[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.