    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [June 19, 2002]
    [Pages 1014-1020]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
    Legislative Conference
    June 19, 2002

        The President. Well, Doug, I
    appreciate those kind remarks. I thought you were on Air Force One
    because you wanted a free ride. [Laughter] But I had a good visit with
    Doug. I believe I'm a pretty good judge of character, and I appreciate
    this man's character. I'll tell you why. First, he said, ``We don't
    agree 100 percent of the time.'' I remember my friend Bullock, who was
    the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, Democrat Lieutenant Governor, when I
    was the Governor of Texas. He said, ``You know, if we agreed 100 percent
    of the time, one of us wouldn't be necessary.'' [Laughter] He's
    necessary. He's necessary in Washington, DC, on behalf of the working
    people.
        He--you know, in this town, sometimes people don't shoot straight
    with you. They kind of come in and tell you something, and then they
    leave, and you're wondering what they said, or if they said something,
    whether they mean it. And Doug's a
    straight shooter. That's high on my list of the kind of people I like to
    talk to and deal with.
        The other thing I like about Doug
    is, his vision for a better union means more skills for those who are
    members of the union. You see, Doug understands that through education
    and training, you can enhance a man's or a woman's skills. And that
    enables that person to more better realize their dreams. He understands
    the vision of a union is not only to work for jobs but to enhance the
    ability of members within the union to improve their lives. And I
    appreciate that vision of putting union members first. Doug, you're a
    good leader. You're a good leader.
        And I want to congratulate you on opening up your new building last
    night, right there on Capitol Hill. I bet it was pretty well built.
    [Laughter]
        Audience member. It's union.
        The President. Yes. And I appreciate the fact that you had Ted
    Kennedy and Elaine Chao, the fine Secretary of Labor, there to open it up. It is a
    good sign of--it's a good sign as to how to--how Washington ought to
    deal with problems. I'll be the first to admit there's too much politics
    in this town. [Laughter] There's too much putting the party ahead of the
    country. And I'm a proud Republican; many of you are probably proud
    Democrats; but first and foremost, we're all proud Americans.
        I also appreciate my friend Congressman Rob Portman for coming by this morning. I appreciate Rob's energy and
    enthusiasm and his drive.

    [[Page 1015]]

        I want to talk about the challenges America faces. I worry about our
    security. I'm worried about our homeland security. I'm worried about our
    national security, and I'm worried about economic security. And that's
    what I want to talk to you about.
        First, let me talk about the homeland. I remind people that every
    morning I go into the Oval Office--and by the way, it is a huge honor to
    walk in the Oval Office. I'm never going to get tired of walking into
    this beautiful office that we have built for our Presidents. It's an
    honor that--it's hard for me to describe how--what an honor it is. But I
    walk in there. That's, by the way, after I get the First Lady some
    coffee every morning. [Laughter] I don't want to put any pressure on you
    guys, but--[laughter]--the President does get to set the example.
    [Laughter] Then take the dogs out, Spot and Barney. Spot was born in the
    White House in 1989 when my dad and mother were up here, so she's quite
    comfortable with the surroundings. Barney's new, kind of a young fellow,
    so he doesn't get to go in the Oval Office, though, in the mornings. We
    just put a new rug in there. [Laughter]
        At any rate, I read threat assessments on the country. I sit at this
    magnificent desk--a desk, by the way, that Theodore Roosevelt used and
    Franklin Roosevelt used and John Kennedy used and Ronald Reagan used--
    and I read threat assessments. The Sun's coming up, and the first thing
    I do is open up a book that says, here's what the potential threats are
    to our country. It reminds me on a daily basis, my most important job is
    to defend the homeland, to protect innocent Americans from the deaths of
    the killers.
        People say--a lot of young people say, ``Well, why America? Why
    would anybody want to come after us? Why would anybody want to fight a
    war with this Nation?'' And the answer is, because we love freedom.
    That's why. And they hate freedom. We love the idea of people being able
    to worship freely in America. We love the idea of people being able to
    come to our country and realize dreams. We love the idea of people
    having free--being able to freely debate issues. We love freedom, and
    these coldblooded killers hate freedom. And that's why they want to come
    and hurt America, and we are not going to let them.
        I say we're not going to let them--we're going to do everything in
    our power. And one of my points I want to make to you today is that we
    are focused, and we are buttoning up this homeland as securely as we can
    make it.
        I proposed a new Cabinet department. I want to explain quickly why I
    did so. There are over 100 agencies involved with homeland defense, and
    they're scattered all throughout Washington. It makes it difficult to do
    a job if you're trying to chase down 100 different agencies, because
    they're in different departments.
        The Coast Guard is in the Transportation Department, and that's
    fine, except for the fact that there's a new world in America where our
    number one priority is to protect the homeland, and the job of the
    Transportation Department is not homeland security. Or take the Customs
    Department. Customs is an important agency to protect the homeland. It's
    part of understanding what's coming into our country and whether we want
    it in our country or not. And yet, it's a part of the Treasury
    Department. The Treasury Department is not responsible for homeland
    security.
        What we need to do is to bring these agencies under one Cabinet
    Secretary, organize it so that information flows freely, organize it so
    there's responsibility and authority so we can have accountability, and
    help change cultures in agencies to the primary responsibility of the
    day, which is to protect the American homeland. And so I've asked
    Congress to do this.
        Now, I understand it's going to be a difficult task. First, I
    appreciate the response of both Republicans and Democrats, and that's
    good. It's going to be a little difficult, because there is a tendency
    on Capitol Hill

    [[Page 1016]]

    for people to, what they call, protect their turf. In other words, if
    you've got responsibility over funding one agency and that agency is
    going to be moved away from you, you might be somewhat resistant. And
    what I'd like to do is to call upon Congress--and I hope you do as
    well--to think first and foremost about how best to protect the
    homeland, not how best to protect their political turf. And I think it's
    going to happen. I do. And I think it's going to be able to make us--
    enable us to do our job in better fashion.
        Along those same lines, the FBI and CIA are thinking differently.
    And as we have seen, they needed to think differently about how to
    better coordinate information, about how to understand the new threats
    that face us in the 21st century.
        You see, a lot of Washington was all geared up for the old days of
    war where, you know, tanks would be moving across battlefields or army
    platoons would be going here. And now we're facing a new kind of enemy.
    These guys are killers. I mean, they're international killers. They're--
    these are the kind of people that are secretive, and they're plenty
    smart. It doesn't require a lot of money for them to operate. They send
    youngsters to their death, and they hide in a cave. That's how they
    think. And we've got to match those threats with a new way of thinking,
    which means we've got to do a better job of collecting and sharing
    intelligence.
        When I first--the man I named, Mueller, Bob Mueller, who's the head of the FBI, came to work one
    week before September the 11th. And I told him in one of my first
    meetings right after September 11th, ``We've got a new world, and while
    the job of the FBI is to chase down criminals and arrest them--you still
    have that job--your most important job now is to prevent, is to run down
    every possible lead. If you get a hint that somebody's fixing to do
    something to America, you and your agents need to run them down. We need
    to know. We need to know who's coming into the country and why they're
    coming in. We need to know if they're leaving the country when they're
    supposed to be leaving the country. We need you running down every
    single hint.''
        And we want you, the CIA, to continue to gather information outside
    of the country, but make sure, if you've got a relevant piece of
    information, to share it with the FBI. The number one priority of this
    Government is to button up our homeland so that the American people can
    go about their lives without fearful--without fear of another attack
    from one of these killers. And we're making progress.
        And I want to appreciate those on the frontline, the police and fire
    on the frontline, for working hard.
        But the best way to secure the homeland--you need to know just how I
    think--the best way to secure our homeland is to run these killers down
    one by one and bring them to justice, which is precisely what we will
    do, so long as I am the President of the United States.
        It is not an easy task because, as I just described, the nature of
    the enemy is different than we're used to. You know, I can't imagine
    what was going through their minds when they attacked America. I guess
    and assume that they thought we were so weak, so feeble, so self-
    absorbed, so materialistic, that after September the 11th we might file
    a lawsuit or two. [Laughter] But they found out America thinks
    differently, and they're finding out we've got a fabulous military.
        Now, the budget I submitted, the defense budget I submitted--you've
    probably heard about this defense budget, and it is big; there's no
    question about it. And I'll tell you why. First of all, my attitude is,
    anytime we commit one of our youngsters into battle or into harm's way,
    they deserve the best training, the best equipment, the best pay
    possible. And for those of you with relatives in the military, I want
    you to thank them, on behalf of their Commander in Chief and a grateful
    country,

    [[Page 1017]]

    and need to know they're going to be strongly supported here in
    Washington, DC.
        And the second reason why the defense increase is large and
    significant is because this is--this war is going to take a while to
    win. This is--just because we've routed the Taliban in Afghanistan
    doesn't mean the war has ended. We have got a long way to go to secure
    the homeland, to defend freedom, and to defeat this enemy. And it's
    important for the American people to understand that.
        You know, sometimes there's kind of a sense that, well, so-and-so
    was captured, and therefore, this deal is over. That's just not the way
    it is. The war on terror is going to take a while. The good news for us
    and the bad news for the enemy is, the American people are united, are
    patient, are resolved to win this war. They understand the stakes, and
    so do I.
        It's important for our country to send a very clear signal that
    we're in this for the long run, and that's what the budget does. It says
    there's no time--there's not a calendar on my desk that I flip and say,
    okay, it's over, you know, it's time to quit. No, it's time to quit when
    the homeland is secure.
        And we're making progress. We really are. I mentioned the fact that
    we routed out the Taliban. These people were barbaric people who
    wouldn't even let young girls go to school. And so I can safely say to
    the youngsters here that your country went into Afghanistan not to
    conquer people but to liberate people, to give them freedom, to give
    people a chance to express their will, to give young girls a chance to
    go to school, to give women a chance to participate in government. No,
    we're tough when we need to be tough, but we also uphold values as we
    fight this war on terror, values that will not be compromised.
        The war on terror is bigger than just a person or a network. The war
    on terror is to address the threats that will face our children in the
    future. And there's a major threat, and that is the threat of weapons of
    mass destruction in the hands of regimes that are run by leaders that
    hate freedom. There's a major threat that an Al Qaida-type organization
    could mate up with one of those countries that I labeled ``axis of
    evil'' and, therefore, have the capacity to have a ballistic missile
    threat that could conceivably allow them to blackmail freedom-loving
    countries into inaction. And we've got to deal with that threat.
        I'm a patient man. We use all tools at our disposal. But for the
    good of our children and for the good of freedom, we must not allow the
    world's worst regimes to threaten us and our friends and allies with the
    world's worst weapons.
        And so I spend time making sure this coalition of freedom-loving
    countries is strong. And they're kind of looking at the United States,
    and if I blink, it's likely they'll go to sleep. So we've got to stay
    strong and determined to lead--to lead the world to defend our freedoms,
    and I'll do just that. I can assure you of that. I feel it.
        And I also believe it's important for the President of the United
    States to speak plainly, to speak his heart, and I believe this is a
    struggle of good versus evil. And I don't mind calling evil by its name.
    And you know what's going to happen? Good will overcome evil with the
    leadership of the United States, and we're going to provide that
    leadership.
        I'm also worried about the economic security of our country. This is
    a town where they like to talk statistics, and that's all right--you
    know, good employment for some of the numbers crunchers. But behind
    every number, there's a story. And my attitude is, so long as somebody
    who wants to work can't find work, we've got a problem, and we need to
    deal with it. And we need to figure out how to expand jobs.
        Doug and I spent a lot of time
    talking about job expansion. What can the Federal Government do to
    create more paying jobs

    [[Page 1018]]

    for people? How do we make sure the economy is vibrant so people can
    find work? That's my concern. And we've talked about a lot of issues. I
    happen to believe letting people keep more of their hard-earned dollars
    is a good way to create economic activity. I believe that there is a
    proper role for the Federal Government, but there's also a recognition
    that when you put more money in a woman's or man's pockets, they spend
    it. And when they spend it, they demand something. And when they demand
    something, somebody builds it for them.
        And so this tax cut that we passed came at the right time in
    American history. It needs to be a permanent part of the Tax Code so
    people can plan. You see, I believe the more money a person has--has in
    his or her pockets, the more likely it is they're going to be able to
    realize their dreams. Tax relief was the right thing to do.
        And so is passing this terrorist insurance bill. And I want to thank
    you all and your leadership for working with us to get Congress to act,
    to provide terrorism insurance so that some of these big building
    projects can go forward in America. It's an incredibly important piece
    of legislation. And Doug has been on the
    frontlines of working with both Republicans and Democrats.
        And it's a problem, and let me give you some examples. This guy Dave
    Creamer, who is the chairman and CEO of
    GMAC Commercial Mortgage--they're the lenders. People have got to borrow
    money to build these big projects. He's turned down more than a billion
    dollars of new loans this year because projects were not insured against
    acts of terror. To me, that's a problem we've got to address. If the
    concern is more jobs, and people aren't lending money because there is
    no insurance against acts of terror, Congress needs to deal with it. He
    also reports that loans are not limited to projects in New York or Los
    Angeles or Chicago, the big cities; they're nationwide. And you know
    that as well as I know that.
        There's a guy who's trying to build an apartment complex. He's not
    going to get--he's not going to get funding for an apartment complex in
    the Washington/Baltimore area, a $50 million complex that would
    require--that would allow for 250 construction jobs for 3 years, because
    he can't get a loan, because he can't get the insurance.
        And so they're working on a bill. The House passed one. The Senate
    passed one. They need to get it to conference, and they need to get it
    to my desk as quickly as possible. And the bill has got to make sure
    that insurance companies remain engaged in covering terrorism losses--
    that the Government will help but not help all the way. And they've got
    to make sure that this bill doesn't open up all kinds of lawsuits. What
    we're interested in is job creation, not lawsuit creation. We've got
    plenty of lawsuits all around America as it is. And so it's a--I spend
    time thinking about jobs, and Doug and I
    talk about it.
        We talked about an energy bill. He supported the energy bill. I
    support the energy bill for two reasons: One, it will help jobs; the
    more infrastructure we build in America, the more jobs there will be.
    Two, I don't particularly care for the fact that we get a lot of our
    energy from overseas. Over 50 percent of our energy comes from overseas,
    and some of the suppliers aren't real friendly to America. For the good
    of economic security and for the good of national security, we need a
    sound energy policy here in America.
        I was impressed by--Doug mentioned
    Ground Zero. It was an honor to go there that day. And I know that you
    all join me, if you're not from New York, in expressing our appreciation
    to the Union Local 79 for their hard work in cleaning up Ground Zero. It
    was an unbelievable feat of dedication and hard work and focus. Jeff
    Zelli said, ``We can rebuild now. We're on our
    feet already, and we're going to build something beautiful.'' That was
    his comment, the head of Union Local 79. That's how I feel.

    [[Page 1019]]

    You know, we're on our feet, and we can rebuild something beautiful.
        You see, I believe out of the evil done to America can come
    incredible good. I believe, if we're strong, we can achieve peace, and
    that's what I want. We fight for peace. We not only fight to defend our
    country and defend liberty and the values that we love, we yearn for
    peace. That's what--we want our kids to grow up in a peaceful world.
        But I also believe, here at home, that there's going to be some good
    that comes out of the evil, starting with the fact that more of us
    understand the need to love a neighbor just like we'd like to be loved
    ourself, that if you're interested in fighting evil, you can do so by
    doing some good, by mentoring a child, by going to a shut-in's house and
    say, ``What can I do to help you?'' You see, it's those small acts of
    kindness that really end up defining the true character of this country.
        I also believe that the culture is changing in America from one that
    has said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and do it,'' and ``If you've
    got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture in which each of us
    understands we're responsible for decisions we make in life. If you're a
    mom or a dad, you're responsible for loving your child with all your
    heart and all your soul. If you're a good citizen in this country,
    you're responsible for helping a neighbor in need, mentoring a child,
    extending a hand of kindness and compassion to somebody. If you run a
    corporation in America, you're responsible for telling the truth on the
    assets and liabilities on your balance sheet.
        I see it in the country where this is taking place. It's a change
    for the better. I went to Ohio State University and gave the graduation
    speech last Friday; 70 percent of the graduating class at one time
    during their career at Ohio State had volunteered to help somebody in
    need. There's an ethic which I hope is coming into the hearts and souls
    of the country that says, we're responsible for this great Nation.
        And perhaps that example was best shown us all on Flight 93. I want
    you to think about that moment. People flying across the country--they
    realized the plane they were on was going to be used as a weapon. They
    told their loved ones they loved them. They said a prayer. They said,
    ``Let's roll,'' and served something greater than themselves in life.
        I believe that out of the evil done to America will come incredible
    good. The world is going to be more peaceful. America will be more
    secure. And millions of Americans understand that serving something
    greater than yourself in life is an important part of having a full
    life.
        It is my honor to come and visit with you all. You're citizens, as
    you know, of the greatest country on the face of the Earth. And I'm sure
    proud to be the President of the greatest country on the face of the
    Earth.
        And now it is my special privilege to declare that this conference
    of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners is officially
    adjourned.
        God bless you all, and God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:13 a.m. in the Hall of Battles at the
    Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. In his remarks, he referred to Douglas J.
    McCarron, general president, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and
    Joiners of America; and Jeff Zelli, member, Laborers Union Local 79.

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