Remarks by the Vice President to the 90th National Convention of the American Legion

PHOENIX--(Business Wire)--
Phoenix Convention Center

9:06 A.M. MST

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much, ladies and
gentlemen, friends and fellow citizens. It's good to see all of you
this morning. I notice I always get a warm welcome when I come to
Arizona in August. (Laughter.) But wherever you and I have met --
whether it was in Indianapolis last fall, or in other venues over the
years -- I've always received a warm welcome from the American Legion.
And I appreciate it, and I'm honored to be with you once again.

Let me thank your national commander, Marty Conatser, for the
invitation to join all of you today. And I also want to thank Robert
Spanogle, national adjutant; Jan Pulvermacher-Ryan, national president
of the Auxiliary; Pam Gilley, national secretary of the Auxiliary. I
also want to thank national and department officers and delegates,
Legionnaires, Auxiliary members, Sons of the American Legion, and
guests who have come to Phoenix from all over the world. Your
commitment to the Legion has made this 90th National Convention a huge
success. It's great to be part of it, and I bring respect and good
wishes to all of you from the President of the United States, George
W. Bush. (Applause.)

This hall is filled with distinguished Americans. You answered the
nation's call -- and when you returned from duty, you kept up the
habit of service by joining the American Legion. The Legion serves
America by leading on important issues, from health care and
education, to employment opportunities for veterans, to homeland
security, to a better quality of life for our military families. You
proudly wear an emblem that "stands for God and Country, and the
highest rights of man." You speak up for liberty and democracy,
because you know what those ideals mean -- and because you know the
price that's been paid for our freedoms. Members of the American
Legion stand firm for protecting our country's flag, and for defending
the right of every American to pledge allegiance to one nation under
God. (Applause.)

We also count on the American Legion to be an advocate for the
nation's veterans. Our administration has worked with you and have
benefited greatly from your advice. President Bush and I came into
office determined to raise the quality of veterans' health care, to
get more money to the VA, and to trim the backlog in processing
disability claims. Aided by your strong voice on Capitol Hill, we've
been able to make a big difference for veterans and their families.

The President's budget for this year asks for nearly $94 billion
for the VA -- almost double what it was when we took office. And more
than $5 billion -- (applause) -- more than $5 billion has been
committed to new and expanded VA facilities across the country.

To expand educational opportunities for veterans and their
families, President Bush was proud this year to sign a G.I. Bill for
the 21st century. (Applause.) To provide better care for wounded
warriors, we've implemented recommendations from Senator Bob Dole and
Secretary Donna Shalala. And the President fixed an old problem for
combat-injured and severely disabled veterans, when he signed
concurrent receipt legislation -- making him the first President in
more than a hundred years to do so. (Applause.)

For all the progress that's been made for veterans over these last
seven and a half years, we're not easing up in the final months of our
administration. We've got a fine leader at the VA, Dr. James Peake,
who is the first physician and first general to serve as Secretary. We
realize bureaucracies always need to be pushed -- and a retired
three-star is a good one for doing the pushing.

President Bush said a long time ago that he intended to sprint to
the finish line, and all of us who work for him are going to stay hard
at it until our last day in office. I'll be putting on some miles
myself next week, with an international trip that includes a stop in
Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. That young democracy has been
subjected to an unjustified assault, and the international community
has joined in condemning Russia's invasion of a sovereign, democratic
neighbor and its recognition of Georgian regions of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia.

America has sent in large amounts of humanitarian aid, along with
a clear message to the people of Georgia: We support their democracy,
and we'll work with our allies to ensure Georgia's territorial
integrity as a free and independent nation. The Georgian people won
their freedom after years of tyranny, and they can count on the
friendship of the United States. (Applause.)

Come January, President Bush and I will turn our duties over to
others. I realize the Annual Convention of the American Legion is not
a political event, and I will not speak this morning about the
presidential campaign. (Applause.) But in present company, there's one
thing I have to say. I am proud and delighted that next week, your
fellow Legionnaire, Senator John McCain of Arizona, will be nominated
for President of the United States. (Applause.)

On my final visit to the American Legion as Vice President, I also
want to thank each of you for the unstinting support you are giving to
the men and women serving in our military today. I know it means a lot
to those serving far away, and to those you've welcomed home from
their deployments. We blessed -- we are blessed with the finest
military any nation has ever fielded, and may we never take them or
their families for granted. (Applause.)

These are busy times for the nation's defenders, because we're at
war with an enemy that hit us first, hit us hard, and has ambitions to
cause ever greater destruction inside our country. In two weeks, we'll
mark another anniversary of September 11th, 2001 -- and we'll recall
the attacks that took 3,000 lives and did such great harm to our
nation. We'll be reminded, once again, of the kind of adversaries that
we face in this war. These extremists don't wear a uniform or
recognize any standard of warfare. They hate our country; they are
determined to kill as many Americans as they can; and they are fully
prepared to kill themselves in the process. Simply stated, an
extremist cabal has turned its guns on the United States and the
civilized world. For the sake of our freedom and security, we must not
relent until this enemy is destroyed. (Applause.)

In light of what happened in 2001, and considering what we've
learned since about the enemy's operations and intentions, it's all
the more remarkable that America has not had another 9/11. The fact
that we've been safe this long is not an accident of history or just a
stroke of luck. It is an achievement. We've undertaken a broad-based,
unyielding effort to protect this country -- an effort set in motion
and led by the President of the United States, and carried out by
investigators, security professionals, intelligence operatives, and
military personnel. No one can guarantee the enemy won't make another
strike on our homeland -- indeed, that is their objective. But one
thing is certain: We will not sit and wait to be hit again.
(Applause.)

There was a time when terrorist attacks were treated mainly as an
issue of law enforcement -- where you investigated the incident,
arrest the bad guys, try them, and put them in jail. The first attack
on the World Trade Center, back in 1993, resulted in indictments and
prison terms for the major perpetrators. But that did not remove the
danger to America. Terrorist attacks against American interests
continued throughout the '90s, from the killing of servicemen in
Riyadh and the Khobar Towers, to the destruction of our embassies in
Tanzania and Kenya, to the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000.

Outside a few limited strikes, the terrorists never paid a real
price for any of this. They believed they could strike us and get away
with it. And they grew more confident that if they hit Americans hard
enough, the United States would change our policies, abandon our
commitments, and run away. They took to the examples of Beirut in 1983
and Somalia in 1993 -- when terrorists killed Americans and we
thereafter withdrew our forces.

September 11th changed everything. We saw the kind of destruction
that could be caused by 19 men armed with box cutters and boarding
passes -- 19 men who were, in fact, part of an international network
of terror. We had to contemplate, as well, their broader goals -- to
acquire more deadly weapons; to gain new safe havens to wage further
attacks; to spread an ideology of hatred and resentment across the
broader Middle East and beyond.

After 9/11, it was clear that this mixture of ideology and
violence, operating across borders and in secret, added up to more
than just a law enforcement problem. It was, and is, a strategic
threat to the United States, and must be dealt with systematically.
(Applause.) So President Bush made a decision to marshal all the
elements of our national power to confront the extremists, to deny
them safe haven, and above all to deny them the means to wage
catastrophic attacks against the United States. He also made clear
that in the post-9/11 era, regimes that harbor terrorists and defy the
demands of the civilized world should be held to account -- before
it's too late.

Having been attacked at home, we took decisive steps to make the
country less vulnerable to attack, and to improve our ability to
respond to a national emergency. We set up the Department of Homeland
Security and a new counterterrorism center. We shifted the FBI's focus
from investigating terrorist attacks to preventing them. The President
signed the Patriot Act, which took down the legal and bureaucratic
wall that kept law enforcement and intelligence authorities from
sharing vital information.

We also stepped up intelligence operations -- to better figure out
the movements of the enemy, the extent of their network, the location
of the cells, the plans they're making, the methods they use, the
targets they want to hit. Information of this kind is the hardest to
obtain, but it's worth the effort in terms of the plots that are
averted and the lives that have been saved. So our government has
taken careful but urgent steps to monitor the communications of
enemies at large, and to get information from the ones that we have
apprehended.

We instituted the Terrorist Surveillance Program, to monitor
international terrorist-related communications. If somebody inside the
United States is talking to a terrorist overseas, we need to know
about it so we can protect the American people. (Applause.)

To defend American lives, we went to work getting information from
the terrorists themselves. One way we've done that is through
interrogations. And here it's important for Americans to understand
what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what we are not doing.
There's been a good deal of misinformation about the interrogation
program run by the CIA. Many unfair and uninformed statements have
been made about America's intentions and about the conduct of our
intelligence officers. A lot of details are, understandably,
classified. Yet the basic facts are these. A small number of
high-value detainees have gone through a special program run by the
CIA. The CIA program involves tough customers and tough interrogations
-- but it is entirely legal and proper. The procedures are designed to
be safe in full compliance with this nation's laws and treaty
obligations. They've been carefully reviewed by the Department of
Justice. The program is run by highly trained professionals who
understand their obligations under the law. And, as the President has
made clear, the program has uncovered a wealth of information that has
foiled specific attacks -- information that has on numerous occasions
made the difference between life and death. Intelligence personnel who
have gathered that information have done a great service to our
country. They are protecting Americans' lives, and they deserve the
nation's gratitude. (Applause.)

No nation in the world takes human rights more seriously than the
United States. The policies of our country comply with our law, which
prohibits torture. We're proud of our country and what it stands for.
We expect all who serve America to conduct themselves with honor. And
we enforce the rules. Some years ago, abuses were committed at Abu
Ghraib prison -- conduct that was not authorized and that did violate
the law. When those abuses came to light, Americans were rightly
outraged. Those who violated the law were arrested, prosecuted and
punished, as justice demanded. The misdeeds of a few should never be
used to slander the good and decent Americans who go to work every day
to keep this country safe. (Applause.)

All of these measures -- homeland security, terror surveillance,
and high-value interrogation -- have been absolutely essential to
confronting the strategic threat to our country. And the same is true
for our ongoing military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The war
on terror is not a figure of speech. On two fields of battle, it is a
shooting war. The only way to win is by going on the offensive -- and
that's exactly what we're doing.

In both countries, we confronted tyrants -- (applause) -- in both
countries we confronted tyrants and removed them from power. And we're
keeping our promise to support these democracies, and to help them
build up their own defense forces, and to prevent terrorists from
regaining a foothold in that critical region of the world.

In Afghanistan, America leads a coalition that includes every
member of the NATO Alliance. The Taliban is still waging attacks
against the Karzai government and against our forces. But our
coalition remains strong, and our troops are facing the enemy with
skill and toughness. Seven years ago, we rescued the Afghan people and
lifted their country out of the dark ages. Today they have an elected
government, a rising economy, and schools that educate both boys and
girls. Afghanistan is rebuilding itself, and it's become an ally in
the war on terror. The Afghan people stand with us, and we are
standing with them.

We are standing with the Iraqi people as well. And I'm pleased to
report that the troop surge we began last year has been an enormous
success. (Applause.) Violence in the country is down dramatically
compared to the first part of 2007. Sectarian killings and civilian
deaths have fallen dramatically. And the casualty rate among American
forces last month was the lowest in the history of that conflict.

Thanks to our new strategy in Iraq, led by General Dave Petraeus,
the Iraqi people now live in greater security than they have in years.
We're gathering better intelligence, because now the Iraqis are less
afraid to pass along tips about where enemy fighters are hiding, and
where they keep their weapons. The surge has given Iraq's elected
leaders the breathing room to pass new reforms, and they've stepped up
to their responsibilities. At the same time, we're -- continued to
train Iraq's security forces, and those forces are able to lead more
and more operations on their own. And al Qaeda, the main enemy in
Iraq, is substantially degraded, running out of sanctuaries, losing
the fight.

We're going to keep our commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq, as we
have pledged to do. The military aspect of the war on terror has been
a hard-fought, difficult, challenging enterprise. So difficult, in
fact, that many politicians -- including some who voted to send the
troops into battle -- have decided to quit. Last year, with the entire
Iraqi operation in the balance, we had to fend off multiple threats
from the Congress. There were threats to cut off all funding for the
troops, threats to force an immediate withdrawal from Iraq,
consequences be damned, and threats to mandate a pullout by strict,
short, and completely arbitrary timelines. The troop surge faced
intense opposition from members of Congress who said it was doomed to
fail. The Democratic leader of the Senate -- an early supporter of the
war -- abandoned that support and even declared the cause to be lost.

President Bush stood firm, along with a number of notably
courageous members of Congress, some of them from Arizona. They knew a
surge of operations was our big chance to get things right. They also
knew that success in Iraq mattered greatly to the future prospects for
peace in the Middle East, as well as having enormous impact on our own
security. For all these reasons, they knew that tyranny in Iraq was
worth defeating -- and democracy in Iraq worth defending.

We could have quit a year and a half ago -- and today Iraq would
be in chaos. Al Qaeda would probably control large segments of the
country; it probably would be a major safe haven for terrorists; and
its people would be suffering in ways we can scarcely imagine.
America's credibility would be in tatters, and the terrorists would be
newly emboldened. And everybody in Washington would be wondering just
how we were going to fix the problem in Iraq sometime down the road.
Fortunately, we've prevented that nightmare scenario -- and now it's
clear that the opponents of the troop surge were dead wrong.

Success in Iraq has allowed us to continue the President's policy
of return-on-success. We've reduced the length of combat tours from 15
months back down to 12. We've brought home all five of the combat
brigades and the three Marine units who were sent into Iraq as part of
the surge. Further troop movements will, as always, depend on what is
happening on the ground.

We recognize there are still difficult challenges ahead in Iraq
and the rest of the Middle East -- including the efforts by the
radical regime in Iran to develop technologies that would give it the
capability to produce nuclear weapons. No one should have any
illusions about this. Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of
terrorism. Its leaders have repeatedly called for the death of America
and the extermination of Israel. A nuclear-armed Iran would be a
threat to our country's vital interests. The United States remains
focused on mobilizing friends and allies to pressure the Iranian
regime to accept a diplomatic solution, to comply with the U.N.
Security Council resolutions, and to abandon its efforts to develop a
nuclear weapons capability. Diplomacy will always be our preferred
course. But Iran must know that the United States is determined to
defend its interests, and that all options remain on the table.

Whether in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Iran, the people of our military
understand what is at stake in the broader Middle East, and the
consequences it holds for the war on terror. A few months ago, during
a stay at Balad Air Base in Iraq, I participated in an awards
ceremony, and was given the chance to address several thousand of our
troops. The morale was high -- you could feel it as you stood there
with them, and you could hear it as they cheered comrades receiving
battle decorations. Most of all, I remember how strongly they
applauded when I told them that we're going to get the job done right
-- so that another generation of Americans doesn't have to come back
and do it again. (Applause.)

At every stage, with all the changing fortunes of war, the members
of our military have given their jobs all that is in them. They've
seized the initiative; they have the guts and the determination to see
the matter through. Last month in Iraq, more than 1,200 Americans
coming to the end of their service obligation made the decision to
re-enlist. On the Fourth of July, General Petraeus swore them in
during a ceremony at Camp Victory. According to the sergeant major in
Baghdad, it was the largest re-enlistment ceremony since the advent of
the all-volunteer force. Our nation is grateful to each and every one
of them. (Applause.)

As many of you know, I had the honor of serving this country as
Secretary of Defense during the administration of former President
Bush. During those years, and in my current position, I've had no
greater privilege than the chance to work with members of the American
Armed Forces. I believe that if anyone lacks for inspiration in the
war on terror, they need look no farther than the men and women who do
the fighting. Whether it's on cold mountain peaks in Afghanistan or
the hot dusty streets of Iraq, they have been magnificent. And a new
generation of warriors is the next chapter of American ingenuity,
bravery, and valor. (Applause.)

I recently attended a ceremony at the White House honoring one of
our bravest -- an Army private from Pennsylvania named Ross McGinnis,
who was killed in Iraq in late 2006. Private McGinnis was in the gun
turret of a humvee patrolling Baghdad when an insurgent threw a
grenade directly at the vehicle. The grenade fell through the gunner's
hatch and landed inside. Private McGinnis shouted a warning, but the
four men inside had no way of escaping. Instead of leaping off the
vehicle to save himself, Private McGinnis dropped inside, covered the
grenade with his body, and absorbed the blast. In a split second, he
saved four lives and lost his own. And the four soldiers he saved were
there in June, when President Bush presented to Mr. and Mrs. Tom
McGinnis the Medal of Honor earned by their son -- who at age 19
proved himself to be one of the bravest men in our history.

As President Bush said at that ceremony, "The day will come when
the mission...has been completed, and the fighting is over, and
freedom and security have prevailed. America will never forget those
who came forward to bear the battle." (Applause.) With daily
challenges confronting us, and American boots on the ground 6,000
miles away, we know there will be more fighting, and more sacrifices.
But our men and women are serving in a cause that is noble, necessary,
and in the finest tradition of America.

The United States was founded on the principles of liberty,
justice, and equality. We have served those principles, and sacrificed
for them, to the far corners of the earth. We have thrown back
tyrants, stood watch on the frontiers of freedom, and defended the
weak against the violent. We have brought hope and relief to peoples
who thought they had lost everything -- until the Americans arrived to
save them.

We've done all this, not for glory or empire, but for freedom --
because we know that the spread of freedom makes our world safer, and
brings us closer to the peace we all desire. In the process we've
received more than our share of criticism, and we can take it. The
fact is this world is a much better place because of the power, the
influence, and the values of the United States of America. (Applause.)

As citizens who have served in that cause, every member of the
American Legion can stand tall. You've earned a special place of
respect in this country. I count it a privilege to be in your company,
and I lack the words to express how much I've appreciated your
friendship over these many years. I'm proud of you, and I'm most
grateful for your hospitality this morning.

Thank you. (Applause.)

END 9:34 A.M. MST

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