    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [October 2, 2002]
    [Pages 1708-1715]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Reception for Gubernatorial Candidate Robert L. Ehrlich,
    Jr., in Baltimore, Maryland
    October 2, 2002

        The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks. The reason this is
    such a successful event is because people know that Bob Ehrlich will
    make a great Governor for Maryland. I believe it, and that's why I'm
    here. I believe that's the reason why Democrats and Republicans support
    this good man--because he's honest, he's hard-working, and he's got a
    positive vision for everybody who lives in the State of Maryland.
        I'm here because this man is somebody who wants to unite this State,
    not divide it. And I'm here because he married well.

    [[Page 1709]]

    I appreciate Kendel, and I know Bob does as
    well. And I want you to know, I appreciate Laura,
    too. She's sorry she can't be here tonight. She is--you know, when I
    married her, she was a public school librarian. She was living in Texas,
    and so was I. The truth of the matter is she didn't like politics then.
    [Laughter] And she wasn't too fond of politicians either. [Laughter] And
    here she is, married to me. [Laughter]
        But people, as they've gotten to know Laura,
    now know the reason why I asked her to marry me. She's really a fine,
    fine lady. A lot of her buddies are wondering why she said yes.
    [Laughter] But she does send her best and sends all her support to the
    Ehrlichs and wishes them all the best and joins me in urging the people
    of Maryland to give this good man a chance to be the Governor of this
    important State.
        I have known the next Lieutenant Governor for a while. He's a good,
    solid citizen of the State of Maryland. He'll work well with Bob. It is
    an honor to be on the podium with the next Lieutenant Governor of the
    State of Maryland, Michael Steele. And I
    had the honor of meeting his good wife, Andrea, and I appreciate Andrea standing by her man during
    this tough campaign here. Campaigns are hard. They're not easy on a
    family. But I appreciate--I appreciate her joining Michael in this race.
        I'm honored to be back with former Congressman, soon-to-be
    Congresswoman Helen Bentley. I figure that
    when she wins, she'll be telling me what to do. [Laughter] And those of
    you know, who know Helen, know that I'd better listen. [Laughter] It's
    great to see Helen. I love her spirit. I know she's going to win.
        I'm also proud to be here with Ellen Sauerbrey, who's the national committeewoman. I want to thank
    Chairman Louis Pope of the Republican Party. I
    want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. I want to thank
    you for----
        Audience member. [Inaudible] [Laughter]
        The President. I didn't ask for any speeches; I just said--
    [laughter]. Okay, let me tell you what you're going to have to do then.
    [Laughter] I want to thank you for what you're going to do, which is to
    turn out the vote.
        Listen, a lot of you never get thanked enough. I'm thanking you. I'm
    thanking you for dialing the phones and putting up the signs and for
    mailing the letters. I'm thanking you for going to your community
    centers and your coffee shops. I'm thanking you for supporting this
    ticket ahead of time, because they need your help, and they want your
    work. You've got to talk it up between now and election day. And you've
    got to find those Ehrlich voters and make sure they go to the polls, and
    this man will be your next Governor.
        And there's some reasons why. You need somebody who can manage your
    government, somebody who knows how to balance the books without raising
    the taxes on the taxpayers--that's what you need. You need somebody who
    can make a tough decision who doesn't need a poll or a focus group to
    tell him how to think, somebody who stands on principle, somebody who
    will do in office what he says he will do. And when he says he won't
    raise your taxes, he won't raise your taxes.
        I appreciate the fact that Governor Ehrlich will set education as
    the number one priority for this State. The way I used to put it when I
    was a Governor, I said, ``Education is to a State what national defense
    is to the Federal Government.'' Education has got to be the number one
    priority of your Governor, and it will be Bob's number one priority. We
    share the same philosophy. It says, ``Every child can learn.'' That's
    what we believe. See, that's important to have in your Governor's
    office, somebody who's willing to challenge the soft bigotry of low
    expectations.
        You see, if you lower standards, if you lower the bar, you're going
    go get lousy results. And that's not fair for the children. Governor
    Ehrlich will raise the standards.

    [[Page 1710]]

    He'll trust the local people to manage their way to excellence. But he
    and I agree on this, and that is, we've got to know. See, as a society,
    we've got to measure to determine whether or not our children are
    learning to read and write and add and subtract. It is essential that
    you have a Governor who is strong on accountability.
        You see, if you believe every child can learn, then you're willing
    to measure. If you believe certain children can't learn, then you don't
    care, and you don't measure. But in order to make sure no child gets
    left behind in the State of Maryland, you must have a Governor who uses
    the accountability system to praise those teachers and principals who
    succeed on behalf of the children but also someone who is willing to
    challenge the schools which will not teach and will not change. Bob
    Ehrlich will be a Governor who will make sure that no child is left
    behind in the State of Maryland.
        The job of a Governor is to create an environment in which people
    can find work and the economy grows. That's why he is insistent upon
    infrastructure, to be wise about the use of taxpayers' money, to expand
    the asset base which will encourage private sector growth. I love his
    vision about the Port of Baltimore and the Baltimore/Washington
    International Airport. He understands job creation. See, that's what he
    knows. And it's important to have somebody in the Governor's office who
    understands how jobs are created.
        The role of Government isn't to create wealth. The role of
    Government is to create an environment in which the entrepreneur can
    realize his or her dreams, in which small businesses can grow to be big
    businesses. That's the kind of Governor you need.
        He'll be effective. He's smart. He's compassionate, and his record
    speaks to his compassion. He worked for tax credits for parents who
    adopt children. He worked hard to make sure there's equal health
    insurance benefits for the mentally ill. He works to have increased
    access to individuals in the workplace who may be disabled. See, that's
    the kind of Governor you want. You want somebody who's tough when it
    comes to the budget, making sure that it's balanced but compassionate
    when it comes to helping people who need help.
        There's no question in my mind that this man, when elected, will
    make Maryland a safer and stronger and better place for every citizen
    who lives in this State. And my job as the President is to make sure
    America is a safer and stronger and better country. A strong country is
    one in which people can find work. Anytime somebody is looking for work
    and they can't find work in America, I think we have a problem. And
    we've got to do everything we can at the Federal level to make sure our
    economy grows.
        I worry about people who have lost value in their 401(k)s. I worry
    about people looking for work who can't find work. I worry about
    uncertainty.
        We're beginning to make progress because the foundations for growth
    are strong. Interest rates are low. Inflation is down. The productivity
    of the American worker is the highest and best in the world. We've got a
    lot of strong things going for us.
        For a while there was a kind of an overhang in our economy because
    we had some of our citizens who thought they could fudge the books, who
    forgot what it means to be a responsible citizen, who got caught up in
    money, not in responsibility. I had the honor of signing, and Bob voted
    for, the most significant corporate reform since Franklin Roosevelt was
    the President. Our message to corporate America, to those citizens who
    think they can cheat, is, ``Those days are over with.''
        When I first came in, I was aware that the economy was dragging. And
    that's why I worked with Congressman Ehrlich and others to pass a
    significant tax cut, because I took a page out of this economic
    textbook. The page said if you let a person

    [[Page 1711]]

    keep more of their own money--and notice I said more of their own money;
    it's not the Government's money, it's your money--if you keep more of
    your own money, if you have more money in your pocket, you're going to
    demand a good or a service. And when you demand a good or a service, in
    this marketplace economy, somebody's going to produce the good or a
    service. And when somebody produces the good or a service, somebody is
    more likely to find work. If you're interested in creating more jobs,
    you let people keep more of their own money. The tax cuts came at the
    exact right time in American economic history.
        We slashed the marriage penalty. We believe that the Tax Code ought
    to encourage families and encourage marriage, not discourage families
    and marriage. And we did something else to help the entrepreneur and the
    farmer and the rancher, and that is we put the death tax on the way to
    extinction.
        But here's the problem; here's the problem--this is kind of hard to
    explain. The rules in the Senate are such that that tax relief plan that
    we all worked so hard to enact goes away after 10 years. So the Senate
    giveth, and the Senate taketh away. [Laughter] For the sake of job
    creation, for the sake of economic expansion, for the sake of those who
    want to find work-- the Congress needs to make the tax cuts permanent.
        I worry about hardhats trying to find work. I worry about that. And
    so--I met, I guess it was yesterday--time flies up there--[laughter]--
    but I met yesterday with Members of the House and Senate, both parties,
    to urge them to pass a terrorism insurance bill.
        There's over $15 billion worth of projects, construction projects,
    which are not going forward because people can't get terrorism
    insurance. And for the sake of economic vitality, for the sake of job
    creation, for the sake of hardhats--they need to get together and get a
    bill: a bill, by the way, which does not reward trial lawyers and does
    reward working people in America. I want to assure you, we will not rest
    until people can find work. And I look forward to working with ways to
    create the environment for economic expansion. I want to work to make
    America more confident about our future.
        One way to make sure that Americans are more confident about the
    future and availability of capital is to make sure Congress does not
    overspend. And we have a problem in Washington, right around the corner
    from here. Every idea sounds like a brilliant idea. [Laughter] The
    problem is, they've all got billions of dollars attached to them as
    price tags. There is no budget in the United States Senate. They
    couldn't pass a budget. You can imagine what that means. It means that
    there is the tendency to overspend.
        For the sake of economic vitality, for the sake of making sure
    people can find work, the Congress must fund our priorities and not
    overspend the people's money. We must be fiscally sound in Washington,
    DC, if we want our economy to grow.
        A stronger America is one in which people can find work. And while
    I'm optimistic about our future, while I understand the spirit of the--
    the entrepreneurial spirit is strong, we've got work to do. We've got
    work to do on the economy. And we've also got work to do to make sure
    America is a safer place.
        Economic vitality and growth are a really important part of my job
    and what's on my mind, but nothing more on my mind than protecting the
    American people. That's my most important job now, is to make sure that
    the enemy doesn't hit us again. And they're still out there. They're out
    there because of what we love and what they hate. They're out there
    because we love freedom. We love the fact that our fellow citizens can
    worship an almighty God any way he or she sees fit. We love that, and
    we're never going to relinquish that freedom.

    [[Page 1712]]

        We love our diversity. We love the fact that people can realize
    their dreams in America, regardless of where their mom or dad was born.
    That's what we love. We love the fact that this great country--in this
    great country you can speak your mind freely. We love a free press. We
    love everything about our freedoms. And yet we face an enemy which hates
    freedom. They hate us because of what we love.
        We also value life in America. Everybody's precious. Everybody
    counts. Everybody has worth in this country. And the enemy is nothing
    but a bunch of coldblooded killers who are willing to take innocent life
    in the name of a hijacked religion. And that's who we fight.
        It's a new reality we face; it just is. This is the first war of the
    21st century, but it's a different kind of war. And therefore, I've
    spent a lot of time explaining to the American people how best we can
    keep the peace and what we must do to win this new war. It starts with
    making sure we do everything here at home to organize the agencies
    involved with the defense of the homeland.
        There's over 100 different agencies in Washington, DC, involved with
    your protection. Before September the 11th, none of them really had as
    their number one priority the protection of the homeland. Now they
    should. In order to make sure that we change culture and set priority,
    I've asked Congress to join me in the creation of a Department of
    Homeland Security. Listen, I readily concede my slogan wasn't, ``Vote
    for George. He wants your Government to be bigger.'' That wasn't my
    slogan. My slogan--[laughter]--what I want to have happen is, I want the
    Government to work. I want to be able to better do the job you expect me
    to do. And therefore--and therefore, I call upon the Senate to join the
    House in creating a Department of Homeland Security which enables this
    President and future Presidents to be able to move people to the right
    place at the right time in order to protect America.
        I need the ability to manage the process. I don't need rules and
    regulations. I don't need micromanagement by the legislative branch. The
    House passed a good bill, and now the Senate must do so. They must get
    after it before they go home. I need a good bill, and I won't accept
    anything less. See, this is a chance to leave--for the Congress to leave
    a legacy for future people, future Presidents, future administrations,
    to deal with this real threat we face.
        But I want you to know, and you need to know, there are a lot of
    good folks working hard here in America to protect you; there really
    are. And we're doing a better job. We've got great police and fire, lots
    of FBI agents and CIA agents working hard. Anytime we get any hint about
    something might happen, a scintilla of evidence, we're moving on it; we
    are. We're more responsive. We're more alert. We're disrupting. We're
    making progress, all within the confines of the United States
    Constitution.
        But the best way to protect the homeland, short term and long term,
    is to chase the killers down, one at a time, and bring them to justice.
    This is the kind of war--we don't face people who have got tanks and
    destroyers and bombers. That's a different kind of war. Those are wars
    of the past. This is a war in which we're fighting resourceful,
    determined people who hide in caves or the dark recesses of certain
    cities, and then send youngsters to their suicidal deaths. That's the
    kind of people we fight.
        They are--they are haters, is what they are. And therefore, we're on
    an international manhunt. And we're making progress. That's just what
    you've got to know. Sometimes it's hard to tell; it's hard to measure
    progress. If you're not destroying equipment, it's hard to tell. But we
    have captured over a couple of thousand of them. I say ``we''--the
    doctrine that says, ``Either you're with us, or you're with the enemy,''
    still stands. That doctrine is still

    [[Page 1713]]

    a part of American foreign policy. And so there's a lot of countries
    working with us. We're sharing intelligence. We're disrupting their
    finances, and we're hauling them in. The other day we got the fellow--I
    forgot the guy's name--bin al-Shibh, or whatever his name was. He
    thought he was going to be the 20th hijacker.
        Audience member. Moussaoui.
        The President. No, that wasn't Moussaoui. Bin al-Shibh is the
    guy's name. [Laughter] And he popped his head up, and now he's no longer
    a problem. [Laughter] We're making progress. We're making progress.
    We're working with our friends. We've got a vast coalition of people who
    understand the stakes and understand the nature of the war. I said we
    hauled in a couple of thousand; a like number weren't as lucky. Slowly
    but surely, we're dismantling this particular terrorist network.
        I want to thank those of you who have got loved ones in the United
    States military. I am proud of our military. They're making a huge
    difference. They're brave, brave troops. I sent the largest increase in
    defense spending to Capitol Hill since Ronald Reagan was the President
    up to Congress, because I wanted to send two messages: One, anytime our
    troops go into harm's way, they deserve the best pay, the best training,
    and the best possible equipment; and secondly, the defense spending
    should send a clear message to friend and foe alike that the United
    States of America is in this deal for the long haul, that when it comes
    to the defense of our freedom, when it comes to defending this country,
    there's no timeline until we get it right, that we are--that we will
    stay the course, we will stay--we owe that to our children. We owe it to
    our children and our children's children to defend freedom and to
    protect the homeland.
        It's a new era. We have new responsibilities in many ways--the same
    responsibilities, I guess, but new challenges to uphold those
    responsibilities, because we learned a tough lesson, and that is, oceans
    no longer protect us. It's a different war, with a different
    battlefield. And therefore, we must deal with threats as we see them,
    threats which may in the past have not been so frightening, but now in
    the new era we've got to deal with them, it seems like to me. In order
    to do our duty as Americans and leaders, we've got to defend our country
    and our friends and allies against the real threats that we face.
        And there's a grave threat in Iraq. There just is. This is a
    man who has gassed his own people, used
    weapons of mass destruction on his own citizens. Imagine what his
    intentions will be about a country that loves freedom like we do. This
    is a man who has attacked--and by the way, he used weapons of mass
    destruction in his own neighborhood, too, against countries on his
    border. This is a man who has attacked two countries in 22 years. This
    is a man who kills political dissenters in cold blood. This is a man
    who, 11 years ago, told the world that he would get rid of weapons of
    mass destruction, and yet, for 11 long years, he has defied resolution
    after resolution after resolution after resolution out of the United
    Nations. This is a man who would like nothing more than to team up with
    a terrorist network, a man who could use a terrorist network perhaps to
    use the weapons of mass destruction he's developed--and lies about--to
    harm countries that he can't stand--America, Israel, countries in his
    own--immediately around him.
        And therefore, I thought it was time for us to deal with
    him, for the sake of freedom. So I went to
    the United Nations. And my message to the United Nations was this: We
    want you to succeed as a international body. The world is different. The
    threats are real. We can do a better job if we work together through the
    United Nations, and here's your chance to succeed. You have a choice,
    and the choice is whether you'll be an effective peacekeeping
    organization or whether you'll be like the League of Nations--your
    choice.

    [[Page 1714]]

        I also said to Mr. Saddam Hussein, ``You
    said you would disarm--your choice to disarm.'' Military option is my
    last choice; it's not my first choice. This man should disarm, like he
    said. He should do what he said he would do. The United Nations should
    insist that he does what he said he would do. But for the sake of
    freedom and for the sake of peace, for the sake of a world that doesn't
    fear the world's worst leaders with the first world's weapons--with the
    world's worst weapons, this country will be deliberate, we'll work with
    others, but we will lead a coalition to disarm Saddam Hussein.
        And today I was joined on the steps of the Rose Garden with Members
    of the House and Members of the Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike,
    who have joined with us to pass--the desire to pass a strong statement
    to the world about the resolve and determination of the United States.
    We're going to have a very constructive debate in Congress, and there
    should be. I told them today, I thought the debate that was going on is
    going to be one of the most historic debates ever in the Hall of
    Congress.
        That sentiment was echoed by not only the Speaker but Richard Gephardt,
    who was there, not only Trent Lott but Joe
    Lieberman was there, not only John
    McCain but Democrat Evan Bayh was there. Democrat and Republican alike joined hand-in-
    hand to send a clear message to the world: We love our peace; we want
    the world to be a better and more peaceful place. If the United States
    remains strong and tough and focused, we can achieve peace. We can
    achieve peace here at home. If we speak clearly and renounce terrorism
    and fight terrorism, we can achieve peace in the Middle East; we can
    achieve peace in South Asia.
        No, the enemy hit us. The enemy hit us. But they didn't realize who
    they hit. Oh, they probably thought we'd file a lawsuit or two.
    [Laughter] But they hit a country which loves freedom, a country based
    upon solid values, a country which, when we need to be strong, is
    strong. And we need to be compassionate. We can be compassionate. I
    believe, sincerely believe, that out of the evil done to America can
    come incredible good, starting with peace.
        And I know we can be a better country. I know we can be a better
    country. We can work hard to make sure every child is educated. We can
    make sure to work--work hard to make sure our seniors get quality health
    care. Listen, medicine has changed; Medicare hasn't. Medicare is--
    medicine is modern. Medicare is ancient. For the sake of our seniors,
    let's modernize Medicare with prescription drugs.
        But we must remember, here in America, in spite of our plenty, there
    are pockets of despair--there just are. And there's pockets of
    hopelessness. There's places people are addicted; they're lonely. They
    wonder whether or not the American Dream means anything to them. And my
    attitude is--and I know it's Bob's attitude--so long as one hurt, we all
    hurt. And as a society, we must do everything we can to eradicate those
    pockets of despair.
        Now, listen--Government can hand out money. We're pretty good at it
    at times. [Laughter] But what Government cannot do is put hope in
    people's hearts or love in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in
    people's lives. Government can't do that. That is done when our fellow
    Americans have heard the universal call to love a neighbor just like
    you'd like to be loved yourself.
        If you want to fight evil, do some good. If you want to fight evil,
    if you want to join in the war against terror, if you want to show the
    world what we're made out of--help somebody in need. See, our society
    will change--one heart, one conscience, one soul at a time--when a
    neighbor loves a neighbor in need.
        I look forward to working with Governor Ehrlich to unleash the true
    compassion of each society. I'm a strong proponent of the Faith-Based
    Initiative. I want to unleash

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    the power of love. I want people who go to church and synagogue and
    mosque, if they want to help a person in need, to be empowered by the
    Government to do so. Our Governments must not fear faith. We must
    welcome faith in our society.
        No, the enemy hit us, but they--in doing so, they have awakened a
    great spirit, an American spirit. And I want you all to help move that
    spirit forward. I know many of you already do this--but mentor a child,
    or help somebody in need. Continue doing the charitable works you do to
    help the communities in which you live. It will be a better place for
    all of us.
        One of the reasons I first ran for office is because I wanted to
    challenge the culture of our country, which has said, ``If it feels
    good, just go ahead and do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame
    somebody else.'' My dream was to usher in a period of personal
    responsibility, to be a part of a cultural shift in which each of
    understands we are responsible for the decisions we make in life.
        If you are a mom or a dad, your most important responsibility is to
    love your child with all your heart. You're responsible for helping a
    neighbor in need. You're responsible for the quality of education in the
    community in which you live. If you're running corporate America, you're
    responsible to your employees and shareholders to tell the truth. And
    it's happening.
        The responsibility era is happening in America, probably most
    vividly displayed on Flight 93, when average citizens were flying across
    the country. They learned their plane was going to be used as a weapon--
    imagine. They got on the phone with their loved ones; they used the word
    ``love'' a lot. They said goodbye. They said a prayer. One guy said,
    ``Let's roll.'' They took the plane in the ground to serve something
    greater than themselves in life. I believe that is an important lesson
    for all of us to learn.
        Patriotism is more than putting your hand over your heart.
    Patriotism is serving your Nation. Patriotism is helping people in need.
    Patriotism is loving somebody just like you'd like to be loved yourself.
        No, the enemy hit us. But they didn't know who they were hitting.
    They hit the greatest nation on the face of the Earth, and out of the
    evil done to America is going to come a peaceful world. And out of the
    evil done to America is going to continue to be a hopeful,
    compassionate, decent country.
        I'm optimistic about our future, because I know America. We're the
    finest nation on the face of the Earth, because we're full of the finest
    people.
        May God bless you all, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:39 p.m. in the Constellation Ballroom at
    the Hyatt Regency Baltimore. In his remarks, he referred to Kendel
    Ehrlich, wife of Representative Robert L. Ehrlich; Ellen R. Sauerbrey,
    national committeewoman, and Louis Pope, chairman, Maryland Republican
    Party; President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; 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; and Zacarias Moussaoui,
    an Al Qaida operative who was under indictment for helping to plan the
    September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.