Posted on 11/19/2003 6:32:42 AM PST by Mark Felton
The Queen and President Bush at Buckingham Palace
|
He told the audience at London's Banqueting House that the danger of terrorists using weapons of mass destruction aided by dictators represented "the greatest threat of our age".
He said: "The evil is in plain sight. The danger only increases with denial.
"Great responsibilities have fallen once again to the great democracies. We will face these threats with open eyes and we will defeat them."
President Bush said a global response was needed to such threats, along with a recognition that "in some cases the measured use of force is all that protect us from a chaotic world ruled by force".
He said the people of Baghdad had rejoiced on the fall of Saddam Hussein and now had the right to free speech as enjoyed in the UK and the US.
"The dictator had been given many chances to account for his weapons programmes. Now the resolutions he defied had been enforced.
"Who will say that Iraq was better off when Saddam Hussein was strutting and killing, or that the world was safer when he held power?"
'Alliance of values'
Defending the war in Iraq, Mr Bush said the UK and US shared "a mission in the world beyond the balance of power or the simple pursuit of interest".
"We seek the advance of freedom and the peace that freedom brings," he said.
"Together, our nations are standing and sacrificing for this high goal in a distant land at this very hour."
President Bush paid tribute to UK service personnel who died in the war in Iraq and those serving in the country.
And he said the UK and the US enjoyed a "very strong" relationship based on "an alliance of values".
He vowed that the coalition would not turn away from Iraq in the face of threats from "thugs".
He also reaffirmed his pledge to work towards a viable Palestinian state amid security for Israel.
Mr Bush was earlier welcomed by the Queen at a ceremony full of pageantry at Buckingham Palace.
The president's visit comes amid unprecedented security due to anti-war protests and increased terror fears.
Security review
Despite the intense policing the visit began amid claims the Mirror newspaper had exposed a breach in security.
The claims have prompted a Buckingham Palace investigation and Home Secretary David Blunkett has made a statement to MPs about the incident.
The Mirror newspaper claimed one of its reporters got a job as a footman in the palace using fake references and was set to serve the president's staff breakfast.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Tony Blair stressed the importance of Britain's relationship with the US.
Conservative leader Michael Howard paid tribute to Mr Blair's close relationship with Mr Bush.
The Stop the War Coalition predicts that 100,000 people will take to the streets on Thursday for the main protest against Mr Bush's visit.
The formal welcome for Mr Bush and his wife Laura from the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh came after a 41-gun salute.
They were driven the short distance from the Belgian suite, where they are staying, to be met by the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, Mr Blair and other dignitaries.
After the American national anthem was played they inspected the guard, before the Queen gave the president a private viewing of the Royal Collection of art.
Protest parties
As the president set out his defence of the war, peace campaigners are attempting to demonstrate their opposition in a series of protests across the capital.
Parliament Square, the South Bank and the Exxon-Mobil headquarters are among the locations earmarked for demonstrations.
A "roaming" Street Party and a Resist Bush Tea Party are also planned, while London Mayor Ken Livingstone has organised a peace party in City Hall for groups opposed to the war in Iraq.
Mr Bush is due to meet British families of those who died in the 11 September attacks in New York, although a trip to the memorial gardens at the US Embassy was cancelled due to security concerns.
The president is also due to meet Mr Howard, who supported the war, and the Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, who opposed it.
In the evening, Mr and Mrs Bush will be guests of honour at a state banquet at the Palace.
Scotland Yard has put in place a £5m operation which will see over 5,000 police on the capital's streets.
Police agreed the mass protest on Thursday could march up Whitehall after receiving reassurances from organisers that it would be peaceful.
I never could understand the idea of being at The End of History.
And that, was my favorite line in that speech! YOU GO GW! Ya made us so proud and you and Tony Blair have made, through the ulitmate sacrifice of the precious combined miltary troops, our world a stronger and safer place.
Lets give it another month; maybe this was just Nov posturing to select audiences.
BTW, you realize Orwell, a man who picked up a gun for the Reds, recanted the substance of your tagline?
I appreciate the irony of seeing an ideological opposite use the line as it proves my point, but hey, we are working on consensus here.
Regarding my tagline, it is based on "Notes on Nationalism" which Orwell wrote in the 1940's, when he was an anti-communist.
I would like to see a source for the claim that Orwell recanted a statement that is true on the face of it.
The challenge would be to find an alternative way to frame the argument that pleases the Right. That is the nature of figuring out political alliances. I am already concerned that on this point alone, you would lean 'left' (or towards the Ds anyway) rather than to the Right on a 'bring the boys home' phraseology.
I provided a link to the story of his recantation, but you are incorrect, he wrote it as an anti-fascist not an anti-Communist. Orwell only recanted picking up a gun for the the Stalin backed Reds in the Spanish American War in the late 40s.
But here, read Orwell in his own words on your line there.
Like I said, I love the irony.
I like Orwell. I beleieve that "1984" and his works on language should be requirements for all students of politics. However, I do not always agree with Eric Blair.
PS. You certainly take a position at odds with the Objectivist Establishment.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.