    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [October 27, 2006]
    [Pages 1933-1935]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With Secretary General Jakob Gijsbert
    ``Jaap'' de Hoop Scheffer of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and an
    Exchange With Reporters
    October 27, 2006

        President Bush. I'm proud to welcome the Secretary General of NATO
    here to the Oval Office. We've just had a fascinating discussion.
        First, Mr. Secretary General, you've been a very strong leader. As a
    matter of fact, you've made NATO a values-based organization that is
    capable of dealing with the true threats of the 21st century. I
    appreciate your leadership. I particularly appreciate the fact that you
    have led the 26 nations of NATO into Afghanistan to help this young
    democracy. You know what I know, that the real challenge for the future
    is to help people of moderation and young democracies succeed in the
    face of threats and attacks by radicals and extremists who do not share
    our ideology, have kind of a dark vision of the world.
        I appreciate the fact that you're reaching out to global partners,
    nations which share our value but have not been considered a--
    necessarily considered a part of NATO. I want to thank your view of
    making sure NATO continues to provide the opportunity for other nations
    to join NATO.
        I'm looking forward to Riga. The Riga summit is a time for us to
    celebrate the great successes of this partnership. Mr. Secretary General
    and I will be there reminding our partners that we have a lot of work to
    be done in the noble cause of peace.
        So welcome.
        Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer. Mr. President, thank you very
    much, and thank you for giving me your time. I can echo your words. NATO
    is delivering security in the 21st century. And that means defending
    values, and that means defending values not only in Europe but far away
    from NATO's traditional area. And the case in point, of course, is
    Afghanistan, where there was a regime which was grossly violating human
    rights, no women's rights, public executions. There we are trying to
    assist the Afghan Government to establish democracy, to establish human
    rights, to establish those values.
        And let me say that when, in those actions of NATO, of those brave
    NATO soldiers, civilians are killed, as happened 2 days ago, that's
    always a tragedy. That's a tragedy.
        But let me convince you to look at the broader picture. They are
    against democracy. Girls did not go to school when the Taliban was
    running Afghanistan. Now they go to school. Now there is a precedence.
    Now there is a government. Civilian victims are a tragedy, but we are
    there in favor

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    of democracy. They are there to destroy democracy, and they are there to
    destroy our values.
        Mr. President, I'm looking forward to the Riga summit, where we'll
    see a 21st century NATO delivering security in many, many places of the
    world with 50,000 soldiers, including many Americans, on three
    continents. That is the challenge, but I can tell you that NATO is up to
    the challenge. NATO is delivering security, and NATO will continue to do
    this, indeed, with its presence, but also with global partners, because
    terrorism, proliferation, failed states, and failing states are global
    threats we have to face and to counter on a global scale.
        Mr. President, once again, thank you very much for being here.
        President Bush. Yes, sir.
        I'll answer a couple of questions this morning. Jennifer [Jennifer
    Loven, Associated Press].

    Iran

        Q. Thank you, sir. What does it say to you that Iran is doubling its
    enrichment capacity?
        President Bush. It says to me that we must double our effort to work
    with the international community to persuade the Iranians that there is
    only isolation from the world if they continue working forward on such a
    program. And I've read the speculation about that that's what they may
    be doing, but whether they've doubled it or not, the idea of Iran having
    a nuclear weapon is unacceptable. And it's unacceptable to the United
    States, and it's unacceptable to nations we're working with in the
    United Nations to send a common message.
        Caren [Caren Bohan, Reuters].

    Interrogation of Terrorists

        Q. Sir, do you agree with the Vice President that a dunk in the
    water is a ``no brainer'' when it comes to interrogating a terror
    suspect?
        President Bush. This country doesn't torture. We're not going to
    torture. We will interrogate people we pick up off the battlefield to
    determine whether or not they've got information that will be helpful to
    protect the country.
        Keil [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News].

    2006 Midterm Elections

        Q. Mr. President, with the elections just about 10 days away, polls
    show that voters are more disenchanted with the Republican-led Congress
    than at any time since 1994, when the Democrats lost power. What
    explanation or answer do you have for people who feel that way?
        President Bush. Keil, I understand people here in Washington have
    already determined the outcome of the elections. As I said in my press
    conference the other day, I've seen it before, where people start
    measuring the drapes in their new offices before the vote has been
    counted--in other words, they're taking the people's vote for granted.
        This election is going to be determined by how our candidates run
    locally. And I believe if they continue to emphasize the big issues--
    keeping taxes low and protecting the American people--we'll win. And so
    we'll see how the outcome comes. I know there's a lot of speculation
    here in Washington, DC, and there's a lot of fascination about listening
    to these pundits and people who are giving their opinions.
        All I can tell you is what I see: I see enthusiasm amongst
    Republicans; I see candidates who are saying, ``Vote for me. I will work
    to make sure America doesn't get attacked again.'' And I'm seeing
    candidates saying, ``I understand that if we run up your taxes like the
    Democrats do, it's going to hurt this economy, and so we'll keep your
    taxes low.''
        Thank you all very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:53 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House.

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