For Immediate Release
August 19, 2004

Global Message

From remarks by President Bush, 8/17/04

We are making progress in the war on terror. In this different kind of war, we had to send a message to the world that we wanted others to join us, and they have.

We've got a vast coalition of nations sharing intelligence and cutting off funding of terrorist groups.

It is just not enough to pursue those who killed thousands of Americans on September 11th. But, if there is a country that harbors them or feeds them, they must be held equally to account.

Thugs were running Afghanistan and providing training bases for al Qaeda. Now - because we took action and upheld doctrine, we did what we said we were going to do - Afghanistan is free. People there are registering to vote in elections.

A free Afghanistan is not only an ally in the war on terror, or a place where young girls can go to school for the first time, but a free Afghanistan makes America more secure, and the world more peaceful.

Saddam Hussein was a threat. He had used weapons of mass destruction against his own people, and he was a sworn enemy of America. He had provided safe haven for terrorists; had paid money to the families of suicide bombers; and he was a source of instability in a volatile part of the world.

By adhering to our beliefs in liberty, we're helping others, and at the same time, helping ourselves. By standing strong for liberty, we are remembering lessons of the past.

We are headed toward a freer world and a more peaceful world.