President Bush says the war against terrorism gives the United States a
historic opportunity to liberate people from "barbaric behavior" and leave
the world more peaceful in the years to come.

Speaking to the Republican Caucus at Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur
Springs, West Virginia February 1, the president echoed his State of the
Union Address of earlier in the week, saying that there are thousands of al
Qaeda terrorists "still roaming around" and "we're going to be steady and
relentless until we achieve the objective of getting the al Qaeda killers
and bringing them to justice."

The president commented further on the "evil axis" he spoke of in his State
of the Union Address, states such as North Korea, Iraq, Iran with weapons of
mass destruction.  "In order for the world to be peaceful for our children
and grandchildren, we've got to prevent nations which develop weapons of
mass destruction from mating up with terrorist groups that will threaten the
United States and our allies," he said.

"I hope they hear the message of not only the United States but a vast
coalition of freedom-loving countries, as we clearly say, get your house in
order, don't develop weapons of mass destruction," said Bush.

The president also spoke of his bioterrorism agenda, telling the GOP Caucus,
"our bioterrorism initiative is substantial and real.  And I want to thank
you for working on it."

Following is the White House transcript:

(begin transcript)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

February 1, 2002

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT 2002 "CONGRESS OF TOMORROW" REPUBLICAN RETREAT
LUNCHEON

The Greenbrier
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

12:38 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, all.  Please be seated; thank you.  It is rare
that a fella can give two 50-minute addresses in the same week.  (Laughter.)
I knew you'd be thrilled.  (Laughter.)

J.C., thanks for those kind words and thanks for your leadership.  One of us
didn't get the dress code right.  (Laughter.)  Yes, I didn't get the memo.
(Laughter.)

At any rate, I'm delighted to be here; I am.  First, I want to say something
about the leaders of the two bodies represented here.  Your Speaker and the
Majority Leader -- I call him Majority Leader -- are two really good men to
work with.  I have loved my experience working with Denny and Trent last
year.  I really enjoy the candid discussions.

But most importantly, what I really appreciate is the desire to work
together to do what's right for the country.  We're lucky to have two such
strong and good men leading the country.  And so it's an honor to be with
the Speaker and Senator Trent Lott.  And I look forward to a fabulous year
working with the two men in 2002.  (Applause.)

I think this is going to be a great year, I do.  I've never been more
optimistic about anything in my life.  In the Oval Office there's a painting
by a friend of mine named Tom Lea. And when you come in the Oval Office,
you'll notice it's the western-looking painting right by the door where
Logan used to sit.  By the way, this is Logan's last day working for me,
which is -- I didn't fire him, he voluntarily left.

But, anyway, if you were to work where Logan used to be, there's a painting
that shows a great expanse of west Texas.  It is the -- the guy who painted
the painting was the person who wrote the quote I used at the end of the
convention, which I'm sure most of you have memorized by now.  (Laughter.)

It says, "Sarah and I live on the east side of the mountain.  It is the
sunrise side, not the sunset side.  It is the side to see the day that is
coming, not to see the day that is gone."

It's so important for a President to see a day that is coming, that is
positive.  And I do, in clear and vivid ways, I see a day that is much
better for not only America, and Americans, but the world.  We have an
historic opportunity to fight a war that will not only liberate people from
the clutches of barbaric behavior, but a war that could leave the world more
peaceful in the years to come.

None of us asked for this war.  None of us wished that what happened on
September the 11th happened.  And we continue to pray for the victims.  But
now that it's happened, this nation is ready to seize the moment.  And I'm
so proud that the people in this room and on this podium understand the
historic opportunity we have.  And I want to thank you for joining this most
noble and just cause.

We fight for freedom, and we stand for freedom, and we won't relent until we
defend freedom at its core.  (Applause.)  And that's why the budget I sent
up there has got a significant increase in defense spending, because we owe
it to the defenders of freedom to give them the best equipment, the best
housing, the best training, and another pay raise.  (Applause.)

Now in my speech, I tried to educate the American people about what we're up
against.  I talked about the fact that thousands of people had gone through
al Qaeda killer camps.  And they're still roaming around.  And so long as
they're roaming around with the intention of hurting us, this nation will
hunt them down.

I've been traveling the country, as you know, and I'm so pleased with the
fact that the American people are incredibly patient and resolved and share
our determination to achieve our noble objective.  They know that we have
succeeded in one phase of our war in Afghanistan; we liberated women and
children by demolishing the Taliban and its repressive government.

They also know that the stage we're now in, which is hunting down the cave
dwellers, is going to take a while.  They understand that, and I am grateful
for the people's understanding.  They understand that this is a dangerous
phase of the war.  But they have also been assured by me and by you all that
we're not going to weary.  We're not going to rush our military.  We're
going to be steady and relentless until we achieve the objective of getting
the al Qaeda killers and bringing them to justice.  (Applause.)

But they also understand that we are not preoccupied by one or two people,
that while bin Laden thinks he can hide in a cave or Mullah Omar thinks he
can run, it's just a matter of time.  I don't know how much time, and I
don't worry about the time about when he is brought -- or they are brought
to justice. That's just not one of my concerns.  It's going to happen.  And
you know, we've got them running, and it's just -- we'll get 'em.

But that's not our -- we're preoccupied.  And the American people understand
that, because they understand our goal is broader than just two individuals.
It is terror wherever terror exists.  And it's upholding that doctrine,
forcefully upholding the doctrine that says if you harbor a terrorist, if
you feed a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, you, too, are as guilty as a
terrorist.  (Applause.)

But the moment is broader than just destroying terrorist training camps or
finding terrorist trainers and bringing them to justice.  The moment that we
must seize says that in order for the world to be peaceful for our children
and grandchildren, we've got to prevent nations which develop weapons of
mass destruction from mating up with terrorist groups that will threaten the
United States and our allies.

Now we've got nations on notice as a result of the speech last Tuesday
night.  Of course, I hope they change behavior on their own.  I hope they
hear the message of not only the United States, but a vast coalition of
freedom-loving countries, as we clearly say, get your house in order, don't
develop weapons of mass destruction.

And then people say, what are the consequences?  They'll find out in due
course if they can't get their house in order.  The mighty United States
will do whatever it takes to defend our security.  Make no mistake about it,
if you threaten us with weapons of mass destruction, if you threaten our
allies and friends with weapons of mass destruction, we will do whatever it
takes to protect our people.  (Applause.)

And that's what we're doing at home.  And I want to thank you all for
working with us.  There's been some great ideas that have come out of the
Congress about how best to protect the homeland, and we've incorporated a
lot of them in the initial strategy that we're outlining, not only in our
budget but over the course of the last couple of weeks, and we'll continue
to do so.  And Tom Ridge and our team is open for more suggestions about how
to protect the people.

And so our bioterrorism initiative is substantial and real.  And I want to
thank you for working on it.  Our first-responder initiative, where we're
working with local governments, through governors, is going to be real and
meaningful.  Our airport security measures are strong.  I mean, we're doing
everything we can, and the American people need to know that.

And so when you go back to your districts, I thank you very much for sharing
our mutual concern and our knowledge that the enemy still wants to hit us,
but our government is responding forcefully.  You need to know, and I know
you know this, that the FBI, under Bob Mueller, has changed its culture.
It's still after spies and white collar criminals, and that's important.
But the primary focus of 4,000-plus agents, is to disrupt the enemy, is to
find out any information possible and run it down.  We take every lead
seriously.  We take every hint of evidence seriously.  We understand the
intentions of the enemy, and your constituents must know that this
government is doing everything in our power to make America safe.
(Applause.)

But the best way to secure the homeland for the long-run is to get 'em; get
'em where they hide, get 'em where they train, and bring 'em to justice.
And you just need to know something about your President, I am not going to
tarry like I -- wary -- weary, on this subject, like I said in my first
speech in September after the war.  I understand the call.  My determination
today is as strong as it was when I addressed you all in October, and my
determination three years from now will be just as strong then as it today.
I understand the call, I understand the mission, and this great country will
defend freedom to it's core.  (Applause.)

I said in my State of the Union that I stand in awe of the American people,
and you know what I'm talking about.  You've seen it in your communities
when you go back home.  You've seen it in your coffee shops, you've seen it
in your different clubs, you've seen it when you've seen your neighbors.  I
mean, this country is a country that is not only strong and determined, but
it's a compassionate country, as well.

People often ask me:  What can I do to participate in the war against
terror?  And as you know, in this particular issue, I see things pretty
clearly, in just plain terms.  Since this is a war of good versus evil,
those of -- who want to participate in the war against terror can do acts of
kindness to overwhelm the evil done to the country.

People can participate in the war against terror all kinds of ways.  You can
help serve as eyes and ears, you can alert, be alert.  But you can love a
neighbor.  An American, in fighting the war against terror, can walk across
the street to a neighbor who is shut in and say, I care for you.  And it's
those millions of acts of kindness on a daily basis that define our country
and stand defiantly in the face of evil.

And so one of the things I've tried to do is to capture the magnificent
spirit of the country.  And we set up what's called The USA Freedom Corps.
And somebody who is interested in joining can dial 1-877-USA-CORPS.  Or, if
you happen to be computer-literate, USAfreedomcorps.gov.  And it's a chance
for citizens to heed my call, which says we'd like you to serve your country
for two additional years, or 4,000 hours over your lifetime.

Now, I understand many in this room and many of your constituents already
have heard the call.  And keep doing -- my call is, keep doing it.  But some
don't know where to start.  And here is a good place for people to start.
And if they call the USA Freedom Corps number, they will find ways to, if
you're a senior citizen, participate in Senior Corps.  Or if you want to
teach, Teach for America.  Or if you want to go to the Peace Corps, we're
expanding the Peace Corps to take our values and compassion into the Islamic
world, for example.

There's all kinds of opportunity to serve.  And we're calling on the
American people to do so.  And it's really to help change our culture.
That's how I view it.  A lot of us grew up in a culture which has said, if
it feels good, just go ahead and do it; if you've got a problem, blame
somebody else. See, I believe out of this evil can come a new cultural -- a
new culture, a new assessment of what America is all about.  Our hope is
that the country's culture changes to one of responsibility, that each of us
are responsible for the decisions we make in life.

If you are a mom and dad, you are responsible for loving your child with all
your heart and all your soul.  If you're a compassionate neighbor, you're
responsible for helping a neighbor in need.  If you're corporate America,
you're responsible for making sure you reveal all your assets and
liabilities to your shareholders and your employees.  (Applause.)

So part of the ushering in the responsibility era, not only from the
individual basis but on the corporate basis, I have proposed some pension
reforms I would like to outline briefly for you today, and ask you to take
them up as quickly as possible.

We are announcing some proposals to protect pensions.  My plan will
strengthen the workers' ability to manage their own retirement funds by
giving them more freedom to diversify, better access to professional
investment advice, and quarterly information about their investments.

Employers should be encouraged to make generous contribution to workers'
401(k) plans.  It's a positive development when employers give stock to
people who work for them.  About 42 million workers own 401(k) accounts with
a total of $2 trillion in assets, and that's a critical part of retirement
security for workers all across America.

But workers should also have the freedom to choose how to invest their
retirement savings.  And so the proposal I'll submit to Congress and work
with members here in this room will allow workers to sell company
contributed stock and diversify into other investment options after three
years of participation in their company's plan.

To ensure that blackout periods are fair, the plan will ensure that company
executives be bound by the same blackout restrictions they impose on their
workers.  (Applause.)  If it's okay for the sailor, it ought to be okay for
the captain.  My plan also requires that workers be given a 30 day notice
before any blackout period begins, so workers can plan to make changes in
their investments.  It's a matter of fairness, it's a matter of openness,
it's a matter of respect for the process.  And I look forward to working
with you to get something done.

I also look forward to working with you to continue the progress we've made
on a lot of issues.  I think America appreciates it when people come to this
body, or your respective bodies, and work hard for what's good for the
country. We've made good progress doing that.

I am so proud of working with you.  I'm proud to be able to call you a
colleague here in Washington, D.C.  It's been a remarkable experience for
me. It's a joy to exchange ideas.  It's been sometimes a joy to watch the
legislative process.  (Laughter.)  Generally, it's an amazing experience to
watch.  (Laughter.)  But I'm looking forward to working with you to make
sure that the legislation that does come out is positive and hopeful for the
American people.

Thanks for your friendship.  God bless.  (Applause.)

Sources

• Washington File