Transcript: Bush News Conference Q & A

April 13, 2004 -- In the third prime-time news conference of his administration, President Bush made a lengthy statement on the conditions in Iraq. Afterward, he took questions from reporters.

The following is a transcript of that session, provided by the Federal Document Clearing House.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President, April is turning into the deadliest month in Iraqsince the fall of Baghdad, and some people are comparing Iraq toVietnam and talking about a quagmire. Polls show that support foryour policy is declining and that fewer than half Americans nowsupport it.

What does that say to you? And how do you answer the Vietnamcomparison?

BUSH: I think the analogy is false. I also happen to think thatanalogy sends the wrong message to our troops and sends the wrongmessage to the enemy.

Look, this is hard work. It's hard to advance freedom in acountry that has been strangled by tyranny. And yet we must stay thecourse because the end result is in our nation's interest.

A secure and free Iraq is an historic opportunity to change theworld and make America more secure. A free Iraq in the midst of theMiddle East will have incredible change.

It's hard. Freedom is not easy to achieve. I mean we hada little trouble in our own country achieving freedom.

And we've been there a year. I know that seems like a long time.It seems like a long time to the loved ones whose troops have beenoverseas. But when you think about where the country has comefrom, it's a relatively short period of time.

And we're making progress. There's no question it's been atough, tough series of weeks for the American people. It's beenreally tough for the families. I understand that. It's been tough onthis administration. But we're doing the right thing.

And as to whether or not I made decisions based upon polls, Idon't. I just don't make decisions that way. I fully understand theconsequences of what we're doing. We're changing the world, and theworld will be better off and America will be more secure as a resultof the actions we're taking.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. What's your best predictionon how long U.S. troops will have to be in Iraq? And it sounds likeyou will have to add some troops. Is that a fair assessment?

BUSH: Well, first of all, that's up to General Abizaid, and he'sclearly indicating that he may want more troops. It's coming upthrough the chain of command. And if that's what he wants, that'swhat he gets.

Generally, we've had about a 115,000 troops in Iraq. There's135,000 now as a result of the changeover from one division to thenext.

If he wants to keep troops there to help, I'm more thanwilling to say, "Yes, General Abizaid."

I talk to General Abizaid quite frequently. I'm constantlyasking him does he have what he needs, whether it be in troop strengthor in equipment. He and General Sanchez talk all the time. And if hemakes the recommendation, he'll get it.

In terms of how long we'll be there, as long as necessary, andnot one day more. The Iraqi people need us there to help withsecurity. They need us there to fight off these, you know, violentfew, who are doing everything they can to resist the advance offreedom. And I mentioned who they are.

And as I mentioned in my opening remarks, our commanders on theground have got the authorities necessary to deal with violence, andwill — will in firm fashion.

And that's what by far the vast majority of the Iraqis want.They want security so they can advance toward a free society.

Once we transfer sovereignty, we'll enter into a securityagreement with the government to which we pass sovereignty, the entityto which we pass sovereignty. And we'll need to be there for a while.

We'll also need to continue training the Iraqi troops. I wasdisappointed in the performance of some of the troops.

Some of the units performed brilliantly. Some of themdidn't. And we need to find out why. If they're lacking inequipment, we'll get them equipment. If there needs to be moreintense training, we'll get more intense training.

But eventually, Iraq's security is going to be handled by theIraqi people themselves.

Oh, let's see here. Terry.

QUESTION: Mr. President, before the war, you and members of youradministration made several claims about Iraq: that U.S. troops wouldbe greeted as liberators with sweets and flowers; that Iraqi oilrevenue would pay for most of the reconstruction; and that Iraq notonly had weapons of mass destruction but, as Secretary of DefenseRumsfeld said, we know where they are.

How do you explain to Americans how you got that so wrong?

And how do you answer your opponents who say that you took thisnation to war on the basis of what have turned out to be a series offalse premises?

BUSH: Well, let me step back and review my thinking prior togoing into Iraq.

First, the lesson of September the 11th is that when this nationsees a threat, a gathering threat, we got to deal with it. We can nolonger hope that oceans protect us from harm. Every threat we musttake seriously.

Saddam Hussein was a threat. He was a threat because he had usedweapons of mass destruction on his own people. He was a threatbecause he coddled terrorists.

He was a threat because he funded suiciders. He was athreat to the region. He was a threat to the United States.

That's the assessment that I made from the intelligence, theassessment that Congress made from the intelligence. That's the exactsame assessment that the United Nations Security Council made with theintelligence.

I went to the U.N., as you might recall, and said, "Either youtake care of him, or we will." Any time an American president says,"If you don't, we will," we better be prepared to. And I was preparedto.

I thought it was important for the United Nations SecurityCouncil that when it says something, it means something for the sakeof security in the world.

See, the war on terror had changed the calculations. We neededto work with people. People needed to come together to work. Andtherefore, empty words would embolden the actions of those who arewilling to kill indiscriminately.

The United Nations passed a Security Council resolutionunanimously that said, "Disarm or face serious consequences." And herefused to disarm.

I thought it was very interesting that Charlie Duelfer, who justcame back — he's the head of the Iraqi Survey Group — reported someinteresting findings from his recent tour there. And one of thethings was, he was amazed at how deceptive the Iraqis had been towardUNMOVIC and UNSCOM, deceptive in hiding things.

We knew they were hiding things. A country that hidessomething is a country that is afraid of getting caught, and that waspart of our calculation. Charlie confirmed that.

He also confirmed that Saddam had the ability to producebiological and chemical weapons. In other words, he was a danger.

And he had long-range missiles that were undeclared to the UnitedNations. He was a danger. And so we dealt with him.

And what else was part the question? Oh, oil revenues.

Well, the oil revenues, they're bigger than we thought they wouldbe at this point in time. I mean, one year after the liberation ofIraq, the revenues of the oil stream is pretty darn significant.

One of the things I was concerned about, prior to going intoIraq, was that the oil fields would be destroyed, but they weren't.They're now up and running. And that money is — it will benefit theIraqi people. It's their oil, and they'll use it to reconstruct thecountry.

Finally, the attitude of the Iraqis toward the American people —it's an interesting question. They're really pleased we got rid ofSaddam Hussein, and you can understand why. This guy was a torturer,a killer, a maimer. There's mass graves.

I mean, he was a horrible individual that really shocked thecountry in many ways, shocked it into a kind of a fear of makingdecisions toward liberty. That's what we've seen recently. Somecitizens are fearful of stepping up.

And they were happy — they're not happy they're occupied.I wouldn't be happy if I were occupied either. They do want us thereto help with security.

And that's why this transfer of sovereignty is an importantsignal to send, and it's why it's also important for them to hear wewill stand with them until they become a free country.

Elisabeth?

Excuse me.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE), Mr. President. To move to the 9/11Commission, you yourself have acknowledged that Osama bin Laden wasnot a central focus of the administration in the months beforeSeptember 11th. "I was not on point," you told the journalist BobWoodward. "I didn't feel that sense of urgency."

Two and a half years later, do you feel any sense of personalresponsibility for September 11th?

BUSH: Let me put that quote to Woodward in context, because hehad asked me if I was — something about killing bin Laden. That'swhat the question was.

And I said, you know, compared to how I felt at the time, afterthe attack, I didn't have that — and I also went on to say, "My bloodwasn't boiling," I think is what the quote said.

I didn't see — I mean, I didn't have that great sense of outragethat I felt on September the 11th. I was — on that day, I was angryand sad. Angry that al Qaeda — I thought at the time al Qaeda, foundout shortly thereafter it was al Qaeda — had unleashed this attack.Sad for those who lost their life.

Your question, do I feel -- yes?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) personal responsibility for September 11th?

BUSH: I feel incredibly grieved when I meet with family members,and I do quite frequently. I grieve for, you know, the incredibleloss of life that they feel, the emptiness they feel.

There are some things I wish we'd have done, when I look back. Imean, hindsight's easy. It's easy for a president to stand up andsay, "Now that I know what happened, it would have been nice if therewere certain things in place."

For example, a Homeland Security Department. And why — I saythat because that provides the ability for our agencies to coordinatebetter and to work together better than it was before.

I think the hearings will show that the Patriot Act is animportant change in the law that will allow the FBI and the CIA tobetter share information together.

We were kind of stovepiped, I guess is a way to describe it.There was, you know, kind of departments that at times didn'tcommunicate — because of law, in the FBI's case.

And the other thing I look back on and realize is that we weren'ton a war footing. The country was not on a war footing, and yet theenemy was at war with us. And it didn't take me long to put us on awar footing.

And we've been on a war ever since.

The lessons of 9/11 — one lesson was we must deal with gatheringthreats, and that's part of the reason I dealt with Iraq the way Idid.

The other lesson is, is that this country must go on the offenseand stay on the offense. In order to secure the country, we must doeverything in our power to find these killers and bring them tojustice before they hurt us again. I'm afraid they want to hurt usagain. They're still there.

They can be right one time; we got to be right 100 percent of thetime in order to protect the country. It's a mighty task.

But our government has changed since the 9/11 attacks. We'rebetter equipped to respond. We're better at sharing intelligence.But we've still got a lot of work to do.

Dave?

QUESTION: Mr. President, I'd like to follow up on a country ofthese questions that have been asked.

One of the biggest criticisms of you is that whether it's WMD inIraq, postwar planning in Iraq, or even the question of whether thisadministration did enough to ward off 9/11, you never admit a mistake.Is that a fair criticism, and do you believe that there were anyerrors in judgment that you made related to any of those topics Ibrought up?

BUSH: Well, I think, as I mentioned, you know, the countrywasn't on war footing, and yet we're at war.

And that's just a reality, Dave. I mean, that was thesituation that existed prior to 9/11, because, the truth of the matteris most in the country never felt that we'd be vulnerable to an attacksuch as the one that Osama bin Laden unleashed on us.

We knew he had designs on us. We knew he hated us. But therewas nobody in our government, at least, and I don't think the priorgovernment that could envision flying airplanes into buildings on sucha massive scale.

The people know where I stand, I mean, in terms of Iraq. I wasvery clear about what I believed. And, of course, I want to know whywe haven't found a weapon yet. But I still know Saddam Hussein was athreat. And the world is better off without Saddam Hussein.

I don't think anybody can — maybe people can argue that. I knowthe Iraqi people don't believe that, that they're better off withSaddam Hussein — would be better off with Saddam Hussein in power.

I also know that there's an historic opportunity here to changethe world. And it's very important for the loved ones of our troopsto understand that the mission is an important, vital mission for thesecurity of America and for the ability to change the world for thebetter.

Let's see. Ed?

QUESTION: Mr. President, good evening. I'd like to ask youabout the August 6th PDB.

BUSH: Sure.

QUESTION: You've mentioned it at Fort Hood on Sunday. Youpointed out that it did not warn of a hijacking of airplanes to crashinto buildings, but that it warned of hijacking to obviously takehostages and to secure the release of extremists that are being heldby the U.S.

Did that trigger some specific actions on your part in theadministration, since it dealt with potentially hundreds of lives anda blackmail attempt on the United States government?

BUSH: And I asked for the briefing. And the reason I did isbecause there had been a lot of threat intelligence from overseas.And so, I — part of it had to do with the Genoa G-8 conference that Iwas going to attend. And I asked at that point in time, "Let's makesure we are paying attention here at home, as well." And that's whattriggered the report.

The report itself, I've characterized it as mainly history. AndI think when you look at it, you'll see that it was talking about a'97 and '98 and '99.

It was also an indication, as you mentioned, that bin Laden mightwant to hijack an airplane but, as you said, not to fly into abuilding, but perhaps to release a person in jail.

In other words, he would serve it as a blackmail.

And of course that concerns me. All those reports concern me.As a matter of fact, I was dealing with terrorism a lot as thepresident when George Tenet came in to brief me. I mean, that's whereI got my information.

I changed the way that the relationship between the president andthe CIA director. And I wanted Tenet in the Oval Office all the time.And we had briefings about terrorist threats. This was a summary.

Now, in the — what's called the PDB, there was a warning aboutbin Laden's desires on America. But, frankly, I didn't think therewas anything new. I mean, major newspapers had talked about binLaden's desires on hurting America.

What was interesting in there was that there was a report thatthe FBI was conducting field investigations. And that was good news,that they were doing their job.

The way my administration worked, Ed, was that I met with Tenetall the time. I obviously met with my principals a lot. We talkedabout threats that had emerged. We have a counterterrorism groupmeeting on a regular basis to analyze the threats that came in.

Had there been a threat that required action by anybody in thegovernment, I would have dealt with it.

In other words, had they come up and said, "This is wherewe see something happening," you can rest assured that the people ofthis government would have responded and responded in a forceful way.

I mean, one of the things about Elizabeth's question was, Istepped back and I've asked myself a lot, is there anything we couldhave done to stop the attacks? Of course I've asked that question, ashave many people in my government. Nobody wants this to happen toAmerica.

And the answer is that had I had any inkling whatsoever that thepeople were going to fly airplanes into buildings, we would have movedheaven and earth to save the country, just like we're working hard toprevent a further attack.

Let's see -- Jim?

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. You mentioned the PDB andthe assurance you got that the FBI was working on terrorisminvestigations here. The number they had used was 70.

But we learned today in the September 11th hearings that theacting director of the FBI at the time now says the FBI tells him thatnumber was wrong, that he doesn't even know how it got into your PDB.And two of the commissioners strongly suggested the number wasexaggerated.

Have you learned anything else about that report since that time?And do you now believe you were falsely comforted by the FBI?

BUSH: No, I heard about that today, obviously, and my responseto that was, I expect to get valid information. As the ultimatedecision maker for this country, I expect information that comes to mydesk to be real and valid.

And I presume the 9/11 commission will find out — willfollow up on his suggestions and his recollection, and garner thetruth. That is an important part of the 9/11 commission's job, is toanalyze what went on and what could have perhaps been done differentlyso that we can better secure America for the future.

But of course I expect to get valid information. I can't makegood decisions unless I get valid information.

QUESTION: Has the FBI come back to you, sir?

BUSH: No, I haven't talked to anybody today yet. I will,though. We'll find out.

John (ph)?

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

Two weeks ago, a former counterterrorism official at the NSC,Richard Clarke, offered an unequivocal apology to the American peoplefor failing them prior to 9/11. Do you believe the American peopledeserve a similar apology from you, and would you prepared to givethem one?

BUSH: Look, I can understand why people in my administration areanguished over the fact that people lost their life. I feel the sameway. I mean, I'm sick when I think about the death that took place onthat day. And as I mentioned, I've met with a lot of family members,and I do the best to console them about the loss of their loved one.

As I mentioned, I oftentimes think about what I could have donedifferently. I can assure the American people that had we had anyinkling that this was going to happen, we would have done everythingin our power to stop the attack.

Here's what I feel about that: The person responsible for theattacks was Osama bin Laden.

That's who's responsible for killing Americans. Andthat's why we will stay on the offense until we bring people tojustice.

John?

QUESTION: Mr. President, thank you. You mentioned that 17 ofthe 26 NATO members providing some help on the ground in Iraq. But ifyou look at the numbers — 135,000 U.S. troops, 10,000 or 12,000British troops. Then the next largest, perhaps even the second-largest contingent of guns on the ground are private contractors,literally hired guns.

Your critics, including your Democratic opponents, say that'sproof to them your coalition is window dressing. How would you answerthose critics?

And can you assure the American people that, post-sovereignty,when the handover takes place, that there will be more burden-sharingby allies in terms of security forces?

BUSH: Yes, John, my response is I don't think people ought todemean the contributions of our friends into Iraq. People aresacrificing their lives in Iraq from different countries. We ought tohonor that, and we ought to welcome that.

I'm proud of the coalition that is there. These are people thathave got leaders that have made the decision to put people in harm'sway for the good of the world. And we appreciate that sacrifice inAmerica, and we appreciate that commitment.

I think that one of the things you're seeing is more involvementby the United Nations, in terms of the political process. That'shelpful. I'd like to get another U.N. Security Council resolution outthat will help other nations to decide to participate.

One of the things I've found, John, is that, in callingaround, particularly during this week — I spoke to Prime MinisterBerlusconi and President Kwasniewski — there is a resolve by theseleaders that is a heartening resolve. Tony Blair is the same way.

He understands, like I understand, that we cannot yield at thispoint in time, that we must remain steadfast and strong, that it's the

intentions of the enemy to shake our will. That's what they want todo. They want us to leave. And we're not going to leave. We'regoing to do the job.

And a free Iraq is going to be a major blow for terrorism. It'llchange the world. A free Iraq in the midst of the Middle East isvital to future peace and security.

Maybe I can best put it this way, why I feel so strongly aboutthis historic moment. I was having dinner with Prime MinisterKoizumi, and we were talking about North Korea, about how we can worktogether to deal with the threat. The North Korea leader is a threat.

And here are two friends, now, discussing what strategy to employto prevent him from further developing and deploying a nuclear weapon.

And it dawned on me that, had we blown the peace in World War II,that perhaps this conversation would not have been taking place.

It also dawned on me then that when we get it right inIraq, at some point in time an American president will be sitting downwith a duly-elected Iraqi leader, talking about how to bring securityto what has been a troubled part of the world.

The legacy that our troops are going to leave behind is a legacyof lasting importance, as far as I'm concerned. It's a legacy thatreally is based upon our deep belief that people want to be free andthat free societies are peaceful societies.

Some of the debate really centers around the fact that peopledon't believe Iraq can be free; that if you're Muslim, or perhapsbrown-skinned, you can't be self-governing or free. I'd stronglydisagree with that.

I reject that. Because I believe that freedom is the deepestneed of every human soul, and if given a chance, the Iraqi people willbe not only self-governing, but a stable and free society.

Let's see here, hold on. Michael?

QUESTION: Mr. President, why are you and the vice presidentinsisting on appearing together before the 9/11 Commission?

And, Mr. President, who will we be handing the Iraqigovernment over to on June 30th?

BUSH: We'll find that out soon. That's what Mr. Brahimi isdoing. He's figuring out the nature of the entity we'll be handingsovereignty over.

And, secondly, because the 9/11 Commission wants to ask usquestions, that's why we're meeting. And I look forward to meetingwith them and answering their questions.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) I was asking why you're appearing together,rather than separately, which was their request.

BUSH: Because it's a good chance for both of us to answerquestions that the 9/11 Commission is looking forward to asking us.And I'm looking forward to answering them.

Let's see. Hold on for a minute. Let's see. Oh, Jim.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

BUSH: I've got some must-calls. I'm sorry.

QUESTION: You have been accused of letting the 9/11 threatmature too far, but not letting the Iraq threat mature far enough.

First, could you respond to that general criticism?

And, secondly, in the wake of these two conflicts, what is theappropriate threat level to justify action in perhaps other situationsgoing forward?

BUSH: Yes. I guess there have been some that said, well, weshould've taken preemptive action in Afghanistan, and then turnedaround and said we shouldn't have taken preemptive action in Iraq.

And my answer to that question is, is that, again I repeat what Isaid earlier, prior to 9/11, the country really wasn't on a warfooting. And the, frankly, mood of the world would have beenastounded had the United States acted unilaterally in trying to dealwith al Qaeda in that part of the world.

It would have been awfully hard to do, as well, by theway. We would have had — we hadn't got our relationship right withPakistan yet.

The caucus area would have been very difficult from which tobase. It just seemed an impractical strategy at the time. And,frankly, I didn't contemplate it.

I did contemplate a larger strategy as to how to deal with al Qaeda. You know, we were shooting cruise missiles and with little effect, and I said, if we're going to go after al Qaeda, let's have a a comprehensive strategy as to how to deal with it, with that entity.

After 9/11, the world changed for me and, I think, changed for the country. It changed for me because, like many, we assumed the oceans would protect us from harm, and that's not the case. It's not the reality of the 21st century. Oceans don't protect us. They don't protect us from killers. We're an open country, and we're a country that values our openness, and we're a hard country to defend. And therefore, when we see threats overseas, we got to take them — look at them in a new light. And I've given my explanation of Iraq.

Your further question was, you know, how do you justify any other preemptive action. The American people need to know my last choice is the use of military power. It is something that — it's a decision that is a — it's a tough decision to make for any president because I fully understand the consequences of the decision.

And therefore, we'll use all other means necessary when we see a threat to deal with a threat that may materialize, but we'll never take the military off the table.

We've had some success, Bill, as the result of the decision I took. Take Libya, for example. Libya was a nation that had — we viewed as a terrorist — a nation that sponsored terror, a nation that was dangerous because of weapons. And Colonel Gadhafi made the decision, and rightly so, to disclose and disarm for the good of the world. By the way, they found I think 50 tons of mustard gas, I believe it was, in a turkey farm only because he was willing to disclose where the mustard gas was. But that made the world safer.

The A.Q. Khan bust, the network that we uncovered thanks to the hard work of our intelligence-gathering agencies and the cooperation of the British, was another victory in the war against terror. This was a shadowy network of folks that were willing to sell state secrets to the highest bidder, and that therefore made the world more unstable and more dangerous.

You've often heard me talk about my worry about weapons of mass destruction ending up in the hands of the wrong people. Well, you can understand why I feel that way having seen the works of A.Q. Khan. It's a dangerous — it was a dangerous network that we — that we unraveled. And the world is better for it.

And so what I'm telling you is, is that sometimes we use military as the last resort, but other times we use our influence, diplomatic pressure, and our alliances to unravel, uncover, expose people who want to do harm against the civilized world.

We're at war. Iraq is a part of the war on terror. It is not THE war on terror, it is a theater in the war on terror, and it's essential we win this battle in the war on terror. By winning this battle, it will make other victories more certain in the war against the terrorists.

Let's see here, Judy?

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Sir, you've made it very clear tonight that you're committed to continuing the mission in Iraq. Yet as Terry pointed out, increasing numbers of Americans have qualms about it. And this is an election year.

BUSH: Yeah.

QUESTION: Will it have been worth it, even if you lose your job because of it?

BUSH: I don't plan on losing my job. I plan on telling the American people that I've got a plan to win the war on terror, and I believe they'll stay with me. They understand the stakes.

Look, nobody likes to see dead people on their television screens. I don't. It's a tough time for the American people to see that. It's gut-wrenching. One of my hardest parts of my job is to console the family members who've lost their lives. It is a — it is a — it's a chance to hug and weep and console and to remind the loved ones that the sacrifice of their loved one was done in the name of security for America and freedom for the world.

And one of the things that's very important, Judy, as far as I'm concerned, is to never allow our youngsters to die in vain. And I've made the pledge to their parents. Withdrawing from the battlefield of Iraq would be just that. And it's not going to happen under my watch.

The American people may decide to change. That's democracy. I don't think so. I don't think so. And look forward to making my case. I'm looking forward to the campaign. Now is the time to talk about winning this war on terror.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BUSH: And now is the time to make sure that the American people understand the stakes and the historic significance of what we're doing. And no matter where they may stand on this war, the thing I appreciate most about our country is the strong support given to the men and women in uniform. And it's vital support.

It's important for those soldiers to know America stands with them. And we weep when they die and we're proud of the victories they achieve.

One of the things I'm also proud of is what I hear from our soldiers. As I mentioned, I pinned the purple heart on some of the troops at the hospital there at Fort Hood, Texas. Guy looks at me and says I can't wait to get back to my unit and fulfill the mission, Mr. President. The spirit is incredible. Our soldiers who have volunteered to go there understand the stakes. And I'm incredibly proud of them.

John (sp).

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. In the last campaign you were asked a question about the biggest mistake you'd made in your life and you used to like to joke that it was trading Sammy Sosa.

You've looked back before 9/11 for what mistakes might have been made. After 9/11 what would your biggest mistake be, would you say? And what lessons have you learned from it?

BUSH: Hmm. I wish you would have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it. (Laughter.)

John (sp), I'm sure historians will look back and say, gosh, he could have done it better this way or that way. You know, I just — I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer. But it hasn't yet.

I would have gone into Afghanistan the way we went into Afghanistan. Even though I know what I know today about the stockpiles of weapons, I still would have called upon the world to deal with Saddam Hussein. See, I happen to believe that we'll find out the truth on the weapons. That's why we set up the independent commission.

I look forward to hearing the truth as to exactly where they are. They could still be there. They could be hidden like the 50 tons of mustard gas in a turkey farm.

One of the things that Charlie Duelfer talked about was that he was surprised at the level of intimidation he found amongst people who should know about weapons, and their fear of talking about them because they don't want to be killed. You know, there's this kind of — there's this — there's a terror still in the soul of some of the people in Iraq; they're worried about getting killed, and therefore, they're not going to talk.

And — but it will all settle out, John. We'll find out the truth about the weapons at some point in time. However, the fact that he had the capacity to make them bothers me today just like it would have bothered me then. He's a dangerous man. He's a man who actually not only had weapons of mass destruction — the reason I can say that with certainty is because he used them. And I have no doubt in my mind that he would like to have inflicted harm or paid people to inflict harm or trained people to inflict harm on America because he hated us.

You know, I hope I — I don't want to sound like I've made no mistakes; I'm confident I have. I just haven't — (chuckles) — you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I'm not quick — as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one.

Yeah, Ann (sp)?

QUESTION: Looking forward about keeping the United States safe, a group representing about — several thousand FBI agents today wrote to your administration begging you not to split up the law enforcement and the counterterrorism —

BUSH: Yeah.

QUESTION: — because they say it ties their hands, it gives them blinders, that they're partners. Yet you mentioned yesterday that you think perhaps the time has come for some real intelligence reforms.

That can't happen without real leadership from the White House. Will you, and how will you?

BUSH: Well, you're talking about one aspect of possible reform. I think you're referring to what they call the MI5. And I heard — I heard a summary of that from Director Mueller, who feels strongly that we — and he'll testify to that effect, I guess, tomorrow. I shouldn't be prejudging his testimony, but what — my point was that I'm open for suggestions. I look forward to seeing what the 9/11 commission comes up with. I look forward to seeing what the Silverman-Robb commission comes up with. I'm confident Congress will have some suggestions. What I'm saying is let the discussions begin, and I won't prejudge the conclusion.

As the president, I will encourage and foster these kinds of discussions because one of the jobs of the president is to leave behind a legacy that will enable other presidents to better deal with the threat that we face. We are in a long war. The war on terror is not going to end immediately. This is a war against people who have no guilt in killing innocent people. That's what they're willing to do.

They kill on a moment's notice because they're trying to shake our will; they're trying to create fear; they're trying to affect people's behaviors. And we're simply not going to let them do that. And my fear, of course, is that this will go on for a while, and therefore it's incumbent upon us to learn from lessons or mistakes and leave behind a better foundation for presidents to deal with the threats we face. This is the war that other presidents will be facing as we head into the 21st century.

One of the interesting things people ask me, now that we're asking questions, is, can you ever win the war on terror? Of course you can. That's why it's important for us to spread freedom throughout the Middle East. Free societies are hopeful societies. A hopeful society is one more likely to be able to deal with the frustrations of those who are willing to commit suicide in order to represent a false ideology. A free society is a society in which somebody's more likely to be able to make a living. A free society is a society in which someone is more likely to be able to raise their child in a comfortable environment and see to it that the child gets an education.

That's why I'm pressing the Greater Middle East Reform Initiative to work to spread freedom. And we will continue on that. So long I'm the president, I will press for freedom. I believe so strongly in the power of freedom. You know why I do? Because I've seen freedom work right here in our own country.

I also have this belief, strong belief that freedom is not this country's gift to the world.

Freedom is the Almighty's gift to every man and woman in this world. And as the greatest power on the face of the Earth, we have an obligation to help the spread of freedom. We have an obligation to help feed the hungry. I think the American people find it interesting that we're providing food for the North Korea people who starve. We have an obligation to lead the fight on AIDS, on Africa.

And we have an obligation to work toward a more free world. That's our obligation. That is what we have been called to do, as far as I'm concerned. And my job as the president is to lead this nation into the — into making the world a better place, and that's exactly what we're doing.

Weeks such as we've had in Iraq make some doubt whether or not we're making progress. I understand that. It was a tough, tough period. But we are making progress. And my message today to those in Iraq is we'll stay the course. We'll complete the job. My message to our troops is we'll stay the course and complete the job and you'll have what you need. And my message to the loved ones who are worried about their sons, daughters, husbands and wives is your loved one is performing a noble service for the cause of freedom and peace.

Let's see, last question here.

QUESTION: Mr. President?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE.)

BUSH: Hold on for a second. Those who yell will not be asked to -- I'll tell you a guy who I have never heard from. Don.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate it.

BUSH: This was well received, yeah. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: (Laughs.) Following on both Judy and John's questions, and it comes out of what you just said in some ways, with public support for your policies in Iraq falling off the way they have, quite significantly over the past couple of months, I guess I'd like to know if you feel in any way that you've failed as a communicator on this topic. You deliver —

BUSH: Gosh, I don't know. I mean —

QUESTION: Well, you deliver a lot of speeches, and a lot of them contain similar phrases and they vary very little from one to the next. And they often include a pretty upbeat assessment of how things are going, with the exception of tonight's pretty somber —

BUSH: I didn't think — it was a pretty somber assessment today, Don, yeah.

QUESTION: Except this evening. Well, I guess I just wonder if you feel that you have failed in any way. You don't have many of these press conferences where you engage in this kind of exchange. Have you failed in any way to really make the case to the American public?

BUSH: You know, that's — I guess if you put it into a political context, that's the kind of thing the voters will decide next November. That's what elections are about. They'll take a look at me and my opponent and say, let's see, which one of them can better win the war on terror? Who best can see to it that Iraq emerges as a free society?

And, Don, you know, if I tried to fine tune my messages based upon polls, I think I'd be pretty ineffective. I know I'd — I would be disappointed in myself. I hope today you've got a sense of my conviction about what we're doing.

If you don't, maybe I need to learn to communicate better. I feel strongly about what we're doing. I feel strongly that the course this administration has taken will make America more secure and the world more free, and therefore, the world more peaceful. It's a conviction that's deep in my soul. And, you know, I will say it as best as I possibly can to the American people.

I look forward to the debate in the campaign. I look forward to helping — for the American people to hear, you know, what is the proper use of American power? Do we have an obligation to lead or should we shirk responsibility? That's how I — that's how I view this debate, and I look forward to making it, Don. I'll do it the best I possibly can. I'll give it the best shot. I'll speak as plainly as I can. One thing is for certain, though, about me — and the world has learned this — when I say something, I mean it. And the credibility of the United States is incredibly important for keeping world peace and freedom.

Thank you all very much.