example, on the day of the
    Samarra bombing, the Iraqi national police responded to an armed
    demonstration in an area immediately adjacent to Sadr City where an
    angry Shi'a crowd had surrounded the Sunni Al-Quds Mosque. The Iraqi
    brigade commander placed his troops--who were largely Shi'a--between the
    crowd and the mosque and talked to the crowd using megaphones and--
    calling for calm and urging them to disperse. After a 2-hour standoff,
    the crowd eventually left without incident, and the National Police
    remained in position overnight to guard the mosque until the threat was
    over. The fact that Iraqis were in the

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    lead and negotiating with their own countrymen helped diffuse a
    potential confrontation and prevented an escalation of violence.
        In another Baghdad neighborhood, a similar situation unfolded. A
    group of armed militia members had gone in and occupied the Al-Nida
    Mosque. An Iraqi Army brigade quickly arrived on the scene, and the
    brigade commander negotiated with the group and secured their peaceful
    departure. Once again, because Iraqi forces spoke their language and
    understood their culture, they were able to convince the Iraqi militia
    to leave peacefully.
        Not all Iraqi units performed as well as others, and there were some
    reports of Iraqi units in Eastern Baghdad allowing militia members to
    pass through checkpoints. But American commanders are closely watching
    the situation, and they report these incidents appear to be the
    exception, not the rule. In the weeks since the bombing, the Iraqi
    security forces turned in a strong performance. From the outset, Iraqi
    forces understood that if they failed to stand for national unity, the
    country would slip into anarchy. And so they have stood their ground and
    defended their democracy and brought their nation through one of its
    most difficult moments since liberation.
        General Marty Dempsey, our top
    commander responsible for training the Iraqi security forces, says this
    about their performance: ``They were deliberate, poised, even-handed,
    and professional. They engaged local tribal, political, and religious
    leaders. They patiently but deliberately confronted armed groups to let
    them know that they had control of the situation.'' He went on to say,
    ``I'm sure we will find instances where they could have performed
    better, but in the face of immense pressure, they performed very, very
    well.'' As a result of their performance, the Iraqi security forces are
    gaining the confidence of the Iraqi people. And as the Iraqi security
    forces make progress against the enemy, their morale continues to
    increase.
        When I reported on the progress of the Iraqi security forces last
    year, I said that there were over 120 Iraqi and police combat battalions
    in the fight against the enemy, and 40 of those were taking the lead in
    the fight. Today, the number of battalions in the fight has increased to
    more than 130, with more than 60 taking the lead. As more Iraqi
    battalions come on line, these Iraqi forces are assuming responsibility
    for more territory. Today, Iraqi units have primary responsibility for
    more than 30,000 square miles of Iraq, an increase of roughly 20,000
    square miles since the beginning of the year. And Iraqi forces are now
    conducting more independent operations throughout the country than do
    coalition forces.
        This is real progress, but there is more work to be done this year.
    Our commanders tell me that the Iraqi police still lag behind the army
    in training and capabilities, so one of our major goals in 2006 is to
    accelerate the training of the Iraqi police. One problem is that some
    national police units have been disproportionately Shi'a, and there have
    been some reports of infiltration of the National Police by militias.
    And so we're taking a number of steps to correct this problem.
        First, we have begun implementing a program that has been effective
    with the Iraqi Army--partnering U.S. battalions with the Iraqi National
    Police battalions. These U.S. forces are working with their Iraqi
    counterparts, giving them tactical training so they can defeat the
    enemy. And they are also teaching them about the role of a professional
    police force in a democratic system, so they can serve all Iraqis
    without discrimination.
        Second, we are working with the Iraqi leaders to find and remove any
    leaders in the National Police who show evidence of loyalties to
    militia. For example, last year, there were reports that the Second
    Public Order Brigade contained members of an illegal militia who were
    committing abuses. So last December, the Interior Ministry

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    leadership removed the Second Brigade commander and replaced him with a
    new commander, who then dismissed more than 100 men with suspected
    militia ties. Today, this Iraqi police brigade has been transformed into
    a capable, professional unit, and during the recent crisis after the
    Samarra bombing, they performed with courage and distinction.
        Finally, we are working with Iraqis to diversify the ranks of the
    National Police by recruiting more Sunni Arabs. For example, the basic
    training class for the National Police public order forces that
    graduated last October was less than one percent Sunni. The class
    graduating in April will include many, many more Sunnis. By ensuring the
    public order forces reflect the general population, Iraqis are making
    the National Police a truly national institution, one that is able to
    serve, protect, and defend all the Iraqi people.
        As more capable Iraqi police and soldiers come on line, they will
    assume responsibility for more territory, with the goal of having the
    Iraqis control more territory than the coalition by the end of 2006. And
    as Iraqis take over more territory, this frees American and coalition
    forces to concentrate on training and on hunting down high-value targets
    like the terrorist Zarqawi and his
    associates. As Iraqis stand up, America and our coalition will stand
    down. And my decisions on troop levels will be made based upon the
    conditions on the ground and on the recommendations of our military
    commanders, not artificial timetables set by politicians here in
    Washington, DC.
        These terrorists know they cannot defeat us militarily, so they have
    turned to the weapon of fear. And one of the most brutal weapons at
    their disposal are improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. IEDs are bombs
    made from artillery shells, explosives, and other munitions that can be
    hidden and detonated remotely. After the terrorists were defeated in
    battles in Fallujah and Tall `Afar, they saw that they could not
    confront Iraqi or American forces in pitched battles and survive. And so
    they turned to IEDs, a weapon that allows them to attack from a safe
    distance, without having to face our forces in battle.
        The principal victims of IED attacks are innocent Iraqis. The
    terrorists and insurgents have used IEDs to kill Iraqi children playing
    in the streets, shoppers at Iraqi malls, and Iraqis lining up at police
    and army recruiting stations. They use IEDs to strike terror in the
    hearts of Iraqis in an attempt to break their confidence in the free
    future of their country.
        The enemy is also using IEDs in their campaign against U.S. and
    coalition forces in Iraq, and we are harnessing every available resource
    to deal with this threat. My administration has established a new, high-
    level organization at the Department of Defense, led by retired four-
    star General Montgomery Meigs. On
    Saturday, General Meigs along with the Secretary of Defense briefed me at the White House on our plan to defeat
    the threat of IEDs. Our plan has three elements: targeting, training,
    and technology.
        The first part of our plan is targeting and eliminating the
    terrorists and bombmakers. Across Iraq, we are on the hunt for the
    enemy--capturing and killing the terrorists before they strike,
    uncovering and disarming their weapons before they go off, and rooting
    out and destroying bomb-making cells so they can't produce more weapons.
        Because the Iraqi people are the targets--primarily the targets of
    the bombers, Iraqis are increasingly providing critical intelligence to
    help us find the bombmakers and stop new attacks. The number of tips
    from Iraqis has grown from 400 last March to over 4,000 in December. For
    example, just 3 weeks ago, acting on tips provided by local citizens,
    coalition forces uncovered a massive IED arsenal hidden in a location
    northwest of Baghdad. They found and confiscated more than 3,000 pieces
    of munitions in one of the largest weapons caches

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    discovered in that region to date. Just 2 weeks ago, acting on
    intelligence from Iraqis, coalition forces uncovered a bomb-making
    facility northeast of Fallujah. They captured 61 terrorists at the
    facility and confiscated large numbers of weapons.
        In all, during the past 6 months, Iraqi and coalition forces have
    found and cleared nearly 4,000 IEDs, uncovered more than 1,800 weapons
    caches and bomb-making plants, and killed or detained hundreds of
    terrorists and bombmakers. We're on the hunt for the enemy, and we're
    not going to rest until they've been defeated.
        The second part of our plan is to give our forces specialized
    training to identify and clear IEDs before they explode. Before arriving
    in Iraq and Afghanistan, our combat units get training on how to counter
    the threat of IEDs. And to improve our training, last month, we
    established a new IED Joint Center of Excellence headquartered at Fort
    Irwin, California, where we're taking lessons learned from the IED fight
    in Iraq and sharing them with our troops in the field and those
    preparing to deploy. This new initiative will ensure that every Army and
    Marine combat unit headed to Afghanistan and Iraq is prepared for the
    challenges that IEDs bring to the battlefield.
        Before deploying, our troops will train with the equipment they will
    use in the IED fight. They'll study enemy tactics and experience live-
    fire training that closely mirrors what they will see when they arrive
    in the zone of combat. Our goal with this training is to ensure that
    when our forces encounter the enemy, that they're ready.
        The third part of our plan is to develop new technologies to defend
    against IEDs. We are putting the best minds in America to work on this
    effort. The Department of Defense recently gathered some--gathered 600
    leaders from industry and academia, the national laboratories, the
    National Academy of Sciences, all branches of the military, and every
    relevant Government Agency to discuss technology solutions to the IED
    threat. We now have nearly 100 projects underway. For security reasons,
    I'm not going to share the details of the technologies we're developing.
    The simple reason is, the enemy can use even the smallest details to
    overcome our defenses.
        Earlier this year, a newspaper published details of a new anti-IED
    technology that was being developed. Within 5 days of the publication--
    using details from that article--the enemy had posted instructions for
    defeating this new technology on the Internet. We cannot let the enemy
    know how we're working to defeat him. But I can assure the American
    people that my administration is working to put the best technology in
    the hands of our men and women on the frontlines, and we are mobilizing
    resources against the IED threat.
        I assured General Meigs that he will
    have the funding and personnel he needs to succeed. In 2004, the
    administration spent $150 million to fight the IED threat. This year,
    we're providing $3.3 billion to support our efforts to defeat IEDs.
    These investments are making a difference. Today, nearly half of the
    IEDs in Iraq are found and disabled before they can be detonated. In the
    past 18 months, we've cut the casualty rate per IED attack in half. More
    work needs to be done. Yet by targeting the bombmakers and training our
    forces and deploying new technologies, we will stay ahead of the enemy,
    and that will save Iraqi and American lives.
        Some of the most powerful IEDs we're seeing in Iraq today includes
    components that came from Iran. Our Director of National Intelligence,
    John Negroponte, told the Congress,
    ``Tehran has been responsible for at least some of the increasing
    lethality of anticoalition attacks by providing Shi'a militia with the
    capability to build improvised explosive devices'' in Iraq. Coalition
    forces have seized IEDs and components that were clearly produced in
    Iran. Such actions--along with Iran's support for terrorism and its
    pursuit of nuclear weapons--

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    are increasingly isolating Iran, and America will continue to rally the
    world to confront these threats.
        We still have difficult work ahead in Iraq. I wish I could tell you
    that the violence is waning and that the road ahead will be smooth. It
    will not. There will be more tough fighting and more days of struggle,
    and we will see more images of chaos and carnage in the days and months
    to come. The terrorists are losing on the field of battle, so they are
    fighting this war through the pictures we see on television and in the
    newspapers every day. They're hoping to shake our resolve and force us
    to retreat. They are not going to succeed.
        The battle lines in Iraq are clearly drawn for the world to see, and
    there is no middle ground. The enemy will emerge from Iraq one of two
    ways, emboldened or defeated. The stakes in Iraq are high. By helping
    Iraqis build a democracy, we will deny the terrorists a safe haven to
    plan attacks against America. By helping Iraqis build a democracy, we
    will gain an ally in the war on terror. By helping Iraqis build a
    democracy, we will inspire reformers across the Middle East. And by
    helping Iraqis build a democracy, we'll bring hope to a troubled region,
    and this will make America more secure in the long term.
        Since the morning of September the 11th, we have known that the war
    on terror would require great sacrifice, and in this war, we have said
    farewell to some very good men and women. One of those courageous
    Americans was Sergeant William Scott Kinzer, Jr., who was killed last year by the terrorists while securing
    polling sites for the Iraqi elections. His mom, Debbie, wrote me a letter. She said: ``These words are straight
    from a shattered but healing mother's heart. My son made the decision to
    join the Army. He believed that what he was involved in would eventually
    change Iraq and that those changes would be re-
    corded in history books for years to come. On his last visit home, I
    asked him what I would ever do if something happened to him in Iraq. He
    smiled at me with--his blue eyes sparkled, as he said, `Mom, I love my
    job. If I should die, I would die happy. Does life get any better than
    this?''' His mom went on: ``Please do not let the voices we hear the
    loudest change what you and Scott started in Iraq. Please do not let his
    dying be in vain. Don't let my son have given his all for an unfinished
    job. Please complete the mission.''
        I make this promise to Debbie and all
    the families of the fallen heroes: We will not let your loved ones dying
    be in vain. We will finish what we started in Iraq. We will complete the
    mission. We will leave behind a democracy that can govern itself,
    sustain itself, and defend itself. And a free Iraq in the heart of the
    Middle East will make the American people more secure for generations to
    come.
        May God bless the families of the fallen. May God bless our troops
    in the fight. And may God continue to bless the United States of
    America.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:16 p.m. in the Dorothy Betts Marvin
    Theatre at The George Washington University. In his remarks, he referred
    to Clifford D. May, president, Foundation for the Defense of
    Democracies; Jordan's Ambassador to the U.S. Karim Kawar; Israel's
    Ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Ayalon; former President Saddam Hussein of
    Iraq; Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraqi Shiite leader; Lt. Gen.
    Martin E. Dempsey, USA, commander, Multi-National Security Transition
    Command--Iraq; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; and Gen.
    Montgomery Meigs, USA (Ret.), director, Joint Improvised Explosive
    Device Defeat Organization. The Office of the Press Secretary also
    released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.

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