    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [October 24, 2002]
    [Pages 1883-1889]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Columbia, South Carolina
    October 24, 2002

        The President. Thank you all very much. Well, thanks for coming out
    today.
        Audience member. I love Bush!
        The President. And I love South Carolina. [Laughter]
        We've got a lot of friends here. I want to thank you all for coming
    today. I want to talk about a couple of things. I want to talk about
    some of the challenges facing our country. We've got some steep hills to
    climb, but there's no doubt in my mind we can climb them. After all,
    we're the finest nation on the face of the Earth.
        I want to talk a little politics with you. You see, there's no
    question in my mind that if you're interested in the State of the South
    Carolina, and if you're interested in the future of this State, you need
    to have Mark Sanford as the next Governor. And
    there's also no question in my mind, one, that you've been really well
    represented by the great Strom Thurmond.
        I'm really proud to be able to serve with the Senator. As a matter of fact, he came by the other day. We were
    talking about an important issue, and he reminded me that early December
    is his 100th birthday. [Laughter] I couldn't tell if he was hinting or
    not, so I took the bait and invited him over to the White House for his
    100th birthday party. [Laughter] So he's coming.
        So you've got to make sure you replace this good man with somebody who can do the job, somebody who will do
    what's right for South Carolina, and somebody who will make the strong
    stands for America. No question in my mind, the right man to take the
    place of Strom Thurmond is soon-to-be United States Senator Lindsey
    Graham.
        I appreciate Jenny Sanford being here,
    your next first lady. She brought those
    four Sanford
    boys with her. [Laughter] Speaking about first
    ladies, you drew the short straw. See, if Graham and Sanford were smart,
    they'd have asked First Lady Laura Bush to come
    instead of me. But I--he said he did. [Laughter] The reason she couldn't
    come, well, it rained in Crawford. [Laughter] And that's where she is,
    and she's

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    sweeping the porch because the President of China
    is coming tomorrow. [Laughter]
        But she sends her love. You know, when I asked Laura to marry me, she was a public school librarian. That
    always gets one cheer. [Laughter] But you know what I'm talking about;
    that's a job that requires a good heart and deep care about our
    children. Anyway, when I asked her to marry me, she was that, and she
    didn't particularly like politics--[laughter]--and she didn't like
    politicians. [Laughter] And now here she is, as a fabulous First Lady
    for America.
        I appreciate so very much Members of the United States Congress who
    joined us here. That would be Congressman Henry Brown and Congressman Joe Wilson. Some
    of the statehouse folks are here, and they're doing a fine job on behalf
    of the South Carolinians. That would be Bob Peeler, David Wilkins, and Charlie
    Condon and Jim Miles.
    I'm honored that they're here. You've got a great slate of candidates
    running with--running with Mark.
        Let me tell you why I'm here. I want you all to understand, it's
    important to do your duties as Americans. It's important that you vote.
    It's important that you find good candidates. I've obviously got a few
    suggestions for you here. [Laughter] It's important that you go to your
    coffee shops and houses of worship and your community centers and remind
    your fellow South Carolinians they have a duty: They've got a duty to
    this country; they've got a duty to democracy to participate. It doesn't
    matter whether they're Republican, Democrat--could care less about
    parties. They have a duty, and so you need to go out there and round up
    the vote.
        I want to thank you for what you have done in the political process.
    But as importantly now, I want to thank you for what you're going to do,
    which is to turn out that vote and make sure this good slate of
    candidates win on November the 5th.
        And there's a reason--there's a reason here in South Carolina. You
    need a Governor who's willing to change the tone of this State. You
    know, there's just too much partisan bickering that goes on in the
    statehouse. You need somebody who is going to rise above it all,
    somebody who doesn't need a poll or a focus group to tell him how to
    think, somebody who stands on principle, somebody that's going to be the
    Governor of everybody when he wins. And that person is Mark
    Sanford.
        I appreciate his commitment to education.
    When I was the Governor of Texas, I used to tell them that education is
    to a State what national defense is to the Federal Government. It's by
    far the most important priority of any Governor; that is, educating
    every child. Mark and I share a philosophy. It's a philosophy that's
    going to be good for South Carolina when he wins. It's a philosophy that
    starts with this concept: Every child can learn. You see--and I mean
    every child, not just those who live in nice suburban districts--every
    child. If you believe that, it's historic for educational excellence for
    every single child. We've got to have you, a Governor who's willing to
    challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. If you lower the bar, if
    you believe certain children can't learn, that's what's going to happen.
    And so you've got to start with a Governor who's optimistic and bold in
    his vision about every child being able to learn. That's how Mark
    thinks. But you've also got to have a Governor who's willing to
    challenge the bureaucracy and trust the local people to chart the path
    to excellence for every child.
        We believe in local control of schools. This year, we're going to be
    sending $600 million of Federal money to help South Carolina run its
    schools. But for the first time, thanks to the work of Lindsey
    Graham in the United States Congress and
    the other Congressmen here, Henry and
    Joe, we're starting to ask this question: What
    are the results? See, if you believe every child can learn, then you
    want to know whether every child is learning. If you believe every child
    can learn to read, then it seems to make sense to ask the

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    question, Is it happening? Are the schools in South Carolina meeting the
    objective to teach every single child, not just a few--every child how
    to read? So you're asking the question for the first time.
        You've got to have a Governor who's willing to hold people to
    account, who's willing not to be captured by special interest. The only
    interest Mark cares about are the children.
    That's his special interest. You've got to be willing to have high
    standards, local control of schools, and you've got to know whether or
    not children are learning to read and write and add and subtract. And
    then once you know, you must have a Governor who's willing to praise
    those hardworking teachers for being successful. And for those of you
    who teach, thanks for what you're doing.
        But if you believe every child can learn and you find children
    trapped in schools which will not teach and will not change, for the
    good of South Carolina, you better have a Governor who's willing to
    challenge the status quo, and that Governor is going to be Mark
    Sanford.
        And I look forward to working with Mark
    when we continue to work on welfare reform. Welfare reform is an
    important issue, because if a person gets trapped in the Government's
    cycle, they won't be able to realize their human worth. People can find
    dignity through work. So one of the things I'm going to do when I'm the
    President, if they reauthorize welfare, is to work with Mark Sanford to
    make sure that there's training programs available, so a man or a woman
    can find work, can be able to see the dignity of work. He understands
    that. He understands that, if you're trapped in Government, it will sap
    your soul and drain your spirit.
        Everybody counts in the State of South Carolina. And so when we work
    on important issues that deal with the human condition, we've got to
    work in a way that understands human dignity is found by empowering each
    and every person. Mark Sanford understands that
    clearly.
        No, he's going to make you a good Governor. I urge you to--as
    they're coming down the pike, to support this good candidate and his
    family with your vote, with your energy, with your enthusiasm, and sure
    enough, on election day, you will have Mark Sanford as your Governor.
        And I'm looking forward to working with Lindsey Graham. And I don't need a Senator from South Carolina
    where I've got to worry about where he lights on any issue. [Laughter]
    You don't need a Senator from your State that kind of is for one thing
    one day and the heat gets on and changes his position the next day.
    That's not going to serve your State well. It's certainly going to make
    it harder to get an agenda through that will make America safer,
    stronger, and better. And after all, that's what we need to do, to work
    together to make America a safer country and a stronger country and a
    better country.
        When it comes to making America a stronger country, that starts with
    making sure our economy continues to expand. My attitude is, anytime
    somebody who wants to work and can't find a job--says we've got a
    problem. My attitude is, is that we want to help people put food on the
    table. If people are struggling to get ahead, we've got to do everything
    we can in Washington, DC, to expand the job base.
        And it starts with understanding how our economy works. The page of
    the textbook that we have read says this: If you let a person keep more
    of their own money, they're likely to demand a good or a service. And in
    the marketplace, when somebody demands a good or a service, somebody is
    going to produce the good or a service. And when somebody produces the
    good or a service, somebody is more likely to find work. The tax relief
    plan that Lindsey Graham supported came at
    the right time in American economic history.
        Over the next 10 years, that tax relief plan will put about $14.9
    billion in the pockets of South Carolinian citizens. That's

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    your money to begin with, by the way. Listen carefully to the rhetoric
    of these candidates when they start saying, ``Oh, we're going to spend
    the Government's money.'' They seem to forget whose money they're
    spending in Washington, DC. You listen carefully to the rhetoric of the
    candidates. You want you a candidate who understands whose money we've
    got in Washington, DC. And when you have more of your own money, not the
    Government's money but your money, in your pocket, it means it's more
    likely somebody in South Carolina is going to find work.
        But we've got a problem. See, the Senate, on the one hand, giveth,
    and on the other hand, taketh away. And the tax relief we plan--passed
    is not permanent. It's temporary, which means some in Washington, DC,
    want that $15 billion, more or less, of tax relief, of your money, to go
    to the Government coffers. And that would be bad for the economy, and
    that would be bad for South Carolina.
        The death tax is bad. The marriage penalty is bad. The child credit
    is good. Reducing income tax rates helps small business. For the sake of
    economic vitality, you need to have a United States Senator who will
    make the tax cuts permanent, and that's Lindsey Graham.
        He also understands the quality of
    life for our seniors is important. Medicine has changed; Medicare
    hasn't. Medicine is modern, and Medicare is stuck. For the sake of our
    seniors, elect a Senator who will work with me to make sure Medicare is
    modern and our seniors have got a prescription drug plan.
        A stronger America is an America who's got a good Federal bench. One
    of my jobs is to nominate good, solid citizens, good lawyers, good
    jurists to our benches. It's a solemn obligation of the President. Yet,
    the way this Senate is structured, they have done a lousy job. The
    percentage of our judges which have been approved is the lowest in a
    long time. And when my judges have made it to the floor, they have
    been--their records have been distorted because of petty politics,
    special interest politics in Washington, DC.
        I named a good man named Dennis Shedd to
    represent the fourth circuit court. He's a good jurist. For 17 months,
    he's still waiting for a vote. The two Senators from South Carolina
    supported him. Both Republican and Democrat Senators supported him. For
    17 months, he's been able to get--unable to get his hearing in the
    Senate, and we've got a vacancy problem. We've got a vacancy problem
    because the Senate is playing too much politics. We've got a vacancy
    problem because they don't like it that I'm nominating good people who
    are going to strictly interpret the Constitution and not use the bench
    from which to legislate. We've got a vacancy problem on the Federal
    court, and one way to solve that is to put Lindsey Graham into the United States Senate.
        We've got problems with our economy. It's not growing as robust. And
    I can promise you I'm going to work with Senator Graham to do everything to make sure people find work and work
    with Senator Graham to make sure the people have got a good health care
    system, work with Senator Graham to make sure the judiciary is strong.
    And I intend to work with Senator Graham on the most pressing problem
    facing us, and that's our security of our homeland.
        You've just got to understand there's an enemy out there that hates
    America because of what we love. We love freedom. We love the fact that
    people can worship freely in America. We love our free press. We love
    every aspect of our freedom, and we're not changing. We're not backing
    down, and the enemy can't stand that.
        The more we love, the more they hate. So our most important job is
    to protect the American people from further harm, from further attack.
    And they're out there. People in Australia, many of them grieve now
    because they're just not--coldblooded killers hit them in Bali. You may
    remember

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    that. That's all part of this campaign to terrorize the free world, to
    try to get us to retreat, forget what we're made out of. They don't
    understand America. They just don't understand us.
        They must have thought after September the 11th, 2001, we'd file a
    lawsuit or two. [Laughter] That's not us. See, when it comes to the
    defense of our freedom, when it comes to the defense of our people, when
    it comes to protecting innocent life, we value innocent life. Every life
    matters in America. To these killers, no life matters.
        When it comes to protecting this country, we'll be plenty tough.
    When it comes to protecting this country, we've also got to be realistic
    about the new world we're in. Prior to September the 11th, 2001, we used
    to think two oceans could protect us from harm. I remember thinking
    about conflicts and realizing our country could pick and choose whether
    or not we wanted to participate in the conflict but never really worried
    about whether or not the conflict would hurt us here at home. For a long
    time, our country felt like oceans could keep us immune from personal
    attack, and people wouldn't suffer here at home. We learned a horrible
    lesson, that in the new wars of the 21st century, we're the
    battleground--we're one of the battlegrounds.
        And that's why I've asked our country to think seriously about
    Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Saddam Hussein is a
    man who said he wouldn't have weapons of mass destruction. He made that
    promise to the world. He's hiding; he's deceiving; he's lying about
    whether he has them or not. Not only does he have them, he used them. He
    used them against people in his neighborhood. He used them against his
    own people. This is a man who has lied about whether or not he possesses
    weapons of mass destruction, a man who uses them, a man who hates
    America, a man who hates our friends. He's a threat to peace.
        The United Nations decided they were going to deal with
    Saddam a while ago. Sixteen resolutions have
    been passed in the United Nations, resolution after resolution after
    resolution, calling him to account. And he's ignored them. So I made a
    decision on behalf of our country that I would go to that body and, for
    the sake of peace, remind them they have an obligation to honor those
    resolutions, to do something about them. I made the case that you have a
    choice, United Nations, to keep the peace by showing some backbone. You
    can be the United Nations or the League of Nations. It's your choice.
        And my message to Saddam Hussein is clear
    as well: You've said you would disarm. For the sake of peace, you said
    you would get rid of the weapons of mass destruction. It's your choice
    to make. And so we're working with the international community,
    reminding Saddam Hussein of his obligations. But I want you all to know,
    for the sake of peace, for the sake of the security of the United States
    and our friends and allies, if the United Nations won't deal with him,
    if he refuses to hear the call for peace, the United States will lead a
    coalition to disarm Saddam Hussein.
        As we're clear-eyed about the threats we face overseas, we must be
    clear-eyed about the threats at home as well. There's a lot of good
    people working hard to protect you. We're now on alert. We understand
    the new reality. There's people at the Federal level and the State level
    and the local level working a lot of long hours to chase down any lead,
    any hint. Anytime we think somebody is thinking about doing something to
    America, we're responding; we're disrupting; we're denying; we're making
    sure we fulfill our solemn obligations to protect you.
        But there's more we can do. And so that's why I went to the United
    States Congress and asked them to pass a Department of Homeland
    Security. You see, there's over 100 agencies involved with securing our
    homeland. They're kind of scattered around up there in Washington. It
    seemed to make sense to me to put them under one umbrella organization,
    so that the priority can

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    be set and, if need be, cultures can be changed, so we can get people
    focused on doing the most important job they've got. And we're making
    progress.
        Part of the progress was made because the House of Representatives--
    Lindsey Graham was strong on this, and Joe
    and Henry voted with us--was to create a Department of Homeland Security
    that would give an administration the capacity to manage the Department,
    to be able to protect you. It's stuck in the Senate. It's stuck in the
    Senate because the Senate wants to extract a price from the
    administration. Every President since John Kennedy has had the ability
    to act in a national security interest. He had the ability to suspend
    work rules if they got in the way of protecting the homeland or got in
    the way of national security, but the Senate wants to take that away.
    Here we are at war, and all of a sudden they decide I shouldn't have the
    same authority as every President since John F. Kennedy. I'd have that
    authority for the Department of Agriculture--[laughter]--but not for the
    Department of Homeland Security.
        Secondly, I need to be able to put the right people at the right
    place at the right time. We've got a border control issue. We need to
    know who's coming into our country. We need to know who's coming in and
    who's going out. We don't know what they're bringing in. Yet, on the
    border we've got good, hardworking people, fine people, working in three
    different agencies: Border Patrol, INS, and Customs. Some sectors of the
    border they've got different strategies; they wear different uniforms.
    But yet, the work rules prevent us from coordinating them. For the sake
    of the national security, I need a Senator who will join me in making
    sure that we can structure the agency so it works.
        But the best way to secure the homeland is to chase these killers
    down, one person at a time, and bring them to justice. And that's what
    we're going to do. That's what we're--yesterday I signed a defense bill,
    right there in the Rose Garden. It's the largest increase in defense
    spending since Ronald Reagan was the President. The reason why was
    because anytime we put our troops into harm's way, we owe it to our
    troops and we owe it to the loved ones of the troops to make sure
    they've got the best training, the best possible pay, and the best
    equipment. And our troops are good; they're really good.
        And the other message was, to our friend and foe, it doesn't matter
    how long it takes. It doesn't matter how long it takes to win this war
    on terror. There's no calendar on my desk, right there in the great Oval
    Office. There's not a calendar that says, you know, by such-and-such a
    date, we're hauling them home; by such-and-such a date, we're going to
    forget our obligations to our future; by such-and-such a date that we
    say, fine, let them sit out there. That's not the way America thinks.
        It doesn't matter how much it costs. It doesn't matter how long it
    takes. This great country will defend our freedoms and defend our
    people. And we're making some pretty good progress. Remember the
    doctrine that said, ``Either you're with us, or you're with them.'' It
    still stands. And so we've got a lot of people working together to haul
    them in.
        See, this isn't the kind of war that some of the old vets here are
    used to: You destroy a bunch of tanks, and you make progress. That's not
    the kind of war this is. See, we fight these killers who hide in caves
    and send youngsters to their suicidal deaths. It's a new kind of army.
    That's why we've got to do a better job of cutting off their money, of
    sharing intelligence, of finding where they hide, of finding these kind
    of--putting the sunlight on these dark corners of the world where they
    kind of slither around. That's what we got to do.
        But we're making progress. And sometimes you'll see it, and
    sometimes you're just not going to see it. The other day one of them
    popped his head up, bin al-

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    Shibh. He's no longer a problem.
    [Laughter] Slowly but surely, we're doing our duty to our country.
    Slowly but surely, we're hunting these killers down, one at a time.
        And that's what we've got to do. But you know how I feel about this,
    that by being tough and strong and clear, by remembering that freedom is
    not American-blessed, it is God-given, it's universal, remembering that
    freedom is a part of what we think about--we remember those values that
    make us a great nation, we will keep the peace--that the mission of this
    administration is to make the world more peaceful, that the reason we do
    what we do is because we believe in freedom and we believe in peace.
        And it's going to happen. See, the enemy hit us. They didn't know
    who they were hitting. They hit the greatest nation on the face of the
    Earth. They gave us a chance, a chance we will seize, to not only
    protect America and keep America peaceful, but because we value all
    life--everybody counts, that we want there to be peace in parts of the
    world where people have quit on peace.
        We have a chance to achieve the peace in the Middle East. We have a
    chance to achieve the peace in South Asia. By being strong and
    determined and resolute in our mission, we can make the peace.
        And here at home, we can make America a better place, too. See, out
    of the evil done to America can come some incredible good--incredible
    good. You just got to know--and I know you know--that there are pockets
    of despair and loneliness in our country. There are people who are hurt,
    people who are addicted, people who wonder when you say ``American
    Dream,'' they don't understand what that means.
        My attitude is, so long as one of us hurts, we all hurt. It's an
    opportunity though, however, for us to deal with these pockets of
    despair. Government can help; we will. We'll worry about education.
    We'll worry about making sure the welfare system works. We have a Faith-
    Based Initiative to encourage people of faith to love their neighbor.
    But Government is limited in its capacity. It can hand out money, but it
    cannot put hope in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's
    lives. That is done when a fellow American has heard the universal call
    to love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself; finds
    somebody who hurts, puts their arm around him, and says, ``I love you.
    What can I do to help make your day?''
        Each of us--each of us can help change America, one heart, one
    conscience, one soul at a time. Each of us can make a difference in
    making sure that the enemy hit us, but out of that evil and harm and
    hurt and tears can come a more compassionate and decent society. There's
    no question in my mind, no question in my mind, that this great country
    will lead the world to peace. And there's no question in my mind that
    this great country, the hope of this great country, the great promise of
    America can have--can shine in every neighborhood and every home.
        And do you know why? Because we're the greatest nation, full of the
    finest people on the face of this Earth. Thank you for coming.
        May God bless you all, and may God bless America. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:18 p.m. at the Jimmy Doolittle Flight
    Facility Hangar. In his remarks, he referred to gubernatorial candidate
    Mark Sanford, and his wife, Jenny Sanford, and their children Marshall,
    Landon, Bolton, and Blake; senatorial candidate Lindsey Graham;
    President Jiang Zemin of China; South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Bob
    Peeler; South Carolina Speaker of the House David Wilkins; South
    Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon; South Carolina Secretary of
    State Jim Miles; President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and Ramzi bin al-
    Shibh, an Al Qaida operative suspected of helping to plan the September
    11, 2001, terrorist attacks, who was captured in Karachi, Pakistan.