    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [October 28, 2002]
    [Pages 1919-1925]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Denver, Colorado
    October 28, 2002

        The President. Thanks for coming. Thanks for such a warm welcome.
    It's nice to be in a part of the world where the cowboy hats outnumber
    the ties. I'm honored so many of you all came. Please be seated, unless
    you don't have a seat. [Laughter] I'm honored so many came out today.
        I've got some things on my mind that I'd like to share with you. One
    thing that's on my mind is that we have a duty to our country to
    participate in the political process. See, if you believe in freedom,
    you have a duty to exercise your right to vote to begin with. One of the
    reasons I'm coming to this big State is to encourage people to do their
    duty, to go to the polls. I want all people, no matter what their
    political party is or whether they even like a political party, to
    exercise their obligation to vote.
        Now, I've got some suggestions when you go--[laughter]--I've got
    some suggestions. For the sake of Colorado and for the sake of the
    country, Wayne Allard needs to be sent back to
    the United States Senate.
        Audience members. Six more years! Six more years! Six more years!
        The President. Whether he wins or not is
    going to depend upon many of you here. See, grassroots politics makes a
    big difference--turning out that vote, getting on the telephones and
    putting up the signs, going to your coffee shops or your houses of
    worship or your community centers to put out the word that, when you've
    got

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    a good one like Wayne, you've got to do everything you can to help him
    get back to Washington.
        You know, in Colorado, I'm sure you understand this. Around
    Crawford, we kind of know the difference between a show horse and a work
    horse. [Laughter] With Wayne, you've got
    somebody who's willing to work on your behalf. When he says something,
    he means it. And he does not need a focus group or a poll to tell him
    what to think.
        I'm proud to have traveled in with Joan
    today, too. Like me, he married well. He drew
    the short straw. If he'd have been smart, he'd have invited Laura to come and speak instead of me. [Laughter] And she's
    doing great, by the way. She's on her way from Crawford back to
    Washington.
        I don't know if you remember the story. I see my friend Ricky
    Griess here. He and I both went to San Jacinto
    Junior High with Laura. When I married her, when
    I asked her to marry me--or asked her to marry me, she was a public
    school librarian, and she didn't like politics. [Laughter] And she
    didn't care for politicians, either. [Laughter] Thank goodness she said
    yes when I proposed. She is a fabulous First Lady for America, and she's
    for Wayne Allard.
        And like me, she's also awfully fond of your
    Governor and first lady. Bill Owens--Governor Bill Owens is one of the finest Governors
    in the United States. And you better make sure you put him back in, too.
    He's got a great record. He cares deeply about the citizens of this
    State, and he's proven that he's a Governor of everybody. The thing I
    like about Governor Owens, he campaigns proudly as a Republican, but he
    serves all the people of this State. And he's going to get a big vote
    from Republicans and Democrats and independents because of the job he
    has done. I'm not saying that just because he was born in Texas.
    [Laughter] I'm saying that because his record speaks loud and clear. And
    we love Frances, too. She's done a great job as the first lady of
    Colorado.
        I'm proud to be up here with another fine United States Senator. Ben
    Nighthorse Campbell is a class act
    and a good man. I'm honored to be here with two Members of the United
    States Congress, Bob Schaffer and Tom
    Tancredo. I appreciate them coming.
        And I'm here to make sure--to encourage you to work hard, to make
    sure that Denny Hastert remains the
    Speaker of the House of Representatives. And if you're interested in
    joining me in doing that, you'll make sure Bob Beauprez gets elected to the United States Congress.
        I appreciate Bob. He represents the
    Colorado story, the Colorado story from a pioneering family. He's an
    entrepreneur. He's a hard worker. He's a God-fearing man. He's a decent
    soul. For the sake of the country, it's important that Bob Beauprez
    become the United States Congressman from the Seventh District.
        You need to work hard to get out the vote in this close race. You
    need to turn out everybody you can find. And once you get through
    getting him elected, make sure you don't forget Marilyn
    Musgrave, who's going to be the
    Congresswoman from Colorado. Marilyn knows what she's doing. She doesn't
    need a bunch of on-the-job training in Washington. She'll be a good,
    steady hand from the get-go.
        I also want to--you to work hard for senator--State senator Ken
    Chlouber. Ken's running--Ken's running for the
    Congress. He too is a good, honest man, a good, decent fellow who will
    make a fine United States Congressman.
        No, it's important for the sake of our future that Denny
    Hastert remain the Speaker of the House. I
    can work with him. And we need to work together, because we've got some
    big projects ahead for America, we've got some big challenges for our
    country. But you've got to know

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    you're looking at an optimist. There's nothing this country can't
    achieve when we put our mind to it.
        Some of the biggest challenges we face will require us being able to
    work together in the--with the administrative branch and the legislative
    branch, in concert. We're doing what's right for America. Listen, I
    worry about the fact that some people can't find a job here in America.
    Anytime one's looking for work and can't find a job means we've got to
    do--we've got to have a pro-growth agenda. Anytime somebody wants to
    work and can't put food on the table means we've got a problem in
    America.
        Let me tell you what we think. People on this stage believe that the
    tax cuts we passed, the tax cuts that Congress enacted, was one of the
    best remedies for making sure people can find work. And the reason why
    is because when somebody has more of his own or her own money in their
    pocket, they're more than likely to demand an additional good or a
    service. And in the marketplace, when you demand a good or a service,
    somebody is likely to produce the good or a service. And when somebody
    produces the good or a service, somebody in Colorado or elsewhere in the
    country is more likely to find work. The tax relief we passed came at
    exactly the right time in American economic history.
        And I want to thank Senator Allard for his
    support. I don't have to worry about his position on tax relief. Nor do
    I have to worry about Bob Beauprez's position
    on tax relief. And that's the kind of representation you need to have in
    Washington. It's still an issue, because the Senate rules are such that
    after 10 years, the tax relief we passed goes away. See, that creates a
    sense of uncertainty in the marketplace. It's hard to plan if the tax
    rules are going to change on you.
        The tax relief plan we passed made eminent sense for our small
    businesses. Seventy percent of the new jobs in America are created by
    small businesses. And when you reduce the rates, the individual tax
    rates, it affects small-business growth because most small businesses
    are sole proprietorships or limited partnerships. For the sake of job
    creation, for the sake of enhancing the entrepreneurial spirit, for the
    sake of strengthening the small-business sector in America, you need to
    send people to the Senate and the Congress who will make the tax relief
    permanent.
        I know there is concern about what they call urban sprawl here in
    Colorado. One of the reasons why urban sprawl can get out of hand is
    because farmers and ranchers are forced to sell their property before
    they want to because of the death tax. The tax relief plan we passed
    puts the death tax on its way to extinction. However, because of the
    Senate rules, it doesn't go away after 10 years. It kind of heads toward
    extinction, but doesn't die. It's like the Senate giveth, and then they
    taketh away. You better have you a United States Senator and Members of
    the United States Congress who will support the administration and make
    the repeal of the death tax permanent.
        We need Members of the United States Congress who will work with the
    administration to get an energy bill. We can't get an energy bill out of
    the Congress. That doesn't make any sense. Listen, we are dependent upon
    foreign sources of crude oil, and some of those sources of crude oil
    aren't really friendly to the United States of America. I wouldn't call
    them friends. For the sake of job security, for the sake of national
    security, we need people in Congress who will work with us to get an
    energy bill which encourages conservation, encourages renewable sources
    of energy but, at the same time, encourages exploration, environmentally
    friendly exploration, so we become less dependent on foreign sources of
    energy.
        I look forward to having people in the United States Congress with
    whom I can work, like Wayne and Bob, to make sure we've got reasonable forest policy. You all
    suffered a lot of burning here in the West

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    because we've had lousy forest policy, forest policy that didn't make
    any sense, forest policy that just said, ``Let's just ignore the forest.
    Let's just let this kindling build up. Let's create a dangerous
    situation.'' And then all of a sudden, lightening struck, or man may
    strike, and these forests that have been not tended to, forests that
    have been ignored, caught on fire and our heritage was destroyed.
        For the sake of good environmental policy, commonsense environmental
    policy, send these two people up there so they can join with us, so we
    can have a forest policy that protects our forest by thinning out the
    dead wood, by making sure kindling doesn't pile up, to prevent forest
    fires from happening in the first place through sound forest management
    practices.
        I look forward to working with these two men to make sure our
    Medicare system works. Medicine has changed, and Medicare hasn't.
    Medicine is modern, got all kinds of new technologies and drugs that
    will help save lives, and Medicare is stuck in the past. For the sake of
    honoring our commitments to our seniors, we need people in Congress with
    whom we can work to make sure Medicare is modern and our seniors have
    got a prescription drug benefit.
        No, there's a lot of things we can work on, a lot of things we can
    work on together to make America a stronger place and a better place.
    One way I can--I believe I can influence America in a positive way is to
    make sure I get some good judges nominated for the Federal bench, the
    kind of judges who apply the law as it's written, not who go on the
    bench to write new laws of their own. And the Senate has got a lousy
    record on my judges. We need to change the Senate for a lot of reasons,
    and one reason is to make sure we've got a sound judiciary. There's no
    question where Wayne Allard stands when it
    comes to good, conservative judges. He's a vote on which I can count.
        There's a lot we can do together to make sure the economy is strong
    and the health care systems work, make sure environmental policy makes
    sense. These two menMembers of
    Congress up here on stage with me are running
    for office, are exactly the right answers for Colorado.
        We've also got to make sure that we are able to continue to do the
    most important job we have, and that's to protect the homeland. See,
    America is still under threat. Oh, we can play like we are aren't. We
    can play like there's not a threat out there, but that's just not the
    way I am. I think we need to have people in Congress and around the
    country who are realistic, see clearly the threats we face. We've got to
    do that. The most important job we have as Government is to protect
    innocent life.
        And the reason why the issue is still alive is because there's an
    enemy lurking around out there that is pretty tough. And they're
    resolute, and they're driven by hatred. They hate what we love. We love
    life. Everybody matters, as far as we're concerned. Everybody is
    precious. They have no regard for innocent life whatsoever. They hate
    the fact that we love freedom. We love our freedom of religion. We love
    our freedom of speech. We love every aspect of freedom, and we're not
    changing. We're not intimidated. As a matter of fact, the more they hate
    our freedoms; the more we love our freedoms.
        And so we've got to do everything we can to protect the homeland.
    We've got to be realistic about the threats we face. See, after
    September the 11th, 2001, it should be evident to all Americans that
    these oceans no longer protect us. A while ago it would be easy to say
    there's a conflict somewhere, and we can pick and choose if we want to
    be involved, or there may be a threat emerging, but we really don't have
    to worry about it that much because we've got oceans to protect us. Now
    we realize that the battlefield is here at home. The battlefields used
    to be elsewhere. They're here at home now, which means the stakes are
    much higher. And when we see a threat, we've got to be realistic about
    the threat, and we've got

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    to be firm in our resolve to deal with threats.
        And there's a true threat which exists in Iraq. Oh, we can hope the
    man changes, but I want you to remember that
    this is a person who has gassed his own people. It's a person who claims
    he has no weapons of mass destruction, in order to escape the dictums of
    the U.N. Security Council and the United Nations, but he's got them.
    See, he'll lie. He'll deceive us. And he'll use them.
        He can't stand America. He can't stand
    our friends and allies. For 11 years he's defied 16 resolutions out of
    the United Nations. You see, 11 years ago, he said he wouldn't have
    weapons of mass destruction. He told the world, ``Fine, I got whipped,
    and I'm not going to have weapons of mass destruction.'' And then he
    defied the U.N., resolution after resolution after resolution. He's a
    threat to America, and he's a threat to our friends. He's even more of a
    threat now that we've learned that he's anxious to have--once again to
    develop a nuclear weapon. He's got connections with Al Qaida.
        And so I went to the United Nations to raise the issue. I went there
    for a couple of reasons. One, I want the United Nations to be effective.
    It seems like to me that, if the new war we fight requires intelligence
    sharing and cutting off the money, then we ought to have a group of
    nations working toward that end. I don't want the United Nations to be
    the League of Nations, but it's their choice to make. They have the
    choice to make, to free--the leaders of the free world have got a choice
    to make as to whether or not Saddam is going
    to be allowed to defy their resolutions and weaken--weaken their
    capacity to keep the peace--their choice.
        And Saddam Hussein has got a choice to
    make too. He can do what he said he would do; he can disarm. The
    Congress debated the issue, members from both parties stated their
    opinion. It was a good, healthy, open debate. And the Congress has now
    joined with the administration to speak with one voice, and here's our
    message. Our message from America is this: If the United Nations does
    not have the will or the courage to disarm Saddam Hussein, and if Saddam
    Hussein will not disarm, for the sake of peace, for the sake of freedom,
    the United States will lead a coalition and disarm Saddam Hussein.
        No, we've got to be realistic. We must be realistic here in America.
    We can't hope for the best. Times have changed. The battlefield is here,
    as we learned so clearly on that fateful day. And they're still out
    there. The poor souls of--in Indonesia who lost their lives are an
    example of what I'm talking about. These people are coldblooded killers.
        But you've got to know there's a lot of good people working hard
    here at home to protect you, people at the Federal level and at the
    State level, the local level, people working overtime to run down any
    hint or to chase down any lead so we can deny, disrupt any plans. We get
    a hint; I'm telling you, we're moving on it. We're doing everything we
    can. See, we are on alert. We're now aware of the realities we face.
        But we can do a better job, and that's why I asked Congress to join
    me in the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, so we can
    better coordinate amongst the agencies involved with the with securing
    the homeland, so we can set the homeland security as the priority, if
    need be change cultures, so we've got people all headed in the same
    direction, which is your protection. And the House of Representatives
    passed a good bill. But it's stuck in the Senate. They couldn't get it
    out of the Senate. They're trying to extract too high a price from me.
        For 40 years, Presidents have had the ability to suspend collective
    bargaining rules in any Department when the national security is at
    stake. For 40 years, since John Kennedy, Presidents have had that power.
    And now the Senate, in a time of war, wants to take that power away from
    me.

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    I'll have that power in the Agriculture Department but not in the
    Department of Homeland Security. And I'm not going to accept a lousy
    bill from the Senate. And I want to thank Wayne Allard for his support. I know where he stands.
        The best way, however, to secure our homeland, the best way to make
    sure we defend our freedoms and fulfill our obligations to our children
    is to hunt these killers down, one at a time, and bring them to justice,
    which is exactly what we're going to do. It's going to take a while.
    It's not an easy lift. It's going to take a while. This isn't one of
    these instant gratification deals. This is going to take a while to get
    it done.
        The Congress responded to my budget request for the largest increase
    in defense spending since Ronald Reagan was the President. I want to
    thank them for that. I signed that the other day in the Rose Garden. And
    we signed that--I asked for that amount of money for two reasons. One,
    anytime this country commits our troops into harm's way, they deserve
    the best pay, the best training, and the best possible equipment. We owe
    that to our troops, and we owe that to the loved ones of our troops. And
    for all the loved ones of our troops out there, I want to thank you for
    your sacrifices, and you tell your son, daughter, grandson,
    granddaughter, however he or she is related to you, that the Commander
    in Chief is confident in their capacity and proud of their service to
    the United States of America.
        And the other message we're sending loud and clear, that defense
    bill sends this message loud and clear to friend and foe alike, that
    we're in this deal for the long haul. There is not a calendar on my desk
    in the Oval Office that says by such-and-such a date, you quit. That's
    just--that's not the way I think. That's not the way most Americans
    think, because they understand freedom is precious and they understand
    the stakes. They can see clearly that the battleground has shifted, and
    we have an obligation and a duty for future generations of America to
    stay the course. And that's exactly what we're going to do.
        The doctrine that says, ``Either you're with us, or you're with the
    enemy,'' it still stands too. And we're making progress at dismantling
    the terrorist organization. We've hauled in a couple of thousand. One by
    one, we're finding them and bringing them to justice; like number were
    not as lucky. In either case, the sum total is, they're not a problem to
    the United States or our friends and allies anymore.
        The other day, one of them popped his head up. See, these are the
    kinds of people that hide in caves. They don't fly airplanes like the
    one I used to fly, the 102, or they don't sit in tanks. They hide in
    caves, and they send their youngsters to their suicidal deaths. And so
    you've got to treat this like a manhunt. One time, a guy the other day
    named bin al-Shibh, who was going to be
    the twentieth hijacker, he popped his head up, and he's not a problem
    anymore. We've got a lot of good people chasing them down, a lot of good
    people. Sometimes you'll see about it, read about it, or see it on TV,
    and sometimes you're just not going to see it. But you've got to know
    the manhunt is on, and it doesn't matter how long it takes, doesn't
    matter how long it takes. I like our chances better than theirs. We've
    got a fabulous military, and we've got a great resolve.
        I can't imagine what was going through their mind. They must have
    thought our religion was materialism. They must have thought we were so
    self-centered and so absorbed with our own kind of shallow materialism
    that all we would do after September the 11th was file a lawsuit.
    [Laughter] They just didn't understand, and they're going to pay a dear
    price for doing what they did to America.
        You see, this great country--this country understands what's at
    stake. This country is strong. This country is resolved. And by being
    strong and by being resolved, there's going to be some incredible good
    come out of the evil done to America, starting

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    with peace. Amidst all the talk you're hearing, you've got to understand
    my vision is for a peaceful world.
        Oh, I understand the stakes; I see the risks. But the dream--and
    it's an achievable dream--is for the world to be peaceful, not only for
    Americans but for people in parts of the world that have quit on peace,
    parts of the world like the Middle East, where they just think peace
    doesn't have a chance. I believe we can achieve peace. I believe this
    Nation can lead the world to a peaceful world.
        We're going to have to be strong. We're going to have to be tough at
    times. And we've always got to remember the value we hold most dear,
    freedom, is not an American-created value. It's a God-given value that
    applies to everybody around the world. No, we can achieve a peaceful
    world, and also at home we can achieve a more compassionate world as
    well.
        The evil done to America caused a lot of good folks to take a step
    back, to kind of take an inventory of that which is important in their
    lives. A lot of good folks took a step back and said, ``How can I best
    serve my country? What can I do? What can I do to help fight evil?'' And
    the answer is, if you really want to help, love your neighbor just like
    you'd like to be loved yourself.
        See, Government can hand out money, and we can do things. We'll work
    hard on education matters. We'll work hard to make sure the Medicare
    system works. And Government can pass money out. Sometimes we do a
    pretty good job of it. [Laughter] But what it cannot do is put hope in
    people's hearts or sense of purpose in people's lives.
        The best way to convert the evil done to America to some good is to
    recognize there's pockets of despair and hopelessness in America.
    There's loneliness. There's addiction. There are people who hurt in our
    midst. And so long as some of us hurt, we all hurt. And the best way to
    cure that loneliness and hurt is for a fellow American to put their arm
    around somebody in need and say, ``I love you. What can I do to help
    you?''
        You see, the enemy had no idea who they were hitting. They didn't
    understand America like I do and you do. This is a country full of
    people that are decent and honorable, people who learned the lesson of
    Flight 93. That was the lesson of people who were flying across the
    country. They heard the plane was going to be used as a weapon. They
    told their loved ones goodbye. They said a prayer. One guy said, ``Let's
    roll.'' They took the plane into the ground to serve something greater
    than themselves.
        No, the American spirit of sacrifice and service and compassion and
    love is alive and strong. And therefore, I boldly predict that out of
    the evil done to America will not only come a more peaceful world, but
    out of the evil done to America will be a more compassionate America,
    where the great hope of this country, the great vibrancy of the American
    Dream, will be alive and well in every corner, in every neighborhood
    here in America. I'm an optimistic fellow because I understand that
    America is the greatest country, full of the finest people on the face
    of this Earth.
        Thank you for coming. May God bless you, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:40 p.m. at the Wings Over the Rockies
    Air and Space Museum. In his remarks, he referred to Joan Allard, wife
    of Senator Wayne Allard; Gov. Bill Owens of Colorado, and his wife,
    Frances; Marilyn Musgrave, candidate for Colorado's Fourth Congressional
    District; Ken Chlouber, candidate for Colorado's First Congressional
    District; 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.