Rumsfeld say ..we broke it but they have to fix it
Rumsfeld: Terrorism threat may be greater
Says extremists have 'global reach'
By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press | February 3, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Despite progress in fighting terrorism, the threat today may be greater than ever before because the weapons available are far more dangerous, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday.
''The enemy -- while weakened and under great pressure -- is still capable of global reach, still possesses the determination to kill more Americans, and still trying to do so with increasingly powerful weapons," Rumsfeld said at the National Press Club.
The US strategy, he said, includes doing everything possible to prevent the enemy from gaining weapons of mass destruction, improving homeland defense and intelligence gathering, and helping friendly nations become better able to fight the terrorists in their own countries.
''Because they lurk in shadows, without visible armies, and are willing to wait long periods between attacks, there is a tendency to underestimate the threat they pose," Rumsfeld said. He said there are no fewer than 18 organizations, loosely connected with Al Qaeda, conducting terrorist attacks.
Rumsfeld described the stakes in stark terms.
''They will either succeed in changing our way of life, or we will succeed in changing theirs," he said.
During a question-and-answer session, a protester stood and shouted at Rumsfeld, accusing him of pressing an unjust war, before being escorted from the room. Once she was gone, Rumsfeld remarked, ''We'll count her as undecided."
Addressing the war in Iraq, Rumsfeld said the time has arrived for the Iraqis to take more responsibility for their own future, including quelling the insurgency and creating a unified government.
''They're going to have to grab ahold of their country and make it work," he said.