    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [April 30, 2002]
    [Pages 696-701]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Luncheon for Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Simon in Santa Clara, California
    April 30, 2002

        Thank you all very much. Well, thanks for that warm California
    welcome. It's great to be back in this majestic State, and it's great to
    see so many friends. I want to thank you all for coming. We're here for
    the same reason: It is important for California to have a new Governor,
    and Bill Simon is that man.
        I'm honored to have been invited here to campaign, and I really
    appreciate the chance to get to know Bill a little better. He flew on
    Air Force One from Albuquerque over to Los Angeles yesterday, and one of
    the best parts of the flight is, I got to meet the future first
    lady of the State of California. We both married
    above ourselves. [Laughter]
        Many of you have gotten to know Laura. What
    you didn't know is that when I asked her to marry me, she was a--didn't
    care for politics, didn't care for politicians. And here she is as the
    First Lady of the United States--thank goodness. She's doing a fabulous
    job. I'm really proud of her, and I love her dearly. Today she couldn't
    be with me here in California because she's in Arkansas, talking about
    the need to make sure that we have early childhood education in every
    neighborhood, in every State, all across the country.
        I want to thank Richard Pombo, who's
    here. He's a Member of the United States House of Representatives from
    the great State of California. Richard, thank you for coming. I want to
    thank all the State and

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    local officials who are here. I want to thank all of you all for helping
    this good man.
        There are some people in this audience who are the grassroots
    activists here in California. I want to thank you for your hard work. I
    want to thank you for dialing phones. I want to thank you for stuffing
    envelopes. I want to thank you for being foot soldiers so people like me
    and Bill can run and win and do our jobs.
        In our audience today, we've got a brave soul named Dorothy
    Garcia. Her husband was on Flight 93. His
    name was Andy. The reason I bring that up is that Flight 93 really, in
    many ways, epitomized the best of America: Average citizens just doing
    their job, who heard that America was under attack; they told their
    loved ones goodbye; they said a prayer; and they made the ultimate
    sacrifice so others could live. And for that, our Nation is incredibly
    grateful--grateful for the sacrifice and grateful for the example that
    Andy and others set for future generations. Dorothy, I'm so honored
    you're here, and thank you for coming.
        I appreciate so very much Bill and Cindy's
    values. They love their family, and that's good. They love their State,
    and they love their country.
        I've been somewhat amazed about--reading some of the clips on the
    way out here about what Bill's--the supporters of Bill's opponent are
    saying. It kind of runs this way: He's never held elective office--
    [laughter]--he's only been a successful businessman; how could he
    possibly be the Governor of a big and diverse State? It sounds like to
    me that Governor Davis is getting his advice from
    Ann Richards. [Laughter] In '94, I showed up,
    and I laid out a positive vision of where I wanted to lead my State. I
    rejected the old-style politics, and that's exactly what Bill Simon is
    going to do here in California.
        I am proud to support this new face in American politics. I'm proud
    to support somebody who doesn't need to take a poll or to have a focus
    group to tell him what he believes. And I want to thank you all for
    joining us to effect a positive change, not just for Republicans but for
    everybody who lives in the State of California.
        I appreciate so very much Bill's emphasis on issues that matter to
    everybody, starting with education. I gave a speech a little earlier
    here in the Silicon Valley, and I talked about the hope and promise of
    public education. It is so important that we get our public education
    right in America. The public education system in America is one of the
    most important foundations of our democracy. After all, it is where
    children from all over America learn to be responsible citizens and
    learn to have the skills necessary to take advantage of our fantastic,
    opportunistic society. And yet, we have failed in our public school
    system for too many children.
        As Bill mentioned, I had the honor of signing historic education
    reform that set high standards for every child in America, not just a
    few, not just people from suburban California or suburban Texas, but
    every single child. We believe every child can learn in America. And in
    that bill we incorporate a uniquely Republican principle that says, we
    trust the local people to chart the path for excellence for the citizens
    and children of California. I understand and Bill understands, all
    wisdom does not reside in Washington, DC, that if you're interested in
    achieving educational excellence, we've got to trust the people of
    California to chart the path for educational excellence. That's why it's
    important this man become your Governor.
        But in this bill as well--and what makes it different from the past
    is, we're now saying, if you receive any Federal help--and there's
    Federal help, particularly for Title I students--you'd better teach
    them. In return for help, you show us whether or not the children can
    read and write and add and subtract. You administer tests to show us,
    and you put the tests on the Internet for everybody to see. And when we
    find success, we will praise success. But

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    when we find failure, we need to challenge failure. When we find
    children in schools that will not teach and will not change, you better
    have you a Governor that is willing to challenge the status quo. It is
    essential that we educate every child in America and that not one child
    be left behind.
        I appreciate Bill's commonsense view of energy. This Nation needs an
    energy policy. We haven't had an energy policy for a long period of
    time. Finally, they got one bill passed out of the House, and they've
    got one coming out of the Senate. Now they need to get together and get
    the bill to my desk. And here's what it basically says. It says, we can
    use technology to develop renewable sources of energy, which we will. It
    says, we must do a better job of conserving energy, which we must. But
    it also says, in an environmentally friendly way, we can find more
    energy in our country. And that's important. It's important not only for
    the economic security of people looking for work; it is important for
    the national security of the United States of America. We import over 50
    percent of our oil from overseas, and a lot of those countries don't
    particularly care for us. And you need to have a Governor who's got a
    vision about energy, if you expect this State to grow and if people want
    to find work.
        And I appreciate Bill's view of taxing and--the taxes and budget. I
    remember campaigning in the Silicon Valley, and I said, ``If you give me
    a chance, I'm going to cut the--work to cut the taxes.'' And thankfully,
    we did. And we did so right at the right time.
        There's a difference of opinion in our political system, and that's
    good. It basically boils down to an understanding of whose money we're
    talking about when we talk about budgeting and spending money. See Bill
    and I understand, when we're talking about taxpayers' money, it's not
    the Government's money; it's the people's money. When you let people
    keep more of their own money, it is not only good for our economy; it is
    good to help people realize their dreams.
        There are so many fantastic stories of the entrepreneurial spirit
    here in California. I've been impressed by some amazing statistics, like
    the number of Hispanic-owned small businesses. When you cut the taxes,
    when you reduce the tax burden, you encourage the growth of small
    businesses. Most small businesses are sole proprietorships or limited
    partnerships. They pay taxes on the individual--through the individual
    system, and by cutting tax rates, we encourage entrepreneurial growth
    and ownership in California and in America.
        And we need to hold the line on spending. Bill understands that in
    California, and we need to hold the line on spending in Washington, DC.
    We've got a temporary deficit, and there's a reason. We had a recession
    and a national emergency. But the best way to make sure the deficit is
    small and temporary is for the United States Congress not to spend
    excessively. That's why the President has been given a veto.
        I remember in Chicago they said to me, ``Would you ever have deficit
    spending?'' I said, ``Only if there was a war or a national emergency or
    a recession.'' Never did I realize we'd get the trifecta. [Laughter] But
    this country is ready to handle--we're ready to handle the slowdown in
    the economy. And I understand people are hurting here in the Silicon
    Valley. I've seen the statistics that the economy grew at over 5 percent
    in the first quarter. That's fine. We'll let the number crunchers talk
    about numbers like that. So long as people can't find work, I'm worried.
    So long as somebody who wants to work can't find a job, it's got my
    attention. And so the best way to make sure our economy grows is to make
    our tax cuts permanent, so there's certainty in the Tax Code; is to
    promote free and fair trade all around the world; and is to have an
    energy plan that makes sense for America. And we're making progress on
    the economy, and we're making

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    progress on making sure our homeland is more secure.
        Cindy asked me to tell this story, which I
    told last night, so I will. It is--well, first of all, it's an
    unimaginable honor to be able to go to work in the Oval Office. It is a
    beautiful place. It is a powerful reminder of the greatness of our
    country. I treat it like a shrine.
        My job is to take the dogs downstairs first thing in the morning.
    We've got kind of an early morning White House. I try to show up right
    before 7 o'clock every morning. And so Spot, who is--not a very
    imaginative name, I admit it, but nevertheless--[laughter]--was born in
    the White House, by the way. She's 13 years old. She's quite familiar
    with the grounds. She walks out, as does Barney. Barney's the 1\1/2\-
    year-old terrier. Now Barney, he doesn't get to go in the Oval Office
    first thing in the morning, because the rug is new. [Laughter] But Spot
    and I walk in. Barney goes off with the gardeners, chasing squirrels or
    something.
        And I sit there at this fantastic desk, called the H.M.S. Resolute.
    Perhaps you remember the picture of John-John Kennedy putting his head
    out of the door of that desk with his dad. I think his dad was making a
    phone call or gazing out to the beautiful South Grounds. I remember
    Edmund Morris, who wrote ``Theodore Rex,'' walked in to give me a copy
    of his book. And he said, ``Teddy Roosevelt used that desk.'' The door
    that John-John Kennedy put his head out of the desk is there because
    Franklin Roosevelt had put that door on his desk to cover his
    infirmities. It's been used by a lot of Presidents.
        And I sit at this majestic piece of furniture and read a threat
    assessment every morning, that the killers still want to hurt America.
    It's a daily reminder that my most important job is to protect the
    American people. We're still vulnerable, because we're a huge nation,
    big borders. But we're less vulnerable.
        You need to know that we share information like never before.
    Anytime we get any kind of hint, any evidence whatsoever that somebody
    may try to do something to America, we're reacting. We're following
    every single lead. We've got better coordination with our intelligence
    gathering and the FBI and law enforcement at home. We're buttoning up
    America the way you'd want us to, within the confines of the United
    States Constitution. We're doing a better job of coordinating efforts
    with our brave police and firefighters and EMS; they're called first-
    responders. We're going to do a better job of reforming the INS so that
    we've got better border security in the United States. We've got an
    initiative and a strategy to deal with bioterrorism, should it come.
    We're working hard, and a lot of good folks are working endless hours to
    protect the American citizens. But the surest way to protect America is
    to hunt the killers down one by one and bring them to justice, and that
    is what we're going to do.
        I have submitted a budget that makes our defense a priority, and I
    expect the United States Congress to pass the defense appropriations
    bill early, rather than late, and not play politics with defense
    appropriations. It is a big increase, because anytime we put our
    soldiers in harm's way, they deserve the best equipment, the best
    training, and the best pay possible.
        And it's also a big increase because it is indicative of the fact
    that we're in this for the long pull. There is no calendar on my desk
    that says, ``By such-and-such a date, you will quit.'' There is no
    timeframe, artificial timeframe. When it comes to defending the freedom
    of the United States, America, we will do whatever it takes, no matter
    how long it takes. Others may grow tired, but I'm not.
        I am so honored by our hard work of our Secretary of State and my
    national security team--by the way, one of whom is doing great, named
    Condoleezza Rice, came right out of this
    part of the world.

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    Thank goodness she's there and not at Stanford. [Laughter] Nothing wrong
    with Stanford, but America is better off with her leading our National
    Security Council.
        We've got this coalition together because we said loud and clear,
    ``Either you're with us, or you're with the terrorists.'' And I meant
    it. I meant that. I also said that if you harbor a terrorist and feed
    one, you're just as guilty as the killers. And the Taliban found out
    exactly what the United States of America meant.
        As we talk about this war, it's really important to remind young
    Americans--and all Americans, for that matter--that this country does
    not seek revenge; we seek justice; and that we've got to be proud not
    only of the fact that we're defending our freedoms, but we went into
    Afghanistan not as conquerors but as liberators. And for the first time,
    many young girls were able to go to school, thanks to the United States
    of America.
        You just need to know, it's still a dangerous period in Afghanistan.
    There's still a lot of killers roaming around, and they hate America.
    Listen, they hate us because we're free. They cannot stand the thought
    that we have freedom of religion in America, that we respect each other
    based upon our personal religious beliefs. They cannot stand the thought
    that there's honest political discourse. There's free press--I'm
    confident they hate that. They hate us. And so, wherever they try to
    hide, we're going to get them. There's no cave dark enough or deep
    enough from the United States of America. We are a patient country; we
    are a united country; we're plenty tough when we have to be tough. You
    know, I can't imagine what went through their minds. They must have
    thought--they must have fallen prey to this notion that America was so
    self-absorbed, so materialistic, so selfish, so essentially weak, that
    all we were going to do when they attacked was file a lawsuit.
    [Laughter] They found out we think differently.
        Not only are we going to make sure we help secure Afghanistan; we
    will help rebuild Afghanistan. We not only want the world to be more
    secure; we want the world to be better. The second phase of the war is
    to deny sanctuary and training grounds to any Al Qaida organization, and
    we're doing a pretty good job of that. Yemen, for example, is a country
    with which we work to make sure that they don't get to bunch up in Yemen
    and start over. In other words, by denying sanctuary, we're treating
    them as they need to be treated, as international criminals, as
    coldblooded killers.
        But this war is more than just one person; it's more than about one
    organization. You see, there are regimes that--governments, not just
    organizations, that can't stand what we believe in, who develop and
    harbor and hold some of the worst weapons in the world. And for the sake
    of our children and for the sake of our children's children and for the
    sake of our friends and allies, we must--and we will--not allow the
    world's most dangerous regimes to possess and threaten us and blackmail
    us with the world's most dangerous weapons.
        I'm proud of our military. I'm proud of our country. We send such a
    strong signal to the world when we're united and resolved and
    determined. See, if we blink, everybody else goes to sleep. History has
    called us into action. History has laid the mantle of responsibility for
    peace squarely on our shoulders. I accept that responsibility, and so
    does the American people.
        I'm an optimistic person. I truly believe that out of this evil will
    come some incredible good. I believe by being firm and tough and routing
    out terror, the world will be more peaceful. I long for peace. I want
    our children to grow up in a peaceful world. I want there to be hope
    where hope has been diminished around the world, and we must not, and we
    will not, let terrorism rule the world. No, by being tough and strong
    and diligent, this world, thanks to the leadership of the United States
    of

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    America, is going to be a more peaceful place, and I think at home, we
    can be a more compassionate place as well.
        People say to me, ``You know, Mr. President, what can I do in the
    war against terror?'' My answer is, love your neighbor like you'd like
    to be loved yourself; that if you want to fight evil, do some good. It
    doesn't take much. I talked about the ultimate sacrifice of serving
    something greater than yourself. But you can serve something greater
    than yourself by mentoring a child. You can serve something greater than
    yourself by feeding the homeless. You can serve something greater than
    yourself by just walking across the street to a shut-in and saying, ``I
    love you. Is there anything I can do to make your day better?'' If you
    want to fight evil, do some good.
        And there's all kinds of opportunities. We've got the USA Freedom
    Corps for old and young alike who want to volunteer. We've got a Peace
    Corps that we're going to expand and send around--double the size of the
    Peace Corps. There's all kinds of opportunities. In my State--in my
    State--my speech in front of the Congress, I said, ``Why don't--if you
    want to help, dedicate 4,000 hours of your life from this point forward
    to help a neighbor in need.'' And it's happening.
        I truly believe out of the evil will come a new culture of personal
    responsibility, one that says--that stands in contrast, by the way, to a
    period of time that said, ``If it feels good, do it,'' and ``If you've
    got a problem, blame somebody else.'' There's a new culture that's
    coming around that says, ``I'm responsible for the decisions I make in
    life. I'm responsible for loving my family. I'm responsible for loving
    my neighbor.'' And to make that responsibility era full, if you're
    running a company in America, you have responsibility to be honest and
    open with your shareholders and your employees as well. It's happening,
    and it's happening in this country because the strength of America is
    not in the halls of our governments; the strength of this country is in
    the hearts and souls of incredibly decent and kind and compassionate
    Americans.
        No, out of evil will come incredible good. The world will not only
    be more peaceful, but this world will show the true face--this country
    will show the world the true face of America, a welcoming society, a
    society that says that the American Dream belongs to all, a society
    that's willing to tackle the pockets of despair and hopelessness with
    love and compassion and decency. Out of the evil done on September the
    11th, we will show the world the true nature of the greatest country on
    the face of the Earth.
        I want to thank you all for coming to support this good man, and
    thank you for giving me the honor of being the President of the United
    States of America.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:25 p.m. in Exhibit Hall B at the Santa
    Clara Convention Center. In his remarks, he referred to Cindy Simon,
    wife of gubernatorial candidate William Simon; Gov. Gray Davis of
    California; and former Gov. Ann Richards of Texas.