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War College Welcomes Bush
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| President Bush speaks in Thorpe Hall at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle yesterday. (Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press) |
President: The US Changed How It Looks At Terrorism After Sept. 11
By Michael P. Tremoglie, The Bulletin
President Bush was in friendly territory Wednesday as he spoke, once again, to the men and women who defend America and who he has led as Commander-in-Chief during his eight years in office.
This time it was at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. The college prepares senior military officers and civilians to take on greater strategic and leadership responsibilities. It enjoys a widely acclaimed reputation within the Department of Defense, as well as other federal departments and by foreign governments for its work.
Mr. Bush was warmly received by the audience of 500 students, faculty, staff and spouses of deployed military personnel. His speech was interrupted five times by applause. He was also applauded during the seventy minute question and answer session he held with audience members following his public address.
“It was a rewarding experience,” said Carol Kerr, spokeswoman for the War College. “He talked about shared values.”
During his speech Mr. Bush reviewed the history of terrorism against the United States that culminated in the attacks of September 11, 2001. He said that 9-11 was a seminal event that caused the nation to change the way it reacted to the threat of terrorism.
He noted the threat emerged during the 1980’s and 1990’s. The nation had been attacked overseas. American military personnel were killed on the U.S.S. Cole and American diplomatic officials killed at embassies in Africa. America was also attacked at home, in 1993, with the bombing of the World Trade Center.
The preferred method, at the time, was to deal with these aggressions as “isolated incidents, and we responded with limited measures.” The world changed on September 11 he said.
Having no precedent to follow Mr. Bush said he chose a strategy that was neither purely defensive nor vengeful. He told the audience he took a middle course.
“One where we used all elements of our national power to keep America safe at home,” he said, “the understanding that we needed to take the fight to the enemy abroad, and the idea of promoting liberty as the alternative to terror.”
Mr. Bush said that he, and members of his administration, recognized that protecting the American public required reorganizing and rethinking strategy. They recognized that our homeland security and intelligence capabilities were inadequate so they reconstituted them.
They also recognized that they could not afford to wait for the terrorists to attack again.
“We launched a global campaign to take the fight to the terrorists abroad, to dismantle their networks, to dry up their financing, and find their leaders and bring them to justice,” he said. “We sent a clear message that America will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them.”
Then he addressed the most controversial issue of his administration the war in Iraq. He reiterated his reasons for the invasion. He said they examined the danger posed by Saddam Hussein.
“We concluded that the world could not tolerate such a destabilizing and dangerous force in the heart of the Middle East,” he said. “I offered Saddam Hussein a final chance to resolve the issue peacefully. It was his choice to make. And when he refused, we acted with a coalition of nations to protect our people -- and liberate 25 million Iraqis.”
The third part of the strategy developed by his administration was to recognize that the war on terror had an ideological component. They saw that it was necessary to counter the “terrorists' hateful ideology with a more hopeful alternative based on liberty and justice.”
It is for this reason that American forces remain in Iraq and Afghanistan today. Instead, his administration wanted to help “young democracies emerge as beacons for hope for people across the Middle East.”
Mr. Bush mentioned that no would have predicted that “more than seven years would pass without another terrorist attack on our soil.” This was not just happenstance. It was a tribute to the “dedicated men and women who work day and night to defend our great land” and “the result of tough decisions that we began making” following 9-11.
“While there's room for honest and healthy debate about the decisions I've made -- and there's plenty of debate -- there can be no debate about the results in keeping America safe,” Mr. Bush said.
The audience indicated their approval of this comment with their applause.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be contacted at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us.
This time it was at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. The college prepares senior military officers and civilians to take on greater strategic and leadership responsibilities. It enjoys a widely acclaimed reputation within the Department of Defense, as well as other federal departments and by foreign governments for its work.
Mr. Bush was warmly received by the audience of 500 students, faculty, staff and spouses of deployed military personnel. His speech was interrupted five times by applause. He was also applauded during the seventy minute question and answer session he held with audience members following his public address.
“It was a rewarding experience,” said Carol Kerr, spokeswoman for the War College. “He talked about shared values.”
During his speech Mr. Bush reviewed the history of terrorism against the United States that culminated in the attacks of September 11, 2001. He said that 9-11 was a seminal event that caused the nation to change the way it reacted to the threat of terrorism.
He noted the threat emerged during the 1980’s and 1990’s. The nation had been attacked overseas. American military personnel were killed on the U.S.S. Cole and American diplomatic officials killed at embassies in Africa. America was also attacked at home, in 1993, with the bombing of the World Trade Center.
The preferred method, at the time, was to deal with these aggressions as “isolated incidents, and we responded with limited measures.” The world changed on September 11 he said.
Having no precedent to follow Mr. Bush said he chose a strategy that was neither purely defensive nor vengeful. He told the audience he took a middle course.
“One where we used all elements of our national power to keep America safe at home,” he said, “the understanding that we needed to take the fight to the enemy abroad, and the idea of promoting liberty as the alternative to terror.”
Mr. Bush said that he, and members of his administration, recognized that protecting the American public required reorganizing and rethinking strategy. They recognized that our homeland security and intelligence capabilities were inadequate so they reconstituted them.
They also recognized that they could not afford to wait for the terrorists to attack again.
“We launched a global campaign to take the fight to the terrorists abroad, to dismantle their networks, to dry up their financing, and find their leaders and bring them to justice,” he said. “We sent a clear message that America will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them.”
Then he addressed the most controversial issue of his administration the war in Iraq. He reiterated his reasons for the invasion. He said they examined the danger posed by Saddam Hussein.
“We concluded that the world could not tolerate such a destabilizing and dangerous force in the heart of the Middle East,” he said. “I offered Saddam Hussein a final chance to resolve the issue peacefully. It was his choice to make. And when he refused, we acted with a coalition of nations to protect our people -- and liberate 25 million Iraqis.”
The third part of the strategy developed by his administration was to recognize that the war on terror had an ideological component. They saw that it was necessary to counter the “terrorists' hateful ideology with a more hopeful alternative based on liberty and justice.”
It is for this reason that American forces remain in Iraq and Afghanistan today. Instead, his administration wanted to help “young democracies emerge as beacons for hope for people across the Middle East.”
Mr. Bush mentioned that no would have predicted that “more than seven years would pass without another terrorist attack on our soil.” This was not just happenstance. It was a tribute to the “dedicated men and women who work day and night to defend our great land” and “the result of tough decisions that we began making” following 9-11.
“While there's room for honest and healthy debate about the decisions I've made -- and there's plenty of debate -- there can be no debate about the results in keeping America safe,” Mr. Bush said.
The audience indicated their approval of this comment with their applause.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be contacted at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us.
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