pd07oc02 Memorandum on Designation of Officers of the Department of Commerce To...

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about it, through the radiation detection device. The union that 
represents the Customs workers objected to this commonsense action. They 
didn't like it. They sought to invoke collective bargaining, which would 
have taken a year to resolve.
    See, it's those kind of rules which bind the capacity of the 
executive branch to do the job you want us to do. In order to locate 
employees in cases of emergency, the Customs Service sought to have 
employees provide their home addresses and their telephone numbers to 
the Customs Service. That makes sense. If you've got somebody you think 
may be getting ready to hit us and you need to move one of your Custom 
employees into a spot of action, you need his phone number. The union 
objected to listing the phone numbers and said such a request would 
violate the privacy rights of workers. The union actually filed a 
grievance and sought to negotiate something as sensible as this request.
    We do not need rules and bureaucracy to entangle us in the job you 
want us to do. Protection of the homeland of the United States is more 
important than special interests in Washington, DC.
    In this State, you don't need to write your Senators. In this State, 
they've been strong in leaving a legacy behind, an important legacy, 
because this enemy isn't going away. And the best way, however, to 
secure the homeland, short term and long term, is to hunt the killers 
down, one person at a time, one at a time, and bring them to justice, 
which is what the United States of America is going to do.
    And we're making progress. We're making progress against the 
killers. That's all they

[[Page 1654]]

are, by the way, nothing but a bunch of coldblooded killers. And that's 
the way we're treating them. Sometimes it's hard to tell the progress; 
this is a different kind of war, as you all know. I mean, in the old 
days you'd count the number of tanks you destroyed or the number of 
airplanes you destroyed and say, `` We're making progress.'' These folks 
don't have tanks. They don't have airplanes. They hide in caves. They 
send youngsters to their suicidal death. That's the kind of people 
fighting. And they're resourceful, and they're determined, but they're 
not as resourceful and determined as the United States of America.
    I put out a doctrine that said, ``Either you're with us, or you're 
with the enemy.'' That doctrine still stands today. And a lot of nations 
have joined us in rounding up these killers. We've captured over a 
couple thousand of them. We got one the other day in Karachi. He popped 
his head up, and he's no longer a threat to the United States or our 
friends.
    That's the kind of war we fight. It's not a glamorous war according 
to the old TV shows and stuff. It's just one person at a time, and we're 
relentless. And we're absolutely determined because we love freedom, and 
we owe it to our children to be relentless and determined.
    And that's why I asked the Congress to pass a defense bill that's 
the largest increase in defense spending since Ronald Reagan was the 
President. It sends two signals, as far as I'm concerned. One, anytime 
our youngsters are sent into harm's way, they deserve the best pay, the 
best training, and the best possible equipment. We owe that to them, and 
we owe it to their loved ones. For those of you in the audience who have 
got a loved one in the military, I'm proud of them; I've got great 
confidence in them; and I want to thank you for your sacrifice as well.
    Secondly, the reason I requested the defense bill that I did is 
because I wanted to send a message to friend and foe alike that we're 
not quitting. There is no calendar on my desk that says, by such-and-
such a date, we're leaving, that we're going to quit when--by an 
artificial time. That's not the way we think in America. No matter how 
long it takes, we will defend our freedom. That's the message we sent.
    Now, the House passed the bill, and the Senate passed the bill, and 
it hasn't gotten to my desk yet. We're at war, and the defense bill 
hasn't made it. I'm calling upon the leaders of the Senate and the 
leaders of the House to reconcile any differences they have quickly and 
get the defense bill to my desk before you go home. Quit playing 
politics with the defense bill.
    In order to defend our freedoms, there's going to be some steep 
hills to climb, and we're going to have to climb them and climb them 
together. We've still got work to do against Al Qaida in Afghanistan. I 
want you to tell your children, if they ask you about all this war 
rhetoric, that your great country went into Afghanistan not to conquer 
anybody but to free people. We went in and freed people from the 
clutches--[applause]. It's really important for you to tell them that we 
value each life, no matter where that life lives.
    And we cried when we heard the stories about the Taliban not letting 
young girls go to school. It broke our heart, but it also made us joyous 
when we realized upholding the doctrine that said, ``If you harbor a 
terrorists, you're just as guilty as the terrorists'' not only allowed 
the United States to keep its word, but we freed people. We freed people 
from the clutches of the barbaric Taliban regime.
    We've got work to do in Afghanistan, and we will continue to do the 
work in Afghanistan. You know, they're kind of sliding around the border 
regions, and we've got people looking for them. Sometimes they try to 
get into Pakistan, and we're teamed up with the Pakistan Government to 
find them. Sometimes we get them on the run, and then they think they 
can light in other countries. And so we're pressuring them in other 
countries. It doesn't matter where they think they can light; we're 
after them.
    We've also got a big chore to make sure the world's worst leaders 
never threaten, blackmail, or harm America with the world's worst 
weapons. I went to the United Nations the other day. I did so because I 
wanted to make the case against a madman, a case against a man who has 
lied to the world, the case in front of this august body that for 11

[[Page 1655]]

long years he has stood in defiance of resolution after resolution, and 
at the same time built up his cache of chemical and biological weapons.
    This is a man who continues to murder his own people, a man who has 
gassed--used gas on his own citizens, a man who has used chemical 
weapons on his neighbors, a man who has invaded two countries, a man 
which hates--who hates America, a man who loves to link up with Al 
Qaida, a man who is a true threat to America, to Israel, to anybody in 
the neighborhood.
    And so I went to the United Nations, and I said to the United 
Nations, ``You need to deal with him. You, a collective body of freedom-
loving countries, need to deal with him. For 11 years he's made fun of 
you. You can either be the United Nations and be effective, or you can 
be the League of Nations. Your choice.'' I hope they're the United 
Nations. I hope they're a robust United Nations. I hope they're capable 
of helping to keep the peace. That's their choice.
    Saddam Hussein has got a choice, and that is, he can disarm. There's 
no negotiations, by the way. There's nothing to negotiate with him. He 
told the world he would disarm 11 years ago, and he's lied to the world. 
It's their choice to make. He must disarm, just like he said he would 
do. And the United Nations, in order to be effective, must disarm him. 
But for the sake of our freedom, for the sake of our future, if nothing 
happens, the United States will lead a coalition to hold him to account 
and to disarm Saddam Hussein. We owe it to the world to do so.
    I want to thank members of both political parties in the Congress 
for working on a strong statement of resolve that the world will see. 
Members of both political parties have worked together with the--with 
members of my staff, to develop a statement that shows our determination 
and our desire to keep the peace, to make the world a more peaceful 
place. I think you're going to see that our Government will be, shortly, 
speaking with one voice, and the world will take notice.
    History has called us into action, my fellow Americans; it just has. 
We have a chance to blink, or we have a chance to lead. I intend to 
lead.
    As we make sure that we're a safer and stronger place, we've also 
got to work to make America a better place for all of us. I mean all of 
us. It starts with making sure the education systems work. I appreciate 
the idea of having a Governor who is willing to work to challenge the 
soft bigotry of low expectations, somebody who is willing to raise the 
standards, somebody who believes, like I believe, every child can learn, 
and somebody who is willing to measure to determine if every child is 
learning.
    You see, it's really important to measure. If you believe children 
can learn, then you want to know. And if you find children trapped in 
schools which won't teach and won't change, you'd better have you a 
Governor who won't stand for the status quo. There's no second-rate 
children in Arizona. There's no second-rate children in America.
    But a better America also understands that the true strength of our 
country is not our Government, but the true strength of the country is 
the people, the hearts and souls of the American people. See, that's 
what I think the strength of the country is. And we can change this 
country. You've got to understand that amongst the plenty, there are 
pockets of despair and hopelessness in this country. There just are. 
There are people who are addicted. There are people who are lonely. 
There are people who are lost. When you say ``American Dream'' to some 
of our fellow Americans, they go blank. And that's not right, and we 
need to deal with that. We need to address that part of our--because 
when one of us hurts, all of us should hurt.
    And we can change that part of the American scene. And we've got to 
understand, as we do, the limitations of Government. Listen, Government 
can hand out money, and we do a pretty good job of it sometimes. But 
what Government can never do is put love in somebody's life, can't put 
hope in a person's heart. That's going to happen because our fellow 
Americans decide to fight evil by doing some good. That will happen when 
our fellow Americans understand being a patriot is more than just 
putting your hand over your heart. Being a patriot is serving something 
greater than yourself. Being a patriot is somebody who mentors a child. 
Being a patriot is somebody who feeds the hungry. Being a

[[Page 1656]]

patriot is somebody who starts a Boy or--Boys or Girls Club. Being a 
patriot--who does everything he or she can do to make the quality of 
life in your neighborhood as good as it can be.
    I don't know what's going through the mind of the enemy when they 
hit us. Oh, they probably thought after September the 11th, we might 
file a lawsuit or two. [Laughter] But they learned differently. They 
learned that this great country is plenty tough, and we'll defend our 
freedoms. They also learned that we're plenty compassionate and that 
we'll respond to their evil with decency. One person can't do everything 
in America, but one person can do something. And as you do that 
something, I want you to remember that you can change this country, one 
heart, one soul, one conscience at a time.
    I believe that we're in the midst of a cultural change in America; I 
believe it. I believe we're shifting our culture from one which had 
said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and do it, and if you've got a 
problem, blame somebody else.'' I believe that since the terrible attack 
on America took place, that we're ushering in a period of personal 
responsibility, where each of us must understand, if you're lucky enough 
to be a mom or a dad, your most important job is to love your child with 
all your heart and all your soul. The culture of responsibility says, 
``If you live in Phoenix, Arizona, you must do everything you can to 
support the quality of life in that community. Don't hope for some 
distant Government to do it.'' The culture of responsibility says, ``If 
you run a corporation in America, you're responsible to be honest with 
the books and treat your employees and shareholders with respect.''
    I believe it's happening. And perhaps the most vivid example about 
what I'm talking about, about serving something greater than yourself, 
took place on Flight 93. America must remember that tragic story, 
because it speaks volumes about the great spirit of the country--people 
flying across the plane, 40 passengers and I think four crew members, I 
believe it was. They learned from their loved ones that something was 
taking place on the ground that no one could possibly imagine in 
America. They realized the plane they were on was going to be used as a 
weapon. They talked to their loved ones. They said the word ``love'' a 
lot. They said a prayer. They prayed for strength. One guy said, ``Let's 
roll.'' They took the plane into the ground. They served something 
greater than themselves. That's a powerful story, because to me, it 
speaks to the soul of our country, our worth.
    There is no question in my mind that if we remain strong and focused 
and tough, we can achieve peace. We can achieve peace for our country. 
We can achieve peace in the Middle East, peace in South Asia. There's no 
doubt we can do that, if we're tough and strong and determined to speak 
clearly and always defend freedom. And at home, we can eliminate those 
pockets of despair. We can help people with love.
    And the reason I'm optimistic is because I know America. America is 
full of the finest people on the face of the Earth. America is the 
greatest nation on the face of the Earth. Thank you for coming. May God 
bless, and God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 4:38 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Phoenix 
Civic Plaza. In his remarks, he referred to Jerry Colangelo, managing 
general partner, Arizona Diamondbacks; Nancy Salmon, wife of candidate 
Matt Salmon; Rick Renzi, candidate for Arizona's First Congressional 
District; Mayor Anton E. ``Skip'' Rimsza of Phoenix; P. Robert Fannin, 
chairman, Arizona Republican Party; Ramzi bin al-Shibh, an Al Qaida 
operative suspected of helping to plan the September 11, 2001, terrorist 
attacks; and President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. This item was not 
received in time for publication in the appropriate issue.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 1656-1657]
 
Pages 1639-1697
 
Week Ending Friday, October 4, 2002
 
The President's Radio Address

September 28, 2002

    Good morning. On Thursday, I met with Democratic and Republican 
Members of Congress to discuss the threat posed by the Iraqi regime. The 
security of our country is the commitment of both political parties and 
the responsibility of both the President and the Congress. We are united 
in our determination to confront this urgent threat to America.
    We're moving toward a strong resolution authorizing the use of 
force, if necessary, to

[[Page 1657]]

defend our national security interests against the threat posed by 
Saddam Hussein. And by passing this resolution, we will send a clear 
message to the world community and to the Iraqi regime: The demands of 
the United Nations Security Council must be followed; the Iraqi dictator 
must be disarmed. These requirements will be met, or they will be 
enforced.
    The danger to our country is grave, and it is growing. The Iraqi 
regime possesses biological and chemical weapons, is rebuilding the 
facilities to make more and, according to the British Government, could 
launch a biological or chemical attack in as little as 45 minutes after 
the order is given. The regime has longstanding and continuing ties to 
terrorist groups, and there are Al Qaida terrorists inside Iraq. This 
regime is seeking a nuclear bomb and with fissile material could build 
one within a year.
    Iraq has already used weapons of mass death against another country 
and against its own citizens. The Iraqi regime practices the rape of 
women as a method of intimidation and the torture of dissenters and 
their children. And for more than a decade, that regime has answered 
Security Council resolutions with defiance and bad faith and deception.
    We know that the Iraqi regime is led by a dangerous and brutal man. 
We know he is actively seeking the destructive technologies to match his 
hatred. And we know that he must be stopped. The dangers we face will 
only worsen from month to month and year to year. To ignore these 
threats is to encourage them, and when they have fully materialized, it 
may be too late to protect ourselves and our allies. By then, the Iraqi 
dictator will have had the means to terrorize and dominate the region, 
and each passing day could be the one on which the Iraqi regime gives 
anthrax or VX nerve gas or, someday, a nuclear weapon to a terrorist 
group.
    We refuse to live in this future of fear. We are determined to build 
a future of security and peace for ourselves and for the world. The 
Members of Congress from both political parties with whom I met this 
week are committed to American leadership for the good of all nations. 
The resolution we are producing will be an instrument of that 
leadership.
    I appreciate the spirit in which Members of Congress are considering 
this vital issue. We're making progress. We are nearing agreement, and 
soon we will speak with one voice.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 1:07 p.m. on September 26 in the 
Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on September 
28. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on September 27 but was embargoed for release until the 
broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of this address.

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