    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [July 18, 2003]
    [Pages 894-898]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Dallas
    July 18, 2003

        Thank you all very much. Laura and I are
    thrilled to be here. It is great to be home. It's really fun for us to
    see a lot of our old buddies--some of our young buddies too. [Laughter]
    This is our first trip back to Texas since I got back from Africa. You
    may remember we were over there, and we went to a park in Botswana.
    That's where we learned a lot about our party's mascot. [Laughter]
        I want to thank you all for your help. Thanks a lot. It means a lot
    to Laura and me. We love Texas, and we love our
    friends, and we want to thank our friends for helping us. You're laying
    the foundation for what is going to be a great victory in November of
    2004.
        I'm getting ready, loosening up. [Laughter] But I'm going to have to
    count on you to energize the grassroots and to make the phone calls and
    to put up the signs and to address the envelopes and remind everybody
    that our message is so positive and hopeful for every citizen of this
    State and this country.
        The political season will come in its own time. But right now, I'm
    focused on the people's business in our Nation's Capital. I have a job
    to do, and we have a lot on our agenda. And I will continue to work

    [[Page 895]]

    hard to earn the confidence of all America by keeping this Nation strong
    and secure, free, and prosperous.
        I am thrilled that Laura's here. She is a
    fabulous First Lady, and I love her dearly. She is just a steady rock
    and has been a great comforter for a lot of Americans during some of our
    difficult times.
        I appreciate our Governor. I want to thank
    him for his introduction. I thank him for his introduction; more
    importantly, I thank him for his great leadership for the State of
    Texas. He is Governor during some tough times for this State, and he has
    led with courage and vision. And the State of Texas is better off with
    Rick Perry as the Governor.
        I know we've got quite a few of the mighty Texas congressional
    delegation with us today. And I'm going to tell you something: It's
    really good to have steady support in the House of Representatives from
    our fellow Texans, Texans like Joe Barton and
    Michael Burgess and Kay Granger and Jeb Hensarling and Sam
    Johnson. I want to thank all of them for their
    service to our State and to our Nation.
        I know our able Lieutenant Governor is
    here, and I want to thank David Dewhurst for his service to the State of
    Texas, and the speaker of the house, my fellow Midland, Texan, citizen
    Tommy Craddick; I want to thank Tom for his
    service. Thank you, Tom and Nadine. I saw
    Marchant and Branch
    out there, two fine members of the Texas House. It's good to see you
    all.
        I appreciate so very much my close personal friend Mercer
    Reynolds. He's the national finance chairman
    for the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign. I want to thank Mercer for his hard
    work. I want to thank my close friend Fred Meyer
    for being the Texas State finance chairman. I thank Jeanne Johnson
    Phillips and Roger
    Williams for being the finance vice
    chairmen for our campaign here. I want to thank all of you who worked
    hard to raise this money. I appreciate your help.
        Finally, I want to thank the Gatlin boys for bringing their
    mother. [Laughter]
        In the last 2\1/2\ years, our Nation has acted decisively to
    confront great challenges. I came to this 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 leaders of Al Qaida, and
    the rest of them know we're 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 those two countries
    once lived under tyranny, and now they live under 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 happened on our country, and there were corporate
    scandals and war. All 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 people of this country.
        We know that when Americans have more take-home pay to spend, to
    save, or to invest, the whole economy grows, and people are more likely
    to find a job. We understand whose money we spend in Washington, DC. It
    is not the Government's money. It is the people's money.
        We're returning more money to people to help them raise their
    families. We're reducing taxes on dividends and capital gains

    [[Page 896]]

    to encourage investment. We are giving small businesses incentives to
    expand and to hire people. With all these actions, we have laid the
    foundation for greater prosperity and more jobs, so that every single
    American in our country can realize the great hope of 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 measures to every
    public school in America. We believe and strongly believe that 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. 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 to better protect the
    American people. We passed trade promotion authority to open up new
    markets for our entrepreneurs 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 on behalf of the American people.
        The United States Congress has shared in these great achievements. I
    appreciate the leadership of Speaker Hastert and Leader Frist. I want to
    thank the hard work of many Members of the Congress. We're going to
    continue to work together to change the tone in Washington, DC, and to
    focus on results.
        And those are the kind of--the nature of the men and women I have
    asked to serve in my administration. I have put together a fantastic
    team on behalf of America. These are people who understand their job is
    to serve all Americans. Our country has had no finer Vice President than
    Dick Cheney--although Mother may have a different opinion. [Laughter]
        In 2\1/2\ years, we have come far, but we're only beginning. I have
    set great goals worthy of this 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 citizen has a
    chance to work, to succeed, and to realize the promise of our country.
        It is clear that the future of freedom and peace depend upon 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 the deepest hope of every human heart, and we believe
    that freedom is the right of every person and 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 hopelessness, we will not turn away.
    Laura and I just came from Africa. America is now
    committed to bringing the healing power of medicine to millions of men
    and women and children who suffer with AIDS. This great, strong,
    compassionate Nation is

    [[Page 897]]

    leading the world in this incredibly important work of human rescue.
        We face challenges here at home, and our actions will prove that we
    are equal to those challenges. I will continue to work on our economy
    until everybody who wants to work and 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. Recently, the Congress took
    historic action to improve the lives of our older Americans. For the
    first time since the creation of Medicare, the House and the Senate have
    passed reforms to increase choices for seniors and to provide
    prescription drug coverage. The next step is for both Houses to come
    together to iron out the details and to get a good bill to my desk.
        And for the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on
    the frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. I want to
    thank Governor Perry and the Lieutenant
    Governor and the Speaker for passing meaningful, real medical liability reform.
    People who have been harmed by a bad doctor 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 at the national level, medical liability reform is a national issue
    that requires a national solution. The House of Representatives has
    passed a good bill. It is stalled in the Senate. For the sake of a good
    health care system, the United States Senate must act.
        I have a responsibility as the President to make sure the judicial
    system runs well, and I have met that duty. I have nominated superb men
    and women like Priscilla Owen for our
    Federal courts, good people who will interpret the law, not legislate
    from the bench. Yet, 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.
        This Congress needs to pass a comprehensive energy plan. Our Nation
    must promote energy efficiency and conservation. We must develop cleaner
    technology. We must explore in environmentally friendly ways. Yet, for
    the sake of economic security and national security, we need to become
    less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        Our strong and prosperous Nation must be a compassionate nation. I
    will 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 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 support the
    armies of compassion that are mentoring children, that are caring for
    the homeless, that are 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 of our citizens owning their own home. We want
    people to own and manage their own health care account and their own
    retirement account. We want more people to own their small business,
    because we understand when an American 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

    [[Page 898]]

    for the decisions they make. We're changing the culture of America from
    one that says, ``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're fortunate to be a mom or a dad, you're responsible for your
    child. If you're concerned about the quality of the education in your
    community, you are responsible for doing something about it. If you're a
    CEO in America, you are responsible to tell the truth to your employees
    and your shareholders. And in this new responsibility society, each of
    us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be
    loved ourself.
        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 neighbors in need, and the response has been very
    strong. Our charities and our faith-based institutions are strong and
    vibrant all across our country. They're helping people who cry out for
    help. 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 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 are 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 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, better days lie ahead.
        Thank you for coming. May God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:16 p.m. at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel. In
    his remarks, he referred to Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst
    of Texas; Texas House of Representatives Speaker Tom Craddick and his
    wife, Nadine; Texas State Representatives Kenny Marchant and Dan Branch;
    Jeanne Johnson Phillips, Texas State vice chairman, and J. Roger
    Williams, north Texas chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; country music
    entertainers the Gatlin Brothers, and their mother, Billie; and
    Priscilla Owen, nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit.