    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [September 19, 2002]
    [Pages 1621-1627]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Republican Governors Association Fall Reception
    September 19, 2002

        The President. Well, thank you all very much. John, thank you very much. I appreciate the invitation to get
    out of the house. [Laughter] I'm honored to come to thank you all for
    supporting our Governors.
        I love our Governors. I know them well; I was one. [Laughter] And
    these are fine, fine public servants who bring a lot of class and
    dignity to the office they hold. They put results ahead of process.
    These are people who put success ahead of excessive verbiage. They're on
    the frontlines of reform. They care deeply about our country. I'm
    honored to be in their presence. And I want to thank you for supporting
    their reelections.
        Governors get things done. And Governors can make a tremendous
    difference in people's lives. I knew that when I started forming my
    Cabinet. I knew that I needed to surround myself with people who not
    only would bring honor to the office to which I appointed them but also
    would work hard to get something done for the country. And that's why I
    named John Ashcroft, former Governor, Christie
    Todd Whitman, former Governor, Tommy
    Thompson, former Governor, and Tom
    Ridge, former Governor, to serve our country.
        I want to thank Johnny Rowland for his
    leadership of the Republican Governors Association and for his fine
    leadership for the State of Connecticut. [Applause] He got one peep.
    [Laughter] Bill Owens is the vice chairman, from
    the great State of Colorado, and I appreciate his leadership as well.

    [[Page 1622]]

        I want to thank all the first ladies who are here. First ladies
    really define the Governor--or first gentlemen--define the Governor--
    [laughter]--just like our great First Lady has
    helped me a lot and defined me as a person. You know, people get to know
    a lot--you can judge the nature of a man, in my case, by the person he
    marries. And I married above myself. [Laughter] People have gotten to
    know Laura. They now understand why I asked her to marry me. Lot of
    folks are still wondering why she said yes. [Laughter] She sends her
    love to our Governors and their wives. She sends her appreciation to
    you. And I can't tell you how proud I am of the job she's doing for
    America.
        I appreciate these Governors being on the frontline of making
    America a stronger place, a safer place, and a better place for all
    citizens, regardless of their party affiliation, regardless of where
    they live. That's the spirit of these can-do people.
        And that's a job we all have in America, to make America a safer,
    stronger, and better place. And to make sure America is a strong place,
    we need to continue to work to make sure our fellow citizens can find
    work. A strong America is an America in which people who want to work
    and can't find a job are able to do so. A strong America is an America
    that recognizes the vibrancy of the entrepreneur in America. A strong
    America understands the role of Government is not to create wealth but
    an environment in which the small-business owner can grow his or her
    business.
        A strong America is one that recognizes that in times of recession--
    and I want you all to remember that when Dick Cheney and I got sworn in, the country was in a recession--and
    a strong economy, a strong America, is one that recognizes that the
    engine to growth is the American people. And so when we let American
    people keep more of their own money, we sent a clear, strong signal to
    economic vitality.
        Some up here don't get it, see. They forget whose money we're
    talking about. They think we're talking about the Government's money.
    One thing we all understand is, when it comes to tax money, it's your
    money. And the tax cuts we passed in Washington came at the right time.
    And that's just one of the first things we have done here to make sure
    our economies grow, to make sure people can find work.
        I was the first President in a long time to get what they call trade
    promotion authority. My attitude is, if you're good at something, you
    ought to promote it. [Laughter] We're good at growing crops. We're good
    at raising cattle. We're good at the entrepreneurial spirit. We're good
    at high-tech. We ought not to fear trade. We ought to welcome trade. And
    for the sake of jobs, I got the Congress to pass the trade promotion
    authority, so our people would be more likely to find work.
        For the sake of economic vitality, we sent a chilling signal to our
    fellow Americans who feel like they can fudge the books, who feel like
    they can get ahead by not telling the truth. Every one of these
    Governors understands the need for corporate responsibility in their
    States and all across America. I proudly signed the most comprehensive
    corporate reform since Franklin D. Roosevelt was the President of the
    United States. And for the sake of a stronger America, we sent this
    signal: No more easy money, just hard time if you betray the trust of
    your employees and your shareholders in America.
        Now, we've got a foundation for economic vitality and growth that is
    strong. Interest rates are low. Inflation is low. The productivity of
    the American worker is the best in the world. But we're not going to
    rest until people find work. A stronger America requires a strong
    economy. And there are some things that Congress can do to help us in
    our desire to make America a stronger place.
        And I'll give you one example. There are over 300,000 jobs that
    don't exist because many developers and project managers cannot find
    terrorism insurance. The

    [[Page 1623]]

    Congress ought to pass a law that provides a backstop for terrorism
    insurance, to get our hardhats working again. And by the way, it needs
    to be a law that does not reward trial lawyers but rewards the hardhats
    of America.
        We need an energy bill in America, an energy bill that fosters more
    conservation, an energy bill that enhances renewables like ethanol, but
    an energy bill that makes us less dependent on foreign sources of crude
    oil. An energy bill is needed. There's too much talk in Washington and
    not enough action.
        And finally, to make this economy strong, to make sure people can
    find work, we've got to make sure Congress holds the line on spending.
    There's an enormous appetite for spending your money up here. Every
    project sounds wonderful in Washington, DC. Problem is, is that the
    price tags run in the billions. It is important for Congress to set
    priorities.
        It's hard to set priorities, however, when the Senate can't even
    pass a budget. The House passed a budget. The Senate can't pass a
    budget. My message to Congress, and I hope you help send the message, is
    we expect the appropriators to be wise with the people's money. We
    expect them to stay focused on national priorities. We expect them not
    to overspend. We expect them to be reasonable and sound. Because if we
    overspend, it will make it harder for people to find work.
        No, the grounds for economic growth are strong. After all, this is
    America. There's a lot of problems that we can overcome. But I just want
    to assure you, and I want to assure my friends who are the Governors,
    this administration will not rest; we will stay focused on economic
    vitality, because we understand a strong America is an America in which
    people can find work.
        And we're working hard here in Washington, and we're working hard
    with our Governors to make sure we have a safer America. We need to work
    hard because there's still an enemy out there which hates our country.
    They hate America. They hate us because we love. We love freedom. We
    love the idea of our fellow citizens being able to worship an almighty
    God any way he or she sees fit. We love the idea of welcoming people to
    our country and letting them rise to their own level that talents will
    take them. We love the idea of being able to speak our minds, to have
    political discourse. We love a free press. We love freedom. But the
    enemy hates freedom.
        We also value each life in America. Everybody counts. Everybody has
    got worth. Everybody matters. But that's not the way our enemy thinks.
    They don't value life. They don't care about innocent life. And so long
    as we hold these values dear, which we will do, there will be an enemy
    trying to hurt America.
        And so, therefore, my most important job is to protect the American
    people from further harm, is to guard our homeland. You need to know a
    lot of good folks are working hard to do just that. I can testify for
    those here in the Federal Government that are spending hours upon hours
    chasing down every lead, running down every hint. We get a whiff of
    anything that might be happening or going to happen to America, we're
    moving on it--and at the same time, I can proudly report, safeguarding
    the United States Constitution.
        And so are these Governors. They're working hard to protect their
    fellow citizens. They're working hard at the State level and working in
    coordination at the local level to prepare, to be ready, to be on alert.
    And I want to thank them for their service to our country.
        I asked Congress to work with me to make a--to make the Government
    work better. I readily concede my slogan wasn't, don't--``Vote for me.
    I'm going to make Government bigger.'' But I do want to make it work
    better. And that's why I called upon our Congress to set up a Department
    of Homeland Defense, so we can better coordinate amongst agencies, so we

    [[Page 1624]]

    can have the protection of our homeland as our number one priority, so
    if need be, we can change cultures so that this President and
    administration and future Presidents and administrations can say to the
    American people, ``We're doing everything in our power to protect you.''
        And we're making some progress. Republicans and Democrats came
    together in the House of Representatives to pass a good homeland
    security bill. We're kind of bogged down in the Senate, however. You
    see, the Senate wants to take away some of the powers of the
    administrative branch. The Senate wants to micromanage the process, and
    I'm not going to let them do it.
        For the sake of homeland security, the Senate--for the sake of the
    security of our homeland, the Senate needs to be more worried about the
    American people and less worried about special interests here in
    Washington, DC.
        But the best way to secure our homeland is to chase the killers
    down, one person at a time, and bring them to justice, which is exactly
    what the United States is going to do. It's a different kind of war.
    It's a war that is not measured by the destruction of tanks or ships or
    aircraft, because we're fighting a different kind of enemy. This is a
    war that is measured in terms of killers caught.
        We're making progress, thanks to a coalition we have put together.
    And we're making progress, thanks to one of the finest militaries our
    Nation has ever seen.
        Audience member. Thanks to our Commander in Chief!
        The President. This is an enemy which hides in caves or in the dark
    corners of cities and then sends youngsters to their suicidal death.
    It's a different kind of enemy and a different kind of war. But our
    resolve is just as fierce today as it has been in the past. And we're
    making progress. We're making progress. I don't have an exact count, but
    the number of those who the United States and our coalition partners
    have arrested, detained, whatever you want to call it, is over a couple
    thousand. And about a like number weren't as lucky. They're just not
    around anymore.
        We got a guy the other day, just as
    an example, thought he could hide in Pakistan. I don't know if you
    remember that doctrine I laid out, said, ``Either you're with us, or
    you're with the enemy.'' President Musharraf in Pakistan is with us when it comes to hunting these
    killers down. The person who thought he'd be the 20th hijacker, bin al-
    Shibh, is no longer a threat to the United States of America and our
    friends and allies.
        Oh, I know for some who are trying to fill the airways with
    speculation and noise and news and all that stuff, it's not a very
    glamorous war. But you've just got to know, this Nation is steady in our
    pursuit. We're strong in our resolve. No matter how long it takes, we're
    going to hunt them down, one person at a time. We're going to get them
    on the run, and we're going to keep them on the run, until we bring them
    to justice.
        I have submitted the largest increase in defense spending since
    Ronald Reagan was the President. I sent that up to the Congress for two
    reasons. One, anytime this Nation sends our troops into harm's way,
    anytime we ask our youngsters to go into the thin air of the mountains
    of Afghanistan or anywhere else in harm's way, they deserve the best
    pay, the best training, and the best possible equipment. We not only owe
    it to their--to the soldiers, we owe it to their loved ones as well.
        And a defense bill sends another message. It sends a clear message
    to our friends and to our foe that the United States is in this for the
    long pull. There's not an artificial quitting date. There's not a moment
    that says, you know, well, we've been at it for a period of time; we're
    getting kind of worn out; and freedom isn't that important. The message
    is that no matter how long it takes and no matter what

    [[Page 1625]]

    the cost, we will defend the freedoms of the United States of America.
        The House passed a defense bill. The Senate passed the defense bill.
    The way the process works is, they're supposed to get together,
    reconcile their differences, and get me a defense bill. It languishes.
    It languishes. This Congress must do its duty and get me a defense bill
    before it goes home. For the sake of our country, for the sake of this
    war, for the sake of the military, I need a defense appropriations bill.
        Now, we've got a big task ahead. See, history has put the spotlight
    on us. History will determine whether or not this Nation was strong and
    resolved in our defense of freedom. History will determine whether or
    not we uphold our values, the values that say we not only care for
    individuals here at home, but everybody matters. So far, I think history
    is going to judge us well.
        I want you to remember that when it came time to uphold the doctrine
    that said, ``If you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you
    house a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist,'' we upheld
    that doctrine. And in so doing, we freed a group of people from the
    clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes in the history of mankind.
    I want you to tell your children when they ask about this war that our
    country went into Afghanistan not to conquer anybody but to liberate
    people. And as a result of the United States and our friends and allies,
    many young girls now go to school for the first time.
        No, this mighty nation believes that everybody matters. Each person
    has worth. Everybody counts, regardless of where they are from. And
    we're going to have tough times ahead of us, no question about it, as we
    pursue our goals. There's going to be some rocky paths that we're going
    to have to climb up. There's going to be some high hurdles we have to
    cross.
        One of the highest hurdles is to recognize that as a nation, we're
    no longer protected by two vast oceans. No longer are we safe. We used
    to think, well, there's a little conflict going over there, or perhaps a
    leader over here who is a despicable person couldn't hurt us. We learned
    a new lesson after September the 11th, that we're vulnerable. For the
    sake of our security, we must not allow--for the sake of the future of
    our country and for the future of other regions in the world, we must
    never allow the world's worst leaders to develop, to deploy, to
    blackmail the free world with the world's worst weapons.
        I believe it is important that there be an international
    organization that is strong and vibrant and capable of helping freedom-
    loving countries keep the peace. You see, if the enemy hides in caves,
    and a different kind of enemy, different kind of war, we need a
    collection of friends sharing intelligence, cutting off money, routing
    these people out. So I went to the United Nations. And I made it clear
    to the United Nations that our Nation hopes that the United Nations
    succeeds. We want there to be a strong United Nations. We want the
    United Nations to be more than a debating society. We don't want the
    United Nations to become the League of Nations. We want the United
    Nations to have backbone and to enforce--enforce the resolutions and
    doctrines and mandates.
        I also made it clear, for the sake of peace, for the sake of freedom
    for our country, if the United Nations will not act, the United States
    and our friends will. We owe it to our children; we owe it to our
    grandchildren to make sure that the dictator in Iraq never threatens our
    country or our children or our children's children with the world's
    worst weapons.
        As we work to make our country stronger and safer, we also must
    never forget to work to make it better. That's why I'm so strong for
    these Governors--they understand that. I signed one of the most
    comprehensive education reform bills in our Nation's history. It says,
    we expect there to be high standards in American schools.

    [[Page 1626]]

    We want to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. I believe and
    these fine Governors believe that every child in America can learn.
    Everybody can learn. And therefore, we expect everybody to learn.
        If you believe everybody can learn, then you should expect everybody
    to learn. Inherent in that bill is my great trust for the Governors of
    the United States and for local folks. I strongly believe in local
    control of schools. But I also believe in this, that if you take Federal
    money, if you receive a dime of Federal money, you owe it to the
    taxpayers to show us whether or not the children are learning to read
    and write and add and subtract. And if they are, there will be plenty of
    praise for our Nation's teachers. But if not, we must not allow our
    children to be trapped in schools which will not teach and will not
    change.
        A better tomorrow recognizes that when it comes to reforming
    welfare, we must insist upon work. People find dignity in a job. I look
    forward to working with our Governors to make sure we continue the great
    progress of welfare reform by helping people help themselves, by helping
    people find job training so that instead of being dependent upon
    Government, they can find a job and be dependent upon their skills and
    their talents to provide for their families.
        A better tomorrow recognizes the great power of our faith-based
    institutions in America. A better tomorrow recognizes that in our
    churches, in synagogues and mosques, we find great compassion and love.
    We understand that Government can hand out money, but what Government
    cannot do--and by the way, we do a pretty good job of it up here--but
    what Government cannot do is put hope in people's hearts or a sense of
    purpose in people's lives. That's found in--all across America. It's
    found particularly in places that exist because of the universal dictum
    that people should love their neighbors just like they should be loved
    themselves.
        You know, the enemy hit us. The enemy hit us, and they didn't know
    who they were hitting. Oh, they probably thought that after September
    the 11th, 2001, we'd kind of regroup and file a lawsuit or two.
    [Laughter] They didn't realize that this bold country is a great
    country, full of decent and compassionate people. I want you to know
    that out of the evil done to America is going to come great good. Around
    the world, if we remain tough and strong, we can achieve peace. If we're
    willing to speak clearly about good and evil, if we continue to denounce
    terror, if we understand the plight of the human condition, which we do
    in America--that people must have hope, that everybody matters, that
    freedom counts--we can achieve peace in this world.
        Oh, you'll hear a lot of war rhetoric. But I want you to know, my
    goal is peace. I long for peace. And I believe out of the evil done to
    America can come peace in places around the world that have quit on
    peace, including the Middle East and South Asia. I also want you to
    know--I want you to know that we will be a better America, too, because
    the strength of the country lies in the hearts and souls of our fellow
    citizens.
        People say, ``How can I help on this war against terror? How can I
    fight evil?'' You can do so by mentoring a child, by going into a shut-
    in's house and say, ``I love you,'' by running a Boy Scout troop or a
    Girl Scout troop, by being involved in your Boys and Girls Clubs, by
    joining the USA Freedom Corps. If you're interested in helping America
    fight evil, love your neighbor just like you'd like to be loved
    yourself.
        An educated America, a working America, an America that understands
    the power of our faith-based and charitable organizations is an America
    that is going to be a better America. There is no question in my mind
    that out of the evil done to this country, that we will be able to help
    eradicate those pockets of despair and hopelessness which exist. In our
    land of plenty,

    [[Page 1627]]

    there are people who hurt, people who cry, people who wonder whether or
    not the American Dream is meant for them. And this society of ours, this
    society of ours is going to change, one heart, one soul, one conscience
    at a time, because thousands of our fellow citizens are loving a
    neighbor just like they'd like to be loved themselves.
        People understand in America now that a patriot is somebody who not
    only puts his hand over his heart and says, ``I pledge allegiance to one
    Nation under God,'' but somebody who serves something greater than
    themselves.
        See, that was the example of Flight 93, an example which is vivid in
    my mind and, I'm sure, vivid in yours. It's an historic moment in many
    ways, a sad, tragic moment. On the other hand, it's a moment that I hope
    people remember for a long time. After all, it was a flight full of our
    fellow citizens. They learned that the plane they were on was going to
    be used as a weapon. They told their loved ones goodbye or ``I love
    you.'' They said a prayer. One guy said, ``Let's roll.'' They drove the
    plane into the ground to serve something greater than themselves in
    life.
        No, the spirit of America was alive on that airplane. The spirit of
    America is alive today. No, out of the evil done to this great country
    is going to come a more compassionate, a more decent, a more hopeful
    country. There's no doubt in my mind that we can achieve the big goals
    before us, because this is the finest country on the face of the Earth,
    full of the finest people.
        May God bless you all, and may God bless America. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:53 p.m. at the National Building Museum.
    In his remarks, he referred to Gov. John G. Rowland of Connecticut; Gov.
    Bill Owens of Colorado; President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan; 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.