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Remarks by President Bush at United States Naval Academy Commencement.

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WASHINGTON, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush at United States Naval Academy Commencement:



Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland 10:12 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. Secretary England, Admiral Clark, General Nyland, Vice Admiral Rempt, Captain Leidig, Dr. Miller, members of the Board of Visitors, Lieutenant Governor Steele and Congressman Hoyer, distinguished faculty, distinguished guests, proud parents, family, friends, and, most of all, graduating midshipmen of the Class of 2005, I'm honored to be here. (Applause.)

And I am proud to stand before the future leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps, and to celebrate the occasion, I thought I would bring along a small graduation gift. Too late to give you a "Staubach Day," -- so I'll do the next best thing: In keeping with long-standing tradition, I hereby absolve all midshipmen who are on restriction for minor conduct offenses. (Laughter and applause.) I leave it to Admiral Rempt to define exactly what "minor" means. (Laughter.)

You worked hard to get to this moment: You survived Plebe Summer, and having your parking tickets scraped. (Laughter.) You climbed Herndon Monument, and threw pennies at Tecumseh, god of the 2.0. I knew him pretty well when I was in school. (Laughter.) Now, at last, you've made it to graduation day, and in a few moments you will receive your military commissions and your diplomas. Your parents are proud of you, your teachers are proud of you, and so is your Commander-in-Chief. Congratulations on a great achievement. (Applause.)

A lot has changed since you arrived at Annapolis four years ago. Navy football went and 10 in your plebe year. This year, you went 10 and 2, and you won your second Commander-in-Chief's trophy in a row. (Applause.) I'd like the record to show that your turnaround started the year after I delivered your commencement address. (Laughter.) So to ensure the continued dominance of Navy football, I thought I'd just swing by for a return visit.

When I spoke to the Class of 2001, none of us imagined that a few months later we would suffer a devastating surprise attack on our homeland, or that our nation would be plunged into a global war unlike any we had known before. Today, we face brutal and determined enemies -- men who celebrate murder, incite suicide, and thirst for absolute power. These enemies will not be stopped by negotiations, or concessions, or appeals to reason. In this war, there is only one option -- and that is victory. (Applause.)

Today, I'm going to talk about our strategy for victory in this war, what we've accomplished to make our nation more secure, your crucial role in this struggle, and why we need you to fight the war on terror and transform our military at the same time. In the 21st century, America will be prepared to answer any challenge, and defeat any adversary.

Our nation is pursuing a clear strategy for the war on terror: We're using every available tool to disrupt terrorists and their organizations. We are taking the fight...

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