[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 33 (Monday, August 22, 2005)]
[Pages 1285-1286]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

August 13, 2005

    Good morning. This week I met in Texas with Secretary of State Rice, 
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, and the rest of my senior foreign and 
defense policy advisers. We discussed recent events in Iraq, including 
the political progress that is taking place in that country. Despite the 
acts of violence by the enemies of freedom, Iraq's elected leaders are 
now finishing work on a democratic constitution. Later this year, that 
constitution will be put before the Iraqi people for their approval.
    The establishment of a democratic constitution is a critical step on 
the path to Iraqi self-reliance. Iraqis are taking control of their 
country, building a free nation that can govern itself, sustain itself, 
and defend itself. And we're helping Iraqis succeed. We're hunting down 
the terrorists and training the security forces of a free Iraq so Iraqis 
can defend their own country. Our approach can be summed up this way: As 
Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. And when that mission of defeating 
the terrorists in Iraq is complete, our troops will come home to a proud 
and grateful nation.
    The recent violence in Iraq is a grim reminder of the brutal nature 
of the enemy we face in the war on terror. Our mission in Iraq is tough 
because the enemy understands the stakes. The terrorists know that a 
free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will be a crippling blow to 
their hateful ideology. And that is why our work in Iraq is a vital part 
of the war on terror we're waging around the world.
    This war on terror arrived on our shores on September the 11th, 
2001. Since that day, the terrorists have continued to kill in Madrid, 
Istanbul, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Bali, Baghdad, London, and 
elsewhere. The enemy remains determined to do more harm. The terrorists 
kill indiscriminately but with a clear purpose. They're trying to shake 
our will. They want to force free nations to retreat so they can topple 
governments across the Middle East, establish Taliban-like regimes in 
their place, and turn the Middle East into a launching pad for attacks 
against free people.
    The terrorists will fail. Because we are fighting their murderous 
ideology with a clear strategy, we're staying on the offensive in Iraq, 
Afghanistan, and other fronts in the war on terror, fighting terrorists 
abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. When terrorists 
spend their days and nights struggling to avoid death or capture, 
they're less capable of arming and training and plotting new attacks on 
America.
    We're also spreading the hope of freedom across the broader Middle 
East, because free societies are peaceful societies. By offering a 
hopeful alternative to the terrorists' ideology of hatred and fear, we 
are laying the foundations of peace for our children and grandchildren.
    In the war on terror, our troops are serving with courage and 
commitment, and their bravery is inspiring others to join them. All of 
our services met or exceeded their active duty recruitment goals last 
month, and the troops closest to the fight continue to reenlist in 
impressive numbers. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are all on 
track to meet or exceed their reenlistment goals for the year. Our 
troops know the stakes of this war, and Americans can have pride and 
confidence in our All-Volunteer Forces.
    In recent days, we have seen again that the path to victory in the 
war on terror will include difficult moments. Our Nation grieves the 
death of every man and woman we lose in combat, and our hearts go out to 
the loved ones who mourn them. Yet, even in our grief, we can be 
confident in the future, because the darkness of tyranny is no match for 
the shining power of freedom.

[[Page 1286]]

    The terrorists cannot defeat us on the battlefield. The only way 
they can win is if we lose our nerve. That will not happen on my watch. 
Withdrawing our troops from Iraq prematurely would betray the Iraqi 
people and would cause others to question America's commitment to 
spreading freedom and winning the war on terror. So we will honor the 
fallen by completing the mission for which they gave their lives, and by 
doing so, we will ensure that freedom and peace prevail.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 8:50 a.m. on August 12 at the Bush 
Ranch in Crawford, TX, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on August 13. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
August 12 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office 
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of 
this address.