    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [May 3, 2004]
    [Pages 714-723]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Kalamazoo, Michigan
    May 3, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Be seated, unless
    you don't have a seat. [Laughter] I appreciate you being here. It's
    great to be back in Kalamazoo. It just didn't seem all that long ago
    that I was here. We had a great trip in 2000. I'm back here asking for
    the vote again, and I'm asking for your help.
        I want to thank you for coming. I want to thank you for showing an
    interest in the future of our country. For those of you who are ready to
    go to work like I am, I would urge you to dial up georgewbush.com. That
    will give you an opportunity to volunteer. It will help you find out
    ways to register the vote. I'm asking you to go to your community
    centers and your houses of worship, to speak to your neighbors from all
    political parties, and tell them I've got a hopeful, optimistic,
    positive vision for every citizen who lives in the State of Michigan.
        We've accomplished a lot in 3 years, but there's more to do. There's
    more to do. I have a plan to win the war on terror and to spread freedom
    and peace throughout the world. We have shown the country that this
    administration can help lead the country through tough times. But
    there's more to do. I have a plan to make sure this Nation is prosperous
    in every corner of America, so every citizen from all walks of life can
    realize the great promise of our country.

    [[Page 715]]

        I understand the limitations of Government, so I have a plan to call
    upon the compassion of the American people, to rally the deep love
    Americans have for their neighbors to make sure that those who hurt find
    comfort, those who are hungry find food, those who look for shelter can
    find housing. I have a vision I look forward to laying out to our fellow
    citizens. With your help, there is no doubt in my mind we will carry
    Michigan and earn 4 more years from the American people.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Thank you all.
        The best reason for 4 more years is to make sure that Laura is the
    First Lady for 4 more years. I'm really proud of
    Laura. She is a great role model. She is steady, a calming influence
    when the Nation needed calm. She understands the importance of reading
    in the lives of our fellow citizens. She loves libraries. She loves
    books. She's been an inspiration to the women in Afghanistan. She has
    been an inspiration to women all over the world. Laura Bush is a great
    First Lady, and I'm lucky she's my wife.
        When you're out there gathering up the vote, remind them about the
    team that I have put together on behalf of the American citizens. I've
    asked people from all walks of life to serve in my Cabinet. I've put
    together people who are smart and capable, people who are dedicated to
    the service of our country. Our country has had no finer Vice President
    than Dick Cheney. Mother heard me say that one time. She said, ``Wait a
    minute.'' [Laughter]
        Today I had the privilege of traveling from Washington to South Bend
    then to Niles and now here to Kalamazoo with a really fine Member of the
    United States Congress, Congressman Fred Upton.
        I want to thank Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land for joining us today. Secretary, thanks for coming. A
    good sign when the speaker and the majority leader of the senate show
    up. Leader Ken Sikkema is with us as well as
    Speaker Rick Johnson. Thank you both for
    coming. I'm glad you all are here. Thank you.
        And I want to thank the local officials who are here and the State
    officials. Thank you all for taking time out to come by to say hello.
    I'm proud you're here. My only advice is, fill the potholes. [Laughter]
        I want to thank my friend Betsy DeVos, who
    is with us today. She represents all the grassroots activists who are
    here in the crowd. I want to thank you for what you're doing to make
    sure that people get to the polls. Thank you for coming.
        I want to thank the men and women who wear our uniform who are here
    today. I've had the high honor of being the Commander in Chief of some
    of the finest citizens our country has every produced. I've been to
    bases all across our country and all across the world, and I can tell
    you, ladies and gentlemen, freedom is in the hands of some mighty fine
    people.
        This is going to be a tough campaign. That's why I'm here asking for
    your help. We got a lot of work to do. We got a lot of work to do
    together. I'm running against an experienced candidate, somebody who
    spent a lot of time in Washington in the Halls of the United States
    Senate. I'm not going to take him lightly. He's a worthy
    opponent, and that's why we've got to do
    everything we can to convince people to go to the polls. We've got to
    convince people to listen to the message.
        My opponent has been there long enough to
    develop the Washington language. I call it Washingtonitis. [Laughter]
    The other day in Washington, they asked him about what kind of car he
    has. [Laughter] Here in the State of Michigan, he was asked that
    question. Of course, this is the great auto-producing State. He said,
    ``Well, we've got some SUVs.'' He talked about having a couple of
    minivans and a big Suburban. Last month on Earth Day--[laughter]--he had
    a little different description of the fleet. He said, ``I don't own an
    SUV.'' To clear up the confusion, he said

    [[Page 716]]

    this: ``The family has it. I don't have it.'' [Laughter] In other words,
    he doesn't have an SUV except when he's in Michigan. [Laughter] One guy
    is getting a lot of mileage out of one SUV.
        What this country needs is a leader who speaks clearly, and when he
    says something, he means it. You've got to tell the people what you
    intend to do and then go out and do it.
        We've done a lot for the last 3 years. We've dealt with emergencies
    and wars and recessions. But there's a lot to do. Today I want to tell
    you about the course I intend to put this Nation on for the next 4
    years. I want this country to be safer and stronger and a better nation.
        I've come to Kalamazoo to ask for your help but also to let you know
    I see clearly where I want to lead this Nation. And my most important
    duty is to make sure this country is safe. My most important duty is to
    speak clearly about the challenges we face. There's still an enemy that
    would like to strike America. On September the 11th, our world changed.
    On September the 11th, we realized that oceans wouldn't protect us and
    that, because of what we believe, there's an enemy that wants to hurt
    us. That's the reality that we now face.
        I have a solemn duty to do everything I can to protect America, and
    we made a lot of changes in Washington. The communication between the
    intelligence agencies and law enforcement are a lot better. The ports
    are better guarded. As you know, the airplanes are safer. They're even
    looking at your shoes. [Laughter] We got a lot of good people working
    hard. We have to be right 100 percent of the time, but the enemy has to
    be right only once. The best way to protect the homeland is to go on the
    offensive, is to stay on the offensive, and is to bring the killers to
    justice.
        There are some who question whether America is really at war. In
    other words, they think that this is primarily a law enforcement and
    intelligence matter that confronts the country. But that's what we
    thought after the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993. We thought it
    was a law enforcement and intelligence matter. And yet the enemy was
    planning more sophisticated attacks. The enemy was using training bases
    in Afghanistan. Those who believe that way, in my judgment, are
    absolutely wrong. This isn't a matter of intelligence and law
    enforcement. This is a matter of war. The enemy declared war on the
    United States of America, and war is what they got.
        And we're making progress--we're making progress. About two-thirds
    of the known Al Qaida leadership are--have been brought to justice, and
    we're chasing down the rest of them. We're chasing down the rest of
    them. Right after September the 11th, I laid out a doctrine that said,
    ``If you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide a
    terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist.'' When an American
    President lays down such a doctrine, he better mean what he says. For
    the sake of keeping--for the sake of peace and freedom, when the
    American President speaks, he better mean it. I meant what I said, and
    the Taliban in Afghanistan found out I meant what I said.
        There are no longer Al Qaida training camps in Afghanistan. In other
    words, America is more secure. Afghanistan is heading toward democracy
    and freedom. The thing I really like about our action, besides making
    America more safe and secure, is the fact that we liberated people.
    There were people in the clutches--it's hard to believe this if you're
    an American citizen, because of the nature of our society, but there are
    young girls--were young girls growing up in Afghanistan who never had a
    chance to go to school. It's just beyond our comprehension, isn't it,
    that people would be that barbaric, that backwards. These people were
    enslaved to a backward ideology, and thanks to America and our allies,
    people are now free in Afghanistan, and the world is better off for it.

    [[Page 717]]

        The American President must be a realist. He must see the world the
    way it really is. And after September the 11th, I learned this lesson,
    and it's the lesson that we must keep in our minds as we protect our
    country: When we see a gathering threat, we just can't hope it goes
    away. If we see a threat, given the lesson of September the 11th, this
    Nation must lead the world to deal with that threat.
        I looked at the intelligence and the history in Iraq and saw a
    threat. The Congress, the Members of the United States Congress looked
    at the same intelligence, and they saw a threat. The United Nations
    Security Council on my watch looked at the intelligence, and it saw a
    threat. But it also had seen a threat from the past and no wonder.
    Saddam Hussein was a man who used weapons of
    mass destruction against his own people and in his neighborhood. Saddam
    Hussein made his hatred of America well known. He was a threat. He paid
    suiciders to go kill innocent Israeli citizens. He had terrorist
    connections.
        In other words, we all saw a threat. I saw a threat. The Congress
    saw a threat. The United Nations Security Council saw a threat--to the
    point where they passed a unanimous resolution that said, ``Mr. Saddam
    Hussein, disarm, or face serious
    consequences.''
        As I just told you, when the President speaks, he better mean what
    he says. As he had done for year after year after year, Saddam
    Hussein didn't answer the request of the free
    world. So I was faced with a choice: Do I take the word of a madman? Do
    I forget the lessons of September the 11th, 2001, and hope for the best?
    Or do I take actions necessary to defend America? Given that choice, I
    will defend America every time.
        Thanks to our fantastic military and thanks to over 30 other
    nations, Iraq is becoming a free society. Thanks to our fantastic
    military and thanks to friends and allies, the torture chambers in Iraq
    are closed. Thanks to the United States and friends and allies, the
    long-suffering people of Iraq now have hope. They have hope to live like
    we want to live, in a free society, in a peaceful society, and a chance
    to raise your children in a hopeful environment.
        We're on a very difficult mission right now, and it's tough work.
    It's tough work because there are a few who want to destroy the hopes of
    many. It's tough work because we're dealing with people with no
    conscience. They're willing to kill innocent Iraqis, or they're willing
    to kill coalition forces in order to stop the march of freedom, in order
    to not allow liberty to take root and to spread its wings in a part of
    the world that needs freedom and needs liberty. They're doing everything
    in--they can to shake our will. America will not allow freedom to lose
    in Iraq because of a bunch of thugs and assassins.
        Like you, I mourn the loss of life. Like you, I hurt when a mom or a
    dad loses a loved one, and I have told them when I've met them in person
    that the mission of their son or daughter was a vital mission to the
    long-term security of the United States. Because you see, a free society
    in the part of the world that breeds resentment will be a peaceful
    influence in a part of the world that needs peace. These are historic
    times. These are really important times in our country.
        I told the story the other day at the press conference about my--
    Laura and my dinner with Prime Minister
    Koizumi. He is the Prime Minister of
    Japan. And we were talking about how to work together to keep the peace
    on the Korean Peninsula. Kim Chong-il is a
    danger. Kim Chong-il is developing nuclear weapons. And so, working with
    a former enemy, it dawned on me during the course of the conversation:
    What happens if we had got it wrong at the end of World War II? Would I
    have been talking to the Prime Minister of Japan about a way to make the
    world a peaceful place? It also dawned on me, when we

    [[Page 718]]

    get it right in Iraq, when freedom and democracy take hold in that part
    of the world, someday an American President will be talking to an
    elected Iraqi leader as to how to deal with the current threat of that
    era. These are historic times. Our troops are performing brilliantly,
    and we will succeed.
        There are plenty of others in the world who agree with the spread of
    freedom and democracy. Thank goodness. See, I understand freedom is not
    America's gift to the world or any other country's gift to the world;
    freedom is the Almighty's gift to every man and woman who lives in this
    world.
        We have a duty to spread freedom. We have an obligation to spread
    freedom, and we're getting plenty of help. There's a difference,
    however, between leading a coalition of nations and submitting to the
    objections of a few. I'll always work with other countries. If I'm
    fortunate enough to be your President for 4 more years, we'll continue
    to build alliances and to work with other nations to spread freedom and
    make the world more peaceful. But I will never turn America's national
    security decisions over to leaders of other countries.
        I've come to Kalamazoo to tell you, I've got a clear vision on what
    we need to do to make the world more free and more peaceful. I've come
    to let you know that a priority of mine over the next 4 years will be to
    do everything in our power as a nation to safeguard the American people.
        I also have come to let you know that I've got a plan to make sure
    that America is a strong nation, and that starts with making sure that
    our economy is strong in every part of our country. I'm an optimistic
    fellow because I have seen what this Nation has been through. I'm also
    optimistic because I know how strong the entrepreneurial spirit is in
    America, how vibrant our economy is because the people are hopeful and
    optimistic.
        Remember what our economy has been through. We've been through a
    recession. When we came to office, the country was headed into a
    recession. That's a long word for, ``We're going backwards.'' [Laughter]
    It's a long word for, ``Dismal times,'' where people were worried about
    their jobs and small businesses were worried about meeting the payroll.
        We started to come out of the recession, and then the enemy hit us.
    September the 11th affected the economy. It hurt. It hurt us because we
    realized we were a battlefield in the war on terror. We lost a lot of
    jobs. Remember, the airlines weren't flying for a while. The stock
    market was shut down. It was a tough period. We came out of that.
    America refused to be intimidated, refused to relent.
        And then we found out we had some citizens in our country that
    forgot what it meant to be a responsible citizen, and they didn't tell
    the truth. The corporate scandals affected the economy. You see, in a
    market-oriented economy, you've got to have faith in the balance sheet,
    faith in the numbers. There were some people who broke the faith. We
    passed tough laws. We will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of
    America.
        The decision to deal with Saddam Hussein
    also affected the economy. You might remember on the TV screens, it said
    ``March to War.'' That's not a conducive environment in which to risk
    capital. Marching to war is an incredibly negative thought. Fortunately,
    now we're marching to peace.
        But all those were overcome because the spirit of America is a
    strong spirit. And the small-business sector of this economy stepped up.
    People started to invest. People refused to be pessimistic. People
    decided to make good decisions about the economy, and I believe one of
    the main reasons why is because of the tax cuts we delivered for the
    American people.
        The proper role of the Government is to make sure that the
    entrepreneurial spirit is strong, that the environment for taking risk
    is good. Cutting taxes was essential to making sure that that was the
    case. And

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    remember, we just didn't cut taxes on a few. We cut taxes on everybody
    who paid taxes. We raised the child credit to make it easier to raise a
    family. We reduced the marriage penalty. What kind of Tax Code is it
    that penalizes marriage? We want to strengthen families in America.
    Small businesses benefited. Families benefited.
        The tax relief and the economic stimulus package we passed is
    working. The economy grew at the rate of 4.2 percent in the first
    quarter. We were in recession in early '01. Early '04, we're growing at
    the rate of 4.2 percent. Economic growth over the past three quarters
    has been the fastest in nearly two decades. This economy is beginning to
    move.
        I understand that Michigan still suffers. My attitude is, when I
    hear one person is looking for work, we got to make sure we continue to
    grow the economy. And while the growth numbers, the job numbers were
    good in certain parts of our country, they were slower in Michigan. But
    the plans we put in place should help those workers. We got to make sure
    that we don't go backwards and undo the good works we have done. Part of
    the vision for the next 4 years is to make sure this economy is healthy
    and strong with pro-growth, pro-small-business, pro-entrepreneur
    economic policies.
        Let me tell you a couple of people I met today, just to maybe put
    this economic plan in perspective. I met the O'Roarks, Tom and Beth. They're with us. There
    they are, right. And they got two kids, and the reason I bring them is
    that the tax relief plan we passed saved them $1,700. That's good. That
    may not seem like a lot to some. It's a lot to them. They'll save $1,700
    this year too. That's their money by the way. When somebody has got more
    of their own money, they're going to demand additional good or a
    service. And when that demand goes up, somebody produces the good or a
    service. And when somebody produces it, somebody is likely to find work.
        No, the tax relief was important for our economy, but it's also
    important for families all across the country like the O'Roarks. I said the other day,
    our tax relief is showing that Americans can spend their money far
    better than the Federal Government would have.
        Factory orders are up. Manufacturing is coming back. I tell you a
    statistic I love about our Nation right now: More people own a home.
    See, the homeownership rate is incredibly high, and not only that, more
    minorities own their own home. I tell you what's beautiful about that:
    We want more people owning something in America. We want people owning
    their own business. We want people owning and managing their own
    retirement accounts. We want more people owning their own home because
    this administration understands when you own something, you have a vital
    stake in the future of our country.
        It's very important that fiscal policy understand the importance of
    small businesses in our society. Seventy percent of new jobs are created
    by small-business owners. Good fiscal policy, good economic policy
    focuses on the small-business sector--should focus on the small-business
    sector of America. I want you to know that an inherent part of the
    economic plan that we put forward is creating incentives for small
    business to expand.
        Most small businesses in America are Subchapter S corporations or
    sole proprietorships. Those are legal terms describing what kind of
    taxes they pay, basically. If you're a sole proprietorship or a
    Subchapter S corporation, you pay tax at the individual income-tax rate.
    Therefore, when you hear us saying we're going to reduce individual
    income taxes, we're really reducing taxes as well on small businesses.
    The more a small business has in its coffers, the more likely it is it's
    going to expand. If 70 percent of new jobs are created by small
    businesses and you're worried about job creation, it seems to make sense
    to provide

    [[Page 720]]

    stimulus to the small-business sector of the economy.
        I was talking to Jim Van Zoeren. He
    runs a trucking company--Big Jim--and he's an upbeat guy. He's going to
    invest about $4 million in trucks and trailers and forklifts this year.
    He's a small-business guy. He's willing to invest. ``Invest'' means he's
    going to buy something from somebody. And when he buys it from somebody,
    somebody has got to make it.
        In other words, the economy works as a result of the decisionmaking
    process from people like Jim. He has
    already hired 20 workers in the year 2004 to meet that investment. In
    other words, when you hear investment is up, you hear the tax plan
    encouraged investment, think jobs. Because there's 20 more people
    working for his firm as a result of the investments that he made. He's
    planning to hire 10 more this year. See, when Jim hires 30 people this
    year, there's people like him--it says something's happening. There's
    people like him all across the country. There's a lot of small
    businesses and entrepreneurs who are optimistic and hopeful, who have
    had their decisionmaking helped by good tax policy. And I intend to keep
    it that way. One reason I need to stay in office is to make sure that we
    don't ruin the incentives and don't stop the momentum of economic growth
    by failed Washington, DC, policies.
        One thing you better watch out for are spending promises on a
    campaign. And you've got to take these promisers for their word. My
    opponent is a pretty good spender. We've got 6
    more months to go in the campaign, and he's easily over a trillion in
    new promises. And so the question that I ask is, how is he going to pay
    for it? He said, of course, by taxing the rich. There's not enough money
    to tax the rich to pay for the new promises he's made. So guess who he
    is going to tax? He's going to tax you. That's what's going to happen.
    In order to meet all the promises he's making, he's going to have to
    raise the taxes on the American people.
        Now is not the time to be raising taxes. This economy is getting
    strong. This economy is getting better. A tax increase on the American
    people, a tax increase on small-business owners, a tax increase on moms
    and dads who are trying to raise their families, raising that marriage
    penalty up is the wrong policy at the wrong time, and we're not going to
    let him have a chance to do so.
        There is more to do to make sure this economy is the best place to
    do business in the world. If you're interested in jobs growing here in
    America, if you're interested in jobs staying here, I got some ideas
    that I want to share with you right quick. First, we cannot let Congress
    raise taxes on you. Raising taxes on the American people will make the
    country less competitive and will make it harder for people to find a
    job.
        Secondly, we've got to make sure we've got good worker training
    programs. Listen, technology is changing. There are--changing the
    workforce. And the demand for workers--there's all kinds of jobs in
    America, but oftentimes, workers need new skills. They need new
    training. The community college system in America is a fantastic place
    to match up workers who want to find new skills with employers looking
    for new workers. I've got a plan called the Jobs for the 21st Century
    program to do just that.
        We've got to make sure that health care costs are more affordable,
    and we must do so without letting the Federal Government run the health
    care industry. That's why I'm for association health care plans and
    health savings accounts, and that's why I am for medical liability
    reform at the Federal level, to stop the junk and frivolous lawsuits
    which are running up the cost of medicine.
        You know, most American Presidents have opened up our markets to
    foreign products. That's good for consumers. When you get more products
    to choose from, it helps on price; it helps on quality. The

    [[Page 721]]

    problem is, a lot of American Presidents haven't said to other nations,
    ``Open up your markets.'' The best way to make sure that we have jobs
    for the 21st century, the best way we make sure that people can find
    work is reject economic isolationism and make sure the playing field is
    level. Listen, American workers, American farmers, American ranchers can
    compete with anybody, any time, anyplace so long as the rules are fair.
        We need to make sure we get an energy policy in this country. We
    want to make sure that people are able to find work in the 21st century.
    This Nation needs an energy policy. I've laid out a plan to encourage
    conservation. I've laid out a plan to develop alternative sources of
    energy. Listen, I want to be the person that lays the groundwork for a
    President to be able to say, ``Hey, the corn harvest was up, and we're
    less dependent.'' We need alternative sources of energy to be developed
    in this country. We've got research and development--ongoing research
    and development to encourage that. We need clean coal technology. We
    need to be exploring for natural gas in our own hemisphere. We need safe
    nuclear energy. We need a full-scale energy plan to make us less
    dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        I'm running because I got a plan to make sure we're the best place
    to do business, so people can find work. I'm running because I
    understand what it means to keep America competitive in the world. We
    live in a global economy. I'm also running because I want to keep us--I
    want to enable us to be the innovative society that we are. Listen, we
    need to have broadband technology in every home in Kalamazoo, Michigan,
    and every farm in rural Michigan as well.
        The role of Government is not to create wealth but an environment in
    which the entrepreneur, the imagination, the genius of the American
    people can survive, and that's why I need 4 more years as your
    President.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Finally, I want to talk about something that's dear
    to my heart because--and it's because I understand the true strength of
    the country, and that is, my job is to rally the compassion of America
    to help save lives in this country. Look, Government is not a loving
    organization. [Laughter] Government is justice. Government is law. But
    Government is not loving. Love exists in the hearts and souls of the
    American citizens. The true strength of this country is not our
    military, although it's an important part of keeping the peace. The true
    strength of the country is not the fact that we're a very strong economy
    relative to other nations in the world. The true strength of the country
    is the hearts and souls of the American people, and I understand that.
        I also understand that many problems can be only solved by love.
    Many problems can only be solved when a decent citizen takes time out of
    their life and says, ``How can I help you, brother? What can I do to
    make your life better?''
        No, the job of the President is to understand the proper
    relationship between the Government and the strength of the country. And
    the job of the President is to call upon that strength and rally that
    strength and encourage that strength to help save America one heart, one
    soul, one conscience at a time.
        And that's why I have pushed so hard for what I call the Faith- and
    Community-Based Initiative that says to people, ``Let us not focus on
    the process in Washington, DC. Let's focus on the results.'' And if
    there's a faith community that's got the capacity to change hearts and,
    therefore, help an addict on drugs, we ought not to fear empowering that
    program. We ought to encourage that program through Government help.
        I met Iris and Louie
    Tortorelli here today. Where are the
    Tortorellis? There they are. [Applause] Thank you all. Nice

    [[Page 722]]

    spattering of applause there for them. [Laughter] They're mentors. These
    are people that have lived a full life, and they want to live a fuller
    life by taking time out to help a child learn to read--what a wonderful
    gift, not only a gift to the child but a gift to them.
        Like many of you in the audience, they are soldiers in the army of
    compassion. I'm sure I'm looking at people that have heard that call to
    love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself, people who
    are willing to do simple acts of kindness and love to help brighten
    somebody's day. These good folks are mentoring children, elementary
    school children. Here's what Louie said. He said, ``It's so rewarding to
    work with the kids. I'm excited about what I'm doing. I can't do much
    physical work anymore, but I can do that.''
        I want to thank Iris and
    Louie for setting such a fine example. I
    want to thank you all as well. It's really part of what I call ushering
    in a new culture--the responsibility era, I like to call it. It's a
    different kind of culture from one that we had been through in the
    country, the culture that said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and do
    it,'' and, ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else.'' I envision
    a new culture, and it's happening not because of me but because of
    America, where each of us understands we're responsible for the
    decisions we make in life.
        If you're a mom or a dad, you are responsible for loving your
    children with all your heart and all your soul. 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. Each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor
    like we'd like to be loved yourself. It's happening here in America.
    It's happening because the strength of this country is the character of
    the American people.
        On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. I will never forget that day. There were workers in hardhats
    shouting, ``Whatever it takes.'' A guy pointed at me and said, ``Don't
    let me down.'' As we all did that day, these men and women searching
    through the rubble took it personally. I took it personally. You took it
    personally. I have a responsibility that goes on. I will never relent in
    bringing justice to our enemies. I will defend the security of America,
    whatever it takes.
        I want to again thank you for coming. We have a purpose together. We
    have a mission. 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 this country. That 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.

    Note: The President spoke at approximately 4:30 p.m. at Wings Stadium.
    In his remarks, he referred to Speaker Rick Johnson and Majority Leader
    Ken Sikkema, Michigan State Legislature; Betsy DeVos, chairman, Michigan
    Republican Party; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Prime
    Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and Chairman Kim Chong-il of North
    Korea. The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also
    included the remarks of the First Lady, who introduced the President.

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