--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I vowed to our countrymen that I would do…" description: "\"I vowed to our countrymen that I would do everything I could to protect the American people... That's why I said to Afghanistan: If you harbor a terror..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/george-w-bush-64_afghanistan_i-vowed-to-our-countrymen-that-i-would-d_1597610.jpg" --- # I vowed to our countrymen that I would do everything I… ![“I vowed to our countrymen that I would do everything I could to protect the American people... That's why I said to Afghanistan: If you harbor a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist.” quote by George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/george-w-bush-64_afghanistan_i-vowed-to-our-countrymen-that-i-would-d_1597610.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/george-w-bush-64_afghanistan_i-vowed-to-our-countrymen-that-i-would-d_1597610.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/george-w-bush-64_afghanistan_i-vowed-to-our-countrymen-that-i-would-d_1597610.jpg) > “I vowed to our countrymen that I would do everything I could to protect the American people... That's why I said to Afghanistan: If you harbor a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist.” [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The president asserts that harboring terrorists makes a nation as culpable as the terrorists themselves, emphasizing shared responsibility for security. **In simple terms:** Hosting terrorists is as blameworthy as terrorism. Key Takeaway Hold nations accountable for providing safe havens. Themes security responsibility terrorism Mood serious urgent Type political ethical When to use this quote - foreign policy - intelligence cooperation - human rights law Key Concepts statecraft ethical accountability Questions to Reflect On - Can collective security be achieved without infringing sovereignty? - What mechanisms ensure fair attribution of guilt? A Different Perspective Sovereign nations may lack control over all actors within borders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Countrymen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countrymen/) [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Any government that supports, protects or harbours terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/any-government-that-supports-protects-or-harbours-terrorists-is/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The risk of just one terrorist with just one nuclear weapon is a risk we simply cannot afford to take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/the-risk-of-just-one-terrorist-with-just-one-nuclear-weapon-is-a-risk/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [The common stereotype of the Middle Eastern, Muslim-born terrorist is not just lazy and inaccurate but easy fodder for the anti-immigrant, anti-Islam far right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehdi-hasan/the-common-stereotype-of-the-middle-eastern-muslim-born-terrorist-is/) [Mehdi Hasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehdi-hasan/) > [I believe the most solemn duty of the American president is to protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty and weakness in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-believe-the-most-solemn-duty-of-the-american-president-is-to/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Those who heralded the decision not to give law enforcement the tools necessary to protect the American people just simply don't see the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/those-who-heralded-the-decision-not-to-give-law-enforcement-the-tools/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Our first responsibility is to protect the American people and we cannot put on blinders to expect that everyone who seeks asylum does so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shuster/our-first-responsibility-is-to-protect-the-american-people-and-we/) [Bill Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shuster/) > [But if the UN cannot or will not revise its rules in ways that establish beyond question the legality of the measures the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-perle/but-if-the-un-cannot-or-will-not-revise-its-rules-in-ways-that/) [Richard Perle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-perle/) > [Bean-counting government bureaucrats are free to take race, ethnicity and gender into account when doling out public funds to non-white-male contractors. But God help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/bean-counting-government-bureaucrats-are-free-to-take-race-ethnicity/) [Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/) > [Throughout the twentieth century and into the beginning of the twenty-first, the United States repeatedly used its military power, and that of its clandestine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/throughout-the-twentieth-century-and-into-the-beginning-of-the-twenty/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [As a nation, we must honor the service and sacrifice made by Service members - past and present - to defend our nation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-hyde-smith/as-a-nation-we-must-honor-the-service-and-sacrifice-made-by-service/) [Cindy Hyde-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-hyde-smith/) > [Americans want someone who is accountable to them above self, above party, and above any special interest. They want a President that has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sestak/americans-want-someone-who-is-accountable-to-them-above-self-above/) [Joe Sestak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sestak/) > [I am committed to ensure that our intelligence community, law enforcement, medical professionals, and military have the information and funding needed to protect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-boswell/i-am-committed-to-ensure-that-our-intelligence-community-law/) [Leonard Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-boswell/) > [This is going to be a very transparent Justice Department. But I'm not gonna sacrifice the safety of the American people or our ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/this-is-going-to-be-a-very-transparent-justice-department-but-i-m-not/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [And while the U.S. can never be 100 percent safe from a future strike, our government is working around the clock on measures to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wicker/and-while-the-u-s-can-never-be-100-percent-safe-from-a-future-strike/) [Roger Wicker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wicker/) > [But the thing we do know is whatever it costs to save and protect American lives in this conflict, we're going to spend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saxby-chambliss/but-the-thing-we-do-know-is-whatever-it-costs-to-save-and-protect/) [Saxby Chambliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saxby-chambliss/) ## More by George W. Bush > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We will make sure our troops have all that is necessary to complete their missions. That's why I went to the Congress last September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-will-make-sure-our-troops-have-all-that-is-necessary-to-complete/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/for-diplomacy-to-be-effective-words-must-be-credible-and-no-one-can/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-can-fool-some-of-the-people-all-the-time-and-those-are-the-ones/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“One of our energy strategies is to increase the CAFE standards to 35 miles per hour..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/one-of-our-energy-strategies-is-to-increase-the-cafe-standards-to-35/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [There's a lot that I want to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-that-i-want-to-accomplish/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Chanukah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-couldn-t-imagine-somebody-like-osama-bin-laden-understanding-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) [Explore all 1,717 George W. Bush quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## More Afghanistan quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [They're criminals, they brutalized Afghanistan, they killed our people, they destroyed our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/they-re-criminals-they-brutalized-afghanistan-they-killed-our-people/) [Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I have been to Afghanistan many times, even before the Taliban collapsed. I was fascinated by the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/i-have-been-to-afghanistan-many-times-even-before-the-taliban/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [There has been sort of, if you will, a moral interventionism on the part of the United States trying to reshape countries in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/there-has-been-sort-of-if-you-will-a-moral-interventionism-on-the/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The legal system in Afghanistan is very immature and porous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-legal-system-in-afghanistan-is-very-immature-and-porous/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) [Browse all 1,159 Afghanistan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I vowed to our countrymen that I would do everything I could to protect the American people... 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