    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [March 12, 2002]
    [Pages 389-392]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Keep Our Majority Political Action Committee Reception
    March 12, 2002

        The President. Thank you all. I am here because I am most interested
    in making sure Denny Hastert remains
    Speaker of the House. It's in the Nation's interest that he remain
    Speaker of the House.
        And there's a reason why. First, he's
    a high quality person. I don't know if you all know this, but he was a
    wrestling coach at one time. He's the perfect Speaker. [Laughter]
        He's a steady man; he's a joy to work
    with. I trust him; I trust his judgment. I really appreciate his can-do
    spirit. Denny's the kind of person that comes in the Oval Office and
    asks the question, ``How can we get something done on behalf of the
    American people?'' And I appreciate that attitude a lot. You know, some
    folks up here are looking for a fight. Denny's a guy looking for
    results.
        And the record speaks pretty clearly. I remember first coming up
    here, and I told Denny that we've got to
    work together to get a tax cut for the American people. He said, ``You
    bet.'' And as a result of his leadership, we got a tax cut for the
    American people, right at the right time.
        History will judge that the tax cut was timely. It's a pretty simple
    theory, but one that works, and that is if the economy is

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    slowing down, like it was, if you give people their own money back, that
    creates demand. And demand creates production, and production equals
    jobs. And as a result of Denny's
    leadership, we passed important economic relief, called tax relief.
        Some of them up here must be reading a different economics textbook
    than Denny and I are. There's a--for a
    while, they were talking about either stopping the tax relief, which I
    view as a tax increase. You never raise taxes in the midst of a
    recession, and Denny understands that, and I appreciate that.
        We worked together on a really good education bill. We had some
    photos taken earlier, and one lady came through, said she was a teacher.
    I want to tell her and I want to tell everybody else that education has
    got to be one of the top domestic priorities, regardless of political
    party. And as a result of working closely together, we passed a
    substantial piece of education reform.
        It is really good legislation. It is one that sets high standards,
    that refuses to accept mediocrity for any child, that challenges a
    system that quits on children early and just moves them through. That's
    not going to happen in America anymore, as far as we're concerned. We
    say we'll fund education; we'll focus money on where the needs are most,
    particularly amongst poor--the poor. But we expect everybody to learn.
    Not only do we expect everybody to learn, we firmly believe everybody
    can learn.
        We've got a great reading initiative as a part of this bill.
    Denny understands what I know, that
    reading is the new civil right. If you can't read, you're going to be
    left behind. And we were deadly serious when we said no child will be
    left behind in America, and it starts with making sure every child
    learns to read.
        We're on a mission here in America to achieve that objective. It, of
    course, trusts the local people--I mean, lest you think I forgot where I
    came from. I trust the Governors and the local school districts more
    than I trust people in Washington, DC, about educating children. So not
    only did we set high standards, we passed power out of Washington, DC.
    One size doesn't fit all. And if we expect to achieve excellence, we've
    got to trust local folks. And that's exactly the spirit of this bill.
        As well, Denny understands the need to
    stimulate our economy even further. On the one hand, we want to make
    sure those whose lives were adversely affected on 9/11 receive help. But
    people in America don't want an unemployment check; they want a
    permanent paycheck. And therefore, as a result of his steadfast
    leadership, I had the honor of signing a economic stimulus package last
    Saturday in the Rose Garden, a package that not only helps workers but
    provides incentive for people to develop plant and equipment, which
    means jobs.
        In other words, Denny understood what
    I understood: Jobs is the center of any good economic development plan.
    And Mr. Speaker, thanks to your steadfast leadership, I was able to sign
    a very good economic stimulus bill.
        He's the kind of fellow that doesn't
    say much, which is unusual here in Washington. [Laughter] He lets
    results speak for themselves.
        History is going to show as well, we had a substantial legislative
    session in the House. As you know, as a result of the Speaker's leadership, we took a giant stride for improving
    our energy situation here in America. On the one hand, we encouraged
    more conservation and the development and modernization of our
    infrastructure, but on the other hand, we understand we've got to find
    more oil and gas in an environmentally friendly way here in America. The
    energy bill that passed the House was a really good piece of
    legislation. It is in our national security that we become less
    dependent on foreign sources of crude oil, and Denny Hastert understood
    that.
        As well, we passed a good trade bill out of the House of
    Representatives. It's a bill

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    that has got confidence in the productivity of American farmers and
    American workers. It says that if you're confident, you open up markets.
    If you're confident, you encourage trade as opposed to protectionism.
    And thanks to the Speaker's leadership, we
    got trade promotion authority out of the House of Representatives.
        Thanks to the Speaker's leadership,
    we're focusing on research and development and at the same time send a
    firm, clear message: We will ban cloning in America.
        Thanks to the Speaker's leadership, we
    passed a Faith-Based Initiative which recognizes that there are some in
    our society who hurt--badly hurt--and that the next step of good welfare
    reform is to rally the armies of compassion all across America, to
    encourage faith-based programs to help people who have got significant
    needs in our society.
        The last four pieces of legislation--energy, trade, cloning, as well
    as Faith-Based Initiative--passed the House, but they haven't gotten out
    of the Senate yet. Denny Hastert is a can-
    do leader that focuses not on the political parties but focuses on
    what's best for America. And it's good for our country that he's the
    Speaker of the House of Representatives.
        I submitted a budget that recognizes our Nation is in a long
    struggle for freedom, and Denny
    understands that. He understands that my most important job--and as a
    significant leader, his most important job--is to make sure the enemy
    doesn't attack America again, that our most important job is to protect
    innocent life here in our country.
        We've got a great homeland defense strategy that the
    Speaker and I have been working on, as
    well as working with Tom Ridge. But I want to
    assure you all that I know this fact, that the best way to secure the
    homeland is to find the enemy, wherever he tries to hide, and bring them
    to justice. And that's precisely what we're going to do here in America.
        I gave a speech the other day, and I talked about the fact that
    we've accomplished the first stage of our mission, and that is, we
    liberated a country from the clutches of one of the most barbaric
    regimes in the history of mankind. We unleashed our mighty military,
    along with coalition forces, and we routed out the Taliban. I can't tell
    you how proud I am--I'm so proud of our military, men and women who are
    making huge sacrifices on behalf of freedom and that have not let us
    down.
        We're now in another phase of this war, which is to deny the enemy,
    the Al Qaida and any other affiliated terrorist group, any sanctuary
    anywhere in the world. We want them on the run. We want them to be
    treated like the international terrorists and international criminals
    that they are. And therefore, our policy not only continues to focus on
    Afghanistan; we have just finished--or are in the midst of wrapping up a
    significant battle in Afghanistan where we have achieved a mighty
    victory.
        We've lost life, and for those lives we mourn. And I hope those
    family members understand that the lost life was for a giant cause, and
    that is the freedoms we hold dear.
        But we're not through in Afghanistan. Anytime we find Al Qaida or
    like-minded killers bunched up, we're going to get them. We'll be
    steady; we'll be relentless; we'll be resolved; we will not blink. I
    will continue to lead this coalition. History has called us into action,
    and we're not going to miss this opportunity to make the world more
    peaceful.
        And so whether it be in Afghanistan or in Yemen or in the
    Philippines, perhaps in Georgia, this mighty Nation will use our
    resources to deny sanctuary to anybody who thinks they can harm the
    United States of America or our friends or our allies.
        And there is a large cause at hand, as well, and Denny understands this. This great Nation must never allow
    the world's most dangerous regimes to develop the

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    world's most dangerous weapons and hook up with terrorist organizations.
        Audience member. That's right.
        The President. As you know, I made that pretty clear to the world. I
    will continue to make that clear. This Nation must speak clearly and
    strongly for universal values. We must never waver in our love for
    freedom. We must never waver in our disdain for those who use murder to
    achieve political ends. And so long as I'm the President, I promise you
    I will be steadfast and strong in the face of evil.
        And the good thing about America is that the Nation understands
    this. We're a united nation. We're bound together, regardless of
    political party or where we live, by this common love for freedom. And
    America understands the stakes, and they recognize that history has
    called us into action. And for that I am most grateful to the American
    people. It is such an honor to be the President of such a great land.
        As well, American people are beginning to show the world that we're
    a compassionate nation as well, that we're a kind and decent people.
    We're tough on the battlefield; we're really tough. But also at home,
    neighbors love neighbors more than ever before. And I like to remind my
    fellow citizens that if you're interested in joining the war against
    terror, love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. You
    see, it's the gathering momentum of millions of acts of kindness and
    decency that define our country and allow me to say that good stands
    squarely in the face of evil.
        We're a good people. We're a strong people. We're a resolute people.
    And we're a people who will not be deterred in our desire to not only
    protect our homeland but to make the world more peaceful for generations
    to come.
        It is an honor to be here with a great man, the Speaker of the
    House, and it is an honor to be the
    President of the greatest nation on the face of the Earth. God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:45 p.m. at Constitution Hall.