[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 40 (Monday, October 7, 2002)]
[Pages 1656-1657]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

September 28, 2002

    Good morning. On Thursday, I met with Democratic and Republican 
Members of Congress to discuss the threat posed by the Iraqi regime. The 
security of our country is the commitment of both political parties and 
the responsibility of both the President and the Congress. We are united 
in our determination to confront this urgent threat to America.
    We're moving toward a strong resolution authorizing the use of 
force, if necessary, to

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defend our national security interests against the threat posed by 
Saddam Hussein. And by passing this resolution, we will send a clear 
message to the world community and to the Iraqi regime: The demands of 
the United Nations Security Council must be followed; the Iraqi dictator 
must be disarmed. These requirements will be met, or they will be 
enforced.
    The danger to our country is grave, and it is growing. The Iraqi 
regime possesses biological and chemical weapons, is rebuilding the 
facilities to make more and, according to the British Government, could 
launch a biological or chemical attack in as little as 45 minutes after 
the order is given. The regime has longstanding and continuing ties to 
terrorist groups, and there are Al Qaida terrorists inside Iraq. This 
regime is seeking a nuclear bomb and with fissile material could build 
one within a year.
    Iraq has already used weapons of mass death against another country 
and against its own citizens. The Iraqi regime practices the rape of 
women as a method of intimidation and the torture of dissenters and 
their children. And for more than a decade, that regime has answered 
Security Council resolutions with defiance and bad faith and deception.
    We know that the Iraqi regime is led by a dangerous and brutal man. 
We know he is actively seeking the destructive technologies to match his 
hatred. And we know that he must be stopped. The dangers we face will 
only worsen from month to month and year to year. To ignore these 
threats is to encourage them, and when they have fully materialized, it 
may be too late to protect ourselves and our allies. By then, the Iraqi 
dictator will have had the means to terrorize and dominate the region, 
and each passing day could be the one on which the Iraqi regime gives 
anthrax or VX nerve gas or, someday, a nuclear weapon to a terrorist 
group.
    We refuse to live in this future of fear. We are determined to build 
a future of security and peace for ourselves and for the world. The 
Members of Congress from both political parties with whom I met this 
week are committed to American leadership for the good of all nations. 
The resolution we are producing will be an instrument of that 
leadership.
    I appreciate the spirit in which Members of Congress are considering 
this vital issue. We're making progress. We are nearing agreement, and 
soon we will speak with one voice.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 1:07 p.m. on September 26 in the 
Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on September 
28. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on September 27 but was embargoed for release until the 
broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of this address.