Read My Lips: No Nation Building

George W. Bush, Oct. 3, 2000:

"If we don't have a clear vision of the military, if we don't stop extending our troops all around the world and nation building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road, and I'm going to prevent that."

"The vice president (Al Gore) and I have a disagreement about the use of troops. He believes in nation building. I believe the role of the military is to fight and win war and therefore prevent war from happening in the first place."

George W. Bush, Oct. 11, 2000:

"I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building."

"I think what we need to do is convince people who live in the lands they live in to build the nations. Maybe I'm missing something here. I mean, we're going to have kind of a nation-building corps from America? Absolutely not."

"I'm not so sure the role of the United States is to go around the world and say this is the way it's got to be. I want to help people help themselves, not have government tell people what to do. I just don't think it's the role of the United States to walk into a country and say, we do it this way, so should you."