    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [April 29, 2002]
    [Pages 679-684]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Luncheon for Representative Heather Wilson in Albuquerque
    April 29, 2002

        The President. Gosh, thanks for that warm welcome. It's great to be
    back in New Mexico. I'm glad to know my Texas passport is still active.
    [Laughter]
        I'm here because it is very important for the people of New Mexico
    to send Heather Wilson back to the United States Congress. I'm here to
    give my whole-hearted support to her candidacy.
        Before I spend a little time fleshing that out, I want to say
    something about the senior Senator from New Mexico. There's no finer
    American in the United States Senate than Pete Domenici. I'm proud to call him friend, and I'm proud to get
    lectured by him all the time. [Laughter] It seems like he's always got
    important issues on his mind, the labs, mental health parity. But he is
    a great ally and a really fine Senator.
        I'm also honored to have served with--been the President at the same
    time that Joe Skeen was the United States
    Congressman from another congressional district here in New Mexico.
    We're going to miss old Joe, but I'm confident he still has my address
    and willing to give----
        Audience member. [Inaudible]
        The President. That's good. But thank you for your service.
        I want to thank John Dendahl, the party
    chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, and all the party
    leaders who are here. I particularly want to say something about the
    grassroots, the people who work the phone banks and lick the envelopes
    and do all the work necessary to keep people like me and Pete and Heather in office. And I want to thank you for
    your loyalty; I want to thank you for your passion for our political
    party; and I want to thank you for the endless hours you put on our
    behalf.
        I want to thank the Lieutenant Governor
    and all the State officials who are here.
        And I want to thank you all for supporting Heather. Here's the way I
    feel: Anytime you find somebody who brings such class and dignity to a
    political office, we as Americans owe our support to her. And Heather
    Wilson brings a lot of class and a lot of dignity.
        You know, in Washington there's a lot of--there can be a lot of
    noise, a lot of shrill voices, people who are--people up there sometimes
    are the ones who like to divide people into camps and call names and
    point fingers. They think that's effective, and it's such a wonderful
    contrast to have the quiet dignity and the competence of Heather Wilson
    in the United States Congress. It is so good and refreshing and good for
    our democracy and good for our country that people like Heather are
    willing to serve. She can get things done for New Mexico.
        The thing I appreciate, Heather, is she is there for the right
    reason, to serve the people, to represent the people of New Mexico. And
    I'm proud of our political party, make no mistake about it, but I'm
    proud of the fact that Heather puts our country first, that she
    understands the importance of our Nation and what it stands for.
        I remember so well going to Griegos Elementary with Heather. She
    said, ``You come to my district. I want you to go, first and foremost,
    to an elementary school.'' Because she understands that when we educate
    our children, the American Dream will be extended to every neighborhood.
    I appreciate that spirit.
        She told me that the day I signed the no-child-left-behind
    legislation, which was a significant piece of educational reform,
    supported both by Heather and by Pete, that
    she went back to Griegos. And it was a fitting place for her to go,
    because this is a piece of legislation which says that

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    America will refuse to condemn any child to failure. It is a piece of
    public--legislation that says to our public schools, we'll set high
    standards for every child--I mean every child--that we trust the local
    people to chart the path to excellence, and that we refuse to accept a
    system that simply shuffles children through. And the beneficiaries of
    this type of mentality are going to be the children who go to Griegos,
    and Heather knows that. And I want to thank you for your strong support
    on education reform. It means so much to this part of the world, to all
    our country that we got this legislation done.
        I also appreciate so very much Heather's values. You know, we were
    coming in; I said--I'm trying to get her to talk about issues; she wants
    to talk about Little League baseball. [Laughter] Here I am, trying to
    tell her what's going on in the world, which we eventually got to, but
    the first thing on her mind was to let me know that her son and Jay's son is a Little League
    player and how proud of the fact that she was that the lad suits up,
    gives it his all, occasionally gets a base hit. Must be Jay's genes.
    [Laughter] But she loves her family. She loves her husband. And I think
    that's also an important trait for anybody to serve our public well.
        And Jay, I want to thank you for your patience
    and understanding and support for this fine lady who serves New Mexico
    in the United States Congress.
        I also want to thank Heather for her strong support for Kirtland Air
    Force Base. People got to--I think it's important, when people start
    heading in these voting booths next fall, that--particularly in this
    part of the world--that they understand Heather's influence, that she's
    making a difference, that she's getting things done for this part of the
    world. And one of the things that she's good at is understanding the
    importance for national defense. Kirtland Air Force Base is an
    incredible part of that national defense of the United States.
        I remember so well campaigning here in New Mexico and then coming
    back to the Barelas Job Opportunity Center, which she and Pete helped get started. Pete and Heather were telling me
    that there's been 6,000 people that have been helped in this job center,
    people to be able to find work. And I want to thank you all for inviting
    me back for--when we opened up that facility, and I want to thank you
    for leading on that.
        But jobs is an incredibly important part of Heather's agenda, and
    it's an incredibly important part of mine. And it--here's the way I feel
    about it: If anybody's looking for work and can't find work, we've got a
    job problem. And I know the numbers are beginning to look better, but
    you know, I leave the numbers for the statisticians and the bean
    counters. We're practical people that's--got to keep asking the
    question, how do we keep America employed, and how do we keep the job
    base growing?
        And one other thing Heather understands is the role of Government is
    not to create wealth but to create an environment in which small
    businesses can grow and the entrepreneurs of America can flourish. And
    we campaigned on the idea that if you let people have more of their own
    money--I emphasize ``their own money''--that there would be more money
    to spend, more demand for goods and services. And with more demand for
    goods and services, somebody will produce the goods and services. And
    when they produce the goods and services, it means somebody is going to
    find work.
        This tax cut that I campaigned on and fought for, that
    Pete and Heather and Joe supported, was the right thing for America at this point
    in our history. And it has made a big difference in helping people find
    work.
        Heather also understands the need to have fairness when it comes to
    Medicare. And she is going to take a leadership role in helping to
    provide prescription drug coverage within the Medicare system, so our

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    seniors do not go without. It's an important initiative, and thank
    goodness she's willing to lend her talent to get this job done. She's
    close to the Speaker on this issue, and
    when you're close to the Speaker on this issue, you have a good chance
    to make a significant difference for the elderly of not only New Mexico
    and the United States of America.
        There's a lot more issues that we could talk about where Heather has
    taken a leadership role, but I do want to talk about one more, and that
    is energy. Our Nation has not had an energy policy. And I came along
    with the Vice President, and I tasked him to
    develop an energy policy, one that recognizes that technology is going
    to help us conserve better. And we need to conserve more. We need to be
    wiser about how we use our energy. And part of our vision and part of
    our plan and part of our initiative is to make sure that we're able to
    get power to the consumer across a modern infrastructure, as opposed to
    one that is now aging and decrepit.
        But we also recognize that it is important for us to find more
    energy in America, that we ought to produce more. We have a national
    security problem. Over 50 percent of our energy comes from other
    countries, and some of those countries don't like us. Some of them
    aren't our friends. And so for the sake of our national security and for
    the sake of our economic security, we need an energy bill. One passed
    the House, and I want to thank Heather for her leadership. One has
    passed the Senate, and I appreciate Pete
    for his leadership. And now it's time for Congress to act and get a bill
    to my desk which I can sign.
        I mentioned national security, and that's on my mind these days.
    Every morning when I'm there in Washington, I walk into the beautiful
    Oval Office and read a threat assessment prepared by our intelligence
    agencies, and it's in a list of what we're learning and what we think
    and what we know about an enemy that still wants to hit America. So
    every day I'm reminded that my biggest task and most important job is to
    protect the homeland.
        And we're making progress. We're still a vulnerable nation, and the
    reason we're vulnerable is because we've got an enemy that hates us, an
    enemy that is nothing but coldblooded killers. That's all they are, as
    far as I'm concerned. We're doing a much better job of sharing
    information--of gathering information and sharing it. To put it in
    Midland, Texas, terms: Anytime we get a hint, we're following up on it.
    Every time we get a sense that something may be about to happen or
    somebody is trying to attack a U.S. citizen or facility, you just need
    to know we're responding. Our number one priority of our law enforcement
    agencies around America is to run down every lead, every hint.
        We've also got a strategy here at home to deal with bioterrorism.
    And that's a real threat to America, but we must be prepared if such a
    threat were to come. We've got an initiative to make sure that our
    borders are more secure. We've got to do a better job at the INS of
    understanding who is coming into our country, why they're coming into
    our country, and how long they intend to stay in our country. And if
    they're going to be here for a short period of time, are they actually
    leaving our country? For the sake of our national security, we've got to
    reform the INS and bring it up to speed and make it a modern agency with
    the capacity to gather and disperse information in a modern way.
        But the best way to secure the homeland for America is to run these
    killers down one by one and bring them to justice. And it's not going to
    be easy, nor is it going to happen as quickly as some might like. I do
    not have a calendar on my desk that says, ``At such-and-such a time, you
    will stop. You, President Bush, on such-and-such a date will have run
    out the string, and it's time for you to quit.'' That calendar doesn't
    exist, because my mind-frame is

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    this: When it comes to defending our freedoms, no matter how long it
    takes, that's exactly what this country is going to do.
        We're not going to forget what happened on September the 11th. We've
    learned more about the enemy. We learned a good lesson, that two oceans
    can no longer protect us, that because we're an open society, we're a
    vulnerable society. But we're not going to allow our openness and our
    love for freedom to go away. I mean, one of the things the enemy wants
    to do is to say, ``You know, since you love freedom, you're under
    attack.'' And I guess the corollary is, is that, ``Get rid of your
    freedoms.'' But that's not the way we think in America. When it comes to
    defense of our country, when it comes to our defense and defending our
    values, we're plenty tough. And that's the way it's going to be, much to
    the chagrin of the killers.
        I have unleashed the United States military, and they have not let
    us down. For those of you who have got relatives in the military, a son
    or a daughter or a husband or a wife, I want to thank you, on behalf of
    a grateful nation, for their sacrifice and your understanding.
        I have submitted a budget to the United States Congress which makes
    a priority of our national defense. And I expect that--the
    appropriations process to pass the defense bill first. In times of war,
    I ought to have the defense appropriations bill on my desk as soon as
    possible. We don't need any people playing politics with the defense of
    the United States of America.
        You know, when I was campaigning in Chicago one time, they said,
    ``Would you ever have a deficit?'' I said, ``I hope not.'' I said, ``I
    think it's important for us to make--to work hard to have a balanced
    budget.'' But I said, ``Yes, I'd have a deficit if I were the President
    only if we were at war or in a recession or in times of emergency.'' I
    didn't think I was going to draw the trifecta. [Laughter]
        But when it comes time to defending our freedom, we need to
    understand, even though the price of freedom is high, it is not too
    high. It is never too high. And that's what the Congress has got to say,
    and that's what the Congress has got to know.
        The other thing that's important for us is to uphold the doctrines
    that I lay out, or the country lays out. And when we said, ``If you
    harbor a terrorist, you're just as bad as a terrorist,'' I meant it, and
    the Taliban found out exactly what we meant.
        Now, one of the things that's important for our fellow citizens to
    understand is that we're not seeking revenge; we're seeking justice. And
    when we went into Afghanistan, we went in not as conquerors--we weren't
    interested in conquering anybody--we went in as liberators. And I'm so
    proud of the fact that not only is this Nation tough and strong but that
    we care deeply about young girls who had never been to school in their
    lives, and we're proud to have freed the people of Afghanistan from the
    clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes in the history of mankind.
        We've got a lot of work to do there. And so you just need to know
    that our military is going to be there for awhile. I mean, they've got
    these little pockets of these killers showing up, and we're just going
    to have to find them, keep chasing them down. We've got work to help
    this country rebuild her military, so that she can defend herself. We've
    got work about--to make sure that the humanitarian aid and assistance
    that we're so generously providing is effective. So we'll be there for
    awhile. We'll be there for awhile.
        And another reason why we're going to be there is because the second
    phase of this war--our strategy has been to deny sanctuary to any of the
    killers in anywhere else, in any other country. So when we find a
    country that looks like a safe haven for them, a place where they may
    try to bunch up and train or set up a logistical command center, we're
    shutting them down. We've got a great coalition, thanks

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    to our Secretary of State and my administration. We're nurturing that
    coalition. We're reminding them that to be a member of this coalition,
    you've got to perform. We don't need any sweet talk; what we want is
    results. And so we're denying sanctuary to Al Qaida killers and
    terrorist killers. And so therefore, if they have no sanctuary, it's
    more likely they'll remain in Afghanistan, which is fine with us,
    because that's where we're prepared to chase them down.
        I wish I could tell you that--what the timetable is going to be. I
    can't. But the good news is, the American people don't expect a
    timetable. They're unified, and for that I'm grateful. We are strong,
    and for that I'm grateful. We're a disciplined nation when it comes to
    our defense, and for that I'm incredibly grateful as well.
        You know, this war on terror is bigger than just an organization.
    It's certainly bigger than one person. We've also got to deal with--and
    we will--and confront--and we will--the fact that nations--there are
    nations in this world who hate America who are developing and have
    developed weapons of mass destruction. And a nightmare scenario for
    future generations of freedom-loving people is to allow one of these
    nations to team up with a terrorist organization so that they could
    blackmail America and our friends and hold us hostage. And you just need
    to know, I'm just not going to let that happen.
        History has called us to action. History has given this chance--this
    nation a chance to lead. And that's exactly what we're going to do, so
    long as I'm the President of the United States.
        I'm pleased with the support I'm getting in Congress. I want to
    thank Pete and Heather and Joe for their strong support for the national
    defense of the United States. I am going to make sure that as the budget
    process goes on, that I will defend the priorities that I have submitted
    to Congress, primarily our national defense and homeland security, and
    make a clear case to Congress not to overspend, to show some fiscal
    discipline and some restraint, that we've got plenty of money to fund
    our priorities. We've just got to make sure we stay focused on the
    priorities.
        I also want you to know that there are a way for every one of us to
    help join in this war against terror to fight evil. And the way I like
    to put it is, go love a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself;
    that if you want to fight evil, do some good; that if you want to show
    the killers that we're not going to be intimidated, feed the homeless,
    mentor a child, start a program, a faith-based program in your church or
    synagogue or mosque, all aimed at showing somebody who may have fallen
    to the depths of despair that somebody loves them, that there is a good
    and gracious God that loves them. And you can be a messenger, on behalf
    of the good and gracious God, to help somebody in need.
        And that's what's happening around America. This is a unique moment,
    because the character of our country is shining through. I mean, we're
    tough, but we're compassionate. We're strong, but we want to help the
    weak. And by doing so, the country is an amazing place for people who
    are fortunate enough to become an American. When people see our true
    character, they're amazed that we're a welcoming society. It doesn't
    matter how you were born or where you're raised; it doesn't matter if
    your mother or dad speaks Spanish and not English, because you're
    welcome in America. This country is available for you and your children.
        We need to show the world that when they hit us, they not only
    awakened our military and our strength and our resolve; they also
    awakened a deep and abiding compassion in our fellow human beings, who
    may not be as fortunate as we are.
        I want to thank you all, if you're doing that. If you're not, I call
    you to do it. I ask you, on behalf of the country, to redouble your
    efforts or to begin your efforts to help somebody who might hurt,

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    to love somebody who needs love. And in so doing, you help strengthen
    America. You help us defeat an enemy that tried to change our country.
        It is such an honor to be the President of the greatest nation on
    the face of the Earth. I'm honored you came today, and I want to thank
    you for supporting a really fine soul, in Heather Wilson.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:44 a.m. in the Pyramid Ballroom at the
    Crowne Plaza Pyramid Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Lt. Gov.
    Walter Bradley of New Mexico; and Representative Wilson's husband, Jay
    Hone and their son, Joshua Hone. Representative Wilson is a candidate
    for reelection in New Mexico's First Congressional District.