[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 44 (Monday, November 5, 2007)]
[Pages 1438-1440]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the White House Press Pool and an Exchange With Reporters

November 1, 2007

    The President. Thanks. I wanted to highlight the speech I'm giving 
today to Heritage. I'm concerned that there are some who have lost sight 
of the fact that we're at war with extremists and radicals who want to 
attack us again. Part of the speech is to remind people that even though 
we haven't been attacked since September the 11th, there's still an 
enemy out there that would like to attack us.
    And therefore, it's important for Congress to pass law and/or 
confirm nominees that will enable this Government to more effectively 
defend the country and pursue terrorists and radicals that would like to 
do us harm.
    So in the speech, I'm going to call upon Congress to pass funding 
measures for our troops in harm's way--DOD appropriations bill as well 
as the supplemental. I'll remind the audience that Congress has had the 
details of the--75 percent of the details since last February. They've 
had ample time to study the request. And I strongly believe they need to 
get these funding measures passed quickly for the sake of our troops and 
for the sake of the operations that are ongoing and protecting the 
country.
    Secondly, the Protect America Act is set to expire. If it were to 
expire, it would create an intelligence gap that, in my judgment, would 
jeopardize the security of the country. I call upon--and I give credit 
that the Senate Intel Committee has moved a bill that is a very good 
start--and that in my speech, I call upon Congress to get a good bill to 
my desk quickly, so that an intelligence gap does not arise.
    I then remind the audience that a key member of the national 
security team--a key member of the team that works to protect the 
American people is the Attorney General. I've submitted a highly 
competent, smart, independent nominee in Judge Mukasey to the Senate. I 
am disappointed that the process is taking so long to get his name to 
the floor.
    I believe that the questions he's been asked are unfair; he's not 
been read into a program--he has been asked to give opinions of a 
program or techniques of a program on which he has not been briefed. I 
will make the case--and I strongly believe this is true--that Judge 
Mukasey is not being treated fairly. He's made the rounds on Capitol 
Hill; he's answered questions; he's been to hearings. I do thank the 
Senate for setting up what I hope will be a opportunity to move him out 
of Judiciary Committee to the floor on Tuesday. It is time to get his 
nomination to the floor so the Senate can vote him up or down.
    And then finally, I'll conclude the speech by reminding people that 
this concept of stability has--in other words, that foreign policy ought 
to promote stability as opposed to freedom has led to dangers; and that 
the only way to solve America's long-term security needs is to remember 
that the enemy that

[[Page 1439]]

we face can only recruit when there's hopelessness and despair; and that 
liberty has got the capacity to transform societies from hopeless 
societies to hopeful societies; and that this administration will 
continue to press the freedom agenda. And obviously, that freedom agenda 
is being tested in places like Lebanon, Iraq, and the Palestinian 
Territories and Afghanistan.
    All those examples I've just cited are illustrative of this struggle 
between extremists and radicals and people who want to live in freedom.
    And so that's what the speech is. I want to thank you for giving me 
a chance to come and share some of my thoughts about why I'm giving it 
to you. I'll answer a couple of questions, if you got them.

Attorney General-designate Michael B. Mukasey

    Q. Judge Mukasey is experienced in terrorism trials; he's been 
around. Why is it wrong for him--or why will you not let him say whether 
he thinks that waterboarding is illegal torture?
    The President. He has not been read in--first of all, let me put 
this in perspective. The Congress did pass a law, the Detainee Detention 
Act, that I signed into law. The techniques we use informed that law and 
Members of the Senate and House--select Members of the Senate and House, 
both parties, have been briefed on the law.
    Secondly, he doesn't know whether we use that technique or not. And 
thirdly, it doesn't make any sense to tell an enemy what we're doing. 
One of the fundamental questions that the American people have got to 
know is that in order to protect America, if we capture somebody who may 
have data about whether or not he's going to--he is ordering an attack 
or there's an impending attack or there's a threat, we need to know 
that. And the techniques we use by highly trained professionals are 
within the law. That's what's important for America to know.
    Q. Mr. President, is legal liability in U.S. or foreign courts a 
concern when it comes to this issue of waterboarding and----
    The President. The main concern is, is that the American people must 
know that whatever techniques we use are within the law. And secondly, 
it doesn't make any sense--unless, of course, you don't think there's an 
enemy that's dangerous--it doesn't make any sense to broadcast to the 
enemy what they ought to prepare for and not prepare for.
    Q. Are these concerns legitimate that are being raised, or is it 
playing politics?
    The President. I think it's--I think this is--I'm just extremely 
disappointed that a good man with a good reputation, who has met with a 
lot of Senators, his nomination is being held up. You can listen to the 
voices that are out there talking as to whether or not this is politics 
or not. My point is, is that it's creating a--to have the Attorney 
General seat vacant for this long--there's an Acting Attorney General, 
of course, but not to have a confirmed Attorney General is not good for 
the country.
    Okay, what else?

Turkey

    Q. On Turkey, you're going to be meeting next Monday.
    The President.  Yes, sir.
    Q. Turkey wants the U.S. to take a lead in fighting the PKK. How are 
you going to----
    The President.  I look forward to visiting with Prime Minister 
Erdogan on this important subject as to how we can work together to 
prevent people from coming out of mountain ranges to do harm to Turkish 
troops. And we will have a good, substantive discussion, as you would 
expect allies to do. And I'm looking forward to seeing him here in the 
Oval Office.

Attorney General-designate Mukasey

    Q. What do you think of the compromise proposed by McCain, Warner, 
and Graham on Mukasey, saying that----
    The President.  Mukasey just needs to get--get on the floor and get 
him an up-or-down vote. They've had plenty of hearings, plenty of ideas, 
get him out there and get him up and down.

U.S. Treatment of Detainees

    Q. What is your own view about waterboarding?

[[Page 1440]]

    The President. I'm not going to talk about techniques. There is an 
enemy out there. I don't want them to understand--to be able to adjust 
one way or the other. My view is this: The American people have got to 
understand the program is important and the techniques used are within 
the law. And Members of the House and Senate know what I'm talking 
about; they have been fully briefed.

War on Terror/Congress

    Q. Do you think the Congress has forgotten we're at war, Mr. 
President?
    The President.  Well, I think there is a tendency for people to say, 
well, maybe--let me just say, there are some who say, ``Don't call this 
a war on terror.'' And there are some who have accused me of using the 
words ``war on terror'' as a way to frighten people into voting booths. 
And I emphasize the word ``some.'' As I'll say in this speech, those who 
say we're not in a war on terror are either disingenuous or naive. 
Either way, the attitude is dangerous because I will have quoted the 
words of the enemy in the speech, an enemy that said, ``We're going to 
come and kill you.''
    And I think--I'm not going to--this speech doesn't intend--this is a 
comprehensive speech about what Congress needs to do to make sure that 
we have the tools necessary and the people necessary to protect America. 
I will not in any way personalize this speech. I'm not going to say that 
an individual Member that may disagree with me is not a patriotic 
person. I am going to remind people, though, of the dangers that we 
face.
    And I knew full well that if we were successful protecting the 
country, that the lessons of September the 11th would become dimmer and 
dimmer in some people's minds. Well, I just don't have that luxury and 
nor do the people that work with me to protect America, because we have 
not forgotten the lessons of September the 11th. And I expect and the 
American people expect Congress to give us the tools necessary to 
protect them.
    Okay?
    Q. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 9:35 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip 
Erdogan of Turkey; and Senators John McCain of Arizona, John W. Warner 
of Virginia, and Lindsey O. Graham of South Carolina. A tape was not 
available for verification of the content of these remarks.