Transcript: Bush Speaks About War on Terror

(APPLAUSE)

Three years ago, Pakistan was one of the few countries in the world that recognized the Taliban regime. Al Qaida was active in recruiting in Pakistan and was not seriously opposed. Pakistan served as a transit point for Al Qaida terrorists leaving Afghanistan on missions of murder.

Yet the United States was not on good terms with Pakistan’s military and civilian leaders, the very people we would need to help shut down Al Qaida operations in that part of the world.

Today the governments of the United States and Pakistan are working closely in the fight against terror.

BUSH: President Musharraf is a friend of our country who helped us capture Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the operational planner behind the September the 11th attacks. And Pakistani forces are rounding up terrorists along their nation’s western border.

Today, because we’re working with the Pakistani leaders, Pakistan is an ally in the war on terror and the American people are safer.

(APPLAUSE)

Three years ago, terrorists were well-established in Saudi Arabia. Inside that country, fund-raisers and other facilitators gave Al Qaida financial and logistical help with little scrutiny or opposition.

Today, after the attacks in Riyadh and elsewhere, the Saudi government knows that Al Qaida is its enemy.

Saudi Arabia is working hard to shut down the facilitators and financial supporters of terrorism. The government has captured or killed many first-tier leaders of the Al Qaida organization in Saudi Arabia, including one last week.

Today, because Saudi Arabia has seen the danger and has joined the war on terror, the American people are safer.

(APPLAUSE)

Three years ago, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of America who provided safe haven for terrorists, used weapons of mass destruction, and turned his nation into a prison. Saddam Hussein was not just a dictator. He was a proven mass murderer who refused to account for weapons of mass murder. Every responsible nation recognized this threat and knew it could not go on forever.

America must remember the lessons of September the 11th. We must confront serious dangers before they fully materialize.

So my administration looked at the intelligence on Iraq and we saw a threat. Members of the United States Congress from both political parties looked at the same intelligence and they saw a threat. The United Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence and it saw a threat.

BUSH: The previous administration and the Congress looked at the intelligence and made regime change in Iraq the policy of our country.

In 2002, the United Nations Security Council yet again demanded a full accounting of Saddam Hussein’s weapons programs. As he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein refused to comply.

In fact, according to former weapons inspector David Kay, Iraq’s weapons programs were elaborately shielded by security and deception operations that continued even beyond the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

So I had a choice to make: either take the word of a madman or defend America. Given that choice, I will defend America every time.

(APPLAUSE)

Thanks.

Although we have not found stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, we were right to go into Iraq. We removed a declared enemy of America who had the capability of producing weapons of mass murder and could have passed that capability to terrorists bent on acquiring them.

In the world after September the 11th, that was a risk we could not afford to take.

BUSH: Today, the dictator who caused decades of death and turmoil, who twice invaded his neighbors, who harbored terrorist leaders, who used chemical weapons on innocent men, women and children, is finally before the bar of justice.