States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.  By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger.  They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred.  They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the United States.  In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic.

We will work closely with our coalition to deny terrorists and their state sponsors the materials, technology, and expertise to make and deliver weapons of mass destruction.  We will develop and deploy effective missile defenses to protect America and our allies from sudden attack. (Applause.) And all nations should know:  America will do what is necessary to ensure our nation’s security.

We’ll be deliberate, yet time is not on our side.  I will not wait on events, while dangers gather.  I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer.  The United States of America will not permit the world’s most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world’s most destructive weapons.  (Applause.)

Our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun.  This campaign may not be finished on our watch—­yet it must be and it will be waged on our watch.

We can’t stop short.  If we stop now—­leaving terror camps intact and terror states unchecked—­our sense of security would be false and temporary.  History has called America and our allies to action, and it is both our responsibility and our privilege to fight freedom’s fight.  (Applause.)

Our first priority must always be the security of our nation, and that will be reflected in the budget I send to Congress.  My budget supports three great goals for America:  We will win this war; we’ll protect our homeland; and we will revive our economy.

September the 11th brought out the best in America, and the best in this Congress.  And I join the American people in applauding your unity and resolve. (Applause.) Now Americans deserve to have this same spirit directed toward addressing problems here at home.  I’m a proud member of my party—­yet as we act to win the war, protect our people, and create jobs in America, we must act, first and foremost, not as Republicans, not as Democrats, but as Americans. (Applause.)

It costs a lot to fight this war.  We have spent more than a billion dollars a month—­over $30 million a day—­and we must be prepared for future operations.  Afghanistan proved that expensive precision weapons defeat the enemy and spare innocent lives, and we need more of them.  We need to replace aging aircraft and make our military more agile, to put our troops anywhere in the world quickly and safely.  Our men and women in uniform deserve the best weapons, the best equipment, the best training—­and they also deserve another pay raise. (Applause.)

My budget includes the largest increase in defense spending in two decades —­because while the price of freedom and security is high, it is never too high.  Whatever it costs to defend our country, we will pay. (Applause.)