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Skriven 2005-03-03 23:33:54 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0503031) for Thu, 2005 Mar 3
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President Thanks DHS Secretary Chertoff at Swearing-In Ceremony
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 3, 2005

President Thanks DHS Secretary Chertoff at Swearing-In Ceremony
Ronald Reagan Building
Washington, D.C.

President's Remarks
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9:25 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: I'm pleased to be here at the Department of Homeland
Security with our new Secretary, Michael Chertoff. (Applause.) And I'm
honored to share this moment with Meryl and their children.

This is the third time -- not the first or second, but the third time that
I've asked Mike to serve our nation. I keep asking him back for a reason:
He is a talented public servant, with an outstanding record of achievement
and a deep commitment to the cause of justice. As a federal court of
appeals judge, assistant attorney general, U.S. attorney and federal
prosecutor, Mike has worked tirelessly to make our people safer and our
nation more secure. And now he will carry on that vital work as the
Secretary of Homeland Security.

I appreciate Michael's in-laws for being here. Always a good thing, Mike --
(laughter) -- to listen to your mother-in-law. (Laughter.)

I thank Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, not only for being here to administer
the oath of office, but for serving our nation with such class and such
dignity. (Applause.) I want to thank the members of the United States
Senate, Senator Lautenberg and Senator Corzine, from New Jersey, for being
here, and thank you for helping shepherd this good man's nomination through
the Senate. I want to thank all the members of the House of Representatives
who are here -- and there is a lot from New Jersey that have joined us. I
want to thank the members of my Cabinet who are here, and former members of
my Cabinet. And I want to thank the employees of the Department of Homeland
Security. You have got a great boss. (Applause.)

Since September the 11th, 2001, we have taken unprecedented steps to
protect the American people. We have assembled a strong coalition of
nations to secure our respective countries. We have closed down terrorists,
networks, and chased down their leaders in mountains and deserts around the
world. We've removed two dangerous regimes that harbored terrorists and
threatened the peace; we convinced a third to voluntary abandon its nuclear
and chemical weapons programs. We have broken up the world's most dangerous
nuclear trading network, and busted up terrorist cells around the globe.

We have been relentless, and we will continue to be relentless in our
mission to secure the people of this country. From Florida to California to
Massachusetts we have arrested and prosecuted terrorist operatives and
their supporters. By our actions, we are sending the world a clear message
that terrorists will not be permitted sanctuary or safe haven, or the tools
of mass murder. (Applause.)

As we have taken the battle to the enemy, we have also taken extraordinary
measures to better protect the homeland. We've carried out the largest
reorganization of government in a half century, merging 180,000 people from
22 government organizations into a single department with a single mission:
protecting America from attack. The success of the men and women of the
Department of Homeland Security do not always make the headlines. But I
understand what you've done, and I appreciate your hard work. By your
tireless efforts behind the scenes, you have helped protect our citizens
and secure our nation. And this country is grateful for all you do.
(Applause.)

In the last two years, this department has implemented a vigorous new
strategy to guard our borders, posting Homeland Security personnel at
foreign ports; strengthening airport and seaport security; and instituting
better visa screening for those entering the United States. We've taken
important steps to protect our nation's critical infrastructure -- our
bridges and tunnels and nuclear power plants and water treatment facilities
and the cyber networks that keep our government and our economy running.

This department has also taken action to strengthen the hand of our
partners in state and local law enforcement. Local police and other
authorities are those most likely to encounter terrorists. And we're giving
them the tools and information they need to do their jobs. We've
established secure connections to emergency operations centers in every
state and every governor's office to ensure that they get threat
information on a real-time basis. We've helped states establish mutual aid
agreements and reasonable response plans, so that when first responders
need help from their neighbors they can be sure the right assistance will
get to the right people at the right time.

We've provided more than $14 billion over the last four years to train and
equip state and local first responders across America: funds for mobile
command centers, communications equipment, mobile decontamination
equipment, HAZMAT trucks, mobile WMD detection equipment and other
capabilities they need to protect our citizens and our communities. Since
2001, we've trained more than 600,000 first responders, and more than
tripled spending on homeland security. And all of you in this department,
and the members of the Congress can be proud of the accomplishments and the
progress we have made. (Applause.)

You have done all this, and more, under the skilled leadership of Tom
Ridge. Tom is a longtime friend, and I thank him for his leadership and his
dedicated service to our country. (Applause.)

And I have found an able successor in Mike Chertoff. As the 9/11 Commission
said in its report, America is safer because of your efforts, but we are
not yet safe. Mike Chertoff knows we cannot afford to become complacent. He
understands that as we adapt our defenses, the terrorists will adapt their
tactics in response. He understands they continue to pose a great threat to
the American people.

Recently, we learned that Osama bin Laden has urged the terrorist Zarqawi
to form a group to conduct attacks outside Iraq, including here in the
United States. We're on a constant hunt for bin Laden. We're keeping the
pressure on him, keeping him in hiding. And today, Zarqawi understands that
coalition and Iraqi troops are on a constant hunt for him, as well.
Coalition and Iraqi forces have caught and killed several of his key
lieutenants. We're working every day and night to dismantle his network and
to bring him to justice. (Applause.)

Bin Laden's message is a telling reminder that al Qaeda still hopes to
attack us on our own soil. Stopping them is the greatest challenge of our
day. And under Mike's leadership, we will do everything in our power to
meet that challenge. Mike is wise and he is tough -- in a good way.
(Laughter.) And he knows the nature of the enemy. As head of the criminal
division at the Department of Justice, Mike helped trace the September 11th
attacks to the al Qaeda network. And it didn't take him very long to do so.
He understands that the terrorists are brutal and determined, and that to
stop them all our agencies must work more closely together using every
resource and technological advantage we have.

I have given Mike an ambitious agenda to carry out. We will continue to
work to fully integrate the agencies within the Homeland Security
Department. We will build on the progress that has been made. We will
continue working to reduce our nation's vulnerabilities and prepare
effective responses for any future attack. We will speed the development of
new 21st century vaccines and treatments to protect Americans against
biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological attacks. We will continue
our historic investments in homeland security to match the threats facing
our country. We will protect the American people from new dangers while
protecting their civil liberties.

Mike understands that we need to work closely with state and local
officials because he has shared their vantage point. Like men and women who
wear our nation's uniform on distant battlefields, those who wear the
uniform here at home risk their lives every day to protect our people. By
their service and sacrifice, our police, our firefighters and emergency
rescue personnel are making the homeland safer. And our nation must
constantly thank them for their work.

Mike is the right person to lead this department in this vital work. He
knows that to win the war on terror abroad, we always must remember where
it began -- here in the homeland. He will be an outstanding Secretary of
Homeland Security. Mike, thank you for willing -- for your willingness to
serve our nation once again. God bless. (Applause.)

MR. CHERTOFF: Thank you. Mr. President, members of my family, friends and
colleagues. Mr. President, I am grateful to you for affording me the
privilege of working under your leadership to protect and safeguard our
nation. As you have so powerfully described, since September 11th, the job
of defending the homeland has become the challenge and the calling of our
generation. Under your steadfast and determined guidance, our country has
risen to meet the threat of the age of terror. We have responded in a
unified, strategic and comprehensive manner, and as a result, America today
is safer, stronger and more secure.

Thousands of men and women, including many here, now stand watch across
this country and overseas guarding our families and our freedoms. In taking
the oath as Homeland Security Secretary, I am honored to join these
dedicated public servants. Ours is a Department in which the American
public is deeply invested. Just in the past few weeks, I have encountered
many citizens who have personally expressed to me their gratitude, their
hopes and their prayers for the work of DHS. These citizens -- indeed, all
Americans -- have placed their trust in the men and women who carry out the
important work of homeland security. I look forward to carrying out this
vital charge as we strengthen the protections already in place at our ports
of entries, in our skies overhead, and in our cities and our communities.

My predecessor, Secretary Tom Ridge, his Deputy, Jim Loy, and other
founding leaders of DHS did a superb job in launching this new Department.
In building on their achievements, I am conscious that my new leadership
team and I will be standing on their shoulders and building on what they
accomplished.

Our task now is to advance the exceptional achievements of the first two
years of this department, to meet and manage the threats of today, and to
prepare to confront the risks of the future. Our mission is no less than
this: protect America, while fostering the values of liberty, privacy and
opportunity we all hold dear.

For their willingness to stand beside me in this endeavor, I thank Meryl
and my children. Once again, you have given me your love, your sacrifices
and your constant support. And as all members of this department know, the
work we do is possible only because of the support and sacrifices of our
families and friends. (Applause.)

I first embarked on public service over 20 years ago as an assistant United
States attorney in Manhattan. Now as Secretary of Homeland Security, I have
taken the oath of office for the fifth time. As with each prior time I have
sworn the oath, I dedicate myself to serving America and the American
people.

Mr. President, again, thank you for this opportunity and for your resolute
commitment to the cause of freedom and the protection of our families and
our way of life. I appreciate the trust you have placed in me, and stand
ready to devote my full energy and strength to the duty we all share: the
preservation of our nation and the liberties we cherish.

Thank you. (Applause.)

END 9:46 A.M. EST
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