Embassy of the United States in Manila

"I've come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. …I know there are many…who question whether we can forge this new beginning. Some are eager to stoke the flames of division…. Many more are simply skeptical that real change can occur. …But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. … All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to…a sustained effort to find common ground…and to respect the dignity of all human beings."

"No matter how frustrating the fight in Iraq can be, no matter how much we wish the war was over, the security of our country depends directly on the outcome of Iraq. The price of giving up there would be paid in American lives for years to come. ... Success in Iraq would bring something powerful and new -- a democracy at the heart of the Middle East, a nation that fights terrorists instead of harboring them, and a powerful example for others of the power of liberty to overcome an ideology of hate."

Iraq's elected leaders are now finishing work on a democratic constitution. …The establishment of a democratic constitution is a critical step on the path to Iraqi self-reliance. …And we're helping Iraqis succeed. We're hunting down the terrorists and training the security forces of a free Iraq so Iraqis can defend their own country. Our approach can be summed up this way: As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. And when that mission of defeating the terrorists in Iraq is complete, our troops will come home to a proud and grateful nation. … Withdrawing our troops from Iraq prematurely would betray the Iraqi people, and would cause others to question America's commitment to spreading freedom and winning the war on terror.

President George W. Bush’s radio address on August 13, 2005

Iraq’s historic day

I congratulate Iraq's next President, Jalal Talabani, and its next Deputy Presidents, Adil Abd al-Mahdi and Ghazi Ajil al-Yawer, on this historic occasion. These individuals will be formally sworn in tomorrow and will move quickly to name a Prime Minister who will work during the coming days to select a Council of Ministers. The new Iraqi government will then begin its important work of writing a new constitution, continuing to train Iraqi security forces, delivering basic services, and advancing Iraq's transformation from dictatorship to democracy. The Iraqi people have shown their commitment to democracy and we, in turn, are committed to Iraq. We look forward to working with this new government and we congratulate all Iraqis on this historic day.

President George W. Bush’s April 7, 2005 statement on Iraq Transition Assembly’s election of the Presidency Council of the Iraqi Transitional Government

All nations are in this struggle together (09/21/04)

The rights of mankind are advancing across the world – and across the world the enemies of human rights are responding with violence. …In the last year alone, terrorists have attacked police stations, and banks and commuter trains, and synagogues – and a school filled with children. All civilized nations are in this struggle together, and all must fight the murderers.President Bush, in his September 21, 2004 speech before the U.N. General Assembly

No tangible progress toward democracy (07/08/04)

“The United States maintains a strong set of sanctions against the regime in Burma. We will maintain pressure on the regime until there is tangible progress toward the restoration of democracy and protection of human rights for all the peoples of Burma.... We have seen no such tangible progress since the May 30, 2003 attack on National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters. ...America will remain steadfast in seeking freedom for the Burmese people. We call on other concerned nations to join us in pressing the regime to live up to its commitments to restore full democracy and human rights to the people of Burma.”Statement by the White House on July 8, 2004, when President George W. Bush signed a bill renewing import restrictions on Burma.

“People didn’t even ask what religion I was” (07/12/04)

"It's different than anything I've seen on TV. I thought everyone was for the war (in Iraq) and that they didn't like Muslims because of terrorism. I found people who didn't really care. I mean a lot of people didn't even ask what religion I was. They really wanted to know me as me."-- Sarah, a Muslim student from Turkey, commenting on how she found the United States after living there for a year under the Department of State’s Partnerships for Learning, Youth Exchange and Study Program (P4L-YES).

“A bridge between us” (05/12/04)

"There are few times when I have been ashamed to be an Arab American. One of the times was to see what a small group of Americans could do to Arabs. Another time was to see what a small group of Arabs would do to an American like you saw today with Zarqawi's people chopping the head off an American. …I believe that there is a bridge between us that can be built towards a better future, and we shouldn't think that this bridge would be built by violence. It must be built with dialogue and mutual respect. …It can't be America versus the Arabs. It must be Americans and Arabs, Muslims and Christians working against the people that have no vision for the future other than hate. And if we can't do that, then we will suffer just like the people of Abu Ghraib and just like the poor American who was beheaded at the hands of the terrorists yesterday.”-- Gen. John Abizaid, head of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), speaking at a press conference in Jordan May 12, 2004

So many people said that…Afghanistan can't have free, democratic elections, it's inconsistent with their history. But look what happened…. People started lining up at three o'clock in the morning. There was a bridge that was blown down by the Taliban, and people found a fjord to cross the river…, and they were barefoot standing in the snow. …The people of Afghanistan showed us…that democracy applies anywhere…where people are given the opportunity to practice it. …I think this is illustrative of what…can happen in Iraq. …I believe the people of Iraq want the same thing…: the opportunities to step forward and decide who will be their future leaders and to decide that by a vote.

--Secretary Colin Powell, in an interview with Al Hurra Television, October 12, 2004.

“The assassination of the Honorable President of the Governing Council Ezz El-Din Salim this morning in Baghdad came as a great shock to me and my colleagues from the United Nations. We condemn this criminal act which has taken the life of one of Iraq’s most loyal and patriotic citizens, a man who made every sacrifice for his country, who worked sincerely and selflessly so that Iraq may regain its sovereignty and strength.”

“I am sorry for the humiliation suffered by those individuals. It makes me sick to my stomach to see that happen. …I'm sorry that the truth about our soldiers in Iraq becomes obscured. …We've got fantastic citizens in Iraq; good kids; good soldiers…who are working every day to make Iraqi citizens' lives better. …It's an awful, awful period for the American people, just like it's awful for the Iraqi citizens to see that on their TV screens. …I'm sorry for the prisoners, I really am. I think it's humiliating.”

“There will be a full accounting for the cruel and disgraceful abuse of Iraqi detainees. The conduct that has come to light is an insult to the Iraqi people, and an affront to the most basic standards of morality and decency. …Those involved will answer for their conduct in an orderly and transparent process. We will honor rule of law. All prison operations in Iraq will be thoroughly reviewed to make certain that such offenses are not repeated. …What took place in the Iraqi prison does not reflect the character of the more than 200,000 military personnel who have served in Iraq since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

“Our military commanders report that this violence is being instigated by three groups…. They share common goals. They want to run us out of Iraq and destroy the democratic hopes of the Iraqi people. The violence we have seen is a power grab by these extreme and ruthless elements.…

“Were the coalition to step back from the June 30th pledge, many Iraqis would question our intentions and feel their hopes betrayed. And those in Iraq who trade in hatred and conspiracy theories would find a larger audience and gain a stronger hand. We will not step back from our pledge. On June 30th, Iraqi sovereignty will be placed in Iraqi hands.”

"On the 30th of June, we want to see an interim government take over sovereignty again. We will still be there with a very large military force, and the Iraqi security forces will be working with our military forces. We're not expecting to see total calm on the 1st of July. Quite the contrary. There will still be remnants of the old regime, there will be terrorists, and there will be individuals who are trying to challenge that government on its very first day. But we will be with them, standing with them, as they build up their own security forces as we move into the future."

--Secretary of State Powell, in an interview on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, 4/9/04

“America did the right thing in Iraq. We had a choice: either take the word of a madman, or take action to defend the American people. Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time.

“September the 11th, 2001 was a lesson for America….We cannot wait to confront the threats…of terror networks and terror states until those threats arrive in our own cities. …I will not stand by and hope for the best while dangers gather. … I will protect and defend this country by taking the fight to the enemy.

“…If some politicians in Washington had their way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power. All of the Security Council resolutions and condemnations would still be issued and still be ignored…. Other regimes and terror networks, had we not acted, would have concluded that America backs down when things get tough. Saddam would still have his weapons capabilities, and life would sure be different for the Iraqi people. …Because we acted, Iraq's nightmare is over. …Their country, our country and the entire world are better off because the regime of Saddam Hussein is gone, and gone forever.”

-- President George W. Bush, speaking in Charleston, South Carolina, February 5, 2004

“Iraqi democracy will succeed -- and that success will send forth the news, from Damascus to Teheran -- that freedom can be the future of every nation. The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution.”

-- President George W. Bush, laying out his vision for democracy in the Middle East in a speech commemorating the 20th anniversary of the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington on November 6, 2003.

Those who question the wisdom of removing Saddam Hussein from power, and liberating Iraq, should ask themselves:

"How long should Saddam Hussein have been allowed to remain the greatest source of instability in one of the world's most vital regions?

"How long should Saddam Hussein have been allowed to provide support and safe-haven to terrorists?

"How long should Saddam Hussein have been allowed to defy the world's just demand to disarm?

"How long should the world have closed its eyes to the threat that was Saddam Hussein?

-- National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, in remarks to Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, October 8, 2003

"This is a very special place and I should say something special to you. What can I say to you?

"I cannot tell you that choking mothers died holding their choking babies to their chests. You know that.

"I cannot tell you of the suffering of those who were poisoned but nevertheless lived. You know that.

"What I can tell you is that what happened here in 1988 is never going to happen again.

"Chemical Ali is in jail. He will stay in jail until an Iraqi court decides his fate. Saddam is running and hiding. He is going to keep running and keep hiding until we catch him or until he dies. Beyond that, the system that spawned them, a system of coups and plots and assassins is smashed and will never return."

-- Secretary of State Colin Powell, during his visit on September 15, 2003 to a mass gravesite in Halabja, Iraq, where Saddam Hussein attacked his own people with chemical weapons in Halabja in 1988. An estimated 5,000 civilians were killed and 10,000 were injured when Iraqi air forces bombarded them with mustard and other poison gases. The people of Halabja still suffer from high rates of cancer, neurological disorders, birth defects and miscarriages.

Nearly two-thirds of known senior al Qaeda leaders, operational managers, and key facilitators have now been captured or killed.

Military operations have been included almost 200 raids, netting more than 1,200 detainees.

Since the end of major combat operations, we have seized more than 8,200 tons of ammunition, thousands of AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades, and other weapons.

“Iraqi people face a challenge, and they face a choice. The terrorists want to return to the days of torture chambers and mass graves. The Iraqis who want peace and freedom must reject them and fight terror. And the United States and many in the world will be there to help them."

"All nations of the world face a challenge and a choice. By attempting to spread chaos and fear, terrorists are testing our will. Across the world, they are finding that our will cannot be shaken. We will persevere through every hardship. We will continue this war on terror until the killers are brought to justice. And we will prevail."

Secretary of State Colin Powell approved the payment of a $30-million reward to the person who provided the critical piece of information that led to Uday and Qusay Hussein. The award for Saddam’s sons was set at $15 million each.

· This is the largest payment in the history of the Rewards for Justice Program

· The payment was made quickly to illustrate to the Iraqis that the Coalition keeps our promises.

· The U.S. appreciates the effort that this individual made and the risk he took to help us in what is a very important development for the United States, for coalition forces, but also for the people of Iraq.

· There are other opportunities for similar sums of money to be paid should other individuals want to come forward with information about Saddam Hussein

-- The Global Messenger, a publication of The White House Office of Global Communications, in its August 6, 2003 issue.

“We feel that sometimes people interpret the Americans as trying…to seek immunity for war crimes, and nothing can be further from the truth. We pride ourselves in taking great concern over…crimes against humanity. We are a strong supporter of the tribunals that have been mandated by the UN Security Council…. Under the agreements that we are negotiating, it is possible for an American that is in another country to come to the U.S. and, in that case, perhaps face prosecution if the crime exists under U.S. jurisprudence. Alternatively, the option still exists for the U.S. government not to seek extradition of the American, and to permit the American to be tried by the ICC. This is permissible, and it is possible under the agreements we are seeking to negotiate."

-- Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Lincoln Bloomfield
Explaining to reporters in Brussels on July 17 the U.S. approach to the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue

"The first thing I wanted the leadership in Africa to know is the American people care deeply about the pandemic that sweeps across this continent, the pandemic of HIV/AIDS; that we're not only a powerful nation, we're also a compassionate nation. …It doesn't matter what political party or what the ideology of the American citizen, the average citizen cares deeply about the fact that people are dying in record numbers because of HIV/AIDS. We cry for the orphan. We care for the mom who is alone. We are concerned about their plight, and therefore, will respond as generously as we can.”

-- President George W. Bush Citing the $15 billion HIV/AIDS program he has proposed for Africa in his remarks to reporters in Botwana, July 10, 2003

"My challenge to my colleagues on the panel here, my challenge to each and every one of you: Are you willing to say ‘no more in my name?' Muslims must not allow Osama bin Laden and like-minded people to speak on behalf of Islam because they don't, and they must not be allowed to do so. Jews must not allow the State of Israel to become the representative of the Torah, the Tanach, ... and Christians must not allow this war in Iraq to become a war in the name of Christ as some may see it."

-- Imam Yahya Hendi of Georgetown University Islamic Center, in his remarks at the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee's (ADC) annual conference in Crystal City, Virginia, on June 13, 2003

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