[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[March 28, 2006]
[Pages 589-590]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following a Cabinet Meeting
March 28, 2006

    Good morning. We've just finished our third Cabinet meeting of this 
year. I want to thank my Cabinet members for joining us. We talked about 
the war on terror. We talked about a war on terror that requires all of 
us involved in Government to respond and to protect America and help 
spread freedom.
    My Cabinet officials obviously have got many responsibilities in 
their agencies, but we talked about their need to assume additional 
responsibilities to make sure that we're using every element of national 
power to win the war on terror and to secure the peace.
    This morning we had briefings from General Abizaid, Ambassador Khalilzad, and 
General Casey. We heard from the 
Ambassador about work toward a unity government. I'm pleased to hear 
from Zal that the Iraqis are now back at the table discussing the 
formation of a government, the process by which they will conduct a 
government once a unity government is formed, as well as, obviously, 
beginning to continue to--or continuing to discuss who will fill the key 
slots in the government.

[[Page 590]]

    We also heard from General Abizaid as 
well as General Casey, who reported on 
the ongoing efforts to win this war on terror, to defeat the enemy all 
around General Abizaid's theater of responsibility, as well as defeat 
the enemy in the central front in the war on terror, which is Iraq.
    I appreciate very much General Pace joining 
us today as well. These leaders, folks on the ground who know the 
condition on the ground, recognize this is hard work, but they also 
report on steady progress that we're making toward meeting our important 
goals--important goal is to make sure Iraq is a democracy that can 
sustain herself, defend herself, and is not a safe haven for the 
terrorists.
    Tomorrow I'm going to deliver a third in a series of speeches about 
the situation in Iraq. During Saddam Hussein's brutal rule, he exploited the ethnic and religious 
diversity of Iraq by setting communities against one another. And now 
the terrorists and former regime elements are doing the same; they're 
trying to set off a civil war through acts of sectarian violence. But 
the United States and our Iraqi forces cannot be defeated militarily. 
The only thing the Iraqi insurgents, as well as the terrorists, can 
possibly do is to cause us to lose our nerve and retreat, to withdraw.
    I'm going to discuss how the Iraqi people and our coalition continue 
to work together to build a stable and free and prosperous Iraq. I'll 
remind the people we're not going to lose our nerve. The stakes are 
high; we will complete this mission. Our strategy for rebuilding Iraq is 
comprehensive, and it includes a commitment from all parts of the 
Federal Government.
    Secretary Rice encouraged our Cabinet 
members to build relationships with their counterparts in Iraq once the 
new Iraqi Government is formed, and I expect them to follow through on 
that--on their commitments. See, by making a broad commitment from the 
Federal Government, we'll help the Iraqis establish a democracy, we'll 
help them build the institutions necessary for a stable society, and 
we'll help defeat the terrorists.
    Today was the--today two members of my Cabinet--we had the honor--a 
chance to honor two members of my Cabinet who won't be with us much 
longer: Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton 
and Chief of Staff Andy Card. These two 
folks have served our country with distinction and honor. I am proud to 
work side by side with them, and I'm proud to call them friend. Thank 
you all very much.

Note: The President spoke at 10:20 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Gen. John P. Abizaid, USA, 
commander, U.S. Central Command; Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., USA, 
commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; Gen. Peter Pace, USMC, 
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and former President Saddam Hussein of 
Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of these remarks.