State of the Union AddressesBush, George W. (George Walker)
History
State of the Union Addresses
Bush, George W. (George Walker)
Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
America is on the offensive against the terrorists who started this
war. Last March, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a mastermind of September
11th, awoke to find himself in the custody of U.S. and Pakistani
authorities. Last August 11th brought the capture of the terrorist
Hambali, who was a key player in the attack in Indonesia that killed
over 200 people. We are tracking al-Qaida around the world - and nearly
two-thirds of their known leaders have now been captured or killed.
Thousands of very skilled and determined military personnel are on a
manhunt, going after the remaining killers who hide in cities and caves
- and, one by one, we will bring the terrorists to justice.
As part of the offensive against terror, we are also confronting the
regimes that harbor and support terrorists, and could supply them with
nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. The United States and our
allies are determined: We refuse to live in the shadow of this ultimate
danger.
The first to see our determination were the Taliban, who made
Afghanistan the primary training base of al-Qaida killers. As of this
month, that country has a new constitution, guaranteeing free elections
and full participation by women. Businesses are opening, health care
centers are being established, and the boys and girls of Afghanistan
are back in school. With help from the new Afghan Army, our coalition
is leading aggressive raids against surviving members of the Taliban
and al-Qaida. The men and women of Afghanistan are building a nation
that is free, and proud, and fighting terror - and America is honored
to be their friend.
Since we last met in this chamber, combat forces of the United States,
Great Britain, Australia, Poland, and other countries enforced the
demands of the United Nations, ended the rule of Saddam Hussein - and
the people of Iraq are free. Having broken the Baathist regime, we face
a remnant of violent Saddam supporters. Men who ran away from our
troops in battle are now dispersed and attack from the shadows.
These killers, joined by foreign terrorists, are a serious, continuing
danger. Yet we are making progress against them. The once all-powerful
ruler of Iraq was found in a hole, and now sits in a prison cell. Of
the top 55 officials of the former regime, we have captured or killed
45. Our forces are on the offensive, leading over 1,600 patrols a day,
and conducting an average of 180 raids every week. We are dealing with
these thugs in Iraq, just as surely as we dealt with Saddam Hussein's
evil regime.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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