[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[February 12, 1992]
[Pages 233-234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 233]]

Remarks Announcing the Bush-Quayle Candidacies for Reelection

February 12, 1992
    The President. Thank you all very much. And Barbara, thank you for 
those kind remarks. And may I salute our Vice President, Dan Quayle, 
just back from overseas, and Marilyn. And my respects to the members of 
our great Cabinet, and friends all. Thanks to all of you for this 
wonderful, warm reception.
    I have an announcement to make. [Laughter] I want to continue 
serving as your President, 4 more years. So from this moment on, I'm a 
candidate for President of the United States, officially.
    Let me tell you why I'm running. I came here to do important work, 
and I finish what I start. In 1980 I came to Washington as a part of a 
team. We started a revolution to free America from, you remember, the 
politics of malaise and to set sail toward America's destiny. Then in 
1988, Dan Quayle and I began our own partnership built on the same 
principles.
    My message then and my message now is simple: I believe Government 
is too big, and it costs too much. I believe in a strong defense for 
this country and good schools, safe streets, a Government really worthy 
of the people. I believe that parents, not Government, should make the 
important decisions about health, child care, and education. I believe 
in personal responsibility. I believe in opportunity for all. We should 
throw open wide the doors of possibility to anyone who has been locked 
out. And I believe in a piece of wisdom passed on by my favorite 
political philosopher, Barbara Bush: What happens in your house is more 
important than what happens in the White House.
    You see, America's future doesn't take shape in small rooms with 
heavy, polished wooden desks. It takes place in homes, where parents 
read to their children, talk about responsibility, teach them values, 
show them how to love one another, respect one another, and work hard, 
and live good lives. We must encourage families to remain strong and 
whole. We must extend our hearts and hands to children who have no one 
to hold them or call them by their names. Our future rides on the 
important things, the big things: Family, home, school, church, 
community, and country.
    We're gathered here because the American people wanted leadership, 
and we answered the call. We didn't do the easy things. We did the right 
things. From day one, I fought for strong and effective national 
defense. I stuck to my principles, and we kept strong, and we won the 
cold war. And we stayed strong, and that enabled us to win a battle 
called Desert Storm.
    But we did far more than that. We liberated the entire world from 
old fears, fears of tense, endless confrontation, fears of nuclear 
holocaust. Now our children grow up freed from the looming specter of 
nuclear war.
    But having won the cold war, we did more. We led nations away from 
ancient hatreds and toward a table of peace. And we did still more than 
that. We forged a new world order, an order shaped by the sweat and 
sacrifice of our families, the sweat and sacrifice of generation upon 
generation of American men and women.
    Think of it: Two years ago, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. And 
last year, the Soviet Union collapsed. Imperial communism became a four-
letter word: D-E-A-D, dead. And today, because we stood firm, because we 
did the right things, America stands alone, the undisputed leader of the 
world. We put an end to the decades of cold war and reaped a springtime 
harvest of peace. The American people should be proud of what together 
we have achieved. Now, together, we will transform the arsenal of 
democracy into the engine of growth.
    I understand the world. That's crucial. But that's not enough. I 
understand America. And I know that American workers are the most 
productive in the world, bar none. And I know, to succeed economically 
at home, we need to lead economically abroad. If you want to lead in the 
world, you've got to know the neighborhood. Economic leadership means 
markets for Ameri-

[[Page 234]]

can products, jobs for American workers, and growing room for the 
American dream. The American people do not believe in isolationism 
because they believe in themselves. We Americans don't hide from a good 
test of our abilities. We rise to the challenge. And after all, our 
national bird is the eagle, not the ostrich.
    In 1992, the American people will decide what kind of leadership 
they want. They'll decide which team has the character, the experience, 
and the toughness to make the important decisions. They could cast their 
lot with a lot of fresh faces who tout stale ideas. But they won't. 
Voters know the difference between a sound bite and sound policy.
    Let's not kid ourselves. We're in a tough fight. But you know me: I 
don't seek unnecessary conflict, but when principle is at stake, I fight 
to win. And I am determined to win. And I will win. This will be a long 
campaign. That's all right. Our campaign will focus on the future, the 
only subject that counts. We'll fight hard. We'll fight fair. And we 
will win.
    Abraham Lincoln, whose birth we celebrate today, once told fellow 
Republicans, ``We will make converts day by day, and unless truth be a 
mockery and justice a hollow lie, we will be in the majority after a 
while. The battle of freedom is to be fought out on principle.''
    And so be it. That's the way it will be. For 3 years an entrenched 
opposition in Washington has clung to the old failed ways, not out of 
principle but out of sheer politics. They blocked our comprehensive 
efforts to fight crime and drugs. They refused to join the revolution in 
American education. They stalled our efforts to cut taxes and slash 
regulation and encourage economic growth. And then they complained that 
nothing got done.
    This year we say: No more. To those who want to obstruct progress, 
we say: Get moving, or get out of the way. We've got an agenda.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. We've got an agenda, and here's what we will do: 
Together, we'll get our economy up and running at full speed. We'll 
restore decency to the American way of life. We will silence the voices 
of hatred and gloom. And we will attack programs that lock people in 
bleak dependency as we work to reform our dismal welfare program. And we 
will, in the process, provide the best kind of a welfare system 
imaginable, good jobs for Americans able to work. And we will build the 
America of our dreams.
    In my life, I've seen miracles, and I've learned that no dream is 
too big for the American heart. When I was a little boy, the world moved 
at an easy pace. Then came the Depression; then came a World War. And in 
the fires of battle, I learned freedom's painful price. And I've seen 
wondrous changes, new ideas and new technologies, tempered by the 
humanity that makes us what we are. Amid the swells of change, gentle 
fundamentals anchor us still. Decency, honor, hard work, caring: That's 
the America I know.
    And I have been blessed in my life, blessed by Barbara and by a 
family that fills me with wonder and joy and love. And I'm blessed with 
so many friends, friends like you. And I have been especially blessed 
because I have been given the opportunity to serve as your President, 
the President of the United States.
    The glory of this century is America. And history will call this the 
American century because we fought the battle of freedom, and we won. 
And history will tell of a second American century when we led the world 
to new heights of achievement and liberty. This is our legacy. This is 
our challenge. And this is our destiny. And together, we will win. I am 
certain of that.
    Thank you very, very much. And may God bless you. May God bless each 
and every one of you and our great country, the United States of 
America. Thank you very, very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 10:10 a.m. at the J.W. 
                        Marriott Hotel.