Donald Rumsfeld

Address at the 88th Annual American Legion National Convention

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Salt Lake City, Utah, Tuesday, August 29, 2006

"We are fortunate to have a leader of resolve at a time of war. Through all the challenges, he remains the same man who stood atop the rubble of lower Manhattan, with a bullhorn, vowing to fight back [1]; the leader who told a grieving nation that we will never forget what was lost; and the determined President who works every day [2] to fulfill his vow to protect the American people and bring the enemy to justice or to bring justice to the enemy."

1. Secretary Rumsfeld's remarks were about the necessity of keeping American troops in Iraq and about the need to combat -- rather than appease -- terrorism. Iraq did not attack us on September 11, 2001. We were attacked by al Qaeda, a terrorist organization headed by Osama bin Laden and based in another country, Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden has been alive 5 years too long.

2. Press Conference by the President, March 13, 2002
President Bush: “Terror is bigger than one person. And he's just -- he's a person who's now been marginalized. His network, his host government has been destroyed. He's the ultimate parasite who found weakness, exploited it, and met his match. He is -- as I mentioned in my speech, I do mention the fact that this is a fellow who is willing to commit youngsters to their death and he, himself, tries to hide -- if, in fact, he's hiding at all.

“So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you. I'm more worried about making sure that our soldiers are well-supplied; that the strategy is clear; that the coalition is strong; that when we find enemy bunched up like we did in Shahikot Mountains, that the military has all the support it needs to go in and do the job, which they did.”