    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [March 4, 2002]
    [Pages 336-340]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Fundraiser for Senatorial Candidate Norm Coleman in Minneapolis, Minnesota
    March 4, 2002

        Thank you very much. Thank you for that warm welcome. Tonight I'm
    here for one simple reason: I want Norm Coleman to become the next
    United States Senator from Minnesota. And so do a lot of other people in
    Minnesota, as witnessed by this crowd. Thank you all for coming, and
    thank you for supporting this really good man.
        I want to thank Gene for his kind comments.
    And Pat, thank you very much. I want to
    thank members of the United States congressional delegation who are here
    tonight, Gil Gutknecht and Mark
    Kennedy and Jim Ramstad, three fine Members of the House of Representatives. Your
    dollars will not only help Ron but will
    help these three Members get reelected as well.
        I want to thank those of you who work in the grassroots of the
    Republican Party, defending values that make America stronger. And I
    want to thank my fellow Americans for your support and your kind
    prayers.
        I really want to thank Laurie Coleman as
    well. She is obviously going to be a strong asset in the Coleman
    campaign. And like Norm, I married above myself, too. [Laughter]
        I'm really proud of Laura. You know, when I
    married Laura, she was a public school librarian. She really wasn't fond
    of politicians or political speeches. Man, what a great First Lady she
    has become. She's a fabulous wife, a great mother of our 20-year-old
    twin daughters, and has been such a calm and positive influence on
    Americans all across our country. I'm grateful for her sacrifice, and I
    love her.
        I'm really impressed by Norm. You know, in this line of work we're
    in, you've got the good talkers, and then you've got the doers. In this
    case, obviously, he's a good talker and a doer. [Laughter] He's an
    independent thinker, and that's important for the State of Minnesota.
    But he's a person who tries to figure out how to get things done, and he
    has done so in St. Paul, Minnesota. He's a man of accomplishment. He
    knows what it takes to succeed. He's a proven leader. He's a practical
    guy that focuses on results, and that's the kind of United States
    Senator you need in the State of Minnesota.
        The record speaks for itself. It's a record of accomplishment. It's
    a record that understands the role of the private sector in the
    revitalization of community. But what I love is Norm's passion for
    education. I love a person who understands that the power of education
    can make America a much more hopeful place. I appreciate a man who
    stands tall for making sure every child is educated and no child is left
    behind. I hope the people of Minnesota, from all parties, understand
    what a good and decent, honorable man Norm Coleman is and to send him to
    the United States Senate.
        We've got some big things ahead of us in this Nation. We have got a
    war to win. My biggest job, the most important job I have, is to defend
    this Nation and our people, and defend this Nation and our people is
    exactly what I intend to do. [Applause] Thank you.
        The enemy really misunderstood America. When they attacked us, they
    must have thought we were soft, that we were so materialistic that we
    wouldn't understand sacrifice and duty and honor. They thought we would
    blink, and they made a huge mistake.
        In the course of this conflict, I made it clear that either you're
    with us, either you stood with the United States and our defense for
    freedom across the world, or you were against us. And a lot of nations

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    heard that call, and they stand with us. And for that, we're grateful.
        I also made it clear that if you harbor a terrorist, if you try to
    hide a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, you're just as guilty as
    those who murdered thousands of innocent lives, and you will be held
    accountable, too. And thanks to our fabulous men and women who wear the
    uniform, that doctrine in the first theater in the war against terror
    has been upheld.
        We went to Afghanistan not as conquerors but as liberators. Not only
    did we uphold the doctrine of harboring a terrorist; we freed women and
    children from the clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes history
    has ever seen. I can't tell you how proud I am of the U.S. military.
        I am proud of our military, and I'm so very proud of the American
    people. The American people are patient and calm in the face of danger.
    The American people understand that history has called this Nation into
    action. The American people understand that the struggle we face is
    going to be long and arduous, but a united Nation has sent a loud
    message to the rest of the world: We will defend freedom; we will defend
    the values we hold dear, no matter what the price.
        I have submitted a budget to the United States Congress that has got
    the largest increase in defense spending in a generation, for this
    reason: Anytime the United States sends our men and women who wear our
    uniform into harm's way, they must have the best equipment, the best
    training, and another pay raise. And I ask the Congress to pass that
    budget. It is important for the United States Congress to understand
    that the price of freedom is high, but the price of freedom is never too
    high.
        It is important for the world to understand that we struggle not
    just for freedom but for civilization itself. If the United States were
    to blink, the rest of the world will be lulled to sleep. And this
    country, so long as I am the President, will be steadfast in our
    leadership and in our resolve to lead the world to more freedom and more
    liberty and more opportunity for everybody on the face of the Earth.
        Every morning I wake up and read what they call a threat assessment.
    I get to walk into the grand Oval Office. It's such a fabulous office,
    by the way. It's such an honor to be working in that shrine. I'm an
    early morning kind of guy. I get there generally around 7 o'clock. Spot,
    the dog, goes with me. [Laughter] Spot was born at the White House, when
    Mother and Dad were there, so she's quite comfortable with the
    surroundings. [Laughter] Barney, the one-year-old Scottish terrier, does
    not get to go. I just got a brand new rug in the Oval Office. [Laughter]
        But I sit at this grand desk where the Roosevelts have sat, other
    Presidents, and I read threats to the United States of America. I
    realize that there is a barbaric enemy that hates what we stand for,
    hates our freedoms, hates our openness, people who cannot stand the fact
    that we're able to worship freely in America, that we're able to express
    our opinions in America, that America is a place where we have spirited
    elections, but we're a sound and solid democracy.
        I recognize that I will--have got to do everything I can to make
    sure that we respond to these threats. And so we've put together a
    homeland defense strategy that coordinates activities with the Federal
    law enforcement level, State law enforcement level, and the local law
    enforcement level. We're running down every hint, every threat, every
    possible threat. I can't tell you how proud I am of the FBI and the men
    and women who wear the uniform of the police in Minnesota and all around
    the country. These folks are working overtime to secure America.
        We've got a first-responders initiative that will make it more
    likely that, if there's an attack, the good police and emergency folks
    and fire folks of Minneapolis or St. Paul can respond. We've got a
    bioterrorism initiative that, after it's all said and done,

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    may end up actually providing incentive for--be able to provide an
    impetus to find cures for diseases that will plague us. We've got a
    better border security initiative going on. We're going to do a better
    job of understanding who's coming into our country and who's leaving
    their country and why they're here in the first place.
        We're buttoning up America. And I want to thank my fellow citizens
    for being on alert and for those who are working overtime to protect
    you. But I want to remind my countrypeople, my fellow countrymen, that
    the surest way to secure the country, the best way to make sure our
    children and grandchildren can grow up in a peaceful and hopeful world,
    is to hunt down the terrorists wherever they try to hide and bring them
    to justice. And that's precisely what we will do.
        It's obvious, the news has shown that we're still active in
    Afghanistan. We have found a significant Al Qaida group of killers, and
    the Afghans, along with our Special Forces, along with other coalition
    members, are hunting them down. America must realize this is a dangerous
    phase of this war. And we lost life today. And I know all of us mourn
    for the family members who have lost their life, but I can assure them
    that the cause is just. Defending freedom and defending the homeland is
    a noble and just cause. And I hope they're as proud of them as I am.
        Our efforts go beyond Afghanistan, as you're beginning to realize.
    We'll team up with any friendly government that's interested in bringing
    Al Qaida and terrorists to justice. We've arrested over 1,000 people
    outside the Afghan theater and bringing them to justice.
        But I also laid down another dictum, and it's this: In order for our
    children to be free, we must never allow transparent dictators--
    nontransparent dictators to develop weapons of mass destruction, thereby
    enabling them to mate up with terrorist organizations. We will not allow
    the world's worst regimes to develop the world's worst weapons and hold
    America and our friends and our allies hostage.
        I know this is going to be a long and difficult time for America.
    But we are up for the task. America will lead this world to a more
    secure and a more hopeful future.
        And we've got a job to do at home as well. You know, when I was
    campaigning in Chicago, I'll never forget, one of the reporters said,
    ``Would you ever allow any deficit spending?'' I said, ``Only if we had
    a recession or an emergency or a war.'' [Laughter] Thankfully, the
    Nation is resolved to fight the war. Thankfully, we had thousands of
    citizens rise to deal with the emergency. And thankfully, we cut the
    taxes on the American people to deal with the recession.
        The best thing we did to deal with the recession is to allow people
    to keep more of their own money, so they can spend it and provide more
    demand and, therefore, the corresponding supply. The best way to deal
    with a recession is to trust the American people with their own money.
        For a while you heard some of them talking in Washington that they
    were going to stop the tax relief plan. I do not know what economic
    textbook they were reading, but one thing you don't do is raise the
    taxes on the people in the midst of a recession. What you do is trust
    the private sector. What you do is incent people to create more jobs.
    What you do is understand the best economic recovery plan has got one
    word, and that is ``jobs''. How do we create jobs for the working people
    in the United States of America?
        And there are some things we can do to create jobs, besides
    providing tax incentives. One, we can have an energy plan that makes
    sense. I came to Minnesota to lay out my vision for an energy plan that
    says: We can conserve better; we must modernize our electricity; but for
    the sake of our national security, we need to develop more oil and gas
    here at home. The less dependent we are on foreign sources of

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    crude oil, the more secure America will be in the long run.
        And we've got to get a good farm bill out, one that encourages--one
    that does not encourage overproduction, one that recognizes, however,
    that our farmers hurt, that there needs to be a reasonable safety net,
    and one that recognizes this fact: Minnesota's farmers, along with the
    rest of the farmers in America, are the best at what they do in the
    world. And if you're the best at what you do in the world, we ought to
    open up more markets for you to sell into the world.
        And we must understand the power of value-added processing. When I
    campaigned for President, I said I supported ethanol. And as President
    of the United States, I support ethanol as a way to reduce our
    dependency on foreign sources of crude oil and as a way to clean the air
    in the United States of America.
        And we're making good progress on other fronts. Today I went to Eden
    Prairie High School, and I've got to tell you, if you've got kids there,
    I was really proud of the student body. They actually listened.
    [Laughter] But it was a chance to tout a really good piece of
    legislation that we got passed. You know, I am passionate about making
    sure that we do not leave any child behind in America. I am passionate
    on challenging systems that simply shuffle children through the school
    system without understanding whether they can read or write or add and
    subtract.
        The bill I signed says a couple of key points. One, if you receive
    Federal money, show us whether or not children are learning. If you
    receive a dime of Federal money, we expect every child in America to be
    learning how to read and write and add and subtract.
        Lest you think I forgot where I came from, however, I understand all
    wisdom does not exist in Washington, DC, that the people who know best
    how to run the school systems are the local folks, that we've got to
    pass power out of Washington, DC, to provide maximum flexibility to the
    local districts, local schools, local--the States. Listen, the more
    flexibility there is at the local level, the more likely it is every
    single child in America will learn. This is a great piece of
    legislation, and it took both Republicans and Democrats to get it
    passed.
        I don't know if you remember, but right after I signed that bill, I
    had the honor of traveling the country with two Democrat sponsors and
    two Republican sponsors. It probably shocked you--I know it shocked the
    folks in Crawford, Texas--[laughter]--that I actually said kind things
    about Ted Kennedy. But he got it out of
    the United States Senate. He made it happen. This good piece of
    legislation would not have happened without the work of both Republicans
    and Democrats. It shows what is possible when we put our political
    differences aside and focus on the children in America.
        And it's that attitude--that point of view is why I'm so strongly
    supporting Norm Coleman. That's what we need in Washington. We need
    people who go up there not to represent, you know, a narrow interest but
    to work to change the tone of Washington, DC, to make Washington the
    kind of place where people look at and say, ``I'm proud of my
    Government, that Government can actually get things done in a positive
    way.'' And that's what we need to continue to work on. It's so important
    in order to rally the country.
        You know, I'm asked all the time, what can--people say, ``Well, what
    can I do to help in the war against terror? What is it that I can do?''
    Well, my answer is pretty straightforward. If you want to fight evil, do
    some good. If you want to show the world the true side of America, our
    heart, our decency, our compassion, love a neighbor just like you'd like
    to be loved yourself. Mentor a child. Find a child who wonders whether
    or not America is meant for them, and put your arm around that child and
    say, ``I love you.'' That's how you can fight evil. Walk into the house
    of a shut-in and

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    say, ``Neighbor, what can I do to help you?'' Support your teachers. Get
    involved in a faith-based program, understanding that faith can change
    people's hearts, and by changing people's hearts, we can change their
    lives. The way to fight evil is through the gathering momentum of
    millions of acts of kindness, is to show the world the true face of the
    American people.
        I am so optimistic about this country because I understand our
    resolve and our unity. I understand our courage. You know, probably the
    most meaningful event that took place, as far as I'm concerned, right
    after September--or during the September 11th and afterwards--was Flight
    93, when Americans were on a telephone to their wives. They said the
    Lord's Prayer. They then said to their wives, ``I love you,'' and drove
    an airplane in the ground to save other people's lives. This notion
    about us being a shallow, materialistic society went down the tubes with
    the courageous people on Flight 93.
        It leads me to believe that out of these acts of incredible evil
    will come some great good. If we remain strong, the world will be more
    peaceful. And here at home, I think we have an opportunity to help
    change a culture, one that has said, ``If it feels good, go ahead and do
    it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else.'' I see a
    different culture, one in which we understand we're all responsible for
    the actions we take in life, that we're responsible--that part of a
    responsibility era means that each mom and dad in America must love
    their children with all their heart and all their soul. A responsibility
    era calls us all to help neighbors in need. A responsibility era
    recognizes the worth in serving a cause greater than self. A
    responsibility era understands that sacrifice for the good of your
    fellow human beings is worth it.
        Listen, this is a fabulous nation. It's a fabulous nation not
    because of our Government. It is a fabulous nation because of the hearts
    and souls of the American people. And it is such a huge honor to be the
    President of the United States, of such a great land.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:25 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the
    Minneapolis Hilton and Towers. In his remarks, he referred to Gene Frey,
    who introduced the President; Patricia A. Harvey, superintendent, Saint
    Paul Public Schools; and Ron Eibensteiner, chair, Republican Party of
    Minnesota.