Transcript of The Bush Whitehall Speech (title mine)

Fox News, other sources (not copyrightable material) ^ | Nov. 19, 2003 | George W, Bush

[alancarp]

Thank you all. Thank you very much.

Secretary Straw and Secretary Hoon, Admiral Colbold (ph) and Dr. Shipman (ph), distinguished guests, I want to thank you for your very kind welcome that you've given to me and to Laura. I also thank the groups hosting this event, the Royal United Services Institute and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Well, here is al-Qaida, er, sorry, al-Jazeera's website's view of President Bush talking up the challenge ahead, in London.

They don't like it one bit.

[Sabertooth]

We're told that Islam is somehow inconsistent with a democratic culture, yet more than half of the world's Muslims are today contributing citizens in democratic societies.

It is suggested that the poor, in their daily struggles, care little for self-government, yet the poor especially need the power of democracy to defend themselves against corrupt elites.

People from the Middle East share a high civilization, a religion of personal responsibility and a need for freedom as deep as our own.

It is not realism to suppose that one-fifth of humanity is unsuited to liberty. It is pessimism and condescension, and we should have none of it.

This is the gamble that must be taken, but might well fail.

The question is not simply whether Islam is compatible with a democratic culture, but also whether Islam is compatible with republicanism and pluralism, even in neighboring, non-Islamic nations.

The risk of Islam's ultimate incompatibility with our values is not so small, I'm afraid, as President Bush proposes. However, the experiment in Islamic democracy must be conducted, because the only alternative is a Deathmatch of Civilizations. If the experiment fails, we'll be that much more certain of our subsequent course.

[Sabertooth]

A forward strategy of freedom must also apply to the Arab-Israeli conflict. This is a difficult period in a part of the world that has known many. Yet our commitment remains firm. We seek justice and dignity. We seek a viable, independent state for the Palestinian people, who have been betrayed by others for too long.

The Road Map is the President's tar baby. There will be no peace so long as the lies of the "palestinians" are not confronted. This is an experiment that will most ceratainly fail.

[alancarp]

Well said - fear of failure is not an excuse for not trying. Our culture and our lives may be at risk otherwise.

[Sabertooth]

Achieving peace in the Holy Land is not just a matter of the shape of a border. As we work on the details of peace, we must look to the heart of the matter, which is the need for a viable Palestinian democracy.

Peace will not be achieved by Palestinian rulers who intimidate opposition, who tolerate and profit from corruption and maintain their ties to terrorist groups. These are the methods of the old elites, who time and again have put their own self-interest above the interests of the people they claim to serve.

The problem is that terror, intimidation, corruption and oppression are the methods of Mohammed.

That's the dark heart of the matter.

[eureka!]

Bump. Thanks for posting-driving to work, the Clymers on NPR this a.m. kept saying "live speach" and then talking about what was said. A-holes, the lot of them....

[ancientart]

Anyone have a link to an audio or video version of this?

[NorCoGOP]

America and Great Britain have done, and will do, all in their power to prevent the United Nations from solemnly choosing its own irrelevance and inviting the fate of the League of Nations.

It's not enough to meet the dangers of the world with resolutions; we must meet those dangers with resolve.

We must shake off decades of failed policy in the Middle East. Your nation and mine in the past have been willing to make a bargain to tolerate oppression for the sake of stability. Longstanding ties often led us to overlook the faults of local elites.

Yet this bargain did not bring stability or make us safe. It merely bought time while problems festered and ideologies of violence took hold.

As recent history has shown, we cannot turn a blind eye to oppression just because the oppression is not in our own back yard. No longer should we think tyranny is benign because it is temporarily convenient. Tyranny is never benign to its victims and our great democracies should oppose tyranny wherever it is found.

Favorite parts of the speech for me....

Paging Mr. Anan, Mr. Kofi Annan....Paging Mr. Saud, Mr. House of Saud....

Please pick up the white courtesy phones....NOW.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

Taped it and viewed the speech at lunch. The best speech he has ever given, IMHO. FOX focused on the speech,the other channels are focusing on a white gloved pedophile.

[tracer]

libnewsblackout bump

[Sabertooth]

People from the Middle East share a high civilization, a religion of personal responsibility and a need for freedom as deep as our own.

< -snip- >

Israel should freeze settlement construction, dismantle unauthorized outposts, end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people, and not prejudice final negotiations with the placements of walls and fences.

Palestinian woman kills daughter to restore family's 'honor'
			Posted by Stew Padasso On 11/18/2003 7:10 AM PST with 53 comments charlotte.com ^ Palestinian woman kills daughter to restore family's 'honor' BY SORAYA SARHADDI NELSON Knight Ridder Newspapers ABU QASH, West Bank - Rofayda Qaoud - raped by her brothers and impregnated - refused to commit suicide, her mother recalls, even after she bought the unwed teenager a razor with which to slit her wrists. So Amira Abu Hanhan Qaoud says she did what she believes any good Palestinian parent would: restored her family's "honor" through murder. Armed with a plastic bag, razor and wooden stick, Qaoud entered her sleeping daughter's room last Jan. 27. "Tonight you die, Rofayda," she told the girl,...
Another 'Honor' Victim: Daughter, Raped By Brothers, Killed By Mother
			Posted by NYC GOP Chick On 11/17/2003 1:41 PM PST with 137 comments Knight Ridder ^ | 11.14.2003 | Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson ABU QASH, West Bank - Rofayda Qaoud - raped by her brothers and impregnated - refused to commit suicide, her mother recalls, even after she bought the unwed teenager a razor with which to slit her wrists. So Amira Abu Hanhan Qaoud says she did what she believes any good Palestinian parent would: restored her family's "honor" through murder. Armed with a plastic bag, razor and wooden stick, Qaoud entered her sleeping daughter's room last Jan. 27. "Tonight you die, Rofayda," she told the girl, before wrapping the bag tightly around her head. Next, Qaoud sliced Rofayda's wrists, ignoring her...
UK: Life for Muslim who killed daughter`s boyfriend
			Posted by knighthawk On 10/07/2003 9:59 AM PDT with 11 comments icNewcastle ^ | October 07 2003 A Muslim businessman was jailed for life for murdering his daughter's Christian boyfriend to stop them marrying. The killing was the latest in a series of so-called "honour killings". Mustaq Ahmed, 40, killed Albanian Rexhap Hasani, 22, after realising he would not be able to break up his relationship with his 16-year-old daughter Sadhia. Mr Hasani was lured to Mr Ahmed's dress factory in Seven Kings, east London, where he died from asphyxia after being tied, gagged and beaten up, the Old Bailey heard. Ahmed, of Hulse Avenue, Barking, east London, was found guilty of murdering Mr Hasani in October,...
To Stone or Not to Stone
			Posted by kattracks On 09/25/2003 1:16 AM PDT with 2 comments Frontpagemag.com ^ | 9/25/03 | Kari Huus Under the glare of the international spotlight, a court in Nigeria on Thursday is expected to decide the fate of Amina Lawal, a young mother sentenced to death by stoning. After an 18-month court battle, this is her final chance to appeal for leniency under a harsh interpretation of Islamic law. There are good reasons that this case has drawn widespread attention, but experts say the basic fact of LawalÕs case Ñ condemnation to death for adultery or another sexual offense Ñ is not as rare as it would seem.NIGERIA IS JUST one of at least two dozen largely...
A month's worth of "honour killings"...
			Posted by JCG On 01/19/2003 3:23 PM PST with 5 comments Human Rights Commission of Pakistan ^ | August 2002 | Survey For only one month, in one province, in one Muslim country, the following statistics are reported: July 2002Following are the summaries of crimes committed against women for the month of July. The statistics has [sic] been taken from Lahore-based print media, and all statistics are for Punjab only.Honour killing (July, 2002)21 cases of honour killing were reported in July. 22 female victims fell prey to this crime. Of the 22 women who lost their lives in the name of 'honour', 2 were minors, while the other 20 were adults. 9 female victims were married and 8 were unmarried. 3 killings...
Lebanon: Man kills daughter to regain his ÔhonorÕ
			Posted by knighthawk On 01/08/2003 2:27 PM PST with 42 comments The Daily Star ^ | January 08 2003 | Youssef Diab A man killed his daughter at dawn Tuesday and then surrendered to the police. He claimed that his crime was an attempt to win back his honor after suspecting his daughter of behaving inappropriately. Police reports said that the man, identified only as M.F., killed his daughter while she was asleep at his home in Roueis, a southern Beirut suburb. The man admitted to having committed the premeditated crime, saying his daughter had brought him Òdishonor because of her bad conduct,Ó the reports added. He also said that he killed his unmarried daughter after having learned that she was pregnant...
Jerash man allegedly confesses to burning 6 family members in home ("Hold Muh Quran" Alert)
			Posted by Thinkin' Gal On 10/11/2002 9:02 AM PDT with 16 comments Jordan Times ^ | Friday-Saturday, October 11-12, 2002 | By Rana Husseini and Atef Itmeh Jerash man allegedly confesses to burning 6 family members in home By Rana Husseini and Atef Itmeh AMMAN Ñ A 40-year-old man allegedly confessed on Thursday to burning his home and the resultant deaths of his wife and five children in Jerash last week for he is reported to have called family honour reasons, said official sources. The suspect confessed willingly to the crimes on Thursday morning reenacting his actions later in the day, an official source told The Jordan Times and Al Rai newspapers. ÒThe suspect told interrogators he killed his wife and children after being informed by someone...

[Mudboy Slim]

Excellent speech that makes the anti-liberation forces look quite small...MUD

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks for the transcript. What a great and moving speech. Big W BUMP!!

I confess to some ignorance or at the very least some slowness on my part. Could someone please clarify for me the reference he made to "It was pointed out to me that the last noted American to visit London stayed in a glass box dangling over the Thames?"

[Mudboy Slim]

Some magician dude performed that as a stunt...same guy who encased himself in ice a coupla years ago...MUD

[Grit]

bump for later, thanks.

[PeaceBeWithYou]

Could someone please clarify for me the reference he made to "It was pointed out to me that the last noted American to visit London stayed in a glass box dangling over the Thames?"

Magician David Blaine-River Thames Stunt

[malia]

"The peace and security of free nations now rests on three pillars.

First, international organizations must be equal to the challenges facing our world, from lifting up failing states to opposing proliferation. Like 11 presidents before me, I believe in the international institutions and alliances that America helped to form and helps to lead.

The United States and Great Britain have labored hard to help make the United Nations what it is supposed to be: an effective instrument of our collective security.

In recent months, we've sought and gained three additional resolutions on Iraq, Resolutions 1441, 1483 and 1511, precisely because the global danger of terror demands a global response.

The United Nations has no more compelling advocate than your prime minister, who at every turn has championed its ideals and appealed to its authority. He understands as well that the credibility of the U.N. depends on a willingness to keep its word and to act when action is required.

America and Great Britain have done, and will do, all in their power to prevent the United Nations from solemnly choosing its own irrelevance and inviting the fate of the League of Nations.

It's not enough to meet the dangers of the world with resolutions; we must meet those dangers with resolve.

In this century, as in the last, nations can accomplish more together than apart. For 54 years America has stood with our partners in NATO, the most effective multilateral institution in history. We're committed to this great democratic alliance and we believe it must have the will and the capacity to act beyond Europe where threats emerge.

My nation welcomes the growing unity of Europe and the world needs America and the European Union to work in common purpose for the advance of security and justice.

The whole speech was powerful!!!!!!

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Since the liberation of Iraq, we have seen changes that could hardly have been imagined a year ago. A new Iraqi police force protects the people, instead of bullying them. More than 150 Iraqi newspapers are now in circulation, printing what they choose, not what they're ordered.

Schools are open, with textbooks free of propaganda. Hospitals are functioning and are well-supplied.

Iraq has a new currency, the first battalion of a new army, representative local governments, and a governing council with an aggressive timetable for national sovereignty.

This is substantial progress. And much of it has proceeded faster than similar efforts in Germany and Japan after World War II.

This needs to be repeated loudly, often, and in every dark corner of the Left.

[TEXOKIE]

WOW! THanks for the clarification! That stunt blew by me completely! I had not realized someone did that! LOL! That's what I get for living under a rock, right?

[Mudboy Slim]

"I had not realized someone did that! LOL! That's what I get for living under a rock, right?"

I barely recall it...don't think it made that much of a stir in the States, but apparently the Brits liked it...LOL!! Perhaps it's sorta like the way the French claim to love Jerry Lewis..."STOOOPID American Tricks"!!

FReegards...MUD