[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
[February 1, 2002]
[Pages 165-168]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the ``Congress of Tomorrow'' Republican Retreat Luncheon in 
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
February 1, 2002

    President Bush. Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank you. It is 
rare that a fellow can give two 50-minute addresses in the same week. 
[Laughter] I knew you'd be thrilled. [Laughter]
    J.C., thanks for those kind words, and 
thanks for your leadership. One of us didn't get the dress code right. 
[Laughter]
    Audience member. You didn't get the memo.
    President Bush. Yes, I didn't get the memo. [Laughter]
    At any rate, I'm delighted to be here; I am. First, I want to say 
something about the leaders of the two bodies represented here. Your 
Speaker and the majority leader--I call him majority leader--are two really good 
men to work with. I have loved my experience working with Denny and 
Trent last year. I really enjoy the candid discussions. But most 
importantly, what I really appreciate is the desire to work together to 
do what's right for the country. We're lucky to have two such strong and 
good men leading the country. And so it's an honor to be with the 
Speaker and Senator Trent Lott. And I look forward to a fabulous year 
working with the two men in 2002.
    I think this is going to be a great year; I do. I've never been more 
optimistic about anything in my life. In the Oval Office there's a 
painting by a friend of mine named Tom Lea. And when you come in the 
Oval Office, you'll notice it's the western-looking painting right by 
the door where Logan used to sit. By the way, this is Logan's last day working for me, which is--I didn't fire him; 
he voluntarily left. But anyway, if you were to work where Logan used to 
be, there's a painting that shows a great expanse of west Texas. It is 
the--the guy who painted the painting was the person who wrote the quote 
I used at the end of the convention, which I'm sure most of you have 
memorized by now. [Laughter] It says, ``Sarah and I live on the east 
side of the mountain. It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is 
the side to see the day that is coming, not to see the day that is 
gone.''
    It's so important for a President to see a day that is coming, that 
is positive. And I do. In clear and vivid ways, I see a day that is much 
better for not only America and Americans but the world. We have an 
historic opportunity to fight a war that will not only liberate people 
from the clutches of barbaric behavior but a war that could leave the 
world more peaceful in the years to come.
    None of us asked for this war. None of us wished that what happened 
on September the 11th happened, and we continue to pray for the victims. 
But now that it's happened, this Nation is ready to seize the moment. 
And I'm so proud that the people in this room and on this podium 
understand the historic opportunity we have, and I want to thank you for 
joining this most noble and just cause.
    We fight for freedom, and we stand for freedom, and we won't relent 
until we defend freedom at its core. And that's why the budget I sent up 
there has got a significant increase in defense spending, because we owe 
it to the defenders of freedom to give them the best equipment, the best 
housing, the best training, and another pay raise.
    Now in my speech, I tried to educate the American people about what 
we're up against. I talked about the fact that thousands of people had 
gone through Al Qaida killer camps, and they're still roaming around. 
And so long as they're roaming around with the intention of hurting us, 
this Nation will hunt them down.

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    I've been traveling the country, as you know, and I'm so pleased 
with the fact that the American people are incredibly patient and 
resolved and share our determination to achieve our noble objective. 
They know that we have succeeded in one phase of our war in Afghanistan; 
we liberated women and children by demolishing the Taliban and its 
repressive government.
    They also know that the stage we're now in, which is hunting down 
the cave dwellers, is going to take a while. They understand that, and I 
am grateful for the people's understanding. They understand that this is 
a dangerous phase of the war. But they have also been assured by me and 
by you all that we're not going to weary. We're not going to rush our 
military. We're going to be steady and relentless until we achieve the 
objective of getting the Al Qaida killers and bringing them to justice.
    But they also understand that we are not preoccupied by one or two 
people, that while bin Laden thinks he can 
hide in a cave or Mullah Omar thinks he 
can run, it's just a matter of time. I don't know how much time, and I 
don't worry about the time about when he is brought--or they are brought 
to justice. That's just not one of my concerns. It's going to happen. 
And you know, we've got them running, and it's just--we'll get them.
    But that's not our--we're preoccupied. And the American people 
understand that, because they understand our goal is broader than just 
two individuals. It is terror wherever terror exists, and it's upholding 
that doctrine, forcefully upholding the doctrine that says if you harbor 
a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, you too 
are as guilty as a terrorist.
    But the moment is broader than just destroying terrorist training 
camps or finding terrorist trainers and bringing them to justice. The 
moment that we must seize says that in order for the world to be 
peaceful for our children and grandchildren, we've got to prevent 
nations which develop weapons of mass destruction from mating up with 
terrorist groups that will threaten the United States and our allies.
    Now we've got nations on notice as a result of the speech last 
Tuesday night. Of course, I hope they change behavior on their own. I 
hope they hear the message of not only the United States but a vast 
coalition of freedom-loving countries as we clearly say, get your house 
in order; don't develop weapons of mass destruction. And then people 
say, ``What are the consequences?'' They'll find out in due course, if 
they can't get their house in order. The mighty United States will do 
whatever it takes to defend our security. Make no mistake about it, if 
you threaten us with weapons of mass destruction, if you threaten our 
allies and friends with weapons of mass destruction, we will do whatever 
it takes to protect our people.
    And that's what we're doing at home. And I want to thank you all for 
working with us. There's been some great ideas that have come out of the 
Congress about how best to protect the homeland, and we've incorporated 
a lot of them in the initial strategy that we're outlining, not only in 
our budget but over the course of the last couple of weeks, and we'll 
continue to do so. And Tom Ridge and our team is 
open for more suggestions about how to protect the people.
    And so our bioterrorism initiative is substantial and real. And I 
want to thank you for working on it. Our first-responder initiative, 
where we're working with local governments, through Governors, is going 
to be real and meaningful. Our airport security measures are strong. I 
mean, we're doing everything we can, and the American people need to 
know that.
    And so when you go back to your districts, I thank you very much for 
sharing our mutual concern and our knowledge that the enemy still wants 
to hit us, but our Government is responding forcefully. You need to 
know, and I know you know this, that the FBI, under Bob 
Mueller, has changed its culture. 
It's still after spies and

[[Page 167]]

white-collar criminals, and that's important. But the primary focus of 
4,000-plus agents is to disrupt the enemy, is to find out any 
information possible and run it down. We take every lead seriously. We 
take every hint of evidence seriously. We understand the intentions of 
the enemy, and your constituents must know that this Government is doing 
everything in our power to make America safe.
    But the best way to secure the homeland for the long run is to get 
them, get them where they hide, get them where they train, and bring 
them to justice. And you just need to know something about your 
President; I am not going to tarry like I--wary--weary, on this subject, 
like I said in my first speech in September after the war. I understand 
the call. My determination today is as strong as it was when I addressed 
you all in October, and my determination 3 years from now will be just 
as strong then as it is today. I understand the call. I understand the 
mission. And this great country will defend freedom to its core.
    I said in my State of the Union that I stand in awe of the American 
people, and you know what I'm talking about. You've seen it in your 
communities when you go back home. You've seen it in your coffee shops. 
You've seen it in your different clubs. You've seen it when you've seen 
your neighbors. I mean, this country is a country that is not only 
strong and determined, but it's a compassionate country as well.
    People often ask me, ``What can I do to participate in the war 
against terror?'' And as you know, in this particular issue, I see 
things pretty clearly, in just plain terms. Since this is a war of good 
versus evil, those of--who want to participate in the war against terror 
can do acts of kindness to overwhelm the evil done to the country. 
People can participate in the war against terror all kinds of ways. You 
can help serve as eyes and ears; you can alert--be alert. But you can 
love a neighbor. An American, in fighting the war against terror, can 
walk across the street to a neighbor who is shut in and say, ``I care 
for you.'' And it's those millions of acts of kindness on a daily basis 
that define our country and stand defiantly in the face of evil.
    And so one of the things I've tried to do is to capture the 
magnificent spirit of the country. And we've set up what's called the 
USA Freedom Corps. And somebody who is interested in joining can dial 1-
877-USA-CORPS, or if you happen to be computer-literate, 
usafreedomcorps.gov. And it's a chance for citizens to heed my call, 
which says we'd like you to serve your country for 2 additional years, 
or 4,000 hours over your lifetime.
    Now, I understand many in this room and many of your constituents 
are already--have heard the call. And keep doing--my call is, keep doing 
it. But some don't know where to start, and here is a good place for 
people to start. And if they call the USA Freedom Corps number, they 
will find ways to--if you're a senior citizen, participate in Senior 
Corps; or if you want to teach, Teach For America; or if you want to go 
to the Peace Corps, we're expanding the Peace Corps to take our values 
and compassion into the Islamic world, for example. There's all kinds of 
opportunities to serve. And we're calling on the American people to do 
so. And it's really to help change our culture. That's how I view it.
    A lot of us grew up in a culture which has said, ``If it feels good, 
just go ahead and do it; if you've got a problem, blame somebody else.'' 
See, I believe out of this evil can come a new cultural--a new culture, 
a new assessment of what America is all about. Our hope is that the 
country's culture changes to one of responsibility, that each of us are 
responsible for the decisions we make in life.
    If you are a mom and dad, you are responsible for loving your child 
with all your heart and all your soul. If you're a compassionate 
neighbor, you're responsible for

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helping a neighbor in need. If you're corporate America, you're 
responsible for making sure you reveal all your assets and liabilities 
to your shareholders and your employees. So part of the ushering in the 
responsibility era, not only from the individual basis but on the 
corporate basis, I have proposed some pension reforms I would like to 
outline briefly for you today and ask you to take them up as quickly as 
possible.
    We are announcing some proposals to protect pensions. My plan will 
strengthen the workers' ability to manage their own retirement funds by 
giving them more freedom to diversify, better access to professional 
investment advice, and quarterly information about their investments.
    Employers should be encouraged to make generous contribution to 
workers' 401(k) plans. It's a positive development when employers give 
stock to people who work for them. About 42 million workers own 401(k) 
accounts with a total of $2 trillion in assets, and that's a critical 
part of retirement security for workers all across America.
    But workers should also have the freedom to choose how to invest 
their retirement savings. And so the proposal I'll submit to Congress 
and work with Members here in this room will allow workers to sell 
company contributed stock and diversify into other investment options 
after 3 years of participation in their company's plan.
    To ensure that blackout periods are fair, the plan will ensure that 
company executives be bound by the same blackout restrictions they 
impose on their workers. If it's okay for the sailor, it ought to be 
okay for the captain. My plan also requires that workers be given a 30-
day notice before any blackout period begins, so workers can plan to 
make changes in their investments. It's a matter of fairness. It's a 
matter of openness. It's a matter of respect for the process. And I look 
forward to working with you to get something done.
    I also look forward to working with you to continue the progress 
we've made on a lot of issues. I think America appreciates it when 
people come to this body or your respective bodies and work hard for 
what's good for the country. We've made good progress doing that.
    I am so proud of working with you. I'm proud to be able to call you 
a colleague here in Washington, DC. It's been a remarkable experience 
for me. It's a joy to exchange ideas. It's been sometimes a joy to watch 
the legislative process. [Laughter] Generally, it's an amazing 
experience to watch. [Laughter] But I'm looking forward to working with 
you to make sure that the legislation that does come out is positive and 
hopeful for the American people.
    Thanks for your friendship. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 12:38 p.m. in the Colonial Hall at the 
Greenbrier. In his remarks, he referred to Representative J.C. Watts, 
Jr., of Oklahoma; outgoing Presidential Aide Logan Walters; Usama bin 
Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; and Mullah Omar, 
former head of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.