美國總統布什就薩達姆被捕發表演講
THE PRESIDENT:

Good afternoon. Yesterday, December the 13th, at around 8:30 p.m. Baghdad time, United States military forces captured Saddam Hussein alive. He was found near a farmhouse outside the city of Tikrit, in a swift raid conducted without casualties. And now the former dictator of Iraq will face the justice he denied to millions.

The capture of this man was crucial to the rise of a free Iraq. It marks the end of the road for him, and for all who bullied and killed in his name.

For the Baathist holdouts largely responsible for the current violence, there will be no return to the corrupt power and privilege they once held. For the vast majority of Iraqi citizens who wish to live as free men and women, this event brings further assurance that the torture chambers and the secret police are gone forever.

And this afternoon, I have a message for the Iraqi people: You will not have to fear the rule of Saddam Hussein ever again. All Iraqis who take the side of freedom have taken the winning side. The goals of our coalition are the same as your goals -- sovereignty for your country, dignity for your great culture, and for every Iraqi citizen, the opportunity for a better life.

In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over. A hopeful day has arrived. All Iraqis can now come together and reject violence and build a new Iraq.

The success of yesterday's mission is a tribute to our men and women now serving in Iraq. The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts who found the dictator's footprints in a vast country. The operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force. Our servicemen and women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime, and in their effort to bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks.

Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our Armed Forces and I congratulate them.

I also have a message for all Americans: The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq. We still face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the heart of the Middle East. Such men are a direct threat to the American people, and they will be defeated.

We've come to this moment through patience and resolve and focused action. And that is our strategy moving forward. The war on terror is a different kind of war, waged capture by capture, cell by cell, and victory by victory.

Our security is assured by our perseverance and by our sure belief in the success of liberty. And the United States of America will not relent until this war is won.

May God bless the people of Iraq, and may God bless America. Thank you.

布什總統：　

下午好。昨天，也就是12月13日，巴格達當地時間晚上8點30分左右，美軍活捉了薩達姆·侯賽因。美軍對提克里特城外的一座農場進行了突然襲擊，在附近發現了薩達姆。行動中沒有造成任何人員傷亡。現在這位伊拉克的前任獨裁者將要面臨公正的審判，而此前他曾經剝奪了數百萬人應該享有的公正。

薩達姆的落網對建立一個自由的伊拉克至關重要，這標志著薩達姆本人以及那些在他的名義下作惡多端、瘋狂殺戮的人已經走到了盡頭。

頑固不化的阿拉伯復興社會黨黨徒應該對當前的暴力事件負主要責任，他們曾掌握的腐敗權力與特權已經一去不返了。對于大多數希望享有自由的伊拉克國民來說，薩達姆的被捕進一步向他們保證酷刑和秘密警察永遠不會再回來了。

此時此刻，我想向伊拉克人民傳達一個信息：你們將再也不必害怕受到薩達姆的統治了。所有愛好自由的伊拉克人都取得了勝利。聯軍的目標和你們的目標是一致的——為了你們國家的主權、為了你們偉大文明的尊嚴、為了所有伊拉克人能夠過上幸福的生活。

伊拉克歷史上一個黑暗、痛苦的時代結束了，希望已經來臨。所有伊拉克人現在可以團結起來、反對暴力，共同建設一個全新的國家。

昨天行動的成功歸功于所有駐伊美軍。卓越的情報工作是行動圓滿成功的基礎，我們的分析專家們在諾大的一個國家找到了獨裁者的蛛絲馬跡。英勇的美軍士兵在行動過程中表現出了專業素質和一絲不茍的態度。在追捕伊拉克前政權成員、為伊拉克人民謀求希望和自由的事業中，我們的士兵和盟國都經歷了許多危險。盡管冒著很大的風險，他們的工作仍在繼續。

今天，我謹代表美國向所有美軍成員表示感謝和祝賀。

同時我還要向全體美國人民傳達這樣一個信息：薩達姆·侯賽因的被捕并不意味著伊拉克暴力襲擊的結束。恐怖分子寧可繼續濫殺無辜也不愿意接受自由在中東的心臟地區重新出現。這些人直接威脅著美國人民，但我們終將戰勝他們。 　

耐心、決心和有目的性的行動讓我們迎來了這一時刻，我們取得了戰略性的進展。反恐戰爭是一種特殊的戰爭，通過一次又一次的抓捕，一點一滴的努力，我們從一個勝利走向又一個勝利。

對自由的堅信不移和堅忍不拔是我們安全的保證，美國在贏得勝利之前決不松懈。

愿上帝保佑伊拉克人民，愿上帝保佑美國。謝謝大家。

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