    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [June 11, 2002]
    [Pages 966-972]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Dinner for Senatorial Candidate James M. Talent in

    Kansas City
    June 11, 2002

        Thank you all. Thank you very much. Well, thanks for that most
    generous welcome. It's an honor to be here, back to the great State of
    Missouri. I'm here tonight for one reason: I urge the good folks of
    Missouri to send this good man to the United States Senate.
        I want to thank all of you all for making this evening, I'm told, an
    historic evening. It's incredibly successful. I want to thank the good
    folks at the head table, who worked hard to send a clear message to
    others in the State of Missouri that Jim Talent's got great support all
    across the State. I particularly want to thank those who man the phones
    and stuff the envelopes, the grassroots workers that make an incredible
    difference on every election day.
        I understand this is the height of barbecue season. [Laughter] I
    know a little something about barbecue. [Laughter] We kind of think
    Texas barbecue is pretty good. [Laughter] But we had a barbecue recently
    on the lawn there at the White House. It was a magnificent event. We
    were able to invite Republicans and Democrats from the United States
    Congress, but one person was missing. So the next time I give a
    barbecue, we might just decide to have barbecue from this part of the
    world, as we eat barbecue with the next United States Senator, Jim
    Talent.
        I want to thank Brenda Talent for joining
    her husband in this great journey to serve the people of Missouri. I
    know what it's like to marry somebody above myself. [Laughter] I regret
    that Laura is not here today. She is out in the
    western part of our country. She was in Idaho and then Utah, going to go
    out to California later on today. And then she and I are going to team
    up or meet back up in Crawford, Texas, for the weekend. I've got to get
    some culture here one of these days, so I'm going back to Crawford.
    [Laughter]

    [[Page 967]]

        But you know, when I asked Laura to marry me,
    she was a public school librarian, and the truth of the matter is, she
    didn't particularly care for politics or politicians. [Laughter] But the
    people of this country are beginning to understand why I asked her to
    marry me. She's a class act. A lot of people are still scratching their
    heads wondering why she said yes. [Laughter] But we're doing great. A
    lot of you out there have prayed for my family. I want to thank you for
    the precious gift of the prayers of the people, and we feel strong and
    confident.
        I traveled here today with some fine folks in my administration:
    Governor Tom Ridge, who is Director of the
    Homeland Security; former Governor of the State of New Jersey, who's now
    the Administrator of the EPA, Christie Todd Whitman, is with us.
        Christie made a really good
    suggestion for our family right before the end of the campaign in 2000.
    She suggested that I buy Laura a birthday
    present. It's a pretty good suggestion, actually. [Laughter] I had
    forgotten. [Laughter] And it turned out that the gift was Barney, the
    Scottish terrier. Little Barney is a fabulous little guy. He's the son I
    never had. [Laughter] In that he's only 1\1/2\, he really doesn't spend
    much time in the Oval Office. After all, we've got a new rug in there.
    [Laughter] But it's the chance for me publicly to thank Governor Whitman
    for her fine suggestion and a great addition to our family.
        Our family is also complete when we talk about Spot the dog. Spot
    was born at the White House when Mother and Dad were there, and Spot
    gets to come in the Oval Office on a regular basis.
        It is such an honor to walk into the Oval Office, dog or no dog.
    [Laughter] And I want to thank you all for giving me the chance to serve
    this great country.
        I particularly want to thank Ann Wagner for
    her good work for the Republican Party in Missouri as well as the
    national committee.
        I want to thank you all for raising a man who is doing a fantastic
    job for the country, and that is the Attorney General of the United
    States, John Ashcroft. I appreciate so very
    much your senior Senator, Kit Bond, who
    is traveling with me today. I want to thank you, Senator, for your
    leadership. Sam Graves, and Kenny
    Hulshof of the State of Missouri is with us
    as well, and I thank you all for being here. If you see them leaving
    after my speech, it's because they want a free ride. [Laughter] It's not
    a bad way to travel, I might add. [Laughter]
        We've also got a Congressman from the great State of California with
    us. He's the chairman of the Rules Committee, a close friend. He's doing
    a fine job for America, David Dreier. Thank you
    for coming, David.
        And then, of course, there's the Governor of Kansas. I'm surprised
    you all let him across the State line. [Laughter] But he's a good
    friend. He's done a fabulous job. He's brought a lot of dignity to the
    Governor's office in the State of Kansas. And that's Bill
    Graves.
        And finally, I'm proud of your secretary of state of Missouri, Matt
    Blunt. Matt was a Naval Reserve officer who just
    returned from Operation Enduring Freedom. And I want to thank you for
    your service, Matt.
        Jim Talent's an easy man to support. I like his values. I like the
    fact that he makes his family a priority. I like the fact that he loves
    his country more than himself. I like the fact that he's an experienced
    man. He served in the United States Congress, and when he served in the
    Congress, he served with distinction. You all may remember he was on the
    House Armed Services Committee. He believed we needed a strong military
    prior to September the 11th.
        I also appreciate the fact that he understands the significant role
    small business plays in our society. It's really important that our
    small-business sector be vibrant and strong, that there be less
    regulations

    [[Page 968]]

    on the small-business person, there be less taxation on the small
    business-person, and that we think aggressively about how to make sure
    small businesses can take care of their own, can help their employees.
    That's why his support of the association health plans makes so much
    sense. It's so logical. We need a logical mind, a can-do fellow in the
    United States Senate representing that junior seat.
        I want to thank Jim as well for understanding the role of Government
    is not to create wealth. The role of Government is to create an
    environment in which the entrepreneur and small-business owner can
    flourish. And that is why it was vitally important that we cut the taxes
    on the working people in America.
        Occasionally you hear the voices up there in Washington saying,
    ``Oh, the tax cut didn't mean anything.'' The tax cut meant a lot. When
    you let people keep more of their own money, it increases demand. And
    when you increase demand for goods and services, somebody is going to
    provide the goods and services. And when somebody provides the goods and
    services, it means somebody can find work. This tax cut came at the
    right time for America, and we need to make it permanent. And Jim Talent
    will be a vote I can count on when it comes to cutting the taxes on the
    American people.
        He understands that if you're good at something, you ought to
    promote it. We're good at agriculture in America. We're good at high
    tech in America. And we ought to be selling our products not only at
    home but overseas. I need trade promotion authority, and I need a vote
    in the United States Congress that will give me trade promotion
    authority, for the good of American workers.
        One of the debates we're going to have in Washington right now, and
    it may spill over when he's the Senator, is welfare reform. The 1996 law
    that Jim was integrally a part of has made a significant difference in
    the lives of millions of Americans. It has freed people from dependency
    upon Government. It has encouraged people to find dignity in their lives
    through work. And whatever we do, for the good of the American people,
    we must not--we must not--water down any welfare reform reauthorization.
    We must insist upon work and family, for the good of the American
    people.
        The next logical step for welfare reform is to unleash the great
    compassion of America, is to encourage faith-based and community
    programs to be an integral part of helping people help themselves. Jim
    Talent understands that Government should not discriminate against
    programs based in religious institutions. We ought to welcome those
    programs, for the good of people whose lives we're trying to save and
    whose lives need additional hope.
        So I look forward to having him in the United States Congress, and I
    look forward to working with him to help us do our most important job,
    which is to secure our homeland, which is to do everything we can to
    protect the American people.
        I was telling you, I took Spot there in the Oval Office. I sit at
    the desk, by the way, where the Roosevelts sat. Since I'm a President, I
    can--Ted and Franklin--[laughter]--Kennedy sat, Reagan sat. I go in this
    magnificent office, which is really a shrine to the great democratic
    traditions of our country, and I read an assessment from our
    intelligence services about the plans of the enemy. And it reminds me
    every day of two things: One, that we face nothing but a bunch of
    coldblooded killers, is the best way I can describe them; and that all
    of us must work together to protect the innocent people of America.
        And that's why last week I proposed a reorganization of agencies all
    throughout our Government into one Cabinet, called the Department of
    Homeland Security. My intention, of course, is not to create more
    Government. As a matter of fact, I ran--I said, ``Give me a chance. I
    won't create

    [[Page 969]]

    more Government.'' My intention is to make Government work.
        There are over 100 different agencies involved with protecting our
    homeland, agencies scattered throughout the Federal bureaucracy, which
    means it's kind of hard to determine who's responsible, who is
    accountable for the protection of the American people. And so, for the
    good of our country, I've called upon Congress to reorganize Government
    in a way that allows us all to more effectively deal with the true
    threats that face America.
        This agency will be charged with enforcing our border. Listen, we
    need to know who's coming into the country. We need to how long they
    intend to stay. We need to know whether or not they've left like they
    said they were going to do.
        We need to make sure that we can respond to any bioterrorist attack.
    We need to be wise about what can happen and, if it does happen, what to
    do about it. We need to reorganize so that we've got the capacity to
    deal effectively with local governments, particularly our first-
    responders, the brave police and fire and EMS crews that serve the
    public with such distinction.
        And we need to make sure that any intelligence gathered is analyzed
    properly so that we can anticipate threats, so we get a better feel for
    what may be happening in America and then devise a plan to deal with it.
        People say, ``Well, gosh, that sounds pretty simple to get done.''
    The problem is, we're dealing with some in Congress who guard what they
    call ``turf.'' They don't like the thought of losing jurisdiction over
    one of the 100 groups. They don't like the idea of perhaps the
    appropriations process being taken away from them. But for the good of
    the country, the United States Congress needs to put political
    partisanship aside. They need to put turf battles aside and do what's
    right to secure the homeland.
        Let me share a couple of examples about what I'm talking about. The
    Coast Guard is an incredibly important part of our--of securing our
    border. The Coast Guard is--and they do a great job, by the way, and
    they've got a lot of tasks. But there's nothing more important than
    border security. And yet the Coast Guard reports to the Transportation
    Department. The Transportation Department's primary function is
    railroads and airplanes and highways, not the security of the United
    States. The Customs Department needs to be an integral part of enforcing
    our border, and yet the Customs Department reports to the Secretary of
    Treasury. His job isn't homeland security; his job is fiscal policy in
    the United States.
        For the good of the American people, we need to align the
    responsibilities, align authority and responsibility so that I can hold
    somebody to account, because I can assure you, the American people are
    going to hold me to account.
        I know you hear about all these threats, but you need to know we're
    doing everything we can possibly do to prevent the enemy from hitting
    us. Prior to September the 11th, the FBI, for example, was focused on
    law enforcement, and that's good. We want them to be focused on law
    enforcement. But the culture is changed. We've made--a lady came before
    it the other day and brought some pretty good evidence, evidence that we
    needed to look at to make sure that if there's any gaps, we deal with
    them.
        And now Director Mueller, who was
    on the job one week prior to September the 11th, by the way, comes to my
    office every morning, reporting in to me about what the FBI is doing to
    prevent attack. The culture is shifting in Washington, DC, and that's
    incredibly positive for the American people. We've got a lot of work to
    do--we've got a lot of work to do, but we're making good progress.
        But you need to know how I think. The best way to secure the
    homeland of our country is to hunt the killers down one by one and bring
    them to justice. And

    [[Page 970]]

    that's precisely what the United States is going to do.
        I submitted a budget that prioritizes our national defense. It's the
    largest increase in defense spending since Ronald Reagan was the
    President of the United States. I did so for two reasons: One, anytime
    we put our young into harm's way, they deserve the best training, the
    best equipment, the best pay possible; and two, it's a signal to the
    American people, our allies, and as importantly, to the enemy, that the
    United States of America is in this war for the long pull. There is not
    a calendar on my desk that says, by such-and-such a moment, you're going
    to quit. That's not what somebody does when it comes to defending that
    which we hold dear, and this country loves freedom.
        I can't imagine what was going through the minds of the enemy when
    they attacked us. They must have said, ``Well, you know, these people in
    America are soft; they're so materialistic and so self-absorbed and so
    basically weak that all the great country might do is file a couple of
    lawsuits.'' [Laughter] They were wrong. If anybody attacks our freedom,
    if anybody thinks the United States of America will blink in the face of
    terrorist activity, they have significantly, significantly
    underestimated the will of the American people.
        This is a war unlike any we've ever had. There's not great columns
    of equipment moving across a country. There's not vast industrial
    complexes manufacturing weapons to be used in these armies. We fight a
    shadowy group of killers who like to hide in caves and send youngsters
    to their suicide. They think they can hide from our country and our
    coalition, but because we're patient and steadfast and brave and
    determined, there is no cave deep enough for people who want to harm
    America and take away our freedoms.
        The enemy has suffered a significant defeat in the first battle in
    the first war of the 21st century, and that was in Afghanistan. It is
    important for you all to tell the young ones in America, when you have a
    chance, that this great country of ours does not seek revenge. America
    seeks justice. And I ask you to point out to the young ones that when we
    went into Afghanistan, we arrived not as conquerors but as liberators.
    As a result of the United States and our friends and allies, young girls
    go to school for the first time in Afghanistan. By freeing the Afghan
    people from the clutches of the most barbaric regime in modern history,
    we have liberated people, for the good of the people of Afghanistan.
        Sometimes the American people will see progress on their TV screens,
    and sometimes you won't. In my speech the other night, I informed the
    American people that we've--we and our friends have arrested and
    detained over 2,400 terrorists. As you read in the newspaper, we now
    need to make that 2,401.
        We're upholding the doctrine that says, ``Either you are with us, or
    you are with the terrorists. Either you love freedom, or you stand
    against the United States of America.'' No matter where these killers
    light, the United States and our friends and allies will bring them to
    justice, no matter how long it takes, because history has called us into
    action. History has given us the opportunity to defend freedom, and
    that's precisely what we're going to do.
        And freedom is not only at risk as a result of one terrorist
    network; freedom's at risk because of terrorist networks around the
    world. And freedom is at risk with the thought that Al Qaida or an Al-
    Qaida-type organization could mate up or team up with one of these
    nations which develops weapons of mass destruction.
        That's a nightmare scenario to think about. Think about the fact
    that people hate our freedoms, hate the fact that we are tolerant of
    religion, hate the fact that we speak our minds freely, and they develop
    the capacity to deliver a horrible weapon via ballistic missiles that
    could change the dynamic of the ability for us to keep peace. It could
    cause people to

    [[Page 971]]

    blanch, to blink in the face of such a threat. I'm a patient man. I'll
    use all the tools at our disposal. But we will not let the world's worst
    leaders hold America and our friends and allies hostage with the world's
    worst weapons.
        Ann mentioned I'm an optimistic fellow, and I am. I believe that out
    of the evil done to America will come some incredible good. You also
    need to tell people that we fight for peace. That's what we fight for. I
    long for a peaceful world. And I believe that if America continues to
    lead with steadfast purpose and strong resolve, that we not only can
    achieve peace for the American people, but we can achieve peace in
    places around the world that have seemingly no hope for peace. It's
    important for us to keep peace in mind.
        And at home, I believe that we're a better country as a result of
    the evil done to us, because I believe Americans have heard the call
    that if you want to join the fight against evil, do some good; love your
    neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. I'm asked all the
    time, ``What can I do to help?'' My answer is, mentor a child. If you
    want to fight evil, tell somebody you love them. Show somebody your
    compassion. Join your church or synagogue and mosque's programs to feed
    the hungry.
        It is important in this Nation for us to recognize there are pockets
    of despair and hopelessness. And I believe that through compassion and
    love, we can save those people and show them America is meant for them.
    I recognize one person can't do everything, but I want you to know, one
    person can do something. One person can be a part of saving America, one
    soul, one conscience, one heart at a time. The American people are
    responding, because our people are deeply kind and compassionate people.
    People all across the country are taking responsibility for their lives.
        I believe out of the evil done to America, there's a good chance
    we'll change our culture from one which has said, ``If it feels good,
    just go ahead and do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody
    else,'' to a new culture which says, ``Each of us are responsible for
    the decisions we make in life.'' If you're a mom and a dad, you're
    responsible for loving your child with all your heart and with all your
    soul. If you're a responsible citizen of Kansas City, you have the
    responsibility to help somebody in need. If you run a company in
    corporate America, you have a responsibility to disclose all your assets
    and all your liabilities. You have a responsibility to your employees,
    and you have a responsibility to your shareholders.
        And the reason I believe this is happening, because I believe
    Americans realize serving something greater than yourself in life helps
    complete life. Serving something greater than your own self-interests is
    part of what a full life is all about. And it's happening across
    America; it is.
        I think perhaps the most significant moment after 9/11, or during 9/
    11, was Flight 93. We had people on an airplane, flying across our
    country. They thought they were on a business trip, or traveling--
    thought it was a normal day. They were told on their cell phones that
    the enemy was using airplanes as a weapon. They realized that the
    hijacked plane they were on was going to be used to kill, and they
    decided to serve something greater than themselves. In this case, they
    served their country. They said a prayer, they told their loved ones
    they loved them, and they drove a plane into the ground. It is a sign to
    me that the great courage and heart of America is alive and strong.
        And all of us must use that example of serving something greater
    than themselves as we join this war against evil. And by so doing, out
    of the evil will come incredible good for America. People will realize
    the greatness of our country. People will realize there's hope where
    there is no hope, light where there seems to be darkness. And it's going
    to happen in this country, no doubt in my mind, because this is the
    greatest nation on the face of the Earth.

    [[Page 972]]

    And it is a huge honor to be the President of the greatest nation on the
    face of the Earth.
        Thank you for coming. May God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:30 p.m. in the Imperial Ballroom at the
    Marriott Kansas City Downtown. In his remarks, he referred to Ann
    Wagner, chairman, Missouri Republican Party, and cochairman, Republican
    National Committee; and Gov. Bill Graves of Kansas.