    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [June 27, 2003]
    [Pages 708-712]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Dinner in Los Angeles, California
    June 27, 2003

        Thanks for such a warm welcome, and it's great to be here in
    southern California. I'm honored that so many showed up. I appreciate
    their record-setting event. I'm grateful that you're laying the
    groundwork for what will be a great national victory in 2004.
        I'm getting ready. [Laughter] I'm loosening up. [Laughter] But I
    want to remind you, in order for us to win I'm going to need your help
    to energize the grassroots, to talk to your neighbors, to put signs in
    the yard, and to remind people that my vision is for a vision that's
    hopeful for all Americans.
        The political season is going to come in its own time; there will be
    plenty of time for politics. Right now I'm focused on the people's
    business in our Nation's Capital. We have a lot on the agenda. And I'm
    going to continue to work hard to earn the confidence of our fellow
    Americans by making sure that this country is secure and strong and
    prosperous and free.
        I'd like to stay for dinner, but I'm off to Crawford. [Laughter] I
    just talked to Laura on the phone, and she sends
    her very best. She is a fabulous First Lady for America. I want to thank
    my friend Brad Freeman for his friendship, his
    not-so-short introduction--[laughter]--and his hard work. I want to
    thank all the cochair for this event. I appreciate so very much your
    hard work to make this such a success.
        I'm honored that Governor Linda Lingle from
    Hawaii is with us today. She is a--she's a breath of fresh air for the
    State of Hawaii. I know we've got at least one Members of the United
    States Congress--Darrell Issa is with us today.
    Thank you,

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    Congressman, for being here. I appreciate it. I, too, want to thank the
    campaign team here, led by Gerry Parsky.
    I'm honored to call him a friend as well. I spent an amazing couple of
    hours with Dennis Miller. [Laughter] He keeps
    you on your toes. I was also honored to meet his wife, Carolyn. Like me, he married above himself. [Laughter] It may
    not be all that hard, in his case. [Laughter] But I'm proud to have his
    help.
        I'm also proud of my friend Kelsey Grammer. I appreciate him being here. If only I could have
    heard Johnny Mathis sing, then I would have
    wished Laura were here again. [Laughter]
        Thank you all for coming. This is a big night. I'm really honored
    you're here.
        You know, in the last 2\1/2\ years, this Nation has acted decisively
    to confront great challenges. I came to the office of the President to
    solve problems instead of passing them on to future Presidents and
    future generations. I came to seize opportunities instead of letting
    them slip away. And I believe we are meeting the test of our time.
        Terrorists declared war on the United States, and war is what they
    got. We have captured or killed many of the key leaders of Al Qaida, and
    the rest of them know we're hot on their trail. In Afghanistan and Iraq,
    we gave ultimatums to terror regimes. Those regimes chose defiance, and
    those regimes are no more. Fifty million people in two countries once
    lived under tyranny, and now they live in freedom.
        Two-and-a-half years ago, our military was not receiving the
    resources it needed, and morale was beginning to suffer. We increased
    the defense budget to prepare for the threats of a new era, and today,
    no one in the world can question the skill and the strength and the
    spirit of the United States military.
        Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. And
    then the attacks came on our country, and we had scandals in corporate
    America, and war--all of which affected the Nation's confidence. But we
    acted. We passed tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account.
    And to get our economy going again, we have twice led the United States
    Congress to pass historic tax relief for the people of America.
        Here's what we believe and here's what we know: When Americans have
    more take-home pay to spend, save, or invest, the whole economy
    benefits, and people are more likely to find a job.
        This administration also knows this: When we spend money in
    Washington, it is not the Government's money. It is the people's money.
    We're returning more money to the people so they can raise their
    families easier. We're reducing taxes on dividends and capital gains to
    encourage investment. We're giving small businesses incentives to expand
    and hire new people.
        With all these actions, we are laying the foundation for greater
    prosperity and more jobs across America, so that every single person in
    our country has a chance to realize the American Dream.
        Two-and-a-half years ago, there was a lot of talk about education
    reform, but there wasn't much action. So I called for and Congress
    passed the No Child Left Behind Act. With a solid bipartisan majority,
    we delivered the most dramatic education reforms in a generation.
        We're bringing high standards and strong accountability to every
    public school in America. We believe every child can learn the basics of
    reading and math, and we expect every school in America to teach those
    basics. We are challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. The
    days of excuse-making are over, and we expect results in every classroom
    so that not one single child in America is left behind.
        We reorganized the Government and created the Department of Homeland
    Security to safeguard our borders and ports and protect the American
    people. We passed trade promotion authority to create new markets for
    America's entrepreneurs

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    and farmers and ranchers and manufacturers. We passed a budget agreement
    that is helping to maintain spending discipline in Washington, DC.
        On issue after issue, this administration has acted on principle,
    has kept its word, and has made progress for the American people. The
    United States Congress has shared in these achievements, and I
    appreciate the hard work of Members of the Congress. We will continue to
    work together to change the tone in Washington, DC, by focusing on the
    people's business and by focusing on results.
        And those are the kind of people I've asked to serve our Government
    in my administration. I have put together a fantastic team of solid
    American citizens. I'm proud of their service. I'm proud of the work. We
    have got no finer Vice President in our Nation's history than Dick
    Cheney. Mother might
    have a second opinion. [Laughter]
        In 2\1/2\ years, we have come far, but our work is only beginning. I
    have set great goals worthy of this great Nation. First, America is
    committed to expanding the realm of freedom and peace, freedom and peace
    not only for our own security but for the benefit of the world.
        And second, in our own country, we must work for a society of
    prosperity and compassion so that every citizen has a chance to work and
    succeed and realize the great promise of our country. It is clear that
    the future of freedom and the future of peace depend on the actions of
    America. This Nation is freedom's home and freedom's defender. We
    welcome this charge of history, and we are keeping it.
        Our war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom are not idle,
    and neither are we. This country will not rest; we will not tire; we
    will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed.
        Yet, our national interest involves more than eliminating aggressive
    threats to our safety. Our greatest security comes from the advance of
    human liberty, because free nations do not support terror, free nations
    do not attack their neighbors, free nations do not threaten the world
    with weapons of mass terror. Americans believe that freedom is the
    deepest need and hope of every human heart. And we believe that freedom
    is the right of every person and freedom is the future of every nation.
        America also understands that unprecedented influence brings
    tremendous responsibilities. We have duties in the world. And when we
    see disease and starvation and hopeless poverty, we will not turn away.
    On the continent of Africa, which I'll be visiting in 10 days, America
    is now committed to bringing healing--the healing power of medicine to
    millions of men and women and children now suffering with AIDS. This
    great land is leading the world in this incredibly important work of
    human rescue.
        We face challenges at home as well, of course. And our actions prove
    that we're equal to those challenges. I will continue to work on our
    economy until everybody who wants to work and who is not working today
    can find a job.
        We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by
    strengthening and modernizing Medicare. Last night, the Congress took
    historic action to improve the lives of older Americans. For the first
    time since the creation of Medicare, the House and Senate passed reforms
    to increase choices for our seniors and to provide coverage of
    prescription drugs. The next step is for both Houses to come together,
    iron out the final details, and get a bill to my desk.
        And for the sake of health care, we need to cut down on the
    frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. People who have
    been harmed by a bad doc deserve their day in court. Yet, the system
    should not reward lawyers who are simply fishing for a rich settlement.
    Frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of medicine, and therefore they
    affect the Federal budget. Medical liability reform is a national issue
    that

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    requires a national solution, and the Congress must act.
        I have a responsibility as President to make sure the judicial
    system runs well, and I have met that duty. I've nominated superb men
    and women for the Federal courts, people who will interpret the law, not
    legislate from the bench. Some Members of the Senate are trying to keep
    my nominees off the bench by blocking up-or-down votes. Every judicial
    nominee deserves a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote on the Senate
    floor. It is time for some Members of the United States Senate to stop
    playing politics with American justice.
        The Congress needs to pass a comprehensive energy plan. We need to
    use our technologies to help us conserve more, to find alternative
    sources of energy, but we need to use our technologies to help us
    explore in environmentally sensitive ways for more energy here at home.
    For the sake of our national security, for the sake of our economic
    security, we need to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        Our strong and prosperous Nation must also be a compassionate
    nation. I will continue to advance our agenda of compassionate
    conservatism, applying the best and most innovative ideas to the task to
    helping our fellow citizens in need. There are still millions of men and
    women who want to end their dependence on Government and become
    independent through work. We must build on the success of welfare reform
    to bring work and dignity to more of our fellow citizens.
        Congress should complete a ``Citizen Service Act'' so more Americans
    can serve their communities and their country. And both Houses should
    reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative to support the armies of
    compassion that are mentoring children, caring for the homeless, and
    offering hope to the addicted.
        A compassionate society must promote opportunity for all, including
    the independence and dignity that come from ownership. This
    administration will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in
    America. We want more people owning their homes. We want people to own
    and manage their own health care. We want people to own and manage their
    own retirement accounts. We want people to own their own small business.
    We understand that when a person owns something, he or she has a vital
    stake in the future of America.
        In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take
    responsibility for the decisions they make. We're changing the culture
    of America from one that has said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and
    do it; if you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture in
    which each of us understands we are responsible for the decisions we
    make in life.
        If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you're
    responsible for loving your child with all your heart. If you are
    concerned about the quality of education in your community, you're
    responsible for doing something about it. If you are a CEO in America,
    you are responsible for telling the truth to your employees and your
    shareholders. And in the new responsibility era, each of us is
    responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved
    ourselves.
        We can see the culture of service and responsibility growing around
    us. I started what's called the USA Freedom Corps to encourage Americans
    to extend a compassionate hand to a neighbor in need. And the response
    has been incredibly strong. And our faith-based charities all across our
    country are vibrant and strong and hearing the call to help somebody who
    hurts.
        Policemen and firefighters and people who wear our Nation's uniform
    are reminding us what it means to sacrifice for something greater than
    yourself. Once again, the children of America believe in heroes, because
    they see them every day.

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        In these challenging times, the world has seen the resolve and the
    courage of America. And I've been privileged to see the compassion and
    the character of the American people. All the tests of the last 2\1/2\
    years have come to the right Nation.
        We see--we are a strong country, and we use that strength to defend
    the peace. We're an optimistic country, confident in ourselves and in
    ideals bigger than ourselves. Abroad, we seek to lift whole nations by
    spreading freedom. At home, we seek to lift up lives by spreading
    opportunity to every corner of our country. This is the work that
    history has set before us, and we welcome it. And we know that for our
    country and for our cause, the best days lie ahead.
        I'm honored you're here. May God continue to bless America. Thank
    you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 7:12 p.m. in the Los Angeles Ballroom at
    the Century Plaza Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Brad Freeman,
    California State finance chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; Gerald L.
    Parsky, chairman, Team California, California Republican Party Board of
    Directors; comedian Dennis Miller; actor Kelsey Grammer; and entertainer
    Johnny Mathis. A tape was not available for verification of the content
    of these remarks.