[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 33 (Monday, August 18, 2003)]
[Pages 1042-1043]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

August 9, 2003

    Good morning. Friday of this week was the 100th day since the end of 
major combat operations in Iraq. For America and our coalition partners, 
these have been 100 days of steady progress and decisive action against 
the last holdouts of the former regime. And for the people of Iraq, this 
has been a period like none other in the country's history, a time of 
change and rising hopes after decades of tyranny.
    Every day, we are working to make Iraq more secure. Coalition forces 
remain on the offensive against the Ba'ath Party loyalists and foreign 
terrorists who are trying to prevent order and stability. More and more 
Iraqis are coming forward with specific information as to the 
whereabouts of these violent thugs, enabling us to carry out raids to 
round them up and seize stockpiles of weapons.
    We are working with Iraqis to establish a new Iraqi army and a new 
civil defense corps. In the city of Baghdad, 6,000 Iraqi police are 
patrolling the streets and protecting citizens. More than 20,000 more 
police are on duty in other towns and cities across Iraq.
    Every day, Iraq is making progress in rebuilding its economy. In 
Baghdad, the banks have opened, and other banks will open across the 
country in the coming months. This fall, new banknotes will be issued, 
replacing the old ones bearing the former dictator's image. And Iraq's 
energy industry is once again serving the interests of the Iraqi people. 
More than a million barrels of crude oil and over 2 million gallons of 
gasoline are being produced daily.
    Every day, Iraq draws closer to the free and functioning society its 
people were long denied. We're recovering hundreds of millions of 
dollars from the old regime and are using those funds to pay civil 
servants. Teachers, health care workers, police, and others performing 
essential services are also receiving salaries from our coalition. In 
fact, teacher pay is four times higher than under the old regime.
    Life is returning to normal for the Iraqi people. Hospitals and 
universities have opened, and in many places, water and other utility 
services are reaching pre-war levels. Across Iraq, nearly all 
schoolchildren have completed their exams. And for the first time in 
many years, a free press is at work in Iraq. Across that country today, 
more than 150 newspapers are publishing regularly.

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    Most important of all, the Iraqi people are taking daily steps 
toward democratic government. The Iraqi Governing Council, whose 25 
members represent all of that diverse country, is meeting regularly, 
naming ministers and drawing up a budget for the country. Soon, 
representatives of the people will begin drafting a new constitution, 
and free elections will follow.
    At the local level, all major Iraqi cities and most towns have 
municipal councils. Freedom is taking hold in that country as people 
gain confidence that the former regime is never coming back.
    One hundred days is not enough time to undo the terrible legacy of 
Saddam Hussein. There is difficult and dangerous work ahead that 
requires time and patience. Yet all Americans can be proud of what our 
military and provisional authorities have achieved in Iraq.
    Our country and the nations of the Middle East are now safer. We're 
keeping our word to the Iraqi people by helping them to make their 
country an example of democracy and prosperity throughout the region. 
This long-term undertaking is vital to peace in that region and to the 
security of the United States. Our coalition and the people of Iraq have 
made remarkable progress in a short time, and we will complete the great 
work we have begun.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 9:45 a.m. on August 8 at the Bush 
Ranch in Crawford, TX, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on August 9. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
August 8 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his 
remarks, the President referred to former President Saddam Hussein of 
Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of this address.