State of the Union address: on Homeland Security


George W. Bush: FactCheck: Yes, there are more democracies now, but not Iraq

Our offense against terror involves more than military action. Ultimately, the only way to defeat the terrorists is to defeat their dark vision of hatred & fear by offering the hopeful alternative of political freedom & peaceful change. The US supports democratic reform across the broader Middle East. Elections are vital, but they’re only the beginning. Raising up a democracy requires the rule of law, protection of minorities and strong, accountable institutions that last longer than a single vote. It is true, just as the President said, that there were 122 democracies in the world in 2005, but Iraq and Afghanistan are not yet counted among them by Freedom House.

Also, Freedom House rates neither Iraq nor Afghanistan as “free.” It rates Iraq as “not free,” with scores on civil liberties and political freedom as low as those of Egypt. Afghanistan is rated somewhat better but still only “partly free.”

Source: FactCheck analysis of 2006 State of the Union speech Feb 1, 2006

George W. Bush: Support democratic reform across the broader Middle East

Our offense against terror involves more than military action. Ultimately, the only way to defeat the terrorists is to defeat their dark vision of hatred & fear by offering the hopeful alternative of political freedom & peaceful change. The US supports democratic reform across the broader Middle East. Elections are vital, but they’re only the beginning. Raising up a democracy requires the rule of law, protection of minorities and strong, accountable institutions that last longer than a single vote.
Source: 2006 State of the Union Address Jan 31, 2006

George W. Bush: Post-WWII world has grown from 24 lonely democracies to 122

In 1945, there were about two dozen lonely democracies in the world. Today, there are 122. And we’re writing a new chapter in the story of self-government -- with women lining up to vote in Afghanistan, and millions of Iraqis marking their liberty with purple ink, and men and women from Lebanon to Egypt debating the rights of individuals and the necessity of freedom.
Source: 2006 State of the Union speech Jan 31, 2006

  • The above quotations are from State of the Union address to Joint Session of Congress, and the Democratic Response, Jan. 31, 2006.
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