    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [May 1, 2007]
    [Pages 513-515]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Returning Without Approval to the House of Representatives
    the ``U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq
    Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007''
    May 1, 2007

        Good evening. Twelve weeks ago, I asked the Congress to pass an
    emergency war spending bill that would provide our brave men and women
    in uniform with the funds and flexibility they need. Instead, Members of
    the House and the Senate passed a bill that substitutes the opinions of
    politicians for the judgment of our military commanders. So a few
    minutes ago, I vetoed the bill.
        Tonight I will explain the reasons for this veto and my desire to
    work with Congress to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. We can
    begin tomorrow with a bipartisan meeting with the congressional leaders
    here at the White House.
        Here is why the bill Congress passed is unacceptable. First, the
    bill would mandate a rigid and artificial deadline for American troops
    to begin withdrawing from Iraq. That withdrawal could start as early as
    July 1st, and it would have to start no later than October 1st,
    regardless of the situation on the ground.
        It makes no sense to tell the enemy when you plan to start
    withdrawing. All the terrorists would have to do is mark their calendars
    and gather their strength and begin plotting how to overthrow the
    Government and take control of the country of Iraq. I believe setting a
    deadline for withdrawal would demoralize the Iraqi people, would
    encourage killers across the broader Middle East, and send a signal that
    America will not keep its commitments. Setting a deadline for withdrawal
    is setting a date for failure, and that would be irresponsible.
        Second, the bill would impose impossible conditions on our
    commanders in combat. After forcing most of our troops to withdraw, the
    bill would dictate the terms on which the remaining commanders and
    troops could engage the enemy. That means American commanders in the
    middle of a combat zone would have to take fighting directions from
    politicians 6,000 miles away in Washington, DC. This is a prescription
    for chaos and confusion, and we must not impose it on our troops.
        Third, the bill is loaded with billions of dollars in nonemergency
    spending that has nothing to do with fighting the war on terror.
    Congress should debate these spending measures on their own merits and
    not as a part of an emergency funding bill for our troops.
        The Democratic leaders know that many in Congress disagree with
    their approach and that there are not enough votes to override the veto.
    I recognize that many Democrats saw this bill as an opportunity to make
    a political statement about their opposition to the war. They've sent
    their message. And now it is time to put politics behind us and support
    our troops with the funds they need.
        Our troops are carrying out a new strategy with a new commander,
    General David Petraeus. The goal of this
    new strategy is to help the Iraqis secure their capital so they can make
    progress toward reconciliation and build a free nation that respects the
    rights of its people, upholds the rule of law, and fights extremists and
    radicals and killers alongside the United States in this war on terror.
        In January, General Petraeus was
    confirmed by a unanimous vote in the United States Senate. In February,
    we began sending the first of the reinforcements he requested. Not all
    of these reinforcements have arrived in Baghdad. And as General Petraeus
    has said, it will be the end of

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    summer before we can assess the impact of this operation. Congress ought
    to give General Petraeus's plan a chance to work.
        In the months since our military has been implementing this plan,
    we've begun to see some important results. For example, Iraqi and
    coalition forces have closed down an Al Qaida car bomb network; they've
    captured a Shi'a militia leader implicated in
    the kidnaping and killing of American soldiers; they've broken up a
    death squad that had terrorized hundreds of residents in a Baghdad
    neighborhood.
        Last week, General Petraeus was in
    Washington to brief me, and he briefed Members of Congress on how the
    operation is unfolding. He noted that one of the most important
    indicators of progress is the level of sectarian violence in Baghdad.
    And he reported that since January, the number of sectarian murders has
    dropped substantially.
        Even as sectarian attacks have declined, we continue to see
    spectacular suicide attacks that have caused great suffering. These
    attacks are largely the work of Al Qaida, the enemy that everyone agrees
    we should be fighting. The objective of these Al Qaida attacks is to
    subvert our efforts by reigniting the sectarian violence in Baghdad and
    breaking support for the war here at home. In Washington last week,
    General Petraeus explained it this way:
    ``Iraq is, in fact, the central front of all Al Qaida's global
    campaign.''
        Al Qaida's role makes it--the conflict in Iraq far more complex than
    a simple fight between Iraqis. It's true that not everyone taking
    innocent life in Iraq wants to attack America here at home, but many do.
    Many also belong to the same terrorist network that attacked us on
    September the 11th, 2001, and wants to attack us here at home again. We
    saw the death and destruction Al Qaida inflicted on our people when they
    were permitted a safe haven in Afghanistan. For the security of the
    American people, we must not allow Al Qaida to establish a new safe
    haven in Iraq.
        We need to give our troops all the equipment and the training and
    protection they need to prevail. That means that Congress needs to pass
    an emergency war spending bill quickly. I've invited leaders of both
    parties to come to the White House tomorrow and to discuss how we can
    get these vital funds to our troops. I am confident that with good will
    on both sides, we can agree on a bill that gets our troops the money and
    flexibility they need as soon as possible.
        The need to act is urgent. Without a war funding bill, the military
    has to take money from some other account or training program so the
    troops in combat have what they need. Without a war funding bill, the
    Armed Forces will have to consider cutting back on buying new equipment
    or repairing existing equipment. Without a war funding bill, we add to
    the uncertainty felt by our military families. Our troops and their
    families deserve better, and their elected leaders can do better.
        Here in Washington, we have our differences on the way forward in
    Iraq, and we will debate them openly. Yet whatever our differences,
    surely we can agree that our troops are worthy of this funding and that
    we have a responsibility to get it to them without further delay.
        Thank you for listening. May God bless our troops.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:10 p.m. in the Cross Hall at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA,
    commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; and Qais Khazali,
    member, Khazali network. He also referred to H.R. 1591.

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