    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [October 8, 2003]
    [Pages 1269-1273]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Republican National Committee Presidential Gala
    October 8, 2003

        Thank you all for coming. Go ahead and be seated, unless you don't
    have a seat. [Laughter] I'm honored you all are here. I appreciate your
    warm welcome. I thank you for your strong support and friendship. I
    thank you for your contributions. I thank you for your grassroots work.
    I thank you for your prayers. There's a lot of happy folks here tonight.
    There's some Cubs fans. There's some Red Sox fans, and there are some
    happy people from California.
        I am so glad that Laura came with me tonight.
    As you know, she's back home from an official trip. She went to Russia
    to help them with literacy. She went to France. [Laughter] You may have
    seen the picture in the newspaper. [Laughter] Last time I was in France,
    I got a nice welcome but nothing like that. [Laughter] Laura is a great
    First Lady. I'm really proud of her.
        I want to thank my friend Ed Gillespie for
    leading our great party. He could be doing a lot of other things.
    There's no doubt we picked the right man to lead us into this election
    year. I appreciate the fact that Cathy, his
    fine wife, is supporting Ed in this really important mission.
        I not only want to thank Ed, I want to
    thank all of the RNC members who are here, all the county officials, all
    the grassroots activists. We're going to win in 2004. I appreciate your
    support. I appreciate the friendship of all those on the stage here
    tonight who helped set a record. It's important to be well funded as you
    go into a campaign, and you've made it possible.
        I want to thank my friend Al Hoffman and his
    wife, Dawn, for their longtime friendship. I
    want to thank Ann Wagner, our party cochairman. I
    want to thank the gala cochairmen, Brad Freeman
    and David

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    Girard-diCarlo and Carl Linder. I
    want to thank all those who worked hard to make this event go so
    successfully.
        I appreciate Monsignor Marc Filacchione who is here, the chaplain from the New York City Fire
    Department. I want to thank Lieutenant Kim Royster from New York--from the New York City Police Department.
    I'm really thankful you brought your Governor with you, a great Governor in George Pataki.
        I want to thank the Wright Touch Orchestra, Jonathan
    Yeaworth, and Michael Israel, as well as Michael Feinstein for providing entertainment here tonight.
        I know we've got Members of the United States Congress with us. I
    had a meeting right before I came here with Speaker Denny
    Hastert. He told me that he wasn't able to
    make it. He said he's heard me speak before. [Laughter] But he is a
    great Speaker. He is a great leader for the United States Congress.
        I appreciate Tom DeLay and Roy Blunt and all the House Members who are here. I also know that
    Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, is here
    as well. What a class act he is.
        I've got two goals in '04. One is slightly selfish. [Laughter] And
    the other is to make sure that Denny Hastert remains the Speaker of the House and Bill Frist the leader of the Senate.
        It is in our Nation's interest that Hastert remain the Speaker and Bill Frist the majority leader. These are strong leaders. They have
    led the Congress in a lot of important matters. We've achieved a lot of
    results together, results that are good for Republicans and Democrats
    and Independents, results that are good for all Americans.
        You know, I wasn't sure what to expect when I became your President.
    I was certain there would be some challenges. I wasn't exactly sure what
    to expect, but I knew there was going to be some problems to solve. And
    therefore, I knew I needed to surround myself with really strong,
    competent, capable people. I've assembled a great administration of
    Americans from all walks of life who have put their country above self.
        This country is blessed to have a great Vice President in Dick
    Cheney. I listen to a great national security
    team and a great domestic policy team. Some of my members--some of the
    members of my Cabinet are here tonight. The Secretary of Interior, Gale
    Norton, is with us. The Secretary of
    Agriculture, Ann Veneman, is with us. The
    Secretary of Commerce, Don Evans, is with
    us. The Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao, is
    with us. And the Secretary of Energy, Spence Abraham, is with us. Thank you all for coming, and thank you
    for a job well done.
        I knew we would face challenges, and I was right. We're at war. We
    face an enemy that cannot stand what America stands for. We love
    freedom. We love the right for people to worship freely, to speak
    freely. And we're not going to change, and neither will they. We got
    attacked on September the 11th, and this Nation must never forget the
    lessons of September the 11th.
        We must never forget the lives lost. We must never forget the fact
    that oceans no longer protect us from an enemy which hates us. We must
    never forget the nature of our enemy. These people are nothing but
    coldblooded killers. They've hijacked a great religion and kill innocent
    men, women, and children. They know no law. They know no rules. We must
    remember that the best way to deal with this enemy is to stay on the
    offensive. We must not tire. We must not weary. We must not be afraid.
        This administration is leading the world to make the world more
    secure. We have a solemn duty, not only to our homeland but to help
    others who embrace freedom. History has called us into action, and we
    will not let history down. We must remember that one of the lessons of
    September the 11th is these killers will try to find safe harbor. And
    that's why I laid out a

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    new doctrine for American foreign policy. It said, ``If you harbor a
    terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, you're just
    as guilty as the terrorists.''
        It's important, as you begin to make the case for this
    administration, that not only do we lay out doctrine, but more
    importantly, we enforce doctrine. And the Taliban found out what we
    meant. Because of the bravery of our troops in Afghanistan, America is
    more secure, the world is more peaceful, and the people of that country
    are now free.
        One of the important lessons of September the 11th, 2001, is that
    our country must deal with gathering threats before they materialize,
    before they come back to haunt us. And that's what we did in Iraq. We
    saw a gathering threat, a man who had
    possessed and used weapons of mass destruction on his own people, a man
    who sponsored terror, a man who is a danger in the region in which he
    lived.
        But it wasn't just us who recognized a threat. Free nations
    recognized the threat. The United Nations passed resolution after
    resolution after resolution calling upon Mr. Saddam Hussein to disclose his weapons and to disarm. And finally, in
    Security Council Resolution 1441, led by the United States, he was told
    that he had one final chance to disarm--disclose what he had and disarm,
    or there would be serious consequences. The world spoke. He chose
    defiance, and Saddam Hussein is no more.
        The lessons of September the 11th are lessons we must not forget. I
    was not about to leave the security of the American people in the hands
    of a madman. I was not going to stand by and wait and trust the sanity
    and restraint of Mr. Saddam Hussein.
        So our coalition acted, and we acted in one of the swiftest and most
    humane military campaigns in history. Iraq is free. America is more
    secure. Since the liberation of Iraq, our investigators have found
    evidence of a clandestine network of biological laboratories, advanced
    design work on prohibited long-range missiles, an elaborate campaign to
    hide these illegal programs.
        There's a lot more to investigate. Yet it is now undeniable--
    undeniable--that Saddam Hussein was in clear
    violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441. It is
    undeniable that Saddam Hussein was a deceiver and a danger. The Security
    Council was right to demand that Saddam disarm. And America was right to
    enforce that demand.
        Thanks to our brave troops and a coalition of nations, America is
    now more secure, the world is more peaceful, and Iraq is free. Iraq is
    free of a brutal dictator. Iraq is free of
    the man who caused there to be mass graves. Iraq is free of rape rooms
    and torture chambers. Iraq is free of a brutal thug. America did the
    right thing.
        One of the problems we faced when we came was that morale in our
    military was beginning to suffer. So this administration worked with the
    Congress to pass new budgets for our defense, budgets that would meet
    the threats of a new era. And today, nobody in this world can question
    the skill and the spirit and the strength of the United States military.
    In order to win this war on terror, our military must be strong. I will
    keep the United States military strong.
        We faced another problem. You might remember that in March of 2000,
    the stock market began to decline, and right about the time we got sworn
    in, the country was headed into a recession. That's a problem. That's a
    challenge, mainly a challenge for people who want to work. It's a
    challenge for those who have got to put bread on the table for their
    families.
        And just as the economy was kind of getting better, thanks to a
    historic tax cut, the enemy hit us. September the 11th hurt, but we're
    dealing with that. I said then that it didn't matter how long it's going

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    to take, those who inflicted harm on America would be brought to
    justice, and that's precisely what we're doing.
        The battles in Afghanistan and Iraq affected consumer confidence.
    Corporate scandals affected consumer confidence. But we acted. We
    weren't timid. We did what we thought was right. We not only passed one
    tax relief package for the American people, we passed two, because we
    know when you have more money in your pocket, it's your choice to save
    or to spend or invest. More money means more growth, and more growth
    means more jobs.
        There's more to do. We need to make sure we open up markets for
    America's entrepreneurs and farmers and ranchers. And while we open up
    markets, this administration will make sure that trade is not only free
    but it is fair.
        We need an energy plan. We need reliable sources of energy. For the
    sake of national security and economic security, we need to be less
    reliant on foreign sources of energy.
        We need tort reform, and we've got to make sure that there's
    certainty in the Tax Code. This tax relief we passed, because of a quirk
    in the rules, will go away. For the sake of economic vitality, for the
    sake of job creation, the Congress must make the tax relief permanent.
        This administration has got a strong agenda to keep this Nation
    secure and prosperous. And we lead. We're willing to stake out the high
    ground and lead. My job as your President is to set great goals worthy
    of a great nation.
        First, this country is committed to expanding the realm of freedom
    and peace, not only for our own security but for the benefit of the
    world. It is essential that this Nation not grow weary in the war on
    terror. It's essential that we remain determined and strong. You see,
    the enemies want to create a sense of fear and intrepidation. They don't
    understand America like I know America. This Nation will not be
    intimidated. We will continue our war on terror until this threat to
    civilization is removed.
        But the war on terror is more than just chasing down the killers or
    holding tyrants to account. The war on terror--our security comes in the
    war on terror from the spread of human liberty. See, free nations do not
    develop weapons of mass destruction. Free nations do not intimidate
    their neighbors. Free nations are peaceful nations. And so one of the
    missions of this administration is to spread freedom. I understand that
    freedom is the deepest need and hope of every heart. And I believe that
    freedom is the right of every person and the future of every nation. And
    that's exactly what we're now doing in Iraq. We believe that freedom is
    not America's gift to the world, we believe that freedom is God's gift
    to each and every individual.
        And so we're working in Iraq, working with other nations to make
    sure that Iraq is free and peaceful. Terrorists don't like that. Freedom
    is a threat. Freedom contradicts their way of life. A free Iraq in the
    middle of the Middle East will change the world. This is historic times.
    This Nation will stay the course until Iraq is free and peaceful and
    prosperous.
        And in our own country, we must work for a society of prosperity and
    compassion--and compassion--so that every single citizen has a chance to
    work and succeed and realize the great promise of this country. That
    starts with making sure that everybody can find work. This
    administration understands the role of Government is not to create
    wealth but an environment in which the entrepreneur can flourish, in
    which small businesses grow to be big businesses. We will stay with our
    progrowth policy until our fellow citizens can find a job.
        We understand that a compassionate and hopeful tomorrow requires
    that every child be educated. We have led on this issue. We called for
    Congress to pass historic education reforms, and they responded. And
    now, in return for record amounts of

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    Federal money, we expect every public school in America to teach the
    basics.
        And we say, ``You must measure to show us whether or not a child can
    read or write and add and subtract. And if they can't, there will be
    extra resources to help that child.'' But at some point in time, if a
    child is trapped in a school which will not teach and will not change,
    we believe the parent ought to have different options to liberate that
    child. No child should be left behind in America.
        A hopeful tomorrow--make sure America keeps its promises. We have
    led on the issue of Medicare. The House passed a bill. The Senate passed
    a bill. They're working out differences to give seniors more choices,
    more options, just like the Members of Congress have, and at the same
    time, prescription drug coverage. Congress needs to come together and
    get a good Medicare bill to my desk.
        There are a lot of ways to make sure America remains hopeful, a
    prosperous economy, good health care, a great education system. But we
    must remember that in our society, there are some who seem hopelessly
    lost, some who hurt, some who are lonely. Government can pass out money,
    but it cannot put hope in a person's heart or a sense of purpose in a
    person's life. And that's why the job of the President is to capture the
    great spirit of our country, to call people to service.
        I recognize that our strength is not in our armies or in our
    pocketbooks. Our strength is in the hearts and souls of American
    citizens, people from all faiths, all walks of life, whether they be
    Christian, Jew, or Muslim, or Hindu, people have heard the universal
    call to love a neighbor just like they'd like to be called themselves.
    No, that's our strength.
        In order to make sure this country meets the great goal of hope and
    respect and decency, the President must be willing to rely upon the
    strength of the country. And that's why I put forth a Faith-Based
    Initiative, recognizing that in our houses of worship of all faiths, we
    find love and compassion and decency.
        There are some whose problems can only be solved when a brother or
    sister puts their arm around you and says, ``I love you. What can I do
    to help you? I want to mentor you. I want to teach you how to read. I'll
    provide food if you're hungry, shelter if you need a place to stay.''
    No, the strength of this country is the heart and soul of the American
    people, the decency, the compassion, the soldiers in the armies of
    compassion.
        There's no question in my mind that America will be a hopeful place.
    And there's no question in my mind that with your help, in November of
    2004 we will win a great victory and will continue to work to keep
    America strong and secure and prosperous and free.
        Thank you all for coming. May God bless. God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 7:53 p.m. at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
    In his remarks, he referred to Ed Gillespie, chairman, Ann Wagner,
    cochairman, and Al Hoffman, finance chairman, Republican National
    Committee; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.