Summary

George W Bush Speech - Pt 2

Source Archive Films by Getty Images
Title: George W Bush Speech - Pt 2
File Number: FSN-277 Beta SP
Color: Color
Type: News
Year: 01/01/2006
Subjects: President George W Bush
Description: March 29, 2006 PART 2 Continued from FSN-276 - US President George Bush speech and question and answer sesstion sponsored by Freedom House, at the Capitol Hill Hyatt Washington, DC Yes, sir You're going to ask me if I read the book (Laughter) Q Mr President, as you noted at the beginning -- I'm with Freedom House, and I gave the President a copy of our annual report, Freedom in the World, before he took the stage And as you noted, our reports have -- THE PRESIDENT: Little print, no pictures Go ahead (Laughter) Q It's the bible of freedom, yes (Laughter) THE PRESIDENT: I'm the funny guy Go ahead (Laughter) Q Our publications have confirmed that freedom is advancing overall in the world during the years of your administration There is one big important country, however, in which freedom has declined year-by-year the last several years, and that's Russia THE PRESIDENT: Correct Q You have a big summit coming up in July with the G8 in St Petersburg There's been an increasing crackdown on civil society and political parties in Russia, and I'm wondering if in the time between now and the St Petersburg summit, what you and the administration can do to raise these issues and try to help the defenders of freedom in Russia THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate that The G8 will raise the issue That's the interesting thing about kind of meetings and moments And I have worked very hard to convince Vladimir Putin that it's in his interest to adopt Western-style values and universal values -- rule of law, freedom of religion, the right to people to assemble, political parties, free press My strategy with Vladimir Putin is to be in a position where I can talk frankly to him I've heard some say, don't go to the G8 I think that would be a mistake for the United States not to go to the G8 I remember very -- because I need to be in a position where I can sit down with him and be very frank about our concerns I remember meeting with the human rights groups in Russia And I asked them what strategy should I take as the President of the United States Should I be in a position where I can engage the President in frank discussion? Or should I publicly scold him, in which case he may turn a deaf ear? And the universal consensus for them kind of played to my own instincts, which is that I think it's important for the United States to be in a position to be able to express our concerns Listen, we work with Russia on a variety of issues Nunn-Lugar is an issue where we work with Russia, for example But I spend a lot of time with the President making it clear that he should not fear democracy on his border, nor should he fear democracy within his borders I like to make the case to him that democracies don't war with each other You don't need to remind him about the brutal history that the Soviet Union went through in World War II But I do think it's illustrative to point out -- like I pointed out in the speech -- that Europe is now free, whole and at peace, and there's a reason why ` It's what Americans have got to understand We tend to forget Ours is a society where things are like instant, so therefore, history almost is like so far back it doesn't count But it counts when you really think about life lost on the continent of Africa and wonder why they're no war today And there's a reason why there's no war today And that's because history has proven democracies don't war with each other And so in my explanation to different events that are taking place to the President, I try to point to historical truths, that it's in an interest of a country like Russia to understand and welcome democracy It's in an interest for the country to give people the freedom to express themselves I do spend time with him in private talking about issues like the NGO law And as you noticed, we changed the laws -- obviously now the -- how laws get implemented matters But I'm confident that will be a topic of discussion I haven't given up on Russia I still think Russia understands that it's in her interest to be West, to work with the West, and to act in concert with the West Nobody is saying to Russia, you must look like the United States of America But we are saying there's just some basic institutions that ought to be adopted And I will continue making that case I do think it's important for me to go to the G8 so I can make the case One of the things that I find is that nations oftentimes approach me at these different meetings we go to and say, hey, pass the message for me, will you? We need you to pass a message, Mr President You're the person who can best make the case And so I'm pretty confident in these countries' interest that I be in a position where I'm able to walk into the room with the President of Russia and him not throw me out And, in fact, that he -- you know, we've got a relationship -- personal relationship such that there is the possibility for candid conversation The other big opportunity for democracy, of course, is China President Hu Jintao is coming to our country, as you know I will continue to remind him ours is a complex relationship and that we would hope that he would not fear a free society, just like it doesn't appear that he's fearing a free market I happen to believe free markets eventually yield free societies One of the most -- one of the most pure forms of democracy is the marketplace, where demand causes something to happen Excess demand causes prices to -- the supply causes prices to go up, and vice versa That stands in contrast to governments that felt like they could set price and control demand One of the things that I think should be a part of any foreign policy is to shine the spotlight, is to open societies You heard me talk about what it's like to deal with non-transparent societies I think a useful tool of foreign policy for our country is, try to let the sun shine in I think China has recently read the book on Mao It's an amazing history of a couple of things -- one, about how fooled much of the world was, and how brutal this country was And yet, now there's more transparency into China I will make it clear, of course, to the President that our relationship is vital on a variety of fronts One such front is the economy, and we expect that country to treat us fairly We expect there to be strong adherence to intellectual property rights We believe that we grow pretty good crops and grow good beef, and perhaps it's in their interest to open up their markets to our agricultural products We expect our manufacturers to be treated fairly We don't believe in state subsidization of industry to give unfair advantage to state-owned enterprise In other words, there's a variety of things we'll talk about, and one of them is freedom I have been -- I don't hesitate to talk to him about my visits with the Dalai Lama who is -- comes and sees me in the White House nor do I hesitate to talk about the concerns of the Catholic Church I'm anxious to talk to him about the evangelicals' concerns inside of China, reminding him that a whole society is one that's just more than open markets There's institutions and common values that are necessary Some, of course -- let me say, if I might make a philosophical statement about how I think As Peter mentioned, there is a philosophical debate taking place in the world -- at least I think it is -- and that is whether freedom is universal, or whether, one way to put it, it just applies to only a handful of us I believe in the universality of freedom That's what I believe Much of my foreign policy is driven by my firm belief that everybody desires to be free that embedded in the soul of each man and women on the face of the Earth is this deep desire to live in liberty That's what I believe I don't believe freedom is confined just to the United States of America, nor do I believe that we should shy away from expressing our deep desire for there to be universal liberty You hear the debate, well, they're just imposing their values That's all they're doing Well, those are the folks who must not think that freedom is universal They're not American values There's something universal about the notion of liberty -- at least I think it is And that's what's going to drive my foreign policy I'll be unabashed about trying to work for more free societies I believe that's the calling of the 21st century I meant what I said, that in the 21st century, America ought to work to end tyranny in our world It is a noble goal for the United States of America I'm concerned about isolationist tendencies in our country that would say, well, maybe this isn't -- maybe we're not up to this task Well, if we're not up to the task, who is up to the task? I'm concerned about protectionist policies in our country, which says to me, we don't have the confidence to compete anymore Let us withdraw within our borders I strongly reject isolationism and protectionism It's not in our country's interest, nor is it in the world's interest There's great talk about, what you do as the American President with American influence I believe American Presidents ought to confidently use American influence for the good of the world, and that includes demanding universal liberty and human rights and human dignity Yes, sir Q Mr President, I'm from the Public International Law and Policy Group I'm also from Egypt and I aspire to one day go back there and join Egyptian politics So my question is -- THE PRESIDENT: Go for President (Laughter) Q I'm working on it, I'm working on it -- in 2017, everyone (Laughter) But my question is, would you support the regime of Gamal Mubarak if he takes over after President Mubarak? THE PRESIDENT: That's a leading question (Laughter) Q -- question THE PRESIDENT: No? That's a question I don't answer question (Laughter) I support a country which does not fear political movements, but is willing to compete with political movements That's the kind of country I support There's a -- first of all, I appreciate the fact that there were elections in Egypt That's positive I think people in positions of responsibility like mine ought to say, if there seems to be a movement gaining ground on the streets, the question ought to be why not how can we repress it, but what is taking place? What is it that's causing somebody to be in favor? What are they saying that I'm not saying, or what are they doing that I'm not doing? Competition for ideas and the votes of people are very healthy in societies As a matter of fact, it's one of the ways to defeat the terrorists Terrorists feed on resentment When people don't feel their voices are heard, they become resentful, and then they become eligible for recruitment If people don't feel like they have a chance to express themselves and have the government listen to them, they're likely to turn to people -- the false prophets, people who subvert a great religion to play on people's frustrations and then use that false prophecy to kill And so I -- the answer to your question is, is that I support an openness in the political process I think when -- I think Egypt is a -- has a chance to be one of the leaders of the freedom movement in the Middle East I recognize that not everybody is going to embrace this concept of democracy and freedom as firmly as I'd like them to But all of us have got to continue to advance progress One of the interesting debates we have about the freedom movement is whether or not institutions have to be right before there's elections So in other words, kind of one of these interesting philosophical debates that's taking place My answer -- you heard my answer -- my answer is, you got to have -- you can't wait for perfect, because it's an excuse for the status quo Elections start the process They're not the end of the process They're oftentimes the beginning of the process And one of the reasons I respect the Freedom House is because you understand that you follow elections with institution-building and the creation of civil society But for those who say, well, we can't have elections until everything is just right, or until we know the outcome of the elections, are those who provide excuse, in my judgment, for a foreign policy which in the past has said, it's okay, just so long as energy is priced okay and okay so there's no ruffles on the -- the sea looks calm My problem with that attitude is, beneath the surface, there's resentment and anger I'll also tell you another -- I'm not going to tell you your business in the Freedom House, but I think a movement that must be tapped into in order to advance freedom is the women's movement I just -- there is something universal about the desire to be treated fairly and equally And therefore, in societies in which women are not being treated fairly and equally provides great opportunities to advance the cause of freedom We've got to be wise about how we do it in the United States Sometimes the stamp of America obviously provides those who are trying to resist freedom, given them an excuse not to I understand that But it's -- there are great opportunities in the world The temptation in today's society is to say, it's not worth it Or, certain people can't self-govern It's really part of the debate in Iraq, isn't it, when you think about it -- is, can these people self-govern? And I can understand why some in America say they can't, because all they see is unbelievable violence And we're a country of deep compassion We care One of the great things about America, one of the beauties of our country, is that when we see a young, innocent child blown up by an IED, we cry We don't care what the child's religion may be, or where that child may live, we cry It upsets us The enemy knows that, and they're willing to -- they're willing to kill to shake our confidence That's what they're trying to do They're not going to shake my confidence, I just want you to know I understand their tactics and I know their designs But I also believe that Iraqis can and want to self-govern That's what I believe And so when you see me make decisions, or make statements like I make, you've got to understand it's coming from a basic set of beliefs That's what I believe And that's what a decision-maker ought to do The decision-maker ought to make decisions based upon deep-seeded beliefs You don't need a President chasing polls and focus groups in order to make tough decisions You need Presidents who make decisions based upon sound principle Now, people may not agree with the decisions I understand that But I hope after this talk, those of you who didn't agree at least know I'm making my decisions based on something I believe deep in my soul, and something that's worked in the past Democracies have yielded the peace I believe 30 years form now, people are going to look back at this moment and say, thank goodness a generation of Americans stood up and said, we have faith in democracy, faith in democracy to lay the foundation for peace, and an American President will be discussing issues of peace with duly-elected leaders in the Middle East, and our children will be better off for it And I want to tell you one anecdote now that you've got me wound up (Laughter) I sit down at the table with Prime Minister Koizumi I tell this story all the time, because one of my jobs is to go out and explain to the American people the consequences of the decisions that I have made and why I think it's in our interests Koizumi and I are not only good friends, but we're partners in peace We talk about a variety of issues -- North Korea is an issue, we talk -- you know, he's got 1,000 troops in Iraq Isn't that amazing, when you think about it? Because he understands the benefits of democracy in the broader Middle East We're close friends Sixty years ago -- it seems like an eternity for a lot of people, I recognize that, but it's not that long ago -- my dad fought the Japanese, and so did your relatives They were the sworn enemy of the United States of America I find it an unbelievable part of history that I am now sitting down at the table with the Prime Minister of Japan talking about the peace, and my dad fought them And so what happened? What happened was, Japan adopted a Japanese-style democracy That's what happened And now they're peaceful And they sit at the table with their former enemy I think that's a lesson worth listening to and understanding But I bet you after World War II there were great doubters as to whether or not Harry Truman was doing the right thing to help Japan become a democracy I see Stevens nodding, he was there Weren't you? (Laughter) Well, I wasn't (Laughter) But I'm reading a lot about it And I believe it's a lesson for all of us in this -- in the 21st century Spreading democracy is hard work It's hard to overcome sectarian division and torture It's hard to overcome that But it's worth it, for the sake of our children and grandchildren Yes Yes, ma'am I'll get you over there (Laughter) Here in the end zone You're next Q Oh, I'm next THE PRESIDENT: No, you're not next -- she's next (Laughter) Q I'm with Creative Associates, and we're one of the small companies that has the honor to work in Iraq, so today is a real honor to be here As you were mentioning all the steps that we're going to have to go through in the near future, I'm still very concerned that we might not be concentrating on the suffering of the children THE PRESIDENT: In Iraq? Q In Iraq So I would like to be sure that as the different programs get processed that we don't give up on the children THE PRESIDENT: Yes, thank you very much Our soldiers are good Samaritans They're unbelievable I see pictures all the time from family members of our soldiers in Iraq of their loved one showing compassion to children No question, I'm concerned about the children in Iraq, as well So our -- we've got people in the field who care about the children, too The truth of the matter is, if you care about the children of Iraq, then you would want to make sure that Iraq doesn't slip back into tyranny Thousands of children lost their parents because of Saddam Hussein And so I want to thank you for your work It's very important for the security situation to improve so that NGOs, people of compassion, are able to help lift lives But there's a lot of work to be done There's just a lot of work to be done Same in Afghanistan First of all, we've rebuilt thousands of schools in Iraq, as we have in Afghanistan, as well And the world is more hopeful as the result of the liberation of these people Afghanistan -- it's obvious -- when you have a society in which young girls weren't allowed to go to school because the Taliban thought it was like against humanity to send girls to school, and now they can, there's an amazing change in that society But I readily can see there's a lot of work left to be done It's -- there's no such thing as instant success I told you that -- and by the way, after World War II, Germany and Japan took a while to rebuild, and it took a while for those societies to become stable societies It just takes a while Our march, by the way, between revolution, liberation, and Constitution wasn't all that smooth either And, frankly, our adhering to the full extent of the liberties embedded in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence took a while I realize that when I talk to my Secretary of State We were -- we had people enslaved in the United States for a century It takes a while It's hard work And the fundamental question the American people have to answer is, is it worth it? You've got my position It absolutely is worth it Freedom is contagious, by the way As liberty begins to spread in the Middle East more people will demand it And we should not shirk our duty, nor should we be afraid to encourage reformers The worst thing that could happen, in my judgment, for the peace of the world is for the United States to lose our nerve and retreat And there's -- anyway Thank you You've been very anxious This better be a good one Yes, you've been waving and yelling over there (Laughter) Waving, yelling, stomping your feet It's a free society That's what happens (Laughter) Q I'm Iraqi-American THE PRESIDENT: Thank you Q Thank you, Mr President I think based on what -- over 30 years of Saddam's oppression and the regime in Iraq, and also based on the belief that you have, as an Iraqi mother, Iraqi-American mother and a woman -- and I went back two years ago -- I worked for a year -- there's always that concern and still worrisome These are beautiful messages, yet there's a big gap that crosses that ocean It never gets to the Iraqi, to the simple man, Iraqis facing despair, disillusionments, all kinds of things I speak to Iraqi friends and families on daily basis This is what their message is We hear of these things, but we don't see it It doesn't get to us THE PRESIDENT: Yes, tangible results on the street, right Q But it's not only us, Mr President It's not only that It doesn't reach them in any kind of media, unfortunately So how can we do that? I've been wondering about this, and you are the only person, I think, who can maybe do something THE PRESIDENT: Talk to the Iraqi people? Q Talk to someone, talk to the Iraqi, relay that message that we are honest, we have great beliefs, and we want to do something THE PRESIDENT: Well, I appreciate that First of all, I've got great confidence in the people of Iraq Iraqis are entrepreneurial, they're well-educated, they're peace-loving Iraq mothers want their children to grow up in a peaceful world That's what mothers want all over the world And so I -- what my concern is, is that the tangible benefits of democracy aren't reaching into people's pockets yet I mean, there's got to be a direct correlation with someone's lifestyle, someone's standard of living, and a style of government And that's one of the things that people who push freedom understand I mean, there's got to be -- people got to see the direct benefits at some point in time about being free One direct benefit is that there's not going to be a central government summarily pulling you out of society and killing you if need be That's the biggest benefit But there also has to be tangible benefits on the street I try to speak to the Iraqi people all the time Sometimes the message gets through the filters, sometimes it doesn't I want them to hear a couple of things I want the Iraqi people to hear I've got great confidence in their capacity to self-govern I also want to hear the -- the Iraqi people to hear it's about time you get a unity government going In other words, Americans understand newcomers to the political arena, but pretty soon it's time to shut her down and get governing I want the Iraqi people to hear that we care deeply about the individuals in Iraq, regardless of their religion That's what we care about And we want them to worship freely I like the fact in Iraq that there's a burgeoning free press, there's a lot of press, which is a positive sign It's a healthy indication I also want the Iraqis to hear that while there's a political debate going on here in America, I believe in what we're doing, and we're not going to leave prematurely that we have got a mission, along with the Iraqis, and that is to secure a country for its democracy and help them defend themselves, deny al Qaeda a safe haven, and have an ally in the war on terror And so I thank you for that admonition for me to speak out to the Iraqi people I try to do it as much as I possibly can Yes, ma'am Ambassador, you want to ask a question next? Q Good afternoon, Mr President I'm glad to see you here speaking today I have a question about the immigration issue that's going on right now And I'm just curious -- the Senate will probably pass a measure, the House has already passed a measure And I'm curious what kinds of components are you looking for in an immigration bill that you can support? And how do you reconcile a guest worker for undocumented residents who are here, versus those who are on line and in the system waiting five and 10 years to get here? THE PRESIDENT: No, that's a great question Thanks It's obviously topic du jour (Laughter) Pretty fancy, huh? Topic du jour? (Laughter) I don't want to ruin the image (Laughter) I believe there ought to be three components to good immigration law First of all, I hope we get a bill out of the Senate There's one out of the House It goes to what's called conference And here's my suggestions: One, that we're a nation of law, and we ought to enforce our borders Both the House and the Senate passed good border enforcement measures We're modernizing or upgrading our border We recognize that it's important to have more Border Patrol, which we do But the Border Patrol needs additional tools in order to do their job We're talking about long borders It's a subject I'm quite familiar with since I was the governor of a state that had a long border with Mexico And so the American people have got to know that we'll enforce law Secondly, we've got to enforce -- and by the way, part of enforcing law means to make sure that when somebody is caught coming into our country illegally, they're not let back out in society We had a real issue with detention beds, particularly for non-Mexican illegal people coming in We'd catch people from Central America And people worked hard They spotted people being smuggled across They were detained -- the people being smuggled across They said, check in with your immigration officer in 15 days, and nobody did And so now we've added a number of detention beds and are working for expedited removal procedures with the countries in Central America As far as the Mexican folks sneaking in the border, they're sent back very quickly back into their country Since 2001, believe it or not, we've stopped six million people trying to sneak into our country -- an amazing statistic It's a lot Secondly, there's got to be better interior enforcement But it's very difficult to enforce -- get an employer to enforce the law when the employer is uncertain as to whether or not the documentation being presented for the needed worker is legal It turns out -- what's very interesting is that when you deny -- when you make something illegal and there's a demand for it, people find ways around it That's why you've got a whole smuggling industry called coyotes That's why you've got unbelievable document forging going on That's why there's tunnels I mean, there's imaginative ways by people -- by unscrupulous people to take advantage of people who are coming here to do an honest day's work Thirdly, my judgment is you cannot enforce the border without having a temporary guest worker program The two go hand-in-hand There are people doing jobs Americans will not do Many people who have come into our country are helping our economy grow That's just a fact of life And I believe that we ought to say to somebody doing a job an American won't do, here is a tamper-proof identity card that will enable you to be here for a period of time And if that person wants to become a citizen of the United States, because we're a nation of law, they get at the end of the line, not the beginning of the line I also believe -- and the Senate is working through different measures to say to the person getting in the line, there's a consequence for being here illegally Now, if Congress believes that the line is too long, or that we should facilitate people's capacity to then get a green card and become a citizen, increase the number of green cards But people who have been here legally should not be penalized by someone who's been here illegally And so I'd like to tell the American people we are a nation of law, but that doesn't preclude us from being a welcoming nation I think a system which forces people underground and into the shadows of our society, which causes people to have to sneak across our border and risk their life, is a system that needs to be changed I also know -- and I used to tell this to people down there in Texas -- family values don't stop at the Rio Grande River If you're a mother or a father who's worried about putting food on the table and you're living in an impoverished America and you know there's a job that Americans won't do here, you'll come to do it, for the sake of your family And therefore, I think it makes sense to have a temporary worker program that says you're not an automatic citizen, to help, one, enforce the border, and two, uphold the decency of America If our Border Patrol agents don't have to focus on people trying to sneak across to get a job, they will be able to be more focused on people smuggling drugs, smuggling guns, smuggling terrorists And so I look forward to the debate I'm going to say again what I've said before on this debate It's very important for all of us in this debate to conduct ourselves with the following principles in mind: One, we're a nation of immigrants two, our soul is refreshed by newcomers to our society three, we love the idea of people starting with nothing and ending up with something in America four, we value family values, no matter where they may be and five, we've got to be careful about the language we use when it comes to debating this important subject People should not pit neighbor against neighbor, group of people against group of people in our country Ours is a nation that's able to assimilate people because we believe in human rights and human dignity of all Final question Q Mr President -- THE PRESIDENT: Okay, two questions Please, ma'am You're last You're the last guy You're the closer (Laughter) It's a baseball term Yes, you're the closer You've been persistent (Laughter) Q Thank you, Mr President, and I think I sprained my arm trying to get your attention The main reason for that is because I think I speak for the unheard people I'm a Palestinian My name is Bushra (phonetic) and I come from a refugee camp and I'm currently working at the World Bank THE PRESIDENT: Welcome Q Thank you What can I say to my cousins, my friends, people in the streets who are asking, why is the United States punishing us and cutting funds for people who choose fair and free elections? I think the National Endowment for Democracy has characterized it as the text book, fair and free elections Then why are we punishing the people -- I don't mean the government -- the people of Palestine -- the refugees, the poor, the malnourished mothers and children? THE PRESIDENT: Great question Thank you for asking it Just to step back, I believe I'm the first President to have articulated the -- my desires for there to be a Palestinian state living at peace with Israel And I still think it's a real possibility for that to happen I believe democracies don't war with each other, and I believe a Palestinian democracy is in the interests of the Palestinian people, the Israelis, and the rest of the world Secondly, I think that aid should go to suffering Palestinians, but nor should it go to a governmen
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