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Skriven 2006-06-26 23:35:40 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0606262) for Mon, 2006 Jun 26
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President Bush Meets with Supporters of U.S. Military in Iraq and
Afghanistan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2006

President Bush Meets with Supporters of U.S. Military in Iraq and
Afghanistan
Roosevelt Room



10:41 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I have just had a remarkable discussion with some of my
fellow citizens who have dedicated their lives to making sure our troops
know that this country supports them as they help secure our country and
spread freedom.

One of the amazing things about America is that people are desirous of
coming together to support a neighbor in need. And we've got kids who are
overseas defending this country, and we've got people at this table who are
supporting their families, their loved ones, and most importantly, the
troops that are in harm's way.

There's an organization called America Supports You. I would hope my fellow
citizens would like on the webpage, AmericaSupportsYou.mil, to determine
how you can help support our troops if you so desire. I would urge
Americans to do that, and around the table are leaders of the different
organizations that make up this umbrella group. We've heard from people
that are helping families of the wounded. We're talking to people who are
using their position in different fields, like the entertainment field, to
go over and provide hope for our troops. We're talking to moms and wives of
those who have volunteered to serve our country.

But I want to thank you all for joining us, and thank you for serving your
country. I told the folks here that the politics in Washington can be
rough. But make no mistake about it, I am determined to succeed. And we
will implement a plan to achieve victory, which is necessary, and that they
need to tell the troops that no matter how tough it looks here in the
nation's capital, that I know we're doing the right thing, and I know we
will win.

I'll take a couple of questions. Terry.

Q Mr. President, General Casey saw you on Friday, and it's been reported
that he's talked about withdrawing two brigades from Iraq by this year. Can
you tell us what he recommended to you?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, I did meet with General Casey, and I met with
him because it's very important for me, as well as Secretary Rumsfeld, to
meet with our commander on the ground. I've told the American people our
commanders will be making the decisions as to how to achieve victory, and
General Casey, of course, is the lead person. So we had a good visit with
him.

And we talked about a lot of things. The first thing we talked about was
the joint operations with the Iraqi forces to secure Baghdad and how that's
going. We talked about the actions we're taking in Ramadi. The coalition is
in the lead in Ramadi, and we're trying to make sure Ramadi does not become
a safe haven for al Qaeda. And so he explained to me the tactics on the
ground, what we're doing to secure that city and to run the al Qaeda-types
out.

We talked about the Iraqi training mission. And as you well know, our
standards are, as Iraqis stand up, the coalition will be able to stand
down. We talked about that kind of progress.

But in terms of our troop presence there, that decision will be made by
General Casey, as well as the sovereign government of Iraq, based upon
conditions on the ground. And one of the things that General Casey assured
me of is that, whatever recommendation he makes, it will be aimed toward
achieving victory. And that's what we want. And victory means a free
government that is able to sustain itself, defend itself; it's a government
that will be an ally in the war on terror. It's a government that will be
able to fight off al Qaeda and its desires to have a safe haven.

And so I did visit with General Casey, and I came away once again with my
trust in that man. I've told the people here around the table that the
decisions that I will make will be based upon the recommendations of people
like General George Casey.

Toby.

Q Mr. President, how much closer do you believe North Korea is to launching
the long-range missile, and how concerned are you about this? What if they
just launch a satellite --

THE PRESIDENT: Toby, I have said that the North Koreans should notify the
world of their intentions, what they have on top of that vehicle and what
are their intentions. We have not heard from the North Koreans, so I can't
tell you what their intentions are. I have made clear to our partners on
this issue -- that would be Japan and South Korea and China and Russia --
that we need to send a focused message to the North Koreans in that this
launch is provocative. And I was pleased to hear that the Chinese have
delivered that message to the North Koreans, and we would hope that the
leader in North Korea listened to the Chinese.

So we don't know. We don't know. That's part of the problem. It's a
nontransparent society that ought to be sharing its intentions with the
rest of the world.

Hutch.

Q I know you are not planning to see Al Gore's new movie, but do you agree
with the premise that global warming is a real and significant threat to
the planet that requires action --

THE PRESIDENT: I think -- I have said consistently that global warming is a
serious problem. There's a debate over whether it's manmade or naturally
caused; we ought to get beyond that debate and start implementing the
technologies necessary to enable us to achieve a couple of big objectives
-- one, be good stewards of the environment; two, become less dependent on
foreign sources of oil for economic reasons and for national security
reasons.

That's why we're pressing for clean coal technology. That's why the
hydrogen initiative is robust. In other words, we want our children being
able to drive cars not fueled by gasoline, but by hydrogen. That's why I've
been a strong advocate of ethanol as an alternative source of fuel to run
our cars. I strongly believe that we ought to be developing safe nuclear
power. The truth of the matter is if this country wants to get rid of its
greenhouse gases we've got to have the nuclear power industry be vibrant
and viable. And so I believe in -- and I've got a plan to be able to deal
with greenhouse gases.

April.

Q Mr. President, what are you doing to ensure that the Voting Rights Act is
reauthorized by the midterm elections, as you're saying that's one of your
top priorities? And also, do you support foreign ballots -- foreign
language ballots?

THE PRESIDENT: I am working very carefully with members of Congress to
implement that which I said when I signed the proclamation for Rosa Parks,
is I want this Voting Rights Act extended. And so we're working with
members of the United States Congress to see if we can't get it done.

Q Sir, several news organizations have reported about a program that allows
the administration to look into the bank records of certain suspected
terrorists. My questions are twofold: One, why have you not gone to
Congress to ask for authorization for this program, five years after it
started? And two, with respect, if neither the courts, nor the legislature
is allowed to know about these programs, how can you feel confident the
checks and balances system works?

THE PRESIDENT: Congress was briefed. And what we did was fully authorized
under the law. And the disclosure of this program is disgraceful. We're at
war with a bunch of people who want to hurt the United States of America,
and for people to leak that program, and for a newspaper to publish it does
great harm to the United States of America. What we were doing was the
right thing. Congress was aware of it, and we were within the law to do so.

The American people expect this government to protect our constitutional
liberties and, at the same time, make sure we understand what the
terrorists are trying to do. The 9/11 Commission recommended that the
government be robust in tracing money. If you want to figure out what the
terrorists are doing, you try to follow their money. And that's exactly
what we're doing. And the fact that a newspaper disclosed it makes it
harder to win this war on terror.

Thank you.

END 10:50 A.M. EDT
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