But our military was shaped to confront the challenges of the past. So

I’ve asked the Secretary of Defense to review America’s Armed Forces and

prepare to transform them to meet emerging threats. My budget makes a

down payment on the research and development that will be required. Yet,

in our broader transformation effort, we must put strategy first, then

spending. Our defense vision will drive our defense budget, not the

other way around. (Applause.)

Our nation also needs a clear strategy to confront the threats of the

21st century -- threats that are more widespread and less certain. They

range from terrorists who threaten with bombs to tyrants in rogue

nations intent upon developing weapons of mass destruction. To protect

our own people, our allies and friends, we must develop and we must

deploy effective missile defenses. (Applause.)

And as we transform our military, we can discard Cold War relics, and

reduce our own nuclear forces to reflect today’s needs. (Applause.) A

strong America is the world’s best hope for peace and freedom.

Yet the cause of freedom rests on more than our ability to defend

ourselves and our allies. Freedom is exported every day, as we ship

goods and products that improve the lives of millions of people. Free

trade brings greater political and personal freedom. Each of the

previous five Presidents has had the ability to negotiate far reaching

trade agreements. Tonight I ask you to give me the strong hand of

presidential trade promotion authority, and to do so quickly.

(Applause.)

As we meet tonight, many citizens are struggling with the high cost of

energy. We have a serious energy problem that demands a national energy

policy. (Applause.) The West is confronting a major energy shortage

that has resulted in high prices and uncertainty. I’ve asked federal

agencies to work with California officials to help speed construction of

new energy sources, and I have direct Vice President Cheney, Commerce

Secretary Evans, Energy Secretary Abraham and other senior members in my

administration to develop a national energy policy. (Applause.)

Our energy demand outstrips our supply. We can produce more energy at

home while protecting our environment, and we must. (Applause.) We can

produce more electricity to meet demand, and we must. (Applause.) We

can promote alternative energy sources and conservation, and we must.

(Applause.) America must become more energy-independent, and we will.

(Applause.)

Perhaps the biggest test of our foresight and courage will be reforming

Medicare and Social Security. Medicare’s finances are strained and its

coverage is outdated. Ninety-nine percent of employer-provided health

plans offer some form of prescription drug coverage; Medicare does not.

The framework for reform has been developed by Senators Frist and Breaux

and Congressman Thomas, and now is the time to act. (Applause.)

Medicare must be modernized, and we must make sure that every senior on

Medicare can choose a health care plan that offers prescription drugs.

(Applause.)

Seven years from now, the baby boom generation will begin to claim

Social Security benefits. Every one in this chamber knows that Social

Security is not prepared to fully fund their retirement. And we only

have a couple of years to get prepared. Without reform, this country

will one day awaken to a stark choice: either a drastic rise in payroll

taxes or a radical cut in retirement benefits.

There is a better way. This spring I will form a presidential

commission to reform Social Security. The commission will make its

recommendations by next fall. Reform should be based on these

principles: It must preserve the benefits of all current retirees and

those nearing retirement. It must return Social Security to sound

financial footing. And it must offer personal savings accounts to

younger workers who want them. (Applause.)

Social Security now offers workers a return of less than 2 percent on

the money they pay into the system. To save the system, we must

increase that by allowing younger workers to make safe, sound

investments that yield a higher rate of return. Ownership, access to

wealth and independence should not be the privilege of the few. They

are the hope of every American, and we must make them the foundation of

Social Security. (Applause.)

By confronting the tough challenge of reform, by being responsible with

our budget, we can earn the trust of the American people. And we can add

to that trust by enacting fair and balanced election and campaign

reforms. (Applause.)

The agenda I have set before you tonight is worthy of a great nation.

America is a nation at peace, but not a nation at rest. Much has been

given to us, and much is expected. Let us agree to bridge old divides.

But let us also agree that our goodwill must be dedicated to great

goals. Bipartisan is more than minding our matters. It is doing our

duty. (Applause.)

No one can speak in this Capitol and not be awed by its history. As so

many turning points, debates in these chambers have reflected the

collected or divided conscience of our country. And when we walk

through Statuary Hall and see those men and women of marble, we’re

reminded of their courage and achievement.

Yet America’s purpose is never found only in statues or history.

America’s purpose always stands before us. Our generation must show

courage in a time of blessing, as our nation has always shown in times

of crisis. And our courage, issue by issue, can gather to greatness and

serve our country. This is the privilege and responsibility we share.

And if we work together, we can prove that public service is noble.

We all came here for a reason. We all have things we want to accomplish

and promises to keep. Juntos podemos -- together we can. (Applause.)

We can make Americans proud of their government. Together we can share

in the credit of making our country more prosperous and generous and

just, and earn from our conscience and from our fellow citizens the

highest possible praise: Well done, good and faithful servants.

Thank you all. Good night and God bless. (Applause.)

***

State of the Union Address

George W. Bush

September 20, 2001

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress, and fellow

Americans:

In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this chamber to

report on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed.

It has already been delivered by the American people.

We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to

save others on the ground -- passengers like an exceptional man named

Todd Beamer. And would you please help me to welcome his wife, Lisa

Beamer, here tonight. (Applause.)

We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers,

working past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of flags, the

lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers -- in

English, Hebrew, and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a loving and

giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own.

My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen

for itself the state of our Union -- and it is strong. (Applause.)

Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend

freedom. Our grief has turned to anger, and anger to resolution.

Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our

enemies, justice will be done. (Applause.)

I thank the Congress for its leadership at such an important time. All

of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to see Republicans

and Democrats joined together on the steps of this Capitol, singing “God

Bless America.” And you did more than sing; you acted, by delivering

$40 billion to rebuild our communities and meet the needs of our

military.

Speaker Hastert, Minority Leader Gephardt, Majority Leader Daschle and

Senator Lott, I thank you for your friendship, for your leadership and

for your service to our country. (Applause.)

And on behalf of the American people, I thank the world for its

outpouring of support. America will never forget the sounds of our

National Anthem playing at Buckingham Palace, on the streets of Paris,

and at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.

We will not forget South Korean children gathering to pray outside our

embassy in Seoul, or the prayers of sympathy offered at a mosque in

Cairo. We will not forget moments of silence and days of mourning in

Australia and Africa and Latin America.

Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our

own: dozens of Pakistanis; more than 130 Israelis; more than 250

citizens of India; men and women from El Salvador, Iran, Mexico and

Japan; and hundreds of British citizens. America has no truer friend

than Great Britain. (Applause.) Once again, we are joined together in

a great cause -- so honored the British Prime Minister has crossed an

ocean to show his unity of purpose with America. Thank you for coming,

friend. (Applause.)

On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war

against our country. Americans have known wars -- but for the past 136

years, they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in

1941. Americans have known the casualties of war -- but not at the

center of a great city on a peaceful morning. Americans have known

surprise attacks -- but never before on thousands of civilians. All of

this was brought upon us in a single day -- and night fell on a

different world, a world where freedom itself is under attack.

Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking: Who

attacked our country? The evidence we have gathered all points to a

collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al

Qaeda. They are the same murderers indicted for bombing American

embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and responsible for bombing the USS

Cole.

Al Qaeda is to terror what the mafia is to crime. But its goal is not

making money; its goal is remaking the world -- and imposing its radical

beliefs on people everywhere.

The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been

rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics -- a

fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam. The

terrorists’ directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill

all Americans, and make no distinction among military and civilians,

including women and children.

This group and its leader -- a person named Osama bin Laden -- are

linked to many other organizations in different countries, including the

Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. There

are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60 countries. They are

recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods and brought to camps

in places like Afghanistan, where they are trained in the tactics of

terror. They are sent back to their homes or sent to hide in countries

around the world to plot evil and destruction.

The leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and

supports the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In

Afghanistan, we see al Qaeda’s vision for the world.

Afghanistan’s people have been brutalized -- many are starving and many

have fled. Women are not allowed to attend school. You can be jailed

for owning a television. Religion can be practiced only as their

leaders dictate. A man can be jailed in Afghanistan if his beard is not

long enough.

The United States respects the people of Afghanistan -- after all, we

are currently its largest source of humanitarian aid -- but we condemn

the Taliban regime. (Applause.) It is not only repressing its own

people, it is threatening people everywhere by sponsoring and sheltering

and supplying terrorists. By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban

regime is committing murder.

And tonight, the United States of America makes the following demands on

the Taliban: Deliver to United States authorities all the leaders of al

Qaeda who hide in your land. (Applause.) Release all foreign nationals,

including American citizens, you have unjustly imprisoned. Protect

foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers in your country. Close

immediately and permanently every terrorist training camp in

Afghanistan, and hand over every terrorist, and every person in their

support structure, to appropriate authorities. (Applause.) Give the

United States full access to terrorist training camps, so we can make

sure they are no longer operating.

These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. (Applause.)

The Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will hand over the

terrorists, or they will share in their fate.

I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world.

We respect your faith. It’s practiced freely by many millions of

Americans, and by millions more in countries that America counts as

friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil

in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah. (Applause.) The

terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack

Islam itself. The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends; it

is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of

terrorists, and every government that supports them. (Applause.)

Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It

will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found,

stopped and defeated. (Applause.)

Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right

here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their

leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of

religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and

disagree with each other.

They want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim countries,

such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. They want to drive Israel out

of the Middle East. They want to drive Christians and Jews out of vast

regions of Asia and Africa.

These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a

way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful,

retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They stand against

us, because we stand in their way.

We are not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their

kind before. They are the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the

20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions

-- by abandoning every value except the will to power -- they follow in

the path of fascism, and Nazism, and totalitarianism. And they will

follow that path all the way, to where it ends: in history’s unmarked

grave of discarded lies. (Applause.)

Americans are asking: How will we fight and win this war? We will

direct every resource at our command -- every means of diplomacy, every

tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every

financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war -- to the

disruption and to the defeat of the global terror network.

This war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a

decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not

look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops

were used and not a single American was lost in combat.

Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated

strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy

campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic

strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success.

We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another,

drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest.

And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism.

Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you

are with us, or you are with the terrorists. (Applause.) From this day

forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will

be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.

Our nation has been put on notice: We are not immune from attack. We

will take defensive measures against terrorism to protect Americans.

Today, dozens of federal departments and agencies, as well as state and

local governments, have responsibilities affecting homeland security.

These efforts must be coordinated at the highest level. So tonight I

announce the creation of a Cabinet-level position reporting directly to

me -- the Office of Homeland Security.

And tonight I also announce a distinguished American to lead this

effort, to strengthen American security: a military veteran, an

effective governor, a true patriot, a trusted friend -- Pennsylvania’s

Tom Ridge. (Applause.) He will lead, oversee and coordinate a

comprehensive national strategy to safeguard our country against

terrorism, and respond to any attacks that may come.

These measures are essential. But the only way to defeat terrorism as a

threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it, and destroy it

where it grows. (Applause.)

Many will be involved in this effort, from FBI agents to intelligence

operatives to the reservists we have called to active duty. All deserve

our thanks, and all have our prayers. And tonight, a few miles from the

damaged Pentagon, I have a message for our military: Be ready. I’ve

called the Armed Forces to alert, and there is a reason. The hour is

coming when America will act, and you will make us proud. (Applause.)

This is not, however, just America’s fight. And what is at stake is not

just America’s freedom. This is the world’s fight. This is

civilization’s fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress

and pluralism, tolerance and freedom.

We ask every nation to join us. We will ask, and we will need, the help

of police forces, intelligence services, and banking systems around the

world. The United States is grateful that many nations and many

international organizations have already responded -- with sympathy and

with support. Nations from Latin America, to Asia, to Africa, to

Europe, to the Islamic world. Perhaps the NATO Charter reflects best

the attitude of the world: An attack on one is an attack on all.

The civilized world is rallying to America’s side. They understand that

if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own citizens may

be next. Terror, unanswered, can not only bring down buildings, it can

threaten the stability of legitimate governments. And you know what --

we’re not going to allow it. (Applause.)

Americans are asking: What is expected of us? I ask you to live your

lives, and hug your children. I know many citizens have fears tonight,

and I ask you to be calm and resolute, even in the face of a continuing

threat.

I ask you to uphold the values of America, and remember why so many have

come here. We are in a fight for our principles, and our first

responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled out for

unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or

religious faith. (Applause.)

I ask you to continue to support the victims of this tragedy with your

contributions. Those who want to give can go to a central source of

information, libertyunites.org, to find the names of groups providing

direct help in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The thousands of FBI agents who are now at work in this investigation

may need your cooperation, and I ask you to give it.

I ask for your patience, with the delays and inconveniences that may

accompany tighter security; and for your patience in what will be a long

struggle.

I ask your continued participation and confidence in the American

economy. Terrorists attacked a symbol of American prosperity. They did

not touch its source. America is successful because of the hard work,

and creativity, and enterprise of our people. These were the true

strengths of our economy before September 11th, and they are our

strengths today. (Applause.)

And, finally, please continue praying for the victims of terror and

their families, for those in uniform, and for our great country. Prayer

has comforted us in sorrow, and will help strengthen us for the journey

ahead.

Tonight I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already done and

for what you will do. And ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, I thank

you, their representatives, for what you have already done and for what

we will do together.

Tonight, we face new and sudden national challenges. We will come

together to improve air safety, to dramatically expand the number of air

marshals on domestic flights, and take new measures to prevent

hijacking. We will come together to promote stability and keep our

airlines flying, with direct assistance during this emergency.

(Applause.)

We will come together to give law enforcement the additional tools it

needs to track down terror here at home. (Applause.) We will come

together to strengthen our intelligence capabilities to know the plans

of terrorists before they act, and find them before they strike.

(Applause.)

We will come together to take active steps that strengthen America’s

economy, and put our people back to work.

Tonight we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit of

all New Yorkers: Governor George Pataki, and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

(Applause.) As a symbol of America’s resolve, my administration will

work with Congress, and these two leaders, to show the world that we

will rebuild New York City. (Applause.)

After all that has just passed -- all the lives taken, and all the

possibilities and hopes that died with them -- it is natural to wonder

if America’s future is one of fear. Some speak of an age of terror. I

know there are struggles ahead, and dangers to face. But this country

will define our times, not be defined by them. As long as the United

States of America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of

terror; this will be an age of liberty, here and across the world.

(Applause.)

Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in

our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment. Freedom

and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom -- the great

achievement of our time, and the great hope of every time -- now depends

on us. Our nation -- this generation -- will lift a dark threat of

violence from our people and our future. We will rally the world to

this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We will not tire, we will

not falter, and we will not fail. (Applause.)

It is my hope that in the months and years ahead, life will return

almost to normal. We’ll go back to our lives and routines, and that is

good. Even grief recedes with time and grace. But our resolve must not

pass. Each of us will remember what happened that day, and to whom it

happened. We’ll remember the moment the news came -- where we were and

what we were doing. Some will remember an image of a fire, or a story

of rescue. Some will carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever.

And I will carry this: It is the police shield of a man named George

Howard, who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others. It

was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son.

This is my reminder of lives that ended, and a task that does not end.

(Applause.)

I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it.

I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this

struggle for freedom and security for the American people.

The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain.

Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we

know that God is not neutral between them. (Applause.)

Fellow citizens, we’ll meet violence with patient justice -- assured of

the rightness of our cause, and confident of the victories to come. In

all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and may He watch over

the United States of America.

Thank you. (Applause.)

***

State of the Union Address

George W. Bush

January 29, 2002

Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of

Congress, distinguished guests, fellow citizens: As we gather tonight,

our nation is at war, our economy is in recession, and the civilized

world faces unprecedented dangers. Yet the state of our Union has never

been stronger. (Applause.)

We last met in an hour of shock and suffering. In four short months, our

nation has comforted the victims, begun to rebuild New York and the

Pentagon, rallied a great coalition, captured, arrested, and rid the

world of thousands of terrorists, destroyed Afghanistan’s terrorist

training camps, saved a people from starvation, and freed a country from

brutal oppression. (Applause.)

The American flag flies again over our embassy in Kabul. Terrorists who

once occupied Afghanistan now occupy cells at Guantanamo Bay.

(Applause.) And terrorist leaders who urged followers to sacrifice their

lives are running for their own. (Applause.)

America and Afghanistan are now allies against terror. We’ll be partners

in rebuilding that country. And this evening we welcome the

distinguished interim leader of a liberated Afghanistan: Chairman Hamid

Karzai. (Applause.)

The last time we met in this chamber, the mothers and daughters of

Afghanistan were captives in their own homes, forbidden from working or

going to school. Today women are free, and are part of Afghanistan’s new

government. And we welcome the new Minister of Women’s Affairs, Doctor

Sima Samar. (Applause.)

Our progress is a tribute to the spirit of the Afghan people, to the

resolve of our coalition, and to the might of the United States

military. (Applause.) When I called our troops into action, I did so

with complete confidence in their courage and skill. And tonight, thanks

to them, we are winning the war on terror. (Applause.) The men and women

of our Armed Forces have delivered a message now clear to every enemy of

the United States: Even 7,000 miles away, across oceans and continents,

on mountaintops and in caves--you will not escape the justice of this

nation. (Applause.)

For many Americans, these four months have brought sorrow, and pain that

will never completely go away. Every day a retired firefighter returns

to Ground Zero, to feel closer to his two sons who died there. At a

memorial in New York, a little boy left his football with a note for his

lost father: Dear Daddy, please take this to heaven. I don’t want to

play football until I can play with you again some day.

Last month, at the grave of her husband, Michael, a CIA officer and

Marine who died in Mazur-e-Sharif, Shannon Spann said these words of

farewell: “Semper Fi, my love.” Shannon is with us tonight. (Applause.)

Shannon, I assure you and all who have lost a loved one that our cause

is just, and our country will never forget the debt we owe Michael and

all who gave their lives for freedom.

Our cause is just, and it continues. Our discoveries in Afghanistan

confirmed our worst fears, and showed us the true scope of the task

ahead. We have seen the depth of our enemies’ hatred in videos, where

they laugh about the loss of innocent life. And the depth of their

hatred is equaled by the madness of the destruction they design. We have

found diagrams of American nuclear power plants and public water

facilities, detailed instructions for making chemical weapons,

surveillance maps of American cities, and thorough descriptions of

landmarks in America and throughout the world.

What we have found in Afghanistan confirms that, far from ending there,

our war against terror is only beginning. Most of the 19 men who

hijacked planes on September the 11th were trained in Afghanistan’s

camps, and so were tens of thousands of others. Thousands of dangerous

killers, schooled in the methods of murder, often supported by outlaw

regimes, are now spread throughout the world like ticking time bombs,

set to go off without warning.

Thanks to the work of our law enforcement officials and coalition

partners, hundreds of terrorists have been arrested. Yet, tens of

thousands of trained terrorists are still at large. These enemies view

the entire world as a battlefield, and we must pursue them wherever they

are. (Applause.) So long as training camps operate, so long as nations

harbor terrorists, freedom is at risk. And America and our allies must

not, and will not, allow it. (Applause.)

Our nation will continue to be steadfast and patient and persistent in

the pursuit of two great objectives. First, we will shut down terrorist

camps, disrupt terrorist plans, and bring terrorists to justice. And,

second, we must prevent the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical,

biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the

world. (Applause.)

Our military has put the terror training camps of Afghanistan out of

business, yet camps still exist in at least a dozen countries. A

terrorist underworld--including groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic

Jihad, Jaish-i-Mohammed--operates in remote jungles and deserts, and

hides in the centers of large cities.

While the most visible military action is in Afghanistan, America is

acting elsewhere. We now have troops in the Philippines, helping to

train that country’s armed forces to go after terrorist cells that have

executed an American, and still hold hostages. Our soldiers, working

with the Bosnian government, seized terrorists who were plotting to bomb

our embassy. Our Navy is patrolling the coast of Africa to block the

shipment of weapons and the establishment of terrorist camps in Somalia.

My hope is that all nations will heed our call, and eliminate the

terrorist parasites who threaten their countries and our own. Many

nations are acting forcefully. Pakistan is now cracking down on terror,

and I admire the strong leadership of President Musharraf. (Applause.)

But some governments will be timid in the face of terror. And make no

mistake about it: If they do not act, America will. (Applause.)

Our second goal is to prevent regimes that sponsor terror from

threatening America or our friends and allies with weapons of mass

destruction. Some of these regimes have been pretty quiet since

September the 11th. But we know their true nature. North Korea is a

regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction, while

starving its citizens.

Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror, while an

unelected few repress the Iranian people’s hope for freedom.

Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support

terror. The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop anthrax, and nerve gas,

and nuclear weapons for over a decade. This is a regime that has already

used poison gas to murder thousands of its own citizens--leaving the

bodies of mothers huddled over their dead children. This is a regime

that agreed to international inspections--then kicked out the

inspectors. This is a regime that has something to hide from the

civilized world.

States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of

evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of

mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They

could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match

their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the

United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be

catastrophic.

We will work closely with our coalition to deny terrorists and their

state sponsors the materials, technology, and expertise to make and

deliver weapons of mass destruction. We will develop and deploy

effective missile defenses to protect America and our allies from sudden

attack. (Applause.) And all nations should know: America will do what is

necessary to ensure our nation’s security.

We’ll be deliberate, yet time is not on our side. I will not wait on

events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as peril draws closer

and closer. The United States of America will not permit the world’s

most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world’s most destructive

weapons. (Applause.)

Our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun. This campaign may

not be finished on our watch--yet it must be and it will be waged on our

watch.

We can’t stop short. If we stop now--leaving terror camps intact and

terror states unchecked--our sense of security would be false and

temporary. History has called America and our allies to action, and it

is both our responsibility and our privilege to fight freedom’s fight.

(Applause.)

Our first priority must always be the security of our nation, and that

will be reflected in the budget I send to Congress. My budget supports

three great goals for America: We will win this war; we’ll protect our

homeland; and we will revive our economy.

September the 11th brought out the best in America, and the best in this

Congress. And I join the American people in applauding your unity and

resolve. (Applause.) Now Americans deserve to have this same spirit

directed toward addressing problems here at home. I’m a proud member of

my party--yet as we act to win the war, protect our people, and create

jobs in America, we must act, first and foremost, not as Republicans,

not as Democrats, but as Americans. (Applause.)

It costs a lot to fight this war. We have spent more than a billion

dollars a month--over $30 million a day--and we must be prepared for

future operations. Afghanistan proved that expensive precision weapons

defeat the enemy and spare innocent lives, and we need more of them. We

need to replace aging aircraft and make our military more agile, to put

our troops anywhere in the world quickly and safely. Our men and women

in uniform deserve the best weapons, the best equipment, the best

training--and they also deserve another pay raise. (Applause.)

My budget includes the largest increase in defense spending in two

decades --because while the price of freedom and security is high, it is

never too high. Whatever it costs to defend our country, we will pay.

(Applause.)

The next priority of my budget is to do everything possible to protect

our citizens and strengthen our nation against the ongoing threat of

another attack. Time and distance from the events of September the 11th

will not make us safer unless we act on its lessons. America is no

longer protected by vast oceans. We are protected from attack only by

vigorous action abroad, and increased vigilance at home.

My budget nearly doubles funding for a sustained strategy of homeland

security, focused on four key areas: bioterrorism, emergency response,

airport and border security, and improved intelligence. We will develop

vaccines to fight anthrax and other deadly diseases. We’ll increase

funding to help states and communities train and equip our heroic police

and firefighters. (Applause.) We will improve intelligence collection

and sharing, expand patrols at our borders, strengthen the security of

air travel, and use technology to track the arrivals and departures of

visitors to the United States. (Applause.)

Homeland security will make America not only stronger, but, in many

ways, better. Knowledge gained from bioterrorism research will improve

public health. Stronger police and fire departments will mean safer

neighborhoods. Stricter border enforcement will help combat illegal

drugs. (Applause.) And as government works to better secure our

homeland, America will continue to depend on the eyes and ears of alert

citizens.

A few days before Christmas, an airline flight attendant spotted a

passenger lighting a match. The crew and passengers quickly subdued the

man, who had been trained by al Qaeda and was armed with explosives. The

people on that plane were alert and, as a result, likely saved nearly

200 lives. And tonight we welcome and thank flight attendants Hermis

Moutardier and Christina Jones. (Applause.)

Once we have funded our national security and our homeland security, the

final great priority of my budget is economic security for the American

people. (Applause.) To achieve these great national objectives--to win

the war, protect the homeland, and revitalize our economy--our budget

will run a deficit that will be small and short-term, so long as

Congress restrains spending and acts in a fiscally responsible manner.

(Applause.) We have clear priorities and we must act at home with the

same purpose and resolve we have shown overseas: We’ll prevail in the

war, and we will defeat this recession. (Applause.)

Americans who have lost their jobs need our help and I support extending

unemployment benefits and direct assistance for health care coverage.

(Applause.) Yet, American workers want more than unemployment checks--

they want a steady paycheck. (Applause.) When America works, America

prospers, so my economic security plan can be summed up in one word:

jobs. (Applause.)

Good jobs begin with good schools, and here we’ve made a fine start.

(Applause.) Republicans and Democrats worked together to achieve

historic education reform so that no child is left behind. I was proud

to work with members of both parties: Chairman John Boehner and

Congressman George Miller. (Applause.) Senator Judd Gregg. (Applause.)

And I was so proud of our work, I even had nice things to say about my

friend, Ted Kennedy. (Laughter and applause.) I know the folks at the

Crawford coffee shop couldn’t believe I’d say such a

thing--(laughter)--but our work on this bill shows what is possible if

we set aside posturing and focus on results. (Applause.)

There is more to do. We need to prepare our children to read and succeed

in school with improved Head Start and early childhood development

programs. (Applause.) We must upgrade our teacher colleges and teacher

training and launch a major recruiting drive with a great goal for

America: a quality teacher in every classroom. (Applause.)

Good jobs also depend on reliable and affordable energy. This Congress

must act to encourage conservation, promote technology, build

infrastructure, and it must act to increase energy production at home so

America is less dependent on foreign oil. (Applause.)

Good jobs depend on expanded trade. Selling into new markets creates new

jobs, so I ask Congress to finally approve trade promotion authority.

(Applause.) On these two key issues, trade and energy, the House of

Representatives has acted to create jobs, and I urge the Senate to pass

this legislation. (Applause.)

Good jobs depend on sound tax policy. (Applause.) Last year, some in

this hall thought my tax relief plan was too small; some thought it was

too big. (Applause.) But when the checks arrived in the mail, most

Americans thought tax relief was just about right. (Applause.) Congress

listened to the people and responded by reducing tax rates, doubling the

child credit, and ending the death tax. For the sake of long-term growth

and to help Americans plan for the future, let’s make these tax cuts

permanent. (Applause.)

The way out of this recession, the way to create jobs, is to grow the

economy by encouraging investment in factories and equipment, and by

speeding up tax relief so people have more money to spend. For the sake

of American workers, let’s pass a stimulus package. (Applause.)

Good jobs must be the aim of welfare reform. As we reauthorize these

important reforms, we must always remember the goal is to reduce

dependency on government and offer every American the dignity of a job.

(Applause.)

Americans know economic security can vanish in an instant without health

security. I ask Congress to join me this year to enact a patients’ bill

of rights--(applause)--to give uninsured workers credits to help buy

health coverage--(applause)--to approve an historic increase in the

spending for veterans’ health--(applause)--and to give seniors a sound

and modern Medicare system that includes coverage for prescription

drugs. (Applause.)

A good job should lead to security in retirement. I ask Congress to

enact new safeguards for 401K and pension plans. (Applause.) Employees

who have worked hard and saved all their lives should not have to risk

losing everything if their company fails. (Applause.) Through stricter

accounting standards and tougher disclosure requirements, corporate

America must be made more accountable to employees and shareholders and

held to the highest standards of conduct. (Applause.)

Retirement security also depends upon keeping the commitments of Social

Security, and we will. We must make Social Security financially stable

and allow personal retirement accounts for younger workers who choose

them. (Applause.)

Members, you and I will work together in the months ahead on other

issues: productive farm policy--(applause)--a cleaner

environment--(applause) --broader home ownership, especially among

minorities--(applause)--and ways to encourage the good work of charities

and faith-based groups. (Applause.) I ask you to join me on these

important domestic issues in the same spirit of cooperation we’ve

applied to our war against terrorism. (Applause.)

During these last few months, I’ve been humbled and privileged to see

the true character of this country in a time of testing. Our enemies

believed America was weak and materialistic, that we would splinter in

fear and selfishness. They were as wrong as they are evil. (Applause.)

The American people have responded magnificently, with courage and

compassion, strength and resolve. As I have met the heroes, hugged the

families, and looked into the tired faces of rescuers, I have stood in

awe of the American people.

And I hope you will join me--I hope you will join me in expressing

thanks to one American for the strength and calm and comfort she brings

to our nation in crisis, our First Lady, Laura Bush. (Applause.)

None of us would ever wish the evil that was done on September the 11th.

Yet after America was attacked, it was as if our entire country looked

into a mirror and saw our better selves. We were reminded that we are

citizens, with obligations to each other, to our country, and to

history. We began to think less of the goods we can accumulate, and more

about the good we can do.

For too long our culture has said, “If it feels good, do it.” Now

America is embracing a new ethic and a new creed: “Let’s roll.”

(Applause.) In the sacrifice of soldiers, the fierce brotherhood of

firefighters, and the bravery and generosity of ordinary citizens, we

have glimpsed what a new culture of responsibility could look like. We

want to be a nation that serves goals larger than self. We’ve been

offered a unique opportunity, and we must not let this moment pass.

(Applause.)

My call tonight is for every American to commit at least two

years--4,000 hours over the rest of your lifetime--to the service of

your neighbors and your nation. (Applause.) Many are already serving,

and I thank you. If you aren’t sure how to help, I’ve got a good place

to start. To sustain and extend the best that has emerged in America, I

invite you to join the new USA Freedom Corps. The Freedom Corps will

focus on three areas of need: responding in case of crisis at home;

rebuilding our communities; and extending American compassion throughout

the world.

One purpose of the USA Freedom Corps will be homeland security. America

needs retired doctors and nurses who can be mobilized in major

emergencies; volunteers to help police and fire departments;

transportation and utility workers well-trained in spotting danger.

Our country also needs citizens working to rebuild our communities. We

need mentors to love children, especially children whose parents are in

prison. And we need more talented teachers in troubled schools. USA

Freedom Corps will expand and improve the good efforts of AmeriCorps and

Senior Corps to recruit more than 200,000 new volunteers.

And America needs citizens to extend the compassion of our country to

every part of the world. So we will renew the promise of the Peace

Corps, double its volunteers over the next five years--(applause)--and

ask it to join a new effort to encourage development and education and

opportunity in the Islamic world. (Applause.)

This time of adversity offers a unique moment of opportunity--a moment

we must seize to change our culture. Through the gathering momentum of

millions of acts of service and decency and kindness, I know we can

overcome evil with greater good. (Applause.) And we have a great

opportunity during this time of war to lead the world toward the values

that will bring lasting peace.

All fathers and mothers, in all societies, want their children to be

educated, and live free from poverty and violence. No people on Earth

yearn to be oppressed, or aspire to servitude, or eagerly await the

midnight knock of the secret police.

If anyone doubts this, let them look to Afghanistan, where the Islamic

“street” greeted the fall of tyranny with song and celebration. Let the

skeptics look to Islam’s own rich history, with its centuries of

learning, and tolerance and progress. America will lead by defending

liberty and justice because they are right and true and unchanging for

all people everywhere. (Applause.)

No nation owns these aspirations, and no nation is exempt from them. We

have no intention of imposing our culture. But America will always stand

firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law;

limits on the power of the state; respect for women; private property;

free speech; equal justice; and religious tolerance. (Applause.)

America will take the side of brave men and women who advocate these

values around the world, including the Islamic world, because we have a

greater objective than eliminating threats and containing resentment. We

seek a just and peaceful world beyond the war on terror.

In this moment of opportunity, a common danger is erasing old rivalries.

America is working with Russia and China and India, in ways we have

never before, to achieve peace and prosperity. In every region, free

markets and free trade and free societies are proving their power to

lift lives. Together with friends and allies from Europe to Asia, and

Africa to Latin America, we will demonstrate that the forces of terror

cannot stop the momentum of freedom. (Applause.)

The last time I spoke here, I expressed the hope that life would return

to normal. In some ways, it has. In others, it never will. Those of us

who have lived through these challenging times have been changed by

them. We’ve come to know truths that we will never question: evil is

real, and it must be opposed. (Applause.) Beyond all differences of race

or creed, we are one country, mourning together and facing danger

together. Deep in the American character, there is honor, and it is

stronger than cynicism. And many have discovered again that even in

tragedy--especially in tragedy--God is near. (Applause.)

In a single instant, we realized that this will be a decisive decade in

the history of liberty, that we’ve been called to a unique role in human

events. Rarely has the world faced a choice more clear or consequential.

Our enemies send other people’s children on missions of suicide and

murder. They embrace tyranny and death as a cause and a creed. We stand

for a different choice, made long ago, on the day of our founding. We

affirm it again today. We choose freedom and the dignity of every life.

(Applause.)

Steadfast in our purpose, we now press on. We have known freedom’s

price. We have shown freedom’s power. And in this great conflict, my

fellow Americans, we will see freedom’s victory.

Thank you all. May God bless. (Applause.)

***

State of the Union Address

George W. Bush

January 28, 2003

Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished

guests, 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...and 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.

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.

This country has many challenges. We will not deny, we will not ignore,

we will not pass along our problems to other Congresses, other

presidents, and other generations. 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 every classroom, so that every child in America can read,

and learn, and succeed in life. 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. To

insist on integrity in American business, we passed tough reforms, and

we are holding corporate criminals to account.

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.

After recession, terrorist attacks, corporate scandals, and stock market

declines, our economy is recovering - yet it is 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.”

Jobs are created when the economy grows; the economy grows when

Americans have more money to spend and invest; and the best, fairest way

to make sure Americans have that money is not to tax it away in the

first place.

I am proposing that all the income tax reductions set for 2004 and 2006

be made permanent and effective this year. And under my plan, as soon as

I have signed the bill, this extra money will start showing up in

workers’ paychecks. Instead of gradually reducing the marriage penalty,

we should do it now. Instead of slowly raising the child credit to a

thousand dollars, we should send the checks to American families now.

This tax relief is for everyone who pays income taxes - and it will help

our economy immediately. Ninety-two million Americans will keep - this

year - an average of almost 1,100 dollars more of their own money. A

family of four with an income of 40,000 dollars would see their federal

income taxes fall from 1,178 dollars to 45 dollars per year. And 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.

We also strengthen the economy by treating investors equally in our tax

laws. It is fair to tax a company’s profits. It is not fair to again tax

the shareholder on the same profits. To boost investor confidence, and

to help the nearly 10 million seniors who receive dividend income, I ask

you to end the unfair double taxation of dividends.

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. We must work together to fund only our most important

priorities. I will send you a budget that increases discretionary

spending by four 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.

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.

Our second goal is high quality, affordable health care for all

Americans.

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. 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. Instead of bureaucrats, and trial lawyers,

and HMOs, we must put doctors, and nurses, and patients back in charge

of American medicine.

Health care reform must begin with Medicare, because Medicare is the

binding commitment of a caring society. We must renew that commitment by

giving seniors access to the 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. And just like you, the members of

Congress, members of your staffs, and other federal employees, all

seniors should have the choice of a health care plan that provides

prescription drugs. My budget will commit an additional 400 billion

dollars 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.

To improve our health care system, we must address one of the prime

causes of higher costs - the constant threat that physicians and

hospitals will be unfairly sued. 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

- and I urge the Congress to pass medical liability reform.

Our third goal is to promote energy independence for our country, while

dramatically improving the environment.

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. I have sent you Clear Skies legislation that mandates a

70 percent cut in air pollution from power plants over the next 15

years. 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.

I urge you to pass these measures, for the good of both our environment

and our economy. 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 am

proposing 1.2 billion dollars in research funding so that America can

lead the world in developing clean, hydrogen-powered automobiles.

A simple 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. Join me in this important innovation - to

make our air significantly cleaner, and our country much less dependent

on foreign sources of energy.

Our fourth goal is to apply the compassion of America to the deepest

problems of America. For so many in our country - the homeless, the

fatherless, the addicted - the need is great. Yet there is 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 to 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 our government. 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.

Last year, I called on my fellow citizens to participate in 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

dollar 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.

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 dollar program to help an additional 300,000

Americans receive treatment over the next three years.

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.

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

birth, and end the practice of partial-birth abortion. 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.

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 to liberate an oppressed

people...and we will continue helping them secure their country, rebuild

their society, and educate all their children - boys and girls. In the

Middle East, we will continue to seek peace between a secure Israel and

a democratic Palestine. 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, to make this

world better. Today, on the continent of Africa, nearly 30 million

people have the AIDS virus - including three million children under the

age of 15. There are whole countries in Africa where more than one-third

of the adult population carries the infection. More than four 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. AIDS can be prevented. Anti-retroviral drugs can extend life for

many years. And the cost of those drugs has dropped from 12,000 dollars

a year to under 300 dollars 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 seven million new

AIDS infections...treat at least two million people with life-extending

drugs...and provide humane care for millions of people suffering from

AIDS, and for children orphaned by AIDS. I ask the Congress to commit 15

billion dollars over the next five years, including nearly ten billion

dollars in new money, to turn the tide against AIDS in the most

afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean.

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.

There are days when the American people do not hear news about the war

on terror. There is 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.

To date we have arrested, or otherwise dealt with, many key commanders

of al-Qaida. They include a man who directed logistics and funding for

the September 11th attacks...the chief of al-Qaida operations in the

Persian Gulf who planned the bombings of our embassies in East Africa

and the USS Cole...an al-Qaida operations chief from Southeast Asia...a

former director of al-Qaida’s training camps in Afghanistan...a key

al-Qaida operative in Europe..and a major al-Qaida leader in Yemen. All

told, more than 3,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested in many

countries. And many others have met a different fate. They are no longer

a problem for the United States and our friends and allies.

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...and ships in the straits

of Hormuz, and the straits of Gibraltar. We have broken al-Qaida cells

in Hamburg, and Milan, and Madrid, and London, and Paris - as well as

Buffalo, New York.

We have the terrorists on the run, and we are keeping them on the run.

One by one, the terrorists are learning the meaning of American justice.

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 have 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.

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 bio-terrorism, called Project Bioshield. The

budget I send you will propose almost six billion dollars 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.

Since September 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 transforming

itself to meet new threats. And tonight, I am instructing the leaders of

the FBI, Central Intelligence, 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 our citizens.

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.

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 their 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. 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 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.

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 are strongly supporting the

International Atomic Energy Agency in its mission to track and control

nuclear materials around the world. We are 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 of 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 attack. We are asking them to join

us, and many are doing so. Yet the course of this Nation does not depend

on the decisions of others. Whatever action is required, whenever action

is necessary, I will defend the freedom and security of the American

people.

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, 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 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 the 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. 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.

The North Korean regime will find respect in the world, and revival for

its people, only when it turns away from its nuclear ambitions.

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.

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 his utter contempt for the United

Nations, and for the opinion of the world.

The 108 UN weapons inspectors 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 materials sufficient to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax -

enough doses to kill several million people. He has not accounted for

that material. He has 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

has not accounted for that material. He has 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 also could kill untold

thousands. He has 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 has 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 place to evade

inspectors. Saddam Hussein has not disclosed these facilities. He has

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 UN 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. And intelligence

sources indicate that Saddam Hussein has ordered that scientists who

cooperate with UN 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 the region. And this Congress

and the American 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-Qaida. Secretly, and without fingerprints, he

could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists, or help them

develop their own.

Before September 11, 2001, many in the world believed that Saddam

Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents and 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 just 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 day

never comes.

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.

This 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. 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. And the

day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your

liberation.

The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. America will not

accept a serious and mounting threat to our country, our friends, and

our allies. The United States will ask the UN Security Council to

convene on February 5th to consider the facts of Iraq’s ongoing defiance

of the world. 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. 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.

Tonight I also 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 and near the Middle East, and some crucial hours may lie 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.

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. 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.

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 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.

We Americans have faith in ourselves - but not in ourselves alone. 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.

Thank you.

***

State of the Union Address

George W. Bush

January 20, 2004

Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, distinguished

guests, and fellow citizens: America this evening is a nation called to

great responsibilities. And we are rising to meet them.

As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and

women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing

hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are

making America more secure. (Applause.)

Each day, law enforcement personnel and intelligence officers are

tracking terrorist threats; analysts are examining airline passenger

lists; the men and women of our new Homeland Security Department are

patrolling our coasts and borders. And their vigilance is protecting

America. (Applause.)

Americans are proving once again to be the hardest working people in the

world. The American economy is growing stronger. The tax relief you

passed is working. (Applause.)

Tonight, members of Congress can take pride in the great works of

compassion and reform that skeptics had thought impossible. You’re

raising the standards for our public schools, and you are giving our

senior citizens prescription drug coverage under Medicare. (Applause.)

We have faced serious challenges together, and now we face a choice: We

can go forward with confidence and resolve, or we can turn back to the

dangerous illusion that terrorists are not plotting and outlaw regimes

are no threat to us. We can press on with economic growth, and reforms

in education and Medicare, or we can turn back to old policies and old

divisions.

We’ve not come all this way -- through tragedy, and trial and war --

only to falter and leave our work unfinished. Americans are rising to

the tasks of history, and they expect the same from us. In their

efforts, their enterprise, and their character, the American people are

showing that the state of our union is confident and strong. (Applause.)

Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American

people. Twenty-eight months have passed since September 11th, 2001 --

over two years without an attack on American soil. And it is tempting to

believe that the danger is behind us. That hope is understandable,

comforting -- and false. The killing has continued in Bali, Jakarta,

Casablanca, Riyadh, Mombasa, Jerusalem, Istanbul, and Baghdad. The

terrorists continue to plot against America and the civilized world. And

by our will and courage, this danger will be defeated. (Applause.)

Inside the United States, where the war began, we must continue to give

our homeland security and law enforcement personnel every tool they need

to defend us. And one of those essential tools is the Patriot Act, which

allows federal law enforcement to better share information, to track

terrorists, to disrupt their cells, and to seize their assets. For

years, we have used similar provisions to catch embezzlers and drug

traffickers. If these methods are good for hunting criminals, they are

even more important for hunting terrorists. (Applause.)

Key provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire next year.

(Applause.) The terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule.

(Applause.) Our law enforcement needs this vital legislation to protect

our citizens. You need to renew the Patriot Act. (Applause.)

America is on the offensive against the terrorists who started this war.

Last March, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a mastermind of September the 11th,

awoke to find himself in the custody of U.S. and Pakistani authorities.

Last August the 11th brought the capture of the terrorist Hambali, who

was a key player in the attack in Indonesia that killed over 200 people.

We’re tracking al Qaeda around the world, and nearly two-thirds of their

known leaders have now been captured or killed. Thousands of very

skilled and determined military personnel are on the manhunt, going

after the remaining killers who hide in cities and caves, and one by

one, we will bring these terrorists to justice. (Applause.)

As part of the offensive against terror, we are also confronting the

regimes that harbor and support terrorists, and could supply them with

nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. The United States and our

allies are determined: We refuse to live in the shadow of this ultimate

danger. (Applause.)

The first to see our determination were the Taliban, who made

Afghanistan the primary training base of al Qaeda killers. As of this

month, that country has a new constitution, guaranteeing free elections

and full participation by women. Businesses are opening, health care

centers are being established, and the boys and girls of Afghanistan are

back in school. With the help from the new Afghan army, our coalition is

leading aggressive raids against the surviving members of the Taliban

and al Qaeda. The men and women of Afghanistan are building a nation

that is free and proud and fighting terror -- and America is honored to

be their friend. (Applause.)

Since we last met in this chamber, combat forces of the United States,

Great Britain, Australia, Poland and other countries enforced the

demands of the United Nations, ended the rule of Saddam Hussein, and the

people of Iraq are free. (Applause.)

Having broken the Baathist regime, we face a remnant of violent Saddam

supporters. Men who ran away from our troops in battle are now dispersed

and attack from the shadows. These killers, joined by foreign

terrorists, are a serious, continuing danger. Yet we’re making progress

against them. The once all-powerful ruler of Iraq was found in a hole,

and now sits in a prison cell. (Applause.) Of the top 55 officials of

the former regime, we have captured or killed 45. Our forces are on the

offensive, leading over 1,600 patrols a day and conducting an average of

180 raids a week. We are dealing with these thugs in Iraq, just as

surely as we dealt with Saddam Hussein’s evil regime. (Applause.)

The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right. And America

has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right. Last

January, Iraq’s only law was the whim of one brutal man. Today our

coalition is working with the Iraqi Governing Council to draft a basic

law, with a bill of rights. We’re working with Iraqis and the United

Nations to prepare for a transition to full Iraqi sovereignty by the end

of June.

As democracy takes hold in Iraq, the enemies of freedom will do all in

their power to spread violence and fear. They are trying to shake the

will of our country and our friends, but the United States of America

will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins. (Applause.) The

killers will fail, and the Iraqi people will live in freedom.

(Applause.)

Month by month, Iraqis are assuming more responsibility for their own

security and their own future. And tonight we are honored to welcome one

of Iraq’s most respected leaders: the current President of the Iraqi

Governing Council, Adnan Pachachi.

Sir, America stands with you and the Iraqi people as you build a free

and peaceful nation. (Applause.)

Because of American leadership and resolve, the world is changing for

the better. Last month, the leader of Libya voluntarily pledged to

disclose and dismantle all of his regime’s weapons of mass destruction

programs, including a uranium enrichment project for nuclear weapons.

Colonel Qadhafi correctly judged that his country would be better off

and far more secure without weapons of mass murder. (Applause.)

Nine months of intense negotiations involving the United States and

Great Britain succeeded with Libya, while 12 years of diplomacy with

Iraq did not. And one reason is clear: For diplomacy to be effective,

words must be credible, and no one can now doubt the word of America.

(Applause.)

Different threats require different strategies. Along with nations in

the region, we’re insisting that North Korea eliminate its nuclear

program. America and the international community are demanding that Iran

meet its commitments and not develop nuclear weapons. America is

committed to keeping the world’s most dangerous weapons out of the hands

of the most dangerous regimes. (Applause.)

When I came to this rostrum on September the 20th, 2001, I brought the

police shield of a fallen officer, my reminder of lives that ended, and

a task that does not end. I gave to you and to all Americans my complete

commitment to securing our country and defeating our enemies. And this

pledge, given by one, has been kept by many.

You in the Congress have provided the resources for our defense, and

cast the difficult votes of war and peace. Our closest allies have been

unwavering. America’s intelligence personnel and diplomats have been

skilled and tireless. And the men and women of the American military --

they have taken the hardest duty. We’ve seen their skill and their

courage in armored charges and midnight raids, and lonely hours on

faithful watch. We have seen the joy when they return, and felt the

sorrow when one is lost. I’ve had the honor of meeting our servicemen

and women at many posts, from the deck of a carrier in the Pacific to a

mess hall in Baghdad.

Many of our troops are listening tonight. And I want you and your

families to know: America is proud of you. And my administration, and

this Congress, will give you the resources you need to fight and win the

war on terror. (Applause.)

I know that some people question if America is really in a war at all.

They view terrorism more as a crime, a problem to be solved mainly with

law enforcement and indictments. After the World Trade Center was first

attacked in 1993, some of the guilty were indicted and tried and

convicted, and sent to prison. But the matter was not settled. The

terrorists were still training and plotting in other nations, and

drawing up more ambitious plans. After the chaos and carnage of

September the 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal

papers. The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United

States, and war is what they got. (Applause.)

Some in this chamber, and in our country, did not support the liberation

of Iraq. Objections to war often come from principled motives. But let

us be candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam Hussein in power.

We’re seeking all the facts. Already, the Kay Report identified dozens

of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and

significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United

Nations. Had we failed to act, the dictatator’s weapons of mass

destruction programs would continue to this day. Had we failed to act,

Security Council resolutions on Iraq would have been revealed as empty

threats, weakening the United Nations and encouraging defiance by

dictators around the world. Iraq’s torture chambers would still be

filled with victims, terrified and innocent. The killing fields of Iraq

-- where hundreds of thousands of men and women and children vanished

into the sands -- would still be known only to the killers. For all who

love freedom and peace, the world without Saddam Hussein’s regime is a

better and safer place. (Applause.)

Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized.

This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain,

Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain,

Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands --

(applause) -- Norway, El Salvador, and the 17 other countries that have

committed troops to Iraq. (Applause.) As we debate at home, we must

never ignore the vital contributions of our international partners, or

dismiss their sacrifices.

From the beginning, America has sought international support for our

operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and we have gained much support.

There is a difference, however, between leading a coalition of many

nations, and submitting to the objections of a few. America will never

seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.

(Applause.)

We also hear doubts that democracy is a realistic goal for the greater

Middle East, where freedom is rare. Yet it is mistaken, and

condescending, to assume that whole cultures and great religions are

incompatible with liberty and self-government. I believe that God has

planted in every human heart the desire to live in freedom. And even

when that desire is crushed by tyranny for decades, it will rise again.

(Applause.)

As long as the Middle East remains a place of tyranny and despair and

anger, it will continue to produce men and movements that threaten the

safety of America and our friends. So America is pursuing a forward

strategy of freedom in the greater Middle East. We will challenge the

enemies of reform, confront the allies of terror, and expect a higher

standard from our friend. To cut through the barriers of hateful

propaganda, the Voice of America and other broadcast services are

expanding their programming in Arabic and Persian -- and soon, a new

television service will begin providing reliable news and information

across the region. I will send you a proposal to double the budget of

the National Endowment for Democracy, and to focus its new work on the

development of free elections, and free markets, free press, and free

labor unions in the Middle East. And above all, we will finish the

historic work of democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq, so those nations can

light the way for others, and help transform a troubled part of the

world. (Applause.)

America is a nation with a mission, and that mission comes from our most

basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire.

Our aim is a democratic peace -- a peace founded upon the dignity and

rights of every man and woman. America acts in this cause with friends

and allies at our side, yet we understand our special calling: This

great republic will lead the cause of freedom. (Applause.)

In the last three years, adversity has also revealed the fundamental

strengths of the American economy. We have come through recession, and

terrorist attack, and corporate scandals, and the uncertainties of war.

And because you acted to stimulate our economy with tax relief, this

economy is strong, and growing stronger. (Applause.)

You have doubled the child tax credit from $500 to $1,000, reduced the

marriage penalty, begun to phase out the death tax, reduced taxes on

capital gains and stock dividends, cut taxes on small businesses, and

you have lowered taxes for every American who pays income taxes.

Americans took those dollars and put them to work, driving this economy

forward. The pace of economic growth in the third quarter of 2003 was

the fastest in nearly 20 years; new home construction, the highest in

almost 20 years; home ownership rates, the highest ever. Manufacturing

activity is increasing. Inflation is low. Interest rates are low.

Exports are growing. Productivity is high, and jobs are on the rise.

(Applause.)

These numbers confirm that the American people are using their money far

better than government would have -- and you were right to return it.

(Applause.)

America’s growing economy is also a changing economy. As technology

transforms the way almost every job is done, America becomes more

productive, and workers need new skills. Much of our job growth will be

found in high-skilled fields like health care and biotechnology. So we

must respond by helping more Americans gain the skills to find good jobs

in our new economy.

All skills begin with the basics of reading and math, which are supposed

to be learned in the early grades of our schools. Yet for too long, for

too many children, those skills were never mastered. By passing the No

Child Left Behind Act, you have made the expectation of literacy the law

of our country. We’re providing more funding for our schools -- a

36-percent increase since 2001. We’re requiring higher standards. We are

regularly testing every child on the fundamentals. We are reporting

results to parents, and making sure they have better options when

schools are not performing. We are making progress toward excellence for

every child in America. (Applause.)

But the status quo always has defenders. Some want to undermine the No

Child Left Behind Act by weakening standards and accountability. Yet the

results we require are really a matter of common sense: We expect third

graders to read and do math at the third grade level -- and that’s not

asking too much. Testing is the only way to identify and help students

who are falling behind. This nation will not go back to the days of

simply shuffling children along from grade to grade without them

learning the basics. I refuse to give up on any child -- and the No

Child Left Behind Act is opening the door of opportunity to all of

America’s children. (Applause.)

At the same time, we must ensure that older students and adults can gain

the skills they need to find work now. Many of the fastest growing

occupations require strong math and science preparation, and training

beyond the high school level. So tonight, I propose a series of measures

called Jobs for the 21st Century. This program will provide extra help

to middle and high school students who fall behind in reading and math,

expand advanced placement programs in low-income schools, invite math

and science professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in

our high schools. I propose larger Pell grants for students who prepare

for college with demanding courses in high school. (Applause.) I propose

increasing our support for America’s fine community colleges, so they

can -- (applause.) I do so, so they can train workers for industries

that are creating the most new jobs. By all these actions, we’ll help

more and more Americans to join in the growing prosperity of our

country. Job training is important, and so is job creation.

We must continue to pursue an aggressive, pro-growth economic agenda.

(Applause.) Congress has some unfinished business on the issue of taxes.

The tax reductions you passed are set to expire. Unless you act --

(applause) -- unless you act -- unless you act, the unfair tax on

marriage will go back up. Unless you act, millions of families will be

charged $300 more in federal taxes for every child. Unless you act,

small businesses will pay higher taxes. Unless you act, the death tax

will eventually come back to life. Unless you act, Americans face a tax

increase. What Congress has given, the Congress should not take away.

For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed should be permanent.

(Applause.)

Our agenda for jobs and growth must help small business owners and

employees with relief from needless federal regulation, and protect them

from junk and frivolous lawsuits. (Applause.)

Consumers and businesses need reliable supplies of energy to make our

economy run -- so I urge you to pass legislation to modernize our

electricity system, promote conservation, and make America less

dependent on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)

My administration is promoting free and fair trade to open up new

markets for America’s entrepreneurs and manufacturers and farmers -- to

create jobs for American workers. Younger workers should have the

opportunity to build a nest egg by saving part of their Social Security

taxes in a personal retirement account. (Applause.) We should make the

Social Security system a source of ownership for the American people.

(Applause.) And we should limit the burden of government on this economy

by acting as good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars. (Applause.)

In two weeks, I will send you a budget that funds the war, protects the

homeland, and meets important domestic needs, while limiting the growth

in discretionary spending to less than 4 percent. (Applause.) This will

require that Congress focus on priorities, cut wasteful spending, and be

wise with the people’s money. By doing so, we can cut the deficit in

half over the next five years. (Applause.)

Tonight, I also ask you to reform our immigration laws so they reflect

our values and benefit our economy. I propose a new temporary worker

program to match willing foreign workers with willing employers when no

Americans can be found to fill the job. This reform will be good for our

economy because employers will find needed workers in an honest and

orderly system. A temporary worker program will help protect our

homeland, allowing Border Patrol and law enforcement to focus on true

threats to our national security.

I oppose amnesty, because it would encourage further illegal

immigration, and unfairly reward those who break our laws. My temporary

worker program will preserve the citizenship path for those who respect

the law, while bringing millions of hardworking men and women out from

the shadows of American life. (Applause.)

Our nation’s health care system, like our economy, is also in a time of

change. Amazing medical technologies are improving and saving lives.

This dramatic progress has brought its own challenge, in the rising

costs of medical care and health insurance. Members of Congress, we must

work together to help control those costs and extend the benefits of

modern medicine throughout our country. (Applause.)

Meeting these goals requires bipartisan effort, and two months ago, you

showed the way. By strengthening Medicare and adding a prescription drug

benefit, you kept a basic commitment to our seniors: You are giving them

the modern medicine they deserve. (Applause.)

Starting this year, under the law you passed, seniors can choose to

receive a drug discount card, saving them 10 to 25 percent off the

retail price of most prescription drugs -- and millions of low-income

seniors can get an additional $600 to buy medicine. Beginning next year,

seniors will have new coverage for preventive screenings against

diabetes and heart disease, and seniors just entering Medicare can

receive wellness exams.

In January of 2006, seniors can get prescription drug coverage under

Medicare. For a monthly premium of about $35, most seniors who do not

have that coverage today can expect to see their drug bills cut roughly

in half. Under this reform, senior citizens will be able to keep their

Medicare just as it is, or they can choose a Medicare plan that fits

them best -- just as you, as members of Congress, can choose an

insurance plan that meets your needs. And starting this year, millions

of Americans will be able to save money tax-free for their medical

expenses in a health savings account. (Applause.)

I signed this measure proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices of

our seniors, or to take away their prescription drug coverage under

Medicare, will meet my veto. (Applause.)

On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that

Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best

fits their individual needs. To make insurance more affordable, Congress

must act to address rapidly rising health care costs. Small businesses

should be able to band together and negotiate for lower insurance rates,

so they can cover more workers with health insurance. I urge you to pass

association health plans. (Applause.) I ask you to give lower-income

Americans a refundable tax credit that would allow millions to buy their

own basic health insurance. (Applause.)

By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical

mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care. To protect the doctor-patient

relationship, and keep good doctors doing good work, we must eliminate

wasteful and frivolous medical lawsuits. (Applause.) And tonight I

propose that individuals who buy catastrophic health care coverage, as

part of our new health savings accounts, be allowed to deduct 100

percent of the premiums from their taxes. (Applause.)

A government-run health care system is the wrong prescription.

(Applause.) By keeping costs under control, expanding access, and

helping more Americans afford coverage, we will preserve the system of

private medicine that makes America’s health care the best in the world.

(Applause.)

We are living in a time of great change -- in our world, in our economy,

in science and medicine. Yet some things endure -- courage and

compassion, reverence and integrity, respect for differences of faith

and race. The values we try to live by never change. And they are

instilled in us by fundamental institutions, such as families and

schools and religious congregations. These institutions, these unseen

pillars of civilization, must remain strong in America, and we will

defend them. We must stand with our families to help them raise healthy,

responsible children. When it comes to helping children make right

choices, there is work for all of us to do.

One of the worst decisions our children can make is to gamble their

lives and futures on drugs. Our government is helping parents confront

this problem with aggressive education, treatment, and law enforcement.

Drug use in high school has declined by 11 percent over the last two

years. Four hundred thousand fewer young people are using illegal drugs

than in the year 2001. (Applause.) In my budget, I proposed new funding

to continue our aggressive, community-based strategy to reduce demand

for illegal drugs. Drug testing in our schools has proven to be an

effective part of this effort. So tonight I proposed an additional $23

million for schools that want to use drug testing as a tool to save

children’s lives. The aim here is not to punish children, but to send

them this message: We love you, and we don’t want to lose you.

(Applause.)

To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics

play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in

professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of

performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and

other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message -- that there

are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important

than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives,

coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get

tough, and to get rid of steroids now. (Applause.)

To encourage right choices, we must be willing to confront the dangers

young people face -- even when they’re difficult to talk about. Each

year, about 3 million teenagers contract sexually-transmitted diseases

that can harm them, or kill them, or prevent them from ever becoming

parents. In my budget, I propose a grassroots campaign to help inform

families about these medical risks. We will double federal funding for

abstinence programs, so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence

for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually-transmitted

diseases. (Applause.)

Decisions children now make can affect their health and character for

the rest of their lives. All of us -- parents and schools and government

-- must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture,

and to send the right messages to our children.

A strong America must also value the institution of marriage. I believe

we should respect individuals as we take a principled stand for one of

the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization.

Congress has already taken a stand on this issue by passing the Defense

of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Clinton. That statute

protects marriage under federal law as a union of a man and a woman, and

declares that one state may not redefine marriage for other states.

Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court order,

without regard for the will of the people and their elected

representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people’s

voice must be heard. If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will

upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the

constitutional process. Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage.

(Applause.)

The outcome of this debate is important -- and so is the way we conduct

it. The same moral tradition that defines marriage also teaches that

each individual has dignity and value in God’s sight. (Applause.)

It’s also important to strengthen our communities by unleashing the

compassion of America’s religious institutions. Religious charities of

every creed are doing some of the most vital work in our country --

mentoring children, feeding the hungry, taking the hand of the lonely.

Yet government has often denied social service grants and contracts to

these groups, just because they have a cross or a Star of David or a

crescent on the wall. By executive order, I have opened billions of

dollars in grant money to competition that includes faith-based

charities. Tonight I ask you to codify this into law, so people of faith

can know that the law will never discriminate against them again.

(Applause.)

In the past, we’ve worked together to bring mentors to children of

prisoners, and provide treatment for the addicted, and help for the

homeless. Tonight I ask you to consider another group of Americans in

need of help. This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from

prison back into society. We know from long experience that if they

can’t find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit

crime and return to prison. So tonight, I propose a four-year, $300

million prisoner re-entry initiative to expand job training and

placement services, to provide transitional housing, and to help newly

released prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups.

(Applause.) America is the land of second chance, and when the gates of

the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.

(Applause.)

For all Americans, the last three years have brought tests we did not

ask for, and achievements shared by all. By our actions, we have shown

what kind of nation we are. In grief, we have found the grace to go on.

In challenge, we rediscovered the courage and daring of a free people.

In victory, we have shown the noble aims and good heart of America. And

having come this far, we sense that we live in a time set apart.

I’ve been witness to the character of the people of America, who have

shown calm in times of danger, compassion for one another, and toughness

for the long haul. All of us have been partners in a great enterprise.

And even some of the youngest understand that we are living in historic

times. Last month a girl in Lincoln, Rhode Island, sent me a letter. It

began, “Dear George W. Bush. If there’s anything you know, I, Ashley

Pearson, age 10, can do to help anyone, please send me a letter and tell

me what I can do to save our country.” She added this P.S.: “If you can

send a letter to the troops, please put, ‘Ashley Pearson believes in

you.’” (Applause.)

Tonight, Ashley, your message to our troops has just been conveyed. And,

yes, you have some duties yourself. Study hard in school, listen to your

mom or dad, help someone in need, and when you and your friends see a

man or woman in uniform, say, “thank you.” (Applause.) And, Ashley,

while you do your part, all of us here in this great chamber will do our

best to keep you and the rest of America safe and free. (Applause.)

My fellow citizens, we now move forward, with confidence and faith. Our

nation is strong and steadfast. The cause we serve is right, because it

is the cause of all mankind. The momentum of freedom in our world is

unmistakable -- and it is not carried forward by our power alone. We can

trust in that greater power who guides the unfolding of the years. And

in all that is to come, we can know that His purposes are just and true.

May God continue to bless America. (Applause.)

***

State of the Union Address

George W. Bush

February 2, 2005

Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, fellow

citizens:

As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of

government share a great privilege: We’ve been placed in office by the

votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share

with newly-elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories,

Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Iraq. (Applause.)

Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the

commitment of our nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. This

evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and

around the world.

Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going back

to work, with our nation an active force for good in the world -- the

state of our union is confident and strong. (Applause.)

Our generation has been blessed -- by the expansion of opportunity, by

advances in medicine, by the security purchased by our parents’

sacrifice. Now, as we see a little gray in the mirror -- or a lot of

gray -- (laughter) -- and we watch our children moving into adulthood,

we ask the question: What will be the state of their union? Members of

Congress, the choices we make together will answer that question. Over

the next several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans

have always done, and build a better world for our children and our

grandchildren. (Applause.)

First, we must be good stewards of this economy, and renew the great

institutions on which millions of our fellow citizens rely. America’s

economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. In

the past four years, we provided tax relief to every person who pays

income taxes, overcome a recession, opened up new markets abroad,

prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership to its highest

level in history, and in the last year alone, the United States has

added 2.3 million new jobs. (Applause.) When action was needed, the

Congress delivered -- and the nation is grateful.

Now we must add to these achievements. By making our economy more

flexible, more innovative, and more competitive, we will keep America

the economic leader of the world. (Applause.)

America’s prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the

federal government. I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending

discipline. I will send you a budget that holds the growth of

discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and

stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. (Applause.) My budget

substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 government programs

that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not

fulfill essential priorities. The principle here is clear: Taxpayer

dollars must be spent wisely, or not at all. (Applause.)

To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must prepare a rising

generation to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Under the No Child Left

Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the rise, and we’re

closing the achievement gap for minority students. Now we must demand

better results from our high schools, so every high school diploma is a

ticket to success. We will help an additional 200,000 workers to get

training for a better career, by reforming our job training system and

strengthening America’s community colleges. And we’ll make it easier for

Americans to afford a college education, by increasing the size of Pell

Grants. (Applause.)

To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must reward,

not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small business is

the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we must

free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest

job-creators from junk lawsuits. (Applause.) Justice is distorted, and

our economy is held back by irresponsible class-actions and frivolous

asbestos claims -- and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year.

(Applause.)

To make our economy stronger and more productive, we must make health

care more affordable, and give families greater access to good coverage

-- (applause) -- and more control over their health decisions.

(Applause.) I ask Congress to move forward on a comprehensive health

care agenda with tax credits to help low-income workers buy insurance, a

community health center in every poor country, improved information

technology to prevent medical error and needless costs, association

health plans for small businesses and their employees -- (applause) --

expanded health savings accounts -- (applause) -- and medical liability

reform that will reduce health care costs and make sure patients have

the doctors and care they need. (Applause.)

To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of

affordable, environmentally responsible energy. (Applause.) Nearly four

years ago, I submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages

conservation, alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and

more production here at home -- including safe, clean nuclear energy.

(Applause.) My Clear Skies legislation will cut power plant pollution

and improve the health of our citizens. (Applause.) And my budget

provides strong funding for leading-edge technology -- from

hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to renewable sources such as

ethanol. (Applause.) Four years of debate is enough: I urge Congress to

pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on

foreign energy. (Applause.)

All these proposals are essential to expand this economy and add new

jobs -- but they are just the beginning of our duty. To build the

prosperity of future generations, we must update institutions that were

created to meet the needs of an earlier time. Year after year, Americans

are burdened by an archaic, incoherent federal tax code. I’ve appointed

a bipartisan panel to examine the tax code from top to bottom. And when

their recommendations are delivered, you and I will work together to

give this nation a tax code that is pro-growth, easy to understand, and

fair to all. (Applause.)

America’s immigration system is also outdated -- unsuited to the needs

of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be

content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to

provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and

invite chaos at our border. It is time for an immigration policy that

permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will not take,

that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our

country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists.

(Applause.)