    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [August 15, 2006]
    [Pages 1514-1515]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting With the Counterterrorism Team in McLean,
    Virginia
    August 15, 2006

        It's been my honor to be here at the NCTC. A couple of observations:
    One, that because of the work being done here by some really fine
    Americans from different agencies in our Government, America is safer
    than it has been. But it's not yet safe. The enemy has got an advantage
    when it comes to attacking our homeland. They've got to be right one
    time, and we've got to be right 100 percent of the time to protect the
    American people.
        I'm proud to report that there's a lot of good folks that are
    working hard to see to it that we're right 100 percent of the time. And
    I want to thank all the people in this building and around our
    Government who spend an incredible amount of time and energy and effort
    to do a very difficult job, and that's to protect the American people.
        Recently we saw the fruits of their labor in conjunction with their
    counterparts in Great Britain. Because of the good work in Great
    Britain, and because of the help of the people there at NCTC, we
    disrupted a terror plot, a plot where people were willing to kill
    innocent life to achieve political objectives. And that plot is--and
    this building and the work going on here really is indicative of the
    challenge we face, not only this week but this year and the years to
    come, because the United States of America is engaged in a war against a
    extremist group of folks bound together by an ideology, willing to use
    terror to achieve their objectives.
        Our most solemn duty in the Federal Government is to protect the
    American people, and I will assure the American people that we're doing
    everything in our power to protect you. And we've got some good assets,
    and the best asset we have is the people, people represented right here
    in this building.
        So I've come to listen and learn and to look at reforms that have
    been put in place. And I've also come to thank the good people who work
    here and elsewhere in our Government for doing what they are doing.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 12 p.m. at the National Counterterrorism
    Center.

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