Remarks at the California Business Association Breakfast in Sacramento, California

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Oct 22, 2001

October 17, 2001

Thank you all so much for that warm welcome. And I also want to thank the hundreds of our fellow Americans who lined the road coming in from the helicopter pad. It's really good to be here in California to report on our progress in the struggle against terror.

Now, there's the long version, and there's a short version. So I'm going to start with the short version: Our people are united; our Government is determined; our cause is right; and justice will be done.

I want to thank Gerry Parsky. I want to thank all the folks who put on this--organized this event. I appreciate so much the Governor, Gray Davis, coming, and all the elected officials.

I particularly want to say hello to the members of the Sacramento Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Seven, They may not remember, but I do--I got to meet them in New York City. [Laughter] They were part of an incredible outpouring of compassion and support from all across the country. I've got to tell you, I was amazed when I went into the building, and they said they were from California. I said, "This country is fabulous, when we've got people from California, from Sacramento, going all the way over to help their brothers and sisters at the World Trade Center." And I know you're just as proud of them as I am, and thank you all for being here.

This great State is known for its diversity--people of all races, all religions, and all nationalities. They've come here to live a better life, to find freedom, to live in peace and security, with tolerance and with justice. When the terrorists attacked America, this is what they attacked. And when we defend America, this is what we defend.

We are fighting for the security of our people, for the success of our ideals, and for stability in large parts of the world. We fight evil people who are distorting and betraying a great religion to justify their murder. Our cause is just. We will not tire. We will not falter, and my fellow Americans, we will not fail.

New York City and Washington, DC, are 2,500 miles from here. Yet, for all of us, an American is an American, no matter where we live, no matter what our race, no matter how we pray. The people of New York and Washington are our neighbors, and when terrorists attack them, they attack us all. And the terrorists are hearing from us all.

They are hearing from a compassionate nation, a nation that sends food and medicine to starving people of Afghanistan, a nation whose children--and I know we've got some here who have raised money at the elementary school--whose children are sending their dollars to save the children of Afghanistan.

They are hearing from a tolerant nation, a nation that respects Islam and values our many Muslim citizens. They are hearing from a prayerful nation, a nation that prays to an almighty God for protection and for peace. And they are hearing from a patient and determined nation, a nation that will continue this war for as long as it takes to win.

Ours will be a broad campaign fought on many fronts. It's a campaign that will be waged by day and by night, in the light and in the shadow, in battles you will see and battles you won't see. It's a campaign waged by soldiers and sailors, marines and airmen, and also by FBI agents and law enforcement officials and diplomats and intelligence officers. It's a campaign that is being waged in distant lands and a campaign being waged by our new Office of Homeland Security.

To keep us safe, we're working around the clock. We're on the lookout. We have questioned and detained more than 750 terror suspects and material witnesses in our country. And the broad coalition we put together has detained hundreds of suspected members of the Al Qaida organization. Our world coalition is working. We are taking apart the terrorist network, piece by piece. We're taking away their money by freezing their assets and choking off their incomes.

Our campaign will be difficult, and it's going to take time. But I can promise you this: It will be waged with determination, and it will be waged until we win. We will do whatever it takes to protect our country, protect the good American families. And we will do whatever it takes to punish those who have attacked us.

We'll do whatever it takes to defeat terror abroad, wherever it grows or wherever it hides. In Afghanistan, our Armed Forces are performing their duty with skill and success. We've destroyed many terrorist camps. We've damaged the Taliban's air defenses. We've seriously weakened all those in Afghanistan who wish to inflict harm on people anywhere in the world.

We're paving the way for friendly troops to defeat the Taliban and root out the Al Qaida parasites that the Taliban hosts and protects. We're enforcing the doctrine that says this: If you harbor the terrorists, you are guilty of terror, and like the terrorists, you will be held responsible.

We are not alone in this struggle. The war against terrorism is an international war, and we're fighting with a broad, broad coalition. Many nations around the world have joined with us in this cause, including nations from the Islamic world. Some countries contribute intelligence. Some help with law enforcement. Some join with military power, like our friends Great Britain. We are supported by the conscience of the world. And we are surrounding terrorists and their sponsors in a tightening net of justice.