Remarks by President Bush on the War on
Terror
Elmendorf Air Force Base
Monday November 14, 7:21 pm ET
Thank you for the warm welcome. Laura and I were here in the
neighborhood ... so we thought we would drop in on our Nation's 'Arctic
Warriors'. Arctic warriors is right. Jeez, it sure is cold up here. I just
saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets.
Any armed forces here? Aha, thought so. You know, this is
a real coincidence... The audience was full of members of the military the
last time I spoke... And the time before that... But seriously, we are proud
to stand with the courageous airmen of Echsenmorf Air Force Base ... the
ladies and gentlemen of the Alaskan Command. Okay, I know you didn't have
any choice, but thanks for coming out to say hello on this frosty day.
It sure is great to be back in Alaska, but holy moly, it's
mighty cold here. I understand that the town flasher just describes his
penis. Now that's chilly. Hey, this is a real homecoming for me -- I believe
that I am the only President to have ever lived in Alaska. If you can call
it living, bada bing. I worked in Fairbanks in the summer of 1974. Okay, it
wasn't really working... Laura can tell you that I just made a wrong turn at
Oklahoma and wouldn't stop for directions.
But anyway, I have come to Alaska to tell you:
The American people are grateful for your service -- and so is your
Commander in Chief Dick Cheney. We had to stop Air Force I for refueling and
I wanted one last chance to try and deceive the American people before I go
off and spoil our relations with the Orientals. Heh heh, just kidding.
Anyone of the Asian persuasion here tonight? I thought not - they're all
smart enough to stay in school. Heh, heh. I kid because I love.
Let me take a moment to talk about a topic that's very
near and dear to me. On September 11th, 2001, history called on our Nation
to defend freedom once again. Everybody sing along. We saw the terrorists'
destructive vision for us and for all who love freedom. And in the face of
this threat, I made a clear choice, one that I've made over and over again,
with great steadfastness and... uh, some of you folks aren't singing. Come
on, team. We will stay on the offensive. We will not wait to be attacked
again. We will press on until this war...
[Ed. note: It was so cold that our correspondent had to
step into a meat locker just to warm up. Transcript resumes below.]
...hitchhikers were holding up pictures of their thumbs.
So called reasonable people can disagree about the conduct
of the war -Â but it is irresponsible for Democrats to now claim that we
misled them and the American people. Can you believe the things that come
out of those mouths? It's insane. Leaders in my Administration and members
of Congress from both parties looked at some of the same intelligence on
Iraq as I did, and reached the conclusion that Saddam Hussein was a threat.
They did! You remember. Don't let them rewrite history before it's even
wrote.
Let me give you quotes from three senior Democrats: First,
quote, this one from Senator Botox Face. "There is unmistakable evidence
that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons." End
quote. Here's another one, quote, from that Clinton woman. "The war against
terrorism will not be finished as long as [Saddam Hussein] is in power." End
quote. Now, I want you to know that I had to insert the words Saddam Hussein
in there, because Blondielocks was afraid to even utter the name. And here's
the way another Democratic leader... hey. Hey! Who threw that snowball? Code
white! Code white! Ouch!
That is just plain unrespectful, a sign of the troubling
confused logic that would cause a... Secret service has got 'em, I see.
Coupla food service workers, looks like to me. Else someone is way
out of uniform. I'm surprised you all've got Mexicans all the way up here. I
thought it'd be too cold for them. Why it's so cold up here that all the
dogs are getting stuck to fire hydrants.
Some of our elected leaders have opposed this war all
along. That's just plain cuckoo. And I disagree with them, but I
respect their willingness to take a consistent stand. Cause consistency is
important to me, and it's important to the nation. If they had changed their
minds and started to agree with me it could throw the whole universe out of
whack.
But some Democrats who voted to authorize the use of force
are now rewriting the past. They ramble on with their 'new facts' and their
'big insights' as though my war were nothing more than some kind of movie
show. I call them what they are - 'mind changers'. They are playing politics
with this issue and sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy. That
is irresponsible, and they deserve to be smacked upside of the head by all
good Americans. Our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in
Washington, our will is strong, our nation is united, and we will settle for
nothing less than victory. Although a hot cup of coffee would be nice, too.
Thank you for your service in freedom's cause. God bless
all those who serve our Nation, and all those who love them.
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