    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [October 22, 2002]
    [Pages 1861-1867]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1861]]

    Remarks in Bangor, Maine
    October 22, 2002

        The President. Thanks a lot for coming. Thank you all.
        Audience member. We love you, George!
        The President. I'm glad I came. Thank you.
        Congressman, thank you for that kind
    introduction.
        I'm here for a couple of reasons. One, I always like to come to
    Maine. Sometimes I come to get instructions from my mother. [Laughter]
    Every time I come, I've enjoyed being here. It's a beautiful place. I
    thank you for your hospitality. I thank you all for coming out. I thank
    you for your deep concern for our country, and thanks for your
    participation in the political process.
        I'm here because there's no question in my mind, Kevin Raye will make a great United States Congressman. I'm here
    because I have learned a lot about Susan Collins. There is no doubt in my mind, she is a great United States
    Senator. And for the sake of Maine and for the sake of the United
    States, you need to send her back to the Senate. I'm here because I
    firmly believe that Peter Cianchette will
    make a great Governor for Maine.
        I am here because I want to talk about how we can work together to
    make America a safer, a stronger, and a better country. I mean a safer
    and stronger and better country for Republicans, for Democrats, for
    people who don't give a hoot about politics.
        First, I want to apologize and tell you, you drew the short straw.
    Laura was tied up--[laughter]--so you got stuck
    with me. I want to tell you, she's doing great. Many of you have--some
    of you have told me, I bet many of you feel this way, that you say
    prayers for Laura and me and the family. I want to thank you from the
    bottom of our heart for that. It means a lot. And we're doing well.
        You know, when I married Laura she was a
    public school librarian.
        Audience member. Oh, yeah!
        The President. There's always one in every crowd--[laughter]--a
    special breed, I might add. She didn't like
    politics, wasn't too keen on politicians either. [Laughter] Now here she
    is, the First Lady of the United States and a fabulous one at that.
    She's calm. She's steady. She's got a great smile. She cares deeply
    about our children. The people of the country now understand why I asked
    her to marry me. A lot of them are wondering why she said yes.
    [Laughter]
        But she sends her best, as do I, as do I to
    not only Susan Collins but to a really fine
    lady who represents Maine, a United States Senator who's got a lot of
    class, a lot of wisdom, a lot of power, somebody with whom I enjoy
    working, somebody who is making a difference for America, and that is
    Olympia Snowe.
        We've got a man up here who wants to be one of my mother and dad's
    Congressmen. He's got him one in Houston, and he's got one in Maine, and
    he hopes to have a new one. And the guy's name is Steven Joyce, running for the U.S. Congress. My only advice, Steven,
    is that when you win, you make sure you answer their mail.
        I'm so proud to be here with Kathy Watson,
    who is the chairman of the Republican Party for Maine; Jan
    Staples, who is the national committeewoman for
    Maine. I want to thank our high school choir and high school band who
    are here today.
        But most of all, I want to thank you all for coming. I want to thank
    the grassroots activists who are here. I want to thank the people who
    take time, who work hard to make sure that the democracy is strong. I
    want to thank you very much for your efforts on behalf of all
    candidates. I want to thank you for what you have done. I want to thank
    you for what you're going

    [[Page 1862]]

    to do, and that is to turn out the votes for these candidates on
    November the 5th.
        When I say that I understand Susan Collins, I do. I've worked closely with her. I've worked with her
    on key issues that face the country. There was no stronger supporter for
    the No Child Left Behind Act than Susan Collins. You see, we passed a
    meaningful piece of education reform. I want to describe to you right
    quick the key ingredients on this piece of legislation, and you'll
    understand why I'm so proud of the work that she did, along with
    Olympia.
        First of all, the bill challenges what I call the soft bigotry of
    low expectations. You see, what we understand is, if you have low
    standards and low expectations, you're going to get lousy results in our
    schools. We must have a system that sets the highest of high standards.
    You must believe every child can learn. But also we believe you've got
    to trust the local people. See, we understand the people of Maine are
    more competent in charting the path for excellence than the people in
    Washington, DC, are for the Maine children.
        One of the key components of the No Child Left Behind legislation is
    what we call the Reading First Initiative. Susan Collins was instrumental in helping to write that part of the law.
    It tripled the amount of money available for reading programs. But as
    importantly, it said we must base our reading programs on what works,
    not what sounds good, that there is a science to teaching children how
    to read, and that all across the country we must dedicate ourselves to
    making sure that we challenge that soft bigotry of low expectations by
    insisting that every single child in America becomes a good reader.
        I thank Susan Collins for her
    leadership on that issue. Not only--not only did we insist upon high
    standards and local control of schools, we increased the amount of money
    available for education, the largest expenditure of Federal dollars and
    education ever. There's $200 million of Federal monies coming to Maine
    this year.
        But we also said, ``In return for receiving this new money, we
    expect you to deliver results. In return for money, we want to know
    whether or not our children are learning to read and write and add and
    subtract.'' And when we find out they are, we'll praise the teachers.
    And for those of you who are teachers out there, thank you, on behalf of
    our collective hearts. It's a noble profession.
        But the reason we have demanded accountability is because we want no
    child left behind. When we find our children trapped in schools which
    will not teach and schools which will not change, we better have the
    courage to challenge the status quo. Every child counts in America, and
    no child should be left behind.
        Now, I appreciate Susan a lot. She has
    delivered on behalf of Maine, and she has delivered on behalf of the
    country. I also appreciate her working on Medicare. You see, medicine
    has changed, and Medicare hasn't. Medicare is modern--medicine is
    modern, and Medicare is stuck in the past. It needs to be changed. We
    need to make sure there is a prescription drug program for our seniors.
    Susan Collins can get the job done on behalf of Maine, people in Maine.
        I like to say when you find a good one, you've got to send them back
    to office, and you've found a good one in Susan Collins. I'm proud to call her friend, and I hope you're proud to
    call her United States Senator.
        I'm also proud to be here for Kevin Raye.
    He's going to make a fine Congressman if for no other reason than he
    worked for Olympia Snowe for all these
    years. I appreciate his strong principles. I appreciate his good
    judgment. I appreciate his independent spirit. I appreciate his common
    sense. I look forward to working with him on doing what's right for
    Maine and doing what's right for America.

    [[Page 1863]]

        He knows what I know: There's too much name
    calling in Washington, DC; there's too much finger-pointing; there's too
    much zero-sum politics. This is a man who's going to bring dignity to
    the office. He'll work with both Republicans and Democrats to get the
    job done. He's no-nonsense. He's also clear-eyed. He understands the
    threat the United States faces. He's not going to be one of these folks
    that is naive about the threats we face. I need somebody in Congress
    with whom I can work to make sure that we do the job of keeping America
    safe and strong, and that person is Congressman Kevin Raye.
        And finally, you'd better get you a Governor with whom we can work
    on this education reform, somebody who's got one special interest in
    mind, and that's the children--somebody who cares deeply about the
    children of the State, and that Governor is going to be Peter
    Cianchette.
        He knows what I know: Education is to a
    State what national defense is to the Federal Government. The number one
    priority of any Governor must be the education of every single child. I
    know he will challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. I know
    he'll work with the teachers. I know he believes in local control of
    schools. I know he'll work with parents. And most importantly, I know
    he'll challenge failure when he finds it. Every child matters to Peter,
    and no child will be left behind.
        No, I want to thank you all for coming today to give me a chance to
    tout these candidates. Again, I urge you to make sure you work hard to
    turn out the vote. They're counting on you. They're counting on you to
    go to the coffee shops. They're counting on you to go to the community
    centers. They're counting on you to talk it up, and make sure when you
    talk it up, just don't talk it up to Republicans. There's a lot of
    Democrats who are wise enough to vote for these candidates. And make
    sure you talk it up with independents and people who don't care. Turn
    them out to the polls. It's an important election, and we need these
    candidates to win.
        We've got some big challenges ahead of this country. That's why I've
    taken a keen interest in these elections. I look forward to having a
    Congress with which I can work to meet the challenges facing America.
    And we've got some big challenges. It doesn't matter how big they are,
    as far as I'm concerned, though. See, there's nothing we can't
    accomplish in this country. This is the greatest country on the--finest
    country on the face of the Earth, no doubt in my mind.
        One of the challenges we have is to make sure people can find work.
    Anytime somebody is looking for a job and can't find work means we've
    got a problem. The foundations for growth are strong: interest rates
    low; inflation is low. We've got the highest productivity in the world
    amongst our workers and our farmers and our ranchers. No, we're strong
    in America. But still too many people can't find a job. So I look
    forward to working with Congress to expand jobs opportunities.
        And there's some things we can do, starting with making sure people
    have got more money in their pocket. See, here's the textbook I've read
    from. It says, if you let a man or woman have more of her own money or
    his own money, they're going to demand a good or a service. And when
    they demand a good or a service in the marketplace, somebody is going to
    produce the good or service. And when somebody produces that good or
    service, somebody is more likely to find work. That tax relief plan we
    passed was good for the American economy.
        As a matter of fact, over the next 10 years, that tax relief plan
    will mean over $5 billion for Maine residents. That's 5 billion
    additional dollars of your own money that you will be able to choose how
    to spend, $5 billion that you can use to invigorate the economy.
        But the problem is, some in Washington don't see it that way. Some
    in Washington

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    want this tax relief plan not to be permanent. Some in Washington want
    this tax relief plan to go away. It doesn't make any sense. Either you
    trust the Government, or you trust the people--we trust the people.
        I look forward to working with Congress to make sure we get a
    terrorism insurance package that rewards hardhats and not trial lawyers,
    that gets our construction people back to work. I look forward to having
    an energy bill which encourages alternative uses, renewables, increased
    conservation, but at the same time makes us less dependent on foreign
    sources of crude oil.
        I look forward to working with people like Susan and Olympia and Kevin who understand that when they talk it up in Washington,
    they say, ``The Government's spending the Government's money here, and
    the Government's spending the Government's money there,'' that we
    recognize we're not spending the Government's money. We're spending the
    people's money, and therefore we need to be fiscally sound with the
    people's money.
        Now, there's a lot of things we can do to work together to make this
    economy grow. And I look forward to working with Congress and won't rest
    until people who are looking for work can find work.
        We've got a big job as well to make sure we protect America. I was
    amazed when Kevin told me that in the course of a
    debate, he said one of the two in the race didn't believe we were still
    under a threat. That's just not the case. I wish it were true, but it's
    not true. There's still an enemy out there that's acting. There's still
    an enemy which hates America. They hate America because of what we love.
    We love freedom. We love the fact that people can worship an almighty
    God any way they see fit in America. We love the freedom for people to
    speak their mind. We love a free press. We love every aspect of our
    freedom, and we're not going to change. And therefore, there's an enemy
    out there which hates what we love. And so we've got to do everything we
    can to protect the homeland.
        My most important job is to protect American life, to protect
    innocent life. I mention that because you've got to know something about
    these people we fight. Unlike us, they don't value life. See, we think
    every life is precious. Everybody counts. Everybody matters. We face an
    enemy which has hijacked a great religion and are nothing but a bunch of
    coldblooded killers, and therapy won't work. [Laughter]
        We learned a tough lesson on September the 11th. See, it used to be
    oceans could protect us, and if there was a war on another continent,
    we'd make the choice as to whether or not we would join that war, that
    we were safe and secure as a nation because oceans could keep us safe
    and secure. But the harsh reality of the 21st century came home. Oceans
    no longer protect us. Threats overseas are threats that we must
    recognize here at home and deal with them. That's why I asked the United
    States Congress to have a dialog on Iraq. That's why I asked the
    Congress to seriously consider, along with the administration, as to
    whether or not we should deal with a true threat to our country.
        I want to remind you that we're dealing with a man who has used weapons of mass destruction on his own
    people, on people in his neighborhood. This is a man who has defied the
    United Nations 16 times over an 11-year period. The world has said,
    ``You must do what you said you would do, Saddam Hussein, and that is
    disarm.'' And 16 times the United Nations, over and over and over again,
    has written resolution after resolution, saying, ``Mr. Saddam Hussein,
    you must disarm.'' And he has defied an international body.
        So I gave a speech, and I said to the world, ``For the sake of
    peace, for the sake of peace at home, for the sake of peace in the
    Middle East, for the sake of determining whether or not that
    international body is going to be the League of Nations or the United
    Nations, Saddam Hussein

    [[Page 1865]]

    must disarm, and we expect you, the world, to disarm him''--for the sake
    of peace, for the sake of security for our country. It's his choice to
    make. ``You said you would disarm, disarm. The United Nations has asked
    you to disarm.'' They need to work together to disarm. But my fellow
    Americans, if they won't act, and if Saddam Hussein won't act, for the
    sake of peace, for the sake of our security, we will lead a coalition to
    disarm that man.
        And so we face true threats at home. And I went to Congress to ask
    them to join me in the creation of a Department of Homeland Security. I
    did so because I wanted to take the agencies involved with securing our
    homeland and put them under one Cabinet Secretary, so we can set clear
    priorities, the priorities to protect you, the priorities to do
    everything we can to protect you. And therefore, I thought it would be
    wise for us to have a Department of Homeland Security so we could better
    coordinate, better facilitate, better prioritize, if need be, change
    cultures within agencies, so this becomes the primary focus of a lot of
    good people who are working on your behalf.
        And by the way, there are a lot of good people working on your
    behalf. We understand the stakes now. We see the reality clearly. We
    know there's an enemy lurking around. We're aware of Bali, Indonesia,
    where people just--innocent lives were just destroyed as a result of
    these coldblooded killers. We know the stakes. People are working hard
    on your behalf. Anytime we're getting a hint, anytime we're getting a
    scintilla of evidence, anytime we think somebody is fixing to do
    something to the American people, we're moving; we're disrupting; we're
    denying. We're doing everything we can.
        But we can be more effective, and that's why I asked Congress to
    join me in the creation of a homeland defense, department of homeland
    defense. The House acted, and the United States Senate is stuck. And
    it's not because of the two U.S. Senators on this stage, I might add.
    They're struggling in the Senate because of special interests. They're
    struggling because they're trying to get me to pay a price for a
    homeland security bill. And I want to describe the price that they want
    me to pay.
        Every President since John Kennedy has had the ability to act in the
    interests of the country for national security purposes. Every President
    has had the capacity to suspend some labor rules if those rules get in
    the way of national security concerns. Listen, I strongly support the
    right for people to bargain collectively, if they choose to do so. But I
    also am going to hold dear to that right Presidents have had to be able
    to suspend some work rules for the sake of national security.
        I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about. After September
    the 11th, the Customs Service wanted to quickly assign its best, most
    qualified inspectors to the northern border. See, we were worried about
    our borders. We're still worried about our borders. We need to know
    who's coming into the country, what they're bringing into the country,
    and if they're leaving the country when they say they're going to leave
    the country. That's what we want to know. So we wanted to move the best
    inspectors up there. But the leaders representing this part of the
    workforce said, ``No way. See, we're not going to let you do that. You
    have to bargain over these assignments.''
        Now, that's not right. We asked inspectors to wear radiological
    detection devices so that they may be able to sniff out a weapon of mass
    destruction. They said, ``No. No, we've got to have collective
    bargaining over that.'' It took us 4 months of negotiations with the
    head of the union to be able to get that done.
        Now, see, I need the right to be able to put the right people at the
    right place at the right time to protect America. And I'm not changing,
    because I understand what's at stake. What's at stake--we've got to make
    sure we do it right, to make sure that this President and future
    Presidents

    [[Page 1866]]

    can protect the homeland. And I say ``future Presidents'' because in my
    judgment, this deal isn't ending anytime soon--that even though we're
    making progress, we still have got a long way to go.
        And I want to remind you all that the best way to protect the
    homeland is to hunt the killers down, one person at a time, and bring
    them to justice. And that's what this country is going to do. And we're
    making progress. In the old days, you know, you could measure progress
    based upon the number of tanks you destroyed, or whether or not
    somebody's navy had fewer ships, or whether or not the air force wasn't
    able to fly. But this is a different kind of war, see. We're facing
    these kind of people that hide in caves or move around in the dark
    corners of some of these cities in the world; they send youngsters to
    their suicidal deaths. It's a different kind of war.
        But we're making progress. The doctrine that says, ``Either you're
    with us or the enemy''--it still stands. There's a lot of good people
    around the world working hard too. We've hauled in a couple of thousand;
    like number weren't as lucky. None of them are a threat anymore. The
    other day, a guy named bin al-Shibh
    popped his head up. You don't have to worry about him. He was the man
    who wanted to be the 20th hijacker. He was lurking around Pakistan,
    figuring out a way how to hurt America again. And we found him, and he's
    now in custody.
        Slowly but surely, we're dismantling the Al Qaida terrorist
    network--slowly but surely. And as we do so, we're spreading freedom. I
    want you to remind your kids and any other child you come in contact
    with that amongst all this war talk, that this great country never has
    conquered anybody. We're liberators. Thanks to the United States and our
    friends and allies, many young girls go to school for the first time in
    Afghanistan. We will never be conquerors. We believe in freedom. See,
    when I say, ``Every life counts; everybody has worth; every individual
    matters,'' I don't mean just Americans. I believe that way for
    everybody. I believe freedom is universal. It's just not an American
    ideal; it's a God-given ideal. It's a universal ideal, and we love
    freedom in America.
        Tomorrow I'm going to sign a defense appropriations bill. I want to
    thank Senator Snowe and Senator
    Collins for working on that bill and
    getting it to my desk. It's the largest increase in defense spending
    since President Reagan was the President. I'm going to tell you the two
    reasons why. Anytime the United States of America sends our youngsters
    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 one of our troops--you loved ones out there of your troops.
    I've got great confidence in the United States military. I have great
    confidence in the ability of our United States military. I'm incredibly
    proud of those who wear our uniforms.
        And the second reason the defense bill had the size it did, it sends
    a message to friend and foe alike: It doesn't matter how long it takes
    to defend freedom; we'll do it. There's no calendar on my desk that
    says, by such-and-such a date we're going to have to haul the troops
    home; such-and-such a date we're going to quit. That's not the way
    America thinks. That's certainly not the way I think. We love peace, and
    we love freedom, and it doesn't matter how long it takes to secure both.
        History has called us into action. History has called us to action.
    We have a duty to future generations of Americans to make this land
    secure. That's an obligation we have. It's an obligation we won't--from
    which we will not shirk.
        I can't imagine what was going through the minds of the killers when
    they hit America. Oh, they must have thought we were so materialistic
    and selfish, so self-absorbed that after September the 11th, we'd file a
    lawsuit or two. [Laughter] They didn't understand. They just didn't get
    it.

    [[Page 1867]]

    They don't understand that this great Nation will defend that which we
    love. They don't understand that as a nation we see opportunity out of
    the midst of the terrible evil.
        See, I do believe this: I believe the stronger we are, the more
    resolved we are, the more clear-sighted we are, the more likely it is
    we'll not only achieve peace for ourselves, but we can achieve peace in
    the Middle East. We can achieve peace in South Asia. No, out of the evil
    done to this great country can come incredible good. I truly believe
    that staying the course, speaking clearly, fighting terror where it
    exists, spreading freedom in a humble way, we can achieve peace.
        And I also know here at home that we can achieve a better America,
    and Government can help. We talked about education initiatives and
    health initiatives. There's a lot of ways Government can help. But we've
    got to remember that Government can hand out money, but what it can't do
    is put hope in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives.
    In order to eradicate the pockets of despair and loneliness and
    hopelessness which exist in this great land, which has got to be a
    national cause, we want everybody in this country to recognize and
    realize the great promise of America. See, when one of us hurts, we all
    hurt. In order to eradicate those pockets of despair, we must love a
    neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourselves. Each of us can make
    a difference in making sure the American experience is available to all.
    Each of us can love a neighbor like we'd like to be loved ourselves.
        America can and will change--one conscience, one heart, one soul at
    a time. Not one person can do everything, but each of you can be
    somebody doing that something to make America a better place. Mentor a
    child. Feed the hungry. Find shelter for the homeless. No, the enemy hit
    us, but they didn't know who they were hitting. The enemy hit us, and
    out of the evil done to America is going to come some incredible good.
        There's no doubt in my mind we will be a better society, a more
    decent society, a society in which we understand that being a patriot
    means more than just putting your hand over your heart. Being a patriot
    means helping somebody in need. Being a patriot means serving a cause
    greater than yourself.
        No, they hit us, and out of the evil done to America is going to
    come a more peaceful world, a more--better America, no doubt in my mind,
    because this is the greatest country, full of the finest people on the
    face of the Earth.
        Thank you for coming. May God bless you all, and may God bless
    America.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:26 p.m. in Hangar 12 at Bangor
    International Airport. In his remarks, he referred to Kevin Raye,
    candidate for Maine's Second Congressional District, who introduced the
    President; Steven Joyce, candidate for Maine'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.