    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 38 (Monday, September 25, 2006)]
    [Pages 1626-1627]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    The President's Radio Address

    September 16, 2006

        Good morning. On Monday I visited New York, Pennsylvania, and the
    Pentagon to attend memorials marking the fifth anniversary of the 9/11
    attacks. It was an emotional day for me and for our country. On that
    day, we remembered those who lost their lives, and we paid tribute to
    those who gave their lives so that others might live. We rededicated
    ourselves to protecting the American people from another attack.
        Next week, I will return to New York, where I will address the
    United Nations General Assembly. I look forward to talking to the world
    leaders gathered there about our obligation to defend civilization and
    how we must work together to support the forces of freedom and
    moderation throughout the Middle East.
        As we work with the international community to defeat the terrorists
    and extremists, we must also provide our military and intelligence
    professionals the tools they need to keep our country safe. Congress is
    considering two vital pieces of legislation to help us do just that. My
    administration is working closely with members of both parties to pass
    these bills.
        The first bill would allow us to use military commissions to try
    suspected terrorists for war crimes. We need this legislation because
    the Supreme Court has ruled that military commissions must be explicitly
    authorized by Congress.

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        Recently, I announced that 14 suspected terrorists, including Khalid
    Sheikh Mohammed, the man believed to be the mastermind of the 9/11
    attacks, had been transferred to Guantanamo Bay. As soon as Congress
    acts to authorize the military commissions I have proposed, the men our
    intelligence agencies believed helped orchestrate the deaths of nearly
    3,000 Americans on September the 11th, 2001, can face justice.
        This bill will also provide clear rules for our personnel involved
    in detaining and questioning captured terrorists. The information the
    Central Intelligence Agency has obtained by questioning men like Khalid
    Sheikh Mohammed has helped disrupt terrorist plots, including planned
    strikes inside the United States and on a U.S. Marine base in east
    Africa, an American consulate in Pakistan, and Britain's Heathrow
    Airport. This CIA program has saved American lives and the lives of
    people in other countries.
        Unfortunately, the recent Supreme Court decision put the future of
    this program in question, and we need this legislation to save it. There
    is debate about the specific proposals in this bill, and my
    administration will work with Congress to find common ground. I have one
    test for this legislation: The intelligence community must be able to
    tell me that the bill Congress sends to my desk will allow this vital
    program to continue.
        The second bill before Congress would modernize our electronic
    surveillance laws and provide additional authority for the terrorist
    surveillance program. I authorized the National Security Agency to
    operate this vital program in response to the 9/11 attacks. It allows us
    to quickly monitor terrorist communications between someone overseas and
    someone in America. It has helped detect and prevent terrorist attacks
    on our own country. The principle behind this program is clear: When Al
    Qaida operatives are calling into or out of our country, we need to know
    who they are calling, why they are calling, and what they are planning.
        Both these bills are essential to winning the war on terror, so we
    will work with legislators from both sides of the aisle to get them
    passed. By passing these critical bills, we will bring terrorists to
    justice, continue collecting vital intelligence from captured terrorists
    in a lawful way, and monitor terrorist communications, so we can stop
    new attacks on our Nation.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:50 a.m. on September 15 in the
    Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on September
    16. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on September 15 but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. In his address, the President referred to Khalid Sheikh
    Mohammed, senior Al Qaida leader responsible for planning the September
    11, 2001, terrorist attack, who was captured in Pakistan on March 1,
    2003. He also referred to H.R. 6054, the ``Military Commissions Act of
    2006,'' and S. 2455 and S. 3874, both concerning the terrorist
    surveillance program. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a
    Spanish language transcript of this address.