Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40 Issue 4 (Monday, January 26, 2004)

[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 4 (Monday, January 26, 2004)]
[Pages 113-122]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Roswell, New Mexico

January 22, 2004

The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming.
Audience member. We love you, President Bush!
The President. Thank you. It's nice to be back in New Mexico. I
understand you had reports this morning of an unfamiliar aircraft.
[Laughter] No worry, it was just me. [Laughter] It's good to be back
here. The last time I came to Roswell, I wasn't on Air Force One. I was
headed to Ruidoso from Midland. [Laughter] Roswell was what we call a
watering stop. [Laughter] You've got great people

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in this part of the State. I'm proud to be in this wonderful town. Thank
you for inviting me.
I appreciate you showing up to hear me talk. If you listened to the
State of the Union, I appreciate that. And I can assure you, it's not--I
can assure you, I'm not going to be quite as windy. But I do have some
things I want to share with you today. This Nation is called to great
responsibilities, and we're meeting them all. The state of this Union is
strong, and it is confident.
I'm proud to be here with the Corps of the New Mexico Military
Institute, the West Point of the West. I appreciate the values instilled
at this fine institution, of discipline and service and honor. I know
many folks who have come to this fine place, some of them from Midland,
Texas. I happen to have hired one, an alumnus of this school, for my
Cabinet, Mr. Tony Principi, who is representing America's veterans so
capably as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
I want to thank the law enforcement and first-responders who are
here with us. Thank you for wearing the uniform that says clearly you're
willing to dedicate your lives to make your community a safer place.
Thank you for being on the frontline of securing our homeland. I
appreciate your service.
I appreciate Lt. Gen. Robert Beckel for his greeting me here today.
He was from the first graduating class of NMMI in 1959. He doesn't look
that old. [Laughter] But he's had a distinguished service for our
country. General, I appreciate what you're doing. Thank you for leading
this fine institution.
I'm so proud to be up here with Pete Domenici. What a class act he
is. He's an honorable man, an honorable man who cares deeply about New
Mexico and all its citizens. He cares deeply about our country. He's a
strong leader. He sets the pace in the United States Senate. He's taken
the lead on a vital piece of legislation, the energy bill. This country
needs an energy bill. We need an energy bill that makes sure our
electricity system works well. We need an energy bill that encourages
technologies that advance conservation. We need an energy bill that
makes this country less dependent on foreign sources of energy. The
Senator worked hard on this piece of legislation. I thought we had it at
the end of last year, and then it got stuck. We're going to unstick it
for the good of the country.
Pete, I appreciate your friendship. Just one piece of advice: Just
remember, it's the birds that's supposed to suffer, not the hunter.
[Laughter]
I'm honored to be traveling today with your Congressman, Steve
Pearce. He's what they call a freshman--that's first-year--but as a
freshman, he's making a huge difference. Let me tell you something: You
sent somebody up there from this part of the world who's effective and
strong, who's not going to back down one inch from what he believes. And
he's plenty capable, and he's making a difference. He worked hard on
bills that matter to this part of the State, like the healthy forests
bill--commonsense legislation. He worked to help on the defense
appropriations bill for an amendment that says, ``We can defend our
country and, at the same time, conserve our resources in a wise way.''
No, he's an effective member of the United States Congress, and I'm
proud to call him friend.
I'm proud to be traveling with Congresswoman Heather Wilson as well.
She's over there, from Albuquerque. She's plenty capable. She's a
distinguished Member of the United States Congress. She's a graduate of
the U.S. Air Force Academy and reminded me coming in that General Beckel
was one of her instructors. General, you did a heck of a job in
preparing this good woman for public service. I'm proud to be working
with my friend Heather Wilson. Thank you for coming.
I'm honored that the mayor came to see me. Mayor Owen, I appreciate
you coming. My only advice is, fill the potholes. [Laughter]
I appreciate the business and community leaders who have come. I'm
honored you all are here. You'll hear me talk about the strengths of our
country. One of the strengths is that we're prosperous and getting more
prosperous. That's a strength. One of the strengths is we've got a
military that is second to none, and we aim to keep it that way. That's
a strength as well. But that's not the strongest part of our country.
The strongest part of the country is the people, because

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of the hearts of the people of America. The compassion of America really
defines the strength of America.
Today, when I landed at the airport, I met Amy Coppin. She is a
senior at NMMI. She came to say hello because she is a mentor. She
teaches children. She's taking time out of her busy life as a senior in
college to make a difference in somebody's life. She's serving something
greater than herself by loving a neighbor just like she would like to be
loved herself. She is a soldier in the army of compassion.
When you hear me talk about the strength of America being the heart
and soul of the people, what I'm talking about are the Amy Coppins of
the world, and people in this crowd who are serving your community and
your country by helping somebody who hurts.
One of the most profound initiatives I put out, I think, in order to
help change America is for the Federal Government to welcome faith-based
programs in delivery of essential services. I believe strongly that our
Government should not discriminate against religious institutions. Quite
the contrary: I believe we ought to welcome religious institutions into
providing much-needed social services, because many of the problems of
our society are problems of the heart. Many of the problems of society
require a power greater than Government to help people realize the great
potential of their lives.
Where's Amy? Amy didn't get a very good seat. Well--[laughter]--
trust me; she's here. And I hope the cadets here follow her example, and
as you go on to life, remember part of service to your country is to
help somebody in need. And for those of you in this community who are a
part of the army of compassion, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And for those of you who want to figure out how to contribute to our
society, do so. Do so, and reach out a hand to somebody who might be
hungry or homeless or lonely or hurt. The power of love in America is a
power that will change our society, one soul at a time.
I hope you could tell last night and so far today that I'm
incredibly optimistic about our Nation's future. And I've got reason to
be. Not only do I know the character of the people, I'm beginning to see
some results in some important areas that say optimism defines the
future of this country.
Let me talk about the economy, for starters. This economy is strong,
and it is getting stronger. I tell you I'm optimistic not only because
of the numbers; I'm optimistic because I remember where we have come
from. In March of 2000, the stock market, which is an indicator of--
sometimes an indicator of economic times to come, started to decline.
And then we had a recession. In '01, the first quarter of '01 was
recession, and that's negative growth. And when the economy is not
growing, it's hard for people to find a job. And then we kind of got
going, got things going. The Congress passed the stimulus package--I
want to thank the Senator and the Members of Congress for working on
that--and things started getting better.
And then we got hit by the enemy. And make no mistake about it, the
enemy attack affected America. It affected the way I think about foreign
policy because we can no longer take gathering threats for granted. If
we see a threat gathering overseas, the lesson of September the 11th
says we must pay attention to it. We just can't--and if it gets so bad,
we've got to do something about it. We cannot assume that oceans protect
us anymore. It affected our psychology in America. It also affected the
economy. And things were beginning to get okay, and all of a sudden, the
attack came, and it hurt us. It hurt us bad. But we recovered because
America's strong. We recovered because the American people are strong.
And just as we were beginning to get our feet on the ground again,
we had a problem with some of our fellow citizens telling the truth. We
had corporate scandals. We had CEOs that did not understand what it
meant to be a responsible citizen. If you've got responsibilities,
you've got obligations. In a society that tries to promote
responsibilities, there are certain obligations. If you're a mom or a
dad, you have the obligation to love your child with all your heart. If
you're a CEO in corporate America, you have the responsibility to tell
the truth to your shareholders and your employees. And if you don't,
there has to be a consequence. We passed tough

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laws, and now people are beginning to--you begin to read what it means
to have consequences for not telling the truth. And that's the way it
should be.
And then we marched to war. I made the tough decision of war, and I
want to thank the Members of Congress who made the tough vote on war.
It's not easy, but we acted because of the lessons of September the
11th. We acted based upon the facts. We acted to make the country more
secure and the world more free. But when you're marching to war, it's
tough on the economy. For this reason, the message, march to war, is not
conducive for optimistic investment. Marching to war is negative, not
positive. It's hard to be optimistic about the future when you look on
your TV screen and it says, ``America is marching to war.'' Now we're
marching to peace and freedom.
So I've seen firsthand, and you've seen firsthand, what this Nation
and our economy has been through. Those are plenty high hurdles to
cross, but we're crossing them. One reason we're crossing them is
because the Congress and this administration acted boldly. We weren't
afraid to act. We knew what to do. And we passed economic stimulus
packages, which is a fancy word for giving people their money back. We
acted on this principle. It was a principled decision. It was based upon
this principle, that when you have more money in your pocket, you'll
spend, save, or invest. And when you do so, it drives the whole economy
forward. The American people are driving the economy forward.
But I want to warn you, the stimulus package we passed is set to
expire. Congress, in order to get the bill out, had to expire certain of
the provisions, one of which was the child credit, which went up from--
went up to $1,000, will decline to $700. If Congress doesn't act, you
get a tax increase if you have a child.
The marriage penalty, we wanted the code to say: We want marriage to
work. If we believe in marriage, we ought to say so in the Tax Code. And
so we began to phase back the marriage penalty. If Congress doesn't act,
the marriage penalty goes back up.
See, we understand that if you're interested in job creation, you've
got to stimulate small business. Most new jobs are created by small-
business owners in America. If you're a small-business owner, you know
what I'm talking about. We stimulated small-business investment and,
therefore, growth. If Congress doesn't act, small businesses will pay
taxes.
We decreased the--well, we got rid of the death tax or put it on its
way to extinction. We listened to New Mexico's farmers and ranchers and
small-business owners that understand if you work all your life to build
up an asset, you shouldn't be taxed twice. You shouldn't be taxed once
as you're building up your asset and twice after you go on.
And then, in order to stimulate our economy, everybody got tax
relief. You see, we didn't try to pick and choose who won and who lost.
We said, ``If there's going to be tax relief, let's be fair about it. If
you pay taxes, you ought to get relief.'' If the Congress doesn't act,
those taxes will go up. If the Congress doesn't act, the economy will
suffer and people will make more taxes. Congress must make the tax
relief they gave the people permanent.
Now, things are looking pretty good. Third-quarter growth last year
was the highest in 20 years. And home construction is high. And
homeownership levels are high, and that's really important. We want
people owning things in America, don't we? We want people owning their
own home. There's nothing like owning your own home or your own business
to have a vital stake in the future of this country. Productivity is
high. We've got the best workforce in the world. Manufacturing activity
is strong. Exports are on the rise. Jobs are increasing. We're doing
well--we're doing well.
But we've got a new economy we're dealing with. And one of the
things I addressed yesterday in Arizona was how do you make sure that as
technology changes, people's skills change with it so they can find
work. See, my attitude is, if somebody is looking for a job and can't
find one, that says, no matter what the numbers look like, we still have
got an issue in America. We want people working. We want people to be
able to put food on the table.
Before I talk about how to make sure American workers are trained, I
do want to

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bring up a subject that I had addressed in the State of the Union and
before, that I think it's important for me to continue to clarify for
the American people. We've got people doing jobs in America that
Americans won't do, and that's helpful to our economy. It's helpful that
there are some people that are willing to the do the work that others
won't do. And I think we need to be honest about what's taking place in
America. After all, we're a country of the rule of law, and we've got
people breaking law. And the question is how best to bring what's
happening to light in an honest and legal way.
My attitude is this--my attitude is: So long as there is a willing
worker and an employer looking to hire somebody, we ought to have a
system that allows for temporary work in America, in an honest, open
way, in a way that talks to the values of our country. I oppose amnesty,
loud and clear, because amnesty will encourage further illegal
immigration. Amnesty rewards somebody for breaking the law. On the other
hand, I do want to change a system that has ignored reality and allow
willing employer to be matched with willing employee in an honest, open
way.
We should not say to somebody who's working on a temporary-worker
basis, ``You get added--you get a special break when it comes to
citizenship.'' You don't. You don't get a special break. But think about
a system that has people working in the shadows of America. That's not
the American way. That's not the way we do business in this country.
People are working who are trying to put food on the table for a
family in Mexico. You've got to understand why they're here. They're
motivated out of the deep love of their children and their wife. They're
working just as hard as any other mom or dad do, for the same reason:
They have an obligation and a responsibility. Those people need to be
treated with respect. They need to be honored for their commitment to
their families.
A temporary-worker plan that's honest and open will be good for this
economy. It will also be good for the security of the country. We've got
a lot of Border Patrol agents working hard to stop the flow of illegal
immigration. I believe if we make the system open and honest, it will
help stop the flow of illegal immigration. It will cut down on those
``coyotes'' that are putting people in the back of these trailers and
driving them across incredibly hot desert. It will stop--it will make
sure that those who are working to secure our borders will focus on the
true threats to America, the illegal drugs or the contraband or the
potential terrorists that could be coming across our borders.
No, this plan makes sense. I call upon the Congress to do what is
good for our economy, what is good for our security, and what is
compassionate, and pass the temporary-worker plan.
I also want to talk about how to make sure American workers don't
get left behind. By the way, that starts with making sure our public
schools work. It starts by making sure our public schools teach the
basics.
I went up to Washington, and thanks to Pete's help and to Heather's
help and to Steve's, now, help, we passed--[laughter]--we passed the No
Child Left Behind Act. Let me just tell you the principles behind that
as plainly as I possibly can. Every one of us needs to challenge the
soft bigotry of low expectations. We need to raise that bar. If you
believe every child has got the capacity to learn, you need to raise the
bar. I don't care what the color of skin of that child may be; everybody
can learn. And that's the principle of No Child Left Behind. We raise
the standards. We expect everybody to learn.
We've increased Federal education spending, particularly for poor
students, dramatically. But now, for the first time, we're asking the
question, ``Are we meeting expectations?'' In return for increased
Federal spending, the Federal Government is saying to local districts,
``Show us whether or not the children are learning to read and write and
add and subtract.'' I don't think that's too much. I don't think it's
too much to increase budgets and in return say, ``What are the
results?'' If you believe every child can learn to read and write and
add and subtract, then you're not afraid to ask the question: Are they
learning to read and write and add and subtract?
This administration trusts local people. We know you can chart the
path to excellence. Your decision is on how to get there. All we

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want to know is, are you doing what we expect you to do? Are you just
meeting those obligations? In the bill we passed, there's extra help for
students who fall behind. Listen, when you find out a third grader is
not reading at grade level, get him or her extra help. We provide money
to do that. We don't want any child in America left behind. The bill we
passed is a great piece of legislation for America's children.
There's more we need to do. I talked about making sure that some of
the high school students who are falling behind in reading and math get
a little extra help. We've got to make sure there's--literacy is the law
of the land. I talked about making sure that we expand advance placement
programs in certain low-income schools in order to keep raising that
bar, Pell grants for students that take rigorous curriculum, in order to
encourage excellence. We want to make sure our community college system
is flexible and viable to help people find jobs that exist.
Yesterday I was in Arizona, and I reminded people that in the old
days of workforce training, they said, ``Just go train people.'' So we'd
go out and train 1,000 hairdressers, and there might be 50 slots. But
you'd have 950 well-trained hairdressers with nothing to do. Now the
workforce program says, ``Let's match up employers with the community
college system to train people for jobs that actually exist, for jobs
that work.'' So we've got $250 million in the budget to go directly to
community colleges, to invigorate the business communities and the
community college, invigorate a joint strategy to help people find work.
Yesterday I sat with some folks on the stage. They were not student
age, let's put it that way. They had worked for years. One woman worked
for 15 years as a graphic designer. She's a single mom, by the way, and
that's the toughest job in America. She was struggling to get ahead. She
went back to the community college. She gained new skills, and in her
first year in her new job, she's making more than she did after 15 years
as a graphic designer.
Education--what I'm telling you is as the economy changes, there's
tremendous opportunities for workers. We've just got to make sure the
education system matches people with the skills necessary for the 21st
century. And that's what this administration is going to do.
No, I'm optimistic about this country, because I understand the
character of the people. And I'm optimistic because I know we're doing
the right things when it comes to educating our children and workers.
I'm optimistic about the economy. I'm also optimistic because we're
going to win the war on terror. The greatest responsibility of the
Federal Government, and my first responsibility as your President, is to
defend and protect America.
I remember talking to the country after September the 11th and
reminding people that this would be a different kind of war we faced.
Sometimes you'd see action, and sometimes you wouldn't; that we'd be on
a manhunt to find the terrorists who destroyed us. It would require a
different kind of attitude about chasing these people down. I also knew
that time would pass and people would take the comfortable position of
saying the dangers had passed as well. That's just not reality. I wish
it was reality, but it's not reality. My job as your President is to be
realistic, be open-eyed, to understand the lessons of September the
11th, 2001, to understand there's terrorists who still plot against us.
By our will, by our steadfast determination, by our courage, we will
prevail in the war--first war of the 21st century.
In the United States, where the war begun, we will continue our
vital work to protecting American people, by protecting our ports and
borders and safeguarding infrastructure, preparing for the worst. I
mentioned the first-responders. I can't tell you how pleased I am with
the coordination now between the Federal Government, the State
Government, and local governments for preparing our homeland. I'm going
to submit a budget to Congress next month which will include spending of
$30 billion for homeland security. That's--more than 30 billion--almost
3 times the amount that we were spending prior to September the 11th,
2001.
We understand our obligation in Washington. Our obligation is never
to forget what happened on September the 11th. And our obligation is to
support the homeland security people, those on the frontlines, to
prepare for a potential threat.

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I think it's very important for the country to understand the
PATRIOT Act. See, that's an important part of fighting the war on
terror. It's essential that the FBI and the CIA be able to share
information if you want to whip the terrorists. See, it's a different
kind of war. We're in a different era. We need to view law differently.
We'll always protect our Constitution and safeguard individual rights,
but our law enforcement, those who collect information and share
information and expected to act on information, must be able to talk
together.
Many of the tools in the PATRIOT Act have been used by law
enforcement to chase down embezzlers and criminals. It is essential that
those same tools be used in fighting against terrorists. We're in a
different era. The PATRIOT Act is going to expire. The Congress needs to
renew it for the sake of fighting the war on terror.
We'll protect the homeland. The best way to protect America,
however, is to go on the offensive, stay on the offensive, and bring the
terrorists to justice. I said in the speech the other night, two-thirds
of known Al Qaida leaders have been captured or killed. We're making
progress against them. The rest of them are hiding. They think they are,
but they cannot escape the justice of America. We've got thousands of
troops, thousands of brave soldiers. We're chasing them, one by one.
We're on an international manhunt for those who would do harm to America
or for anybody else who loves freedom. One by one, we'll bring them to
justice. There is no hole deep enough to hide from America.
Not only are we after Al Qaida, we will continue to confront regimes
that harbor or support terrorists, regimes that could supply them with
weapons of mass destruction. The United States and our allies refuse to
live under the shadow of this ultimate danger, refuse to be in a
position where--to find ourselves in a position where terrorists could
show up with weapons of mass murder. Our obligation is, defend our
country. Our obligation is to be clear-eyed about the threats, and our
obligation is to deal with them.
I laid down a doctrine early on that said, ``If you harbor a
terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, you're just
as guilty as the terrorist.'' One of the lessons that people can pick up
in this part of the world is, when you say something, you better mean
it. That's particularly true in diplomacy. If you say something, you
better mean it. I meant it, and the Taliban found out what we meant.
Afghanistan was the primary training base for Al Qaida. That's where
the killers were learning the skills necessary to destroy innocent life.
And we gave the Taliban a chance, and then they, of course, rejected--
rejected the ultimatum I laid out. And so they no longer exist, thanks
to the United States military and our friends and allies.
This barbaric regime is no more, and the people of Afghanistan are
better off for it. You see, America loves freedom, but we understand
that freedom is not America's gift to the world. It's the Almighty God's
gift to each man and woman in this world. We love the fact that people
in Afghanistan are now free. Remember, prior to our arrival, the Taliban
wouldn't even let young girls go to school, and today, they do. They
have written a constitution; the people of Afghanistan have written a
constitution which is--guarantees free elections, freedom, full
participation in government by women. Things are changing. Freedom is
powerful. The people of Afghanistan are opening up health care centers
and new businesses. Times are changing, because they have been
liberated. America is safer because the Taliban doesn't exist. America
is safer because Afghanistan is now free, and we stand strongly with the
freedom-lovers in Afghanistan.
I made a tough decision, with the Congress' support, to remove
Saddam Hussein from power, and we did. And the world is safer; America
is more secure; and the world is more free because we got rid of Saddam
Hussein. This brutal dictator attacked his neighbors, used weapons of
mass destruction against his own people, plotted, was devious. He
tortured Iraqis. We discovered mass graves of thousands of men and women
and children. He had torture rooms for somebody who spoke out against
him.
Saddam Hussein was found in a hole, hiding. Saddam Hussein, the once
all-powerful tyrant who used his brutal dictatorship to intimidate and
destroy lives, will no longer be

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able to do so in Iraq. He sits in a prison cell, and the Iraqi people
are free.
Fifty-five of the top officials, former officials in that regime--of
the 55, 45 have been captured or killed. The other 10 have got to be
nervous. [Laughter] They're out there. They're out there trying to shake
our will. See, these people are murderers. They'll take innocent life to
try to convince others that freedom isn't worth it. They will kill
indiscriminately--they don't care who--to try to shake our confidence,
to try to get in the heads of the American people. They don't understand
America. America will never be intimated by thugs and assassins.
We're making progress. It's important for you to know that we're on
the offensive in Iraq. As I said the other night, we're leading over
1,600 patrols a day, 180 raids every week. I mean, we're chasing them
down. We're bringing them and foreign terrorists to justice there, so we
don't have to face them in America. We're bringing them there because we
understand freedom is vital for our future, freedom in Iraq is vital for
our future.
I'm pleased with the progress we're making with the Iraqi citizens
who are interested in running their own country. I met with the Acting
President of the Governing Council, Adnan Pachachi. He sat next to Laura
during the State of the Union. By the way--let me digress--I'm really
glad I married a west Texas woman. She is a fabulous, fabulous--she's
great. She's doing well, and she sends her love. [Applause] You Texans,
calm down. [Laughter] You know the reputation you have here in eastern
New Mexico. [Laughter]
Anyway, she was sitting next to Acting President Pachachi----
Audience member. We can't hear you.
The President. I can hear you. [Laughter]
And I met with him prior--in the Oval Office prior to the State of
the Union. I was pleased with his vision, his understanding of freedom.
The Oval Office is an interesting place to meet, particularly, people
who are beginning to struggle with democracy and freedom because it's a
reminder that the institutions, at least in this country, are always
bigger than the people. Sometime we've got an all-right President;
sometimes he's not all right. But the Presidency itself exists. It's a
reminder of the power of institutions in a free society, that
institutions in a free society are always bigger than the people, and he
understood that.
And they're working hard. The Iraqi people are taking the brunt of
most of these killings that are taking place. They also understand it's
their responsibility to secure the country, so we've increased in large
number the number of police and people who are willing to help secure
the country. More Iraqis are now coming forward. They realize the
killings that are taking place--sometimes maybe by foreign terrorists,
obviously sometimes by former Ba'athist officials--will stop the march
to freedom. They want to be free. You've got to understand, these
people, like you and I, love freedom. It's in everybody's heart, and
Pachachi understands that, and so does the Governing Council.
Freedom is happening in Iraq. And you've got to understand why it's
important. Freedom in the heart of the Middle East, freedom and
democracy in the place that has breeded resentment and terror, is in our
national interests. A free Iraq will help change the world. A free Iraq
will help change a neighborhood that needs to be changed. A free Iraq
will make it easier for our children to grow up in a peaceful society.
People say, ``What are you doing in the long term? We know what
you're doing in the short term. We can hear you and see you; you're
sending troops after the killers. What about the long-term plan against
terrorists?'' Free societies do not breed terrorism. Free societies are
peaceful nations. What we're doing for the long term, we're promoting
freedom.
The world is changing for the better. The world is getting more free
and peaceful and less dangerous. Recently, Muammar Qadhafi made a wise
decision to show and get rid of his weapons of mass destruction
programs. The British Government and the American Government worked for
9 months to convince in negotiations with Qadhafi about what to do with
his programs. You want to remember, I want to contrast that with the 12
years of diplomacy that took place at the United Nations when nothing
happened. I mean, we had resolution after resolution after resolution
just totally ignored by Saddam Hussein--sometimes not ignored but

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played with, is a better way to describe it. Nine months of intense
discussions with Qadhafi worked because the word of the country--word of
this country matters. When you say something, you better believe it.
People now trust the word of America. People now understand.
And we're not doing this work alone. I just told you that Great
Britain was very much involved with the intense discussions with Colonel
Qadhafi. And I appreciate my friend Prime Minister Blair and the people
he assigned to--people he assigned to the task. We're working together
with people. And that's positive. We're working together with people who
love freedom and understand the stakes of the war against terror, people
who clearly see a future that's peaceful and positive but understand
sometimes you have to make the tough choice to get there. You have to do
the hard things to achieve a positive vision of peace and freedom.
There are 34 nations that have joined us in Iraq. That's too long to
list. The Senator might fall out on me if I start trying to read them
all. [Laughter] Thirty-four--[laughter]--34 nations stand with us in
that country. Thirty-seven nations in NATO are contributing to joint
efforts in Afghanistan. I've worked hard to bring people along. I meet
with foreign leaders all the time to explain the intentions of America,
to talk about what we see in the future.
There is a difference, however, between leading a coalition of
nations and shutting down efforts because a few object. It's a big
difference. It's the difference between being willing to gather a group
of like-minded nations and lead the world towards freedom and peace or
allowing some to object and, therefore, nothing happens. That's not the
way this administration functions. As I said the other night, we will
never seek a permission slip to defend the American people.
This war, this new war of the 21st century, has fallen hardest on
our military. And I want to thank those of you who have got relatives in
the United States military. And if you do, please tell them the
Commander in Chief is really proud of their service.
We mourn for the fallen. We send our prayers to their loved ones,
and we thank them for their service. I also want to thank the Guard and
Reserve members from around the country--but particularly, now that I'm
in New Mexico, from New Mexico--who have served our country so ably and
so well.
We've also got thousands of service men and women who are based in
this State, at Kirtland and Cannon and Holloman Air Force Bases. The
people in the military from this State have done and continue to do
vital work on the war against terror. And like everyone who serves in
uniform today, you are making this Nation grateful and proud.
And I appreciate their families. I appreciate the moms and dads,
husbands and wives who are staying at home as their loved one goes off
to defend America and to spread freedom. Their loved ones sacrifice, and
so do the families. America's military families are steadfast and
strong. Not only should we show them the gratitude, but we need to make
them this promise: Your loved one will have the resources you need to
fight and win the war on terror.
It's an honor to be here in Roswell. I'm optimistic about the
future. I'm optimistic about the future for a lot of reasons, but the
main reason is, I'm optimistic about the future because I understand the
country. I know the values of America. I know the decency of our people.
I know the willingness of the American citizen to serve a cause greater
than themself.
It's the great strength of America. It's an unbelievably great
country we have, because the people are so strong, so resilient, so
compassionate, and so decent. We believe values in our heart that we
just won't change. We believe everybody has dignity, everybody has
worth. We believe in freedom. We believe people yearn for freedom. We
have an obligation to unleash freedom in the world, and we're not afraid
to lead. This country stands strongly on the values that make us great,
and we're not the least bit afraid of sharing those values in a world
that needs peace and freedom.
I'm proud to be here. I'm proud to lead the greatest nation on the
face of the Earth. I'm proud to be in front of some of the great
citizens of America. May God bless you all, and may God continue to
bless our great country.

[[Page 122]]

Note: The President spoke at 10:24 a.m. at the Roswell Convention and
Civic Center. In his remarks, he referred to Lt. Gen. Robert D. Beckel,
USAF (ret.), superintendent, New Mexico Military Institute; Mayor Bill
B. Owen of Roswell, NM; Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, leader of
Libya; and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom. The Office
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
these remarks.