[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[October 3, 2003]
[Pages 1247-1252]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 1247]]


Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Luncheon in Milwaukee
October 3, 2003

    Thanks for coming. Thanks for that rousing Wisconsin welcome. It's 
such an honor to be back here. It's a great State, full of a lot of 
really neat people, and I want to thank you for your friendship. And I 
want to thank you for your contributions and help and prayers. With your 
help, Vice President Cheney and I came pretty 
darn close of carrying this State in 2000. There's no doubt in my mind, 
in 2004 we're going to win the State of Wisconsin. And that victory in 
Wisconsin is going to be part of a great nationwide victory in November 
of 2004.
    I want to thank you for your help in getting there. I appreciate the 
fact that you've contributed your money, and now I need you to 
contribute your time. When you put up those signs at the right time, 
knock on the doors, when you go to your coffee shops--if you live in a 
community with a coffee shop--you tell them that this administration is 
working for everybody. We believe in a hopeful, positive, optimistic 
vision for every single person who is fortunate enough to live in this 
country. You tell them that this is an administration focused on the 
people's business.
    You know, I'm loosening up for this campaign. I'm kind of getting 
ready. [Laughter] But the political season will come in its own time. 
I've got a job to do. I've been entrusted to lead this great Nation, and 
I will do so. We've got a lot on our agenda in Washington, DC. And what 
I'm going to do until the political season comes, I will work hard to 
earn the confidence of every American by keeping this Nation strong and 
secure and prosperous and free.
    Rick, I want to thank you for your 
leadership and thank you for your kind introduction. I've known Rick for 
a while. When he says we're going to win, I believe him. And I want to 
appreciate him energizing the grassroots, and I want to thank all of you 
grassroots participants for getting ready to go.
    I traveled today with a really good, fine friend, a man I'd say you 
trained well, a person who is making an enormous contribution to my 
Cabinet and to our country, a person who has got a huge job running the 
Department of Health and Human Services, and that's Tommy 
Thompson.
    I heard Tommy whispering to somebody; 
he said, ``You know, the campaign made a mistake in sending George W. 
They should have sent Laura.'' [Laughter] 
Speaking about Laura, she just got back from a sensitive diplomatic 
mission. [Laughter] You probably saw the picture in the newspaper. 
[Laughter] But I'm proud that she represented our country, because she 
does it with such class. She is a fabulous First Lady.
    She sends her best and sorry she can't be 
here. Right after here, I'm going to fly back to Washington, and she's 
organizing a National Book Festival. She loves books. She loves the idea 
of people teaching kids how to read books, and she's going to herald 
some of our great authors. She's making an enormous contribution. I'm 
lucky she said yes when I said, ``Will you marry me?'' [Laughter]
    I want to thank the Members of the Congress flying with us today--
who flew with us today, and one who met us here today. The chairman, Jim 
Sensenbrenner, is with us, and it's 
been a joy to work with Jim. He's a good, strong patriot. Tom 
Petri is with us today, good, honorable, decent 
guy. Tom, I want to thank you for your friendship, and I appreciate you 
coming today. A young star--we've got some young stars from the State of 
Wisconsin, people who are making a big difference in the Halls of 
Congress, and they've done so in a quick period of time. That would be 
Paul Ryan, the Congressman from this

[[Page 1248]]

part of the world, and Congressman Mark Green.
    I want to thank people from the statehouse who have joined us today. 
John Gard, who is the speaker of the assembly. 
Mary Panzer, who is the senate majority 
leader, is with us today. Mary, thank you for coming. Jack 
Voight, your State treasurer is with us. Jack, 
thank you for being here. Scott McCallum, the 
former Governor, is with us. Scott, I'm honored that you're here. Thank 
you for coming. And Scott Walker, local man, is 
with us today. I appreciate you, Scott. Thanks for the good work you're 
doing.
    My friend Mercer Reynolds from 
Cincinnati, Ohio, who is the national finance chair of the Bush-Cheney 
2004 campaign, he's taking time out of his business to travel the 
country with us and organize this very important fundraising effort 
we're doing nationwide. Mercer, I want to thank you for coming. Glad 
you're here.
    I appreciate my longtime friend Jim Klauser 
for taking on the State campaign chairman role for the State of 
Wisconsin. San Orr is the State finance chairman. 
Jon Hammes is the State finance cochair. San Orr 
is the cochair as well. We've got cochairmen here. I'm thankful for your 
hard work. Thanks for making this event go so well. Mary 
Buestrin is the national committeewoman from 
this State. I appreciate all of you all, again, for coming.
    I particularly want to say something about the Arrowhead High School 
Choir. I am glad you're here. Thanks for coming.
    In the last 2\1/2\ years, this 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 and not let 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've captured or killed many of the key 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--50 
million people in those two countries once lived under tyranny, and 
today, 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 acted. We 
increased the defense budget to prepare for the threats of a new era, 
and no one today 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 we had the attacks on our country, coupled with the march to war, 
and corporate scandals. All of those events affected the confidence of 
the American people. But we acted. We passed tough laws to hold 
corporate criminals to account. And to get the economy going, I have 
twice led the United States Congress to pass historic tax relief for the 
American people.
    We believe and know that when people have more money in their 
pocket, more money to spend, to save, or invest, the whole economy 
grows, and someone is more likely to find a job. We also understand 
whose money we're spending in Washington, DC. We're not spending the 
Government's money. We spend the people's money. And we're sending more 
of the people's money back to them so they can help raise their 
families. We reduced the taxes on dividends and capital gains to 
encourage investment. We're giving small businesses incentives to expand 
their businesses and hire new people.
    With all these actions, by being proactive, we're laying the 
foundation for greater prosperity and more jobs, so that each and every 
single purpose--person in this country has a chance to realize the 
American Dream.

[[Page 1249]]

    Two-and-a-half years ago, there was a lot of talk about education 
reform in Washington, DC, but there just wasn't much action. So I acted. 
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. Finally we are bringing high standards and 
accountability to public schools. We said, in return for the receipt of 
Federal money, ``Please show us whether or not a child is learning to 
read and write and add and subtract.'' We're challenging the soft 
bigotry of low expectations. We believe in raising the bar. We believe 
in high standards. We believe every child can learn. And for the first 
time in Federal history, we're insisting that every child learns. We 
don't want one single child left behind in America.
    We reorganized our Government and created the 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 Wisconsin's entrepreneurs and manufacturers and farmers. We 
passed, with the Congress, much needed spending discipline. We passed 
budget agreements to help hold the line on spending.
    On issue after issue, this administration has acted on principle. We 
have kept our word, and we have made progress for the American people. 
And the Congress gets a lot of credit. I've got a great relationship 
with Speaker Denny Hastert. He's a good, 
solid man. I've got a great relationship with Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader. We're working together; we're 
working together to get results for the American people. We're working 
hard to change the tone in Washington, DC. It needs a--it needs a tonal 
change. There's too much partisan bickering. There's too much zero-sum 
politics. We need to focus on results, not politics. And those are the 
kind of people I've surrounded myself with in Washington.
    I've put together a fantastic administration for the American 
people. We've got a great National Security staff, a great economic 
team. We've got people who have come to Washington to serve the people, 
not petty partisan politics. Richard B. Cheney 
is the greatest Vice President our country has ever had. Mother's got a second opinion. [Laughter]
    In 2\1/2\ years, if you think about it--and you tell them at the 
coffee shops--in 2\1/2\ years, this administration has come far. We've 
done a lot. We've tackled a lot of tough problems. But our work is only 
beginning. My job is to set great goals worthy of a great nation.
    First, America is committed to expanding the realm of peace and 
freedom 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 and to succeed 
and to realize the great promise of our land. It is clear that the 
future of freedom and peace depend on the actions of America. This 
Nation is freedom's home, and we are freedom's defender. We welcome this 
charge of history, and we are keeping it.
    The war on terror continues. There's still people out there that 
hate America, coldblooded killers who hate what we stand for. These 
people 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.
    We continue to confront that danger in Iraq, for Saddam holdouts and foreign terrorists are desperately trying 
to throw Iraq into chaos by attacking coalition forces, aid workers, 
innocent Iraqis. See, they know that the advance of freedom in Iraq will 
be a major defeat in the cause of terror. This collection of killers is 
trying to shake our will. They're trying to frighten the civilized 
world. They don't understand this country. They don't understand this 
administration. We will not be intimidated.

[[Page 1250]]

    We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them 
there so we will not have to face them in our own country. We'll call on 
other nations to continue to help us in Iraq. See, by making Iraq a free 
country, it'll make the world more secure. We'll stand with the Iraqi 
people as they assume more of their own defense and move toward self-
government. These aren't easy tasks. I know that. But they're essential 
tasks. We will finish what we have begun, and we will win this essential 
victory in the war on terror.
    Our greatest security comes from the advance of human liberty, 
because free nations don't 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 I believe that freedom is the right of every 
person, and I 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, this great Nation is committed to bringing 
the healing power of medicines to millions of men and women and children 
now suffering with AIDS. I want to thank Tommy for his good work. He's a part of our great land's 
leadership. We're leading the world in providing this incredibly 
important work of human rescue.
    We face challenges here at home as well, but we'll be equal to those 
challenges. First of all, any time anybody who is looking for work and 
can't find a job is still looking, I think we've got a problem. I will 
continue to work to create an environment in which the entrepreneurial 
spirit flourishes, in which small businesses can grow, so that people in 
America can find work.
    I just had a great session with small-business owners here in 
Milwaukee. The optimism is high. The spirit is strong. We will continue 
to create the conditions for increased employment in America, so 
everybody can find a job.
    We also need to keep our commitment to America's seniors by 
strengthening and modernizing Medicare. A few weeks ago, earlier in the 
summer, Congress took historic action to improve the lives of older 
Americans. For the first time since the creation of Medicare, the House 
and the Senate have passed reforms to increase the choices available for 
America's seniors and to provide coverage for prescription drugs. 
Tommy's working this issue on the Hill. 
He's working with the House and the Senate so they can iron out their 
differences and get a good bill to my desk. We have a duty to America's 
seniors. We have a duty to those of us who are going to be seniors to 
make sure that we have a modern Medicare system.
    And for the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on 
the frivolous lawsuits which increases the cost of medicine. People who 
have been harmed by a bad doc deserve their day in court, no doubt about 
it. Yet, the system should not reward lawyers who are simply fishing for 
a rich settlement. Because of frivolous lawsuits, docs practice 
defensive medicine, which drives up the cost of health care. And they 
therefore affect--frivolous lawsuits affect the Federal budget. Medical 
liability reform is a national issue which requires a national solution. 
The House of Representatives passed a good bill to reform the system. It 
is stuck in the United States Senate. The Senators must understand that 
no one has been healed by a frivolous lawsuit in America.
    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 for the Federal benches, people who will interpret the law, 
not legislate from the bench. Yet some Members of the United States 
Senate--you might know some of them--[laughter]--are trying to keep my 
nominees off the bench

[[Page 1251]]

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 to stop playing politics with American justice.
    The Congress needs to complete work on a comprehensive energy plan. 
Wisconsin is a State--it is a manufacturing State. Manufacturers need 
reliable sources of energy. The manufacturing sector lags in America. 
And one way to help us was good trade policy that levels the playing 
field, good tax policy that encourages investment, less regulations.
    But as well we need to have an energy plan. I submitted one 2 years 
ago. This summer, we had a problem with our electricity grid. You might 
remember that. It should be a wake-up call to the Congress that we need 
to modernize our ability to move electricity around America. We need to 
make sure that reliability standards for electricity are mandatory, not 
voluntary. We need to encourage more investment into modernizing the 
grid. We need to use our technological capacities to increase 
conservation, to find new sources of energy. But we need to use the old 
sources of energy in an environmentally friendly way to make sure we're 
less dependent on foreign sources of crude. The Congress needs to get an 
energy bill to my desk. For the sake of national security and for the 
sake of economic security, they need to get a bill to my desk soon.
    Our strong and prosperous Nation must also be a compassionate 
nation. I will continue to advance our agenda of compassionate 
conservatism, which means we'll apply 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 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,'' to encourage 
more Americans to serve in their communities. And Congress should 
finally pass my Faith-Based Initiative, to help empower the armies of 
compassion which exist all across America. The soldiers in that army 
mentor children; they care for the homeless; they offer hope to the 
addicted. One of the great strengths of America is the faith of the 
American people. People of all faiths, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and 
Jew, should be welcomed by our Government to help people who hurt, to 
help save lives. This Government should not fear faith. We should 
welcome faith.
    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 own home. We want people to 
own and manage their own retirement accounts. We want people to own and 
manage their own health accounts. And we want more people owning a small 
business. You see, we understand in this administration that when 
somebody owns something, he or she has a vital stake in the future of 
our country.
    In a compassionate society, people respect one another, and they 
take responsibility for the decisions they make. The culture of America 
is changing from one that has said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead 
and do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a 
new culture in which each of us understands that we are responsible for 
the decisions we make in life.
    If you're fortunate enough to be a mom or a dad, you're responsible 
for loving your child. If you're worried about the quality of the 
education in which you live, 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.

[[Page 1252]]

    And in a responsibility society, each of us are responsible for 
loving a neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourself. We can see 
the culture of service and responsibility growing around us here in 
America. I started what's called the USA Freedom Corps to encourage 
Americans to extend a compassionate hand to a neighbor in need. The 
response has been very strong. Go to the web page and take a look at it, 
if you're interested in serving your community by helping somebody who 
hurts.
    Our faith-based charities are strong in America. People have heard 
the call, just like policemen and firefighters and people who wear our 
Nation's uniform are reminding us what it means to sacrifice for 
something greater than ourselves. 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 courage of America, and I have 
been fortunate enough 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 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. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at noon at the Italian Community Center. In 
his remarks, he referred to Rick Graber, chairman, Republican Party of 
Wisconsin; and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.