[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
[September 27, 2002]
[Pages 1676-1683]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 1676]]


Remarks at a Luncheon for Congressional Candidate Bob Beauprez in Denver, Colorado
September 27, 2002

    Thank you all. Nice to be out West. [Laughter] Thank you all for 
coming today. And ``Congressman,'' thank you for that kind introduction. 
Bob Beauprez is the right man to represent the State of Colorado. There 
is no question in my mind. I am proud to stand with him, and I hope the 
good folks of Colorado are wise enough to send him to Washington, DC.
    I'm honored to be up here with Claudia, 
mother of four. These two folks love their family; they love their 
country. And Claudia, I appreciate you're willing to sacrifice. See, 
moving out of Colorado is a pretty good size sacrifice. [Laughter] But 
like Bob, I married above myself. [Laughter] And my good wife sends her love and her best to our friends who are 
here, and to the Beauprezes in their quest of this high office--the 
Governor and the first lady of the State of Colorado. She sends her best, as do 
I.
    By the way, she's doing a fabulous job. She 
was down in Mexico representing the United States. She's winging her way 
back to Crawford. I'm going to see her tonight after my trip. Tomorrow 
we're going to spend a little quality time on the ranch, helping to make 
sure we maintain perspective, understanding that there's life outside of 
the Beltway, that the values of central Texas and the values of the West 
out here in Denver are important values to keep a part of our spirit.
    And so I'm honored to be here to campaign. She sends her love. By the way, she is doing a fabulous 
job. She is a great First Lady for America, and I'm really proud of her. 
Not bad for a west Texas girl who, when I married her, was a public 
school librarian who, frankly, didn't care for politics and wasn't too 
keen on politicians. [Laughter] She's a great lady. She sends her love.
    I also am honored to be here with your Governor. He is one of the Nation's best Governors. Unlike some of 
them, he can run on his record. [Laughter] And it's a record that's 
going to put him back in office. And that's good for Colorado. I'm 
honored Frances is here with him as well, a 
great first lady for the State of Colorado.
    I want to thank the grassroots activists who are here. I want to 
thank Chairman Benson. I've known him for a long 
time. He's a fine leader. I want to thank you for what you have done and 
what you're going to do, and that is, you're going to turn out the vote. 
You're going to man the precincts. You're going to do what you're really 
good at, which is grassroots politics. And a lot of times you don't get 
thanked enough. I'm here to thank you. I want to thank you for turning 
out the vote, not only to make sure the Governor 
wins and Bob wins but to make sure Wayne Allard 
goes back to the United States Senate.
    I want to thank Senator Campbell 
for being here and the rest of the congressional delegation. You've sent 
some fine folks to Washington, DC, and I've enjoyed working with all of 
them. And I want to thank the folks who have organized this dinner--or 
lunch, however you want to call it. [Laughter] It's a big crowd. Bob, 
it's a good sign. See, the folks here know what I know--that you're a 
man of principle, a man of character.
    I love the Beauprez story. It's an American story, really, when you 
think about it. It's a Colorado story. It embodies the values of the 
State of Colorado and the best of America. After all, his grandfather 
came here penniless in 1910, left a wife and child behind. He wasn't 
sure if he could make it in America. He came and worked hard. Had the 
honor of meeting Bob's mom and

[[Page 1677]]

dad. One of them got out of the eighth grade. 
And the mom got a little farther in school: she got out of the ninth 
grade. But they're truly the American story, that hard work and dreaming 
big dreams and loving one another and raising your family means you can 
get ahead in America. Those are the values of Bob Beauprez, and they're 
important values for America to understand, and they're good values for 
the United States Congress.
    I like to support a man who's made a living, who understands what it 
means to take risk, who's not only worked on a farm but has had a vision 
and saw that vision come to be. It's the kind of thinking we need in 
Washington, because we've got a problem with our economy. And here's the 
problem: Anytime somebody who wants to work can't find work, that's a 
problem. And even though there is economic growth, we don't have enough 
growth. And even though interest rates are low and inflation is low, the 
foundation for a growing economy--we need to do more.
    But here's our attitude about the economy. The role of Government is 
not to create wealth; the role of Government is to create an environment 
in which the entrepreneur can flourish, in which the producer can make a 
living, in which the small business can grow to be a big business.
    You're backing the right man for Congress. He understands how the 
economy works. He will join me and others in making sure the tax cuts 
which we passed are a permanent part of American life. There's an 
interesting debate in Washington about taxes; there always is. There's 
some who want more of your taxes in Washington; there are some who want 
less. I believe that when the economy slowed the way it was slowing when 
we came in, we needed to let people keep more of their own money. Here's 
the page of the textbook which we read. It says: ``If you have more 
money in your pocket, it means you're more likely to demand a good or a 
service. And if you demand a good or a service in the American system, 
somebody is going to produce the good or a service. And when somebody 
produces the good or a service, somebody is more likely to find work.'' 
The tax cuts came at the right time in American history.
    The tax cuts stimulate economic growth. The tax cuts are good for 
small business creation. Small businesses create 70 percent of the new 
jobs in America. Most small businesses are not incorporated. Most small 
businesses are sole proprietorships or limited partnerships and, 
therefore, pay income taxes at the individual rates. And so when you 
drop the rates, you're encouraging capital creation in the small-
business sector of America. Those who oppose tax cuts do not understand 
job creation and what the small-business community does for job 
creation.
    It's hard for me to explain why we need to make them permanent. It's 
kind of--some of the things that happen in Washington: On the one hand, 
they taketh away; on the other hand, they giveth. In this case, we had 
tax reductions, but because of a rule in the United States Senate, those 
tax reductions cease after 10 years from the date of enactment. Congress 
gives, and then it takes away. And that's not right. What I need--I need 
allies in Washington who will make those tax reductions permanent so 
people can plan and save, and the job will grow.
    And we did a good thing in that tax reduction plan. We sent the 
death tax on its way to extinction. The death tax is bad for Colorado 
ranchers. The death tax is bad for Colorado farmers. If you're 
interested in curtailing urban sprawl, you ought to eliminate the death 
tax, so people aren't forced to sell their farms and ranches when they 
don't want to, because of a bad tax. The death tax is bad for small 
businesses. The death tax is just plain bad. And this State and this 
district better send somebody to Washington who will vote to permanently 
repeal the death tax.

[[Page 1678]]

    Economic vitality and economic growth means that we've got to manage 
our resources wisely, and we're not managing our forest resources wisely 
in America. We're allowing our forests to grow up like giant piles of 
kindling and just hoping that something doesn't happen. We're--backwards 
policy. We don't listen to the folks out West enough. We don't listen to 
the folks whose job it is to conserve our forests for future 
generations. The fires that have devastated the West should send a clear 
signal to not only the voters of this district but to the people in 
Washington, DC, that America, for the sake of our precious resources, 
and America, for the sake of future generations, must have forest policy 
based upon common sense. We must thin out our forests so that they're 
not giant piles of kindling for future national disasters.
    Bob's commonsense approach makes sense for Colorado. He understands 
as well, when you're good at something, you ought to promote it. We're 
good at high-tech. We're good at growing crops. We're good at producing 
things, and we ought to be selling our products overseas. And so I 
appreciate that we're going to have a fellow free-trader elected to the 
United States Congress from this district. Trade is good for jobs. Trade 
is good for Colorado. And trade is good for America.
    In order to create more jobs in America, Congress needs to act when 
it comes to terrorism insurance. There's some significant projects on 
hold because people can't get insurance because of what the terrorists 
did to us. It's estimated there's over 300,000 jobs that have been 
delayed, 300,000 hardhat, good, hard--good-paying jobs, because we can't 
get terrorism insurance. And Congress ought to act, and they need to 
move.
    The problem is--well, here's the problem: Some of them are more 
interested in rewarding the trial lawyers than they are the hardhats. We 
need a bill that focuses--we need policy that focuses on the hard-
working people, those people wearing the hardhats. We've got to get them 
back to work. I need somebody up there who will join me in putting good, 
commonsense policy in place--people can find work in America. We want 
them working.
    And one other thing I want to share with you about how to make sure 
the economy grows: We must be fiscally sound with your money; we cannot 
allow Congress to overspend. And here's the danger. Every idea in 
Washington sounds like a good idea. Everybody's idea sounds brilliant. 
And the problem in Washington politics is, every one of those brilliant 
ideas has got a price tag on them in the billions. And it begins to add 
up.
    And the other danger is, there's no budget. Senator 
Armstrong remembers the days when the 
Senate had a budget. They don't have one now. And if you don't have a 
budget, guess what's likely to happen? People overspend. For the sake of 
job creation, for the sake of jobs, we need to make sure the United 
States Congress understands whose money they're spending. They're not 
spending the Government's money; they're spending your money. And I need 
fiscal conservatives, people who will protect your pocketbook in 
Washington, DC.
    No, we're going to work together to make America a stronger place by 
making sure people can find work. Oh, I know there's a lot of talk about 
national security, and there should be, during these days. But part of 
making sure America is a secure place is that our economy is strong, and 
we continue to focus on job creation, which I'll do.
    But my most important job these days is to protect the homeland, is 
to protect America against nothing but a bunch of coldblooded killers, 
protect our country against people who hate us because of what we love. 
They hate us because we love freedom. They hate us because we love the 
idea that people can worship an almighty God any way they see fit. They 
hate us because we speak our mind: we allow public discourse and 
dissent. They

[[Page 1679]]

hate us because we have a free press. And so long as we love freedom, 
they'll hate us. But we're never, ever going to relinquish our love of 
freedom in America.
    Let me tell you something else about the enemy: They're resourceful; 
they're slippery; they're the ones who hide in caves and send youngsters 
to their suicidal death. These are folks that have hijacked a great 
religion and then take innocent life. And that's a huge difference 
between America. See, in America we value life. Everybody matters. Every 
person counts, not only in America but around the world. Human life is 
precious to the American people, part of our culture. The enemy doesn't 
think that way. And therefore, we've got to do everything we can to 
defend against them, to make sure they never hurt us again.
    And a lot of good people are working a lot of long hours to protect 
the American people--just are--you've got to know it. You've got to know 
that we're doing a better job now of coordinating between agencies in 
Washington. I mean--once we've learned that oceans no longer protect 
us--there's a new mentality in your Nation's Capital as well as your 
statehouse and at the local level as well. A lot of good people are 
sharing information, are running down leads. Anytime we get a hint 
something might be happening to America, we're going to react to it. We 
owe that to the American people. We will do so and protect the United 
States Constitution at the same time.
    We're making progress at home, but we need to make more progress. 
And one way to do so is to create a Department of Homeland Security. I 
remember when I first made the announcement, somebody said, ``Well, all 
that's going to mean is bigger Government.'' I readily concede I didn't 
campaign on the slogan: ``Vote for me. I want your Government to be 
bigger.'' But I do want it to work. I want it to perform. There's over 
100 agencies involved in the homeland defense. And if the number one 
priority is to protect the homeland, it seems like, to me, it makes 
sense to have them under one umbrella so that we can have a new culture 
in those agencies. It's not to say they won't do other functions, but we 
want them focused on your job, on your security, and on their job. 
That's what we want in America.
    And so I've asked Congress to respond. And the House acted quickly, 
and I appreciate the votes of the Members here from the House. The 
Senate is bogged down right now. They're bogged down over a dispute as 
to how best to run the agency. I want to thank Senator 
Campbell's strong support of my 
position, which I'm about to share with you. And it's this: I don't need 
a giant--and when I say ``I,'' it's not only me, it's other Presidents--
don't need a thick book of regulations trying to micromanage the 
Department of Homeland Security. That's not what we need. We need 
flexibility. We need to be able to move quickly. We need to be able--
need to put the hard-working people in the right place at the right 
time, to protect us from an enemy. Let me give you some examples of what 
I'm talking about.
    After September the 11th, the Customs Service wanted to require 
inspectors at the Nation's 301 ports of entry to wear radiation 
detection devices. That makes sense: Put a radiation detection device on 
that will help to determine whether or not somebody is trying to 
struggle a weapons of mass destruction in the country--eminent sense, 
logic that folks should want to do that. The union that represents the 
Customs workers objected. They didn't think that was right. They sought 
to invoke collective bargaining, which would have taken at least a year 
to resolve. We don't have a year to resolve issues like that. See, we 
need to be able to move quickly. We need to be able to respond. It's our 
job. In order to locate employees in cases of emergency, the Customs 
Service thought to have employees provide their home addresses or their 
telephone numbers to the Customs Service--in other words, if there 
needed

[[Page 1680]]

to be a quick response, we needed to have their numbers available. The 
union objected. They said such a request would violate the privacy 
rights of workers.
    We're in a different time here in America. In this case, a union 
filed a grievance and sought to negotiate something as sensible as this 
request. I'm for workers' rights. I believe people ought to be able to 
have collective bargaining if that's what they want. But in the name of 
national security, this administration, future administrations need this 
flexibility to put people--the right place at the right time, in order 
to protect America from an enemy which still wants to hurt us.
    Hope we can get it right in the Senate--an opportunity for the 
Senate, House to leave behind a legacy that America is more fully 
protected as time goes on. But the best way to protect America, short 
term and long term, is to hunt the killers down, one at a time, and to 
bring them to justice. And that's what we're doing. We're doing it in a 
variety of ways. First, you just need to know the doctrine that says, if 
you're--you're either with us, or you're with them--it still stands.
    There's a lot of people still with us. This is a different kind of 
war, and we need people with us. As I mentioned, these are folks that 
like to hide in caves or the dark recesses of cities around the world. 
They don't have tanks. They don't have airplanes. They don't have ships. 
We don't measure success based upon our capacity to destroy their 
ability to fight war. We measure success based upon how many we have 
hauled in or how many weren't so lucky. We've gotten over a couple of 
thousand of them so far. ``We'' not only means the United States but 
others with whom we work. And a like number have not been as lucky. 
We're slowly but surely dismantling the Al Qaida terrorist network.
    It's not a very glamorous war for some to cover. It's hard to get 
breathless over an arrest. Bin al-Shibh 
popped his head up. He was the guy that thought he was going to be the 
20th hijacker, or wanted to be. He's no longer a threat. He's no longer 
a threat to America. He's no longer a threat to our friends. It doesn't 
matter how long it takes, folks, the enemy has got to understand: we're 
going to get them. It doesn't matter how long it takes; we're going to 
pursue them. You see, we're fighting for our freedom. We're fighting for 
that which we hold dear.
    I sent up to Congress the largest increase in defense spending since 
Ronald Reagan was the President. I did it for two reasons. One, anytime 
we commit our troops into harm's way, they deserve the best pay, the 
best equipment, and the best possible training. We owe that to our 
troops, and we owe it to their loved ones as well. And for those of you 
in the audience who have got a loved one in the military--one, proud of 
your son or daughter; two, I have got full confidence in your son or 
daughter; and three, thank you for your sacrifice. And secondly, the 
reason I asked for a increase the size of which I did is because I 
wanted to send a message to friend and foe alike that when it comes to 
the defense of our freedoms, we're not quitting. There's no calendar on 
my desk that says, well, we've reached this time; it's time to stop. 
That's not how I think. That's not how America thinks. We want our 
friends understanding that. We want the enemy to know it as well, that 
when it comes to the defense of our country, comes to defending the 
values we hold dear, it doesn't matter how much it costs; it doesn't 
matter how long it takes: The United States will be firm and resolved. 
We owe that to our children, and we owe it to our children's children.
    I've got a problem, however. The defense budget I submitted hasn't 
made it to my desk yet. Here we are trying to defend the homeland, and 
it's stuck. The House passed it. The Senate passed it. Now it's time for 
the leadership in Washington, DC, to get the defense bill to my desk 
before they go home. It's important for--it's an important signal to 
send. And they

[[Page 1681]]

ought to stop playing politics with defense appropriations at this time 
in American history.
    There's not going to be an easy road to secure our freedom. There is 
going to be--there are some steep hills to climb. But we're ready to 
climb them as a nation, I think. There's a steep hill to climb in Iraq. 
I went to the United Nations the other day, and I want to share with you 
why I went. First, I wanted to make sure the world heard the case: This 
man is a dictator who tortures and rapes 
women--has women raped in order to make a point; who kills, stifles 
dissent through murder; the man who said he would get rid of weapons of 
mass destruction and still has them. And we need to fear the fact that 
he has weapons of mass destruction. He's used them before. He's used 
them on his own people before. He's invaded two countries. He's lied and 
deceived the world.
    The United States is no longer secure because we've got oceans. 
We're vulnerable to attack, as we learned so vividly. My job is to not 
only deal with problems--people kind of run around and lurk--my job is 
also to anticipate problems. My job is to be realistic about our future. 
My job is to make sure that the world's worst leader is not able to blackmail or hurt America or our 
friends and allies with the world's worst weapons. We've got to make 
sure that these dictators aren't able to team up with terrorist groups, 
use their weapons of mass destruction as a way to intimidate those of us 
who love freedom.
    So I went to the United Nations. My message was, ``We want you to 
succeed as an organization. We remember what it was like when the 
collective body was the League of Nations, unable to stop 
totalitarianism, that in order to secure the freedom in the 21st 
century, it's important to have an effective body. But you've been 
ineffective,'' I said. ``For 11 long years you have said one thing to 
the dictator in Iraq, and he has thumbed his 
nose. For 11 years you've allowed this man to be--to lie and deceive 
about weapons of mass destruction, and you have not held him to account. 
And now is the time. For the sake of freedom, you have got a choice: You 
can hold him to account. And for the sake of freedom, he has got a 
choice: He can disarm.''
    There's no negotiations, by the way, for Mr. Saddam 
Hussein. There's nothing to discuss. He 
either gets rid of his weapons and the United Nations gets rid of his 
weapons--he can either get rid of his weapons and the United Nations can 
act, or the United States will lead a coalition to disarm this man.
    I'm willing to give peace a chance to work. I want the United 
Nations to work. I want him to do what he 
said he would do. But for the sake of our future, now's the time--now's 
the time. For the sake of your children's future, we must make sure this 
madman never has the capacity to hurt us with a nuclear weapon or to use 
the stockpiles of anthrax that we know he has, or VX--the biological 
weapons which he possesses.
    I appreciate both Republicans and Democrats in our country 
understanding this issue. The other day I was at--greeted in the Cabinet 
Room members of both parties from the United States Congress, both 
parties, who understand the stakes--members of both parties who 
understand the stakes, people who are willing to work with us to send a 
clear message to the world, a unified message, a strong resolution which 
defines our vision for peace.
    Soon I'll have a--soon you'll see a resolution come forth supported 
by members of both parties--not everybody, I can understand that. This 
is an important debate, a debate where people will speak their 
conscience. I'm absolutely convinced as we've laid out the facts, 
members from both parties understand the stakes, understand we're 
talking about freedom, and understand we cannot allow this 
madman to threaten us, to threaten others, to 
threaten our friends with the world's worst weapons.

[[Page 1682]]

    I want you to know that behind the rhetoric of war is a deep desire 
for peace, that I believe that by remaining strong and diligent that we 
can achieve peace, that we can achieve peace not only for America but 
peace around the world. I believe that by speaking clearly about terror, 
delineating good from evil, remaining forceful in our desire for 
freedom, we can achieve peace in the Middle East.
    I laid out a vision for peace. I'm going to stay on that vision. I 
believe so strongly it's possible. And I believe we can achieve peace in 
South Asia. I want you to tell your kids that when they hear the debate, 
listen to the rhetoric: This administration has got a deep desire for a 
peaceful world. I also have a deep desire for a better world, too, a 
better country.
    As we work to keep the peace we've also got to work to make America 
a better place for all of us. I mean every single citizen. That means 
we've got to have an education system that is next to none. I believe 
strongly in setting high standards and challenging the soft bigotry of 
low expectations. I believe every child can learn.
    I know Bob shares that vision, and I know the Governor does as well. I'm proud to sign an important piece of 
education reform--for the first time said that if you receive Federal 
money, why don't you show us whether or not your children are learning 
to read and write and add and subtract? See, if you believe every child 
can learn, if you're willing to challenge the soft bigotry of low 
expectations, then just show us. And if they are, we'll praise the 
teachers and praise the superintendents. But when we find our children 
trapped in schools that won't teach and won't change, we must demand 
something different. No child should be left behind in America.
    A better America is one that has got a modern health care system. 
And I look forward to working with Bob to make sure that the Medicare 
system is modern. Medicine has changed; Medicare hasn't. And it's time 
to keep the promise of Medicare with a modern system, starting with 
prescription drug benefits for our seniors.
    And by the way, I appreciated what the House did. I call upon the 
Senate to do the same thing that the House did the other day. In order 
to make sure medicine is affordable and accessible, we need medical 
liability reform at the Federal level. Let me just put it to you this 
way: Too many lawsuits are driving docs out of business. Too many 
lawsuits are making health care hard to get for a lot of folks. Too many 
lawsuits, too many frivolous and junk lawsuits are driving up your cost 
for health care, and we need to do something about it, starting at the 
Federal level. The House acted. The Senate must show the same kind of 
courage, for the sake of the American people.
    There's a lot of things we can do in Washington, but the best way to 
make America a better place is to call upon our fellow citizens to love 
a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. See, Government 
can hand out money--sometimes we do a pretty good job of it--but what it 
cannot do is cause people to love one another. It can't put hope in 
people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. That is done 
when a fellow citizen puts his arm around somebody who hurts, and says, 
``I love you.'' That's how that happens. That's done when a church or a 
synagogue or mosque decides to feed the hungry or find shelter for those 
who have no housing. It's done when somebody mentors a child. It's done 
when somebody runs a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop. That's what happens, 
see.
    That's the true strength of the country, by the way. The true 
strength of the country is in the hearts and souls of our fellow 
citizens. You know, people have asked me, what can they do to help in 
the war against terror? My answer is, love a neighbor. If you want to 
fight evil, do some good. Try to make your community a better place in 
which somebody can live and realize their dreams.

[[Page 1683]]

    No, the enemy hit us--the enemy hit us. They didn't know who they 
were hitting. They probably thought after 9/11/2001 that maybe a couple 
lawsuits would be filed against them. They didn't understand America. 
They didn't understand our view of freedom; nor did they understand that 
this great Nation would rise up--this Nation would take a step back and 
assess what was important and rise up. A lot of people now understand to 
be a patriot means more than just putting your hand over your heart. It 
means doing something to make your community a better place. A true 
patriot is somebody who helps eliminate those pockets of despair and 
hopelessness by loving somebody.
    I believe out of the evil done to America is going to come great 
good--still mourn the loss of life, like we all do, but I know the 
culture is beginning to change from one that has said, ``If it feels 
good, do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to 
a day in which each of us understand we're responsible for the decisions 
we make in life. We're responsible for loving our children, if you're 
lucky enough to be a mom or a dad. You're responsible for the quality of 
life in the community in which you live. You're responsible for loving 
your neighbor like you'd like to be--self. If you're running corporate 
America, you're responsible to tell the truth to your employees and your 
shareholders.
    This great country is responding to the evil done. I'm an optimistic 
guy, because I believe America can achieve anything it sets its mind to, 
believe we can achieve peace. And I believe we can help eliminate the 
pockets of despair and make sure this country remains such a beacon of 
hope for everybody, for every citizen who is fortunate enough to live in 
this great land.
    The reason I believe that way is, I understand that America is the 
greatest nation, full of the finest people, on the face of our Earth. 
God bless you all, and may God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 11:26 a.m. in the Plaza Ballroom at the 
Adam's Mark Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to candidate Bob 
Beauprez's wife, Claudia, and his parents, Joe and Maria Beauprez; Bob 
Benson, chair, Republican Party of Colorado; Gov. Bill Owens of 
Colorado, and his wife, Frances; former Senator William L. Armstrong of 
Colorado; 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. Bob Beauprez 
was a candidate for Colorado's Seventh Congressional District.