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INSIDE POLITICS

Key statements: International issues

President Bush
President Bush addresses Congress.

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White House
George W. Bush

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush addressed a wide range of issues in his annual State of the Union speech. Click on a topic below for what he said on key subjects.

Democracy
Iran
Iraq
Isolationism
Palestinian elections
Terrorism

Democracy

"At the start of 2006, more than half the people of our world live in democratic nations.

"And we do not forget the other half -- in places like Syria, Burma, Zimbabwe, North Korea, and Iran -- because the demands of justice, and the peace of this world, require their freedom as well."

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Iran

"The Iranian government is defying the world with its nuclear ambitions -- and the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons. America will continue to rally the world to confront these threats.

"And tonight, let me speak directly to the citizens of Iran: America respects you, and we respect your country. We respect your right to choose your own future and win your own freedom. And our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran." (Watch Bush tell Iranians that America wants to befriend them -- :56)

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Iraq

"The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home. As we make progress on the ground, and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should be able to further decrease our troop levels -- but those decisions will be made by our military commanders, not by politicians in Washington, D.C. ...

"A sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison, put men like [Osama] bin Laden and [Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi in charge of a strategic country and show that a pledge from America means little."

(Watch President Bush discuss the 'road of victory' -- 3:10)

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Isolationism

"In a complex and challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting -- yet it ends in danger and decline...

"America rejects the false comfort of isolationism. We are the nation that saved liberty in Europe, and liberated death camps, and helped raise up democracies, and faced down an evil empire. Once again, we accept the call of history to deliver the oppressed, and move this world toward peace."

(Watch President Bush reject the 'false comfort of isolationism' -- 1:52)

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Palestinian elections

"The Palestinian people have voted in elections -- now the leaders of Hamas must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism, and work for lasting peace." (Watch Bush demand that Hamas denounce terror -- :15)

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Terrorism

"Lacking the military strength to challenge us directly, the terrorists have chosen the weapon of fear.

"When they murder children at a school in Beslan or blow up commuters in London or behead a bound captive, the terrorists hope these horrors will break our will, allowing the violent to inherit the earth. But they have miscalculated: We love our freedom, and we will fight to keep it.

"In a time of testing, we cannot find security by abandoning our commitments and retreating within our borders. If we were to leave these vicious attackers alone, they would not leave us alone. They would simply move the battlefield to our own shores."

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