    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [September 17, 2002]
    [Pages 1601-1607]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Luncheon for Senatorial Candidate Lamar
    Alexander in Nashville, Tennessee
    September 17, 2002

        Thank you all very much. Thanks. Thank you. Thanks a lot. Thank you,
    ``Senator.'' [Laughter] There's no doubt in my mind Lamar Alexander will
    make a great--a lot of great contributions to our Nation. But one of the
    lasting contributions he will make is a contribution he made before when
    he held office, and that is, he brought honor and dignity to the office
    to which he had been elected.
        I'm proud to be back in Tennessee. I want to thank you all for
    having me here. I'm proud to come back and say as clearly as I can to
    the citizens of Tennessee, Lamar Alexander should become the next United
    States Senator. And there's a lot of reasons why, and one of them is
    because he married well. Like me, he married a Texan. And like me, he
    married above himself. We appreciate Honey,
    and she's a class act like Lamar is, and I'm proud to know them both.
        I wish my wife were here with me. You may
    remember, or maybe you don't know, but when I married Laura, she was a
    public school librarian. She didn't care for politics; she didn't like
    politicians. Now here she is, the First Lady of the United States.

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    Thank goodness. What a fabulous job she is doing. I bring her greetings
    to Lamar and Honey and all of you all. She
    is doing great, by the way. She's settled in. Public housing is all
    right there in Washington. [Laughter]
        I do want to thank the members of the mighty Tennessee delegation
    who are here, starting with Fred Thompson.
    There's only one man in this State who can fill the shoes of Fred
    Thompson, and that's Lamar Alexander. And Fred, thank you for your
    service. I appreciate his service to Tennessee and to America.
    Fortunately, he isn't quitting early. He's still got some--he's got
    some--he's got a task ahead there on the floor of the Senate, and that's
    to make sure I get a Homeland Security Department that is unfettered
    from Government rules and bureaucracies, a Homeland Security Department
    that will allow this President and future Presidents to move people to
    the right place at the right time, in order to protect the homeland from
    an enemy which still hates us. And Fred Thompson is leading that charge.
    And as he succeeds and when he succeeds, he will leave behind a fabulous
    legacy for future administrations and Senators. Fred, thank you. You've
    been a great Senator.
        I appreciate Senator Bill Frist. He too is a
    fine Senator. You sent two good ones up there, and you're about to send
    another good one in Lamar. But thank you for being here, Senator Frist.
    I appreciate the next Governor of the State of Tennessee, Van
    Hilleary, for joining us today. I want to thank
    Ed Bryant, and I want to thank Zach Wamp as well for being here. I hope these Congressmen are
    here to hear my speeches. I hope it's not just to get a free ride on Air
    Force One heading back to Washington. Either way, you'll find the
    speeches are probably too long and the accommodations on Air Force One
    is just fine. But these are fine Members of the Congress. I'm proud to
    work with them.
        I'm also traveling today--since we're going to a school here in
    Nashville, I'm traveling with our Secretary of Education, Rod
    Paige, who's doing such a fantastic job on
    behalf of the children of America. And Rod, thank you for coming.
        I want to thank all those who helped put on this event. I want to
    thank Ted Welch. I want to thank Beth
    Harwell and Stephanie Chivers. I want to thank my friend David Kustoff. I want to thank all of you all who are involved in
    grassroots politics.
        One thing people like Lamar and I understand is that we can't win
    without the folks who are willing to dial the telephones and put the
    signs in the yards and make sure the mailers go out on time, make sure
    the voters go up to vote. I want to thank you for what you have done,
    and I want to thank you for what you're going to do. It is really
    important that you go back to your coffee shops, your houses of worship,
    your community centers, and remind the good people of Tennessee what a
    fine leader Lamar Alexander has been, is, and will be on behalf of the
    people of Tennessee.
        He should win this race just on what he has done. He was one of the
    great Governors of this State. He's one of the most imaginative and
    reform-oriented Secretaries of Education. He'd been in higher education.
    He loves his family. He loves his country. He's got fabulous values. The
    thing I appreciate about him is that he does not rest on his laurels;
    he's a forward-thinking man. He knows that we've got to continue to work
    together to challenge the status quo when we find our children trapped
    in mediocre schools. He understands that mediocrity must be challenged.
    He challenged--liked to challenge what I call the soft bigotry of low
    expectations. It's going to be good to have a man in the United States
    Senate who will stand by my side to insist upon strong accountability,
    to make sure that no child in America--not one single child--gets left
    behind in our public education system.
        As Lamar mentioned, we're going over to a school here in Nashville
    to talk about

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    the importance of teaching history and civics to our Nation's youth,
    that we want to make sure that when we talk about how--why we defend
    liberty, they understand the history of liberty; they understand the
    great ideals of our country and the values that make America the
    greatest nation on the face of the Earth. I look forward to going with
    Lamar over to East Literature Magnet School to talk about the promise of
    America and the hope for a better world, not only here but around the
    world. He understands the value of education.
        He also understands the need to make sure our economy grows. In
    Washington, sometimes when you listen to the rhetoric of some of them up
    there, they believe Government creates jobs. See, the role of Government
    is not to create wealth but an environment in which the entrepreneur and
    small business can flourish, so people can find work. And that's why
    it's going to be important to have somebody who understands that when
    you let a person keep more of their own money, that person is likely to
    demand a good or a service. And when they demand a good or a service in
    this country, in this system, somebody is likely to produce the good or
    a service. And when somebody produces the good or a service, somebody is
    more likely to find work.
        And the whole economic package of this administration is based upon
    jobs. We will do everything in our power to make sure that jobs are
    available for people who want to work, and that starts with letting
    people keep more of their own money. The interesting thing is, we have
    passed this tax relief plan, and yet because of a quirk in the law, a
    quirk in the Senate rules, the law goes away after 10 years. That's kind
    of a hard one to explain to the ranchers in Crawford, Texas: ``We're
    going to cut your taxes, but we're really not cutting them.'' What we've
    got to make sure is, you send the United States Senator from Tennessee
    who will make the tax cuts permanent on behalf of the working people of
    this State.
        By the way, one of the things we did in our tax relief package,
    besides laying the groundwork for economic growth, was we started
    putting the death tax on its way to extinction. The death tax is bad for
    Tennessee farmers. The death tax is bad for Tennessee ranchers. The
    death tax is bad for Tennessee entrepreneurs. The death tax is just
    plain bad. And you better send you a Senator up there who will get rid
    of the death tax once and for all.
        The foundation for economic growth is strong here in America.
    Inflation is down. Interest rates are low. Productivity of the American
    worker is up. But one of the things that you need to be concerned about
    is Congress overspending, is Congress not understanding the need for
    fiscal responsibility, so that our economy continues to grow. If
    Congress overspends, it will serve as a drag on economic vitality. You
    see, some of them up there don't understand whose money we're spending.
    We don't spend the Government's money in Washington; we're spending your
    money. And it's important to have United States Senators like
    Thompson and Frist who
    understand fiscal sanity is important in Washington.
        See, every program sounds great up there. Everybody's idea sounds
    wonderful. The problem, in Washington terms, they've all got billions of
    dollars' worth of price tags attached to them. They can't even get a
    budget out of the United States Senate. We need a budget. If you don't
    have a budget, the likelihood that--the likelihood is, the Senate is
    going to overspend. How can you set priorities without a budget? And my
    priorities are defending the American people, making sure the homeland
    is secure. And therefore, we need to have Senators in Washington, DC,
    who are there to protect the taxpayers' money, to be fiscally sound.
        No, I've got a veto, and I intend to use it if they overspend. But
    it would certainly

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    be helpful to have Senators up there that don't cause me--necessary to
    use it.
        I appreciate the fact that I'll be able to work with Lamar on making
    sure the good people who I nominate to our Federal benches will not only
    get a fair hearing but a speedy hearing and will get approved. The
    country got to see what happens when the Senate gets so politicized that
    they won't give people a fair hearing when it comes to judicial
    nominees.
        I named a fabulous woman out of Texas, named Priscilla Owen, to the Fifth Court. And they distorted her record.
    She had the highest ranking from the ABA, and yet having listened to the
    rhetoric coming out of a highly politicized and polarized committee, you
    never would have realized how qualified she is. She was turned down for
    purely political purposes. For the sake of a Federal judiciary that is
    strong and solid, we need United States Senators like Lamar Alexander
    who will be fair and reasonable and realistic and will not play politics
    with the President's judicial nominees.
        And I look forward to having this good man in the United States
    Senate to stand side by side with me to help fulfill the most important
    role we have in Washington, and that's to protect the homeland. Our most
    important job is to protect an enemy which still exists and still hates
    from taking other lives.
        People say, ``Well, you know, are you sure they're still out
    there?'' Yes, I'm sure, and I know they still hate. I want you to tell
    your children who ask the question, ``Why would America be under
    attack,'' to look them square in the eye and tell them, ``It's because
    we love freedom, is why we're under attack.'' We hold freedom dear. We
    love the idea of worshiping freely in America, and we'll never let go of
    our freedoms. And so long as we hold dear to our freedoms, the enemy
    will hate us, because they hate freedom. These are people that do not
    value human life. And here in America, we say, ``Everybody matters. Each
    life is precious. Everybody counts.'' These are people who hijacked a
    great religion in order to justify their murder.
        So our most important job is to do everything we can to make sure
    our homeland is secure. And it starts with an issue that I talked to you
    about that Fred's working on, and that is to combine the agencies
    involved with homeland security in such a way that we can properly
    enforce our borders, for example. We need to know who's coming into
    America. We need to know what they're bringing into America. We need to
    know if they're leaving America when they say they're going to leave
    America.
        And yet when you look down at our borders, north and south, there
    are three different United States agencies involved with the security of
    our border, Customs, INS, and Border Patrol, all of them manned by very
    fine men and women, all of them staffed by hard-working Americans. But
    they've got different cultures, different strategies. It makes no sense
    for the President not to be able to put the right people at the right
    place at the right time to protect the homeland.
        And the problem is, in the United States Senate, they're more
    interested in Washington's special interests than they are in the
    interests of protecting the American people. I hope they get a good bill
    out of the Senate before they go home to campaign. But I'm going to make
    good on my promise that if the flexibility is not in the bill, the
    flexibility that Fred is so hard working on, that I'm going to use my
    veto power. I will not accept a lousy bill that makes it impossible for
    the President--this President or future Presidents--to do what the
    American people expect, and that's to protect the homeland.
        The best way to secure the homeland, the best way to make sure that
    we protect our children and our children's future, the best way to
    defend freedom and civilization itself, is to hunt the killers down, one
    person at a time, and bring them to justice,

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    which is exactly what the United States of America is going to do.
        We're in a different kind of war. But make no mistake about it, it's
    still war. In the old days, you could count the enemy's tanks or
    airplanes or ships, and say, ``Well, look how much we demolished,'' or
    ``Their industrial capacity can't keep up with the war demands, and
    therefore, they're diminished as an enemy.'' This is a different kind of
    enemy. Remember, these are the kind of enemies that hide in caves. They
    find the darkest cave they can find. They burrow in there, and then they
    send some youngster to their suicidal death. These are people that hate.
    These are people that take innocent life at the drop of a hat. These
    people are resourceful, and they're wily, and they're determined. But
    they are not as determined as the mighty United States of America. There
    is no cave deep enough; there's no neighborhood dark enough for them to
    hide in, as far as I'm concerned.
        And thanks to a coalition of countries that love freedom as much as
    we do, and thanks to a fantastic United States military, we're making
    good progress on the war against these killers. Just read your
    newspaper. The other day, the fellow that
    thought he wanted to be 20th hijacker is in custody. He's off the
    streets. He thought he could hide. He thought he could run. He thought
    he could escape the justice of the United States of America. No matter
    how long it takes, this mighty Nation will do everything is required to
    defend our freedom.
        I bet we've hauled in over 2,500 of them so far. I say ``we''--it's
    not just the America military; it's our friends and allies. Remember the
    doctrine, ``Either you're with us, or you're with the enemy,'' and that
    doctrine still stands. And as a result, over a couple thousand of them
    have been hauled in, and that number--about the same number met a
    different fate. They weren't as lucky.
        And another doctrine still stands. It says, ``If you harbor a
    terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you house a terrorist, you're
    just as guilty as those who murdered thousands of innocent American
    lives.'' And the Taliban found out what we want. I want you to remind
    your children, with all--in the midst of all this war talk, the midst of
    the--on the television screens seeing our troops and all the stuff going
    on--remind them that this mighty Nation went into a country, as we
    upheld that doctrine, not to conquer anybody but to liberate a people
    from the clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes in the history of
    mankind. Thanks to the United States and our friends and allies, many
    young girls, for the first time, go to school.
        No, this great, compassionate Nation will not only defend our
    Nation; we will believe in freedom for everybody. See, we think
    everybody matters, every life counts, every person has got worth,
    whether they be American or anywhere else around the globe.
        Speaking about barbaric regimes, we must deal with probably one of
    the most--not probably--one of the most real threats we face, and that
    is the idea of a barbaric regime teaming up with a terrorist network and
    providing weapons of mass destruction, to hold the United States and our
    allies and our friends blackmail.
        I gave a speech at the United Nations. I said, for the sake of
    peace, for the sake of security, after 11 years of not doing what he
    said he would do, it is time for us to deal with the true threats; it's
    time with us to deal with Saddam Hussein; it's time for us to secure the
    peace. The United Nations must act. It's a time for them to determine
    whether or not they'll be the United Nations or the League of Nations.
    It's time to determine whether or not they'll be a force for good and
    peace or an ineffective debating society. The United States will remain
    strong in our conviction that we must not and will not allow the world's
    worst leaders to hold the United

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    States and our friends and allies blackmail or threaten us with the
    world's worst weapons.
        I have asked Congress to support me in this war. And I must say, the
    bipartisan support has been strong, and I appreciate that. But Congress
    has been lacking in one area. I requested the most--the largest increase
    in defense spending since Ronald Reagan was the President, for two
    reasons. One, anytime we send our troops 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 the
    United States is not going to relent in our quest for freedom, that
    we're in this deal for the long haul, that there's not a calendar on my
    desk that says by such-and-such a date, we quit. See, that's not what
    you do when you face an enemy which hates. That's not what you do when
    you know that history has called us to defend our freedoms.
        I say the Congress failed because the House passed a defense bill
    and the Senate passed a defense bill, but they haven't gotten together
    to get me a defense bill yet. They need to act. The leadership in
    Washington needs to move a defense bill to my desk as quickly as
    possible. They not ought--they ought not to play politics with the
    defense appropriations bill in the midst of a war, a war that will
    define civilization itself.
        I don't know what got into the enemy when they hit us. They must
    have thought the Nation was so materialistic and so self-absorbed and so
    selfish and so shallow that after September the 11th, 2001, all we would
    do is file a lawsuit or two. They didn't understand America. They don't
    know that when they struck us, they struck a mighty nation that loves
    freedom. They didn't realize that out of the evil done to this country
    can come incredible good. And I believe that. I believe that by
    remaining tough and strong on terror, by working with nations around the
    world and reminding them the stakes--about the stakes, by always
    adhering to the ideals that make our Nation strong, that we can achieve
    peace.
        I want you to tell your kids, my dream is peace. I want the world to
    be a peaceful world, not only for our children but children everywhere.
    I want there to be peace in the Middle East, and I believe by remaining
    tough and strong, we can achieve peace in the Middle East. I believe we
    can achieve peace in South Asia. I understand that the hurdles are going
    to be great, and there's going to be rough moments. But the enemy has
    given us a chance to achieve some good out of the evil, by realizing
    peace.
        And here at home, we have a chance to foster a more compassionate
    society. In the midst of our plenty, there are people who hurt in
    America. There are people who are addicted, who are lonely. There are
    people who wonder whether or not the so-called American Dream is meant
    for them. I understand that Government can hand out money, and we do a
    pretty darn good job of it. But what Government cannot do is put hope
    into people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. That is
    done when a fellow American puts their arm around somebody who hurts and
    says, ``I love you. What can I do to help you?''
        There's a new spirit in America, thanks to what happened on
    September the 11th. We still mourn for the loss of life, but there are
    thousands of our fellow citizens who have asked the question, ``How can
    I help?'' And they've heard the call: You can help fight evil by doing
    good. You can fight evil by loving your neighbor just like you'd like to
    be loved yourself.
        No, in this country, there's a new sense of responsibility. People
    are learning that being a patriot is more than just putting your hand
    over your heart and saying the pledge allegiance. Being a patriot is
    serving a cause greater than yourself. The enemy hit us, but they didn't
    know who they were hitting. They've--they hit a country with a strong
    spirit, a strong sense of purpose,

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    a strong drive to make sure that every single citizen has a chance.
        And so I remind my fellow Americans, it doesn't take much to be a
    part of a change, to be a part of the gathering momentum of millions of
    acts of kindness that will define the true face of our country. Mentor a
    child. Go to a shut-in's house and say, ``Can I help you?'' Be a part of
    the Boys and Girls Clubs. I met a young man
    who--today who wants to run a--is going to run an after-school program
    in the Boys and Girls Club. He's a junior in high school. He heard the
    call. Join the Peace Corps. If you're a youngster, be a member of the
    USA Freedom Corps. Serve a country by serving a neighbor in need. And
    that's what's taking place.
        You know, I first got into politics because I believed our culture
    ought to change from one that said, ``If it feels good, do it,'' and
    ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture which
    says, ``Each of us are responsible for the decisions we make in life.''
    And if you're a mom or a dad, you're responsible for loving your
    children with all your heart and all your soul. If you're living in
    Nashville, Tennessee, you're responsible for the quality of education in
    the neighborhoods; you're responsible for the quality of life. If you're
    running a corporation in America, you're responsible to your
    shareholders and your employees to tell the truth and not lie about your
    books. If you're a responsible America, it means you love your neighbor
    just like you'd like to be loved yourself. And that's what's happening.
        There's no question in my mind this great country is going to rise
    to the challenges we face. There's no doubt in my mind that by remaining
    strong and steadfast, we can win the war on terror and help the world
    become more peaceful. And there's no doubt in my mind that we can find
    those dark corners of hopelessness and help bring light, by loving
    them--by loving a neighbor in need.
        You know why I say ``no doubt in my mind''? Because this is the
    finest country on the face of the Earth, full of the most decent,
    honorable people. I'm proud you came today. I'm proud to support Lamar
    Alexander.
        May God bless you all, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:55 a.m. in the East Exhibit Hall at the
    Nashville Convention Center. In his remarks, he referred to Honey
    Alexander, wife of candidate Lamar Alexander; Tennessee gubernatorial
    candidate Van Hilleary; Ted Welch, finance chairman, Alexander for
    Senate; Beth Harwell, chairman, and Stephanie Chivers, national
    committeewoman, Tennessee Republican Party; David Kustoff, candidate for
    Tennessee's Seventh Congressional District; 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; President
    Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and Boys and Girls Club volunteer Harry Ingle,
    Jr.