[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[August 11, 2003]
[Pages 994-999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Dinner in Denver, Colorado
August 11, 2003

    The President. Thank you all very much. I appreciate you coming. 
Thanks for the warm welcome. There is nothing like heading west.

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    I spent a little time on our ranch in Crawford--get to see more cows 
than I do the press corps. [Laughter] Seems like the cows are handling 
the heat a little better too. [Laughter]
    But I want to thank you all very much for your help. I appreciate 
your strong support. I want to thank all those who made this fundraiser 
a record-setting fundraiser. I appreciate what you're doing. You're 
laying the foundation for what is going to be a great victory in 
November of '04.
    I'm here to not only thank you; I'm here to tell you I'm going to 
need your support in energizing the grassroots of the great State of 
Colorado. I need your help in putting up signs. I need you to make the 
phone calls. I need you to mail the letters. I need you to remind people 
of this State--Republican, Democrat, independent, don't care--that our 
message is one that is hopeful for every single citizen who lives in 
this State.
    I'm loosening up. I'm getting ready--[laughter]--cutting a lot of 
cedar--[laughter]--running a lot of miles, getting ready for the 
contest. But the political season will come in its own time. For me, now 
is not the time for politics. You see, I've got a job to do. I'm staying 
focused on the people's business. I'm doing what you expect me to do in 
Washington, DC, and I'll continue to work to earn the confidence of 
every American by keeping this Nation secure and strong and prosperous 
and free.
    I want to thank my friend the Governor of the 
great State of Colorado. He is--he's done a fabulous job as your 
Governor. He does what he says he's going to do, which is nice, to have 
somebody in public office--[laughter]--who says something and means it. 
And like me, he married above himself. I'm honored to be here with the 
First Lady of the State of Colorado as well.
    I just called Laura and said that I'm fixing 
to go see a lot of our friends from the State of Colorado. I said, 
``How's--what's it like down there?'' She said, ``It's only 103.'' 
[Laughter] I said, ``Well, if that's the case, it feels like winter 
here.'' [Laughter]
    I can't tell you how great it is to be married to such a fine woman 
as Laura Bush. She is a great First Lady for our 
country.
    I appreciate the two Senators from the State of Colorado. Senator 
Wayne Allard, who's--turns out to be my State 
cochair, along with working with the Governor 
here. He's a great Senator, and so is Ben Nighthorse Campbell. I'm going to tell you, it's important to put 
this man back into the United States Senate. And if you've got a little 
something left in the wallet after tonight--[laughter]--and looking for 
a good man to help, somebody who can use your help, it's Senator Ben 
Nighthorse Campbell. He's a fine representative of the great State of 
Colorado, and I'm proud to call him friend.
    Two members of the U.S. congressional delegation are with us. First, 
Bob Beauprez; Congressman Beauprez, thank you 
for coming. We didn't exactly landslide them last time--[laughter]--but 
neither did I. [Laughter] I know you're back home working hard in your 
district to tell the people of that district they made the right choice 
in putting Bob Beauprez in the U.S. Congress. He's a fine man. And I 
appreciate Tom Tancredo being here as well. 
Thank you, Congressman, for coming. I'm honored you're here.
    I want to thank the Lieutenant Governor, Jane Norton, for being here tonight. I want to thank the 
treasurer for the great State of Colorado, Mike Coffman, for being here tonight. I appreciate the president of 
the State senate and the speaker of the house, Senator John 
Andrews and Lola Spradley, for coming as well. Governor, I know it's a pretty good 
deal to be working with a Republican speaker and a senate leader. I kind 
of like it myself. [Laughter]
    I want to thank very much our party chairman, Ted Halaby. I want to thank Bruce Benson for 
putting this event on and for being the finance chairman. I want to

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thank all those who helped raise the money. I thank my friend Mercer 
Reynolds, who is the national finance 
chairman. But most of all, I want to thank you all for your friendship, 
for your prayers, for your support, for getting ready to get to work on 
behalf of this reelection campaign.
    You know, 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've captured or killed many of the 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 now they live in 
freedom. And the world is better off for it.
    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. Then 
the attacks happened on our country, and scandals in corporate America, 
as well as the war--it all affected the people's confidence. People 
began to lose confidence, but we acted. We passed tough new laws to hold 
corporate criminals to account.
    To get the economy going, I have twice led the United States 
Congress to pass historic tax relief for the American people. Here's 
what I believe, and here's what we know, that when Americans have more 
take-home money to spend or to save, to invest, the whole economy begins 
to grow, and people are more likely to find a job. And I understand 
whose money we spend in Washington, DC. It is not the Government's money 
we spend in Washington; it is the people's money.
    Now we're returning more money to the American people to help them 
raise their families, reducing taxes on dividends and capital gains to 
encourage investment. We're giving small businesses proper incentives to 
encourage them to expand and to hire new people. With all these actions, 
we're 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.
    I want you to remember, 2\1/2\ years ago there was a lot of talk 
about education reform, but there wasn't much action in Washington, DC. 
So I called for and our 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. See, we believe every child can learn 
the basics of reading and math. And we expect every school to teach the 
basics of reading and math. I am challenging the soft bigotry of low 
expectations. The days of excuse-making are over. In return for Federal 
money, we expect results so that not one single child in America is left 
behind.
    We've done a lot in 2\1/2\ years. We reorganized the Government and 
created the Department of Homeland Security to better strengthen our 
borders to protect the American people. We passed trade promotion 
authority to open up new markets for Colorado's entrepreneurs and 
farmers and ranchers. We passed budget agreements that helps maintain 
spending discipline in Washington, DC. On issue after issue, I want you 
to remind the skeptics and the undecideds that this administration has 
acted on principle, has kept its word,

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and has made progress on behalf of all the American people.
    Of course, we didn't do this alone. A lot of the credit goes to 
Members of the United States Congress. We've got a fabulous Speaker of 
the House, Denny Hastert, a great majority 
leader of the United States Senate, Bill Frist. I 
appreciate so very much working with them and the folks from the great 
State of Colorado.
    And the difference now in Washington is, is that we're focusing on 
results, not process. We're working to change the tone in Washington so 
we can get the people's business done. And by the way, those are the 
kind of people I've asked to serve in my administration. I put together 
a strong team to work on behalf of the American people.
    Our country has had no finer Vice President than Dick 
Cheney. Mother may have 
a second opinion. [Laughter]
    Audience member. I agree with you. [Laughter]
    The President. Thank you.
    In 2\1/2\ years, we have come far, but you know, we're only just 
beginning. We've great goals worthy of this great Nation. The job of the 
President is to set our sights high. A great nation requires great 
goals.
    And here are the goals I've set: First, America is committed to 
expanding the realm of freedom and peace for our own security and for 
the benefit of the world; and secondly, in our own country, we must work 
for a society of prosperity and compassion so that every citizen--every 
single citizen--has a chance to work and 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; it is freedom's 
defender. And this Nation welcomes this charge of history, and we are 
keeping this charge of history. The war on terror continues. See, the 
enemies of freedom are not idle, and neither are we. This country will 
not rest. We will not tire, and 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 develop weapons of 
mass terror. Our country believes that freedom is the deepest need and 
hope of every human heart. And we believe that freedom is the right of 
every person. And we believe that freedom is the future of every single 
nation.
    America also understands that unprecedented influence brings 
tremendous responsibilities. We have duties in the world. 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 medicine to millions of men and women and children who 
are now suffering with AIDS. This great land, this land for which I am 
so proud, is leading the world in the incredibly important work of human 
rescue.
    We face big challenges abroad, and we won't shirk from those 
challenges. And we face big challenges here at home. I will continue to 
work on our economy. I'll continue to make sure the entrepreneurial 
spirit is strong. I will continue to try to lay the conditions for 
capital formation, so that anybody who wants to work and can't find a 
job today will be able to do so.
    I will continue to work to make sure we meet our commitments to 
America's seniors by modernizing Medicare. A few weeks ago, the United 
States Congress took historic action to improve the lives of older 
Americans. I want you to remember this: For the first time--first time--
since the creation of Medicare, the House and Senate have passed reforms 
to modernize the system, to give seniors more choices, and to provide 
coverage for prescription drugs for our seniors. The next step is for 
both bodies to iron out their differences and to

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get a bill to my desk so I can sign it on behalf of the elderly of the 
United States of America. We have a solemn obligation, an obligation 
which I will continue to call upon the Congress to keep.
    For the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on the 
frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine all across our 
country. I fully understand that 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, they affect the Federal 
budget. They affect the Medicare budget, the Medicaid budget, the 
veterans budgets. I view medical liability reform as a national issue 
which requires a national solution. The House of Representatives passed 
a good bill to reform medical liability. It's stuck in the Senate. The 
Senate must act. No one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. We 
need medical liability reform now.
    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 to the Federal bench, people who interpret the law, not 
legislate from the bench. Yet, some Members of the United States 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 of the Members of the 
United States Senate to stop playing politics with American justice.
    The Congress needs to complete work on a comprehensive energy plan. 
Our Nation has got to promote energy conservation and efficiency and 
develop cleaner technology so we can explore in more environmentally 
sensitive areas. Yet, for the sake of our economic security and for the 
sake of our national security, we must be less dependent on foreign 
sources of energy.
    Our strong and prosperous Nation must also be a compassionate 
nation. I will continue to advance the agenda of compassionate 
conservatism, which really means applying the best and most innovative 
ideas to helping our fellow citizens who hurt and who are in need.
    See, there are still millions of men and women in this land who want 
the independence and dignity that come from work. We must build on the 
success of welfare reform to bring work to the lives of more of our 
fellow citizens. Congress ought to complete the ``Citizen Service Act'' 
so more Americans can serve their community and their country. Both 
Houses should finally reach agreement on the Faith-Based Initiative to 
support the armies of compassion that are mentoring our children and 
caring for the homeless, healing hearts, and helping the addicted.
    A compassionate society must also be a society which promotes 
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 to own their homes. 
I'm troubled by the fact we have a minority homeownership gap in 
America, and I put forth policies--constructive, smart policies to 
encourage more homeownership all across America.
    We want people to own and manage their own health care plan. We want 
people to own and manage their own retirement accounts. We want the 
entrepreneurial spirit to be strong in America so that people feel 
confident in investing in their own small business.
    Now, I understand an ownership society is one in which people have 
more hope for the future. In a compassionate society, people respect one 
another, and they take responsibility for the decisions they make in 
life. We're changing the culture of America, slowly but surely, from one 
that has said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and do it,'' and ``If 
you've got a problem,

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blame somebody else,'' to a 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 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 the education in the community 
in which you live, you're responsible for doing something about it. If 
you happen to be a CEO in corporate America, you're responsible for 
telling the truth to your employees and your shareholders. And in the 
new responsibility society, each of us is responsible for loving our 
neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourself.
    We can see that culture of respect, the culture of change and 
service growing around us here in America today. You know, I started 
what they call the USA Freedom Corps. It's an opportunity for Americans 
to help neighbors in need, and the response has been fantastic. Got 
people signing up for all kinds of ways to help in their community, and 
I'm grateful.
    Our faith-based charities are strong, and they're vibrant, which is 
important to bring hope to those who hurt. Our policemen and 
firefighters and people who wear our Nation's uniform are reminding us 
what it means to sacrifice for something greater than themselves in 
life--sacrifice for peace, sacrifice for freedom, sacrifice for safe 
streets. And once again, the children of America believe in heroes 
because they see them every day in America.
    In these challenging times, the world has seen the resolve and the 
courage of America. I've been privileged to see the compassion and the 
character of the American people. The tests of the last 2\1/2\ years 
have come to the right nation. We're 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 
up whole nations by spreading freedom. And 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.
    Thank you for coming. May God bless. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 5:44 p.m. at Wings Over the Rockies Air and 
Space Museum. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Bill Owens of Colorado 
and his wife, Frances; Ted Halaby, chairman, and Bruce Benson, former 
chairman, Colorado Republican Party; and Mercer Reynolds, national 
finance chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.