George W. Bush on Homeland Security President of the United States, Former Republican Governor (TX)

Sub-sections under Homeland Security:
• Military Personnel
• Missile Defense
• War on Terror
• Other issues under Homeland Security

FactCheck: Wiretapping authority foiled no terrorist plots

The London plot, however, was actually broken up in August 2006 by British law enforcement, according to news accounts at the time and also according to Bush himself. If wiretaps by US officials played any role, no administration official has yet said so publicly, despite plenty of opportunity.

To be sure, at other times Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff has said there was some involvement by the US, though he has yet to say what that role was. We find no public claim that the special wiretap program secretly authorized by Pres. Bush after the 2001 terrorist attacks had anything to do with foiling the plot.

War on Terror is a decisive ideological struggle

This war is more than a clash of arms--it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our nation is in the balance. To prevail, we must remove the conditions that inspire blind hatred, and drove 19 men to get onto airplanes and come to kill us. What every terrorist fears most is human freedom. Free people are not drawn to violent and malignant ideologies--and most will choose a better way when they are given a chance. So we advance our own security interests by helping moderates, reformers, and brave voices for democracy. The great question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all humanity. And I say, for the sake of our own security--we must.

92,000 more in Armed Forces; plus Civilian Reserve Corps

One of the first steps we can take together is to add to the ranks of our military--so that the American Armed Forces are ready for all the challenges ahead. Tonight I ask the Congress to authorize an increase in the size of our active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next five years. A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. And it would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time.

Signing statement: Only president decides which intel to use

Aug. 5, 2004: The military cannot add to its files any illegally gathered intelligence, including information obtained about Americans in violation of the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches.

Bush's signing statement: Only the president, as commander in chief, can tell the military whether or not it can use any specific piece of intelligence.

FactCheck: Yes, there are more democracies now, but not Iraq

The President's numbers come from Freedom House, a nonprofit group that tracks levels of democracy and freedom around the globe. In 1945, there were about two dozen lonely democracies in the world. Today, there are 122. And we're writing a new chapter in the story of self-government -- with women lining up to vote in Afghanistan, and millions of Iraqis marking their liberty with purple ink, and men and women from Lebanon to Egypt debating the rights of individuals and the necessity of freedom.

Support democratic reform across the broader Middle East

Post-WWII world has grown from 24 lonely democracies to 122

Has used Patriot Act to thwart several terrorist attacks

The better course of action would be to disempower terrorists by denying them funding. In the near term, the Bush administration has shown a willingness to adopt measures to close down charities that pass their donations to terrorists; these have been effective. In the long term, however, the only way to avoid living under a cloud of Islamic fundamentalist terrorist is to stop buying foreign oil.

We are not going to have a draft

A: We're not going to have a draft, period. The all-volunteer Army works. It works particularly when we pay our troops well, it works when we make sure they've got housing, like we have done in the last military budgets. An all-volunteer Army is best-suited to fight the new wars of the 21st century, which is to be specialized and to find these people as they hide around the world. We don't need mass armies anymore. We're beginning to transform our military, and by that I mean we're moving troops out of Korea and replacing them with more effective weapons. So, the answer to your question is, we're withdrawing, not from the world, we're withdrawing manpower so they can be stationed here in America so there's less rotation so life is easier on their families and, therefore, more likely to be - we'll be more likely to be able to keep people in the all-volunteer Army.

We've tripled the homeland security budget

BUSH: We've tripled the homeland security budget from $10 to $30 billion. We'll do everything we can to protect the homeland. We need good intelligence. Right after 1993 he voted to cut the intelligence budget by $7.5 billion.

KERRY: Pres. Bush just said to you that we've added money. The test is not if you've added money. The test is have you done everything possible to make America secure. He chose a tax cut for wealthy Americans over the things that I listed to you.

Decreased funding for dealing with nuclear proliferation

BUSH: We've decreased funding for dealing with nuclear proliferation about 35% since I've been the president. The biggest threat facing this country is weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist network. And that's why proliferation is one of the centerpieces of a multi-prong strategy to make the country safer. Over 60 nations involved with disrupting the trans-shipment of information and/or weapons of mass destruction materials.

Bush’s stated military service record is incorrect

In fact, Bush only flew from June 1970 until April 1972. That month he ceased flying altogether, two years before his military commitment ended, an unusual step that has left some veteran fighter pilots puzzled.

A group of Vietnam veterans recently offered a $3,500 reward for anyone who can verify Bush’s claim that he performed service at a Montgomery air guard unit in 1972, when Bush was temporarily in Alabama working on a political campaign. So far, no one has come forward.

A Bush campaign spokesman acknowledged last week that he knows of no witnesses who can attest to Bush’s attendance at drills after he returned to Houston in late 1972 and before his early release from the Guard in September 1973.

AWOL in Air Guard? Maybe not, but didn’t meet obligations

The Bush campaign’s initial explanation for the lapse “incomplete records,” it now admits, was wrong. An Air Reserve official said last week that they now believe that Bush met minimum drill requirements before his discharge.

The result is that Bush’s discharge was “honorable.” Other current and retired Air Force officers said Bush’s military records are much like those of countless other Guardsmen at the time: guardsmen who lost interest in their units, and commanders who found it easier to muster them out than hold them to a commitment many made to avoid Vietnam.

Opposed Somalia intervention when it became nation-building

Be world’s peacemaker instead of world’s policeman

Rebuild military so it can fulfill mission to prevent war

Bush says military not ready; Pentagon disagrees

Post-Vietnam: just cause; clear goal; overwhelming victory

I will work to reduce nuclear weapons and nuclear tension in the world -- to turn these years of influence into decades of peace. And my administration will deploy missile defenses to guard against attack and blackmail. Now is the time, not to defend outdated treaties, but to defend the American people.

Lowest possible number of nukes consistent with security

Use arms to defend Europe, Far East, Mideast, & Panama

US military is key to preserving world peace

Increased military pay by 4% per year

$400M for renovating and improving military housing

Focus on mobility and swiftness, not size of military

The best way to keep the peace is to redefine war on our terms. We have begun a comprehensive review of the US military, the state of our strategy, the structure of our forces, the priorities of our budget. I have given a broad mandate to challenge the status quo as we design a new architecture for the defense of America. We will modernize some existing weapons and equipment, a task we have neglected for too long, but we will do this judiciously and selectively. Our goal is to move beyond marginal improvements to harness new technologies that will support a new strategy.

Spend money on soldiers before sending them to hot spots

GORE: The US has to be strong in order to promote peace and stability. We need to make sure that our personnel are adequately paid and that their pay is comparable to the competition from the private sector. I have supported the largest pay raise in many a year. I support another one now. I also support modernization of our tactical weaponry. I think one of the ways we’ve been able to be so successful in Kosovo and other places is by having the technological edge. Now, readiness. I propose $100 billion for this purpose.

BUSH: We have an opportunity to use the great technology of the United States to make our military lighter, harder to find, more lethal. We have an opportunity to keep the peace. I’m going to ask the secretary of defense to develop a plan so we’re making sure we’re not spending our money on political projects, but on projects to make sure our soldiers are well-paid, well-housed and have the best equipment in the world.

Gays in military OK; “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” OK

A: I support the current ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy crafted by General Colin Powell regarding homosexuals in the military. We are blessed and fortunate to have had so many men and women fight so valiantly for our liberties in America. I respect and admire anyone who has served in any branch of our military and put his or her life on the line for our freedom.

Better equipment, better training, and better pay

$1B more for salary; $20B more for R&D for new weapons

To improve America’s military, Governor Bush will:
• Improve troop morale [via] better pay, better treatment and better training. [Bush would add] a billion dollars in salary increases, and renovate military housing that is sub-standard.
• Invest in research and development by at least $20 billion over the next five years, 20% [of which] must be spent for purchasing next generation weapons. Source: Press Release, “Improving Troop Morale” May 31, 2000

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  George W. Bush on Missile Defense

  Missile defense protects America

  Another way to help protect America in the long run is to continue with missile defenses. We've got a robust research and development program that has been ongoing during my administration. We'll be implementing a missile-defense system relatively quickly. Source: First Bush-Kerry debate, Miami FL Sep 30, 2004

  Missile defense for security, not for military advantage

  During the 2000 campaign, President Bush said, "America's development of a missile defense is a search for security, not a search for advantage." The President is committed to developing effective missile defenses based on the best available technologies, to be deployed at the earliest possible date. These defenses will be designed to protect our deployed forces abroad, all 50 States, and our friends and allies overseas. Source: Campaign website, www.georgewbush.com Aug 30, 2003

  Withdrew from ABM Treaty; now $9B for missile defense

  In December 2001, following months of negotiations and discussions with Russia, the US provided a formal six-month notice that it was withdrawing from the ABM Treaty. The President's FY04 Budget provides over $9 billion to begin the deployment of defenses against long-range ballistic missile threats, including new interceptors to be deployed over the next two years. Source: Campaign website, www.georgewbush.com Aug 30, 2003

  Listens to Europeans on SDI, but “intent on the right thing”

  As he talked with NATO leaders today, Bush was careful in many ways to project an awareness of European concerns about a missile defense shield, and a willingness to address them. Referring to European worries that the US was poised to go it alone on several issues of common concern, Bush said, “Unilateralists don’t come around the table to listen to others and to share opinion.” He said any new approach to security must “include greater nonproliferation and counterproliferation efforts.” He vowed to “reach out to Russian leaders,” indicating his recognition of the importance that some European leaders attach to Russian consent before a missile system is built.

  But at the same time, Bush seemed to be serving notice that he planned to do what he wanted to do, and that his intention in talking to European allies was largely to bring them around to his point of view, not to alter his own. “I’m intent upon doing what I think is the right thing in order to make the world more peaceful,” he said.

  Source: Frank Bruni, NY Times Jun 14, 2001

  The defenses we build must protect us all: include allies

  We must prepare our nations against the dangers of a new era. The grave threat from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons has not gone away with the cold war, it has evolved into many separate threats, some of them harder to see and harder to answer, and the adversaries seeking these tools of terror are less predictable, more diverse.

  With advanced technology, we must confront the threats that come on a missile. With shared intelligence and enforcement, we must confront the threats that come in a shipping container or in a suitcase. We have no higher priority than the defense of our people against terrorist attack. To succeed, America knows we must work with our allies. We did not prevail together in the cold war only to go our separate ways, pursuing separate plans with separate technologies. The dangers ahead confront us all. The defenses we build must protect us all.

  Source: Speech at Joint Forces Command headquarters, Norfolk, VA Feb 14, 2001

  SDI: think beyond Cold War, but convince Europe & Russia

  Q: With the failure of the missile-defense test, are you still convinced we should move quickly to build a defensive shield?

  A: Yes, we need to move ahead. I hope I can convince Mr. Putin and the Europeans. I talked to [Russian Foreign Minister Igor] Ivanov about it, and I talked to him point-blank. I said here we are still trying to get out of a cold war mind-set. Please tell Mr. Putin I am willing to think differently. [Ivanov] talked about the new threats of outlaw nations, those are his words.

  Source: Interview with Time Magazine, CNN.com/Time.com Aug 1, 2000

  Post-Cold War: remove weapons & high-alert; build SDI

  Two weeks before President Clinton travels to Moscow for a US-Russia summit, Bush called for unilateral reductions in America’s nuclear arsenal at the same time as the US moves ahead with a robust national missile-defense system. Bush refused to say how many more weapons he would cut; nor did he say what the US could do to calm Russia’s fears of a new multibillion-dollar race to build anti-missile systems.

  Bush accused Clinton and Gore of being “locked in a Cold War mentality.” Bush said, “The premises of Cold War nuclear targeting should no longer dictate the size of our arsenal.” He also said the US should “remove as many weapons as possible from high-alert, hair-trigger status.”

  Bush was hesitant to use the politically-charged word “unilateral” when calling for reductions, saying instead that the US should “lead by example,” and that he would “work closely with the Russians to convince them to do the same.”

  Source: Carla Anne Robbins, Wall Street Journal, p. A4 May 24, 2000

  Russia: jointly reduce missiles; but no joint SDI

  Bush offered as a precedent [for “leading by example” in nuclear diarmament] his father’s 1991 decision to unilaterally pull back all US short-range nuclear weapons from Europe and Asia, a move that was quickly matched and raised by then-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

  Notably, Bush shied away from another of his father’s 1991 proposals: that Russia join the US and its allies in building missile defenses, a move intended to overcome Moscow’s fierce objections to the program. Bush said yesterday that his willingness to share technology would “depend on how Russia behaves.”

  Bush’s proposal is still a significant break with many in his own party’s leadership, who argue that the US can have missile defenses and maintain large numbers of nuclear weapons. It was a clear attempt to rebut recent charges by Clinton & Gore that Bush is trapped in Cold War thinking.

  Source: Carla Anne Robbins, Wall Street Journal, p. A4 May 24, 2000

  SDI needed for defense against rogue states & terrorists

  There’s broad agreement that our nation needs a new approach to nuclear security that matches a new era. When it comes to nuclear weapons, the world has changed faster than US policy. The emerging security threats to the United States, to its friends and allies, and even to Russia, now come from rogue states, terrorist groups and other adversaries seeking weapons of mass destruction. It is time to leave the Cold War behind. America must build effective missile defenses based on the best available options at the earliest possible date. It is possible to build a missile defense and diffuse confrontation with Russia. America should do both. I will never reduce the levels of the nuclear stockpile of the US to a position where we jeopardize our safety and security. And no, I don’t support the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Source: National Press Club, part of “Renewing America’s Purpose” May 23, 2000

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  George W. Bush on War on Terror

  9/11: The people who attacked us will hear from us soon

  After the 9/11 memorial service in Washington, Hillary went to New York, as did Bush. At Ground Zero, Bush made his iconic appearance, rallying rescue workers and telling the crowd through a bullhorn, "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." Hillary stood nearby and cheered the president's vow. Source: Her Way, by Jeff Gerth & Don Van Natta, p.235 Jun 8, 2007

  Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists

  On September 20, Pres. Bush addressed a joint session of Congress. He formally identified Al Qaeda as the perpetrator of the September 11 attacks. "Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists," Bush declared. "From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the US as a hostile regime." Nearly a dozen times during the speech, cameras showed Hillary rolling her eyes, clapping without enthusiasm, or shaking her head while occasionally guffawing. Source: Her Way, by Jeff Gerth & Don Van Natta, p.235 Jun 8, 2007

  OK to waive torture ban if terrorist attack prevented

  President Bush has issued signing statements on more than 750 new laws, instructing federal agencies on his interpretation of Congressional laws. Example:

  Dec. 30, 2005: US interrogators cannot torture prisoners or otherwise subject them to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.

  Bush's signing statement: The president, as commander in chief, can waive the torture ban if he decides that harsh interrogation techniques will assist in preventing terrorist attacks.

  Source: Boston Globe analysis of presidential signing statements Apr 30, 2006

  Military lawyers subject to White House legal conclusions

  Pres. Bush issued this signing statement instructing federal agencies on his interpretation of Congressional laws:

  Oct. 29, 2004: Defense Dept. personnel are prohibited from interfering with the ability of military lawyers to give independent legal advice to their commanders.

  Bush's signing statement: All military attorneys are bound to follow legal conclusions reached by the administration's lawyers in the Justice Department and the Pentagon when giving advice to their commanders.

  Source: Boston Globe analysis of presidential signing statements Apr 30, 2006

  For long-term peace, end conditions that feed radicalism

  In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds for terror, and that terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades. The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom.

  Our enemies know this, and that is why the terrorist Zarqawi recently declared war on what he called the "evil principle" of democracy. And we've declared our own intention: America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. Because democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to peace.

  Source: 2005 State of the Union Speech Feb 2, 2005

  FactCheck: Bush initially opposed dept. of homeland security

  BUSH: My administration worked with the congress to create the department of homeland security.

  FACT CHECK: Bush overstated matters. In fact, Bush opposed creation of the separate department for nearly nine months before turning around and supporting it.

  Source: Analysis of first Bush-Kerry debate (FactCheck.org) Oct 1, 2004

  Saddam Hussein now sits in a prison cell and we are safer

  75% of known Al Qaida leaders have been brought to justice. The rest of them know we're after them. We've upheld the doctrine that said if you harbor a terrorist, you're equally as guilty as the terrorist. The Taliban are no longer in power. Ten million people have registered to vote in Afghanistan. In Iraq, we saw a threat, and we realized after 9/11, we must take threats seriously, before they fully materialize. Saddam Hussein now sits in a prison cell. America and the world are safer for it. Source: First Bush-Kerry debate, Miami FL Sep 30, 2004

  Stay on the offensive and spread liberty to defeat terrorism

  This nation has got a solemn duty to defeat this ideology of hate. And that's what they are. This is a group of killers who will not only kill here, but kill children in Russia, that'll attack unmercifully in Iraq, hoping to shake our will. We have a duty to defeat this enemy. We have a duty to protect our children & grandchildren. The best way to defeat them is to never waver, to be strong, to use every asset at our disposal, to constantly stay on the offensive and, at the same time, spread liberty. Source: First Bush-Kerry debate, Miami FL Sep 30, 2004

  Make sure we keep weapons out of the hands of Al Qaida

  We're facing a group of folks who have such hatred in their heart, they'll strike anywhere, with any means. And that's why it's essential that we have strong alliances, and we do. That's why it's essential that we make sure that we keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of people like Al Qaida, which we are. But to say that there's only one focus on the war on terror doesn't really understand the nature of the war on terror. Of course we're after Saddam Hussein -- I mean bin Laden. Source: First Bush-Kerry debate, Miami FL Sep 30, 2004

  We have to be right 100 percent of the time to fight terror

  We have to be right 100 percent of the time. And the enemy only has to be right once to hurt us. We've also changed the culture of the FBI to have counterterrorism as its number one priority. We're communicating better. We're going to reform our intelligence services to make sure that we get the best intelligence possible. The Patriot Act is vital - is vital that the Congress renew the Patriot Act which enables our law enforcement to disrupt terror cells. Source: First Bush-Kerry debate, Miami FL Sep 30, 2004

  We have tripled the amount of money on homeland security

  BUSH: My administration has tripled the amount of money we're spending on homeland security to $30 billion a year. My administration worked with the Congress to create the Department of Homeland Security so we could better coordinate our borders & ports. We've got 1,000 extra border patrol on the southern border; want 1,000 on the northern border. We're modernizing our borders. We spent $3.1 billion for fire & police. But the best way to protect this homeland is to stay on the offense.

  KERRY: We just read on the front pages of America's papers that there are over 100,000 hours of tapes from the FBI unlistened to. On one of those tapes may be the enemy being right the next time. And the test is not whether you're spending more money. The test is, are you doing everything possible to make America safe? We didn't need that tax cut. America needed to be safe.

  BUSH: Of course we're doing everything we can to protect America. I wake up every day thinking about how best to protect America. That's my job.

  Source: First Bush-Kerry debate, Miami FL Sep 30, 2004

  You cannot change positions in the War on Terror

  BUSH: The intelligence I looked at was the same intelligence my opponent looked at. When I stood up there and spoke to the Congress, I was speaking off the same intelligence he looked at to make his decisions to support the authorization of force.

  KERRY: I wasn't misleading when I said Saddam Hussein was a threat. Nor was I misleading on the day that Bush decided to go to war when I said that he had made a mistake in not building strong alliances and that I would have preferred that he did more diplomacy. I've had one position, one consistent position, that Saddam Hussein was a threat. There was a right way to disarm him and a wrong way. And Bush chose the wrong way.

  BUSH: You cannot change positions in this war on terror if you expect to win. And we have a duty to our country and to future generations of America to achieve a free Iraq, a free Afghanistan, and to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction.

  Source: First Bush-Kerry debate, Miami FL Sep 30, 2004

  Win the war on terror by spreading freedom

  BUSH: I understand the stakes of this war on terror. I understand we must find Al Qaida wherever they hide. We must deal with threats before they fully materialize. And Saddam Hussein was a threat, and that we must spread liberty because in the long run, the way to defeat hatred and tyranny and oppression is to spread freedom. In the long term a free Iraq, a free Afghanistan, will set such a powerful in a part of the world that's desperate for freedom.

  KERRY: I am determined for those soldiers and for those families, for those kids who put their lives on the line. That's the most noble thing that anybody can do. And I want to make sure the outcome honors that nobility. We have a choice here. I've laid out a plan by which we can be successful in Iraq: with a summit, by doing better training, faster, by cutting - by doing what we need to do with respect to the UN and the elections. There's only 25 percent of the people in there. They can't have an election right now. Bush's not getting the job done.

  Source: First Bush-Kerry debate, Miami FL Sep 30, 2004

  Bush says Geneva Convention doesn't apply to war on terror

  On Feb. 7, 2002, the President issued a memorandum stating that he determined the Geneva Convention did not apply to the conflict with al Qaeda, and although they did apply in the conflict with Afghanistan, the Taliban were unlawful combatants and therefore did not qualify for prisoner of war status. Nonetheless, [senior officials' were all in agreement that treatment of detainees should be consistent with the Geneva Conventions. The President ordered accordingly that detainees were to be treated "humanely and, to the extent appropriate and consistent with military necessity, in a manner consistent with the principles of Geneva."

  In the summer of 2002, the Counsel to the President [requested a definition of torture]: In order to constitute torture, an act must be specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain and suffering that is difficult to endure.

  Source: Schlesinger Report on DoD Detention at Abu Ghraib, p. 6-7 Aug 24, 2004

  Clarke: Bush wants homeland security but did not fund it

  Regrettably, the Administration sought to do homeland security on the cheap, telling Tom Ridge that creating the new department had to be 'revenue neutral,' jargon for no new money to implement the largest government reorganization in history. Source: Against All Enemies, by Richard Clarke, p.253 Mar 23, 2004

  It's false hope to think that terror is behind us

  Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American people. 28 months have passed since Sept. 11, 2001-over 2 years without an attack on American soil-and it is tempting to believe that the danger is behind us. That hope is understandable and comforting-and false. The killing has continued in Bali, Jakarta, Casablanca, Jerusalem, Istanbul and Baghdad. The terrorists continue to plot against America and the civilized world. And by our will and courage, this danger will be defeated. Source: 2004 State of the Union address to joint session of Congress Jan 20, 2004

  Terrorists declared war on us-terrorism is beyond a crime

  Some people question if America is really in a war at all. They view terrorism more as a crime, a problem to be solved mainly with law enforcement and indictments. After the World Trade Center was first attacked in 1993, some of the guilty were indicted and tried and convicted and sent to prison. But the matter was not settled. After September 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers. The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the US. And war is what they got. Source: 2004 State of the Union address to joint session of Congress Jan 20, 2004

  Concedes no evidence of Saddam ties to 9-11

  Bush conceded there was no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved in the terrorist attacks of September 11-disputing an idea held by many Americans. "There's no question that Saddam Hussein had al-Qaeda ties," the president said. But he also said: "We have no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the Sept 11" attacks. Yet a new poll found that nearly 70% of respondents believed the Iraqi leader probably was personally involved. Source: Associated Press in Australian Financial Review Sep 18, 2003

  Created "Ready campaign" and Ready.Gov

  Introduced the Ready campaign, a national multimedia public information program designed to build citizen preparedness by giving Americans the basic tools they need to better prepare themselves and encouraging them to "Be Ready." Since its launch, Ready.gov has become one of the most visited sites in America. Source: Campaign website, www.georgewbush.com Aug 30, 2003

  Initiated reorganization of homeland defense

  President Bush initiated a comprehensive reorganization of the border agencies as well as other administrative measures to increase departmental services and capabilities to better protect our borders and facilitate legitimate travel and commerce. Source: Campaign website, www.georgewbush.com Aug 30, 2003

  Increased security of critical infrastructure

  The Department of Homeland Security has provided for increased security at critical facilities for water supplies, power plants, bridges, and subway systems, reducing the chances of an attack that could disrupt our daily life or the economy. Source: Campaign website, www.georgewbush.com Aug 30, 2003

  "Axis of Evil" means US uses strength without remorse

  [I am the speechwriter credited with the term "Axis of Evil."] I have my own theory as to why the "axis of evil" phrase provoked so much resentment at home & abroad. The rationalization on which the appeasers had agreed was the fiction that the mullahs were "liberalizing." The "axis of evil" speech directly challenged this fiction. By identifying the Iraqi and Iranian regimes with the Axis of the 1940s, and by naming this fascism for what it was, Bush shamed those who had done business with it-and their shame expressed itself as indignation against the shamer.

  In the1970s and 1980s, those who oppose American power consoled themselves with the thought that American culture and power were declining, that the US was just another great power fated to rise & fall. With the "axis of evil" speech, Bush served notice to the world: He felt no guilt and no self-doubt. In Afghanistan, the US had discovered its true strength. Now, Bush was announcing that this strength would be used without remorse

  Source: The Right Man, by David Frum, p.243-45 Jun 1, 2003

  Pro-Muslim post-9-11 message failed

  As September 11 receded, American Muslim opposition to the war grew and intensified. By May 2002, almost half of American Muslims opposed the US involvement in Afghanistan. One-third now regarded the war on terrorism as in reality a war on Islam. After his September 17 mosque visit, Bush had asserted that America's Muslims "love this country as much as I do." To conservative eyes, that increasingly looked like wishful thinking at best, willful blindness at worst.

  In early 2002, after months of relentless pro-Muslim messaging, [polls showed that Muslims still overwhelmingly opposed the war on terror]. Bush had swept 88% of the Muslim vote, but did not do so because of his socially conservative policies. Bush seldom won even as much as 35% of the votes of other socially conservative immigrant groups. What made this one constituency an exception to the usual rules of American politics? Only this: Al Gore's decision to put a Jew on the Democratic ticket.

  Source: The Right Man, by David Frum, p.156-163 Jun 1, 2003

  Largest increase in defense $ in two decades: never too high

  Our first priority must always be the security of our nation, and that will be reflected in the budget I send to Congress. My budget supports 3 great goals for America: We will win this war, we will protect our homeland, and we will revive our economy.

  It costs a lot to fight this war. We have spent more than a billion dollars a month-over $30 million a day-and we must be prepared for future operations. Afghanistan proved that expensive precision weapons defeat the enemy and spare innocent lives, and we need more of them. We need to replace aging aircraft and make our military more agile to put our troops anywhere in the world quickly and safely.

  Our men and women in uniform deserve the best weapons, the best equipment and the best training and they also deserve another pay raise. My budget includes the largest increase in defense spending in two decades, because while the price of freedom and security is high, it is never too high. Whatever it costs to defend our country, we will pay.

  Source: State of the Union speech to joint session of Congress Jan 29, 2002

  Deter terrorists by counterstrikes & counterintelligence

  • Would deter terrorist attacks by ensuring that every group or nation understands that if they sponsor such attacks, the U.S. response will be devastating
  • Would strengthen our intelligence community’s ability to detect terrorist threats, and develop long-range strike capabilities to eliminate such threats before they arise
  Source: GeorgeWBush.com: ‘Issues: Policy Points Overview’ Apr 2, 2000

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