    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [October 21, 2006]
    [Pages 1893-1894]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    October 21, 2006

        Good morning. Earlier this week, I spoke with Prime Minister
    Maliki of Iraq. We discussed the recent
    increase in violence in his country. Attacks have grown significantly
    during the first weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
        There are a number of reasons for this increase in violence. One
    reason is that coalition and Iraqi forces have been conducting focused
    operations to bring security to Baghdad. Side by side, Iraqi and
    American forces are operating in the city's most violent areas to
    disrupt Al Qaida, capture enemy fighters, crack down on IED makers, and
    break up death squads. As we engage our enemies in their stronghold,
    these enemies are putting up a tough fight. In a briefing in Iraq on
    Thursday, General William Caldwell
    said the operation to secure Baghdad has ``not met our overall
    expectations.'' He also explained, ``It's no coincidence that the surge
    in attacks against coalition forces coincides with our increased
    presence in the streets in Baghdad.''
        Our goal in Iraq is clear and unchanging: Our goal is victory. What
    is changing are the tactics we use to achieve that goal. Our commanders
    on the ground are constantly adjusting their approach to stay ahead of
    the enemy, particularly in Baghdad. General Pete Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, recently put it this
    way: ``From a military standpoint, every day is a reassessment day.'' We
    have a strategy that allows us to be flexible and to adapt to changing
    circumstances. We've changed the way we train the Iraqi security forces.
    We have changed the way we deliver reconstruction assistance in areas
    that have been cleared of terrorist influence. And we will continue to
    be flexible and make every necessary change to prevail in this struggle.
        Iraq's new leaders are beginning to take the difficult steps
    necessary to defeat the terrorists and unite their country. The Prime
    Minister recently met with tribal leaders
    from Anbar Province, who told him they are ready to stand up and fight
    the terrorists. He's also taken action to clean up the Iraqi National
    Police. His government suspended a National Police unit after
    allegations that some of its members were linked to militias and death
    squads. A battalion commander was arrested for possible complicity in
    sectarian deaths. And earlier this week, two of Iraq's most senior
    police commanders were reassigned as part of a major restructuring of
    the national police force.
        Another reason for the recent increase in attacks is that the
    terrorists are trying to influence public opinion here in the United
    States. They have a sophisticated propaganda strategy. They know they
    cannot defeat us in the battle, so they conduct high-profile attacks,
    hoping that the images of violence will demoralize our country and

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    force us to retreat. They carry video cameras and film their atrocities
    and broadcast them on the Internet. They e-mail images and video clips
    to Middle Eastern cable networks like Al Jazeera and instruct their
    followers to send the same material to American journalists, authors,
    and opinion leaders. They operate web sites where they post messages for
    their followers and readers across the world.
        In one recent message, the Global Islamic Media Front, a group that
    often posts Al Qaida propaganda on web sites, said their goal is to
    ``carry out a media war that is parallel to the military war.'' This is
    the same strategy the terrorists launched in Afghanistan following 9/11.
    In a letter to the Taliban leader Mullah Omar,
    Usama bin Laden wrote that Al Qaida intended
    to wage ``a media campaign to create a wedge between the American people
    and their Government.''
        The terrorists are trying to divide America and break our will, and
    we must not allow them to succeed. So America will stand with the
    democratic Government of Iraq. We will help Prime Minister
    Maliki build a free nation that can govern
    itself, sustain itself, and defend itself. And we will help Iraq become
    a strong democracy that is a strong ally in the war on terror.
        There is one thing we will not do: We will not pull our troops off
    the battlefield before the mission is complete. There are some in
    Washington who argue that retreating from Iraq would make us safer. I
    disagree. Retreating from Iraq would allow the terrorists to gain a new
    safe haven from which to launch new attacks on America. Retreating from
    Iraq would dishonor the men and women who have given their lives in that
    country and mean their sacrifice has been in vain. And retreating from
    Iraq would embolden the terrorists and make our country, our friends,
    and our allies more vulnerable to new attacks.
        The last few weeks have been rough for our troops in Iraq and for
    the Iraqi people. The fighting is difficult, but our Nation has seen
    difficult fights before. In World War II and the cold war, earlier
    generations of Americans sacrificed so that we can live in freedom. This
    generation will do its duty as well. We will defeat the terrorists
    everywhere they make their stand, and we will leave a more hopeful world
    for our children and our grandchildren.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 1:30 p.m. on October 20 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on October 21. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    October 20 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his
    address, the President referred to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of
    Iraq; Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, USA, spokesman, Multi-National
    Force--Iraq; and Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist
    organization. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.