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Skriven 2006-05-22 23:37:50 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0605221) for Mon, 2006 May 22
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President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 22, 2006

President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror
Arie Crown Theater at Lakeside Center -- McCormick Place
Chicago, Illinois

˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

10:37 A.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. It's
great to be back in Chicago, home of the mighty Chicago White Sox.
(Applause.) World champs. I said that because the Mayor is here --
(laughter) -- who, by the way, is one of the finest mayors in our country.
Mayor Daley, thank you for being here. (Applause.) He's a huge Chicago
White Sox fan. When I had the White Sox to the White House to congratulate
them on the world championship -- winning the world championship trophy,
there was the Mayor, beaming.

The other team here isn't doing quite so well these days. (Laughter.) As a
matter of fact, I had the honor, though, of throwing out the first pitch in
the Chicago Cubs home opener against Cincinnati, and they won that game 16
to 7. (Applause.) You know, when you're President, sometimes you get blamed
for a lot of things. (Laughter.) So I want to assure all the Cubs fans here
that the last time I saw them play, they were undefeated. (Laughter and
applause.)

I really appreciate being invited here by the National Restaurant
Association. Thanks for having me. You know, Laura and I don't eat out as
much as we used to. (Laughter.) But we do appreciate your industry's
contribution to the country.

I appreciate your leadership in Washington on really important issues like
tort reform, and tax relief, and immigration reform. I'm going to spend a
little time today talking about immigration reform. But the main reason
I've come today is to talk to you about a watershed event that took place
this weekend in Iraq. On Saturday, in Baghdad, Iraqis formed a new
government, and the world saw the beginning of something new --
constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East. (Applause.)

And if you like, after my remarks I'd like to answer some of your
questions. So be thinking of them.

But before I get there, I do want to thank Ed Tinsley. He's a West Texan,
and like me, he married a woman from Midland, Texas. It's the best decision
Tinsley ever made, and it's the best decision I ever made. Laura sends her
greetings to you all. She's a fine First Lady, and I'm lucky she said, yes,
when I asked her to marry me. (Applause.)

I appreciate Steven Anderson, the President and CEO of the National
Restaurant Association. I appreciate sharing the stage with Denny Hastert.
He is an excellent Speaker of the House. He is dependable, reliable, smart,
capable. Do you realize that he will have served, come June 1st, longer
than any other Republican Speaker in our nation's history? And the reason
why, he knows what he's doing. (Applause.)

And I appreciate Congressman Ray LaHood and Congresswoman Judy Biggert for
joining us, as well, today. They're here looking for a ride back to
Washington on Air Force One. (Laughter.) I appreciate all the state and
local officials for coming, too.

Our economy is strong and it's growing. And the restaurant industry plays a
vital role in this prosperity. National unemployment is 4.7 percent. That's
lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. People are working.
We've added more than 2 million jobs in the last two-and-a-half years. And
one of the main reasons why is because the National Restaurant Association
members are employing people. The NRA -- National Restaurant Association --
estimates that more than 12.5 million people work at 925,000 restaurants
across our country. That makes restaurants the largest private employer in
our land. (Applause.)

You not only help people put food on the table, but you provide many
Americans with their first job, with a start. You teach people the
importance of showing up on time, and working hard and meeting the needs of
our customers. You're also America's largest employer of immigrants. And
you know how essential it is that we have an immigration system that is
safe, orderly and fair. (Applause.) And I agree with you, and that's why I
laid out a vision for comprehensive immigration reform that would
accomplish five key goals.

First: The United States will secure our border by deploying thousands of
new Border Patrol agents and giving those agents the best technology
available to do their job.

Secondly: You can't secure our border with thousands trying to sneak in,
and therefore, this country needs a temporary worker program that will
allow foreign workers to enter our country legally on a temporary basis to
meet the needs of our economy and take the pressure off our border.
(Applause.)

Third: We must create a reliable system for verifying documents and work
eligibility so we can better enforce our immigration laws at the workplace.

Fourth: We will find a rational middle ground to resolve the legal status
of the millions of people who have been here for quite a while -- without
granting amnesty. (Applause.)

And fifth: We will uphold the great American tradition of the melting pot
so America can remain what it always has been: one nation under God.
(Applause.)

The reforms I proposed regarding guest workers are really important for
your industry. Your association estimates that restaurants will add -- will
need 1.9 million new workers over the next 10 years, which means if you
need workers -- your need for workers will be growing faster than the
American labor force. So you understand why effective immigration reform
must include a practical and lawful way for businesses to hire foreign
workers when they can't fill those jobs with Americans. The restaurant
industry has firsthand experience with immigrants and immigration law. And
I appreciate your strong stand on Capitol Hill for comprehensive reform.
(Applause.)

And here's where we are. The House passed a bill last -- an immigration
bill last December, and the Senate is working hard on its version of the
bill. The Senate needs to complete its bill now, so that the House and
Senate can work out their differences and pass a comprehensive reform bill
that I can sign into law. (Applause.)

We face challenges at home and we face challenges abroad. So I've come to
talk to you about an historic event that took place halfway around the
world this weekend. This Saturday in Baghdad, the new Prime Minister of
Iraq announced a national unity government. This is a free government under
a democratic constitution, and its formation marks a victory for the cause
of freedom in the Middle East. (Applause.)

In three elections last year, millions of Iraqis cast their ballot in
defiance of the terrorists. And now they have a government of their own
choosing under a constitution that they drafted and they approved. As this
new unity government takes office, it carries with it the hopes of the
Iraqi nation, and the aspirations of freedom-loving people across a
troubled region.

The unity government has strong leaders that will represent all of the
Iraqi people. I called them this weekend to congratulate them. I thanked
them for being courageous and strong and standing for the belief that
liberty will help transform their troubled nation.

The new government is led by Prime Minister Maliki. He's a Shia. He's an
Iraqi patriot who for years was part of the resistance to Saddam Hussein.
He's shown courage and wisdom by surrounding himself with strong leaders
who are committed to serving all the people. Prime Minister Maliki said
this weekend, "Just as we did away with the tyrant and the days of
oppression and despotism, we will do away with terrorism and sabotage,
backwardness, poverty, and ignorance." The Iraqi people are blessed to have
a leader like Prime Minister Maliki, and I'm proud to call him, ally and
friend. (Applause.)

Iraq's new government has another strong leader in its President, President
Talabani. He's a Kurd who distinguished himself by his service in the
transitional government and in his long fight against Saddam Hussein. He's
proved that he's not afraid to take the lead. He's made clear that a
democratic Iraq must reject sectarian violence as strongly as it rejects
terrorism. He says, "It's our duty, all of us, to work hand-in-hand to
protect our people and to support Iraqi unity."

Iraq's new government has another able leader in Speaker Mashhadani. He'll
preside over Iraq's new Council of Representatives. The Speaker is a Sunni
who originally opposed America's presence in Iraq. He rejects the use of
violence for political ends. And by agreeing to serve in a prominent role
in this new unity government, he's demonstrating leadership and courage.

It was said to me that he wouldn't have taken my phone call a year ago.
He's now taken it twice. (Applause.) He says Iraq's new leaders must govern
by common vision. This common vision is critical to the new government's
success.

Although Iraq's new leaders come from many different ethnic and religious
communities, they've made clear they will govern as Iraqis. They know that
the strategy of the terrorists and the insurgents is to divide Iraq along
sectarian lines. And the only way the enemy will be defeated is if they
stand and act as one.

The government is still a work in progress, and overcoming longstanding
divisions will take time. Iraq's new leaders know they have a great deal of
work ahead to broaden the base of their government and to unite the people.
They also understand that representing all Iraqis and not just narrow
sectarian interests, they will be able to make a decisive break with the
past and make a future of progress and opportunity for all their people a
reality. (Applause.) The unity government must now seize its moment and
pursue a common agenda for the future.

This weekend, Prime Minister Maliki laid out his plan for a new Iraq. He
promised to work for a sovereign Iraq that will assume responsibility for
the security of its people. He committed himself to a free Iraq that will
uphold international standards of human rights and respect the role of
women in Iraqi society. He pledged to work for a prosperous Iraq that
welcomes foreign investments and accelerates reconstruction and lays the
foundations for economic growth and opportunity. He declared he would lead
a transparent Iraq, where government is open and accountable, and
corruption is not tolerated. And he vowed to work for a peaceful Iraq that
is the enemy of terror, a friend to its neighbors, and a reliable partner
in the community of nations.

The Prime Minister promised that he will soon fill the remaining positions
in his government, and announced the details of his plans to build his new
country, his new Iraq. As his government moves forward it can draw on many
strengths of the Iraqi nation. Iraqis are among the most highly educated
and skilled people in the Middle East. They have abundant natural
resources, including fertile soil, abundant water, and large reserves of
oil. And they're rich in cultural and historical and religious sites that
one day could draw millions of tourists and pilgrims from across the world.
Iraq's new leaders understand that so long as they remain united there is
no limit to the potential of their country. (Applause.)

The unity government opens a new chapter in the relationship between the
United States and Iraq. The new Iraqi government does not change America's
objectives or our commitment, but it will change how we achieve those
objectives and how we honor our commitment. And the new Iraqi government --
as the new Iraqi government grows in confidence and capability, America
will play an increasingly supporting role. To take advantage of this moment
of opportunity, the United States and our coalition partners will work with
the new Iraqi government to adjust our methods and strengthen our mutual
efforts to achieve victory over our common enemies.

At my direction, the Secretaries of State and Defense recently traveled to
Baghdad to meet with the Prime Minister and other leaders. And now the new
government has been formed, I've instructed those Secretaries to engage
Iraq's new leaders as they assess their needs and capabilities, so we will
be in the best position to help them succeed. Iraqis are determined to
chart their own future. And now they have the leadership to do it. And this
unity government deserves American support, and they will have it.
(Applause.)

Our nation has been through three difficult years in Iraq. And the way
forward will bring more days of challenge and loss. The progress we've made
has been hard-fought, and it's been incremental. There have been setbacks
and missteps -- like Abu Ghraib -- that were felt immediately and have been
difficult to overcome. Yet we have now reached a turning point in the
struggle between freedom and terror.

Two years ago, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq wrote a letter that said,
"democracy is coming," and this would mean "suffocation" for al Qaeda and
its allies. The terrorists fought this moment with all their hateful power
-- with suicide attacks, and beheadings, and roadside bombs -- and now the
day they feared has arrived. And with it has come a moment of great
clarity: The terrorists can kill the innocent, but they cannot stop the
advance of freedom. (Applause.)

The terrorists did not lay down their arms after three elections in Iraq,
and they will continue to fight this new government. And we can expect the
violence to continue, but something fundamental changed this weekend. The
terrorists are now fighting a free and constitutional government. They're
at war with the people of Iraq. And the Iraqi people are determined to
defeat this enemy, and so are Iraq's new leaders, and so is the United
States of America. (Applause.)

The path to freedom is always one of struggle and sacrifice. And in Iraq,
our brave men and women in uniform have accepted the struggle and have made
the sacrifice. This moment would not be possible without their courage. The
United States of America is safer because of their success, and our nation
will always be grateful to their service. (Applause.)

For most Iraqis, a free, democratic and constitutional government will be a
new experience. And for the people across the broader Middle East, a free
Iraq will be an inspiration. Iraqis have done more than form a government;
they have proved that the desire for liberty in the heart of the Middle
East is for real. They've shown diverse people can come together and work
out their differences and find a way forward. And they've demonstrated that
democracy is the hope of the Middle East and the destiny of all mankind.

The triumph of liberty in Iraq is part of a long and familiar story. The
great biographer of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville, wrote:
"Freedom is ordinarily born in the midst of storms. It is established
painfully among civil discords, and only when it is old can one know its
benefits." Years from now people will look back on the formation of a unity
government in Iraq as a decisive moment in the story of liberty, a moment
when freedom gained a firm foothold in the Middle East, and the forces of
terror began their long retreat. (Applause.)

Thank you all very much. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all. I'll be glad
to answer some questions if you've got some. Tinsley said it would be
helpful if I answered some questions. (Laughter.)

(Audience interruption.)

THE PRESIDENT: Let's see -- you got one? Yes, sir.

Q I was just wondering, being a small business owner, one of the things we
really appreciate about your administration was the tax cuts for small
business. And I was just wondering, are those going to be permanent?

THE PRESIDENT: His question is about tax cuts and whether they'll be
permanent. First of all, a lot of Americans don't really understand that
when you cut taxes on individuals, you cut taxes on a lot of small
businesses. Many small businesses are sub-chapter S corporations or limited
partnerships, which end up paying their taxes based upon the individual
income tax rates. And so when you reduce taxes on everybody who pays taxes,
you're really helping the small business sector. And why that's -- that's
an important part of our economic recovery policy because small businesses
create 70 percent of the new jobs in America.

So thank you for recognizing the -- thank you for reminding people here the
importance of those tax cuts for small business, and also, by the way,
there was some incentives in our economic recovery package that encourage
you to buy equipment. And when you buy equipment, somebody has got to make
the equipment. When somebody makes the equipment, it means somebody is more
likely to be able to find a job not only at your place of work, but the
equipment manufacturer's place of work.

And so his question was, are you going to allow the tax cuts to expire.
See, they weren't permanent. My answer is, in order to make sure this
economic recovery is lasting and real, the tax cuts need to be made
permanent. And the Speaker agrees with me, you'll be happy to hear.
(Applause.) It's important for Congress to understand that when there is
any uncertainty in the tax code it will make it less likely someone is
willing to invest in a small business and expand their businesses.
Uncertainty in the tax code creates uncertainty in the investment
community, or when people make investments.

So we're absolutely committed to making the tax cuts permanent. The
argument you'll hear is, well, how can you possibly balance the budget if
you make the tax cuts permanent? I guess the reverse of that is, we want to
raise your taxes to balance the budget. Unfortunately, that's not the way
Washington works. The way Washington works is they will raise your taxes
and figure out new ways to spend the money and not balance the budget.
(Applause.)

The best way to balance the budget is to keep pro-growth economic policies
in place. I think you're going to find a report coming out this summer to
be very interesting -- in other words, last year, by the way, we exceeded
the estimated revenues by about $100 billion. The economy is cranking. When
the economy works, people are employing people, and when people are making
money, they pay more taxes. Right now, it looks like that the revenues
coming into our treasury are greater than anticipated this time around,
too.

And so the best way to reduce our deficit is to keep pro-growth economic
policies in place -- hence, permanent tax cuts -- as well as being wise
about how we spend your money. And the best way to be wise about how we
spend your money is to set priorities. And my priority is to make sure our
troops have what it takes to defend the United States of America.
(Applause.)

Q Mr. President, my daughter's name is Jamie. She's a 16-year-old girl.
What advice or recommendations would you give to her and to other youth of
our country to help make our country a better place?

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I would say that -- to Jamie, listen carefully to
that universal admonition to love a neighbor like you'd like to be loved
yourself. You know, I get an interesting perspective of America. I, of
course, get to see the incredible folks who wear our nation's uniform. It's
unbelievably inspiring to meet men and women who have volunteered to serve
our country in a time of war. And not only do I get to meet them, I get to
meet their families. I also get to meet the entrepreneurs of America,
people who are willing to risk time, effort and money to grow a business.
And as a result, we've got a great -- we've got fat wallets, relative to
the rest of the world.

But the true strength of the country lies in the hearts and souls of our
citizens. That's the really unbelievable strength of America. I get to meet
people all the time. I met two youngsters today, Chinese Americans, who
volunteered to go down to help the Katrina victims. Nobody told them to do
it. There was no government law that said, you're going to go down and love
your neighbor. They heard the call.

And so my advice is to tell your daughter that she can be a part of a
changing America by helping somebody who hurts, feed the hungry, find
shelter for the homeless. America's strength lies in the armies of
compassion that exist all across the United States of America.

And so I thank you for your question. (Applause.)

Yes.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. First, I want to tell you, thank you, how much
we love your brother.

THE PRESIDENT: I had nothing to do with it. (Laughter.) Thank my mother.
(Laughter.)

Q He has been very good to the restaurant industry.

THE PRESIDENT: He has been eating a lot, I noticed. (Laughter.)

Q You said that, not me. (Laughter.) Mr. President, with mandated health
care beginning to sweep the nation, and we're seeing it pop up on the state
level, do you see the association health plan passing, hopefully, before
you're out of office? And where do you see mandated health care going for
the business industry?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, I think that the government has a -- the
federal government has a responsibility, particularly on two fronts, when
it comes to health care. One is to take care of the elderly. Lyndon Johnson
signed that bill, and it said the federal government will provide health
care for the elderly, called Medicare. And thanks to the Speaker's
leadership and others here, we reformed Medicare so it actually meets the
needs of our seniors.

My attitude is, if you made a commitment to the seniors, make it a good
commitment, make it work. And we didn't have prescription drug benefits as
a part of Medicare. And yet, we're willing to pay for the surgery for an
ulcer, for example, but not the drugs to prevent the ulcer from happening
in the first place.

Secondly, we got to -- made a commitment to the poor, and that's through
Medicaid, as well as community health centers. These are facilities -- and
the Speaker and I have been working on this -- to expand community health
centers throughout America so the poor and the indigent can get primary
care in these facilities and not at your local emergency rooms.

Now, I also believe -- (applause) -- but I believe the best health care
system beyond that means making sure we strengthen the doctor-patient
relationship. And that is -- that's not a mandate, that's just a practical
way to view medicine.

And so how can you do that? Well, one is to promote health savings
accounts, which we are doing. Health savings accounts are unique products
that enable a small business owner and/or an individual to be able to
purchase a catastrophic plan -- low-premium catastrophic plan,
high-deductible catastrophic plan -- coupled with a tax-free savings
account. Now, that's important because it means that you're in control of
your account. The person, the customer, the consumer is in control of
making health care decisions.

One of the problems we have when it comes to cost is that we have the
third-party payer system. Somebody else pays the bills, and, therefore,
there is no consumerism, so to speak, involved in health care.

Secondly, we got to recognize that certain individuals don't have the
capacity to be able to buy health insurance like big companies can do and,
therefore, it erodes the capacity of small businesses to be able to
maintain their purchasing power. In other words, if it costs you a lot of
money to buy the insurance plan, you're not going to pay for your
insurance, see. And right now our small businesses are being penalized
because they're not allowed to pool risk across jurisdictional boundaries.
A solution to that is association health plans. The Speaker got it passed
out of the House. It got killed by the trial lawyers in the United States
Senate.

To answer your question, yes, I hope to get it out. It's a practical way of
making sure that small businesses aren't mandated, but have got choice in
the marketplace. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I believe in choices
in the marketplace. I believe in empowering people to make rational
choices. In order to have a health care system that helps control costs and
where people can make rational decisions, there needs to be transparency in
pricing.

I know when I go to restaurants, I got a menu, see, and they say, here's
what it costs you. That's not the case in most health care decisions. Is
it? I don't -- I haven't seen a lot of price postings. So we're working --
we're using federal leverage through Medicare and the Veterans
Administration, for example, to say, if you're doing business with the
federal government, post your prices and the quality of service you're
getting, so consumers can start making rational decisions in the
marketplace. When you've got rational decision-making based upon price,
it's going to help control cost, which is very important for your industry.

Third, this is an industry -- the health care industry is one that's kind
of lagging behind when it comes to information technology -- the docs are
still writing our prescriptions with longhand. Or sometimes when you're in
a hospital and you're going from place to place, you're carrying files,
right? And they've been written out in longhand. Well, it's not a very
efficient use of a person's time; plus, most doctors can't write.
(Laughter.) And therefore, costs are higher than they should be in
medicine. So we're working to make sure that information technology is
spread throughout the medical industry.

Again, the federal government has got a good chance to help leverage our
position. We're a major provider of health care. And therefore, we ought to
be using our position to start off helping the industry write a common
language. Part of the problem in medicine is that there's not a common
language, and therefore, it's hard to have a smooth information technology
system throughout the medical industry. Our goal, by the way, is for every
American to have a electronic medical record. And -- but, by the way, with
a guarantee of privacy.

And finally, one reason why you're having trouble buying health care is
because these lawsuits are running good docs out of practice. Do you
realize there are over 1,500 -- (applause) -- there are over 1,500 counties
in America without an OB/GYN. And part of the argument is if we got a
health care system that is accessible and affordable, then we got to do
something about these junk lawsuits. Again, the Speaker got a good medical
liability bill out of the House of Representatives, but the trial lawyers
defeated it in the United States Senate. And if you really want to help the
country and make sure you've got affordable health care, get a hold of your
United States senators who are voting against meaningful medical liability
reform, and help us get a bill passed. (Applause.)

That's a long answer -- it's a long answer because I wanted to show you
we've got a comprehensive plan that runs the opposite of a federal
government being the decider at all costs. I don't believe we ought to
federalize medicine, I believe we ought to localize medicine. And the most
local medicine is between the doctor and the patient. (Applause.)

Q Good morning, Mr. President. My name is Robert Carter from Toronto,
Canada, and my question is regarding border restrictions between our two
countries. Given the impact on tourism, do you feel that it's necessary to
continue increasing border restrictions between Canada and the U.S.?

THE PRESIDENT: What he's referring to is, right after 9/11, the Congress
passed legislation that said there will be a new -- a border -- an
identification card between -- travel between our countries. And you can
understand why our nation reacted the way -- I hope you can understand the
way our nation reacted the way we did after 9/11. I mean, we were -- we
analyzed all aspects of our security. We were -- we said we were going to
do everything we can within the law to protect ourselves. And Congress
passed some new laws to make sure that we knew who was coming in the
country and who was leaving the country. And I supported those laws.

And now we're working with your government to make sure that the
identification cards that will be used between our two borders are
compatible not only with our needs, but your needs. I spoke to Prime
Minister Harper about this subject. He's very aware and worried about a
identification card that would be difficult to get into the hands of
Canadians and it would make it difficult for Canada to continue to attract
conventions. And so to answer your question, yes, we ought to have a system
that is compatible with both our countries' needs.

The difference between -- and by the way, it's very important for the
Canadians to understand there's a difference in the debate going on between
the northern border and the southern border. The southern -- and by the
way, it's important for Americans to understand the language of this debate
must never say that Canada and/or Mexico are the enemies of the United
States. They're friends of the United States. They're our friends and
neighbors. (Applause.)

And so the issue this gentleman is referring to really is, how do we make
sure we have a system that enables the legal people to come back and forth,
I guess is the best way to describe it. And we're working on it to make
sure that whatever documents are needed will not be restrictive, but
nevertheless informational, I guess, is the best way to put it.

Thanks. (Applause.)

Yes, sir. Okay, you're next. Yes.

Q President Bush -- from Crown Point, Indiana. First of all, I want to say
you're doing a fine job.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, leave it at that, will you? (Applause.) Thank you.
That kind of makes your question not very credible when you say something
like that. (Laughter.) But I'll accept it anyway.

Q My question is, is there a realistic, yet aggressive timetable and
strategy to get our reliance off of Middle East oil and go to a different
fuel source, or ways that the United States can prosper?

THE PRESIDENT: No, that's a great question. One of the things that should
be evident to the American people now is that we live in a global world,
and when demand for hydrocarbons increases in places like China and India,
it causes our gasoline prices to go up. In other words, a global economy is
such that when demand rises faster than international supply, the price of
crude goes up -- which is the feed stock for gasoline. And so the American
people see firsthand what it means to be in a global world which is
dependent up on fossil fuels, hydrocarbon.

And so, the realistic timetable is as soon as possible. And I do think it's
realistic. And here's -- what he's saying is how quick can we get off oil,
all right? Well, most oil is consumed in America because of our
automobiles. And the question then is, how quickly can we diversify the
automobile fleet from one that is gasoline-only to one that become a mix,
for example, of gasoline and ethanol. And we're making pretty good
progress. If you really think about, for example, the penetration of
ethanol in the Midwest, it's been amazing over the last couple of years.
Indiana people, you're beginning to get E85 pumps. E85 means 85 percent of
the fuel you buy at an E85 pump is ethanol. We've put tax incentives in
place to encourage the construction of ethanol refineries, and they're
beginning to grow quite dramatically.

Some people say, well, you've got ethanol pumps, but doesn't it make it
difficult to use it because the cars are not compatible? That's not true.
There are 5 million automobiles on the road today that are flex-fuel
vehicles. In other words, they can use ethanol and/or gasoline, or a
combination of both. So the technologies to make our automobiles
ethanol-compatible are around. As a matter of fact, you may have a
flex-fuel vehicle and just don't know it.

The question then is, how do we -- do we have enough feedstock into the
ethanol business to be able to really get major penetration? And that's
where we're spending some money. Because we got corn, but sometimes you got
to eat corn. And sometimes your pigs and cows have got to eat corn. And so
pretty soon we're going to run into a bind when it comes to corn for
ethanol and corn for other means and other needs. And so we're spending
quite a bit of money at the federal level, and have been for a couple of
years, to see whether or not we can develop new technologies to make
ethanol out of other feedstocks, like switch grass or wood chips.

They say we're getting pretty close to that. I can't give you a specific
timetable. I know we're getting close to a battery that can go into a
hybrid vehicle. Hybrid vehicles are good things -- that switches between
electricity and gasoline. And the next breakthrough is going to come to a
vehicle that doesn't switch between electricity and gasoline until you've
driven your first 40 miles. In other words, you'll have a battery that will
be able to last for 40 miles before your car has to kick into gas --
gasoline. And that's going to help save a lot of -- that will help reduce
demand for oil.

Longer-term -- and this is -- this is a longer -- that's within five years,
they tell me, as well. But over the next 10 years, my hope is that we have
hydrogen become a technology that is commercial and applicable, so you're
really driving automobiles with hydrogen as a fuel source, not gasoline.
And we're spending a lot of money on that. We've spent over a billion
dollars to accelerate technologies to do that.

In the short-term, in order to -- by the way, it doesn't answer your
question, how do you get off oil, but it does answer, how do we help
consumers in America -- I view rising gasoline prices as like a tax. It
certainly affects small businesses. And one way to do it is to make sure
we've got ample supplies of gasoline available. You realize, we haven't
built a new refinery since the 1970s. If Congress is that concerned about
the price of gasoline, it seems like they ought to give us flexibility so
we can permit expansions and/or new refineries so that we can keep the
price -- (applause.)

It's a long-winded answer, but it's a problem that requires a strategy in
which we spend money on research and development and on a variety of
fronts.

Another example is clean coal technologies. It's conceivable that
relatively -- well, within a period of time, it's not -- in my lifetime,
let's put it that way -- that we can have coal fired plants that have got
zero emissions. Now, that's important for people to know that it's
possible. We've spent about a billion there, as well, to achieve this
breakthrough, because we've got 250-some odd years of coal reserves in the
United States. I think we ought to be using nuclear power. It is renewable
and it produces no emissions. (Applause.)

We're spending money on technologies to make sure we can reprocess spent
fuels. In other words, we're working on a variety of fronts. I don't know
the timetable -- as soon as possible. And the reason why is, is that our
national security issues oftentimes rest with countries that have got oil,
and they don't like us, see.

And so the faster we're off oil, the better off we're going to be from an
economic security perspective, and a national -- and I probably surprised
you when I got up at my State of the Union and said, we've got a problem,
we're addicted to oil. You know, I'm from Texas, and all that. But I
believe it, and I know it. And so I'm going to work with members from both
political parties to expedite research and development so we've got new
technologies to achieve this important objective. (Applause.)

Yes, ma'am.

Q Thank you. Alana Foster (ph), Westport, Connecticut. Speaking of
oil-producing countries that are not friendly to the United States right
now, I'm very concerned about what's going on in Venezuela and Bolivia and
all, the coalition of Hugo Chavez. I wondered what your strategy was going
to be, or what you're working on in that respect.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I am going to continue to remind our hemisphere
that respect for property rights and human rights is essential for all
countries in order for there to be prosperity and peace. I'm going to
remind our allies and friends in the neighborhood that the United States of
America stands for justice; that when we see poverty, we care about it and
we do something about it; that we care for good -- we stand for good health
care.

I'm going to remind our people that meddling in other elections is -- to
achieve a short-term objective is not in the interests of the neighborhood.
I will continue to remind people that trade is the best way to help people
be lifted from poverty; that we can spend money -- and we do in the
neighborhood -- but the best way for there to be growth is to encourage
commerce and trade and prosperity through the marketplace.

I want to remind people that the United States stands against corruption at
all levels of government, that the United States is transparent. The United
States expects the same from other countries in the neighborhood, and we'll
work toward them.

We'll continue to work with forces like the Central -- countries like the
Central American countries, where we passed a free trade agreement called
CAFTA, to remind the people in that area that relations with the United
States will be beneficial to their people. There's a lot of things we're
doing.

Thank you very much. I'm concerned -- let me just put it bluntly -- I'm
concerned about the erosion of democracy in the countries you mentioned.
(Applause.)

Q Hi -- Orlando, Florida. Let me first say, it's an honor to hear you
speak. And I'm a proud supporter. I just had a quick question. Yesterday,
at the keynote address, Ted Koppel mentioned that there is a growing lack
of trust between government and the American people. How would you address
this statement?

THE PRESIDENT: He said there's a growing lack of trust between our
government and the American people?

Q Yes, he did.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think I would say that there's an unease in America
now, and the reason why is because we're at war. And war is more difficult
-- particularly this kind of war, where it's on our TV screens every day.
And I can understand why people are uneasy. Americans care about human
life. We have a great compassion for people all around the world. And so
when people read or see that the enemy has run a suicide bomber into a
village or a marketplace and innocent people died, it breaks their heart.
So there is an unease about America.

Hey, listen, we got an amazing economy -- it's strong, and yet there's an
uneasiness. And that's what happens in war. And let me just share my
thoughts about this with you. If I didn't think we'd succeed, I wouldn't
stay. And if I didn't think it was important that we succeed, I wouldn't
stay. And the reason it's important is that we must understand that we're
in a global war against a totalitarian group of people who will kill
innocent life there or here in order to achieve an objective. That's just
the lessons of September the 11th that I refuse to forget. (Applause.)

In Iraq, the enemy has made it clear -- this is their words, not mine; I
quoted the man -- the al Qaeda guy in Iraq -- those weren't my -- I didn't
make up those quotes. That's that he said. And by the way you need your
President and your Commander-in-Chief to take the words of the enemy
seriously. And they have said it's just a matter of time -- (applause.)
They have said it's a matter of time for the United States to leave, that
democracies are soft, that capitalist societies are weak. And their view is
that if they kill enough innocent people, we will tire and leave. That's
what they said.

They've also said we're going to stop the elections. They will try to sow
sectarian violence in order to make it difficult for a democracy to succeed
in Iraq. And the reason why they want us to leave is because they want safe
haven from which to launch attacks -- not only against the United States,
but modern Muslim nations in the Middle East. That's what they want to do.

Their vision -- they have a vision. They have an ideology that is the
opposite of ours. They don't believe in freedom to dissent and freedom to
worship. Matter of fact, they've taken a great religion and, in my
judgment, have twisted it to meet their own needs. (Applause.)

If somebody said, well, what do you think life would be like with these
folks, just remind them what life was like in Afghanistan under the
Taliban. There was no dissent, and if you did, you were whipped. Young
girls didn't go to school. They have a backward vision of the world, but
they do have a vision, and they want to spread that vision. And we stand in
the way of spreading that vision -- we and a coalition of nations that are
bound together to promote democracy and freedom. That's what -- and
democracy worries them.

My quote in the speech was this guy's words -- democracy will be a setback.
That's why I said, the formation of this government, under a constitution
drafted and approved by the Iraqis, is a setback, because it's -- they
said, we will defeat this democracy. But they're not going to defeat the
democracy. The only way they defeat the democracy is if we -- is if we let
them defeat the democracy, we don't stand with this young government.

Again, I know that -- I know there's concern about -- from the American
people that we can't win. See, most Americans want us to win. Most
Americans want to succeed. And there's questions about whether or not the
strategy will do so. (Applause.)

And I can understand why people are concerned about whether or not our
strategy can succeed, because our progress is incremental. Freedom is
moving, but it's in incremental steps. And the enemy's progress is almost
instant on their TV screens. And, of course, I get briefings from our
commanders on the ground. I want to assure you that the information -- I
make my mind up based not upon politics or political opinion polls, but
based upon what the commanders on the ground tell me is going on.
(Applause.)

I do want to share with you -- thanks for bringing this up. It's not
exactly the question. (Laughter.) I'll share with you some of my thoughts
about why it's important to have a democracy, liberty prevail in the Middle
East. You know, our policy up until now was, let's just hope everything's
fine. If it looked okay on the surface, then let's just don't rock the
boat. Let's get our energy sources and everything will be all right.

But that's not what was happening. Beneath the surface, there was a --
discontent and hopelessness and despair was beginning to take hold. And as
a result, this group of killers sprung up, and they were able to recruit
and train sophisticated suiciders. And they killed over 3,000 of our
people.

I felt it was important for us to address not only the short-term needs of
the country, which means stay on the offensive and bring them to justice
before they hurt us again, but also the longer-term needs of the country by
addressing the root cause of the resentment and hatred. And in my judgment,
the best way to defeat the totalitarian vision of the enemy is with an
ideology that has worked, that is bright and is hopeful, called freedom and
liberty, expressed through democracy.

Now, I know there are some people in our country who say, why worry? Well,
the reason why worry is because we have a duty to lay the foundation of
peace for a generation to come. And I'm confident we can succeed. And I
will tell you two examples of this, of why I'm confident. One, think of all
the lives lost in Europe during World War I and World War II, American
lives lost. You all know some of them. You know neighbors who had a
grandfather or a father who went over -- called up, went overseas to -- and
fought in Europe and lost their lives.

But today, after nearly a century of violence and death and destruction,
Europe is whole, free, and at peace. And it's important for America to ask
the question, why is that the case? Well, democracies don't war with each
other, and democracies have taken hold in Europe.

The second example I like to bring up is from World War II, as well, and
that is what's happened to our former enemy, the Japanese. Prime Minister
Koizumi is coming to our country soon. I'll be sitting down to the table
with a friend talking about issues like North Korea, or thanking him for
having 1,000 troops in Iraq, or worrying about the spread of pandemic
disease, or talking about how we can help the young democracy, Afghanistan.
And I find it amazing that the President of the United States is sitting
down talking about peace with the head of a country that my dad went to war
with, and your dads and grandads went to war with.

And what happened between the brutal attack on our country -- that, by the
way, killed fewer people at Pearl Harbor than we lost on September the 11th
-- and today, when we're talking about keeping the peace? Japan adopted a
Japanese-style democracy. One thing history teaches -- and by the way, if
you look back at some of the written word when Harry Truman had the vision
of helping this country recover from the war and become a democracy, a lot
of people were saying, it's a waste of his time; hopelessly idealistic,
they would say. But he had faith in certain fundamental truths. One truth
is, everybody desires to be free. Freedom is universal. It's not just a
right for America. (Applause.)

And the second truth is, proven after 60 years of time, that freedom has
the capacity to convert an enemy to a friend. And as I said in my remarks,
I believe that this is an historic moment in Iraq, and that some day people
will be looking back on this period of time saying, thank goodness the
United States of America didn't lose its faith in certain fundamental
values, and we laid the foundation of peace. (Applause.)

And it's hard work. It's hard work to go from a tyranny to a democracy. And
I understand why people are concerned. I understand it. Listen, I meet with
-- the hardest job of the President is to meet with families of the fallen.
And it's a -- it's my duty. But almost to a person, they say, whatever you
do, Mr. President, complete the mission, lay the foundation of peace so my
child had not died in vain. And I give them that assurance every time I
meet with them. (Applause.)

Yes.

Q I'm from Munster, Indiana. I was wondering, sir, if we were to be
attacked by a biological weapon, or if there was an outbreak of the avian
flu, would we be prepared?

THE PRESIDENT: Good question. We are working to be prepared. His question
is, if there is a catastrophic event that is beyond the magnitude of a
natural event, such as a biological attack and/or a attack of pandemic flu,
would we be prepared.

Well, first step is to recognize that it's a possibility and start
preparing, which we're doing at the federal level. Yes, we've got a good
strategy -- now, whether or not it would work to perfection, you hope you
never have to find out.

One of the classic cases -- one of the classic dilemmas we're trying to
resolve is that most -- it's against the law to put federal troops in to
enforce the law. It's posse comitatus, you know? I'm not a lawyer, but
nevertheless, that's what the lawyers tell me. However, states can use
their Guard to do law enforcement activities. And the fundamental question
is, if there's an event big enough, should the federal government be able
to prevent state authority -- should there be an automatic declaration of a
state of emergency that will enable me to rally federal troops to keep the
law?

We haven't resolved that issue yet, but that's one of the dilemmas on a
catastrophic event that ends up exceeding the boundaries of -- that would
make it not a local event. But we're working hard on it. We've spent a lot
of time on pandemic flu, which, by the way, has got the same -- a
biological attack would have the same applications as to how you -- how do
you isolate the incident, how do you isolate the spread of disease, how do
you rally local authorities to make the right decisions about public
facilities.

Mike Leavitt is in charge of this, the health aspect of this response. He's
been traveling the country, working with local and state response plans,
and it's a big job to get ready for it. I appreciate your question.

Q Arlington, Texas.

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, yes.

Q Home of your Texas Rangers.

THE PRESIDENT: The mighty Rangers. They never -- they still don't have --

Q They're in first place, that's good. My question is about --

THE PRESIDENT: I thought with change of ownership they'd go all the way,
you know? (Laughter.)

Q My question is about health care reform.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q You mentioned health care reform, catastrophic health care reform,
Americans with Disabilities, as well. Under the umbrella of that, it
doesn't seem that there is much addressed in terms of dental care, even
though that is part of health care, I would think. And the second part of
that question is, will you see Al Gore's new movie? (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Doubt it. (Laughter and applause.) But I will say this about
the environmental debate, that my answer to the energy question also is an
answer to how you deal with the greenhouse gas issue, and that is new
technologies will change how we live and how we drive our cars, which all
will have the beneficial effect of improving the environment.

And in my judgment, we need to set aside whether or not greenhouse gases
have been caused by mankind or because of natural effects, and focus on the
technologies tha