For Immediate
Release
Office of the
Press Secretary
March 19, 2003
President Bush Addresses the
Nation
The Oval Office
10:16 P.M. EST
My
fellow citizens, at this hour American and coalition forces are in the
early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people
and to defend the world from grave danger.
On my orders, coalition
forces have
begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine
Saddam
Hussein's ability to wage war. These are opening stages of what will be
a broad and concerted campaign.
More than 35 countries are
giving crucial
support, from the use of naval and air bases, to help with intelligence
and logistics, to the deployment of combat units. Every nation in this
coalition has chosen to bear the duty and share the honor of serving in
our common defense.
To all of the men and women
of the United
States armed forces now in the Middle East, the peace of a
troubled
world and the hopes of an oppressed people now depend on you.
That trust is well placed.
The enemies you confront
will come to
know your skill and bravery. The people you liberate will witness the
honorable
and decent spirit of the American military.
In this conflict, America
faces an enemy
who has no regard for conventions of war or rules of morality. Saddam
Hussein
has placed Iraqi troops and equipment in civilian areas, attempting to
use innocent men, women and children as shields for his own military --
a final atrocity against his people.
I want Americans and all the
world to
know that coalition forces will make every effort to spare innocent
civilians
from harm. A campaign on the harsh terrain of a nation as large as
California
could be longer and more difficult than some predict. And helping
Iraqis
achieve a united, stable and free country will require our sustained
commitment.
We come to Iraq with respect
for its
citizens, for their great civilization and for the religious faiths
they
practice. We have no ambition in Iraq, except to remove a threat and
restore
control of that country to its own people.
I
know that the families of our military are praying that all those who
serve
will return safely and soon.
Millions of Americans are
praying with
you for the safety of your loved ones and for the protection of the
innocent.
For your sacrifice, you have
the gratitude
and respect of the American people and you can know that our forces
will
be coming home as soon as their work is done.
Our nation enters this
conflict reluctantly,
yet our purpose is sure. The people of the United States and our
friends
and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that
threatens
the peace with weapons of mass murder.
We will meet that threat now
with our
Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines, so that we do not have
to meet it later with armies of firefighters and police and doctors on
the streets of our cities.
Now that conflict has come,
the only
way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force. And I assure you,
this will not be a campaign of half measures and we will accept no
outcome
but victory.
My fellow citizens, the
dangers to our
country and the world will be overcome. We will pass through this time
of peril and carry on the work of peace. We will defend our freedom. We
will bring freedom to others. And we will prevail.
May God bless our country
and all who
defend her.
from www.whitehouse.gov
Added photos 22
October 2003
