President Bush addresses Coalition Forces at MacDill

  • Published
  • By Army 1st Sgt. Marvin Baker
  • U.S. Central Command Public Affairs
MACDILL AFB, Fla. --  President George W. Bush vowed to keep talking and educating Americans about the "consequences of failure" and praised Coalition members for their support during an address May 1 at the U.S. Central Command Coalition Conference at MacDill.

President Bush said he came to Tampa to thank America's partners who continue to stand with the United States on the Global War on Terrorism. His visit was significant in that it's the first time he has been to U.S. CENTCOM since Admiral William J. Fallon took command in March.

The president admitted the past four years haven't been easy, especially in Iraq, but that they were necessary if that nation and Afghanistan are to emerge as free societies.

"Once again, history has called on great nations to assume great responsibilities," President Bush said. "The broad coalition has protected millions of people."

He reminded everyone that on Sept. 11, 19 terrorists went on a rampage that killed more than 3,000 people from 80 countries. Since that time, some 90 nations have worked in some capacity to stop Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The president likened the radical Islamic push for a caliphate to that of Nazi Germany.

"They are determined to bring days of greater destruction" he said. "We must go on the offense, stay on the offense, and take the fight to them."

Since Sept. 11, America and her allies have shared intelligence that has essentially stopped numerous attacks, terror cells have been broken up and local law enforcement and armies have been trained around the globe.

"We're active," President Bush told the Coalition members. "We're working together to make this world a safer place."

According to the president who has been at odds with Congress over the fighting in Iraq, said failure in Iraq should be unacceptable to the civilized world. He said point blank that he fully expected to veto Congress' bill that calls for pulling troops out of the beleaguered Middle East nation, by the end of the day.

"Our enemies, the enemies of freedom, love chaos and out of that chaos, they can find safe havens," he said. "The Iraqis are suffering a lot, but they're still in this fight and I'm impressed by their courage."

Unfortunately, sectarian violence has increased since democratic elections were held in Iraq in 2005," he added. "A new strategy has emerged to curb the unrest. It's still in its early stages and it could take months to determine the success of it, however, some early successes have already been noted, mainly a decline in sectarian violence."

Once again, the president thanked the Coalition for their efforts in making that happen.

"I want your countries to know that the sacrifices made by your Soldiers are for a noble cause," he said. "Our nations are standing together in this fight and I want your citizens to know this nation is grateful."

President Bush talked about a number of other items that included education of the American people regarding the war on terror. He called himself the educator in chief, as well as the commander in chief.

"We have got to keep talking about the consequence of failure," he said. "Failure will make this world a really dangerous place."

He also talked about opinion polls and that decisions that are in the best interest of the United States can't be based upon opinion polls.

He mentioned Abraham Lincoln, who wasn't popular when he decided to abolish slavery and Franklin D. Roosevelt who shrugged off isolationist opinion polls leading up to U.S. involvement in World War II.

"We can learn a lot from the past and we shouldn't fear the future," President Bush said. "I will do my best to convince the American people it's worth it."