    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [September 8, 2003]
    [Pages 1111-1115]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Nashville
    September 8, 2003

        Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Lamar puts it a little less delicately: ``Without Tennessee,
    there would be no Texas.'' [Laughter] Without Tennessee, there would be
    no President George W. Bush.
        I want to thank you all for coming tonight. I really appreciate your
    support and your friendship and your prayers. Tonight is the beginning
    of what is going to be a successful campaign here. We're laying the
    groundwork not only for a victory here in Tennessee, but we're laying
    the groundwork for what is going to be a victory in November of 2004.
        I appreciate your contributions, but I will remind you there are
    other contributions to make. Going to need you to put your signs in the
    yard, need you to put out the mailers. When you go to the coffee shop,
    make sure you talk it up. [Laughter] And remind them that this
    administration has a vision which is positive and hopeful and optimistic
    for every single American.
        The political season will come in its own time. I'm loosening up.
    [Laughter] And I'm getting ready. But I've got a job to do, and right
    now I'm focused on the people's business. We will continue to work hard
    to earn the confidence of every American

    [[Page 1112]]

    by keeping this Nation secure and strong and prosperous and free.
        I have only one regret tonight, and that is that the First
    Lady didn't come with me. I am one lucky man that
    Laura Bush said yes. We're there on bended knee, I said, ``Would you
    marry me?'' She is a fabulous First Lady, a great wife.
        I'm proud to have been introduced by a fabulous United States
    Senator, Senator Bill Frist. He is doing a great
    job, not only for Tennessee but for our Nation. He's a steady hand. He's
    a good man to deal with. He's got our country's interests at heart, and
    I'm proud, like you are, to call him friend.
        I'm also proud to call Lamar Alexander
    friend. He too is doing a fabulous job in the United States Senate.
    We've got two Members from the House of Representatives with us tonight.
    One of the event's vice chairmen, Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn--I'm honored that Marsha is with us. I want
    to thank you for coming, Marsha. And Congressman Zach Wamp is with us as well.
        I appreciate all those who put this event together. My great friend
    from Cincinnati, Ohio, who is our national finance chairman, Mercer
    Reynolds. I want to thank Mercer for being
    here. I want to thank Jim Haslam, our
    State finance chair, for his hard work. I want to thank all who put this
    event together. I particularly want to thank Beth Harwell, the State party chairman.
        I want to thank Gracie Rosenberger
    for performing the anthem. You know, when you come to Nashville, you
    hope to see some of your favorite entertainers. Fortunately, some of
    them showed up tonight, starting with Michael W. Smith, my good friend, and Debbie. I'm
    also so pleased that Ricky Skaggs came tonight.
    He's a--that boy can sing. Steve Wariner is
    with us tonight. Brad Paisley flew in from
    California to be with us tonight. I want to thank them all for coming.
        There's less road rage at NASCAR now because Darrell
    Waltrip is retired, but I'm still glad to
    call him--I'm glad he's here. But most of all, I really want to thank
    you all for being here. It means an awful lot.
        In the last 2\1/2\ years, our Nation has acted decisively to
    confront great challenges. I came to this office 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. This
    administration is 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 leaders of Al Qaida,
    and the rest of them know we're 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--50
    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. So we increased
    the defense budget to prepare for the threats of a new era. And today,
    no one in the world can question the strength, the skill, and the spirit
    of the United States military.
        Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. And
    then our country was attacked, and we began a march to war. And there
    were some corporate scandals, all of which affected the confidence of
    the American people. But we acted. We passed tough new laws to hold
    corporate criminals to account. And to get the economy going again, I
    have twice led the United States Congress to pass historic tax relief
    for the American people. Here is what I know, that when Americans have
    more take-home pay to spend, to save, or invest, the whole economy will
    grow, and people are more likely to find a job.
        We also understand whose money we spend in Washington. We don't
    spend the Government's money; we spend the people's money. We are
    returning more money

    [[Page 1113]]

    to the people to help them raise their families. We're reducing taxes on
    dividends and capital gains to encourage investment. We're giving small
    businesses incentives to expand and to hire new people. With all these
    actions, this administration is laying the foundation for greater
    prosperity and more jobs across America so every one of our citizens can
    realize the great promise of our country.
        Two-and-a-half years ago, there was a lot of talk about education
    reform, but there wasn't much action. So I acted. I called for and the
    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. You see, we believe that
    every child can learn the basics of reading and math, and we expect
    every school in America to teach the basics of reading and math. In
    return for Federal money, we now expect results.
        I went to Kirkpatrick Elementary School today, and they're achieving
    results. They're using the accountability system to focus efforts on
    children who need help. I saw private tutoring lessons being--taking
    place because of the No Child Left Behind Act. The days of excuse-making
    are over. We expect every child to learn. We want to make sure in this
    country that not one single child is left behind.
        The last 2\1/2\ years, we reorganized the Government and created the
    Department of Homeland Security to better guard our borders and our
    ports and to better protect the American people. We passed trade
    promotion authority to open up new markets for Tennessee's farmers and
    ranchers and entrepreneurs and manufacturers. We passed budget
    agreements to bring much needed spending discipline to Washington, DC.
    On issue after issue, this administration has acted on principle. We
    have kept our word, and we have made good progress on behalf of the
    American people.
        And the United States Congress shares in these great achievements. I
    appreciate working with Bill Frist and Speaker
    Denny Hastert. We've got a great
    relationship. We will continue to work to change the tone of Washington,
    DC, to elevate the discourse, to focus on the people's business by
    focusing on results.
        And those are the kind of people I have attracted to my
    administration. I have put together a fantastic team to serve the
    American people, good, honorable, decent Americans from all walks of
    life who are in Washington, DC, for one reason, to serve the country
    they love. Our Nation has had no finer Vice President than Vice
    President Dick Cheney. Mother may have a different opinion. [Laughter]
        In 2\1/2\ years, we have come far, but our work is only beginning.
    I've set great goals worthy of a great nation. First, America is
    committed to expanding the realm of freedom and peace for our own
    security and 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 single citizen has a chance to work, to succeed and realize the
    American Dream. 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 are keeping it.
        Our war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom are not idle,
    and neither is America. 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 security. 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 destruction. Americans believe that freedom is the
    deepest need and hope of

    [[Page 1114]]

    every human heart. And I believe that freedom is the right of every
    person and that freedom is the future of every nation.
        This country 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, America is now committed to bringing the
    healing power of medicine to millions of men and women and children now
    suffering with AIDS. This great land, this compassionate Nation, is
    leading the world in this incredibly important work of human rescue.
        We also face challenges at home, and our actions will prove worthy
    of those challenges. So long as anybody is looking for a job and can't
    find work, I will continue to try and foster an environment that
    encourages the entrepreneurial spirit, that encourages job creation in
    the private sector so people can find work.
        We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by
    strengthening and modernizing Medicare. Congress took historic action;
    both the House and the Senate took historic action to improve the lives
    of older Americans. For the first time since the creation of Medicare,
    the House and Senate has passed reforms to increase choices for seniors
    and to provide coverage for prescription drugs. It is now time for both
    bodies to iron out their differences, to keep our commitment to
    America's seniors today and seniors-to-be tomorrow and modernize the
    Medicare system.
        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 doctor deserve their day in court. Yet, the system
    should not reward lawyers who are fishing for rich settlements. Because
    frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of health care, they affect the
    Federal budget. Therefore, medical liability reform is a national issue
    which requires a national solution. I have proposed medical liability
    reform. It has passed the House. It is stuck in the Senate. Senator
    Frist is working hard to get that bill off the floor. Nobody has been
    healed by a frivolous lawsuit in America.
        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 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 some Members of the United States Senate to
    stop playing politics with American justice.
        The Congress needs to complete work on a comprehensive energy plan.
    We need to modernize our electricity grid. We need to encourage more
    investment and to make sure reliability standards are mandatory, not
    voluntary. We need to explore for new sources of energy in
    environmentally friendly ways. We need to use technology to come up with
    alternative sources of energy. We need to encourage conservation. What
    we really need to do, for the sake of national security and economic
    security, is to become 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. We will apply the best and most innovative ideas to the
    task of helping our fellow citizens who hurt. There are still millions
    of men and women who want to end their dependence on Government and
    become independent through hard 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. And both Houses
    should reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative to encourage

    [[Page 1115]]

    the armies of compassion to love those who hurt, to mentor our children,
    to care for the homeless, to offer hope to the addicted. This great
    Nation should not fear the works of faith. We should welcome faith into
    the community of help.
        A compassionate society must promote opportunity for all, including
    the independence that come from ownership. This administration will
    constantly strive to promote an ownership society all throughout
    America. We want more people owning their home. I have put forth
    policies to decrease the minority homeownership gap in America. We want
    people owning and managing their own health care accounts. We want
    people owning and controlling their own retirement accounts. We want
    more people owning their own small business, because when a person owns
    something in America, he or she has a vital stake in the future of this
    country.
        In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take
    responsibility for the decisions they make. We're changing the culture
    of this country from one that has said, ``If it feels good, do it,'' and
    ``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 father, you're
    responsible for loving your child with all your heart and all your soul.
    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 the new 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 the USA Freedom Corps to encourage Americans to extend a
    compassionate hand to a neighbor in need, and the response has been
    fantastic. Faith-based programs and charitable programs are strong and
    vibrant all across America. Policemen and firefighters and people who
    wear the 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
    have 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 our strength to defend the
    peace. We're an optimistic country, confident in ourselves and in ideals
    bigger than ourselves. Abroad, we seek to lift up whole nations by
    spreading freedom. At home, we seek to lift up lives by spreading
    opportunity to every corner of America. 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 all. Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 6 p.m. at the Loews Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel.
    In his remarks, he referred to Debbie Smith, wife of entertainer Michael
    W. Smith; and Darrell Waltrip, retired NASCAR driver.