Remarks at a fundraiser for senatorial candidate John Cornyn in Dallas, Texas

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, April 1, 2002

This fight on the war against terror is larger than any single individual or any single network. There are other nightmare scenarios that our Nation must be worried about. One such scenario would be for a terrorist killer organization to team up with some of the world's worst leaders who harbor and develop the world's worst weapons.

I've told this to a lot of world leaders, that I'm just not going to let that happen. History has called us into action. We can't look back after our time in Washington, DC, and say, "How come we let this happen?" For the good of our children and our grandchildren, we must deny the world's most dangerous leaders from having and harboring the world's most dangerous weapons. We'll be deliberate; we'll be thoughtful; we will consult with our friends and allies. But when I said "axis of evil," I meant it.

I believe that out of this incredible evil that has been done to our country will come great good, though. I do. When the United States remains firm and strong and determined, we can achieve peace in parts of the world where people never thought peace could happen.

Oh, I know the Middle East is--looks like there will never be peace, but I can assure you we're not giving up. We're not going to let murderers disrupt a march to peace. My heart breaks for those who were celebrating Passover in the hotel, when a coldblooded killer came in and destroyed innocent life, to derail the attempts of peaceful-loving people for coming together.

But they're not going to stop us as a nation for longing for peace and working for peace. And the best way to achieve the peace is to he strong and steadfast against terror. I see a peaceful world. I do. The rest of the world watches us very carefully. I like to say, if the United States blinks, they'll go to sleep. We're not going to blink.

I also believe at home we can achieve incredible good too. People often say, "Well, what can I do to help in the war against terror?" My answer is, love a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. If you want to fight evil, do some good. I look around the room and see a lot of my friends who I know have been doing good for a long, long number of years here in Texas. And I want to thank you for that. But it's important you keep doing it. It's important you give of your time and your money to help people in need.

This Nation is based upon some great principles: our love for freedom, our love for democracy. But our real strength is the hearts and souls of the American people. We're a tough nation; we're a courageous nation. But we're also a compassionate nation. And in order to fight terror, in order to stand squarely in the face of evil, we must help people in need. Just walking across the street to see a shut-in and saying, "I care about you," is part of fighting evil. Mentoring a child, telling your own child you love him every single day, going to a church or a synagogue or a mosque and developing a program to help feed the hungry or clothe those who need clothes and help, that's all part of not only defining our Nation, but fighting against evil.