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16 October 2002

Bush Signs Joint Resolution Authorizing Military Force in Iraq

(Bipartisan Congressional leaders were present for signing) (1810)
Washington - With members of Congress and senior Cabinet officers
present, President Bush signed the Joint Congressional Resolution that
gives him authority to use military force on Iraq, if necessary.
Present for the signing in the East Room of the White House were
Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and 100 bipartisan members
of Congress, including Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, and former
Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman.
Bush said the resolution "symbolizes the united purpose of our nation,
expresses the considered judgment of the Congress, and marks an
important event in the life of America."
The Iraq resolution was passed overwhelmingly by both the House of
Representatives and the Senate. The U.N. Security Council was
scheduled later October 16 to begin a two-day session in which
representatives of any U.N. member country may speak before the
Council votes on a new Iraq resolution.
Although the U.S. congressional resolution authorizes the President to
wage war on Iraq, Bush said that he has "not ordered the use of
force," adding, "I hope the use of force will not become necessary."
But he added that "confronting the threat posed by Iraq is necessary,
by whatever means that requires."
The president called on the United Nations to face the Iraqi threat,
warning that, "those who chose to live in denial may be forced to live
in fear."
"To shrink from this threat would bring a false sense of temporary
peace, leading to a future in which millions live or die at the
discretion of a brutal dictator," he said. "That's not true peace, and
we won't accept it."
"The time has arrived once again for the United Nations to live up to
the purpose of its founding to protect our common security," the
president said. "The time has come once again for free nations to face
up to our global responsibilities and confront a gathering danger."
Bush thanked the Congress for a "thorough debate and an overwhelming
statement of support.
"The broad resolve of our government is now clear to all, clear to
everyone to see: We will defend our nation," the president said, "and
lead others in defending the peace."
Following is the White House transcript:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
October 16, 2002
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT SIGNING OF THE JOINT RESOLUTION
The East Room
11:17 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. Good morning. Welcome
to the White House. I want to thank the members of my Cabinet who have
joined us. I want to thank the members of Congress who are here on the
stage. I want to thank the members of Congress who are here in the
audience. I'm honored to have you here.
The resolution I'm about to sign symbolizes the united purpose of our
nation, expresses the considered judgment of the Congress, and marks
an important event in the life of America. The 107th Congress is one
of the few called by history to authorize military action to defend
our country and the cause of peace.
This is among the most serious and difficult decisions a legislator
can face. Members of both Houses, both political parties, have
deliberated with care, and they have spoken with clarity on behalf of
the American people. We will face our dangers squarely, and we will
face them unafraid.
With this resolution, Congress has now authorized the use of force. I
have not ordered the use of force. I hope the use of force will not
become necessary. Yet, confronting the threat posed by Iraq is
necessary, by whatever means that requires. Either the Iraqi regime
will give up its weapons of mass destruction, or, for the sake of
peace, the United States will lead a global coalition to disarm that
regime. If any doubt our nation's resolve, our determination, they
would be unwise to test it.
The Iraqi regime is a serious and growing threat to peace. On the
commands of a dictator, the regime is armed with biological and
chemical weapons, possesses ballistic missiles, promotes international
terror and seeks nuclear weapons. The same dictator has a history of
mass murder, striking other nations without warning; of intense hatred
for America; and of contempt for the demands of the civilized world.
If Iraq gains even greater destructive power, nations in the Middle
East would face blackmail, intimidation or attack. Chaos in that
region would be felt in Europe and beyond. And Iraq's combination of
weapons of mass destruction and ties to terrorist groups and ballistic
missiles would threaten the peace and security of many nations. Those
who choose to live in denial may eventually be forced to live in fear.
Every nation that shares in the benefits of peace also shares in the
duty of defending the peace. The time has arrived once again for the
United Nations to live up to the purposes of its founding to protect
our common security. The time has arrived once again for free nations
to face up to our global responsibilities and confront a gathering
danger.
In 1991, Iraq was given 15 days to fully disclose all weapons of mass
destruction. The dictator has successfully defied that obligation for
4,199 days. The dictator has -- and during this 11-year period of his
dictatorship the regime has become highly skilled in the techniques of
deception. It has blocked effective inspections of so-called
presidential sites -- actually 12 square miles with hundreds of
structures where sensitive materials could be hidden. The regime has
forged documents, disabled surveillance cameras, and developed mobile
weapons facilities to keep ahead of any inspector.
The Iraqi regime has frustrated the work of international inspectors
by firing warning shots, by tapping the telephones, confiscating their
documents, blocking aerial inspection flights and barring access to
sites for hours while evidence is carried away. At one location,
inspectors actually witnessed Iraqi guards moving files, burning
documents, and then dumping the ashes in a river. Aboard U.N.
helicopters, Iraqi escorts have physically struggled with inspectors
to keep them from approaching certain areas.
For Iraq, the old weapons inspection process was little more than a
game, in which cheating was never punished. And that game is over. The
ploys and promises of the Iraqi regime no longer matter. The regime is
free to continue saying whatever it chooses; its fate depends entirely
on what it actually does.
Our goal is not merely to limit Iraq's violations of Security Council
resolutions, or to slow down its weapons program. Our goal is to fully
and finally remove a real threat to world peace and to America.
Hopefully this can be done peacefully. Hopefully we can do this
without any military action. Yet, if Iraq is to avoid military action
by the international community, it has the obligation to prove
compliance with all the world's demands. It's the obligation of Iraq.
Compliance will begin with a accurate and full and complete accounting
for all chemical, biological and nuclear weapons materials, as well as
missiles and other means of delivery anywhere in Iraq. Failure to make
such an accounting would be further indication of the regime's bad
faith and aggressive intent. Inspectors must have access to any site
in Iraq, at any time, without pre-clearance, without delay, without
exceptions. Inspectors must be permitted to operate under new,
effective rules. And the Iraqi regime must accept those rules without
qualification or negotiation.
To ensure that we learn the truth, the regime must allow witnesses to
its illegal activities to be interviewed outside of the country. These
witnesses must be free to bring their entire families with them, so
they're beyond the reach of Saddam Hussein's terror, Saddam Hussein's
torture, Saddam Hussein's murder.
In addition to declaring and destroying all of its weapons of mass
destruction, Iraq, in accordance with U.N. Security Council demands,
must end its support for terrorism. As the U.N. demands, Iraq must
cease the persecution of its civilian population. As the U.N. demands,
Iraq must stop all illicit trade outside the oil-for-food program.
Iraq must also release or account for all Gulf War personnel,
including an American pilot whose fate is still unknown.
The United States takes the resolutions of the Security Council
seriously. We urge other nations to do the same. We're working to
build the broadest possible coalition to enforce the demands of the
world on the Iraqi regime. I've told all the members of the United
Nations, America will play its historic role in defeating aggressive
tyranny.
I hope the good people of Iraq will remember our history, and not pay
attention to the hateful propaganda of their government. America has
never sought to dominate, has never sought to conquer. We've always
sought to liberate and to free. Our desire is to help Iraqi citizens
find the blessings of liberty within their own culture and their own
traditions. The Iraqi people cannot flourish under a dictator that
oppresses them and threatens them. Gifted people of Iraq will flourish
if and when oppression is lifted.
When Iraq has a government committed to the freedom and well-being of
its people, America, along with many other nations, will share a
responsibility to help Iraq reform and prosper. And we will meet our
responsibilities. That's our pledge to the Iraqi people.
Like the members of Congress here today, I've carefully weighed the
human cost of every option before us. If we go into battle, as a last
resort, we will confront an enemy capable of irrational
miscalculations, capable of terrible deeds. As the Commander-in-Chief,
I know the risks to our country. I'm fully responsible to the young
men and women in uniform who may face these risks. Yet those risks
only increase with time. And the costs could be immeasurably higher in
years to come.
To shrink from this threat would bring a false sense of temporary
peace, leading to a future in which millions live or die at the
discretion of a brutal dictator. That's not true peace, and we won't
accept it.
The terrorist attacks of last year put our country on notice. We're
not immune from the dangers and hatreds of the world. In the events of
September the 11th, we resolved as a nation to oppose every threat
from any source that could bring sudden tragedy to the American
people. This nation will not live at the mercy of any foreign power or
plot. Confronting grave dangers is the surest path to peace and
security. This is the expectation of the American people, and the
decision of their elected representatives.
I thank the Congress for a thorough debate and an overwhelming
statement of support. The broad resolve of our government is now clear
to all, clear to everyone to see: We will defend our nation, and lead
others in defending the peace.
May God bless your work.  (Applause.)
END   11:30 A.M. EDT
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)