Remarks to employees of America II electronics in St. Petersburg

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, March 11, 2002

March 8, 2002

Thank you for that warm welcome. I love to be introduced by my brother. [Laughter] I know I'm not supposed to say this, but he's doing a great job as Governor. He's really--[applause]. I'm really proud of him, and it seems like a lot in Florida--a lot of people here are proud of him, too. But it's good to see you, Jeb. Thanks, and I hope you're still listening to Mother. [Laughter]

For all of you out there who have got children, I want you to know that you can tell them the President said, listen to their mothers--[laughter]--because I'm still listening to ours--[laughter]--whether I want to or not. [Laughter]

I'm so honored that we could come to America II. I was impressed by what I read on the briefing paper before I arrived at the company. I am doubly impressed, having talked to Mike and the people who work here, about the incredible culture that exists in this fine company, a culture that recognizes the worth of the people who work for the company. And Mike, I want to thank you for letting us come.

One of my jobs is to remind people, the role of Government is not to create wealth but an environment in which the entrepreneurial spirit can flourish. Here's a guy that started off with 5 employees and no children--[laughter]--now has 4 children and 500 employees. [Laughter] And so I want to congratulate you all, and thanks for your hospitality.

I also appreciate the members of the Florida congressional delegation for flying down today. We had really a good talk about issues that matter to our national security as well as issues that matter to Florida. Congressmen Bilirakis, Davis, Miller, Putnam, and the chairman, Congressman Bill Young, thank you all for coming.

And I want to thank the mayor. Mr. Mayor, you did a fine job of getting America II prepared for just a little visit from the President. [Laughter]

I want to spend a little time talking about the big challenges our Nation faces, staffing with an unrelenting drive to defend our freedom. We were attacked by a ruthless enemy who must not have understood America. They must have thought we were soft and so incredibly materialistic and self-absorbed that we would not find the will to fight and sacrifice for that which we hold dear. And they have made a huge miscalculation.

In the beginning, I told the American people we were in for a long, difficult struggle, that I wasn't sure how long this was going to take. But I really wasn't concerned about the calendar. I'm concerned about our future. And I'm concerned about this Nation leading the world to rout out terror wherever it exists, so our children and grandchildren can live in freedom. That's our concern.

I told the world that you're either with us, or you're against us. A lot of people are now with us. [Laughter] And it's important that we remain strong and determined and focused, to remind people that we're fighting for freedom, the right to worship freely, the right to express your opinion in the political process, the right for there to be a free press--freedoms we hold dear. And these freedoms are not just American freedoms; they're universal freedoms. And we must stand strong.

I also said, if you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the murderers who killed thousands in America. And the Taliban found out what I meant. The Taliban found out about what we meant by justice. The Taliban found out that we've got a fabulous military. And they found out that our military and our coalition were not conquerors; we're liberators. We liberated the people from the clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes in the history of mankind, people who refused to educate young girls, people who mistreated women. No, this great country of ours not only defends our freedom; we liberate people so they can enjoy their own freedoms. I'm proud of the United States military.

Next Monday will mark the sixth month, the date of 6 months from September the 11th. That's not a very long time. It seems like a long time for a lot of people, I know, but when we look back at history, 6 months is a pretty short period of time in the war against terror. And we've accomplished a lot, but there are still dangerous missions left ahead. You see, the Al Qaida killers trained thousands of people who hate America, who hate what we stand for, who resent our freedoms, who want to harm us still, who want to make sure that our alliance is weak. They're looking for soft spots to exploit, and we're not going to let them.

We found a bunch of Al Qaida killers recently, bunched up in Afghanistan. And our military went after them, and we're making good progress. It is a sign of what's going to happen for a while. And my fellow Americans must understand that, that we'll be relentless and determined to do what is right.

And we will take loss of life, and I'm sad for loss of life. And today we've got the mom and dad of a brave soldier who lost his life, and a brother. God bless you. Thank you all for coming. I know your heart aches, and we ache for you. But your son and your brother died for a noble and just cause. May God bless you. May God bless you.