[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 33 (Monday, August 21, 2006)]
[Pages 1462-1463]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With the Counterterrorism Team in McLean, 
Virginia

August 15, 2006

    It's been my honor to be here at the NCTC. A couple of observations: 
One, that because of the work being done here by some really fine 
Americans from different agencies in our Government, America is safer 
than it has been. But it's not yet safe. The enemy has got an advantage 
when it comes to attacking our homeland--they've got to be right one 
time, and we've got to be right 100 percent of the time to protect the 
American people.
    I'm proud to report that there's a lot of good folks that are 
working hard to see to it that we're right 100 percent of the time. And 
I want to thank all the people in this building and around our 
Government who spend an incredible amount of time and energy and effort 
to do a very difficult job, and that's to protect the American people.
    Recently we saw the fruits of their labor in conjunction with their 
counterparts in Great Britain. Because of the good work in Great 
Britain, and because of the help of the people there at NCTC, we 
disrupted a terror plot, a plot where people were willing to kill 
innocent life to achieve political objectives.

[[Page 1463]]

And that plot is--and this building and the work going on here really is 
indicative of the challenge we face, not only this week but this year 
and the years to come, because the United States of America is engaged 
in a war against a extremist group of folks bound together by an 
ideology, willing to use terror to achieve their objectives.
    Our most solemn duty in the Federal Government is to protect the 
American people, and I will assure the American people that we're doing 
everything in our power to protect you. And we've got some good assets, 
and the best asset we have is the people, people represented right here 
in this building.
    So I've come to listen and learn and to look at reforms that have 
been put in place. And I've also come to thank the good people who work 
here and elsewhere in our Government for doing what they are doing.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at noon at the National Counterterrorism 
Center.