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.
    下午好。
    昨天，12月13日，巴格達(dá)時間晚上8點30分左右，美國軍事力量將薩達(dá)姆·侯賽因生擒。美軍對提克里特城外的一座農(nóng)場進(jìn)行了突然襲擊，在附近發(fā)現(xiàn)了薩達(dá)姆。行動中沒有造成 人員傷亡?，F(xiàn)在這個伊拉克的前*者將要面臨公正的審判，而他曾經(jīng)剝奪了數(shù)百萬人應(yīng)該享有的公正。
    此人的落網(wǎng)對建立一個自由的伊拉克至關(guān)重要，它標(biāo)志著他（薩達(dá)姆）以及在他的名義下作惡多端、瘋狂殺戮的人走到了末路。
    頑固不化的阿拉伯復(fù)興社會黨黨徒應(yīng)該對目前的暴力事件負(fù)主要責(zé)任，但是他們曾掌握的腐敗權(quán)力與特權(quán)一去不返了。
    對于大多數(shù)希望享有自由的伊拉克國民來說，薩達(dá)姆的被捕進(jìn)一步確保了酷刑和秘密警察永遠(yuǎn)不會再回來了。
    在這樣一個下午，我希望向伊拉克人民傳達(dá)這樣一個信息：你們將永遠(yuǎn)不需要再害怕薩達(dá)姆的統(tǒng)治了。
    所有站在自由一邊的伊拉克人都選擇了勝利。聯(lián)軍的目標(biāo)和你們的目標(biāo)是一致的：國家主權(quán)、偉大文化的尊嚴(yán)和所有伊拉克人過上幸福生活的權(quán)利。
    伊拉克歷一個黑暗痛苦的時代結(jié)束了，希望已經(jīng)來臨。所有伊拉克人現(xiàn)在可以團(tuán)結(jié)起來、反對暴力，共同建設(shè)一個新的國家。
    昨天行動的成功是我們駐扎在伊拉克所有軍人努力的結(jié)果。卓越的情報工作是行動的基礎(chǔ)，我們的分析專家在諾大的一個國家找到了*者的蛛絲馬跡。
    我們勇敢的軍人在行動過程中表現(xiàn)出了專業(yè)素質(zhì)和一絲不茍的態(tài)度。在追捕前政權(quán)成員、為伊拉克人民謀求希望和自由的事業(yè)中，我們的士兵和盟國經(jīng)歷了許多危險。盡管冒著很大的風(fēng)險，但他們的工作仍在繼續(xù)。
    今天，我謹(jǐn)代表美國對我們的武裝力量表示感謝和祝賀。
    同時我還要向美國人民傳達(dá)這樣一個信息：薩達(dá)姆·侯賽因的被捕并不意味著伊拉克暴力襲擊的結(jié)束。恐怖分子寧可繼續(xù)濫殺無辜也不愿意接受自由已經(jīng)在中東的心臟地區(qū)出現(xiàn)。這些人直接威脅著美國人民，但我們終將戰(zhàn)勝他們。
    正是由于耐心、決心和有目的性的行動，我們才迎來了這一時刻，我們?nèi)〉昧藨?zhàn)略性的進(jìn)展。反恐戰(zhàn)爭是一種特殊的戰(zhàn)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，美國在贏得這場戰(zhàn)爭的勝利之前會一直保持攻勢。
    愿上帝保佑伊拉克人民，愿上帝保佑美國。
    謝謝大家。