McClellan: "Bush recognizes responsibility to keep America informed"

Bush_Eats_Beef

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Mon Jun-27-05 03:49 PM
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McClellan: "Bush recognizes responsibility to keep America informed"

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/06/20050627-3.html

MR. MCCLELLAN: Iraq is a top concern on the mind's of the American people. Tomorrow night, they're going to have the opportunity to hear directly from the Commander-in-Chief. The President recognizes one of his most important responsibilities during a time of war is to keep the American people informed about the situation. So tomorrow night the American people have the opportunity to hear from their Commander-in-Chief about the nature of the enemy we face in Iraq, the situation on the ground and the way forward to victory.

In a time of testing like this, it's important to let our troops know that the American people stand firmly with them as they seek to complete the mission. So the President looks forward to going to Fort Bragg tomorrow night to speak before the men and women who have been on the front lines in the war on terrorism. This is a time of testing. It is a critical moment in Iraq. The terrorists are seeking to shake our will and weaken our resolve. They know that they cannot win unless we abandon the mission before it is complete.

Tomorrow also marks the one-year anniversary since we transferred sovereignty back to the rightful owners -- the Iraqi people. In that time period we have made significant progress: elections have taken place; more than 8 million Iraqis showed up at the polls and defied the terrorists and elected a representative government to serve during the transition to democracy. That transitional government selected the leaders to oversee that transition period. And they have been working on drafting the constitution. They have reached an agreement to have an inclusive process that includes all communities in Iraq.

The international community has been standing strongly behind the Iraqi people over this time period. Just last week there was a very successful international conference where some 80 nations came together to show their support for the Iraqi people.

There are difficulties and dangers that remain. There is going to be tough fighting in the days and weeks ahead, as the President has talked about. He will talk about the nature of the enemy, as I mentioned. The terrorists have no regard for human life. They have no vision and no alternative but chaos, destruction and violence. It is a determined and ruthless enemy that has chosen to make Iraq a central front in the war on terrorism. They know that their survival is at stake. Iraq -- a free and peaceful Iraq will be a major blow to the ambitions of the terrorists.

And every step of the way, these terrorists have failed to stop the progress on the political front. They have failed to stop the Iraqi people from moving forward on holding elections and electing a representative government. They have failed to stop the Iraqi people from signing up to serve in the security forces. And they failed to stop the transfer of sovereignty just one year ago, as well, on the time schedule that was outlined.

Tomorrow, the President will also talk about the strategy for success. He will talk in a very specific way about the way forward. There is a clear path to victory. It is a two-track strategy: there is the military and political track. On the military front, it's important to continue training and equipping the Iraqi security forces so that they're able to defend themselves, and then our troops can return home with the honor that they deserve. And then there is the political track. The Iraqi people are showing that they're determined to build a free and democratic and peaceful future, and we must continue to do all we can to support them as they build a lasting democracy.

So the President looks forward to speaking to the American people tomorrow night. You will hear from him in much greater detail, but I wanted to give you a little bit of a preview to begin with. And with that, I'll be glad to go to your questions.

Q Scott, are there new details in the strategy for success? Is there a new direction, or is the President basically summing up what he has said before?

MR. McCLELLAN: As I said, this is a new speech. And the President will be talking in a very specific way about the strategy for succeeding in Iraq. And he will talk about the two-track strategy that we have in place. He touched on it a little bit last week; he's touched on it in -- many times over recent weeks. But this is going to be the President talking about it in a very specific way, about where we are for succeeding and where we are in implementing that strategy.

Q Well, I guess what I'm asking is, are people going to hear things they haven't heard the President say before? Are there new details?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think many Americans have not heard much of what the President has to say tomorrow night. And the American people are rightly concerned about where we are in Iraq. That's a top priority for this country; it's a top priority for the President of the United States. The American people want to see our troops return home, but I think they understand the importance of succeeding in Iraq. And the President will talk about that in his remarks. I think we all want to see the troops come home sooner than later, and the way to get our troops home is to complete the mission.

Our troops, as General Abizaid was talking about over the weekend, understand the importance of the mission that they are working to complete. This is critical to winning the war on terrorism. A free Iraq will deal a major blow to the terrorists and their ideology of hatred and oppression.

Q The question is, is there a new direction, though, or not?

MR. McCLELLAN: You're going to hear from the President tomorrow night. I think we have a clear strategy for success. He's going to be talking in a very specific way about what that strategy is. It's an opportunity for the American people to hear about the strategy. We've all seen on the TV screens the images of bloodshed and violence. They are disturbing. The President is disturbed by those images. The terrorists have inflicted great suffering. There have been tremendous sacrifices. But the cause for which we are in Iraq is an important one, and there is great progress being made on the ground.

The terrorists' only alternative is to spread violence and chaos and destruction because they know that when a free Iraq takes hold, a democratic Iraq, that it will be a major defeat for their ambitions. You've heard terrorists talk publicly about the importance of trying to stop the progress that is being made in Iraq.

Q Isn't the message really more patience? Isn't that really what the President is going to be requesting, something he's --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think if you go back to September 11th -- remember, on September 11th the threats of the 21st century were brought to our shores. We saw in a very clear way the threats that we face on that day.

And the President said shortly after the attacks of September 11th that this is a long struggle that we're going to be in, that this is a different kind of war, one which we have never seen before. And we do face a determined and ruthless enemy, an enemy that has no regard for innocent human life. That's the nature of the enemy that we're up against. That's the nature of the enemy that the President will be talking about in his remarks tomorrow night.

And the President made it clear after September 11th that some will want us to grow complacent and forget about, or put the attacks off as a distant memory. But it does require patience and resolve to see this struggle through to the end. We have no option but to defeat the terrorists, and the terrorists will be defeated.