President Bush's Address to the German Bundestag (Complete Text)

The White House ^ | May 23, 2002 | Presidient George W. Bush

[Miss Marple]

A powerful speech. The audience interruption was a heckler from the opposition party.

There has been much discussion about the foreign aid portion of this speech, so I thought it best to post the speech in its entirety.

[homeschool mama]

Thank you for posting this!

[Bigg Red]

Wow! What a powerful speech. Thanks for posting it. Even though it was long, it was well worth the reading. I could just picture President Bush delivering it as I read it.

[isthisnickcool]

Hey, how does a dyslexic stupid guy make such great speeches? /sarcasm offen

[Rheo]

When nations are governed justly, the people benefit. When nations are governed unjustly, for the benefit of a corrupt few, no amount of aid will help the people in need. (Applause.) When nations are governed justly -- when nations are governed justly, investing in education and health, and encouraging economic freedom, they will have our help. And more importantly, these rising nations will have their own ability and, eventually, the resources necessary to battle disease and improve their environment, and build lives of dignity for their people.

Sounds like some conditions to the aid......are there currently any conditions attached to the aid we give? (forgive my ignorance)

[ex-snook]

Great, full of good ideas. Now he needs to get started on step one toward peace.

"We must continue to stand for peace in the Middle East. That peace must assure the permanent safety of the Jewish people. (Applause.) And that peace must provide the Palestinian people with a state of their own. (Applause.) "

The quicker, the better.

[LarryLied]

When you integrate your markets and share a currency in the European Union, you are creating the conditions for security and common purpose.

The Iron Lady disagrees:

I believe that:

• The European single currency is bound to fail, economically, politically and indeed socially, thought the timing, occasion and full consequences are all necessarily still unclear.

• It therefore follows that countries which have not already joined the project would be well-advised to keep out.

• This failure cannot be rectified by American or other international attempts to rescue the euro, because the fundamentals are irremediably unsound.

• The most important priority for the non-Europeans is to see that European policies do as little harm as possible now or later to the world economy.
  ---Margaret Thatcher, "Statecraft"page 354

[Miss Marple]

Well, Larry, they have already done it. I guess it doesn't hurt to give them a few harmless compliments. We don't use the Euro, and I think Britain is resisting it.

I see already there is some talk about ditching the Euro. We will just have to see what happens.

[Miss Marple]

Some aid is given for specific purposes (like humanitarian aid for famine-stricken countries). Although it is given for a specific purpose, we have had no mechanism to certify that the aid goes for the purpose for which it is intended, and no mechanism to revooke aid if skulduggery is proven.

In addition, there are countless small programs that flow from the State Department without any consideration for who is going to get the money in actuality. The Millenium Fund will be different.

In addition, I believe you will see more and more money go into that fund and less and less into the older, inefficient ways of giving foreign aid.

[LarryLied]

You are right. One doesn't tell a host their money is headed for problems. Posted that only because I like Thatcher and her new book is a good read.

[SevenofNine]

Well Larry there been series of Conservative winning elections in other countries including Far right in Netherlands that bad news That reason there was such outcry by French leftists when Le Pen kick Left Party leader butt in second round of election before getting punk by PM Chrirac of France Hey Miss Marple I think we see some photos of Dubya and Vlad in Russia very soon If he is on his way don't be suprise we see it on Daily dose RACKKKKK DUBYA

[TADSLOS]

Watched it on FOX this morning. It was a great speech, but from the body language of the audience, I'm afrais it fell on selectively deaf ears. This isn't the same Germany, or Europe, for that matter that we stared down the Soviets with just 13 short years ago. How soon they forget...

[Miss Marple]

LOL! Well, I think Maggie is right, and the success of the Euro won't depend on President Buhs's compliment or the good intentions of the Euro-weenies.

I like Maggie Thatcher a lot. It is a shame she will no longer be speaking in public.

[Miss Marple]

Hoping to see some TV coverage soon.

[Rheo]

Thank you for your response!

Was confused that so many are hating President Bush for increasing the aid but yet putting conditions on it that were not there before.

Perhaps it is my ignorance of the whole thing but it seems to me that in the "big picture", this is a good thing. (hand up instead of just hand out)

p.s....yes, it would be nice that we did not have to aid anyone.....not gonna happen in one magic move but this seems to be a start to getting there.....IMO

[SevenofNine]

I just hoping that C-Span carry it on tape THAT BE COOL I know sometime during summer month C-Span carry BBC world news and other Euro news program fill up programming

[Miss Marple]

Welcoming ceremony just concluded. I love the fact that Putin brought the old anthem back with new words. That is one of the greatest pieces of music, and it was a shame the Commies had it. Just goes to show you Vlad is smart!

I look for little signs in things, you know. I notice that they had Bush standing on a Persian rug, rather than the usual plain red rug used in ceremonies. Ha!

[LisaFab]

The president's speech made me late to work this morning...hate when that happens :-)

As usual, some people around here are taking the president's comments about increasing foreign aid out of context. If I read him right, he's saying we expect some democratic bang for our buck in the future or get your snout out of the feeding trough.

[LarryLied]

Just picked up Thatcher's new book "Statecraft" at the library. She slides in the knife without the victim feeling a thing:

"What we should grasp, however, from the lessons of European history is that, first, there is nothing necessarily benevolent about programmes of European integration; second,the desire to achieve grand utopian plans often poses a grave threat to freedom;and third, European unity has been tried before, and the outcome was far from happy."

[Miss Marple]

Yes, that is how I read it as well. Those who are griping can stay on their thread. They are arguing about whether foreign aid is constitutional or not. Probably not, but we are stuck with it and at least let's make it accountable.

The "all or nothing" crowd wear me out.

By the way, it took a great deal of confidence to bring up both World Wars, the rise of Hitler, and Ronald Reagan's phrase to Gorbachev in a speech to the Germans. He subtly reminded them how many of our people died in those wars and I think this was pretty good.