I want to thank the commission members who are here, as well.
(APPLAUSE)
I pay my respects and offer our gratitude to the family members of the victims of September the 11th. Thank you for working hard on this issue and thank you for remembering your loved one.
Nearly six decades ago, our nation and our allies faced the new world of the Cold War and the dangers of a new enemy. To defend the free world from an armed empire bent on conquest, visionary leaders created new institutions, such as the NATO alliance.
BUSH: The NATO alliance was begun by treaty in this very room.
President Truman also implemented a sweeping reorganization of the federal government. He established the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council.
America, in this new century, again faces new threats. Instead of massed armies, we face stateless networks. We face killers who hide in our own cities. We must confront deadly technologies.
To inflict great harm on our country, America's enemies need to be only right once. Our intelligence and law enforcement professionals in our government must be right every single time.
Our government is adapting to confront and defeat these threats. We're staying on the offensive against the enemy. We'll take the fight to the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
And here at home we're strengthening our homeland defenses, created the Department of Homeland Security. We have made the prevention of terror attacks the highest priority of the Department of Justice and the FBI. We'll continue to work with Congress to make sure they've got the resources necessary to do their jobs.
BUSH: We established a National Counterterrorism Center where all of the available intelligence on terrorist threats is brought together in one place and where joint action against the terrorists is planned.
We have strengthened the security of our nation's borders in ports of entry and transportation systems.
The bill I sign today continues the essential reorganization of our government.
Those charged with protecting America must have the best possible intelligence information. And that information must be closely integrated to form the clearest possible picture of the threats to our country.
