    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [September 27, 2002]
    [Pages 1683-1689]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Rally for Congressional Candidate Rick Renzi in Flagstaff, Arizona
    September 27, 2002

        The President. Thank you all for coming. It's such an honor to be
    here. Well, we're working on the drought. [Laughter] I love the rain.
    Thanks for standing out here. It's such an honor to be here. I
    appreciate you all enduring the weather.
        It is my honor to be here for the next Congressman from this
    district, Rick Renzi. He's a good fellow. He's a good man. He believes
    in family values. After all, he's got 12 kids. I want to thank
    Roberta for standing by him as he takes his
    message to the people, that he works hard to let the people know what's
    in his heart. And he's a good-hearted man. He cares deeply about the
    people of this district. I'm here to endorse his candidacy because I
    think he'll be the

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    right thing for Arizona, and I know he'll do the right thing for
    America.
        I appreciate very much also being here with the next Governor of the
    State of Arizona, Matt Salmon. Matt is a
    commonsense fellow. One thing he understands, that when it comes to
    spending money at the State level, he's not spending the Government's
    money, see; he's spending the people's money. He's from the people. And
    I look forward to working with Matt when he becomes the Governor of this
    great State.
        I'm also honored to be traveling with Senator Jon Kyl. He's a stand-up kind of guy. He is rock-solid. He's
    strong on the defense of our country. And I look forward to continuing
    to work with him to make sure the judicial nominees I send up to the
    United States Senate get a fair hearing.
        I named the other day a great lady from Texas to the bench, named
    Priscilla Owen. But they played politics with
    her nomination. She got the highest ranking of the ABA. She was one of
    the top in her law school classes. But they didn't give her a fair
    hearing. They distorted her record. See, they want judges that use the
    bench from which to legislate. We want judges to strictly interpret the
    Constitution of the United States.
        I appreciate so very much working with Senator John McCain from the State of Arizona. John's a true patriot, a true
    patriot who's standing strong as we try to keep the peace here in the
    world. I appreciate very much being with my friend Jane Dee Hull. I used to be a Governor, and I got to know her as a
    Governor of Texas. I'm proud to call her friend. I'm proud of the job
    she's done for the State of Arizona. Thank you, Jane Dee, for being
    here.
        I want to thank all of you all who care about your community and all
    of you all who are in what we call grassroots politics: the people who
    turn out the vote, the people who make the phone calls, the people who
    go to the coffee shops and tell people the truth about the candidates
    running for office. I want to thank you for your supporting this good
    ticket. And I want to thank you for loving your country.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. I look forward to working with Rick on some important
    issues that matter. One important issue that matters-- we've got to make
    sure we keep our people working. As we work hard to secure the homeland,
    we've also got to remember, a secure America is an America where people
    can find work. So long as somebody who is looking for a job can't find a
    job, I think we have a problem. And so we've always got to keep working
    to expand the job base. We want people being able to put food on the
    table here in America. We want people being able to make a living. And
    that starts with fighting off this slowdown with letting people keep
    more of their own money.
        See, here's the debate that takes place in Washington. The debate
    is, is that either you let people have more of their own money, or you
    don't. If the economy is slow and you let a person keep more of their
    own money, they're likely to spend it. And when they spend it, it means
    they're demanding something. They're demanding a good or a service. And
    when that demand is there, somebody is likely to produce the good or a
    service. And when somebody produces a good or service, guess what's more
    likely to happen. Somebody is going to be able to find a job. The tax
    cuts were important for the American economy. They're important for
    small business. They're important for the entrepreneurs. They're
    important for job creation. We need to make the tax cuts permanent.
        You've got to remember that money we're spending up there in
    Washington isn't the Government's money; like I said, it's the people's
    money. It's your money. We need to make sure we don't overspend. Listen,
    they don't have a budget in the United States Senate--no fault of
    Senator Kyl. They don't have a budget. If you don't

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    have a budget, guess what's likely to happen. Every idea sounds like a
    good idea up there. [Laughter] Those ideas run into the billions. If you
    don't have a budget, it's hard to hold people to account. We need
    fiscally responsible people in Washington, like Rick. We need people who
    will set priorities and make sure we don't overspend your money. A
    deficit will hurt economic vitality. I submitted a budget that shows how
    we can reduce the deficit, how we can get to surplus, but it's going to
    require fiscal sanity in Washington, DC.
        We need a commonsense policy in Washington. And the forest policy of
    the United States is not commonsensical. It doesn't make any sense to
    allow--to not thin our forests. It doesn't make any sense to fight off
    the beetles. It doesn't make any sense not to thin them out. It doesn't
    make any sense to allow kindling to pile up underneath good wood. It
    doesn't make any sense. For the sake of a commonsense environmental
    policy, for the sake of making sure our forests remain healthy in the
    long term, let's get some people like Rick in Washington, DC, with whom
    I can work, to get good forest policy in America.
        I also appreciate being here on behalf of Matt Salmon. Matt's a good, solid man. He's a guy who keeps his word.
    See, he's one of these fellows that said, ``I'm going to run for
    Congress. I'm only going to serve three terms.'' And then when his term
    came up, he said, ``I'm going home.'' That doesn't happen a lot in
    politics. It should happen more, by the way, where people do what they
    say they're going to do, that when they look at the people, they're
    going to do what they say. That's why you can trust him as your
    Governor. When he says he's not going to raise your taxes, he means he's
    not going to raise your taxes.
        I also look forward to working with Matt to make sure that we help
    people who need help. We've got people on welfare in the State of
    Arizona who need help to learn how to work. See, we're getting ready to
    reauthorize the welfare law. And I urge Congress to make sure that as we
    do so, that we keep work as the cornerstone of good welfare policy.
    Helping a man learn to work, helping a lady find a job, helping people
    have the skills necessary to be able to provide for their family is a
    part of making sure somebody has got dignity in their life. And I look
    forward to working with Governor Matt Salmon to
    make sure that the welfare policy of Arizona is a compassionate yet
    conservative welfare policy.
        I want you to know that I am constantly thinking about our economy
    and trying to work with Congress to improve the job base. But my most
    important job is to protect America from another attack. That's my most
    important job, because there's still an enemy out there which hates
    America. And they hate us because of what we love. We love freedom. We
    love the idea that people can worship an almighty God any way they
    choose in America. We good--we value the idea that people are free to
    express their opinions, that we have a free press. We love freedom in
    America. And so long as we love our freedoms, the enemy will hate us.
        But guess what: We're never going to forget our freedoms. We're
    always going to hold those freedoms dear. And so long as we do, the
    enemy will be there. And so we've got to hunt them down, and we've got
    to protect the homeland. There's a lot of good people, a lot of good
    people working hard on your behalf to protect the homeland. Anytime
    we're getting a hint, anytime we get an idea, anytime we get a scintilla
    of evidence that somebody might be thinking about doing something to
    America we're moving on it. And I say, ``We're moving on it''--it's at
    the Federal level and the State level and the local level. Our biggest
    responsibility is to prevent the killers from coming to hurt America
    again.
        And that's why I went to Congress and asked them to join me in
    setting up what they call the Department of Homeland Security. Listen,
    there's over 100 agencies in Washington, DC, that have got something

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    to do with protecting the homeland. That's 100 agencies full of good,
    hard-working people. But they're scattered everywhere. It seemed to make
    sense to me to put them under one umbrella, so that the--we could set
    priorities, so that we could change cultures, if necessary, within the
    agencies, to make the number one priority your protection.
        And we're making progress up there. The House of Representatives
    voted a good bill out, but it seems to be stuck in the Senate, because
    the Senate wants to micromanage the executive branch of Government. The
    Senate wants a thick book of rules on how to defend the homeland.
        And let me just give you some examples. The Customs Service, for
    example, wanted to require its inspectors at our Nation's 301 ports of
    entry to wear radiation detecting devices. See, that made sense. You
    wear a radiation detection device to make sure nobody is trying to bring
    a weapons of mass destruction into America. Yet, the union that
    represents the Customs workers objected. They sought to invoke
    collective bargaining, which would have taken at least a year to solve.
    See, we don't need those kind of rules that bind the executive branch
    from doing what you want us to do, which is to protect the homeland.
        Let me give you another example. Let me give you another example of
    what we're trying to cut out of the new Department--this kind of stuff
    that doesn't make any sense. I know it doesn't make any sense to the
    people of Flagstaff. I can assure you it doesn't make any sense to the
    people of Crawford, Texas, either. [Laughter] In order to locate
    employees in cases of emergency, the Customs Service sought to have
    employees provide their home addresses and telephone numbers to the
    Customs Service. In other words, if we had an emergency, we want to know
    where to call. The union objected and said such a request would violate
    the privacy rights of the workers. Now, that doesn't make any sense.
        Listen, I strongly believe workers ought to be able to join a union
    if that's what they want to do. They ought to be able to have collective
    bargaining rights, if that's what they choose. But for the sake of our
    national security, this President and future Presidents needs the
    flexibility necessary to put the right people at the right place at the
    right time, to protect the American people.
        But the best way to defend the homeland is to hunt the killers down,
    one at a time, and bring them to justice. That's the best way to defend
    this homeland. It's a different kind of war we fight. It's important you
    know that it still goes on, though. It's a different kind of war. In the
    past, people would say, ``Well, we're making progress. We destroyed the
    enemy's tanks,'' or, ``We're making progress if he no longer has any
    ships.'' These people don't have tanks. They don't have ships. They've
    got hate. These leaders are the ones that hide in caves or the dark
    recesses of some cities, and they send youngsters to their suicidal
    death. These are the folks who hijacked a great religion and take
    innocent life without any hesitation. See, they don't value life like we
    do. In America, everybody counts. Every life has worth. Every life is
    precious. That's not the way the enemy thinks. The enemy doesn't care.
    They've got these designs on America, because we love freedom.
        And so we're going to look at every cave we can find. It don't
    matter how long it takes, my fellow Americans. It doesn't matter how
    long it takes; we're going to hunt them down, one by one. We owe it to
    our children, and we owe it to our children's children.
        And we're making progress. The doctrine that says, ``Either you're
    with us, or you're with the enemy,'' still stands. And there's a lot of
    good folks around the world who are working with us, working with us to
    hunt these killers down before they hit us again. We've hauled in over a
    couple thousand of them. As a matter of fact, one

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    of them the other day who wanted to have been the 20th hijacker popped
    his head up, and he's no longer a threat to the United States of America
    or our friends and allies.
        There's a lot of good folks in a lot of nations around the world
    working with us to find these and to bring them to justice. We don't
    seek revenge. We seek justice. About like number hadn't been quite as
    lucky as the ones who have been detained or arrested. So we're making
    progress, slowly but surely--slowly, surely, and methodically. This
    great Nation is doing everything we can to protect our people.
        That's why I've asked Congress for the largest increase in defense
    spending since President Reagan was the President. I did so for two
    reasons: One, anytime we put our youngsters into harm's way, they
    deserve the best pay, the best training, and the best possible
    equipment; and secondly, I wanted to send a message to friend and foe
    alike that we're in this deal for the long haul, that when it comes to
    talking about something we hold dear, our freedom, we're not going to
    quit until we succeed.
        When it comes to defending the homeland, this great Nation--the will
    of this Nation has been aroused by an enemy which inflicted serious,
    serious damage on our people. No, they--when they hit us, they thought
    we might file a lawsuit or two. [Laughter] But they realized they hit a
    mighty nation and a good nation and a decent nation and a nation that
    loves the values that we hold dear. It's going to be some rough sledding
    ahead at times--it really is--in order to defend ourselves. We're
    fighting a resourceful group of people. We're fighting people who know
    no fear.
        We've also got some other tasks, because there are some madmen in
    the world who have got weapons of mass destruction. We've got people who
    torture their own people. If there's dissent, they kill them. They've
    gassed their own people with weapons of mass destruction. The man in
    Iraq has attacked two countries. He lied to
    the world. He's deceived us.
        I went to the United Nations, and I said as clearly as I could: ``In
    order for you to be an effective organization, you must deal with
    him. If you don't, we will lead a coalition
    which will.'' We cannot allow the world's worst leaders--[applause].
    There's no negotiation. There's no discussion. This man must disarm like
    he said he would do. After 11 years of deceit, this man must disarm.
        For the sake of peace, for the sake of peace not only in our--in
    his neighborhood but in ours, he must disarm.
    And if he does not, it's his choice to make. It's his and the United
    Nations choice to make. Our last choice is to commit our troops to
    harm's way. But if we have to, to defend our freedoms, if we have to,
    the United States will lead a coalition and do so.
        And there are a lot of good people, a lot of good people on both
    sides of the political aisle who understand the task ahead, a lot of
    good people who are working with the administration to come up with a
    common resolution to send a strong message to the world that this great
    Nation, this great Nation will not stand by and allow the world's worst
    leaders to threaten us with the world's worst weapons.
        I want you all to understand that as we work to peace--as we work
    for peace--and that's my goal--we must also work to make America a
    better place, a better place for all of us, a better place for each
    person which lives in this country. That starts with making sure that
    every child is educated and not one child is left behind. I want you to
    know that it's important for all of us to challenge the soft bigotry of
    low expectations, to understand that when you set the bar low, when you
    have such low standards, you're going to get lousy results, and children
    will be left behind. That's no longer acceptable in America.
        I'm told--Rick was telling me--Rick and the
    Governor-to-be were telling me you've

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    got a great school district here in Flagstaff. That's because the
    citizens care about the schools. I want to thank the teachers who are
    here for being teachers. I want to thank the principals who are here. I
    want to thank the parents who are here who demand on high standards for
    every single child.
        A better America means we've got to have a health care system that's
    modern. Listen, Medicare is an incredibly important program. Medicine
    has changed; Medicare hasn't. [Laughter] Medicine has changed because of
    technology and innovation. Medicare is the same program it was a while
    ago. In order to make sure Medicare works like we want it to for our
    seniors and for America to be a better place, our seniors need
    prescription drug coverage.
        And you know what else we need to do? We need to end the frivolous
    and junk lawsuits which drive up the cost of medicine, which makes it
    harder for folks to find health care.
        We've also got to make sure that we unleash the true strength of the
    country, and that is the hearts and souls of the American people. I
    believe strongly that we must have a Faith-Based Initiative in America,
    an initiative which recognizes that in our churches and synagogues and
    mosques we find universal love. See, people have asked me, ``What can I
    do to help on the war against terror?'' What you can do is, you can love
    your neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. If you want to
    fight evil, do some good in America.
        No, the enemy hit us. The enemy hit us, but they didn't realize who
    they were hitting. They hit a nation which will fight for our security
    and freedom. But they also aroused a new spirit in the country, a spirit
    which says, it's more than a patriot who puts his hand on a heart; it's
    a patriot who helps a neighbor in need. It's a patriot who understands
    that there are some pockets of despair and loneliness in America and
    that, while Government can hand out money, what Government cannot do is
    put hope in a person's heart or a sense of purpose in a person's life.
    That's done when somebody puts their arm around a neighbor in need and
    says, ``I love you. What can I do to help you?'' It's done when somebody
    mentors a child. It's done when somebody goes and feeds the hungry,
    provides shelter for those who don't have shelter. That's what it means.
    And that's happening in America.
        All across our country, people are understanding there is a new
    culture of responsibility emerging. See, out of the evil done to America
    is going to come some really incredible good, in my judgment, because I
    believe so strongly in the purpose of this great country.
        I'm reminded all the time, as I travel our country, about what
    happened on Flight 93. Flight 93 was a historic moment in our country.
    It's a sad, sad moment, but it was a time when average citizens were
    flying across the land. They knew the plane was going to be used as a
    weapon. They were on their phones, and they told their loved ones
    goodbye. They used the word ``love.'' They said a prayer. One guy said,
    ``Let's roll,'' and they drove the plane into the ground to save
    somebody else's life.
        It's a powerful--it is the most profound, profound example of the
    great American values--that we understand in order to be the country of
    promise and hope that we're meant to be, that we've got to live our
    lives beyond just ourself, that we've got to serve something greater
    than ourself in life.
        There's no doubt in my mind, no doubt in my mind that we can achieve
    peace in the world if we remain strong and diligent and focused and
    tough when we need to. And there's no doubt in my mind we can be a more
    compassionate and decent and hopeful nation. And you know why? Because
    this, my fellow Americans, is the greatest nation on the face of the
    Earth, full of the most decent and loving and kind people.

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        Thank you for coming. May God bless you all, and may God bless
    America.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:02 p.m. at the Coconino County
    Fairgrounds. In his remarks, he referred to Roberta Renzi, wife of
    candidate Rick Renzi; Arizona gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon; Gov.
    Jane Dee Hull of Arizona; 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 President Saddam Hussein of
    Iraq. Rick Renzi was a candidate for Arizona's First Congressional
    District.