    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [June 19, 2002]
    [Pages 1023-1028]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the President's Dinner
    June 19, 2002

        Thank you all for that warm welcome, and thank you for coming
    tonight. We're here for the same reason. We want Denny Hastert to remain the Speaker of the House and Trent
    Lott to become the majority leader of the Senate.
    And I want to thank you for helping us achieve those two important
    goals. And I say they're important because I believe that when we
    achieve those goals, we can do a lot for the American people.
        I want to thank John Boehner for taking
    the lead role on this successful dinner. I want to thank George
    Allen from Virginia, the Senator from Virginia,
    for participating and helping. I want to thank Bill Frist and Tom Davis--Bill Frist of the
    Senate and Tom Davis of the House--for leading their respective
    committees to get these Members elected. I want to thank Richard
    Burr of North Carolina for his help and
    leadership. Mr. Bob Ingram, thank you for
    your help. All the folks here, I appreciate your willingness to work
    hard to make this dinner a successful event. I appreciate Steve
    Wariner for his beautiful rendition of the
    National Anthem. And I want to thank my friends Amy Grant and Vince Gill for being here as
    well. Thank you all for coming.
        Most of all, I'm pleased that the First Lady
    came. She's done a heck of a job as First Lady for the United States of
    America. She has kept me in line. [Laughter] I appreciate her passion
    for the children of this country, her desire to help everybody learn to
    read, her calm, her steady hand, and her unabiding love. Thank you for
    coming.
        I promised the American people that I'd do my best to change the
    tone in Washington, DC, to elevate the discourse, to bring people
    together to achieve big goals

    [[Page 1024]]

    for our country. And I believe, thanks to many Members of the United
    States Senate who are here and many Members of the United States House
    of Representatives who are here, we're making great progress toward that
    goal.
        My deep desire for the American people is to provide security for
    our Americans. It starts, of course, with homeland security and the
    defense of our country. But before I talk about that, I want to talk
    about the security of a good America as well. That means job security.
        I know, here in this town, people like to look at numbers all the
    time, and they analyze the status of America based upon this statistic
    or that statistic. My attitude is this: If somebody is looking for work
    and they can't find work, we've got a problem. I believe, if there's
    somebody who's willing to find a job and there's not a job, all of us in
    Washington, DC, must do everything in our power to increase the job base
    in America. And thanks to members in this audience, we started by
    cutting the taxes on the American people.
        There was an interesting vote the other day on the floor of the
    Senate. You see, earlier this year, both Houses sent a tax relief bill
    to my desk that not only reduced the rates on the working people and did
    something about the marriage penalty, it repealed the death tax,
    because, you see, we think the death tax is unfair to American
    entrepreneurs. It's unfair to American farmers and American ranchers.
    And because of a quirk in the law, this death tax repeal doesn't stay
    repealed. It's kind of hard to explain that to the fellows in Crawford,
    Texas, who own their farms. But nevertheless, it doesn't stay repealed.
    And yet the Senate, thanks to the leadership of Trent Lott, brought a vote up. Our side was firmly--firmly--I mean
    firmly, for the permanent repeal of the death tax. Their side wasn't.
    The question is, who stands on the side of the people? We do.
        Part of economic security is to make sure everybody gets a good
    education in America. I appreciate Senator--Congressman John
    Boehner's leadership as chairman of the
    Education Committee and want you to know that by working together, we
    passed an education bill that sets high standards for every child in
    America. You see, we believe that if you lower the bar, you get low
    standards and bad results. We believe every child can learn. But we, for
    the first time, said that if you receive Federal money, if you take
    taxpayers' money, you must show us whether or not children are learning
    to read and write and add and subtract. And if they are, we will praise
    you, but if not, you better change on behalf of the American people.
        We've done some good in one House. We're stalled in another House on
    some important legislation to enhance the economic security of the
    American people. We need a--actually, I take that back. Both Houses
    acted to pass terrorism insurance. Mr. Leader Lott, I want to thank you for your leadership on that issue.
    It's important that we encourage construction around America, to
    encourage the creation of more jobs through construction by having
    terrorism insurance--by the way, a bill that does not encourage
    frivolous and junk lawsuits that impede economic progress and hurt jobs
    in America.
        I appreciate so very much the work on an energy bill. Listen, this
    country needs an energy bill. We need to do a better job of conserving,
    no question about it. We need to enhance renewables. But we need to
    reduce supply from countries that don't like us. It is not in our
    national security to be importing oil from countries around the world.
        Part of making sure that we've got economic security in America is
    to make sure that when we reauthorize the welfare reform package, that
    we encourage people to work. You see, if you have low expectations, you
    say it's okay not to work. We're the people who have high expectations
    for every American, regardless of where they're from in America. And we
    understand that

    [[Page 1025]]

    with a job, you get dignity. We must make sure we insist upon work as
    the cornerstone for any welfare reform package.
        No, there's a lot to do. And there's going to be a lot to do next
    year as well. And one of the reasons we need to make sure Leader
    Lott heads the United States Senate is so that
    the nominees--the good nominees, the qualified nominees I send up for
    the judiciary all across America gets a fair hearing, a vote, and
    confirmation.
        And finally, to make sure we've got good economic security for
    everybody in America, we've got to make sure Congress holds the line on
    spending. I know there's going to be some tough choices on these
    appropriations bills, but I want to make sure that everybody understands
    with clarity that the budget the House passed is the limit on spending
    for the United States Congress.
        I appreciate the Members being here to work on the security of our
    Nation by enhancing job security, by doing everything we can to grow the
    job base. You see, we understand the role of Government isn't to create
    wealth. That's what we understand. We understand the role of Government
    is to create an environment in which the small business can flourish, in
    which the entrepreneur can do well, in which people who want to work for
    the American Dream can realize that dream. And thanks to the Members
    here, Members in this audience, we've done a pretty darn good job of
    enhancing the environment for economic vitality all across America.
        And we've got to do a good job of protecting our homeland. Every
    morning, I go to the Oval Office--that is, after I get Laura her
    coffee--[laughter]--Equal and milk, I want you to know. [Laughter] I
    don't mean to be putting any pressure on you boys out there, but--
    [laughter]--it's a good habit to get into. [Laughter] And I go to the
    Oval Office with Spot the dog. Barney doesn't get to go. He's only a
    year and a half, and Laura did design a new rug
    for the Oval Office. [Laughter]
        The first thing I do when I sit at this fantastic desk in this
    beautiful office--and I mean it's beautiful; it's a great shrine to
    democracy--is read a threat assessment. It makes me realize that the
    enemy is still interested in hurting America. My most important job is
    to protect the security of America, to do everything in our power to
    make sure the enemy doesn't hit us again.
        And we're making progress; we're making progress. We've got the FBI
    and the CIA talking like they've never talked before. And that's
    important, and that's important. It's important because we fight a
    shadowy enemy. We fight people who send youngsters to death, and they
    try to hide in a cave and kind of slink around, trying to hurt people
    who love freedom. And so, therefore, it's important for us to do the
    very best job we can to collect intelligence abroad and share it with
    our domestic agencies. The FBI is changing its culture. It's still--by
    the way, you need to know, it's still going to go after crooks and
    criminals and mobsters. But its most important job now is to protect our
    homeland, is to chase down any lead, follow any hint, to do everything
    in our power to make sure we protect innocent lives here in America.
        You're probably wondering why I asked the Congress to make a very
    difficult decision to join me with restructuring the homeland defense. I
    didn't run--remember, I didn't say, ``Elect me. I'm going to do
    everything I can to make Government bigger.'' And so, therefore, the
    idea of creating a new Cabinet department probably sent some puzzling
    signals.
        I also, however, believe in accountability and results. I didn't
    think you sent me up here just to talk. I thought you sent me up here to
    get things done on behalf of the American people. And so, therefore--so
    therefore, I'm asking Congress to reorganize all the agencies involved--
    or most of the agencies involved in the defense of our homeland into one
    single agency. There are

    [[Page 1026]]

    over 100 different agencies that have something to do with the homeland,
    and they're scattered everywhere, which makes it awfully hard to align
    authority and responsibility. It makes it hard to say with certainty
    we're going to get the results the American people expect.
        And I'd like to cite two examples of how the signals can get mixed.
    One, the Coast Guard--the Coast Guard does an incredible job for
    America, by the way--one of their most important functions is to protect
    our borders. If the defense of our homeland is the number one priority,
    then the Coast Guard ought to be a part of that priority, since they can
    do a good job of preventing things from coming into our country that we
    don't want to come in. And yet the Coast Guard is a part of the
    Transportation Department, and the Transportation Department's primary
    function is not the defense of the homeland. Or take the Customs, the
    Customs people--they're important. If we change their priority to
    defending the homeland, which we're going to do, you wonder out loud why
    they're a part of the Treasury. The Treasury's primary function is not
    the protection of the homeland.
        For the good of the security of America, I urge the Members of
    Congress to think what's best for the country, not what's best for their
    particular committee, and allow us to reorganize a singular function,
    all aimed at protecting the American people from attack.
        And I appreciate so very much the cooperation we've received, and we
    look forward to continuing to work with the Members on some of the
    difficult problems that exist to get this job done. But you also need to
    know that the best way to protect the homeland, the best way to secure
    America from further attack, is to hunt the killers down one by one and
    bring them to justice. And that's what we're going to do.
        I sent a significant increase in the defense budget up to the Hill
    for a reason, and I appreciate the Members here, because I know they
    agree with what I'm about to say. First, anytime we commit one of our
    troops into harm's way, that person deserves the best pay, the best
    training, the best possible equipment. And secondly, the size of the
    increase indicates that we're--America is in this fight for the long
    haul. There is--none of us have one of those desk calendars, and pop the
    date, and all of a sudden it says, you've got to quit. That's not what
    it says. As a matter of fact, if there was anything it said on my desk
    calendar, it would say, stay at it, Mr. President. Freedom needs
    America.
        The enemy hopes we quit. They must have thought we were so soft and
    so materialistic and so self-absorbed that after September the 11th, all
    we would do is call our favorite plaintiff's attorney and file a few
    lawsuits. [Laughter] They didn't understand what America is all about.
    They didn't understand, when somebody tries to take away our freedom, we
    respond. They don't understand that we love our values. They can't
    understand that we love freedom of religion. We value the fact that
    people can worship freely in America or speak their mind or write any
    kind of editorial they want. And when it comes to somebody messing with
    America, trying to threaten us and threaten our freedoms, we will
    respond. And we will respond for however long it takes, because we love
    freedom in this country.
        I fully recognize the task is not going to be easy. It's going to
    require a lot of patience and discipline on behalf of the American
    people. The task is difficult now, because we're hunting people down one
    by one. It's difficult when you think about some of the true threats
    that really face our country. Imagine the scenario when a regime which
    hates freedom, a regime which has in the past poisoned her own people,
    and a regime that's attempting to develop weapons of mass destruction,
    teams up with one of these shadowy terrorist networks. Then all of a
    sudden, there's the

    [[Page 1027]]

    possibility of blackmail, international blackmail, holding freedom-
    loving nations hostage. For the good of our country, for the sake of our
    future, we cannot allow the world's worst regimes to develop and hold us
    hostage with the world's worst weapons.
        And we're making progress. We routed this Taliban, which should
    allow you to say to your children, ``America--we don't go into countries
    to conquer. We go in to liberate.'' It's a proud moment for the history
    of our country when we liberated the country of Afghanistan and allowed
    young girls to go to school for the first time in their lives.
        We've assembled this vast coalition to cut off their money. We've
    arrested, detained, hauled in, however you want to put it, over 2,400 of
    these killers. We're making progress. We're making progress. But there's
    a lot more. And they just need to know, loud and clear from the
    President of the United States, we got you on the run, and we're going
    to keep you on the run until we get you and bring you in.
        I believe--I believe that out of the evil done to America can come
    incredible good. I truly believe that. I believe that if we remain
    steadfast and strong and resolute, we can achieve peace in the world.
        I know sometimes my rhetoric gets a little west Texan. Laura reminds me, I've got to tone her down at times.
    [Laughter] But you need to know my drive is for peace. I love peace. I
    want our children and your grandchildren to grow up not only in a
    peaceful America but peace all around the world, peace in the Middle
    East and peace in South Asia. And I believe this great country, if we're
    steadfast and strong, if we stand to our principles and stick to our
    guns, that we can help achieve peace.
        And I believe at home--I believe at home America can not only be
    safer, but it can be a better place. I say that with confidence because
    I've got a good feel about the American people. I understand the great
    heart and compassion of the American people. You see, in our land of
    plenty, there are pockets of despair and hopelessness. There are people
    in this great country addicted to drugs and alcohol. There are young
    children who can't read, people wondering what this American Dream
    business is all about. And so long as there's pockets of hopelessness
    and despair, all of us have an obligation to do something about it.
        And I believe out of the evil can come incredible good, because I
    have seen a spirit arise in this country, where people now understand
    that they've got to serve something greater than yourself. And that
    means loving a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself.
        It's my honor to travel this country and see hundreds and thousands
    of our fellow citizens and see them respond when I remind them if
    they're interested in fighting evil, if you want to fight evil in
    America, you can do so by doing some good. You can do so by simple acts
    of kindness and decency. You can do so by mentoring a child or helping a
    shut-in. You can do so by going to your church or mosque or synagogue
    and organizing a group of people to take care of the homeless.
        It's this millions of acts of kindness all across our country that
    take place on a daily basis that truly define the great character and
    strength of America and the American people. No, I believe--I believe
    out of the evil done to America on September the 11th will come not only
    a peaceful world, but I believe that this great Nation can work miracles
    through love and compassion in places where there is despair and
    hopelessness. And I want you all to join in that. I really do. I'd like
    you to go home to your communities and redouble your efforts to help
    somebody in need, to redouble your efforts to make a gesture of kindness
    and compassion. Tell your children you love them on a daily basis.
        See, what's happening in America is, the culture is slowly but
    surely beginning to shift away from ``If it feels good, do it,''

    [[Page 1028]]

    and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture in
    which we all understand we're responsible for the decisions we make. If
    you're a mom or a dad, you're responsible for loving your children. If
    you're a proud American, you're responsible for helping a neighbor in
    need. If you run a corporation in America, you're responsible for being
    honest on your balance sheet with all your assets and liabilities.
        But most of all, in order to be a patriot in this country, it is
    important to serve something greater than yourself. And it's happening.
    And it's happening because I'm fortunate enough to be the President of
    the greatest nation--I mean the greatest nation--on the face of the
    Earth.
        Thank you for coming. May God bless you all, and may God bless
    America.

    Note: The President spoke at 7:16 p.m. at the Washington Convention
    Center. In his remarks, he referred to Senator Bill Frist, chairman,
    National Republican Senatorial Committee; Representative Tom Davis,
    chairman, National Republican Congressional Committee; Robert A. Ingram,
    chief operating officer and president of pharmaceutical operations,
    GlaxoSmithKline; and country music artists Steve Wariner, Amy Grant, and
    Vince Gill.