[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
[October 28, 2002]
[Pages 1919-1925]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in Denver, Colorado
October 28, 2002

    The President. Thanks for coming. Thanks for such a warm welcome. 
It's nice to be in a part of the world where the cowboy hats outnumber 
the ties. I'm honored so many of you all came. Please be seated, unless 
you don't have a seat. [Laughter] I'm honored so many came out today.
    I've got some things on my mind that I'd like to share with you. One 
thing that's on my mind is that we have a duty to our country to 
participate in the political process. See, if you believe in freedom, 
you have a duty to exercise your right to vote to begin with. One of the 
reasons I'm coming to this big State is to encourage people to do their 
duty, to go to the polls. I want all people, no matter what their 
political party is or whether they even like a political party, to 
exercise their obligation to vote.
    Now, I've got some suggestions when you go--[laughter]--I've got 
some suggestions. For the sake of Colorado and for the sake of the 
country, Wayne Allard needs to be sent back to 
the United States Senate.
    Audience members. Six more years! Six more years! Six more years!
    The President. Whether he wins or not is 
going to depend upon many of you here. See, grassroots politics makes a 
big difference--turning out that vote, getting on the telephones and 
putting up the signs, going to your coffee shops or your houses of 
worship or your community centers to put out the word that, when you've 
got

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a good one like Wayne, you've got to do everything you can to help him 
get back to Washington.
    You know, in Colorado, I'm sure you understand this. Around 
Crawford, we kind of know the difference between a show horse and a work 
horse. [Laughter] With Wayne, you've got 
somebody who's willing to work on your behalf. When he says something, 
he means it. And he does not need a focus group or a poll to tell him 
what to think.
    I'm proud to have traveled in with Joan 
today, too. Like me, he married well. He drew 
the short straw. If he'd have been smart, he'd have invited Laura to come and speak instead of me. [Laughter] And she's 
doing great, by the way. She's on her way from Crawford back to 
Washington.
    I don't know if you remember the story. I see my friend Ricky 
Griess here. He and I both went to San Jacinto 
Junior High with Laura. When I married her, when 
I asked her to marry me--or asked her to marry me, she was a public 
school librarian, and she didn't like politics. [Laughter] And she 
didn't care for politicians, either. [Laughter] Thank goodness she said 
yes when I proposed. She is a fabulous First Lady for America, and she's 
for Wayne Allard.
    And like me, she's also awfully fond of your 
Governor and first lady. Bill Owens--Governor Bill Owens is one of the finest Governors 
in the United States. And you better make sure you put him back in, too. 
He's got a great record. He cares deeply about the citizens of this 
State, and he's proven that he's a Governor of everybody. The thing I 
like about Governor Owens, he campaigns proudly as a Republican, but he 
serves all the people of this State. And he's going to get a big vote 
from Republicans and Democrats and independents because of the job he 
has done. I'm not saying that just because he was born in Texas. 
[Laughter] I'm saying that because his record speaks loud and clear. And 
we love Frances, too. She's done a great job as the first lady of 
Colorado.
    I'm proud to be up here with another fine United States Senator. Ben 
Nighthorse Campbell is a class act 
and a good man. I'm honored to be here with two Members of the United 
States Congress, Bob Schaffer and Tom 
Tancredo. I appreciate them coming.
    And I'm here to make sure--to encourage you to work hard, to make 
sure that Denny Hastert remains the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. And if you're interested in 
joining me in doing that, you'll make sure Bob Beauprez gets elected to the United States Congress.
    I appreciate Bob. He represents the 
Colorado story, the Colorado story from a pioneering family. He's an 
entrepreneur. He's a hard worker. He's a God-fearing man. He's a decent 
soul. For the sake of the country, it's important that Bob Beauprez 
become the United States Congressman from the Seventh District.
    You need to work hard to get out the vote in this close race. You 
need to turn out everybody you can find. And once you get through 
getting him elected, make sure you don't forget Marilyn 
Musgrave, who's going to be the 
Congresswoman from Colorado. Marilyn knows what she's doing. She doesn't 
need a bunch of on-the-job training in Washington. She'll be a good, 
steady hand from the get-go.
    I also want to--you to work hard for senator--State senator Ken 
Chlouber. Ken's running--Ken's running for the 
Congress. He too is a good, honest man, a good, decent fellow who will 
make a fine United States Congressman.
    No, it's important for the sake of our future that Denny 
Hastert remain the Speaker of the House. I 
can work with him. And we need to work together, because we've got some 
big projects ahead for America, we've got some big challenges for our 
country. But you've got to know

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you're looking at an optimist. There's nothing this country can't 
achieve when we put our mind to it.
    Some of the biggest challenges we face will require us being able to 
work together in the--with the administrative branch and the legislative 
branch, in concert. We're doing what's right for America. Listen, I 
worry about the fact that some people can't find a job here in America. 
Anytime one's looking for work and can't find a job means we've got to 
do--we've got to have a pro-growth agenda. Anytime somebody wants to 
work and can't put food on the table means we've got a problem in 
America.
    Let me tell you what we think. People on this stage believe that the 
tax cuts we passed, the tax cuts that Congress enacted, was one of the 
best remedies for making sure people can find work. And the reason why 
is because when somebody has more of his own or her own money in their 
pocket, they're more than likely to demand an additional good or a 
service. And in the marketplace, when you demand a good or a service, 
somebody is likely to produce the good or a service. And when somebody 
produces the good or a service, somebody in Colorado or elsewhere in the 
country is more likely to find work. The tax relief we passed came at 
exactly the right time in American economic history.
    And I want to thank Senator Allard for his 
support. I don't have to worry about his position on tax relief. Nor do 
I have to worry about Bob Beauprez's position 
on tax relief. And that's the kind of representation you need to have in 
Washington. It's still an issue, because the Senate rules are such that 
after 10 years, the tax relief we passed goes away. See, that creates a 
sense of uncertainty in the marketplace. It's hard to plan if the tax 
rules are going to change on you.
    The tax relief plan we passed made eminent sense for our small 
businesses. Seventy percent of the new jobs in America are created by 
small businesses. And when you reduce the rates, the individual tax 
rates, it affects small-business growth because most small businesses 
are sole proprietorships or limited partnerships. For the sake of job 
creation, for the sake of enhancing the entrepreneurial spirit, for the 
sake of strengthening the small-business sector in America, you need to 
send people to the Senate and the Congress who will make the tax relief 
permanent.
    I know there is concern about what they call urban sprawl here in 
Colorado. One of the reasons why urban sprawl can get out of hand is 
because farmers and ranchers are forced to sell their property before 
they want to because of the death tax. The tax relief plan we passed 
puts the death tax on its way to extinction. However, because of the 
Senate rules, it doesn't go away after 10 years. It kind of heads toward 
extinction, but doesn't die. It's like the Senate giveth, and then they 
taketh away. You better have you a United States Senator and Members of 
the United States Congress who will support the administration and make 
the repeal of the death tax permanent.
    We need Members of the United States Congress who will work with the 
administration to get an energy bill. We can't get an energy bill out of 
the Congress. That doesn't make any sense. Listen, we are dependent upon 
foreign sources of crude oil, and some of those sources of crude oil 
aren't really friendly to the United States of America. I wouldn't call 
them friends. For the sake of job security, for the sake of national 
security, we need people in Congress who will work with us to get an 
energy bill which encourages conservation, encourages renewable sources 
of energy but, at the same time, encourages exploration, environmentally 
friendly exploration, so we become less dependent on foreign sources of 
energy.
    I look forward to having people in the United States Congress with 
whom I can work, like Wayne and Bob, to make sure we've got reasonable forest policy. You all 
suffered a lot of burning here in the West

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because we've had lousy forest policy, forest policy that didn't make 
any sense, forest policy that just said, ``Let's just ignore the forest. 
Let's just let this kindling build up. Let's create a dangerous 
situation.'' And then all of a sudden, lightening struck, or man may 
strike, and these forests that have been not tended to, forests that 
have been ignored, caught on fire and our heritage was destroyed.
    For the sake of good environmental policy, commonsense environmental 
policy, send these two people up there so they can join with us, so we 
can have a forest policy that protects our forest by thinning out the 
dead wood, by making sure kindling doesn't pile up, to prevent forest 
fires from happening in the first place through sound forest management 
practices.
    I look forward to working with these two men to make sure our 
Medicare system works. Medicine has changed, and Medicare hasn't. 
Medicine is modern, got all kinds of new technologies and drugs that 
will help save lives, and Medicare is stuck in the past. For the sake of 
honoring our commitments to our seniors, we need people in Congress with 
whom we can work to make sure Medicare is modern and our seniors have 
got a prescription drug benefit.
    No, there's a lot of things we can work on, a lot of things we can 
work on together to make America a stronger place and a better place. 
One way I can--I believe I can influence America in a positive way is to 
make sure I get some good judges nominated for the Federal bench, the 
kind of judges who apply the law as it's written, not who go on the 
bench to write new laws of their own. And the Senate has got a lousy 
record on my judges. We need to change the Senate for a lot of reasons, 
and one reason is to make sure we've got a sound judiciary. There's no 
question where Wayne Allard stands when it 
comes to good, conservative judges. He's a vote on which I can count.
    There's a lot we can do together to make sure the economy is strong 
and the health care systems work, make sure environmental policy makes 
sense. These two menMembers of 
Congress up here on stage with me are running 
for office, are exactly the right answers for Colorado.
    We've also got to make sure that we are able to continue to do the 
most important job we have, and that's to protect the homeland. See, 
America is still under threat. Oh, we can play like we are aren't. We 
can play like there's not a threat out there, but that's just not the 
way I am. I think we need to have people in Congress and around the 
country who are realistic, see clearly the threats we face. We've got to 
do that. The most important job we have as Government is to protect 
innocent life.
    And the reason why the issue is still alive is because there's an 
enemy lurking around out there that is pretty tough. And they're 
resolute, and they're driven by hatred. They hate what we love. We love 
life. Everybody matters, as far as we're concerned. Everybody is 
precious. They have no regard for innocent life whatsoever. They hate 
the fact that we love freedom. We love our freedom of religion. We love 
our freedom of speech. We love every aspect of freedom, and we're not 
changing. We're not intimidated. As a matter of fact, the more they hate 
our freedoms; the more we love our freedoms.
    And so we've got to do everything we can to protect the homeland. 
We've got to be realistic about the threats we face. See, after 
September the 11th, 2001, it should be evident to all Americans that 
these oceans no longer protect us. A while ago it would be easy to say 
there's a conflict somewhere, and we can pick and choose if we want to 
be involved, or there may be a threat emerging, but we really don't have 
to worry about it that much because we've got oceans to protect us. Now 
we realize that the battlefield is here at home. The battlefields used 
to be elsewhere. They're here at home now, which means the stakes are 
much higher. And when we see a threat, we've got to be realistic about 
the threat, and we've got

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to be firm in our resolve to deal with threats.
    And there's a true threat which exists in Iraq. Oh, we can hope the 
man changes, but I want you to remember that 
this is a person who has gassed his own people. It's a person who claims 
he has no weapons of mass destruction, in order to escape the dictums of 
the U.N. Security Council and the United Nations, but he's got them. 
See, he'll lie. He'll deceive us. And he'll use them.
    He can't stand America. He can't stand 
our friends and allies. For 11 years he's defied 16 resolutions out of 
the United Nations. You see, 11 years ago, he said he wouldn't have 
weapons of mass destruction. He told the world, ``Fine, I got whipped, 
and I'm not going to have weapons of mass destruction.'' And then he 
defied the U.N., resolution after resolution after resolution. He's a 
threat to America, and he's a threat to our friends. He's even more of a 
threat now that we've learned that he's anxious to have--once again to 
develop a nuclear weapon. He's got connections with Al Qaida.
    And so I went to the United Nations to raise the issue. I went there 
for a couple of reasons. One, I want the United Nations to be effective. 
It seems like to me that, if the new war we fight requires intelligence 
sharing and cutting off the money, then we ought to have a group of 
nations working toward that end. I don't want the United Nations to be 
the League of Nations, but it's their choice to make. They have the 
choice to make, to free--the leaders of the free world have got a choice 
to make as to whether or not Saddam is going 
to be allowed to defy their resolutions and weaken--weaken their 
capacity to keep the peace--their choice.
    And Saddam Hussein has got a choice to 
make too. He can do what he said he would do; he can disarm. The 
Congress debated the issue, members from both parties stated their 
opinion. It was a good, healthy, open debate. And the Congress has now 
joined with the administration to speak with one voice, and here's our 
message. Our message from America is this: If the United Nations does 
not have the will or the courage to disarm Saddam Hussein, and if Saddam 
Hussein will not disarm, for the sake of peace, for the sake of freedom, 
the United States will lead a coalition and disarm Saddam Hussein.
    No, we've got to be realistic. We must be realistic here in America. 
We can't hope for the best. Times have changed. The battlefield is here, 
as we learned so clearly on that fateful day. And they're still out 
there. The poor souls of--in Indonesia who lost their lives are an 
example of what I'm talking about. These people are coldblooded killers.
    But you've got to know there's a lot of good people working hard 
here at home to protect you, people at the Federal level and at the 
State level, the local level, people working overtime to run down any 
hint or to chase down any lead so we can deny, disrupt any plans. We get 
a hint; I'm telling you, we're moving on it. We're doing everything we 
can. See, we are on alert. We're now aware of the realities we face.
    But we can do a better job, and that's why I asked Congress to join 
me in the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, so we can 
better coordinate amongst the agencies involved with the with securing 
the homeland, so we can set the homeland security as the priority, if 
need be change cultures, so we've got people all headed in the same 
direction, which is your protection. And the House of Representatives 
passed a good bill. But it's stuck in the Senate. They couldn't get it 
out of the Senate. They're trying to extract too high a price from me.
    For 40 years, Presidents have had the ability to suspend collective 
bargaining rules in any Department when the national security is at 
stake. For 40 years, since John Kennedy, Presidents have had that power. 
And now the Senate, in a time of war, wants to take that power away from 
me.

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I'll have that power in the Agriculture Department but not in the 
Department of Homeland Security. And I'm not going to accept a lousy 
bill from the Senate. And I want to thank Wayne Allard for his support. I know where he stands.
    The best way, however, to secure our homeland, the best way to make 
sure we defend our freedoms and fulfill our obligations to our children 
is to hunt these killers down, one at a time, and bring them to justice, 
which is exactly what we're going to do. It's going to take a while. 
It's not an easy lift. It's going to take a while. This isn't one of 
these instant gratification deals. This is going to take a while to get 
it done.
    The Congress responded to my budget request for the largest increase 
in defense spending since Ronald Reagan was the President. I want to 
thank them for that. I signed that the other day in the Rose Garden. And 
we signed that--I asked for that amount of money for two reasons. One, 
anytime this country commits our troops into harm's way, they deserve 
the best pay, the best training, and the best possible equipment. We owe 
that to our troops, and we owe that to the loved ones of our troops. And 
for all the loved ones of our troops out there, I want to thank you for 
your sacrifices, and you tell your son, daughter, grandson, 
granddaughter, however he or she is related to you, that the Commander 
in Chief is confident in their capacity and proud of their service to 
the United States of America.
    And the other message we're sending loud and clear, that defense 
bill sends this message loud and clear to friend and foe alike, that 
we're in this deal for the long haul. There is not a calendar on my desk 
in the Oval Office that says by such-and-such a date, you quit. That's 
just--that's not the way I think. That's not the way most Americans 
think, because they understand freedom is precious and they understand 
the stakes. They can see clearly that the battleground has shifted, and 
we have an obligation and a duty for future generations of America to 
stay the course. And that's exactly what we're going to do.
    The doctrine that says, ``Either you're with us, or you're with the 
enemy,'' it still stands too. And we're making progress at dismantling 
the terrorist organization. We've hauled in a couple of thousand. One by 
one, we're finding them and bringing them to justice; like number were 
not as lucky. In either case, the sum total is, they're not a problem to 
the United States or our friends and allies anymore.
    The other day, one of them popped his head up. See, these are the 
kinds of people that hide in caves. They don't fly airplanes like the 
one I used to fly, the 102, or they don't sit in tanks. They hide in 
caves, and they send their youngsters to their suicidal deaths. And so 
you've got to treat this like a manhunt. One time, a guy the other day 
named bin al-Shibh, who was going to be 
the twentieth hijacker, he popped his head up, and he's not a problem 
anymore. We've got a lot of good people chasing them down, a lot of good 
people. Sometimes you'll see about it, read about it, or see it on TV, 
and sometimes you're just not going to see it. But you've got to know 
the manhunt is on, and it doesn't matter how long it takes, doesn't 
matter how long it takes. I like our chances better than theirs. We've 
got a fabulous military, and we've got a great resolve.
    I can't imagine what was going through their mind. They must have 
thought our religion was materialism. They must have thought we were so 
self-centered and so absorbed with our own kind of shallow materialism 
that all we would do after September the 11th was file a lawsuit. 
[Laughter] They just didn't understand, and they're going to pay a dear 
price for doing what they did to America.
    You see, this great country--this country understands what's at 
stake. This country is strong. This country is resolved. And by being 
strong and by being resolved, there's going to be some incredible good 
come out of the evil done to America, starting

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with peace. Amidst all the talk you're hearing, you've got to understand 
my vision is for a peaceful world.
    Oh, I understand the stakes; I see the risks. But the dream--and 
it's an achievable dream--is for the world to be peaceful, not only for 
Americans but for people in parts of the world that have quit on peace, 
parts of the world like the Middle East, where they just think peace 
doesn't have a chance. I believe we can achieve peace. I believe this 
Nation can lead the world to a peaceful world.
    We're going to have to be strong. We're going to have to be tough at 
times. And we've always got to remember the value we hold most dear, 
freedom, is not an American-created value. It's a God-given value that 
applies to everybody around the world. No, we can achieve a peaceful 
world, and also at home we can achieve a more compassionate world as 
well.
    The evil done to America caused a lot of good folks to take a step 
back, to kind of take an inventory of that which is important in their 
lives. A lot of good folks took a step back and said, ``How can I best 
serve my country? What can I do? What can I do to help fight evil?'' And 
the answer is, if you really want to help, love your neighbor just like 
you'd like to be loved yourself.
    See, Government can hand out money, and we can do things. We'll work 
hard on education matters. We'll work hard to make sure the Medicare 
system works. And Government can pass money out. Sometimes we do a 
pretty good job of it. [Laughter] But what it cannot do is put hope in 
people's hearts or sense of purpose in people's lives.
    The best way to convert the evil done to America to some good is to 
recognize there's pockets of despair and hopelessness in America. 
There's loneliness. There's addiction. There are people who hurt in our 
midst. And so long as some of us hurt, we all hurt. And the best way to 
cure that loneliness and hurt is for a fellow American to put their arm 
around somebody in need and say, ``I love you. What can I do to help 
you?''
    You see, the enemy had no idea who they were hitting. They didn't 
understand America like I do and you do. This is a country full of 
people that are decent and honorable, people who learned the lesson of 
Flight 93. That was the lesson of people who were flying across the 
country. They heard the plane was going to be used as a weapon. They 
told their loved ones goodbye. They said a prayer. One guy said, ``Let's 
roll.'' They took the plane into the ground to serve something greater 
than themselves.
    No, the American spirit of sacrifice and service and compassion and 
love is alive and strong. And therefore, I boldly predict that out of 
the evil done to America will not only come a more peaceful world, but 
out of the evil done to America will be a more compassionate America, 
where the great hope of this country, the great vibrancy of the American 
Dream, will be alive and well in every corner, in every neighborhood 
here in America. I'm an optimistic fellow because I understand that 
America is the greatest country, full of the finest people on the face 
of this Earth.
    Thank you for coming. May God bless you, and may God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 12:40 p.m. at the Wings Over the Rockies 
Air and Space Museum. In his remarks, he referred to Joan Allard, wife 
of Senator Wayne Allard; Gov. Bill Owens of Colorado, and his wife, 
Frances; Marilyn Musgrave, candidate for Colorado's Fourth Congressional 
District; Ken Chlouber, candidate for Colorado's First Congressional 
District; President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, an 
Al Qaida operative suspected of helping to plan the September 11, 2001, 
terrorist attacks, who was captured in Karachi, Pakistan.