    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [June 30, 2003]
    [Pages 722-726]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Tampa, Florida
    June 30, 2003

        Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming out. I appreciate the
    warm welcome on a warm day. [Laughter] I'm so honored to be here with my
    brother. You know, he and I share the same
    political consultant--[laughter]--our mother.
    [Laughter] She doesn't charge very much for her advice, but she gives
    plenty of it, I can assure you. [Laughter] But I appreciate Jeb--talk
    about swamping somebody--he knows the definition of ``swamp'' when it
    comes to political campaigns.
        I want to thank you all so very much for your help today. We're
    laying the groundwork for a national campaign--a national campaign that
    I believe will result in a great victory in November 2004.

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        I'm going to count on you not only for help such as the help you've
    given tonight, but I'm going to count on you to energize the grassroots,
    to talk to your neighbors, talk to people who are making up their minds,
    to put the signs in the yard, and to help spread our message, which is a
    message that's optimistic and hopeful, a message that speaks to all
    Americans.
        There's plenty of time for politics, and I'm loosening up, and I'm
    getting ready. But in the meantime, I'm focused on the people's business
    in Washington, DC. I've got a job to do. I will do my job, and I will
    continue to work, work hard, to earn the confidence of our fellow
    citizens by keeping this Nation secure and strong and prosperous and
    free.
        I regret that Laura didn't travel from
    Crawford to Florida today. She had some business in Washington, DC. But
    if she were here, I probably wouldn't be able to lavish the praise on
    her that I feel like lavishing tonight. She is a fabulous First Lady, a
    great wife. I love her dearly.
        I appreciate all the folks that have shown up, the elected
    officials. I'm glad the Lieutenant Governor, Toni Jennings, is with us today. I appreciate a man I call ``Red'';
    that's Congressman Adam Putnam. He's done a
    heck of a good job for the folks here in Florida. I want to thank your
    attorney general, Charlie Crist, for coming.
    Charlie, it's good to see you. Tom Gallagher,
    the chief financial officer for the State of Florida, is here.
        I want to thank the cochairmen of the finance campaign for the State
    of Florida, Zach Zachariah and Tom
    Petway III from Jacksonville, Florida. I want to
    thank my friend Al Hoffman for his hard work and
    thank my friend Al Austin from right here in
    Tampa. I want to thank all the cochairmen who've worked hard.
        And I'm really here to thank you all. I appreciate your confidence.
    I appreciate your care, and I appreciate your concern about the future
    of this country.
        In the last 2\1/2\ years, this Nation has acted decisively to
    confront great challenges. I came to office to solve problems, not to
    pass them on to future Presidents and future generations. I came to
    seize opportunities instead of letting them slip away. We are meeting
    the tests of our time.
        Terrorists declared war on the United States of America, and war is
    what they got. We have captured or killed many key Al Qaida leaders, and
    the rest of them know we're hot on their trail. In Afghanistan and in
    Iraq, we gave ultimatums to terror regimes. Those regimes chose
    defiance, and those regimes are no more. Fifty million people in those
    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. Then
    the attacks came on our country, and scandals in corporate America and
    war affected the people's confidence. But we acted. We passed tough new
    laws to hold corporate criminals to account. And to get the economy
    going again, we have twice led the United States Congress to pass
    historic tax relief for the American people.
        We know that when Americans have more take-home pay to spend, save,
    or invest, the whole economy grows, and people are more likely to find
    work. We understand whose money we spend in Washington. It is not the
    Government's money. It is the people's money. And so money is being
    returned to hard-working families. We're reducing the taxes on dividends
    and capital gains to encourage investment. We're giving small businesses
    proper incentives to expand and to hire new people. With all these
    actions, we are laying the

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    foundation for greater prosperity so that every single person in our
    country can realize the American Dream.
        Two-and-a-half years ago, there was a lot of talk about education
    reform in Washington, 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
    measures to every public school in America. We believe every child can
    learn the basics of reading and math. And we expect every school to
    teach the basics of reading and math. We are challenging the soft
    bigotry of low expectations. The days of excuse-making are over. And now
    we expect results in every classroom so that not one child is left
    behind.
        We reorganized the Government and created a Department of Homeland
    Security to better safeguard our borders and ports and to protect the
    American people. We passed trade promotion authority to open up new
    markets for America's farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs. We passed
    a budget agreement to help maintain spending discipline in Washington,
    DC. On issue after issue, this administration acts on principle, keeps
    its word, and makes progress on behalf of the American people.
        The United States Congress shares in these great achievements, and I
    appreciate their hard work. And we will continue to work together to
    change the tone in Washington, DC, and to focus on results on behalf of
    all the American people. And that's the nature of the folks I've asked
    to serve in my administration. I have put together a great team on
    behalf of America. We got a fine group of folks who work on behalf of
    the American people. We've had no finer Vice President in the Nation's
    history than Dick Cheney--although Mother may have a different opinion. [Laughter]
        In 2\1/2\ years, we have come far, but our work is only beginning. I
    set great goals worthy of this great Nation. First, America is committed
    to expanding the realm of freedom and peace, not only for our own
    security but for the benefit of the entire 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 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're 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; and 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, and 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 we believe that 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 Laura and I
    will be visiting next week, America is now committed to bringing the
    healing power of medicine to millions of men and women and children who
    are now suffering with AIDS. This great land is leading the world in
    this incredibly important work of human rescue.
        We face challenges abroad, and we face them at home. And our actions
    prove that we're equal to those challenges as well. I will continue to
    work on our economy until

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    everybody who wants to work and is not working today can find a job.
        And we have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by
    strengthening and modernizing Medicare. Last week, the United States
    Congress took historic action to improve the lives of older Americans.
    For the first time since the creation of Medicare, the House and Senate
    have passed reforms to increase choices to our seniors and to provide
    coverage for prescription drugs. The next step is for both Houses to
    come together, to iron out details, and get a bill to my desk. The
    sooner they finish the job, the sooner America's seniors will get the
    health care they need.
        And for the sake of our health care system, 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 rich
    settlements. Because frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of health
    care, they affect the Federal budget. And therefore, medical liability
    reform is a national issue which requires a national solution. I ask you
    to contact your United States Senators to make your voices heard. No one
    has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. This Nation needs medical
    liability reform now, and so does the State of Florida.
        I have a responsibility as President to make sure the judicial
    system runs well. And I have met that duty. I have nominated superb men
    and women for the Federal courts, people who will interpret the law, not
    legislate from the bench. Some Members of the United States 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 floor of the Senate. It is time for Members of the United States
    Senate to stop playing politics with American justice.
        Congress needs to pass a comprehensive energy plan. Our Nation must
    promote energy efficiency, new conservation techniques and develop
    technologies that will make exploration for natural gas more safe and
    more green. But for the sake of economic security and for the sake of
    national security, we need to be less dependent on foreign sources of
    energy.
        Our strong and prosperous Nation must be a compassionate nation.
    We'll continue to advance our agenda of compassionate conservatism,
    applying the best and most innovative ideas to the task of helping our
    fellow citizens in need. There's 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 into the lives of more of our fellow citizens. Congress
    should complete the ``Citizen Service Act'' so that more Americans can
    serve their communities and their country. Both Houses should reach an
    agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative to support the armies of
    compassion that are mentoring children or caring for the homeless and
    offering hope to the addicted.
        A compassionate society must also 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 of our citizens owning their own home. We want
    people to own and manage their own health care plan. We want people to
    own and manage their own retirement accounts. We want more small-
    business owners in America. We understand that when a person owns
    something, he or she has a vital stake in the future of our country.
        In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take
    responsibility for the decisions they make in life. We're changing the
    culture of America from one that said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead
    and do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a
    culture in which each of us understands that we are

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    responsible for the decisions we make in life.
        If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or father, you're
    responsible for loving your child with all your heart. If you're
    concerned about the quality of education in your community, you're
    responsible for doing something about it. If you're a CEO in corporate
    America, you're responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders
    and your employees. And in a responsibility society, 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 we call the USA Freedom Corps to encourage Americans
    to extend a compassionate hand to neighbors in need. And the response
    has been strong. All across our country, the faith-based institutions
    and charities are vibrant, bringing hope to people who suffer. And
    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.
        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're 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. We welcome it.
    And we know that for our country and for our cause, the best days lie
    ahead.
        May God bless you, and may God continue to bless America. Thank you
    all very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:04 p.m. in the Audubon Ballroom at the
    Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. In his remarks, he referred to Zach Zachariah and
    Tom Petway III, Florida State finance cochairmen, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.;
    Al Hoffman, Jr., finance chairman, Republican National Committee; and Al
    Austin, finance chairman, Republican Party of Florida.