    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [April 9, 2002]
    [Pages 590-596]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Republican Luncheon in Greenwich, Connecticut
    April 9, 2002

        Thank you for that warm welcome. It's nice to be back in the State
    in which I was born. I was running for Congress one time, and they
    accused me of not being able to represent the people of west Texas
    because I was born in Connecticut. And I said, ``Heck, I just wanted to
    be close to my mother on that day.'' [Laughter]
        I know I've got a lot of people here are friends of Mother and
    Dad's. I just want you to know they're doing great, and so am I, and so
    is my wife. I'm sorry Laura couldn't be with us
    today. She went to the Queen Mother's funeral in London, and she's
    flying back tonight. But let me just tell you, for somebody who is a
    public school librarian, who wasn't all that thrilled about politics and
    all that in love with politicians, she's made a fabulous First Lady; she
    really has. She's brought a lot of comfort to the Nation when we needed
    to be comforted, and she brings a quiet dignity that I'm most proud of.
        I also want to thank my friend Johnny Rowland. I'm here because I want the people of Connecticut to
    reelect Johnny. He's done a heck of a job as your Governor. And you get
    a good Lieutenant Governor with him as well. I
    appreciate Lieutenant Governor Jodi Rell* for being here. Thank you very
    much. It's great to see you again. Lieutenant Governor Rell and I spent
    some quality time campaigning together, and I found her to be a very
    bright, very accomplished soul. It's great to see you again, Jodi.*
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        *White House correction.
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        And I'm also here because I want Denny Hastert to be the Speaker of the House. It is important that
    we elect Republicans from Connecticut to support Denny Hastert.
        I remember one time, right after--in the fall, people said, ``Well,
    do you plan on campaigning?'' I said, ``Yes, I plan on campaigning.'' It
    is in my interest to campaign for good candidates, because I think it's
    in the Nation's interest that we have people like Chris Shays and Nancy Johnson
    and

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    Rob Simmons represent the good people of
    Connecticut in Washington, DC.
        I appreciate Shays. [Laughter]
    Sometimes, he appreciates me. [Laughter] But I enjoy working with him
    because he's a man of deep compassion. He cares deeply about the human
    condition, and so does his wife, Betsi. And it's
    been an honor to call them friends, and I appreciate you all very much.
        I want to thank Charlie Glazer, the event
    chairman, longtime friend. I appreciate your tireless work. And I want
    to thank those who represent the grassroots of the Connecticut party.
    Oftentimes, those of us in public office only focus on one aspect of
    politics. But I like to remind people that it takes the good folks
    dialing the phones and mailing the mail, holding those signs up--at
    least the ones that say nice things on them. [Laughter] They're the ones
    who really oftentimes don't get the credit. And so for those of you who
    have toiled in the vineyards on behalf of candidates such as me and
    those on the stage, thanks from the bottom of our heart. And thank you
    all for helping the party, which helps Johnny, and helping the two candidates who have got serious
    challenges.
        First, on Johnny. The way we like to put
    it in Texas is, he's the kind of fellow that does in office what he said
    he would do. I can't tell you how important it is to have people who
    hold office who deliver. And one of the jobs of a Governor is to help
    restore faith in the political process of a particular State. And the
    best way to defeat cynicism is to accomplish things on behalf of
    everybody, is to rise above the traditional noise that tends to dominate
    the political scene and perform. And that's what Johnny has done. He
    said he would cut taxes, and he did. He said he would reduce those taxes
    which inhibited growth in the State of Connecticut, and he did. And as a
    result, the economy here has been vibrant and exciting, thanks to
    Johnny's leadership.
        Listen, he understands what I
    understand: Governments don't create wealth--we know that--but
    governments need to create an environment in which people are willing to
    risk capital, in which the entrepreneur can flourish. That's what's
    happening in Connecticut, thanks to Johnny Rowland's leadership.
        I gave a speech the other day on the importance of making sure that
    children learn how to read early in life, so that when they start
    kindergarten, there's not this huge learning gap that takes place in
    America. Johnny figured that out way before
    my speech. He figured out preschool education was important before a lot
    of other people knew it was important. And I appreciate Johnny's efforts
    on focusing the State of Connecticut and his budget on preschool
    programs as well as spending billions of dollars to make sure class
    sizes are smaller in the State of Connecticut.
        Listen, we passed historic education reform in Washington, DC. And
    thanks to the Members on the stage and both Republicans and Democrats
    working together, finally, in Washington, we were able to pass a
    meaningful piece of legislation, part of which is to not only hold
    people to high standards and to expect the best out of every child, but
    part of it is we're going to trust the Governors and local people to
    figure out the path to excellence. And it gives me great confidence in
    supporting such a bill, knowing that Johnny Rowland is the Governor of the State of Connecticut.
        Serious crime has dropped by 15.7 percent in the State of
    Connecticut since Johnny's been the
    Governor. His record speaks for itself, and I'm confident the State will
    be wise enough to send Johnny back to the statehouse for another term. I
    certainly hope so, because he's a good man.
        And Nancy Johnson's got a race. And
    surely the people of her congressional district are going to be wise
    enough to send this good soul back to Washington, DC,

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    because she is a good soul. She's the dean of the delegation. She's a
    leader in the Republican Party. She has got enormous respect on both
    sides of the aisle, and that's important. If you're a person who goes to
    Washington to get something done, you've got to have the respect on both
    sides of the aisle, and Nancy Johnson does. She is--she has been in the
    Oval Office more than one time with steady counsel and good advice, and
    she's not afraid to give it. [Laughter]
        She is a leading authority on health
    care and retirement security. If I've heard her say one time, I've heard
    her say 50 times, ``Let's work together to get a plan to make sure our
    seniors have got prescription drug coverage.'' I agree with Nancy. We
    need to work together to achieve some important national objectives.
        Nancy is a builder. She's a good,
    steady soul. She is working on pension reform, and she proudly stood
    with me when it came time to cut the taxes. And I want you to know we
    cut the taxes right at the right time. She understands that when you
    give people their money back or let them keep their own money in the
    first place, it increases demand. And when you increase demand, somebody
    is going to supply something for you. And when they supply that good or
    service, it means jobs. Cutting taxes, which I understand was unpopular
    on some of the opinion pages around America, was the exact right thing
    to do, and I want to thank Nancy and Rob and
    Chris for their support.
        And we sent the death tax on its way. We're getting rid of that
    death tax. But unfortunately, there is a quirk in the law that means
    that the repeal of the death tax is not permanent. It's hard for me to
    explain why you eliminate the death tax, and all of a sudden it's able
    to come back to life. [Laughter] That's Washington. [Laughter]
        We need to make the tax cuts permanent, and the three Members from the United States Congress understand that the
    repeal of the death tax is an important part of letting people realize
    the American Dream. And we've got small-business owners all over the
    country who've worked all their life, who want to leave their business
    to their heirs, to a son or a daughter, and can't do so because of the
    death tax.
        Listen, getting rid of the death tax was great for farmers and
    ranchers. It's good to--it's a good policy if you're worried about urban
    sprawl, so they can keep the farmland in their families for generations.
    And we need to make it permanent. We need to make sure that the good
    work we did doesn't change because of a quirk in how Washington works.
    So the three Members up here are going to be
    important to make sure that the repeal of the death tax is forever, and
    that will be good for the country.
        And I appreciate Rob Simmons. He and I
    showed up about the same time in Washington. [Laughter] And he is doing
    a fine, fine job. He's respected. When he speaks, people listen to what
    he has to say. As you know, he has had a lifetime of service to the
    country. He worked for the CIA after he served in the Army. He worked on
    the Senate staff. He's in the State legislature. He's worked hard, very
    hard, at every position he's held. And he's been a very fine Member of
    the United States Congress. He cares deeply about our veterans. He's a
    member of the Committee of Veteran Affairs. He knows our country owes a
    lot to the people who have worn the uniform. He's also on the Armed
    Services Committee. The Armed Services Committee is important for the
    State of Connecticut. It's important to have his voice heard on behalf
    of not only Connecticut, of course, but the entire Nation. But I'm
    confident he'd tell you things about Connecticut first. [Laughter] And
    the people of his district will be doing the State of Connecticut a very
    important service to send him back to Washington, DC, as well.
        I have mentioned a couple of the issues that we've worked on,
    education and tax

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    relief. But there's a lot to do in Washington. We need an energy policy,
    an energy policy on the one hand that enhances conservation, that
    unleashes the technology of the country to enable our cars to run
    cleaner, our plants to burn cleaner. But we need to explore more, too.
    We need to be less dependent on foreign sources of crude oil. This was
    made pretty clear the other day when Saddam Hussein stands up and announces he's going to try to organize
    an oil boycott. You know my opinion about Saddam. [Laughter] The world's
    not going to follow him. But it just goes to show how important it is to
    diversify our supply away from places like Iraq.
        We need to have trade promotion authority passed for the good of
    American workers. I need to be able to negotiate trade agreements with
    countries all around the world. That bill passed the House, just like
    the energy bill. It stalled in the Senate.
        Nothing seems to be moving out of the Senate these days. A faith-
    based initiative passed the House. It is now sponsored by Joe
    Lieberman of Connecticut. It's stalled
    in the Senate.
        We've got a lot of work to do in Washington, DC, and I appreciate
    these House Members' support. But there's no greater work to be done
    than to protect the American people. I have submitted a budget that
    prioritizes homeland defense and our national security. I submitted a
    budget that recognizes that we've got to prepare America for whatever
    emergency may come, a budget that puts ample amount of money in place to
    enable our first-responders, our brave police and firefighters and EMS
    crews all around the country, to have the equipment and training
    necessary to respond should the enemy hit us again.
        I know the Coast Guard Academy is based here. In my budget, I beefed
    up the Coast Guard in order to make sure that our borders are more
    secure.
        We've got to change the INS, the Immigration and Naturalization
    Service, so we understand who's coming into our country and what is
    their purpose for coming into our country. We've got to make sure we
    have a mechanism in place to deal with any bioterrorist attack that may
    occur. And so we've got--and I've got a good man, a friend of
    Johnny's and mine who is a fellow Governor
    of ours from Pennsylvania named Tom Ridge, running
    this operation.
        You also need to know that every morning that I'm in Washington, I
    go into the Oval Office--which is a fabulous office, by the way.
    [Laughter] It's a great shrine to our country. I sit at the desk where
    the Roosevelts--I guess since I'm a President, I can call them the
    Roosevelt boys--sat at the desk, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan. And I
    think my dad had a different desk.
        And so I sit there and open up a threat assessment that our people
    put together about noise we hear of one kind or another about the enemy
    still is interested in hitting us. And so I'm reminded every day that my
    job is to protect America, which I'm going to do. Anytime we get a hint,
    anytime we get any evidence that somebody might be thinking about doing
    something, you need to know we're moving, and we're moving in a way that
    would make you proud.
        But the best way to secure the homeland is to find the enemy
    wherever they try to hide and bring them to justice. The best way--make
    no mistake about it--you should not be confused about the nature of the
    people we're dealing with. They hate us because we're free. They hate
    the thought that Americans welcome all religions; they can't stand that
    thought. They hate the thought that we educate everybody. They hate our
    freedoms. They hate the fact that we hold each individual--we dignify
    each individual. We believe in the dignity of every person. They can't
    stand that.
        And the only way they know to express themselves is through killing,
    coldblooded killing. And so we need to treat them the way they are, as
    international criminals. And that's why my defense budget is the

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    largest increase in 20 years. You know, the price of freedom is high,
    but for me it's never too high because we fight for freedom.
        I've tried to speak as clearly as I possibly can: ``You're either
    with us, or you're not with us. You're either with us, or you're against
    us.'' And the good news is, there's a lot of people with us. A lot of
    people love freedom like we do, and we've got a vast coalition we've put
    together that we work on. I had the honor of welcoming Tony Blair down to the ranch. We've got no finer friend, no
    stronger partner in our quest for freedom than Tony Blair.
        I also said that if you hide a terrorist or feed one, you're just as
    guilty as a terrorist. And the Taliban found out exactly what we meant.
    We went into Afghanistan not as conquerors but as liberators.
        It is so hard for people to understand, the fact that this was a
    government--it's hard for people in America to understand that this is a
    government that would not let young girls go to school. I mean, these
    were barbaric, backward people. And we got them out of office. And not
    only did we get them out of office, we kept a nation from starving.
    We're helping with their health care system. I am so proud of the
    contributions that our military and Americans have made. It is a signal
    to the world that we're not only tough--if somebody wants to take us on,
    they will have made a bad mistake. But we're also compassionate, and we
    care deeply about the plight of our fellow human beings, no matter what
    part of the world they live in.
        The enemy must be chagrined. You know, first of all, I can't imagine
    what went through their mind when they attacked. I like to remind
    people, they must have felt we were so materialistic and so self-
    absorbed and so weak and feeble that all we would do would be to file a
    lawsuit. [Laughter]
        They thought we would grow weary. They thought we would tire. Man,
    are they wrong. This Nation is united and strong. And it's important
    that we be patient and united and strong, because there are still a lot
    of them out there. There just are; that's the reality. I deal with
    reality every day. But there's no cave deep enough for these people to
    hide in. You just need to know that.
        The other day we hauled in a guy named Abu Zubaydah. He's one of the top operatives plotting and planning
    death and destruction on the United States. He's not plotting and
    planning anymore. He's where he belongs.
        History has called us into action, and this Nation is responding.
    You've got to understand my mindset and what I think. We've got to act
    on behalf of the little ones. We've got to secure the world and this
    civilization as we know it from these evil people. We just have to do
    this.
        And that includes making sure that some of the world's worst leaders
    who desire to possess the world's worst weapons don't team up with
    faceless, Al Qaida-type killer organizations. We owe it to the future of
    this country to lead a coalition against nations that are so evil and,
    at the same time, desire incredibly evil weapons. And you just need to
    know, so long as I'm the President, my focus is going to be defending
    freedom and making sure that, when they look back at history, they will
    have said the United States did what was necessary to keep the world
    free from terror and barbaric behavior.
        And I want to thank these Members for their strong
    support of the defense budget that I submitted. And my call, of course,
    to the Congress is that instead of passing the defense budget last, like
    they always try to do, let's pass it first; let's get it done. Let's
    make sure our troops understand they're going to have the best
    equipment, the best training, and the best pay possible early in the
    budget cycle, not late.
        I believe strongly in the inherent good of our country. I'm an
    optimistic fellow because I know what a great land we are--have--and
    what a great people we are. I

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    believe out of this evil that has been done to our Nation will come
    incredible good. There's no doubt in my mind; there's no doubt in my
    mind, if we're firm and deliberate and tough, we'll achieve peace in
    places where we never dreamt there would be peace. If we're steady and
    rout out terror wherever it exists, we can achieve peace. And I know
    this country can respond to the evil acts by responding with acts of
    kindness and decency.
        People say, ``What can I do to help?'' The answer is, love a
    neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. If you want to help
    America fight evil, do some good in your neighborhood. Put your arm
    around a child who may wonder whether or not the American experience is
    meant for them and say, ``I love you.'' And more than that, teach them
    how to read, so they can understand what America is all about. If you
    really want to help, support your schools. Help people understand that
    loneliness and despair do not have to be a way of life. Walk across the
    street to a shut-in who may live in your neighborhood and say, ``I care
    for you. What can I do to help you today?''
        It's small acts of kindness and decency that define the true face of
    America for the world. If you want to fight evil, do some good. And it's
    that gathering momentum of millions of acts of kindness which will have
    the American people stand squarely in the face of the evildoers.
        And that's happening in America. It is. Our culture is beginning to
    change from one of--that basically said, ``If it feels good, just go
    ahead and do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,''
    to one in which we're all responsible for the decisions we make in life,
    that we're responsible for loving our children. The most important job
    you'll ever have as a mother or father is to love your children with all
    your heart and all your soul.
        A responsible period of time says that you will be involved in your
    community, that you shouldn't just take from the great American
    experience but you've got to give and you've got to help people in need.
    It means we've got corporate responsibility in America. CEOs of
    corporate America must not only be responsible for full disclosure of
    assets and liabilities, but they must also stay focused on the health
    and welfare of their workers.
        There is a responsibility era emerging in America to the better--to
    the better--and as a result, we'll be able to overcome evil with good.
        And perhaps that change of attitude and change of culture is best
    reflected by what took place on Flight 93. For me, it was one of the
    most meaningful stories of September 11th and on. It's the story of
    average Americans flying an airplane--on an airplane, traveling our
    country just like everybody else has done--most everybody has done--just
    got on an airplane and said, ``I'm going to go somewhere,'' for business
    or pleasure, whatever it was. And they were told on their telephones
    that America was under attack. And they told their loved ones they loved
    them, and they said a prayer, and they drove the plane in the ground to
    save others' lives.
        It is the ultimate--it's the ultimate statement of personal
    responsibility to serve something greater than yourself. And that's
    what's happening in America. Americans all around our country are
    serving something greater than their own self-promotion. And that's
    good. And that's the American spirit. And that's why I am so incredibly
    optimistic about the future of this country, because we're a land full
    of decent and caring and compassionate Americans.
        Thank you all for coming today, and may God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:55 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom at the
    Hyatt Regency Greenwich. In his remarks, he referred to President Saddam
    Hussein of Iraq; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; and
    Abu Zubaydah, a leader of the Al Qaida

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    terrorist organization, who was captured on March 28.