[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 26 (Monday, July 3, 2006)]
[Pages 1221-1223]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With Organizations That Support the United 
States Military in Iraq and Afghanistan and an Exchange With Reporters

June 26, 2006

    The President. I have just had a remarkable discussion with some of 
my fellow citizens who have dedicated their lives to making sure our 
troops know that this country supports them as they help secure our 
country and spread freedom.
    One of the amazing things about America is that people are desirous 
of coming together to support a neighbor in need. And we've got kids who 
are overseas defending this country, and we've got people at this table 
who are supporting their families, their loved ones, and most 
importantly, the troops who are in harm's way.
    There's an organization called America Supports You. I would hope my 
fellow citizens would look on the web page, americasupportsyou.mil, to 
determine how you can help support our troops if you so desire. I would 
urge Americans to do that, and around the table are leaders of the 
different organizations that make up this umbrella group. We've heard 
from people that are helping families of the wounded. We're talking to 
people who are using their position in different fields, like the 
entertainment field, to go over and provide hope for our troops. We're 
talking to moms and wives of those who have volunteered to serve our 
country.
    But I want to thank you all for joining us, and thank you for 
serving your country. I told the folks here that the politics in 
Washington can be rough. But make no mistake about it, I am determined 
to succeed. And we will implement a plan to achieve victory, which is 
necessary, and that they need to tell the troops that no matter how 
tough it looks here in the Nation's capital, that I know we're doing the 
right thing, and I know we will win.
    I'll take a couple of questions. Terry [Terence Hunt, Associated 
Press].

Iraq/U.S. Armed Forces

    Q. Mr. President, General Casey saw you on Friday, and it's been 
reported that he's talked about withdrawing two brigades from Iraq by 
this year. Can you tell us what he recommended to you?
    The President. First of all, I did meet with General Casey, and I 
met with him because it's very important for me, as well as Secretary 
Rumsfeld, to meet with our commander on the ground. I've told the 
American people our commanders will be making the decisions as to how to 
achieve victory, and General Casey, of course, is the lead person. So we 
had a good visit with him.
    And we talked about a lot of things. The first thing we talked about 
was the joint operations with the Iraqi forces to secure Baghdad and how 
that's going. We talked about the actions we're taking in Ramadi. The 
coalition is in the lead in Ramadi, and we're trying to make sure Ramadi 
does not become a safe haven for Al Qaida. And so he explained to me the 
tactics on the ground, what we're doing to secure that city and to run 
the Al Qaida-types out.
    We talked about the Iraqi training mission. And as you well know, 
our standards are, as Iraqis stand up, the coalition will be able to 
stand down. And he talked about that kind of progress.
    But in terms of our troop presence there, that decision will be made 
by General Casey, as well as the sovereign Government of Iraq, based 
upon conditions on the ground. And

[[Page 1222]]

one of the things that General Casey assured me of is that whatever 
recommendation he makes, it will be aimed toward achieving victory. And 
that's what we want. And victory means a free Government that is able to 
sustain itself, defend itself. It's a Government that will be an ally in 
the war on terror. It's a Government that will be able to fight off Al 
Qaida and its desires to have a safe haven.
    And so I did visit with General Casey, and I came away once again 
with my trust in that man. I've told the people here around the table 
that the decisions that I will make will be based upon the 
recommendations of people like General George Casey.
    Toby [Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters].

North Korea

    Q. Mr. President, how much closer do you believe North Korea is to 
launching the long-range missile, and how concerned are you about this? 
What if they just launch a satellite----
    The President. Toby, I have said that the North Koreans should 
notify the world of their intentions, what they have on top of that 
vehicle and what are their intentions. We have not heard from the North 
Koreans, so I can't tell you what their intentions are. I have made 
clear to our partners on this issue--that would be Japan and South Korea 
and China and Russia--that we need to send a focused message to the 
North Koreans in that this launch is provocative. And I was pleased to 
hear that the Chinese have delivered that message to the North Koreans, 
and we would hope that the leader in North Korea listened to the 
Chinese.
    So we don't know; we don't know. That's part of the problem. It's a 
nontransparent society that ought to be sharing its intentions with the 
rest of the world.
    Hutch [Ron Hutcheson, Knight Ridder].

Environment

    Q. I know you are not planning to see Al Gore's new movie, but do 
you agree with the premise that global warming is a real and significant 
threat to the planet that requires action----
    The President. I think--I have said consistently that global warming 
is a serious problem. There's a debate over whether it's manmade or 
naturally caused. We ought to get beyond that debate and start 
implementing the technologies necessary to enable us to achieve a couple 
of big objectives: one, be good stewards of the environment; two, become 
less dependent on foreign sources of oil for economic reasons and for 
national security reasons.
    That's why we're pressing for clean coal technology. That's why the 
hydrogen initiative is robust. In other words, we want our children 
being able to drive cars not fueled by gasoline but by hydrogen. That's 
why I've been a strong advocate of ethanol as an alternative source of 
fuel to run our cars. I strongly believe that we ought to be developing 
safe nuclear power. The truth of the matter is, if this country wants to 
get rid of its greenhouse gases we've got to have the nuclear power 
industry be vibrant and viable. And so I believe in--and I've got a plan 
to be able to deal with greenhouse gases.
    April [April Ryan, American Urban Radio Networks].

Voting Rights Legislation

    Q. Mr. President, what are you doing to ensure that the Voting 
Rights Act is reauthorized by the midterm elections, as you're saying 
that's one of your top priorities? And also, do you support foreign 
ballots--foreign language ballots?
    The President. I am working very carefully with Members of Congress 
to implement that which I said when I signed the proclamation for Rosa 
Parks, is I want this Voting Rights Act extended. And so we're working 
with Members of the United States Congress to see if we can't get it 
done.

Bank Records/War on Terror

    Q. Sir, several news organizations have reported about a program 
that allows the administration to look into the bank records of certain 
suspected terrorists. My questions are twofold: One, why have you not 
gone to Congress to ask for authorization for this program, 5 years 
after it started? And two, with respect, if neither the courts nor the 
legislature is allowed to know about these programs, how can you feel 
confident the checks and balances system works?

[[Page 1223]]

    The President. Congress was briefed. And what we did was fully 
authorized under the law. And the disclosure of this program is 
disgraceful. We're at war with a bunch of people who want to hurt the 
United States of America, and for people to leak that program and for a 
newspaper to publish it, does great harm to the United States of 
America. What we were doing was the right thing. Congress was aware of 
it, and we were within the law to do so.
    The American people expect this Government to protect our 
constitutional liberties and, at the same time, make sure we understand 
what the terrorists are trying to do. The 9/11 Commission recommended 
that the Government be robust in tracing money. If you want to figure 
out what the terrorists are doing, you try to follow their money. And 
that's exactly what we're doing. And the fact that a newspaper disclosed 
it makes it harder to win this war on terror.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:41 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., 
USA, commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; and Chairman Kim 
Jong Il of North Korea.