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Skriven 2006-09-11 23:31:34 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0609113) for Mon, 2006 Sep 11
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President's Address to the Nation
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 11, 2006

President's Address to the Nation
The Oval Office

President's Remarks view

˙˙˙˙˙ Fact Sheet: The Fifth Anniversary of September 11, 2001 ˙˙˙˙˙
Remembering 9/11

9:01 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Five years ago, this date -- September the
11th -- was seared into America's memory. Nineteen men attacked us with a
barbarity unequaled in our history. They murdered people of all colors,
creeds, and nationalities -- and made war upon the entire free world. Since
that day, America and her allies have taken the offensive in a war unlike
any we have fought before. Today, we are safer, but we are not yet safe. On
this solemn night, I've asked for some of your time to discuss the nature
of the threat still before us, what we are doing to protect our nation, and
the building of a more hopeful Middle East that holds the key to peace for
America and the world.

On 9/11, our nation saw the face of evil. Yet on that awful day, we also
witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the
occasion, and responding with extraordinary acts of courage. We saw courage
in office workers who were trapped on the high floors of burning
skyscrapers -- and called home so that their last words to their families
would be of comfort and love. We saw courage in passengers aboard Flight
93, who recited the 23rd Psalm -- and then charged the cockpit. And we saw
courage in the Pentagon staff who made it out of the flames and smoke --
and ran back in to answer cries for help. On this day, we remember the
innocent who lost their lives -- and we pay tribute to those who gave their
lives so that others might live.

For many of our citizens, the wounds of that morning are still fresh. I've
met firefighters and police officers who choke up at the memory of fallen
comrades. I've stood with families gathered on a grassy field in
Pennsylvania, who take bittersweet pride in loved ones who refused to be
victims -- and gave America our first victory in the war on terror. I've
sat beside young mothers with children who are now five years old -- and
still long for the daddies who will never cradle them in their arms. Out of
this suffering, we resolve to honor every man and woman lost. And we seek
their lasting memorial in a safer and more hopeful world.

Since the horror of 9/11, we've learned a great deal about the enemy. We
have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy -- but not without
purpose. We have learned that they form a global network of extremists who
are driven by a perverted vision of Islam -- a totalitarian ideology that
hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. And we have
learned that their goal is to build a radical Islamic empire where women
are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings,
and terrorists have a safe haven to plan and launch attacks on America and
other civilized nations. The war against this enemy is more than a military
conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century, and
the calling of our generation.

Our nation is being tested in a way that we have not been since the start
of the Cold War. We saw what a handful of our enemies can do with
box-cutters and plane tickets. We hear their threats to launch even more
terrible attacks on our people. And we know that if they were able to get
their hands on weapons of mass destruction, they would use them against us.
We face an enemy determined to bring death and suffering into our homes.
America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over.
So do I. But the war is not over -- and it will not be over until either we
or the extremists emerge victorious. If we do not defeat these enemies now,
we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist
states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons. We are in a war
that will set the course for this new century -- and determine the destiny
of millions across the world.

For America, 9/11 was more than a tragedy -- it changed the way we look at
the world. On September the 11th, we resolved that we would go on the
offense against our enemies, and we would not distinguish between the
terrorists and those who harbor or support them. So we helped drive the
Taliban from power in Afghanistan. We put al Qaeda on the run, and killed
or captured most of those who planned the 9/11 attacks, including the man
believed to be the mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed. He and other
suspected terrorists have been questioned by the Central Intelligence
Agency, and they provided valuable information that has helped stop attacks
in America and across the world. Now these men have been transferred to
Guantanamo Bay, so they can be held to account for their actions. Osama bin
Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is
clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will
bring you to justice.

On September the 11th, we learned that America must confront threats before
they reach our shores, whether those threats come from terrorist networks
or terrorist states. I'm often asked why we're in Iraq when Saddam Hussein
was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The answer is that the regime of
Saddam Hussein was a clear threat. My administration, the Congress, and the
United Nations saw the threat -- and after 9/11, Saddam's regime posed a
risk that the world could not afford to take. The world is safer because
Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. And now the challenge is to help the
Iraqi people build a democracy that fulfills the dreams of the nearly 12
million Iraqis who came out to vote in free elections last December.

Al Qaeda and other extremists from across the world have come to Iraq to
stop the rise of a free society in the heart of the Middle East. They have
joined the remnants of Saddam's regime and other armed groups to foment
sectarian violence and drive us out. Our enemies in Iraq are tough and they
are committed -- but so are Iraqi and coalition forces. We're adapting to
stay ahead of the enemy, and we are carrying out a clear plan to ensure
that a democratic Iraq succeeds.

We're training Iraqi troops so they can defend their nation. We're helping
Iraq's unity government grow in strength and serve its people. We will not
leave until this work is done. Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq,
the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists
would leave us alone. They will not leave us alone. They will follow us.
The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets
of Baghdad. Osama bin Laden calls this fight "the Third World War" -- and
he says that victory for the terrorists in Iraq will mean America's "defeat
and disgrace forever." If we yield Iraq to men like bin Laden, our enemies
will be emboldened; they will gain a new safe haven; they will use Iraq's
resources to fuel their extremist movement. We will not allow this to
happen. America will stay in the fight. Iraq will be a free nation, and a
strong ally in the war on terror.

We can be confident that our coalition will succeed because the Iraqi
people have been steadfast in the face of unspeakable violence. And we can
be confident in victory because of the skill and resolve of America's Armed
Forces. Every one of our troops is a volunteer, and since the attacks of
September the 11th, more than 1.6 million Americans have stepped forward to
put on our nation's uniform. In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fronts in the
war on terror, the men and women of our military are making great
sacrifices to keep us safe. Some have suffered terrible injuries -- and
nearly 3,000 have given their lives. America cherishes their memory. We
pray for their families. And we will never back down from the work they
have begun.

We also honor those who toil day and night to keep our homeland safe, and
we are giving them the tools they need to protect our people. We've created
the Department of Homeland Security. We have torn down the wall that kept
law enforcement and intelligence from sharing information. We've tightened
security at our airports and seaports and borders, and we've created new
programs to monitor enemy bank records and phone calls. Thanks to the hard
work of our law enforcement and intelligence professionals, we have broken
up terrorist cells in our midst and saved American lives.

Five years after 9/11, our enemies have not succeeded in launching another
attack on our soil, but they've not been idle. Al Qaeda and those inspired
by its hateful ideology have carried out terrorist attacks in more than two
dozen nations. And just last month, they were foiled in a plot to blow up
passenger planes headed for the United States. They remain determined to
attack America and kill our citizens -- and we are determined to stop them.
We'll continue to give the men and women who protect us every resource and
legal authority they need to do their jobs.

In the first days after the 9/11 attacks I promised to use every element of
national power to fight the terrorists, wherever we find them. One of the
strongest weapons in our arsenal is the power of freedom. The terrorists
fear freedom as much as they do our firepower. They are thrown into panic
at the sight of an old man pulling the election lever, girls enrolling in
schools, or families worshiping God in their own traditions. They know that
given a choice, people will choose freedom over their extremist ideology.
So their answer is to deny people this choice by raging against the forces
of freedom and moderation. This struggle has been called a clash of
civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization. We are fighting
to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations. And we're fighting for
the possibility that good and decent people across the Middle East can
raise up societies based on freedom and tolerance and personal dignity.

We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom.
Amid the violence, some question whether the people of the Middle East want
their freedom, and whether the forces of moderation can prevail. For 60
years, these doubts guided our policies in the Middle East. And then, on a
bright September morning, it became clear that the calm we saw in the
Middle East was only a mirage. Years of pursuing stability to promote peace
had left us with neither. So we changed our policies, and committed
America's influence in the world to advancing freedom and democracy as the
great alternatives to repression and radicalism.

With our help, the people of the Middle East are now stepping forward to
claim their freedom. From Kabul to Baghdad to Beirut, there are brave men
and women risking their lives each day for the same freedoms that we enjoy.
And they have one question for us: Do we have the confidence to do in the
Middle East what our fathers and grandfathers accomplished in Europe and
Asia? By standing with democratic leaders and reformers, by giving voice to
the hopes of decent men and women, we're offering a path away from
radicalism. And we are enlisting the most powerful force for peace and
moderation in the Middle East: the desire of millions to be free.

Across the broader Middle East, the extremists are fighting to prevent such
a future. Yet America has confronted evil before, and we have defeated it
-- sometimes at the cost of thousands of good men in a single battle. When
Franklin Roosevelt vowed to defeat two enemies across two oceans, he could
not have foreseen D-Day and Iwo Jima -- but he would not have been
surprised at the outcome. When Harry Truman promised American support for
free peoples resisting Soviet aggression, he could not have foreseen the
rise of the Berlin Wall -- but he would not have been surprised to see it
brought down. Throughout our history, America has seen liberty challenged,
and every time, we have seen liberty triumph with sacrifice and
determination.

At the start of this young century, America looks to the day when the
people of the Middle East leave the desert of despotism for the fertile
gardens of liberty, and resume their rightful place in a world of peace and
prosperity. We look to the day when the nations of that region recognize
their greatest resource is not the oil in the ground, but the talent and
creativity of their people. We look to the day when moms and dads
throughout the Middle East see a future of hope and opportunity for their
children. And when that good day comes, the clouds of war will part, the
appeal of radicalism will decline, and we will leave our children with a
better and safer world.

On this solemn anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to this cause. Our
nation has endured trials, and we face a difficult road ahead. Winning this
war will require the determined efforts of a unified country, and we must
put aside our differences and work together to meet the test that history
has given us. We will defeat our enemies. We will protect our people. And
we will lead the 21st century into a shining age of human liberty.

Earlier this year, I traveled to the United States Military Academy. I was
there to deliver the commencement address to the first class to arrive at
West Point after the attacks of September the 11th. That day I met a proud
mom named RoseEllen Dowdell. She was there to watch her son, Patrick,
accept his commission in the finest Army the world has ever known. A few
weeks earlier, RoseEllen had watched her other son, James, graduate from
the Fire Academy in New York City. On both these days, her thoughts turned
to someone who was not there to share the moment: her husband, Kevin
Dowdell. Kevin was one of the 343 firefighters who rushed to the burning
towers of the World Trade Center on September the 11th -- and never came
home. His sons lost their father that day, but not the passion for service
he instilled in them. Here is what RoseEllen says about her boys: "As a
mother, I cross my fingers and pray all the time for their safety -- but as
worried as I am, I'm also proud, and I know their dad would be, too."

Our nation is blessed to have young Americans like these -- and we will
need them. Dangerous enemies have declared their intention to destroy our
way of life. They're not the first to try, and their fate will be the same
as those who tried before. Nine-Eleven showed us why. The attacks were
meant to bring us to our knees, and they did, but not in the way the
terrorists intended. Americans united in prayer, came to the aid of
neighbors in need, and resolved that our enemies would not have the last
word. The spirit of our people is the source of America's strength. And we
go forward with trust in that spirit, confidence in our purpose, and faith
in a loving God who made us to be free.

Thank you, and may God bless you.

END 9:18 P.M. EDT
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