    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [October 1, 2008]
    [Pages 1261-1262]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Briefing on the Security Situation in Afghanistan
    October 1, 2008

        I want to thank General McKiernan for
    giving me a briefing on Afghanistan.

    Economic Stabilization Legislation

        Before I talk about our visit, I do want to say this: I appreciate
    Senator Harry Reid's leadership in the United
    States Senate when it comes to the financial rescue plan. I also
    appreciate Mitch McConnell's
    leadership as well. The Senate will be voting on a very important
    measure tonight. It's a--the rescue plan--the bill has been improved by
    raising--well, by other things, raising--temporarily raising the cap
    of--on FDIC insurance.
        It's very important for Members to take this bill very seriously.
    It's important to get credit flowing again so that small businesses in
    our communities will be able to finance their operations, so that local
    municipalities will be able to get the money they need to take care of
    the needs of local citizens, so that States will be able to meet their
    needs.
        It's very important for us to pass this piece of legislation so as
    to stabilize the situation so that it doesn't get worse and that our
    fellow citizens lose wealth and work.
        The Senate is going to take this bill up tonight. I'm hopeful
    they'll pass it, and then the House will have a chance to vote on it
    Friday morning. As I say, the bill is different, it's been improved, and
    I'm confident it will pass.
        General, thank you for coming. I
    appreciate your service to the country. General McKiernan is briefing me
    on the situation

    [[Page 1262]]

    in Afghanistan, what he is going to need to make sure that we continue
    helping this young democracy succeed.
        Obviously, this is a situation where there's been progress, and
    there are difficulties. There's been progress when you consider the fact
    that millions of young girls go to school that didn't have a chance to
    go to school before in Afghanistan. That's incredible progress. There's
    progress when you realize that health care needs are being met for the
    first time in--around Afghanistan. There's progress when there are roads
    being built so farmers can get product to market. That's progress.
        There's difficulties, of course, because killers can't stand this
    progress. And the general's job is to
    work with obviously not only our troops, but the thousands of troops
    from NATO countries there to provide the security so the progress
    continues. And there's been some tough fighting, and we honor our
    American troops who have sacrificed so that Afghanistan never becomes a
    safe haven again for extremists who would harm our citizens.
        We talked about the comprehensive strategy necessary to succeed.
    I've announced more troops for Afghanistan, and the general, of course, is continuing to assess his needs. But we
    also must make sure there's a civilian component that runs alongside our
    military, that there's good governance, and that there's aid programs
    that are effective and focused on the people of Afghanistan, and that
    the infrastructure progress continues to be made.
        And so I want to thank you for your service; thank you for your
    candid briefing, General. I want to thank
    your family as well as all the other families who are standing by the--
    those who wear the uniform, as this Nation continues to defend her own
    security and defend young democracies.
        General, you and your troops are
    laying the foundation for peace. You're making a sacrifice today so that
    future generations of Americans don't have to worry about harm coming
    from a place like Afghanistan and future generations of Afghans can grow
    up in a hopeful society. And I'm proud to be your Commander in Chief.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:01 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Gen. David D. McKiernan, USA,
    commander, NATO International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan. He
    also referred to H.R. 1424.