Friday, Jun 18, 2004 3:47 PM
Note what the NYT said about Germany in 1946....
Part of a transcript of GWB's remarks last night in Spokane, and today at Ft. Lewis, WA...
>>>>>>>>Let me read you something I think you'll find interesting from The New
York Times. (Laughter.) Now, wait, wait a minute, wait. This was in -- no -
- in 1946. (Laughter.) It was a great year. (Laughter.) I was born that
year. (Laughter.) Anyway, I just want you to read this -- I mean, I want you
to hear this as I read it: "Germany" -- this is 18 months after the fall of
Berlin -- 18 months after the fall of Berlin -- "Germany is a land in an acute
stage of economic, political, and moral crisis. The basic elements of
recovery and peace are lacking. European capitals are frightened by the
prospect of a German collapse. In every military headquarters, one meets
alarmed officials doing their best to deal with the consequences of the
occupation policy that they admit has failed."
Now, that was a pessimistic view of the future for Germany. Fortunately,
my predecessors were not pessimistic people. Fortunately, they had great
faith in the power of freedom to change societies. Fortunately, they
understood that even though times were difficult, that if they were determined
and strong and clear-sighted in the vision of a free society, ultimately, a
free society would emerge.<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>One of the lessons of September the 11th is that when we see a threat, we
must take it seriously. We can no longer assume oceans protect us. If we see
a threat materializing overseas, we must take every threat seriously, before
it's too late. That's one of the really important lessons of that -- of that
day.
I saw a threat in Iraq. I looked at the intelligence, and I saw a threat.
The United States Congress, Republicans and Democrats, looked at the very same
intelligence, and they saw a threat. The United Nations Security Council
looked at the intelligence, and it saw a threat. And there's a reason why we
saw threats. Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who tortured his own
people, who opened mass graves for innocent Iraqis and filled them, who
harbored terrorists, who provided safe haven for people like Zarqawi who still
kills in Iraq today, who used weapons of mass destruction on his own people.
Yes, we saw a threat, and I remembered the lessons of September the 11th, that
we must take threats seriously.
So I went to the United Nations, and I said, here's a threat. And
unanimously, they said, you're right. Mr. Saddam Hussein, disarm, disclose
and disarm, or face serious consequences. When America speaks, we better mean
what we say. When we say, serious consequences, we mean serious consequences.
Saddam Hussein, once again, defied the free world. I had a choice to make:
to trust the judgment of a madman, or defend America. Given that choice, I
will defend America every time. (Applause.)
And our troops have performed brilliantly. (Applause.) <<<<<<<<< |
