    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [May 10, 2002]
    [Pages 774-779]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Luncheon for Governor Bob Taft in
    Columbus
    May 10, 2002

        Thank you very much. Gosh, it's a great Ohio welcome. I'm honored to
    be back. It's good to be back near the family plot. [Laughter] As you
    may recall, Prescott S. Bush, my grandfather, was raised right here in
    Columbus, Ohio. Last time I did that, my mother was watching on C-SPAN.
    She said, ``What about my father?'' [Laughter] I said, ``Oh, yes, he was
    raised in Dayton, Ohio.'' [Laughter] So, Mother, I mentioned him.
    [Laughter]
        But it's great to be back in this great State. I'm here to talk
    about welfare reform, but I'm also here to make sure that the good
    people of Ohio send this good man back to the Governor's Mansion.
    There's a lot of reasons to send him back, but none greater than the
    fact that he married well. [Laughter] Hope is doing a great job as the
    first lady of the State of Ohio.
        When we were walking in, Bob was telling me how proud he is of
    Hope and the job she does, particularly to promote
    literacy. And I told him, ``I'm real proud of my wife, too.'' I can't
    tell you how--what a great job Laura is doing.
    She has brought a lot of calm and a steady hand. You know, when I asked
    her to marry me, she was a public school librarian who didn't like
    politics and really didn't like politicians. [Laughter] A lot of people
    are now beginning to realize why I asked her to marry me. She's got a
    lot of class. A lot of people, however, are wondering why she said yes.
    [Laughter] But I wish she were here. She loves the Tafts. She really
    appreciates Hope and Bob, and she sends her best to you all.
        I'm also traveling with some pretty good company today. I had the
    honor of flying down on Air Force One with a fabulous United States
    Senator, George Voinovich. I like
    George; he's the kind of fellow that tells you what's on his mind.
    [Laughter] There's no doubt what he believes in. One of the things he
    believes in is Ohio. He loves the State of Ohio.
        I'm also honored to be traveling today with members of a great
    congressional delegation, Deborah Pryce, Dave
    Hobson, Pat Tiberi, Bob Ney, and Rob
    Portman. These people not only represent Ohio
    well; they're friends. And they're people with whom it's a real pleasure
    to work. They bring a lot of class to the United States Congress.
        And earlier today, I had the honor of meeting a fellow named Mike
    Turner, who won a primary in Dayton, Ohio, who a
    lot of people think, when he continues to work hard, he's going to be
    the next Congressman from Dayton. Welcome, Mike.
        I also want to thank Jennette Bradley
    for willingness to run and to join the ticket. I appreciate you,
    Jennette. It's going to be a historic moment when you become the
    Lieutenant Governor of the State of Ohio.
        It seems like ever since I was--been coming to Ohio to campaign for
    one Bush or another, Bennett has been
    around. It's great to see you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it.
        I want to thank Tim and all the folks who
    organized this event. I want to thank you all for coming to help--to
    help Bob. You know, when you find a good, honest, decent, honorable
    person in politics, you need to back him, and this guy is just that.
    Plus, he's got a great record. He has his priorities straight. His most
    fundamental priority is to make sure that every child in the State of
    Ohio gets a good education, and the record is impressive. The record is
    impressive. Not only has he focused on making the Ohio schools a funding
    priority; he's focused on insisting that there be excellence in every
    single schoolroom in Ohio. I appreciate your--Bob, I appreciate your
    leadership. The people of Ohio have

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    got to understand that he has led on this issue.
        And not only that, he and Hope understand that
    if a child cannot read, a child cannot learn. And it's important to have
    a Governor set a priority. Not only is public schools a priority, public
    education a priority, but teaching every child to read is the first
    priority of making sure there's excellence in every public school in the
    State of Ohio.
        We have just passed historic reform in Washington, DC, education
    reform. It may be hard for you to believe, but there are, at moments,
    when Republicans and Democrats come together for the good of the Nation.
    And this is one of the cases. People from both parties came together and
    worked on education reform which says that we believe every child can
    learn in America, not some, not a few, but every child. We set the
    highest of high standards.
        We also say that in return for Federal money--we're going to spend
    money; Washington is good about spending money--and in return for
    Federal money, we expect there to be results. In return for Federal
    money, you, the local folks, must show us whether or not children are
    learning to read and write and add and subtract. And if they are, we
    will sing your praises, as a society. But if not, we expect there to be
    change. It is not right for there to be children trapped in schools that
    will not teach and will not change.
        High standards, strict accountability, coupled with local control of
    schools--I believe that the people who care more about the children of
    Ohio are the citizens of Ohio. And we passed power and flexibility out
    of Washington, DC, so that good Governors like Bob Taft can chart the
    path of excellence for every single child who lives in your great State.
        Earlier today I had the opportunity to talk about welfare reform.
    We're getting ready to reauthorize the welfare bill. First of all, it is
    important for Americans to understand that the welfare reforms of 1996
    have been a huge success, a success because the welfare rolls are down
    dramatically, but more importantly, a success because more and more
    citizens, as a result of finding a job, now have dignity in their lives.
        Knowing that there are Governors like Bob Taft, I can safely say,
    the best way to make sure we continue with welfare reform is to trust
    Governors and local authorities to match up programs and needs with
    people. In other words, the Federal Government must get out of the way,
    must provide maximum flexibility at the local level, which is precisely
    what I intend to do.
        It is good to know that you have a Governor who's willing to rally
    the social entrepreneurs all across the State of Ohio to make sure that
    people are able to get the help we want them to get. Ohio is on the
    leading edge of welfare reform, thanks to Governor Voinovich and now thanks to Governor Taft.
        And I appreciate Bob Taft's understanding the role of Government is
    not to create wealth. That's not the role of Government. The role of
    Government is to create an environment in which small-business owners
    and entrepreneurs have a chance to flourish. His initiative of the Third
    Frontier Project for the State of Ohio understands that jobs and job
    creation best take place in the private sector. Governor, you're right
    on track, and I appreciate your vision for economic vitality. And
    thankfully to the United States Congress, our economy is better on
    track.
        You may remember when I came to the State of Ohio to campaign, I
    said, ``If you give me a chance to be the President, I'm going to make
    sure that people get to keep more of their hard-earned dollars.'' And
    thankfully, we passed tax relief right at the right time.
        Here's what Bob and I know, that if you let people keep their own
    money--and, by the way, it's not the Government's money. I love to read
    these stories about, ``Well,

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    the Government's money--we can't send the Government's money back.''
    It's not the Government's money; it's the people's money. It's the
    taxpayers' money. When they have more of their own money, they demand
    goods and services. And when they demand goods and services, somebody
    will produce the goods and services. And when somebody produces the
    goods and services to meet demand, somebody is going to be able to find
    work. The best way to stimulate our economy was to let the American
    people keep their own money, so they get to decide what to do with it.
        George Voinovich has been a leader
    in Congress, as have the other members from the congressional
    delegation, about joining me and the Vice President to make sure this
    Nation finally wakes up and has a balanced energy policy. You know, we
    import over 50 percent of our energy, and sometimes the people we import
    from don't like us. [Laughter] For the sake of economic security and for
    the sake of national security, this Nation needs a comprehensive energy
    plan that encourages conservation, promotes new technologies that will
    save energy and enhance renewable sources of energy, but at the same
    time, a energy plan that has the wisdom to promote clean coal
    technology, so that we're less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        Oh, there's a lot of issues we face. And you know, we've got issues
    related to trade. I'm pleased that the Senate looks like they've got an
    agreement on a trade bill. This Nation ought to be confident. We ought
    to be opening up markets all around the world to trade. It'll be good
    for our Ohio farmers to trade; it's good for Ohio small-business people
    to trade. I hope Congress finally gets a trade promotion authority bill
    to my desk. Confident nations open up markets; they don't build walls
    around themselves. I'm confident that we're the best producers and
    innovators in many products, and therefore we ought to be selling our
    products around the world.
        I'm also working on issues like terrorism insurance, to encourage
    construction projects. I know the Senate will join me on that. We've
    just got to make sure that when we do so, we don't provide a gravy train
    for personal injury lawyers in America.
        Obviously, we've got budget matters. You know, when I was running
    for President, in Chicago, somebody said, ``Would you ever have deficit
    spending?'' I said, ``Only if we were at war, or only if we had a
    recession, only if we had a national emergency.'' Never did I dream we'd
    get the trifecta. [Laughter] But that's what we got, and we're going to
    deal with it. And we're going to deal with it in a way that understands
    that each individual American matters, in a way that promotes jobs not
    Government. And we're going to deal with it in a way that makes a
    priority the defense of the United States of America.
        I've got a routine that I really enjoy there at the White House. It
    starts off early in the morning where, like I did at the Governor's
    Mansion in Texas, I bring Laura her coffee. [Laughter] My next job is to
    take Spot and Barney out for a walk on the South Lawn. Spot was born
    there at the White House when Mother and Dad were there, so she's used
    to the accommodations and understands the decorum necessary to go into
    the Oval Office. [Laughter] Barney, on the other hand, is only a year
    and a half. In that we've got a brand new rug, he's not allowed in.
    [Laughter] So Barney goes off with the gardener, and I go in the Oval
    Office with the dog, Spot, and sit.
        First thing there, sit behind a fantastic desk that many of you may
    have seen. It's a desk used by Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt
    and John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, some of the great names that have
    preceded me to the Presidency. And the first thing I do is I open up a
    threat assessment. I read about the fact that the coldblooded killers
    are still after us. And by the way, that's all they are. They're nothing

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    but a bunch of coldblooded killers, and they still want to hurt America.
        It's hard for a lot of young to understand why they would want to do
    so. And the answer is, because we believe in freedom, and they don't.
    We're a beacon for freedom, and they can't stand that. They cannot stand
    the thought that America worships freely, that we welcome people of all
    faiths, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu; you name it; we welcome. We
    understand a lot of Americans have no faith at all, and that's okay.
    They're proud Americans. We know that. They can't stand the thought that
    there's free and open discourse in America. They hate the thought of a
    free press. No, they hate our freedoms, and therefore, they're going to
    continue to try to strike us.
        We're doing everything we can. You need to know that our law
    enforcement officials are communicating a lot better than ever before
    between the Federal and State and local governments. Anytime we get any
    kind of hint, we're moving. And we're sharing intelligence all around
    the world. Our coalition is more than just a coalition of military; it's
    a coalition of our respective treasuries to shut down money. It's a
    coalition of our intelligence gathering to share information. I mean, we
    are--we're on full alert in Washington, DC, about anything that might
    happen. But the best way to make sure that we protect the homeland, the
    best way for me to do my job is to hunt them down one by one and bring
    them to justice, and that's precisely what the United States of America
    is going to do.
        I have submitted a significant increase in our defense budget for
    two basic reasons. One, anytime we commit our troops into action, they
    deserve the best equipment and the best training, best possible pay. And
    by the way, for those of you who have got relatives in the United States
    military, you can tell them, this Commander in Chief is incredibly proud
    of how they've conducted themselves. And the second reason why is
    because we're in this for the long run. There are no calendars, no dates
    certain as to when this is going to be over, because we're defending
    freedom. That's what we're defending. No matter how long it takes, we
    will defend our freedoms and civilization, itself.
        Oh, I know there are some saying, ``Well, it's got to end by such-
    and-such,'' or ``What happened here? What happened there?'' That's what
    the enemy wants. What makes them really nervous is when they hear the
    fact that our Nation is united and focused and disciplined and patient.
        I've traveled the country a lot, and I'm proud to report that's
    exactly the way Americans think. You see, I'm amazed of what--I try to
    speculate what went on in the minds of these people when they attacked
    us. They must have thought we were weak. You know, they must have
    thought that--this kind of false image of materialism affected their
    thinking. They thought we were so materialistic, we wouldn't react. They
    probably thought all we were going to do is maybe file a couple of
    lawsuits. [Laughter] They were watching the wrong TV show. [Laughter]
    They found out that this Nation, when it comes to the defense of our
    freedom, is plenty tough.
        When it comes to the values we hold dear, we will be strong, and
    we'll be steadfast. And when it comes to enforcing doctrine, when I
    said, ``Either you're with us, or against us,'' they understand. And
    when I said, ``If you're going to harbor one of those terrorists, you're
    just as guilty as the terrorists,'' thanks to the United States
    military, thanks to our coalition, the world now knows what we mean.
        The Taliban Government now knows what we mean. We have totally
    destroyed their training camps. We've disrupted their chain of command.
    We've got them on the run. And once you get them on the run, the key is
    to make sure that there's no place to run to. And so our second strategy
    is to make sure there is no safe haven for these killers. There is no
    place for them

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    to light. Either you're with us, or you're against us.
        And there's going to be a lot of action left. I mean, when you're
    hunting them down one by one or in small bunches, it's going to take a
    while. It's just going to take a while, and that's the resolve of my
    Government and our Government. It doesn't matter how long it takes. See,
    that's the thing that people have got to understand about America. It
    just doesn't matter how long it takes, because we love our freedom.
        It also matters that there are potential threats that we recognize.
    This threat bothers me: the idea of a terrorist organization teaming up
    with a nation that develops and harbors weapons of mass destruction. It
    bothers me. We cannot let the world's most dangerous regimes threaten us
    with the world's most dangerous weapons. For the good of our children,
    for the good of freedom, for the good of civilization itself, this
    Nation will be deliberate; we'll be patient. But we're not going to
    allow the world's most dangerous regimes to hold the United States
    blackmail with the world's most dangerous weapons.
        I believe that by being firm and tough and strong, we can achieve
    peace. It's very important for the moms and dads to tell their children
    that your Government is interested in peace and freedom. If there's any
    doubt in your children's mind about what we're doing, remind them that
    when we sent our troops into Afghanistan, we liberated a country. And
    for the first time in a long time, young girls got to go to school.
    While we're chasing down the killers, we're also helping the nation
    rebuild herself, with medical care and food. This is a compassionate
    nation, a nation that longs for peace. And I believe by being firm and
    strong and leading the world, we can achieve peace.
        I was pleased to see today that the standoff at the Church of the
    Nativity in Bethlehem was resolved peacefully. That's positive news in a
    troubled region. But you just need to know, in that region and around
    the world, I visualize a peace so people can live side by side in peace.
    And our country will continue to work in that direction.
        Out of the evil will come good. Out of the evil will come good, not
    only around the world but here at home as well. People ask me, they say,
    ``Well, Mr. President, what can I do to help in the war against
    terror?'' And my answer is, if you're interested in fighting evil, do
    some good by loving your neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself.
    If you want to help this country, go across the street to a shut-in's
    house and say, ``What can I do to help you?'' If you want to be a part
    of a movement in America that's taking place, mentor a child; go into
    your church or your synagogue or mosque and rally the good people that
    show up to worship, to help people in need.
        There are pockets of despair in America; there are pockets of
    hopelessness which can and will be overcome because loving citizens have
    decided to do something about it. The great strength of this country is
    really not our military. It's not the fact that we're, you know, great
    and rich. It's the fact that our Nation is full of people with decent
    hearts and loving souls, people who are willing to take time out of
    their day to help a neighbor in need.
        I believe that as a result of the evil done to America, many are
    taking a hard look at the values in their life. Moms and dads recognize
    that their most important job is to love their children with all their
    hearts and all their souls. Many citizens around our country are
    realizing that, while it's important to make a living, it's also
    important to serve something greater than yourself, your community. And
    it's happening. That's why I'm so optimistic that not only will we
    achieve peace, but we'll show the world the true face of America, a
    decent face, a hopeful face, a compassionate face.
        It is an unimaginable honor to be the President of the greatest
    country on the

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    face of the Earth. And I'm the man with that honor.
        Thank you for coming, and God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:15 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom at the
    Hyatt Regency Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Hope Taft, wife of
    Governor Taft; Robert T. Bennett, chairman, Ohio Republican Party; and
    Tim Timken, finance chairman, Taft-Bradley Campaign. Mike Turner is a
    candidate for Congress in Ohio's Third Congressional District.