28 January 2003
President Bush Delivers State of the Union Address
("The dictator of Iraq is not disarming," president says) (6310)
The United States and the world must confront Iraqi defiance of United
Nations Security Council demands that it disarm, President Bush said
January 28 in his State of the Union address to a joint session of the
U.S. Congress.
"The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary, he is
deceiving," the president said.
His annual speech on domestic and foreign policy to Congress was
televised live throughout the United States and abroad.
Bush announced that the United States will ask the United Nations
Security Council to convene on February 5 "to consider the facts of
Iraq's ongoing defiance of the world." U.S. Secretary of State Powell
will present information and intelligence about Iraq's illegal weapons
programs, its attempts to hide those weapons from inspectors, and its
links to terrorist groups, Bush said.
"We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam
Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people, and for
the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him," Bush
said.
He warned that with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons at his
disposal, "Saddam Hussein could resume his ambitions of conquest in
the Middle East, and create deadly havoc in the region." In addition,
Bush said, intelligence sources and statements from people in custody
"reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including
members of al-Qaida."
On other foreign policy topics, Bush said North Korea is using its
nuclear program "to incite fear and seek concessions," but "America
and the world will not be blackmailed." He pointed out that the United
States is working with the countries of the region -- South Korea,
Japan, China, and Russia -- to find a peaceful solution to the North
Korean nuclear threat. "[N]uclear weapons will bring only isolation,
economic stagnation, and continued hardship" to North Korea, he said.
"The North Korean regime will find respect in the world, and revival
for its people, only when it turns away from its nuclear ambition."
On Iran, he said that although the government "represses its people,
pursues weapons of mass destruction, and supports terror," Iranian
citizens are risking intimidation and death to speak out for liberty,
human rights, and democracy. "Iranians, like all people, have a right
to choose their own government, and determine their own destiny -- and
the United States supports their aspirations to live in freedom."
On the Middle East, the United States "will continue to seek peace
between a secure Israel and a democratic Palestine," he said.
Bush said the United States will continue helping the people of
Afghanistan secure their country, rebuild their society, and educate
all their children -- boys and girls.
Bush proposed an emergency plan for HIV/AIDS relief for the most
afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean and said he will ask the
U.S. Congress to commit 15 billion dollars over the next five years,
including nearly ten billion dollars in new money, for this purpose.
Bush outlined successes in the war against terror. More than 3,000
suspected terrorists have been arrested in many countries, he said,
and many others "have met a different fate" and are no longer a
problem for the United States and its allies. "We have the terrorists
on the run," he said, "and we are keeping them on the run."
"As we fight this war, we will remember where it began -- here, in our
own country," Bush said, and he outlined the steps the government is
taking to bolster the nation's defenses against future terrorist
attacks. "Our war against terror is a contest of will, in which
perseverance is power," he said.
Bush began his address by outlining his domestic priorities, beginning
with steps aimed at speeding economic growth, primarily through an
array of new or accelerated tax cuts. Other priorities: extending
affordable health care to all Americans, promoting energy
independence, and encouraging Americans to participate in public
service activities to help meet the needs of fellow citizens.
Following is the White House transcript of President Bush's January 28
State of the Union address to Congress:
(begin transcript)
Office of the Press Secretary
January 28, 2003
State of the Union Address by President George W. Bush
The U.S. Capitol
9:01 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of
Congress, distinguished citizens and fellow citizens: Every year, by
law and by custom, we meet here to consider the state of the union.
This year, we gather in this chamber deeply aware of decisive days
that lie ahead.
You and I serve our country in a time of great consequence. During
this session of Congress, we have the duty to reform domestic programs
vital to our country; we have the opportunity to save millions of
lives abroad from a terrible disease. We will work for a prosperity
that is broadly shared, and we will answer every danger and every
enemy that threatens the American people. (Applause.)
In all these days of promise and days of reckoning, we can be
confident. In a whirlwind of change and hope and peril, our faith is
sure, our resolve is firm, and our union is strong. (Applause.)
This country has many challenges. We will not deny, we will not
ignore, we will not pass along our problems to other Congresses, to
other presidents, and other generations. (Applause.) We will confront
them with focus and clarity and courage.
During the last two years, we have seen what can be accomplished when
we work together. To lift the standards of our public schools, we
achieved historic education reform -- which must now be carried out in
every school and in every classroom, so that every child in America
can read and learn and succeed in life. (Applause.) To protect our
country, we reorganized our government and created the Department of
Homeland Security, which is mobilizing against the threats of a new
era. To bring our economy out of recession, we delivered the largest
tax relief in a generation. (Applause.) To insist on integrity in
American business we passed tough reforms, and we are holding
corporate criminals to account. (Applause.)
Some might call this a good record; I call it a good start. Tonight I
ask the House and Senate to join me in the next bold steps to serve
our fellow citizens.
Our first goal is clear: We must have an economy that grows fast
enough to employ every man and woman who seeks a job. (Applause.)
After recession, terrorist attacks, corporate scandals and stock
market declines, our economy is recovering -- yet it's not growing
fast enough, or strongly enough. With unemployment rising, our nation
needs more small businesses to open, more companies to invest and
expand, more employers to put up the sign that says, "Help Wanted."
(Applause.)
Jobs are created when the economy grows; the economy grows when
Americans have more money to spend and invest; and the best and
fairest way to make sure Americans have that money is not to tax it
away in the first place. (Applause.)
I am proposing that all the income tax reductions set for 2004 and
2006 be made permanent and effective this year. (Applause.) And under
my plan, as soon as I sign the bill, this extra money will start
showing up in workers' paychecks. Instead of gradually reducing the
marriage penalty, we should do it now. (Applause.) Instead of slowly
raising the child credit to $1,000, we should send the checks to
American families now. (Applause.)
The tax relief is for everyone who pays income taxes -- and it will
help our economy immediately: 92 million Americans will keep, this
year, an average of almost $1,000 more of their own money. A family of
four with an income of $40,000 would see their federal income taxes
fall from $1,178 to $45 per year. (Applause.) Our plan will improve
the bottom line for more than 23 million small businesses.
You, the Congress, have already passed all these reductions, and
promised them for future years. If this tax relief is good for
Americans three, or five, or seven years from now, it is even better
for Americans today. (Applause.)
We should also strengthen the economy by treating investors equally in
our tax laws. It's fair to tax a company's profits. It is not fair to
again tax the shareholder on the same profits. (Applause.) To boost
investor confidence, and to help the nearly 10 million senior who
receive dividend income, I ask you to end the unfair double taxation
of dividends. (Applause.)
Lower taxes and greater investment will help this economy expand. More
jobs mean more taxpayers, and higher revenues to our government. The
best way to address the deficit and move toward a balanced budget is
to encourage economic growth, and to show some spending discipline in
Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
We must work together to fund only our most important priorities. I
will send you a budget that increases discretionary spending by 4
percent next year -- about as much as the average family's income is
expected to grow. And that is a good benchmark for us. Federal
spending should not rise any faster than the paychecks of American
families. (Applause.)
A growing economy and a focus on essential priorities will also be
crucial to the future of Social Security. As we continue to work
together to keep Social Security sound and reliable, we must offer
younger workers a chance to invest in retirement accounts that they
will control and they will own. (Applause.)
Our second goal is high quality, affordable health care for all
Americans. (Applause.) The American system of medicine is a model of
skill and innovation, with a pace of discovery that is adding good
years to our lives. Yet for many people, medical care costs too much
-- and many have no coverage at all. These problems will not be solved
with a nationalized health care system that dictates coverage and
rations care. (Applause.)
Instead, we must work toward a system in which all Americans have a
good insurance policy, choose their own doctors, and seniors and
low-income Americans receive the help they need. (Applause.) Instead
of bureaucrats and trial lawyers and HMOs, we must put doctors and
nurses and patients back in charge of American medicine. (Applause.)
Health care reform must begin with Medicare; Medicare is the binding
commitment of a caring society. (Applause.) We must renew that
commitment by giving seniors access to preventive medicine and new
drugs that are transforming health care in America.
Seniors happy with the current Medicare system should be able to keep
their coverage just the way it is. (Applause.) And just like you --
the members of Congress, and your staffs, and other federal employees
-- all seniors should have the choice of a health care plan that
provides prescription drugs. (Applause.)
My budget will commit an additional $400 billion over the next decade
to reform and strengthen Medicare. Leaders of both political parties
have talked for years about strengthening Medicare. I urge the members
of this new Congress to act this year. (Applause.)
To improve our health care system, we must address one of the prime
causes of higher cost, the constant threat that physicians and
hospitals will be unfairly sued. (Applause.) Because of excessive
litigation, everybody pays more for health care, and many parts of
America are losing fine doctors. No one has ever been healed by a
frivolous lawsuit. I urge the Congress to pass medical liability
reform. (Applause.)
Our third goal is to promote energy independence for our country,
while dramatically improving the environment. (Applause.) I have sent
you a comprehensive energy plan to promote energy efficiency and
conservation, to develop cleaner technology, and to produce more
energy at home. (Applause.) I have sent you Clear Skies legislation
that mandates a 70-percent cut in air pollution from power plants over
the next 15 years. (Applause.) I have sent you a Healthy Forests
Initiative, to help prevent the catastrophic fires that devastate
communities, kill wildlife, and burn away millions of acres of
treasured forest. (Applause.)
I urge you to pass these measures, for the good of both our
environment and our economy. (Applause.) Even more, I ask you to take
a crucial step and protect our environment in ways that generations
before us could not have imagined.
In this century, the greatest environmental progress will come about
not through endless lawsuits or command-and-control regulations, but
through technology and innovation. Tonight I'm proposing $1.2 billion
in research funding so that America can lead the world in developing
clean, hydrogen-powered automobiles. (Applause.)
A single chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen generates
energy, which can be used to power a car -- producing only water, not
exhaust fumes. With a new national commitment, our scientists and
engineers will overcome obstacles to taking these cars from laboratory
to showroom, so that the first car driven by a child born today could
be powered by hydrogen, and pollution-free. (Applause.)
Join me in this important innovation to make our air significantly
cleaner, and our country much less dependent on foreign sources of
energy. (Applause.)
Our fourth goal is to apply the compassion of America to the deepest
problems of America. For so many in our country -- the homeless and
the fatherless, the addicted -- the need is great. Yet there's power,
wonder-working power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the
American people.
Americans are doing the work of compassion every day -- visiting
prisoners, providing shelter for battered women, bringing
companionship to lonely seniors. These good works deserve our praise;
they deserve our personal support; and when appropriate, they deserve
the assistance of the federal government. (Applause.)
I urge you to pass both my faith-based initiative and the Citizen
Service Act, to encourage acts of compassion that can transform
America, one heart and one soul at a time. (Applause.)
Last year, I called on my fellow citizens to participate in the USA
Freedom Corps, which is enlisting tens of thousands of new volunteers
across America. Tonight I ask Congress and the American people to
focus the spirit of service and the resources of government on the
needs of some of our most vulnerable citizens -- boys and girls trying
to grow up without guidance and attention, and children who have to go
through a prison gate to be hugged by their mom or dad.
I propose a $450-million initiative to bring mentors to more than a
million disadvantaged junior high students and children of prisoners.
Government will support the training and recruiting of mentors; yet it
is the men and women of America who will fill the need. One mentor,
one person can change a life forever. And I urge you to be that one
person. (Applause.)
Another cause of hopelessness is addiction to drugs. Addiction crowds
out friendship, ambition, moral conviction, and reduces all the
richness of life to a single destructive desire. As a government, we
are fighting illegal drugs by cutting off supplies and reducing demand
through anti-drug education programs. Yet for those already addicted,
the fight against drugs is a fight for their own lives. Too many
Americans in search of treatment cannot get it. So tonight I propose a
new $600-million program to help an additional 300,000 Americans
receive treatment over the next three years. (Applause.)
Our nation is blessed with recovery programs that do amazing work. One
of them is found at the Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. A man in the program said, "God does miracles in people's
lives, and you never think it could be you." Tonight, let us bring to
all Americans who struggle with drug addiction this message of hope:
The miracle of recovery is possible, and it could be you. (Applause.)
By caring for children who need mentors, and for addicted men and
women who need treatment, we are building a more welcoming society --
a culture that values every life. And in this work we must not
overlook the weakest among us. I ask you to protect infants at the
very hour of their birth and end the practice of partial-birth
abortion. (Applause.) And because no human life should be started or
ended as the object of an experiment, I ask you to set a high standard
for humanity, and pass a law against all human cloning. (Applause.)
The qualities of courage and compassion that we strive for in America
also determine our conduct abroad. The American flag stands for more
than our power and our interests. Our founders dedicated this country
to the cause of human dignity, the rights of every person, and the
possibilities of every life. This conviction leads us into the world
to help the afflicted, and defend the peace, and confound the designs
of evil men.
In Afghanistan, we helped liberate an oppressed people. And we will
continue helping them secure their country, rebuild their society, and
educate all their children -- boys and girls. (Applause.) In the
Middle East, we will continue to seek peace between a secure Israel
and a democratic Palestine. (Applause.) Across the Earth, America is
feeding the hungry -- more than 60 percent of international food aid
comes as a gift from the people of the United States. As our nation
moves troops and builds alliances to make our world safer, we must
also remember our calling as a blessed country is to make this world
better.
Today, on the continent of Africa, nearly 30 million people have the
AIDS virus -- including 3 million children under the age 15. There are
whole countries in Africa where more than one-third of the adult
population carries the infection. More than 4 million require
immediate drug treatment. Yet across that continent, only 50,000 AIDS
victims -- only 50,000 -- are receiving the medicine they need.
Because the AIDS diagnosis is considered a death sentence, many do not
seek treatment. Almost all who do are turned away. A doctor in rural
South Africa describes his frustration. He says, "We have no
medicines. Many hospitals tell people, you've got AIDS, we can't help
you. Go home and die." In an age of miraculous medicines, no person
should have to hear those words. (Applause.)
AIDS can be prevented. Anti-retroviral drugs can extend life for many
years. And the cost of those drugs has dropped from $12,000 a year to
under $300 a year -- which places a tremendous possibility within our
grasp. Ladies and gentlemen, seldom has history offered a greater
opportunity to do so much for so many.
We have confronted, and will continue to confront, HIV/AIDS in our own
country. And to meet a severe and urgent crisis abroad, tonight I
propose the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- a work of mercy beyond
all current international efforts to help the people of Africa. This
comprehensive plan will prevent 7 million new AIDS infections, treat
at least 2 million people with life-extending drugs, and provide
humane care for millions of people suffering from AIDS, and for
children orphaned by AIDS. (Applause.)
I ask the Congress to commit $15 billion over the next five years,
including nearly $10 billion in new money, to turn the tide against
AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean.
(Applause.)
This nation can lead the world in sparing innocent people from a
plague of nature. And this nation is leading the world in confronting
and defeating the man-made evil of international terrorism.
(Applause.)
There are days when our fellow citizens do not hear news about the war
on terror. There's never a day when I do not learn of another threat,
or receive reports of operations in progress, or give an order in this
global war against a scattered network of killers. The war goes on,
and we are winning. (Applause.)
To date, we've arrested or otherwise dealt with many key commanders of
al Qaeda. They include a man who directed logistics and funding for
the September the 11th attacks; the chief of al Qaeda operations in
the Persian Gulf, who planned the bombings of our embassies in East
Africa and the USS Cole; an al Qaeda operations chief from Southeast
Asia; a former director of al Qaeda's training camps in Afghanistan; a
key al Qaeda operative in Europe; a major al Qaeda leader in Yemen.
All told, more than 3,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested in
many countries. Many others have met a different fate. Let's put it
this way -- they are no longer a problem to the United States and our
friends and allies. (Applause.)
We are working closely with other nations to prevent further attacks.
America and coalition countries have uncovered and stopped terrorist
conspiracies targeting the American embassy in Yemen, the American
embassy in Singapore, a Saudi military base, ships in the Straits of
Hormuz and the Straits the Gibraltar. We've broken al Qaeda cells in
Hamburg, Milan, Madrid, London, Paris, as well as, Buffalo, New York.
We have the terrorists on the run. We're keeping them on the run. One
by one, the terrorists are learning the meaning of American justice.
(Applause.)
As we fight this war, we will remember where it began -- here, in our
own country. This government is taking unprecedented measures to
protect our people and defend our homeland. We've intensified security
at the borders and ports of entry, posted more than 50,000
newly-trained federal screeners in airports, begun inoculating troops
and first responders against smallpox, and are deploying the nation's
first early warning network of sensors to detect biological attack.
And this year, for the first time, we are beginning to field a defense
to protect this nation against ballistic missiles. (Applause.)
I thank the Congress for supporting these measures. I ask you tonight
to add to our future security with a major research and production
effort to guard our people against bioterrorism, called Project
Bioshield. The budget I send you will propose almost $6 billion to
quickly make available effective vaccines and treatments against
agents like anthrax, botulinum toxin, Ebola, and plague. We must
assume that our enemies would use these diseases as weapons, and we
must act before the dangers are upon us. (Applause.)
Since September the 11th, our intelligence and law enforcement
agencies have worked more closely than ever to track and disrupt the
terrorists. The FBI is improving its ability to analyze intelligence,
and is transforming itself to meet new threats. Tonight, I am
instructing the leaders of the FBI, the CIA, the Homeland Security,
and the Department of Defense to develop a Terrorist Threat
Integration Center, to merge and analyze all threat information in a
single location. Our government must have the very best information
possible, and we will use it to make sure the right people are in the
right places to protect all our citizens. (Applause.)
Our war against terror is a contest of will in which perseverance is
power. In the ruins of two towers, at the western wall of the
Pentagon, on a field in Pennsylvania, this nation made a pledge, and
we renew that pledge tonight: Whatever the duration of this struggle,
and whatever the difficulties, we will not permit the triumph of
violence in the affairs of men -- free people will set the course of
history. (Applause.)
Today, the gravest danger in the war on terror, the gravest danger
facing America and the world, is outlaw regimes that seek and possess
nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. These regimes could use
such weapons for blackmail, terror, and mass murder. They could also
give or sell those weapons to terrorist allies, who would use them
without the least hesitation.
This threat is new; America's duty is familiar. Throughout the 20th
century, small groups of men seized control of great nations, built
armies and arsenals, and set out to dominate the weak and intimidate
the world. In each case, their ambitions of cruelty and murder had no
limit. In each case, the ambitions of Hitlerism, militarism, and
communism were defeated by the will of free peoples, by the strength
of great alliances, and by the might of the United States of America.
(Applause.)
Now, in this century, the ideology of power and domination has
appeared again, and seeks to gain the ultimate weapons of terror. Once
again, this nation and all our friends are all that stand between a
world at peace, and a world of chaos and constant alarm. Once again,
we are called to defend the safety of our people, and the hopes of all
mankind. And we accept this responsibility. (Applause.)
America is making a broad and determined effort to confront these
dangers. We have called on the United Nations to fulfill its charter
and stand by its demand that Iraq disarm. We're strongly supporting
the International Atomic Energy Agency in its mission to track and
control nuclear materials around the world. We're working with other
governments to secure nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union,
and to strengthen global treaties banning the production and shipment
of missile technologies and weapons of mass destruction.
In all these efforts, however, America's purpose is more than to
follow a process -- it is to achieve a result: the end of terrible
threats to the civilized world. All free nations have a stake in
preventing sudden and catastrophic attacks. And we're asking them to
join us, and many are doing so. Yet the course of this nation does not
depend on the decisions of others. (Applause.) Whatever action is
required, whenever action is necessary, I will defend the freedom and
security of the American people. (Applause.)
Different threats require different strategies. In Iran, we continue
to see a government that represses its people, pursues weapons of mass
destruction, and supports terror. We also see Iranian citizens risking
intimidation and death as they speak out for liberty and human rights
and democracy. Iranians, like all people, have a right to choose their
own government and determine their own destiny -- and the United
States supports their aspirations to live in freedom. (Applause.)
On the Korean Peninsula, an oppressive regime rules a people living in
fear and starvation. Throughout the 1990s, the United States relied on
a negotiated framework to keep North Korea from gaining nuclear
weapons. We now know that that regime was deceiving the world, and
developing those weapons all along. And today the North Korean regime
is using its nuclear program to incite fear and seek concessions.
America and the world will not be blackmailed. (Applause.)
America is working with the countries of the region -- South Korea,
Japan, China, and Russia -- to find a peaceful solution, and to show
the North Korean government that nuclear weapons will bring only
isolation, economic stagnation, and continued hardship. (Applause.)
The North Korean regime will find respect in the world and revival for
its people only when it turns away from its nuclear ambitions.
(Applause.)
Our nation and the world must learn the lessons of the Korean
Peninsula and not allow an even greater threat to rise up in Iraq. A
brutal dictator, with a history of reckless aggression, with ties to
terrorism, with great potential wealth, will not be permitted to
dominate a vital region and threaten the United States. (Applause.)
Twelve years ago, Saddam Hussein faced the prospect of being the last
casualty in a war he had started and lost. To spare himself, he agreed
to disarm of all weapons of mass destruction. For the next 12 years,
he systematically violated that agreement. He pursued chemical,
biological, and nuclear weapons, even while inspectors were in his
country. Nothing to date has restrained him from his pursuit of these
weapons -- not economic sanctions, not isolation from the civilized
world, not even cruise missile strikes on his military facilities.
Almost three months ago, the United Nations Security Council gave
Saddam Hussein his final chance to disarm. He has shown instead utter
contempt for the United Nations, and for the opinion of the world. The
108 U.N. inspectors were sent to conduct -- were not sent to conduct a
scavenger hunt for hidden materials across a country the size of
California. The job of the inspectors is to verify that Iraq's regime
is disarming. It is up to Iraq to show exactly where it is hiding its
banned weapons, lay those weapons out for the world to see, and
destroy them as directed. Nothing like this has happened.
The United Nations concluded in 1999 that Saddam Hussein had
biological weapons sufficient to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax
-- enough doses to kill several million people. He hasn't accounted
for that material. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed it.
The United Nations concluded that Saddam Hussein had materials
sufficient to produce more than 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin --
enough to subject millions of people to death by respiratory failure.
He hadn't accounted for that material. He's given no evidence that he
has destroyed it.
Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the
materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX
nerve agent. In such quantities, these chemical agents could also kill
untold thousands. He's not accounted for these materials. He has given
no evidence that he has destroyed them.
U.S. intelligence indicates that Saddam Hussein had upwards of 30,000
munitions capable of delivering chemical agents. Inspectors recently
turned up 16 of them -- despite Iraq's recent declaration denying
their existence. Saddam Hussein has not accounted for the remaining
29,984 of these prohibited munitions. He's given no evidence that he
has destroyed them.
From three Iraqi defectors we know that Iraq, in the late 1990s, had
several mobile biological weapons labs. These are designed to produce
germ warfare agents, and can be moved from place to a place to evade
inspectors. Saddam Hussein has not disclosed these facilities. He's
given no evidence that he has destroyed them.
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in the 1990s that
Saddam Hussein had an advanced nuclear weapons development program,
had a design for a nuclear weapon and was working on five different
methods of enriching uranium for a bomb. The British government has
learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of
uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has
attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for
nuclear weapons production. Saddam Hussein has not credibly explained
these activities. He clearly has much to hide.
The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary; he is
deceiving. From intelligence sources we know, for instance, that
thousands of Iraqi security personnel are at work hiding documents and
materials from the U.N. inspectors, sanitizing inspection sites and
monitoring the inspectors themselves. Iraqi officials accompany the
inspectors in order to intimidate witnesses.
Iraq is blocking U-2 surveillance flights requested by the United
Nations. Iraqi intelligence officers are posing as the scientists
inspectors are supposed to interview. Real scientists have been
coached by Iraqi officials on what to say. Intelligence sources
indicate that Saddam Hussein has ordered that scientists who cooperate
with U.N. inspectors in disarming Iraq will be killed, along with
their families.
Year after year, Saddam Hussein has gone to elaborate lengths, spent
enormous sums, taken great risks to build and keep weapons of mass
destruction. But why? The only possible explanation, the only possible
use he could have for those weapons, is to dominate, intimidate, or
attack.
With nuclear arms or a full arsenal of chemical and biological
weapons, Saddam Hussein could resume his ambitions of conquest in the
Middle East and create deadly havoc in that region. And this Congress
and the America people must recognize another threat. Evidence from
intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people
now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects
terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. Secretly, and without
fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons to
terrorists, or help them develop their own.
Before September the 11th, many in the world believed that Saddam
Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents, lethal viruses and
shadowy terrorist networks are not easily contained. Imagine those 19
hijackers with other weapons and other plans -- this time armed by
Saddam Hussein. It would take one vial, one canister, one crate
slipped into this country to bring a day of horror like none we have
ever known. We will do everything in our power to make sure that that
day never comes. (Applause.)
Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since
when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely
putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted
to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all
recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and
restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an
option. (Applause.)
The dictator who is assembling the world's most dangerous weapons has
already used them on whole villages -- leaving thousands of his own
citizens dead, blind, or disfigured. Iraqi refugees tell us how forced
confessions are obtained -- by torturing children while their parents
are made to watch. International human rights groups have catalogued
other methods used in the torture chambers of Iraq: electric shock,
burning with hot irons, dripping acid on the skin, mutilation with
electric drills, cutting out tongues, and rape. If this is not evil,
then evil has no meaning. (Applause.)
And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of
Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country -- your enemy is
ruling your country. (Applause.) And the day he and his regime are
removed from power will be the day of your liberation. (Applause.)
The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. America will not
accept a serious and mounting threat to our country, and our friends
and our allies. The United States will ask the U.N. Security Council
to convene on February the 5th to consider the facts of Iraq's ongoing
defiance of the world. Secretary of State Powell will present
information and intelligence about Iraqi's legal -- Iraq's illegal
weapons programs, its attempt to hide those weapons from inspectors,
and its links to terrorist groups.
We will consult. But let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam
Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people and for
the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.
(Applause.)
Tonight I have a message for the men and women who will keep the
peace, members of the American Armed Forces: Many of you are
assembling in or near the Middle East, and some crucial hours may lay
ahead. In those hours, the success of our cause will depend on you.
Your training has prepared you. Your honor will guide you. You believe
in America, and America believes in you. (Applause.)
Sending Americans into battle is the most profound decision a
President can make. The technologies of war have changed; the risks
and suffering of war have not. For the brave Americans who bear the
risk, no victory is free from sorrow. This nation fights reluctantly,
because we know the cost and we dread the days of mourning that always
come.
We seek peace. We strive for peace. And sometimes peace must be
defended. A future lived at the mercy of terrible threats is no peace
at all. If war is forced upon us, we will fight in a just cause and by
just means -- sparing, in every way we can, the innocent. And if war
is forced upon us, we will fight with the full force and might of the
United States military -- and we will prevail. (Applause.)
And as we and our coalition partners are doing in Afghanistan, we will
bring to the Iraqi people food and medicines and supplies -- and
freedom. (Applause.)
Many challenges, abroad and at home, have arrived in a single season.
In two years, America has gone from a sense of invulnerability to an
awareness of peril; from bitter division in small matters to calm
unity in great causes. And we go forward with confidence, because this
call of history has come to the right country.
Americans are a resolute people who have risen to every test of our
time. Adversity has revealed the character of our country, to the
world and to ourselves. America is a strong nation, and honorable in
the use of our strength. We exercise power without conquest, and we
sacrifice for the liberty of strangers.
Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of
every person and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is
not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity.
(Applause.)
We Americans have faith in ourselves, but not in ourselves alone. We
do not know -- we do not claim to know all the ways of Providence, yet
we can trust in them, placing our confidence in the loving God behind
all of life, and all of history.
May He guide us now. And may God continue to bless the United States
of America. (Applause.)
END 10:08 P.M. EST
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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