[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 13 (Monday, April 4, 2005)]
[Pages 538-539]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Remarks Prior to a Briefing on the Findings of the Commission on the
Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass
Destruction
March 31, 2005
Death of Theresa Marie Schiavo
Today millions of Americans are saddened by the death of Terri
Schiavo. Laura and I extend our condolences to Terri Schiavo's families.
I appreciate the example of grace and dignity they have displayed at a
difficult time. I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to
work to build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed and
valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others.
The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to
protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions,
the presumption should be in the favor of life.
Intelligence Capabilities
The most solemn duty of the American President is to protect the
American people. Since September the 11th, 2001, we've taken bold and
vigorous steps to prevent further attacks and overcome emerging threats.
We face a new and different kind of enemy. The threats today are
unprecedented. The lives of our citizens are at stake. To protect them,
we need the best intelligence possible, and we must stay ahead of
constantly changing intelligence challenges.
So last year I issued an Executive order creating an independent
Commission to look at America's intelligence capabilities, especially
our intelligence about weapons of mass destruction. I asked two fine
Americans to chair this Commission, Judge Laurence Silberman and former
Senator Chuck Robb. They have done an excellent job. I appreciate your
service to our country.
I also want to thank the other members of the Commission, Senator
John McCain, Rick Levin, Harry Rowen, Walt Slocombe, Bill Studeman,
Judge Patricia Wald, Chuck Vest, and Lloyd Cutler. I want to thank them
for their hard work. They spent a lot of time on this project. I asked
these distinguished individuals to give me an unvarnished look at our
intelligence community, and they have delivered.
This morning the Commission presented me with their recommendations,
which are thoughtful and extremely significant. The central conclusion
is one that I share: America's intelligence community needs fundamental
change to enable us to successfully confront the threats of the 21st
century.
My administration has taken steps consistent with the Commission's
recommendations. In February, I named John Negroponte the first Director
of National Intelligence, a post that was created to help ensure that
our intelligence community works as a single, unified enterprise. It's
important for Congress to move quickly on John's confirmation, because
he'll have a key role in the continued reform and restructuring of
intelligence capabilities.
Today I've directed Homeland Secretary Adviser Fran Townsend to
oversee the interagency process, to review the Commission's findings,
and to ensure that concrete action is taken. The Commission report
delivers a sharp critique of the way intelligence has been collected and
analyzed against some of the most difficult intelligence targets,
especially Iraq.
To win the war on terror, we will correct what needs to be fixed and
build on what the Commission calls solid intelligence successes. These
include the uncovering of Libya's nuclear and missile programs. In
Pakistan, our intelligence helped expose and shut down the world's most
dangerous nuclear proliferation network. Where we have had success, the
Commission reports we have seen innovative collection techniques and a
fusion of interagency intelligence capabilities. We must work to
replicate these successes in other areas.
The men and women of our intelligence community work hard, and the
sacrifices they have made have helped protect America. And our Nation is
grateful for their hard work. The work they're doing is critical. We
need to prevent terrorists from getting their hands on the weapons of
mass murder they would like to use against our citizens.
The work of our intelligence community is extremely difficult work.
Every day, dangerous regimes are working to prevent us
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from uncovering their programs and their possible relationships with
terrorists. And the work our intelligence men and women do is, by
nature, secret, which is why the American people never hear about many
of their successes. I'm proud of the efforts of our intelligence
workers, and I'm proud of their commitment to the security of our
country. And the American people should be proud too.
And that's why this report is important. It will enable these fine
men and women to do their jobs in better fashion, to be able to more
likely accomplish their mission, which is to protect the American
people. And that's why I'm grateful to the Commission for this hard
work.
The President and his national security team must have intelligence
that is timely and intelligence that is accurate. In their report today,
the Commission points out that America needs to know much more about the
weapons programs and intentions of our most dangerous adversaries. They
have given us useful and important guidance that will help us transform
our intelligence capabilities for the needs of a dangerous new century.
In other words, we need to adjust. We need to understand the threats
and adjust our capabilities to meet those threats. We will work to give
our intelligence professionals the tools they need. Our collection and
analysis of intelligence will never be perfect, but in an age where our
margin for error is getting smaller, in an age in which we are at war,
the consequences of underestimating a threat could be tens of thousands
of innocent lives. And my administration will continue to make
intelligence reforms that will allow us to identify threats before they
fully emerge so we can take effective action to protect the American
people.
I'm grateful for your hard work. And now the Chairman of the
Commission and the Co-Chairman of the Commission have agreed to answer
your questions.
Note: The President spoke at 11:31 a.m. in Room 450 of the Dwight D.
Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The Office of the Press Secretary
also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.