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Text
of George W. Bush Speech
(March 17, 2003)
My
fellow citizens, events in Iraq have now reached the final days of
decision.
For
more than a decade, the United States and other nations have pursued
patient and honorable efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime without
war. That regime pledged to reveal and destroy all of its weapons of
mass destruction as a condition for ending the Persian Gulf war in
1991.
Since
then, the world has engaged in 12 years of diplomacy. We have passed
more than a dozen resolutions in the United Nations Security
Council. We have sent hundreds of weapons inspectors to oversee the
disarmament of Iraq.
Our
good faith has not been returned. The Iraqi regime has used
diplomacy as a ploy to gain time and advantage. It has uniformly
defied Security Council resolutions demanding full disarmament.
Over
the years, UN weapons inspectors have been threatened by Iraqi
officials, electronically bugged and systematically deceived.
Peaceful efforts to disarm the Iraq regime have failed again and
again because we are not dealing with peaceful men.
Intelligence
gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq
regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal
weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of mass
destruction against Iraq's neighbors and against Iraq's people.
The
regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. It
has a deep hatred of America and our friends, and it has aided,
trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of Al Qaeda.
The
danger is clear: Using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear
weapons obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill
their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands
of innocent people in our country or any other.
The
United States and other nations did nothing to deserve or invite
this threat, but we will do everything to defeat it. Instead of
drifting along toward tragedy, we will set a course toward safety.
Before
the day of horror can come, before it is too late to act, this
danger will be removed.
The
United States of America has the sovereign authority to use force in
assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me as
commander in chief by the oath I have sworn, by the oath I will
keep.
Recognizing
the threat to our country, the United States Congress voted
overwhelmingly last year to support the use of force against Iraq.
America
tried to work with the United Nations to address this threat because
we wanted to resolve the issue peacefully. We believe in the mission
of the United Nations.
One
reason the UN was founded after the Second World War was to confront
aggressive dictators actively and early, before they can attack the
innocent and destroy the peace.
In
the case of Iraq, the Security Council did act in the early 1990s.
Under Resolutions 678 and 687, both still in effect, the United
States and our allies are authorized to use force in ridding Iraq of
weapons of mass destruction.
This
is not a question of authority; it is a question of will.
Last
September, I went to the UN General Assembly and urged the nations
of the world to unite and bring an end to this danger. On Nov. 8,
the Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1441, finding
Iraq in material breach of its obligations and vowing serious
consequences if Iraq did not fully and immediately disarm.
Today,
no nation can possibly claim that Iraq has disarmed. And it will not
disarm so long as Saddam Hussein holds power.
For
the last 4 1/2 months, the United States and our allies have worked
within the Security Council to enforce that council's long-standing
demands. Yet some permanent members of the Security Council have
publicly announced that they will veto any resolution that compels
the disarmament of Iraq. These governments share our assessment of
the danger, but not our resolve to meet it.
Many
nations, however, do have the resolve and fortitude to act against
this threat to peace, and a broad coalition is now gathering to
enforce the just demands of the world.
The
United Nations Security Council has not lived up to its
responsibilities, so we will rise to ours.
In
recent days, some governments in the Middle East have been doing
their part. They have delivered public and private messages urging
the dictator to leave Iraq so that disarmament can proceed
peacefully.
He
has thus far refused.
All
the decades of deceit and cruelty have now reached an end. Saddam
Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal
to do so will result in military conflict commenced at a time of our
choosing.
For
their own safety, all foreign nationals, including journalists and
inspectors, should leave Iraq immediately.
Many
Iraqis can hear me tonight in a translated radio broadcast, and I
have a message for them: If we must begin a military campaign, it
will be directed against the lawless men who rule your country and
not against you.
As
our coalition takes away their power, we will deliver the food and
medicine you need.
We
will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you to build
a new Iraq that is prosperous and free.
In
free Iraq there will be no more wars of aggression against your
neighbors, no more poison factories, no more executions of
dissidents, no more torture chambers and rape rooms.
The
tyrant will soon be gone. The day of your liberation is near.
It
is too late for Saddam Hussein to remain in power. It is not too
late for the Iraq military to act with honor and protect your
country, by permitting the peaceful entry of coalition forces to
eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Our forces will give Iraqi
military units clear instructions on actions they can take to avoid
being attacked and destroyed.
I
urge every member of the Iraqi military and intelligence services:
If war comes, do not fight for a dying regime that is not worth your
own life.
And
all Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen carefully to
this warning: In any conflict, your fate will depend on your
actions. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs
to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass
destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes
will be prosecuted, war criminals will be punished and it will be no
defense to say, "I was just following orders."
Should
Saddam Hussein choose confrontation, the American people can know
that every measure has been taken to avoid war and every measure
will be taken to win it.
Americans
understand the costs of conflict because we have paid them in the
past. War has no certainty except the certainty of sacrifice.
Yet
the only way to reduce the harm and duration of war is to apply the
full force and might of our military, and we are prepared to do so.
If
Saddam Hussein attempts to cling to power, he will remain a deadly
foe until the end.
In
desperation, he and terrorist groups might try to conduct terrorist
operations against the American people and our friends. These
attacks are not inevitable. They are, however, possible.
And
this very fact underscores the reason we cannot live under the
threat of blackmail. The terrorist threat to America and the world
will be diminished the moment that Saddam Hussein is disarmed.
Our
government is on heightened watch against these dangers. Just as we
are preparing to ensure victory in Iraq, we are taking further
actions to protect our homeland.
Text
of George W. Bush Speech
March
17, 2003
In
recent days, American authorities have expelled from the country
certain individuals with ties to Iraqi intelligence services.
Among
other measures, I have directed additional security at our airports
and increased Coast Guard patrols of major seaports. The Department
of Homeland Security is working closely with the nation's governors
to increase armed security at critical facilities across America.
Should
enemies strike our country, they would be attempting to shift our
attention with panic and weaken our morale with fear. In this, they
would fail.
No
act of theirs can alter the course or shake the resolve of this
country. We are a peaceful people, yet we are not a fragile people.
And we will not be intimidated by thugs and killers.
If
our enemies dare to strike us, they and all who have aided them will
face fearful consequences.
We
are now acting because the risks of inaction would be far greater.
In one year, or five years, the power of Iraq to inflict harm on all
free nations would be multiplied many times over.
With
these capabilities, Saddam Hussein and his terrorist allies could
choose the moment of deadly conflict when they are strongest. We
choose to meet that threat now where it arises, before it can appear
suddenly in our skies and cities.
The
cause of peace requires all free nations to recognize new and
undeniable realities. In the 20th Century, some chose to appease
murderous dictators whose threats were allowed to grow into genocide
and global war.
In
this century, when evil men plot chemical, biological and nuclear
terror, a policy of appeasement could bring destruction of a kind
never before seen on this Earth. Terrorists and terrorist states do
not reveal these threats with fair notice in formal declarations.
And
responding to such enemies only after they have struck first is not
self-defense. It is suicide. The security of the world requires
disarming Saddam Hussein now.
As
we enforce the just demands of the world, we will also honor the
deepest commitments of our country.
Unlike
Saddam Hussein, we believe the Iraqi people are deserving and
capable of human liberty, and when the dictator has departed, they
can set an example to all the Middle East of a vital and peaceful
and self-governing nation.
The
United States with other countries will work to advance liberty and
peace in that region. Our goal will not be achieved overnight, but
it can come over time. The power and appeal of human liberty is felt
in every life and every land, and the greatest power of freedom is
to overcome hatred and violence, and turn the creative gifts of men
and women to the pursuits of peace. That is the future we choose.
Free
nations have a duty to defend our people by uniting against the
violent, and tonight, as we have done before, America and our allies
accept that responsibility.
Good
night, and may God continue to bless America.
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