22 June 2002

Excerpt: Bush: "Seize the Moment to Make the World More Peaceful", June 21, 2002

(Out of evil of Sept. 11 "has come a new sense of responsibility")

President George W. Bush said that when children question his rhetoric in the war against terrorism, "I ask you to look them in the eye and say, because he loves peace."

Speaking to a Republican Party gathering in Orlando, Florida, on June 21, President Bush said that parents should tell their children: "History has given us a chance to seize the moment to use our position in the world to make the world more peaceful. Peaceful in America; peaceful in parts of the world where people cannot possibly dream of peace right now: peace in South Asia, peace in the Middle East."

The president added, "Out of evil has come a new culture, a new sense of responsibility."

Bush reiterated his determination to organize a new, effective Department of Homeland Security, improve intelligence gathering and coordination, and increase defense spending to defeat terrorism and deal with states that threaten the United States and its allies with weapons of mass destruction.

The president said that some successes have been public -- notably the liberation of Afghanistan from the Taliban -- but others must remain hidden in what will be a long and difficult struggle.

He commended President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, whose armed forces succeeding in killing or capturing a number of members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist organization, including its leader.

"So long as I'm the president," Bush vowed, "I will drive public policy and foreign policy to achieving peace."

Following is a portion of President Bush's address to the Republican Part of Florida Majority Dinner on June 21:
(begin excerpt)

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary

Excerpt from Remarks by the President at Republican Party of Florida Majority Dinner Universal Studios Portofino Hotel Orlando, Florida June 21, 2002

The reason why I have asked Congress to join me is because I want to take the over 100 agencies involved with homeland defense and bring them under one agency, so that they can be more effective, so that we can be more accountable and doing the most important job we have to do, which is to keep the enemy from hurting innocent Americans.

I say "keep the enemy from hurting innocent Americans" because that's exactly what they want to do. We're dealing with cold-blooded killers, and that's all they are. These are people who hijack a great religion and kill in the name of that religion. These are people who send youngsters to their death, and they hide in caves. And so I just want you to know that my main focus, and the main focus of a lot of hard-working people, is to do everything we can to protect America. We're chasing down every single lead. (Applause.)

We're chasing down every single lead. If there is a hint that somebody might try to do something to America, we're on them. We are. I know there's been a lot of consternation in Washington -- and probably in your newspapers here -- about the FBI and the CIA. There's no question that the FBI needed to change its attitude after September the 11th. After all, prior to September the 11th, the main function of the FBI was to run criminals down here in America and arrest them and bring them to justice -- and that's still an important function. But now that we've realized that we've got a war on our hands, an enemy that wants to hurt us, the FBI's primary mission is now to prevent an attack.

And they're talking better than ever. With intelligence-gathering networks, we're getting pretty good at it, and we're communicating better. My point to you is that the defense of the homeland, although never perfect, is improving every single day thanks to a lot of hard-working Americans.

But the best way to secure the homeland, the best way to make sure that I do my job, is to hunt the killers down one by one and bring them to justice. And that is precisely what America is going to do. (Applause.)

I've submitted a significant increase in the defense spending of the United States. It's the largest increase since Ronald Reagan was the President of our country. (Applause.) I did so for two main reasons. One, any time any one of our troops goes into the battle or into harm's way, that person deserves the absolute best equipment, the best pay, the best training possible. (Applause.)

And the second reason is it sends a clear signal to our country, the coalition we have put together, and the enemy, that the United States, when it comes to defending our freedom, will take however long it takes; that this is a long struggle -- this is going to be a struggle of -- it's going to last a long time.

And we're making progress, we really are. Some of it's very evident; we routed out this barbaric regime called the Taliban. We sent our incredibly brave troops into Afghanistan, and in pretty short order we liberated a country. We freed people from the clutches of people who wouldn't even let girls go to school, and now they do, thanks to the United States of America. (Applause.)

But a lot of what's happening you won't see. That's the nature of the new war. We're kind of chasing down shadowy networks, people that try to blend into big, crowded cities, or they hide in, as I said, caves. But you just need to know we're after them. We've got them on the run. And we're going to keep them on the run. And we're going to continue making sure we send a clear message: either you're with us or you're with the enemy.

We spend a lot of time talking to our friends and allies, and bolstering our coalition. Today, one of our coalition members, President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, did the world a great service. There was a group of killers named Abu Sayyaf in her country. They kidnapped, they killed. And today, their leader met his Maker thanks to one of our coalition partners. (Applause.)

We've hauled in, one way or the other, 2,400 -- make it 2,401 -- people that have been a part of this shadowy army. But there's more to do. There's more to do. And you can bet the United States of America, so long as I'm the President, is going to do what needs to be done. (Applause.) Because after all, we defend our freedom.

And the decisions we make today, and our steadfast resolve, will help our children to live in a free world. And there's some tough, tough tasks ahead, no question about it. There will be some tough battles. There's a threat that faces our country, which I take very seriously, and that is the capacity of some of the world's worst regimes to develop and harbor weapons of mass destruction.

I'm a patient man. The United States has got a lot of tools at our disposal. And we'll use every tool at our disposal to make sure that the axis of evil doesn't hold us hostage, doesn't hold our friends hostage, and does not hurt the freedoms that we love so dearly. (Applause.) I believe that out of the evil done to America will come some good. I believe that this country is so strong, and so powerful, and so good and decent, that out of the evil done on September the 11th can come some important, lasting contributions to the world, starting with peace.

You know, Laura always -- not always; sometimes -- gets on me for my rhetoric. (Laughter.) And if your children question, you know, why is the President talking this way or the other way? I ask you to look them in the eye and say, because he loves peace. Because he believes that the United States has been called into action. That history has given us a chance to seize the moment to use our position in the world to make the world more peaceful. Peaceful in America; peaceful in parts of the world where people cannot possibly dream of peace right now: peace in South Asia, peace in the Middle East. So long as I'm the President, I will drive public policy and foreign policy to achieving peace. (Applause.)

And at home, I believe that out of the evil is coming incredible good. People say, what can I do to help?

You can love your neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. If you want to fight evil, do some good. You see, it's the million acts of kindness and decency that take place every day in America that will help us fight off evil.

As a result of people loving their neighbor, mentoring a child, helping a shut-in, our culture's changing in America. I gave a speech at Ohio State University a week ago today, and I was pleased to see that 70 percent of all the graduating class had at one time or another done some volunteer work. It's a great sign to realize that our young have heard the call, that life is more than just profit and loss; that life of service is an important part of being not a spectator, but a citizen of the United States of America.

The most compelling story, of course, in my judgment after 9/11 or during 9/11 was Flight 93, when brave souls heard that their airplane was a weapon. They called their loved ones, they said a prayer, and they took the airplane in the ground in the ultimate gesture of serving something greater than yourself. I believe that lesson has reverberated throughout our society. I believe millions of our fellow citizens now realize that in order to be a full-fledged American, it means you've got to help somebody in need.

There are pockets of despair and hopelessness in America that can be solved by love and compassion, by works of faith. And I believe that out of the evil, more and more Americans, as a result of our fellow Americans showing compassion and decency, will realize the American Dream extends to every neighborhood in this great land. (Applause.)

I believe that Americans understand that the culture of -- "if it feels good do it, and [if] you got a problem, blame somebody else," -- is a culture that must fade off into the sunset. It's being replaced by a culture of personal responsibility. Each of us are responsible for loving our children. If you happen to be a mom or a dad, your most important job is to love your children with all your heart and all your soul.

In order to be a good neighbor, you must love your neighbor. If you're running a business, a public company in America, you have the responsibility to have clean balance sheets, to fully disclose your assets and your liabilities, and treat your shareholders and employees with the respect they deserve. (Applause.)

No, out of the evil done to America has come a new culture, a new sense of responsibility. The enemy thought they were hurting America, and they killed too many lives, no question about it. But they didn't realize who they were dealing with.

They were dealing with the greatest nation, the most decent nation, the most compassionate nation on the face of this Earth.

And it is my high honor to be the President of such a great place.

(end excerpt)