    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [October 14, 2002]
    [Pages 1790-1798]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Waterford, Michigan
    October 14, 2002

        The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming today. I
    want to thank you all for----
        Audience member. We love you! We love you! We love you!
        The President. Glad I came. I want to thank you all for coming. I
    particularly want to thank you all for bringing--if you have children,
    thanks for bringing them. I appreciate the chance to remind our
    youngsters what a great country we have. I appreciate the chance--I
    appreciate the chance to remind them that although we've got some issues
    and we've got some challenges, there's no doubt in my mind this great
    Nation you call home can accomplish anything--I mean anything--we set
    our mind to.
        So thanks for coming. I appreciate your interest in your State and
    in the political process of your State. I've come back to Michigan
    because I know that Dick Posthumus will make
    a great Governor of Michigan, and I'm here to ask you to help him get
    elected. I'm here to ask you to go to your coffee shops or your houses
    of worship or your neighborhood community centers and talk it up about
    this good man, to tell the people in your community, whether they be
    Republican, Democrat, independent--don't care--that when it comes to
    running the State of Michigan, he's got what it takes. He's got the
    character; he's got the leadership capacity.
        And just like me, he married well. I know
    that Pam Posthumus will be a fine first lady.
    Speaking about fine First Ladies--yes, she's
    doing fine. She sends her best to the good folks of Michigan. I saw her
    waving from the balcony when I choppered out of the White House grounds.
    She's doing just great. I can't tell you how proud I am of Laura.
        You might remember the story--when I asked her to marry me, she was a public school librarian. Truth
    of the matter is, she didn't particularly care for politics--
    [laughter]--didn't like politicians. [Laughter] Now, here she is--
    [laughter]--the First Lady. What a fabulous job she's done. She's
    brought great dignity and calm and class to the White House. I love
    her a lot. I

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    love her a lot, and she's doing just great. People now understand why I
    asked her to marry me. A lot of her friends are wondering why in the
    heck she said yes. [Laughter] But we're doing great.
        I want to thank many of you for your prayers. I appreciate that a
    lot. It's a huge honor to be the President of a country that prays for
    the President and the First Lady. We feel the prayers, and we appreciate
    them.
        I also want to urge you all to make sure that the United States
    Congress stays in friendly hands, that Denny Hastert is the Speaker, a Congress with which I can work. And
    that means sending Thaddeus McCotter to
    the United States Congress. It means sending Candice Miller to the United States Congress. It means making sure a
    fine sitting Congressman, Joe Knollenberg,
    gets sent back to the United States Congress.
        I appreciate Joe's leadership, and I
    know that Thaddeus and Candice will do a fine job on behalf of all the people of
    Michigan, not just a few but everybody. And that's what's important.
    When you're looking at these people running for office, you've got--
    you've got to understand that our jobs are not to represent a small
    segment of society. We're to lay out our principles and our values and
    represent everybody. And that's what I like about these candidates.
        I'm also proud to be traveling with a former United States Senator,
    now a member of my Cabinet, and that would be Spence Abraham. Spence, thank you for coming. You know, it's a sad
    day when he lost for the Senate. It hurt Michigan--it gave me a chance
    to put somebody good in the Cabinet. [Laughter] And he's doing a fine
    job working on an incredibly important issue, about which I'll speak in
    a second, and that's energy. But let me tell you one thing: If we had
    him in the Senate, if we had people like Spence in the Senate, there would be no question today about
    my judges getting confirmed.
        The Senate is doing a lousy job on my judge nominations. They're
    treating this like it's politics, not what's good for the country. You
    see, we need judges who will serve, not to write legislation. We've got
    plenty of legislators. We need judges who will strictly interpret the
    Constitution of the United States sitting on our benches.
        No, I heard a lot of reasons why we need to change the Senate, but
    one of them is to make sure that the Federal bench represents the way
    you want them to serve their jobs. We need a Senate change, and that's
    why you've got to put Rocky in the United States Senate. Hey,
    Rocky, good luck to you. You
    should never count out a guy named Rocky.
        I also want to thank my friend Brooks Patterson. Brooksie is from--been in politics quite a while. I
    got to know him in the 1988 campaign. I liked him then; I still like him
    now. And I appreciate him coming to say hello.
        I want to thank all the grassroots activists, the people who are
    manning the phone banks, the people who do the jobs that nobody thanks
    you for doing. Well, I'm here to thank you. I appreciate your hard work,
    and I appreciate your love for your country.
        I want to thank those who are seeking office, like Loren
    Bennett and Terri Lynn Land and Mike Cox, all fine candidates,
    to make sure this Republican ticket--[applause].
        Let me tell you why it's important to have a Governor who knows what
    he's doing. I know something about being a Governor. The most important
    job for a Governor is to make sure every single child gets a good
    education. That's what Dick Posthumus
    understands.
        But it takes a certain kind of attitude to make sure every child
    gets a good education. It starts with understanding that every child can
    learn, and to have leadership willing to challenge what I call the soft
    bigotry of low expectations. You see, if you believe certain kids can't
    learn and

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    you have low standards, then you're going to get lousy results. You've
    got to understand every child can learn. You better make sure your
    Governor understands every child can learn. And then you'd better make
    sure the Governor trusts the local people, all around Michigan, to chart
    the path for excellence. One size doesn't fit all when it comes to
    running the Michigan schools.
        One of the things that's really important, if you believe every
    child can learn, then you want to ask the question, is every child
    learning? If you believe every child can learn to read and write and add
    and subtract, then you want to know that. And as a State, I hope you'll
    have a Governor who is willing to ask that question and holding the
    people account.
        You see, the worst thing that can happen is for people to believe
    every child can't learn, and they just shuffle them through the system.
    ``Let's just move them on. Certain kids can't learn. Inner-city kids,''
    they say, ``might be too tough to educate. We'll just move them along.
    Children whose parents don't speak English as a first language, they're
    tough to educate. We'll just move them along.'' We can't accept that in
    Michigan. We can't accept that anywhere in America. You must measure in
    this State. You must have strong accountability systems to test whether
    or not the curriculum is working, to test whether the teachers are
    teaching. You must understand that you've got to measure to make sure
    not one child gets left behind.
        And when you find children in schools that won't teach and won't
    change, you better have you a Governor who is willing to challenge the
    status quo, for the sake of the children. And that Governor is Dick
    Posthumus.
        Not only--listen, we're worried about people who can't find work. At
    least I am, and I know Dick is as well.
    Anytime we've got anybody in Michigan or anywhere in America looking for
    work and can't find work, it's a problem, and we have to deal with it.
    And that makes sure--that means you've got to make sure you've got a
    Governor who understands the role of Government is not to create wealth
    but an environment in which the small business can grow to be a big
    business, in which the entrepreneurs can find the entrepreneurial
    spirit.
        And that's why it's so important to have a Governor who is willing
    to hold the taxes down in order to make sure businesses can grow, so
    people can find work.
        No, you've got the right man in Dick Posthumus. He knows what he's doing. He's going to make a fine
    Governor for the State of Michigan.
        I want to share with you some of my concerns about our country. The
    character of our country doesn't concern me. The ability for our country
    to solve problems doesn't concern me. But I am concerned about an
    economy not doing as good as we want it to do. I am concerned about an
    economy that was in recession, that got affected by the terrorist
    attack. I am concerned about a society in which some of the members of
    our society thought it was okay to fudge the numbers, thought it was
    okay not to tell the truth when it came to profits and losses, thought
    it was okay to mistreat employee and shareholder alike. Those days are
    gone from America.
        Corporate malfeance has had an effect on our economy, and we need to
    do something about it. That's why I was honored to sign the most
    comprehensive corporate reform legislation since Franklin Roosevelt was
    the President. The message is clear now. The message is clear to people
    who should know better. If you think you're going to find easy money in
    this country, you're wrong. What you're going to find is hard time if
    you cheat the people.
        But there are some things Congress can do, before they go home, to
    help the working people of this country. See, they're fixing to go home.
    But they need to act. One of the things you'll find about Washington--or
    at least I found about it--there's

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    a lot of good talkers--[laughter]--and not enough good doers. They're
    talking a good game up there. They're worried about the jobs, and so am
    I. So in order to make sure people can find work, there are some
    practical things Congress can do. And let me give you a couple of
    suggestions.
        One is, is that there's a lot of hardhats not working because the
    people can't find terrorism insurance. If you want to build a big
    project and you can't get insurance because of what the terrorists have
    done for America, you're going to put the project aside. There's over
    $15 billion of construction projects which are on hold, which aren't
    going forward, which means there's over 300,000 jobs that would be in
    place or soon to be in place that aren't in place. And so in my
    judgment, is--what Congress ought to do is, they ought to pass
    legislation to serve as a backdrop for terrorist insurance. They ought
    to serve as a backstop. If the terrorists don't attack, it hasn't cost
    anybody anything. If the terrorists attack, it'll help our economy
    recover quicker.
        For the sake of jobs, however, they need to get moving. There's too
    much talk in Washington, DC. And one of the stumbling blocks is whether
    or not they care more about the hardhat or the trial lawyer. We stand on
    the side of the hardhats in America, the hard-working people. And
    therefore, get me a terrorism insurance bill that recognizes their hard
    work and the need to get these people back to work.
        We need an energy bill in America. We need an energy bill.
    Spence has been working on one, a balanced,
    comprehensive approach that says, we need to do a better job of
    conserving energy; we need to unleash new technologies to make sure that
    we become less dependent on foreign sources of crude; but we need to
    explore in an environmentally friendly way here at home. Listen, the
    less energy we use from countries that may not like us, the more secure
    we are nationally. An energy bill will be good for jobs. An energy bill
    is important for our national security. They've been talking about that
    energy bill up there now for about a year. Before they go home, they
    need to get the energy bill to my desk.
        Let me tell you what else the Congress needs to do. The Congress
    needs to understand that when a person has more money in their pocket,
    they're likely to demand a good or service. And when they demand a good
    or a service, in this society, somebody is likely to produce the good or
    a service. And when somebody produces a good or a service, somebody is
    more likely to find work.
        The tax relief plan which we passed through the United States
    Congress came at the right time in American economic history. When your
    economy is slow, you let people keep more of their own money. That's the
    opposite of what some of them think up there. You see, they have--when
    they want to have a summit--you know what the summit means to me? It
    means after the elections, they're going to figure out a way to raise
    your taxes; that's what a summit means to me. And so, therefore, if
    Congress really wants to make sure the job base continues to expand,
    what they'll do is make the tax cuts permanent.
        Now, that's already--you say, ``Well, Mr. President, aren't they
    already permanent?'' No. Here's what happened. In the United States
    Senate, they have a rule that says on the one hand, we giveth, and on
    the other hand, we taketh away. [Laughter] It's hard to explain, but
    that's just what happened. Which means that the tax relief plan we
    passed--and it's phased in over 10 years--after 10 years goes back to
    the way it was. It's hard to plan that way. If you're a small-business
    owner, you need to have certainty in the Tax Code. If you're somebody
    who is going to risk capital, you need to have certainty in the Tax
    Code. For the sake of economic growth, for the sake of job creation, the
    United States Congress must make the tax cuts permanent.
        I made a decision the other day to help Michigan workers and help
    workers all

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    across the country by invoking Taft-Hartley to open up the ports on our
    west coast. They couldn't get together. Workers couldn't get together,
    and the shippers couldn't get together. And their ship--they were
    locking down the ports. And that hurt manufacturers here in Michigan,
    and it hurt Michigan farmers, and it's going to hurt Michigan's
    consumers if it went on too long. For the sake of jobs, for the sake of
    job creation, I put the--I said, ``Get back to work for 80 days, and
    come together, for the sake of our country, during these tough economic
    times. We expect you to resolve your differences so people in other
    parts of the country won't suffer.''
        Until I'm satisfied that people can find work, I'm going to stay on
    the economy. I'm going to keep working with Congress, if need be,
    working with the American people, to do everything we can to keep our
    economy going. We've got good--we've got the foundation for growth, by
    the way. Interest rates are low. Inflation is low. We've got the best
    workers in the world. We've got the highest productivity in the world.
    The foundation for growth is strong. We've just got to keep working
    until we're satisfied that people can find work.
        And my biggest preoccupation, my biggest worry is that there's still
    an enemy out there which hates America, an enemy which still wants to
    take innocent life. Recently we've seen what I'm talking about, in Bali.
    There was a coldblooded attack. Innocent people, from all around the
    world, by the way--an American, at least we know of one or two
    Americans, many Australians, English--innocent people enjoying
    themselves at a resort, and a bunch of coldblooded killers decided to
    take life, to take innocent life, just like they did on September the
    11th, 2001.
        It's a stark reminder that there's an enemy which hates freedom-
    loving countries, an enemy which does not value human life like we value
    human life here in America. See, in this country, every life is
    precious; everybody has got meaning; everybody has got worth.
        No, the attack on the French boat--which was, I believe, a terrorist
    attack--the attack at the resort, the attack on our marines in Kuwait
    shows that there's still an enemy which is active out there. And
    therefore, my biggest worry is to make sure we do everything we can to
    continue to protect America, to save innocent life.
        And so therefore, I've asked Congress to join me in developing a
    Department of Homeland Security, a Department which will take the
    agencies involved with protecting the homeland security, putting them
    under one umbrella so that the focus will be your protection, so that
    the number one priority will be the protection of the American people.
    We made progress in the House, but we're stuck in the Senate. We're
    stuck in the Senate because some Senators want there to be a big, thick
    book of bureaucratic regulations to tell this administration and future
    administrations how to run the Department.
        I'll give you an example. On the border, we need to know who is
    coming in and what they're bringing when they come in and whether or not
    they're leaving when they say they're going to leave. And yet we've got
    three different agencies on the border, full of fine people, by the way.
    You've got your Customs and INS and the Border Patrol. Yet in some
    sectors, they've got different strategies. They wear different uniforms.
    They've got different tasks. For the sake of homeland security, any
    administration ought to have the flexibility to put the agencies
    together or to put the right people at the right place at the right time
    to protect the American people. The Senate version doesn't let me do
    that.
        People ought to be able to organize if they want to organize. There
    ought to be collective bargaining, and that's fine with me. But for the
    sake of national security, I ought to have the capacity, on a limited
    basis, to say our national security is more

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    important than some collective bargaining rights.
        And I'll give you an example. Let me give you an example. Our
    Customs, they ought to be wearing radiation detection devices to
    determine whether somebody is trying to sneak a weapon of mass
    destruction into America. The leadership of that particular group of
    people said, ``No way. We need to have a collective bargaining session
    over whether or not our people should be made to wear these devices.''
    And that could take a long period of time. We don't have time, when it
    comes to an enemy. We need to have the flexibility to run this
    Department so I can assure you.
        But the best way to protect the homeland is to hunt these killers
    down, one at a time, and bring them to justice. And that's what we're
    going to do. That's exactly what we're going to do. You know, they--I
    don't know what went through their minds when they hit us. They probably
    thought after September the 11th, 2001, we'd take a step back and file a
    lawsuit or two. [Laughter] See, they didn't understand about America.
    They don't understand that we love freedom. We don't embrace freedom; we
    love freedom. And nobody is going to take our freedoms away from us.
        No, they probably thought that we were so selfish and self-absorbed
    and materialistic that after they hit us, we would try to understand
    them--[laughter]--take a step back, and maybe get them some therapy.
    [Laughter] As we've seen this weekend, as we've seen in the past,
    there's only one therapy, and that's to bring them to justice, which is
    exactly what the United States is going to do.
        This is a different kind of war; it's a different kind of war. In
    the old days, you could measure progress based upon the number of tanks
    destroyed or aircraft shot out of the sky or ships that were sunk. This
    is a different kind of war. We face a shadowy enemy. They're real.
    They're tough. They are determined. But their leaders will hide in caves
    and send their young warriors to their suicidal death. It's a different
    kind of enemy we face.
        And sometimes you'll see progress on your TV screens, and sometimes
    you're just not going to see what's happening. A different kind of
    battle we face. But you've got to know we're making progress. We're
    making steady progress. I bet you we have hauled in--I say ``we''--by
    the way, the doctrine that says, ``Either you're with them, or you're
    with us,'' still stands. Either you're with the United States of
    America, or you're with the enemy.
        And we're making progress. A couple of thousand have been hauled in.
    Slowly but surely, we're dismantling this terrorist network. Sure,
    they're still out there, but they're not nearly as strong as they were a
    year ago. Slowly but surely, we're hauling them in. And a like number
    weren't as lucky as those who were captured; like number met their
    justice a different way. And we're still on them. We will continue to
    deny them training bases. We will continue to try to deny them sanctuary
    anywhere. We're going to keep getting them on the run. Slowly but
    surely, no matter how long it takes, my fellow Americans, we will do
    what it takes to make the homeland secure and to free the American
    people from terror.
        And that's why I sent to Congress a significant increase in our
    defense spending, and I want to explain why. Anytime we put one of our
    youngsters into harm's way, they deserve the best pay, the best
    training, and the best possible equipment. We owe that to our soldiers.
    We owe that to the loved ones of our soldiers. And if there are any
    loved ones out there, I can't tell you how proud I am of our military,
    how confident I am of my military, and how good our military is. Thank
    you for coming.
        I also asked for a big increase in defense spending because I wanted
    to send a message to our friend and to our foe that we ain't quitting.
    We're just not going to quit when it comes to defending America. It

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    doesn't matter how long it takes. We don't have a calendar on my desk--
    there's not a calendar on my desk in the great Oval Office that flips
    to, you know, flip it one day and it says, oh, it's time to quit. That's
    just not the way we think in America. We understand the task. We
    understand it's a different kind of war. We understand it requires
    patience and to be steadfast in purpose, and that's exactly the way this
    Nation is going to remain. We will pursue the enemy no matter where he
    tries to hide, no matter what cave he's in, no matter what city he hides
    in, until justice is done.
        And the war on terror is just not Al Qaida. There are other
    terrorists around. There are other threats to our country with which we
    must deal. And that means--and one place is Iraq. I want to--let me
    share with you some thoughts, a serious, serious, subject. It's one
    that's got a lot of folks debating in the coffee shops or in the homes
    about Iraq. I want to remind you of a couple of things.
        First of all, 11 years ago this leader of Iraq, the dictator of Iraq, made a pledge that he would not
    have weapons of mass destruction. He promised the world after he got
    whipped that he wouldn't have weapons of mass destruction. And the
    Security Council of the United Nations passed a resolution which said,
    ``You won't have weapons of mass destruction.'' Since that time, he has
    lied; he has deceived; he has not listened to the U.N. Security Council
    resolutions. Since that time, we now recognize as a country that oceans
    no longer protect us like they used to. A new reality set in, in
    America. It used to be we could kind of sit back and look at a threat
    from afar and say, ``Well, that may affect somebody else, but it doesn't
    affect us.''
        Prior to September the 11th, we had the comfort of realizing or
    looking back in history and saying that we're pretty safe here in
    America. Others may be threatened--after all, he attacked two in his
    neighborhood; he gassed his own people--but not us. September the 11th
    changed the equation, changed our thinking. It also changed our thinking
    when we began to realize that one of the most dangerous things that can
    happen in the modern era is for a deceiving dictator who has gassed his own people, who has weapons of mass
    destruction, to team up with an organization like Al Qaida.
        As I said--I was a little more diplomatic in my speech, but we need
    to think about Saddam Hussein using Al Qaida
    to do his dirty work to not leave fingerprints behind. I went to the
    United Nations. I did so because I wanted to challenge that body.
    Sixteen resolutions, sixteen defiances: They passed resolution after
    resolution after resolution, and 16 times Saddam Hussein has defied
    those resolutions. For the sake of keeping peace, it's important that
    there be an international body that has backbone, that can work to keep
    the peace in this new era we're in. And now is the time for choice. The
    United Nations can decide whether it's the League of Nations or whether
    or not it is a United Nations capable of keeping the peace.
        There is universal agreement that Saddam Hussein poses a serious threat. He's a threat to the
    neighborhood. He's a threat to our allies. There is universal
    understanding that right after the Gulf war he was close to having a
    nuclear weapon. He still wants to have a nuclear weapon. For the sake of
    peace, for the sake of our security, now is the time to make sure that
    Saddam says what he said he would do. He must disarm. It's his choice to
    make. He said he would disarm. He must disarm. The U.N. said he must
    disarm. They can disarm him.
        But for the sake of security of our country--their choice to make--I
    hope it's done peacefully. I hope we never use a military--one military
    troop in Iraq. But for the sake of the peace and security of the United
    States, Saddam Hussein must disarm, or the
    United States, with friends and allies, will disarm him.

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        I say that because I want there to be peace. I speak as a man who
    has a goal for the world, and that's peace. I believe out of the evil
    done to America can come a peaceful world. There'll be some tough times,
    no question about it. But if we remain strong and resolved, if we hold
    dear to the principles, the God-given principles and values that we hold
    dear to our hearts--the principle of freedom, that every life counts,
    that people should be free--if we hold that dear and remain strong, we
    can achieve peace, and I hope we do. That's my goal.
        The enemy thinks that they can cause America to retreat from our
    obligations. We're not. They believe we'll cower in the face of their
    coldblooded murder. We won't. And out of the evil done to this great
    country and now out of the evil being done elsewhere, we can achieve
    peace. We've been given an opportunity to lead the world to peace.
        And at home, we can have a better America, too. We can have a better
    America. There are people who hurt in America. There are pockets of
    despair and loneliness, people who are addicted, people who wonder
    whether or not the American Dream is meant for them. So long as some of
    us hurt, we all hurt in this country. But I'm absolutely convinced that
    as a nation we can rise up, not only to keep the peace and make it
    secure but rise up to make America a better place, a more hopeful place,
    a place of love and compassion. If you want to help, if you want to help
    in the war against terror, if you want to fight evil, love your neighbor
    like you'd like to be loved yourself.
        There are things Government can do to help people, to empower
    people. Government needs to trust citizens. It starts with making sure
    everybody has a good education. We need to also make sure our medical
    systems are modern. Listen, Medicare is an incredibly important program.
    Medicine has changed; Medicare hasn't. Medicine is modern; Medicare
    isn't. For the sake of our seniors, for the sake of a better life in
    America, our seniors need to have a Medicare program that gives them
    choices and gives them prescription drug benefits.
        We need to make sure, as we authorize welfare, to understand the
    whole--the reason welfare works, the reason welfare reform works is
    because we help people find work. Work is the backbone of the welfare
    system. It ought to remain the backbone of a good welfare system. People
    get dignity when they find work. They're less dependent on a Government
    that can sap their soul and drain their spirit.
        There are things Government can do to make America a better place
    but not nearly as importantly as what our fellow Americans can do to
    make America a better place. Government can hand out money, but what
    Government cannot do is put hope in people's hearts or a sense of
    purpose in people's lives. That's up to our fellow Americans.
        Today we've got with us Lenny Compton. Lenny is in his second year--right here, Lenny--he's in
    his second year as AmeriCorps. Let me tell you about him. You know what
    he does? He mentors a child. He mentors kids in the first, second, and
    third grade. He understands one person can't do everything to change
    America, but one person can do something. One person can help change
    America, one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time. I want to thank
    you, Lenny.
        And that's what we need to do to show the enemy the true nature of
    America. Each of us can be that one person, helping somebody in need. It
    doesn't require a lot. Listen, walking across the street to a shut-in,
    saying ``I love you'' on a regular basis, is what I'm talking about.
    Running a Boy Scout troop is what I'm talking about. Being involved with
    a Girl--Girls Clubs and Boys Clubs, going to your church or your
    synagogue or your mosque and helping feed the hungry and find shelter
    for the homeless, it's all a part of the great

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    fabric of America. In order to fight evil, do some good--do some good.
        One of the things that's happening in America as a result of the
    attack by the enemy is that people are taking a good, hard look at
    what's important in life. We're beginning to have a cultural shift, it
    seems like to me. I want to be a part of that shift. It's a shift away
    from a culture 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 new era
    that says, ``Each of us are responsible for the decisions we make in
    life.''
        If you are a mom or a dad, if you're lucky enough to be a mom or a
    dad, you're responsible for loving that child with all your heart and
    all your soul. If you're living in Oakland County, you're responsible
    for the quality of education. If you're dissatisfied with the quality of
    education, do something about it. If you're satisfied, go hug a teacher,
    and thank him or her for doing such an important job.
        No, I think it's happening. I think people are beginning to
    understand that being a patriot is more than just putting your hand over
    your heart. Being a patriot is working to make America a more
    compassionate and decent and hopeful place.
        No, I think it's happening. I remember and will never forget what
    took place on Flight 93. We had average citizens flying across the
    country. All of a sudden they became aware of the new reality, that
    America was under attack. They were on the phones to their loved ones.
    The word ``love'' was used a lot. They said goodbye. They said a prayer.
    They asked for blessing from an Almighty. A guy said, ``Let's roll.''
    They took the plane into the ground to save life. These Americans
    understood that being a patriot was to serve something greater than
    yourself in life.
        No, the American spirit is strong and alive. There's no doubt in my
    mind, my friends and fellow Americans, no doubt in my mind that we can
    achieve peace, no doubt in my mind that we can secure our homeland.
    There is no doubt in my mind that we can educate our children and
    provide a hopeful future for everybody who is living here in America.
    And the reason I say that is because I say with the utmost of confidence
    that this is the finest nation, full of the finest people, on the face
    of the Earth.
        May God bless you all, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:49 p.m. at Oakland County International
    Airport. In his remarks, he referred to Thaddeus McCotter, candidate for
    Michigan's 11th Congressional District; Candice Miller, candidate for
    Michigan's 10th Congressional District; senatorial candidate Andrew
    ``Rocky'' Raczkowski; L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive;
    Loren Bennett and Terri Lynn Land, candidates for Michigan secretary of
    state; Mike Cox, candidate for Michigan attorney general; and President
    Saddam Hussein of Iraq.