QUOTE OF THE DAY –
President Meets with Defense and Foreign Policy Teams
Bush Ranch
Crawford, Texas
12:01 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. I'm pleased to welcome Secretary Rumsfeld and members of his team back to Crawford, and I'm pleased to welcome Secretary Rice and her team. We just had a meeting with the -- the Vice President and I had a meeting with the defense team and earlier this morning with Condi Rice and Don Rumsfeld. We'll have a joint luncheon, and then we'll visit with the Secretary of State's folks.
We discussed recent developments in Iraq, including the political progress that is taking place in that country. Despite the acts of violence by the enemies of freedom, Iraq's elected leaders are now finishing work on a democratic constitution. And later this year that constitution will be put before the Iraqi people for their approval.
The establishment of a democratic constitution is a critical step on the path to Iraqi self-reliance. Iraqis are taking control of their country. They're building a free nation that can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself.
And we're helping them succeed. We have a strategy to help them succeed. On the one hand, we're hunting down the terrorists, and we're training the Iraqi security forces so Iraqis can defend themselves. Our approach can be summed up this way: As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. And when that mission of defeating the terrorists in Iraq is complete, our troops will come home to a proud and grateful nation. The mission in Iraq is tough, because the enemy understands the stakes. A free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will deliver a serious blow to their hateful ideology.
Q Just to make clear, you're referring to Mrs. Sheehan here, I think?
THE PRESIDENT: I'm referring to any grieving mother or father, no matter what their political views may be. Part of my duty as the President is to meet with those who've lost a loved one. And so, you know, listen, I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan. She feels strongly about her -- about her position. And I am -- she has every right in the world to say what she believes. This is America. She has a right to her position. And I've thought long and hard about her position. I've heard her position from others, which is, get out of Iraq now. And it would be -- it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long-run, if we were to do so.
But no, Steve, I've met with a lot of families, and I have done my best to bring comfort to the families and honor to the loved one, and get different opinions when you meet with moms and dads and sons and daughters and wives and husbands of those who have fallen. One opinion I've come away with universally is that, you know, we should do everything we can to honor the fallen. And one way to honor the fallen is to lay the foundation for peace.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
President George W. Bush waves goodbye to the media as he leaves a press availability Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005, at the Bush Ranch in Crawford, Texas