George W. Bush's Speech at VMI: Peace through Wisdom

George W. Bush at VMI

“After 1945, said United States President George W. Bush, “the United States of America was the only nation in the world strong enough to help rebuild a Europe and a Japan that had been decimated by World War II. Today, our former enemies are our friends.” 

Can we once again make our enemies into our friends?

Bush, the United States’ architect of the War on Terror, reminded the cadets at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) on April 17, 2002, that military force alone never brings security. No, security requires justice, compassion, and forgiveness. Commemorative speeches like this rarely lay out exact policies; instead, rising to a higher level, the speaker declares the values from which wise policies must arise. Bush’s theme was not peace through strength, but peace through strength working hand-in-hand with wisdom. Have we, today, forgotten that lesson?

Bush warned that terrorists are terrifying enemies. His speech reviewed the horrors of “massacres committed by the Taliban last year, victims who lie in mass graves.” He told the cadets that “we are called to defend freedom against ruthless enemies.” Bush also discussed the ongoing efforts to free Yemen from terrorists and to protect the Philippines’ elected government from militant terrorists. Those were ambitious goals. Furthermore, unlike the United States’ current leaders, Bush cautioned that the War on Terror could never be short, that victory would never be simple:

“Yet, it's important for Americans to know this war will not be quick and this war will not be easy.”

VMI's Barracks

Nevertheless, Bush’s key argument addressed questions of value, not nuts and bolts policy. He explained that wise policies could not arise from military force alone, but only if guided by justice, dignity, individual rights, and tolerance:

“The way to a peaceful future can be found in the non-negotiable demands of human dignity. Dignity requires the rule of law, limits on the power of the state, respect for women, private property, equal justice, religious tolerance. No nation owns these principles. No nation is exempt from them.”

Is it not remarkable that Bush insisted on universal values: “No nation owns … No nation is exempt?”

Perhaps this remarkable speech bridged the gap between policy (deliberative) and ceremonial (epideictic) speaking. Bush laid out the threat that international terrorism poses to the world, thus engaging in Step One of a problem-solution policy speech. Instead, however, of laying out specific policies, he turned the cadets’ attention toward moral values. Maybe he was implying that moral values are the problem’s only solution.

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Although his VMI speech detailed few specific anti-terrorist policies, the particular policies that Bush did pursue were controversial at the time and remain disputed today. I for one, was never a fan. One must, however, admire Bush’s forthright stand that only strong moral values create security, and that all nations, the United States and its enemies alike, need to follow them. 

Let us hope and pray that humanity’s common bonds can restore themselves. Let us hope that the United States can, as we did after World War II, make our enemies into our friends. Can we resist terrorism with force, but also participate in justice and reconciliation with our enemies? Bush argued that only when we reaffirm our values, only when we are moved by justice, rather than fear, can we move toward specific actions. A strong foreign policy does not need to degenerate into mindless vengeance. The more we seek universal, uplifting values, the more we seek wisdom, the more we, as human beings, can contribute to peace on our troubled globe. 

George W. Bush and the American Vision

by William D. Harpine

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Personal Note: I have often visited both VMI’s stark campus and its neighbor, Washington and Lee University. Indeed, in my youth, I considered applying to Washington and Lee before choosing a different school. Lexington, Virginia stands among the nation’s most charming towns. Both schools uphold high standards, produce outstanding leaders, and contribute to the state’s culture. During my long-ago career as a College of William and Mary debater, our team often vied with superb debaters from both schools. 

For more of my posts about ceremonial or epideictic speaking, click this link. 

My continuing thanks to AmericanRhetoric.com, founded by my late classmate and editor Martin Medhurst. That invaluable website has preserved countless speech texts and, often, video.  

Copyright ©2026 by William D. Harpine

Image of George W. Bush speaking at the Virginia Military Institute, 

official White House photo by Tina Hager, public domain

Image of Virginia Military Institute’s barracks, 

Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service, 

via Wikimedia Commons, public domain