[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 29 (Monday, July 23, 2007)]
[Pages 993-994]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With Members of Military Support 
Organizations

July 20, 2007

    Good morning. Thank you all for coming. I'm joined by veterans and 
military families who are here to express support for our troops and 
their mission in Iraq, and I want to thank you all for being here today.
    We've just finished a really good meeting. In our discussions, these 
folks had a message that all of us in Washington need to hear: It is 
time to rise above partisanship, stand behind our troops in the field, 
and give them everything they need to succeed.
    In February, I submitted to Congress a Defense Department spending 
bill for the upcoming fiscal year that will provide funds to upgrade our 
equipment for our troops in Iraq and provides a pay raise for our 
military. It's a comprehensive spending request that Congress has failed 
to act on. Instead, the Democratic leaders chose to have a political

[[Page 994]]

debate on a precipitous withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. The House 
and Senate are now scheduled to leave for their August recess before 
passing a bill to support our troops and their missions. Even Members of 
Congress who no longer support our effort in Iraq should at least be 
able to provide an increase in pay for our troops fighting there.
    When Congress returns after Labor Day, there will be less than 1 
month before the fiscal year ends and current funds for Defense 
Department operations run out. Congress still has an opportunity to do 
right by our men and women in uniform and our national security. So 
today I call on Congress to take action, get this vital piece of 
legislation to me to sign, on budget and on time.
    I also ask Congress to give our troops time to carry out our new 
strategy in Iraq. Like all wars, the fight in Iraq has had frustrating 
setbacks. It's also had important successes. We've seen dramatic 
turnarounds in places such as Anbar Province, which was once thought 
lost to the enemy. Just this week, our military forces announced the 
capture of one of Al Qaida's top Iraqi leaders. He helped to form what 
Al Qaida calls the ``Islamic State in Iraq,'' in an attempt to replicate 
what the Taliban had created in Afghanistan. Today that leader is under 
arrest, and his followers are under siege.
    These successes demonstrate the gains our troops are making in Iraq 
and the importance of giving our military the time they need to give 
their new strategy a chance to work.
    Earlier this year, the Senate seemed to share that view. They 
confirmed General David Petraeus as commander of our forces without a 
single dissenting vote. And now, barely a month after his strategy 
became fully operational, many of those same Senators are saying that 
that strategy has failed.
    Our Nation deserves a serious debate about Iraq, because the outcome 
of this conflict will have enormous consequences for our country. 
Failure in Iraq would allow terrorists to operate from a safe haven with 
access to the world's third largest oil reserves. Failure in Iraq would 
increase the probability that at some later date, American troops would 
have to return to Iraq to confront an enemy more dangerous and more 
entrenched. Failure in Iraq would send an unmistakable signal to 
America's enemies that our country can be bullied into retreat.
    America's involvement in Iraq does not have to end this way. A free 
and stable Iraq is still in reach. It has the potential to transform the 
Middle East and bring us closer to the day when radical regimes are 
replaced by peaceful allies, when terrorists have fewer places to train 
and operate, and when moms and dads in the Arab world see a future of 
hope for their children.
    One of the folks with us today is an Air Force reservist named Eric 
Egland. Here's what he said, he said, ``We live in the world's oldest 
democracy and have been blessed with the strength to protect our 
freedoms and to help others who seek the same.''
    This has always been America's mission, and today, that mission is 
being carried out by brave men and women who have stepped forward to 
keep our country secure. I thank them and I thank their families for the 
sacrifices they're making. And I thank you all for supporting them.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 10:42 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud 
al-Mashhadani, ranking leader of Al Qaida in Iraq, who was captured in 
Mosul on July 4; and Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA, commanding general, 
Multi-National Force--Iraq.