[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[February 9, 2006]
[Pages 217-225]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the National Guard Association of the United States
February 9, 2006

    Please be seated. Thanks for that warm welcome. I'm delighted to be 
here with the men and women of the National Guard Association of the 
United States. For 128 years, the National Guard Association has been 
fighting for the citizen soldiers who fight for America. I appreciate 
your service, and I appreciate you supporting those that America depends 
on in times of crisis. Our Nation is safer because citizens are willing 
to put on the uniform and defend our freedom.
    The first thing I want to tell you is America is grateful for the 
service of our guards men and women, and I'm proud to be their Commander 
in Chief.
    I thank Brigadier General Bob Taylor 
for his service and for his introduction. I appreciate Congressman Jim 
Gibbons, who is with us today, from the 
great State of Nevada. Thanks for coming, Congressman. I'm proud you're 
here. Thanks for supporting the Guard.
    I thank Brigadier General Steve Koper, 
retired president of the National Guard Association of the United 
States. General, thank you for greeting me. I'm proud to be here with 
Major General Roger Lempke, the president of 
the Adjutants General Association. I thank my friend Lieutenant General 
Danny James. One of the interesting things 
about my life, I've been the Commander in Chief twice: today and when I 
was the Governor of Texas. And Danny and I worked together for the good 
of our State. Thanks for coming, Danny; glad to see you brought your 
beautiful wife too.
    I want to thank Lewis King; he's the Chief 
Warrant Officer, retired. He helped raise the money for this box, and I 
appreciate it very much, Lewis, and all those who contributed to it. I 
want to thank Charles Parks, the sculptor. 
Charles caught me before my hair went gray. [Laughter]
    I also want to thank Lanny McNeely for 
joining us today; he's the head of the 147th Wing Guard at Ellington, 
where I used to serve. And I appreciate you coming, Colonel. Thanks for 
being here. Thanks for greeting me when I arrived there, on Air Force 
One there at Ellington--checking on my mother 
and father on a regular basis. I also want 
to thank Chuck Rodriguez, who's the TAG 
of Texas. When you're a Texan, you always got to make sure you pay 
attention to your fellow Texans.
    And thank you all for having me. I want to share with you some 
thoughts about the war on terror. Before I do, I want to remind our 
country that the Guard has been fighting for America since before 
America was a nation. From the First Muster in 1636 to today's global 
war on terror, Americans have counted on the Guard to protect our land 
and defend our way of life. The role of the Guard in our military is 
unique. It's the only part of the Armed Forces that serves both the 
State and the Nation. And in the past year, Americans have witnessed the 
courage of our guards men and women at home and abroad.
    When Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast last year, more than 
40,000 guards men and women rushed to the impact zone; it was the 
largest stateside deployment in National Guard history. They conducted 
search and rescue operations, distributed food and water, provided 
emergency medical care, protected communities from criminality, and 
worked around the clock to repair homes and restore power. Guard units 
from all 50 States, three U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia 
provided assistance. And together, they saved lives and helped evacuate 
over 175,000 people stranded by the storm.
    When the Pennsylvania National Guard came to repair the roof of a 
Louisiana woman, she said this to the soldiers: ``That's

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a long way to come to help us. We're really grateful. You boys are going 
to heaven, I tell you.'' [Laughter] When tragedy strikes, Americans know 
they can count on the men and women of the National Guard.
    As you protect your neighbors from natural disasters, you're also 
protecting the American people from terrorist dangers. Since September 
the 11th, 2001, more than 260,000 members of the National Guard have 
been mobilized for various missions in the war on terror. At this 
moment, guards men and women are training the Afghan National Army, 
standing watch over the world's most dangerous terrorists in Guantanamo 
Bay, Cuba, and taking the fight to the enemy in Iraq. Across the world 
and on every front, the men and women of the Guard are serving with 
courage and determination. And they're bringing us to victory in the 
global war on terror.
    Your service is vital to the security of the country and the peace 
of the world, and that service would not be possible without the support 
of the Guard families. Guard loved ones miss their husband and wife or 
son and daughter; they worry when our guardspeople are deployed 
overseas. By standing behind our guards men and women, the families of 
the Guard serve our country as well, and America appreciates their 
service.
    Our Nation also depends on the commitments of the employers of the 
guards men and women. In offices and schools and factories across 
America, organizations do without the talents of some really fine people 
that have been called upon to protect our Nation. Businesses that are 
putting patriotism ahead of profit deserve the gratitude of all 
Americans.
    Each of the guards men and women have stepped forward to defend our 
country, and our country owes them something in return. We've taken a 
number of steps to improve the callup process so it's more respectful to 
the guards men and women and their families. In most cases, we're now 
giving you at least 30 days notification before mobilization so that you 
and your families have time to make arrangements. We're working to give 
you as much certainty as possible about the length of mobilizations so 
you can know when you will be able to resume civilian life. We're 
working to minimize the number of extensions and repeat mobilizations. 
We're working to ensure that you and your families are treated with the 
dignity they deserve.
    We're also taking steps to improve the quality of life. We've 
expanded health care benefits for Guard and Reserve forces and their 
families, giving you access to the military's TRICARE system. We're also 
expanding access to education for America's citizen soldiers. I was 
proud to sign legislation providing our Guard and Reserve forces between 
40 to 80 percent of education benefits available to Active-Duty Forces--
depending on the length of their mobilization in the war on terror. 
We've also tripled the amount that can be paid for re-enlisting in the 
National Guard or Reserve. The last month, I signed into law a new 
retention bonus for guardsmen and reservists with critical skills needed 
in this war on terror. Our guardsmen and reservists are standing up for 
America, and you need to know that this administration supports you in 
your efforts.
    We're working to give you the tools and resources you need to 
prevail in the war on terror and meet State and homeland security 
missions as well. Our 2007 budget that I just submitted to the Congress 
increases funding for our men and women of Armed Forces by $28.5 
billion. That includes vital funds to help the National Guard meet its 
responsibilities during this war.
    The Army National Guard currently has about 330,000 soldiers, and my 
2007 budget funds the Guard at that level. As the Guard recruits above 
that level, we'll make certain that there is funding in place for every 
citizen who steps forward to wear the uniform. And to ensure that the 
Army and our Air National Guard are ready for

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any challenge, my budget more than doubles funding for equipment and 
modernization over the next 5 years. Any time we've got folks in harm's 
way, they deserve the best: the best pay possible, the best training 
possible, and the best equipment possible. It's a commitment this 
administration has made since I've been the Commander in Chief, and it's 
a commitment we will keep.
    We remain a nation at war. I wish I could report, you know, a 
different sentence to you. But my job as the President of the United 
States is to keep the American people fully informed of the world in 
which we live. In recent months, I've spoken extensively about our 
strategy for victory in Iraq. Today I'm going to give you an update on 
the progress that we're making in the broader war on terror, the actions 
of our global coalition to break up terrorist networks across the world, 
plots we've disrupted that have saved American lives, and how the rise 
of freedom is leading millions to reject the dark ideology of the 
terrorists and laying the foundation of peace for generations to come.
    On September the 11th, 2001, our Nation saw that vast oceans and 
great distances could no longer keep us safe. I made a decision that day 
that America will not wait to be attacked again. And since that day, 
we've taken decisive action to protect our citizens against new dangers. 
We're hunting down the terrorists using every element of our national 
power: military, intelligence, law enforcement, diplomatic, and 
financial. We're clarifying the choice facing every nation: In this 
struggle between freedom and terror, every nation has responsibilities, 
and no one can remain neutral.
    Since September the 11th, we've led a broad coalition to confront 
the terrorist threat. Four weeks after the attacks, America and our 
allies launched military operations to eliminate the terrorists' 
principal sanctuary in the nation of Afghanistan. I told the world that 
if you harbor a terrorist, you're equally as guilty as the terrorists. 
And when an American President says something, he better mean what he 
said; I meant what I said.
    We removed a cruel regime that oppressed its people, brutalized 
women and girls, and gave safe haven to the terrorists who attacked 
America. Because we acted, the terror camps in Afghanistan have been 
shut down and 25 million people have tasted freedom, many for the first 
time in their lives. Afghanistan now has a democratically elected 
President, a new National Assembly, and the 
beginnings of a market economy. Women are working and starting their own 
businesses. Boys and girls are back in school. The Afghan people are 
building the institutions of a lasting democracy and the foundations of 
a hopeful future for their children and their grandchildren.
    Afghanistan still faces serious challenges, from illicit drug 
trafficking to continued violence from Al Qaida and the remnants of the 
Taliban regime. So the international community is working together to 
help Afghanistan's young democracy succeed. Earlier this month, Prime 
Minister Tony Blair hosted over 40 nations and 9 
international organizations for a conference in London, where they 
pledged $10.5 billion in aid to Afghanistan. With the help of 35 
nations, NATO is leading the International Security Assistance Force in 
Afghanistan.
    The United States, Britain, Norway, Germany, Italy, Spain, 
Lithuania, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand are all leading 
Provincial Reconstruction Teams. These teams are helping the Afghan 
Government extend its authority and provide security in provinces all 
across the country. Our coalition has trained nearly 27,000 Afghan 
soldiers and more than 56,000 Afghan police, so they can take the fight 
to the terrorists and eventually provide security for this new 
democracy. Afghan forces are risking their lives to fight our common 
enemy, and coalition forces are proud to serve along with such 
courageous and bold and determined allies.
    Our coalition is also working to root out and destroy terrorist 
networks all around

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the world. More than 90 nations--nearly half the world--are now 
cooperating in the global campaign to dry up terrorist financing, hunt 
down terrorist operatives, and bring terrorist leaders to justice.
    Some said that an aggressive strategy of bringing the war to the 
terrorists would cost us international support; it would drive nations 
from our coalition. The opposite has happened. Today, more governments 
are cooperating in the fight against terror than ever before. And in one 
of the most significant developments of this war, many nations that once 
turned a blind eye to terror are now helping lead the fight against it.
    A little over 4 years ago, Pakistan was only one of three countries 
in the world that recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Today, 
Pakistan forces are risking their lives in the hunt for Al Qaida. 
President Musharraf has faced several 
attempts on his life since his courageous decision to join the war on 
terror. Before September the 11th, terrorist supporters were operating 
with relative ease in Saudi Arabia, where fundraisers and facilitators 
were providing money and logistical support to Al Qaida. Since the 
Riyadh bombings in May of 2003, the Saudi Government has recognized that 
it is a prime target of the terrorists. And in the past 2\1/2\ years, 
Saudi forces have killed or captured nearly all of the terrorists on 
their most-wanted list. They've reduced the flow of money to terror 
groups and arrested hundreds of radical fighters bound for Iraq.
    These governments are taking important steps to confront terror, and 
as they do, we will continue to encourage them to take the path of 
political reform. By respecting the rights and choices of their own 
people, these nations can marginalize the extremists, strengthen their 
societies, and eliminate the conditions that feed radicalism.
    These and other governments around the world are stepping forward to 
fight the terrorists because they know the lives of their citizens are 
at stake. President Musharraf said 
something interesting: ``Terrorism threatens to destabilize all modern 
societies. It cannot be condoned for any reason or cause. The people of 
Pakistan have suffered from terrorism, and we are making our 
contribution to the fight against terrorism.'' President Musharraf is 
right. In the war against terror, there is no separate peace, and no 
nation can stand on the sidelines.
    By standing together, the United States and our partners are 
striking real blows against the enemy. Since September the 11th, 2001, 
our coalition has captured or killed Al Qaida managers and operatives in 
over two dozen countries. That includes many of Al Qaida's operational 
commanders, the senior leaders responsible for day-to-day planning of 
terrorist activities across the globe. In November 2001, our coalition 
forces killed Muhammad Atif with an air strike in Afghanistan. In March 
2003, his replacement, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was captured in Pakistan. In May 2005, the man who 
took over for him, a terrorist named al-Libbi, was captured in South Asia.
    The terrorists are living under constant pressure, and this adds to 
our security. When terrorists spend their days working to avoid death or 
capture, it's harder for them to plan and execute new attacks on our 
country. By striking the terrorists where they live, we are protecting 
the American homeland.
    Since September the 11th, the United States and our coalition 
partners have disrupted a number of serious Al Qaida terrorist plots, 
including plots to attack targets inside the United States. Let me give 
you an example. In the weeks after September the 11th, while Americans 
were still recovering from an unprecedented strike on our homeland, Al 
Qaida was already busy planning its next attack. We now know that in 
October 2001, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed--the mastermind of the September the 11th attacks--had 
already set in motion a plan to have terrorist operatives hijack

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an airplane, using shoe bombs to breach the cockpit door, and fly the 
plane into the tallest building on the west coast. We believe the 
intended target was Liberty [Library]* Tower in Los Angeles, California.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    *White House correction.
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    Rather than use Arab hijackers as he had on September the 11th, 
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed sought out 
young men from Southeast Asia, whom he believed would not arouse as much 
suspicion. To help carry out this plan, he tapped a terrorist named 
Hambali, one of the 
leaders of an Al Qaida affiliated group in Southeast Asia called JI. JI 
terrorists were responsible for a series of deadly attacks in Southeast 
Asia, and members of the group had trained with Al Qaida. Hambali 
recruited several key operatives who had been training in Afghanistan. 
Once the operatives were recruited, they met with Usama bin Laden, and then began preparations for the west coast 
attack.
    Their plot was derailed in early 2002 when a Southeast Asian nation 
arrested a key Al Qaida operative. Subsequent debriefings and other 
intelligence operations made clear the intended target and how Al Qaida 
hoped to execute it. This critical intelligence helped other allies 
capture the ringleaders and other known operatives who had been 
recruited for this plot. The west coast plot had been thwarted. Our 
efforts did not end there. In the summer of 2003, our partners in 
Southeast Asia conducted another successful manhunt that led to the 
capture of the terrorist Hambali.
    As the west coast plot shows, in the war on terror, we face a 
relentless and determined enemy that operates in many nations, so 
protecting our citizens requires unprecedented cooperation from many 
nations as well. It took the combined efforts of several countries to 
break up this plot. By working together, we took dangerous terrorists 
off the streets; by working together, we stopped a catastrophic attack 
on our homeland.
    Across the world, our coalition is pursuing the enemy with 
relentless determination. And because of these efforts, the terrorists 
are weakened and fractured, yet they're still lethal. We cannot let the 
fact that America hasn't been attacked in 4\1/2\ years, since September 
the 11th, lull us into an illusion that the threats to our Nation have 
disappeared. They have not. Just last month, we heard Usama bin 
Laden declare his intention to attack 
America again. Our military, law enforcement, homeland security, and 
intelligence professionals take those threats very seriously, and 
they're working around the clock, day and night, to protect us. We are 
safer for their efforts, but we're not yet safe. America remains at 
risk, so we must remain vigilant. We will stay on the offensive. We will 
hunt down the terrorists, and we will never rest until this threat to 
the American people is removed.
    We will continue to take the fight to the enemy. Yet we must also 
recognize in the long run, victory will require more than military means 
alone. Ultimately, the only way to defeat the terrorists is to defeat 
their dark vision of hatred and fear by spreading the hope of freedom to 
troubled regions of the world. The terrorists have an ideology. They 
share a hateful vision that rejects tolerance and crushes all dissent, a 
world where women are oppressed and children are indoctrinated and those 
who reject their ideology of violence and extremists are threatened and 
often murdered.
    The terrorists have aims. They seek to impose their heartless 
ideology of totalitarian control throughout the Middle East and arm 
themselves with weapons of mass murder. Their stated goal is to 
overthrow moderate governments, take control of countries, and use them 
as safe havens to launch attacks against America. When an enemy states a 
goal and a strategy and tactics, we must take their word seriously.

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    To achieve their aims, the terrorists need popular support. We know 
this from the terrorists' own words. In a letter to his chief of 
operations in Iraq, the terrorist Zawahiri wrote that popular support is, quote, ``a decisive factor 
between victory and defeat. In the absence of this popular support, the 
movement would be crushed in the shadows.'' He went on to say, 
``Therefore, our planning must strive to involve the Muslim masses in 
the battle.''
    So a key part of the terrorists' strategy is to feed public 
resentment by convincing people across the Muslim world that the future 
holds just two choices: one of Islam and holiness and virtue; and one of 
Western decadence, immorality, and imperialism. They use every 
opportunity to promote this false choice. Sometimes they spread blatant 
lies about America. Other times, it is American mistakes--like the 
abuses of Abu Ghraib--that give them ammunition in their campaign to 
foment anti-Western sentiment and rally Muslims to support their dark 
ideology.
    The problem for the terrorists is they cannot hide the inhumanity of 
their ideology. Because they lack the military strength to challenge us 
directly, they have turned to the weapon of fear. They seek to break our 
will with stunning acts of violence. They don't understand America. They 
cannot shake our will. We will stay on the hunt. We will never give in, 
and we will win this war on terror.
    In the terrorists' campaign of violence and destruction, the 
majority of their victims since 9/11 have been innocent Muslims. When 
the people in the Arab world see Al Qaida murdering Iraqi children or 
blowing up mourners in an Iraqi mosque, their outrage grows. And as the 
terrorists spread violence in places like Riyadh and Istanbul and Sharm 
el-Sheikh and Jakarta and Bali, the people of those countries are 
starting to turn against the terrorists.
    After terrorists bombed a Palestinian wedding at a hotel in Amman 
last November, thousands of Jordanians took to the street and rallied 
against Al Qaida. One protester carried a sign that read, ``Jordan's 
Nine-Eleven.'' Others chanted, ``This is not Islamic; this is 
terrorism!'' The outrage even reached the Jordanian town of Zarqa, 
birthplace of the terrorist Zarqawi, 
who heads Al Qaida in Iraq and who was the mastermind of the Jordan 
bombing. A cousin standing outside the Al Qaida leader family home said 
this: ``We hate him even more than other people do now.'' Zarqawi was 
even expelled by his own tribesmen, hundreds of whom declared in a 
letter to a Jordanian newspaper, quote, ``We renounce his actions, 
pronouncements, or whatever he approves of. We disown him until judgment 
day.''
    Before the bombings, most Jordanians reportedly sympathized with Al 
Qaida. Today, only a minority sympathize with Al Qaida, and most 
Jordanians say its activities are not in conformity with the teachings 
of Islam. Similar shifts in public opinion are beginning to appear in 
other parts of the Muslim world. From Pakistan to Indonesia to Al 
Qaida's former home base of Afghanistan, more people now say they oppose 
the terrorists and their tactics.
    These are positive signs, but we still have a long way to go. So 
we'll continue to oppose the terrorists' ideology by offering the 
hopeful alternative of political freedom and peaceful change. We're 
working to spread the hope of liberty across the broader Middle East, 
because we've learned the lessons of history: Free nations don't wage 
wars of aggression; they don't give safe haven to terrorists to attack 
other democracies. Free nations are peaceful nations. And when democracy 
takes hold, nations replace resentment with hope, respect the rights of 
their citizens and their neighbors, and join the fight against the 
terrorists. Every step toward freedom in the world makes this country 
safer, so across the world, the United States of America is acting 
boldly in freedom's cause.
    We're standing with the brave people of Iraq as they risk their 
lives to build a strong

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democracy in the heart of the Middle East. And their courage is changing 
their country, and it's changing the region, and it's changing the 
world. Before January 2005 elections, the terrorists threatened anybody 
who voted with death. The Iraqi people defied the threats and went to 
the polls in that election and two other elections last year, each with 
larger and broader participation than the one that came before. Iraqis 
are rejecting terror; they're rejecting the violence. And they want to 
replace terror and violence with openness and democracy. They have made 
their decision, and the world saw their decision. They're showing the 
world that the terrorists' ideology cannot compete on a level playing 
field with the ideology of freedom.
    Iraqis still face challenges, and they're serious. The terrorists 
and Saddamists continue to sow violence and terror, and they will 
continue fighting freedom's progress with all the hateful determination 
they can muster. The Iraqis still have to overcome long-standing ethnic 
and religious tensions, and they must build the institutions of a free 
society that will serve all the people, not narrow political or 
religious interests. These challenges ahead are complex and difficult, 
yet the Iraqis are determined to overcome them, and our coalition is 
determined to help the Iraqi people succeed.
    We're carrying out a clear strategy for victory in Iraq. First, 
we're helping the Iraqis build an inclusive government, so that old 
resentments will be eased and the insurgency marginalized. Second, we're 
continuing reconstruction efforts and helping Iraqis build a modern 
economy, so all Iraqi citizens can experience the benefits of freedom. 
And third, we're striking the terrorist targets. We're after the 
terrorists, and at the same time, we're training Iraqi forces, which are 
becoming increasingly capable of defeating the enemy. The Iraqi forces 
show courage every day. We are proud to be the allies in the cause of 
freedom. As Iraqis stand up, America and our coalition will stand down.
    Many of you are concerned about troop levels in Iraq. Those 
decisions will be made based upon conditions on the ground, based upon 
the recommendations of our military commanders, not based upon politics 
in Washington, DC.
    The courage of Iraqis is inspiring others across the broader Middle 
East to claim their freedom as well. And the message is going forth, 
from Damascus to Tehran, that the future of the Middle East belongs to 
freedom. As liberty spreads in this vital region and freedom produces 
opportunity and hope for those who have not known it, the terrorist 
temptation will start to fall away. And as more nations claim their 
freedom, we will gain new allies in the war on terror and new partners 
in the battle for peace and moderation in the Muslim world.
    Before that day comes, there will be more days of testing. The 
terrorists remain brutal and determined, and they still have some 
resources at their disposal. The attacks in London and Madrid and other 
cities are grim reminders of how lethal Al Qaida remains. Money is still 
flowing to radical mosques and madrassas, which are still turning out 
new terrorist recruits. Some countries, like Syria and Iran, still 
provide terrorists with support and sanctuary. And the terrorists are 
sophisticated at spreading propaganda and using spectacular attacks to 
dominate our evening news.
    Yet from the vantage point of a terrorist sitting in a cave, the 
future seems increasingly bleak. Consider how the world looks 4\1/2\ 
years into the war on terror: The terrorists have lost their home base 
in Afghanistan and no longer have control of a country where they can 
train recruits and plot new attacks; many of their leaders are dead or 
in custody, and the rest of them are on the run; they've been reduced to 
using messengers to communicate; they're running low on funds and have 
been forced to beg the terrorists in Iraq to send money; countries that 
once allowed them free reign are now on the hunt.

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    Their efforts to divide the West have largely failed, and the vast 
majority of the world's governments are standing firm and working 
together in the fight against those terrorists. Iraqis are forming a 
unity government instead of giving into disunity, instead of fighting 
the civil war that the terrorists hoped to foment. Iraqi Sunnis are 
joining the political process. The success of democracy in Iraq and 
Afghanistan is inspiring calls for change across the region. And the 
terrorists' strategy of attacking innocent Muslims is beginning to 
backfire and expose them for what they are: murderers with no respect 
for human life and human dignity.
    Despite the violence and the suffering the terrorists are wreaking, 
we're winning the war on terror. Yet victory will require more courage 
and sacrifice. In this war, we have said farewell to some very good men 
and women, including more than 360 heroes of the National Guard. We hold 
their loved ones in our hearts, and we lift them up in our prayers. 
These brave Americans gave their lives for a cause that is just and 
necessary for the security of our country. And their sacrifice is 
sparing millions from lives of tyranny and sorrow.
    And now we will honor their sacrifice by completing the mission. And 
in this long run, we can be confident in the outcome of this struggle, 
because we've seen the power of freedom to defeat tyranny and terror 
before, and because we have on our side the greatest force for freedom 
in the history of the world: the men and women of the United States 
Armed Forces.
    One of the great strengths of our military is that it's an all-
volunteer army and all-volunteer force. And since the attacks of 
September the 11th, 2001, nearly 1.5 million Americans has stepped 
forward to put on our Nation's uniform, including nearly 290,000 who 
have joined the National Guard. Nearly 1.3 million more American troops 
have made the courageous decision to re-enlist and stay in the fight, 
including more than 350,000 members of the National Guard.
    These brave Americans saw the future the terrorists intend for us, 
and they said, ``Not on my watch.'' Four-and-a-half years into the 
fight, America's Armed Forces are determined, experienced, and ready for 
any challenge, and our Nation is blessed to have such brave defenders. 
All of you are bringing honor to the uniform and pride to our country 
and security to the American people. America will always be grateful for 
your service in the cause of freedom.
    Thank you for letting me come today. God bless you and your 
families, and may God continue to bless our country.

Note: The President spoke at 10:03 a.m. at the National Guard Memorial 
Building. In his remarks, he referred to Brig. Gen. Robert V. Taylor, 
USA, assistant adjutant general, Michigan Army National Guard--Army, and 
chairman, National Guard Association of the United States; Lt. Gen. 
Daniel James, USAF, director, Air National Guard, and his wife, Dana; 
Maj. Gen. Charles G. Rodriguez, USA, adjutant general, Texas National 
Guard; President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan; Prime Minister Tony Blair 
of the United Kingdom; President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan; Abu Faraj 
al-Libbi, senior Al Qaida associate arrested in Pakistan on April 30, 
2005; Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (also known as Hambali), Al Qaida's 
chief operational planner in Southeast Asia, who was captured in 
Thailand on August 11, 2003; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida 
terrorist organization; and Ayman Al-Zawahiri, founder of the Egyptian 
Islamic Jihad and senior Al Qaida associate. The Office of the Press 
Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.

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