For Immediate Release
October 10, 2003
Global Message
From remarks by President Bush, Portsmouth, NH, 10/9/03
Terrorists are committed killers who will not be stopped by negotiations. The terrorists who threaten America can't be appeased -- they must be found, fought and defeated.
The regime of Saddam Hussein possessed and used weapons of mass destruction, sponsored terrorist groups, and inflicted terror on its own people. Nearly every nation recognized and denounced this threat for over a decade.
Last year, the U.N. Security Council -- in Resolution 1441 -- demanded that Saddam Hussein disarm, prove his disarmament to the world, or face serious consequences. The choice was up to the dictator, and he chose poorly.
Since the liberation of Iraq, our investigators have found evidence of a clandestine network of biological laboratories, advanced design work on prohibited longer-range missiles and an elaborate campaign to hide these illegal programs.
There's still much to investigate, yet it is now undeniable that Saddam Hussein was in clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441.
It is undeniable that Saddam Hussein was a deceiver and a danger. The Security Council was right to demand that he disarm, and we were right to enforce that demand.
America cannot retreat from our responsibilities to fight terrorism across the globe -- from Casablanca to Jakarta. Our security will not be gained by timid measures. America has only one option: We must fight this war until the work is done.