[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
[July 21, 2006]
[Pages 1433-1434]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following a Meeting With Military Personnel and an Exchange With 
Reporters in Aurora, Colorado
July 21, 2006

[The President's remarks are joined in progress.]

    The President. ----and this country supports you and admires you and 
appreciates your dedication. You're doing some hard work. It's hard work 
to defeat terrorists, killers that wanted to achieve their objective. 
But we'll succeed; we'll prevail.
    I want our troops to understand that not only does the country 
support them, but we'll win. It's in our national interests that we win. 
And we will. We've got some powerful, powerful weapons on our side. 
We've got the men and women who wear the uniform, people who bring such 
dignity and honor and bring compassion to people who have been suffering 
under tyranny and are now wondering whether or not the future is bright 
for them. And we've got freedom on our side too, and freedom is a 
powerful weapon. People want to be free.
    And again, I want to thank you all for your service. I want to thank 
your families. I wish they were here so I could thank
them in person. But your sacrifice has meant a lot. Congratulations for 
stepping up and volunteering and being a part of history. Thanks for 
giving me a chance to visit and have a little lunch with you. God bless 
you all.

Secretary Rice's Upcoming Visit to the 
Middle East

    Q. Mr. President, what do you hope Secretary Rice accomplishes on 
her trip to the Middle East, sir?
    The President. I'm going to talk to her tomorrow when I--Sunday, 
when I get back to the White House. We're going to have a good visit.
    Q. What do you hope she accomplishes, sir?
    The President. I said I would talk to her tomorrow.

Note: The President spoke at 11:35 a.m. at Tamale Fiesta Kitchen. A tape 
was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.

[[Page 1434]]