    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [February 26, 2004]
    [Pages 277-283]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Luncheon in Louisville
    February 26, 2004

        Thank you all for coming. Thanks for your support. Thanks for your
    friendship. Thanks for your warm welcome. I'm proud to be back here in
    the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. I'm pleased to be with so many
    friends.
        I appreciate my friend Darrell Waltrip
    being here. I was at NASCAR the other day. Man, I can see why he likes
    that so much. [Laughter] It's an amazing environment. He has a lot to be
    proud of. He had a fabulous career. I know one of his proudest moments
    came when his little brother won the big
    race in Florida. I went through the same experience. [Laughter]
        We're ready to go here in Kentucky. We've got a great organization.
    I want to thank the people who are going to man the phones and put up
    the signs and get the people to the polls. The Vice President and I appreciate all you did for us last time. We
    appreciate all you're going to do for us this time. We intend to win the
    State of Kentucky.
        Vice President Cheney is a great Vice
    President. He's done a heck of a good job for our country. Our country
    has had no finer Vice President, although Mother may have a second opinion. No, I'm proud to have him
    by my side, proud to be campaigning with him.
        I'm also proud of the job Laura is doing.
    She's a fabulous First Lady for this country. She sends her best, her
    best wishes and her love to our friends here in Kentucky.
        I want to thank Cathy Bailey for taking on
    a tough job and doing such a good job.
        I want to thank Elaine Chao, who is with
    us today, a member of my Cabinet. I think when people start to analyze
    an administration's effectiveness, they need to look at the people in
    the Cabinet. When people surround themselves with excellence--they
    should surround themselves with excellence, and I have. I've attracted a
    really good team of people from all walks of life to come to the
    Nation's Capital and to

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    serve something greater than their self-interest: their country. And
    Elaine is part of the fabulous Cabinet I put together, and I want to
    thank you for being here, Elaine. And I understand why your
    husband is not here--he's
    voting. But Mitch has done a really good job for the people of Kentucky,
    and I'm proud to call him friend.
        You need to send Jim Bunning back to
    Washington, DC, as well. I flew down with Anne Northup today on the plane. We had a great visit about Kentucky
    and the issues down here. She's a really competent, good person. I know
    Woody is with us; Anne had to
    go back and cast an important vote. I gave her permission to do so.
    [Laughter] But she really is a fine, fine Representative of the people
    of Louisville, Kentucky. You need to send her back too.
        And I appreciate my friend the Governor
    being here. He's got the--I used to say the Governor was the best job in
    America. I'm not so sure, because you don't have much foreign policy.
    [Laughter] But it's important to have somebody who is willing to make
    decisions, and Ernie is that kind of person. He'll do a fine job as a
    Governor of this State, and I'm proud--proud, Ernie, that you ran. I
    appreciate you coming.
        And I'm glad Steve Pence is with us,
    the Lieutenant Governor. And Secretary of State Trey Grayson is here as well. Senate President David Williams--he and I were just laughing about the time we
    campaigned in southern Kentucky in a mobile home, eating Kentucky
    barbecue. [Laughter] Gosh, I hope I get some on the plane going back.
    But good to see David. And Dick Roeding
    is with us as well. I appreciate the local and State officials who have
    come today.
        I want to thank Mike Duncan and Ellen
    Williams, great friends of mine who are
    helping steer this party to victory. I want to thank my friend Mercer
    Reynolds, who is the national finance
    chairman--he's from Cincinnati, Ohio--who has taken time out of his busy
    life to help make sure that we're ready to go, that when the bell rings,
    this campaign is fully funded and ready to take our message across the
    country.
        You know, we meet here during the Presidential primary season. We're
    witnessing a clear trend. It looks like we have a winner in the
    Republican primaries. [Laughter] The other party's nomination battle is
    still playing out. They're an interesting group with a lot of strong
    differences of opinion. They're for tax cuts and against them, for NAFTA
    and against NAFTA, for the PATRIOT Act, against the PATRIOT Act, in
    favor of liberating Iraq and opposed to it. And that's just one Senator
    from Massachusetts.
        They haven't--they're not finished selecting their nominee. Yet this
    much is certain: Come November, the voters are going to have a very
    clear choice. It's a choice between keeping the tax relief that is
    moving the economy forward or putting the burden of higher taxes back on
    the American people. It is a choice between an America that leads the
    world with strength and confidence or an America that is uncertain in
    the face of danger. I look forward to setting these alternatives
    squarely before the American people. I look forward to the campaign.
        We have a record of historic achievement. And most importantly, we
    have a positive vision for the years ahead, for winning the war against
    terror, for extending peace and freedom throughout our world, and for
    creating jobs and opportunity here at home. We will leave no doubt where
    we stand, and we will win on the 2d of November.
        The last 3 years have brought serious challenges, and we have given
    serious answers. We came to office with an economy heading into
    recession. We delivered historic tax relief, and now our economy is the
    fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. We had to confront
    corporate crimes that cost people their jobs and their savings, so we
    passed strong corporate reforms and we made it abundantly clear we

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    will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America.
        We saw war and grief arrive on a quiet September morning, so we have
    pursued the terrorist enemy across the world and have captured or killed
    many key leaders of the Al Qaida network. And the rest of them will
    learn there is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from American
    justice.
        We confronted the dangers of state-sponsored terror and the spread
    of weapons of mass destruction, so we ended two of the most violent and
    dangerous regimes on Earth. We freed more than 50 million people in
    those two countries. Once again, America is proud to lead the armies of
    liberation.
        When Dick Cheney and I came to Washington,
    we found a military that was underfunded and underappreciated, so we
    gave our military the resources and respect they deserve. And today, no
    one in the world can question the skill and the strength and the spirit
    of the United States military.
        When we came to office, people had gotten used to gridlock and old
    problems were used to score points. Old problems were politicized and
    debated and just--then just passed on from year to year. But we didn't
    come to Washington to do things the Washington way. We came to get some
    things done. We passed major reforms to raise standards in public
    schools all across America. We passed reforms in Medicare to get
    prescription drugs and choice to senior citizens. We chose to lead, and
    we have delivered results for the American people.
        Here's what I believe: It is the President's job to confront
    problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future
    generations. A President needs to step up, make the hard decisions, and
    keep his commitments. And that is how I will continue to lead our
    country.
        Great events will turn on this election. The man who sits in the
    Oval Office will set the course of the war on terror and the direction
    of our economy. The security and prosperity of America are at stake. Our
    opponents have not offered much in the way of strategies to win the war
    or policies to expand the economy. So far, all we hear is a lot of old
    bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an agenda for the future of
    America. We will take on the big issues with optimism and resolve and
    determination. We stand ready to lead our country for the next 4 years.
        A big issue for every family in America is the Federal tax burden.
    With the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was the President, we have left more money in the hands of
    those who earned it. By spending and investing, people have helped to
    move this economy forward. More people are finding work. The American
    people have used their money far better than the Government would have.
        Our opponents have their own plan for the tax cuts. They plan to
    take them away. They will use that money to expand the Federal
    Government. I have a better idea. To keep the economy growing, we must
    have fiscal discipline in Washington, DC. To keep the economy growing,
    the tax cuts must be permanent.
        We must do more. We need to protect small-business owners and
    employees from frivolous lawsuits and needless regulation. We need to
    control the costs of health care by passing medical liability reform. We
    need to pass sound energy legislation to modernize our electricity
    system and to make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    Our opponents talk about job creation, but they're against every one of
    these job-creating measures. Empty talk about jobs won't get anybody
    hired. The way to create jobs is through our pro-growth, pro-
    entrepreneurial economic agenda.
        This economy of ours is going through a time of challenge and
    change, and we're helping people to gain the skills and security to make
    a good living and to look forward to a good retirement. All skills start

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    with education. That's why I was so insistent that Congress pass the No
    Child Left Behind Act. It is a good law, a sound piece of legislation,
    historic reform that brings high standards and accountability to every
    classroom in America.
        There's more to do. We have a plan to help high school students who
    fall behind in reading and math. We have plans to make sure our
    community colleges train workers for the industries that are creating
    the most new jobs. Education is the gateway to a hopeful future, and
    that gate must be open to all Americans.
        This administration is also working toward an ownership society in
    which more people own their own homes to build their own savings. We
    want more people owning their own small businesses. We want people
    owning and managing their health care plans. We want younger workers to
    own and manage their retirement under Social Security. When people have
    solid assets, they gain independence and security and dignity and more
    control over their future. I believe so strongly in private property, I
    want every American to own some.
        On issue after issue, the American people have a clear choice. Our
    opponents are against personal retirement accounts. They're against
    putting patients in charge of Medicare. They're against tax relief. They
    seem to be against every idea that gives Americans more authority and
    more choices and more control over our own lives. It's the same old
    Washington mindset. They'll give the orders, and you will pay the bills.
    I've got news for them. America has gone beyond that way of thinking,
    and we're not going back. Inherent in all our policies is this theme,
    this belief: We trust the people, not Washington politicians, to make
    the best decisions for their own money, their own health, their own
    retirement, and their own lives.
        Our future also depends on America's leadership in the world. The
    momentum of freedom in our time is strong, but we still face serious
    dangers. Al Qaida is wounded but not broken. Terrorists are testing our
    will in Afghanistan and Iraq. Regimes in North Korea and Iran are
    challenging the peace. If America shows weakness and uncertainty in this
    decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my
    watch.
        No friend or enemy today doubts the word of the United States. This
    Nation is strong. We are steadfast. We are confident in the cause of
    freedom. America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime
    in Afghanistan. The Taliban chose defiance. The Taliban are no longer in
    power. America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in
    Iraq. The dictator chose defiance. The
    dictator now sits in a prison cell.
        September the 11th, 2001, taught a lesson I have not forgotten.
    America must confront threats before they fully materialize. In Iraq, my
    administration looked at the intelligence, and we saw a danger. Members
    of Congress looked at the intelligence, and they saw danger. The United
    Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence; it saw a danger.
    The previous administration and Congress looked at the intelligence and
    made regime change in Iraq the policy of our country.
        In 2002, the United Nations Security Council yet again demanded a
    full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons
    programs. And as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein refused to
    comply. So we had a choice to make, either to take the word of a madman
    or take action to defend America and the world. Faced with that choice,
    I will defend America every time.
        Others would have chosen differently. They now agree that the world
    is better off with Saddam removed from power.
    They just didn't support removing him from power. [Laughter] Maybe they
    were hoping he would lose the next Iraqi election. [Laughter]
        We showed the dictator and the watching
    world that America means what it says. Because our coalition acted,
    Saddam's torture

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    chambers are closed. Because we acted, Iraq's weapons programs are ended
    forever. Because we acted, nations like Libya have gotten the message
    and renounced their own weapons programs. Because we acted, an example
    of democracy is rising at the very heart of the Middle East. Because we
    acted, the world is more free and America is more secure.
        We still face thugs and terrorists in Iraq who would rather go on
    killing the innocent than accept the advance of liberty. They know that
    a free Iraq will be a major defeat for the cause of terror. This
    collection of killers is trying to shake the will of America. America
    will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins.
        We're aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them
    there so we don't have to face them in our own country. We're calling on
    other nations to help Iraq build a free society, which makes all of us
    more safe. We're standing with the Iraqi people as they assume more of
    their own defense and move toward self-government. These aren't easy
    tasks, but they are essential tasks. We will finish what we have begun,
    and we will win this essential victory in the war on terror.
        On national security, Americans have the clearest possible choice.
    Opponents say they approve of bold action in the world, but only if no
    other government disagrees. I'm all for united action, and so are the 34
    coalition partners we have in Iraq right now. Yet America must never
    outsource America's national security decision to leaders of other
    governments.
        Some of our opponents are skeptical that the war on terror is really
    a war at all. They view terrorism more as a crime, a problem to be
    solved with law enforcement and indictments. Our Nation followed that
    approach after the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993. The matter was
    handled in the courts and thought by some to be settled. Terrorists were
    still training in Afghanistan, still plotting in other nations, and
    drawing up more ambitious plans. After the chaos and carnage of
    September the 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal
    papers. With those attacks, the terrorists and supporters declared war
    on the United States of America, and war is what they got.
        At bases across our country and the world, I've had the privilege of
    meeting with the men and women of our military who are defending this
    country, who are sacrificing for our security. I've seen their great
    decency, their unselfish courage. And I can assure you, ladies and
    gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in good hands.
        Our Nation is prosperous and we are strong, yet we need to remember
    that our greatest strength is in the hearts and souls of our citizens.
    We're strong because of the values we try to live by, courage and
    compassion, reverence and integrity. We're strong because of the
    institutions that help to give us direction and purpose, families and
    schools and religious congregations. These values and institutions are
    fundamental to our lives, and they deserve the respect of our
    Government.
        We stand for fair treatment of faith-based groups so they can
    receive Federal support for their works of compassion and healing. We
    will not stand for Government discrimination against people of faith. We
    stand for welfare reforms that require work and strengthen marriage,
    which have helped millions of Americans find independence and dignity.
    We will not stand for any attempt to weaken those reforms and to send
    people back into the lives of dependence.
        We stand for a culture of life in which every person counts and
    every person matters. We will not stand for the treatment of any life as
    a commodity to be experimented upon or exploited or cloned. We stand for
    the confirmation of judges who strictly and faithfully interpret the
    law. We will not stand for judges who undermine democracy by legislating
    from the bench or try to remake the culture of America by court order.

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        We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. We're changing
    the culture in 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're responsible for the
    decisions we make in life. If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or
    a father, you're responsible for loving your child with all your heart.
    If you're worried about the quality of the education in the community 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. And in this new
    responsibility society, each of us is responsible for loving our
    neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourself.
        For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
    apart. There are quiet times in the life of the Nation when little is
    expected of our leaders. This is not one of those times. You and I are
    living in a period when the stakes are high, the challenges are
    difficult, the choices are clear, a time where resolve is needed. None
    of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another began.
        On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. I remember a lot about that day. Workers in hardhats were
    shouting, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember a guy pointing at me and
    saying, ``Don't let me down.'' As we did all--as we all did that day,
    the men and women who were searching through the rubble took it
    personally. I took it personally. I have a great responsibility that
    goes on. I will never relent in bringing justice to our enemies. I will
    defend the security of America, whatever it takes.
        In these times, I've also been a witness to the character of this
    Nation. Not long ago, some had their doubts about the American
    character, a capacity to meet serious challenges, capacity to serve a
    cause greater than self-interest. Americans have given their answer.
    I've seen the unselfish courage of our troops. I've seen the heroism of
    Americans in the face of danger. I've seen the spirit of service and
    compassion renewed in our country. We all have seen our Nation unite in
    common purpose when it mattered most.
        We will need all of these qualities for the work ahead. We have a
    war to win. And the world is counting on us to lead the cause of freedom
    and peace. We have a duty to spread opportunity to every part of
    America. This is the work that history has set before us. We welcome it.
    And we know that for our country, the best days lie ahead.
        May God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:35 p.m. at the Galt House Hotel. In his
    remarks, he referred to NASCAR drivers Darrell and Michael Waltrip;
    Cathy Bailey, national committeewoman, Mike Duncan, national
    committeeman, and Ellen Williams, chairperson, Republican Party of
    Kentucky; Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, husband of Secretary of
    Labor Elaine L. Chao; Robert W. ``Woody'' Northup, husband of
    Representative Anne M. Northup; Gov. Ernie Fletcher and Lt. Gov. Steve
    Pence of Kentucky; Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson; David
    Williams, president, and Richard L. Roeding, president pro tem, Kentucky
    State Senate; and Mercer Reynolds, national finance chairman, Bush-
    Cheney '04, Inc.

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