    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [February 23, 2004]
    [Pages 250-256]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the National Governors Association Conference
    February 23, 2004

        Well, that's it? Okay. [Laughter] Always love to get a short
    introduction. Hope you all cleaned the room up after last night.
    [Laughter] Laura and I really enjoyed that.
    Thanks for coming. It was a lot of fun. Everybody seemed pretty well
    behaved. I

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    don't know about Coach, but yes, I
    know, it's hard to take him out.
        I'm glad members of my Cabinet are here. Obviously, the more
    communications we can have about issues that worry you, the easier it is
    for us to solve problems. Governors are problem-solvers, and so is the
    President. Our jobs are to identify problems and deal with them, and the
    best way to do so is in the spirit of cooperation.
        That's sometimes hard in Washington, I readily concede. This is not
    a town that thrives upon cooperation, like most State capitals. But
    we'll continue to work hard to help you, because by helping our
    Governors, we really help our people. That's the job of a President.
        Yesterday in my toast, I said the war on terror goes on, and it
    does. I wish I could report otherwise, but that's not a true assessment
    of the world. We are chasing Al Qaida. We're dealing with rogue nations
    and proliferation, but the war still goes on. And as a fellow Commander
    in Chief, it's important for you to know that. And therefore, it's
    essential that we continue to cooperate on matters of homeland security.
        We'll have a robust budget in front of the Congress, and we expect
    it to be passed. Tom, evidently, has met with you
    all to talk about ways to make sure that the flow of money is expedited
    from the Federal Government to the State governments to the local
    governments. And that's essential. And I appreciate that he has convened
    a conference of Governors and mayors and local responders to make sure
    that we all do our jobs well. That's the purpose of the meeting.
        I will tell you, the response to emergency and/or threats has been,
    from my perspective, really good. Governor Easley and Governor Warner of Virginia
    had to suffer through a devastating act of nature. But the response
    between the Federal Government and the State governments and the local
    governments was more seamless than ever, and I want to thank the
    Governors and their offices of emergency preparedness.
        Ridge is doing a good job, from my
    perspective. He's taken on a tough assignment. I see Governor
    Rendell is nodding his head. You trained
    him well. But he's taken on a tough assignment, to bring together
    diverse agencies under one roof and have it function smoothly not only
    here in Washington but in the field. And we'll continue to work and make
    sure that the Office of Homeland Security enables you to do your job
    better.
        There's talk about the PATRIOT Act. Let me just tell you it needs to
    be renewed, and I'll tell you why. Prior to the PATRIOT Act, the CIA and
    the FBI couldn't communicate on matters of intelligence. And yet, we're
    fighting a war against individuals and killers that can hide in our
    communities, hide in dark parts of the world, hide in caves, and we need
    to be able to communicate. It makes no sense not to have the tools
    available to chase these terrorists down. So you'll see me actively
    pursuing renewal of the PATRIOT Act, so not only can we do our job, the
    Federal Government, but people in the State and local level can too--do
    so as well.
        The Joint Terrorism Task Force in your community require
    cooperation--interagency cooperation. It's essential they have the tools
    necessary to find these people and bring them to justice. That is our
    solemn call in this, the beginning of the 21st century. After all, the
    most important job of anybody in office is to protect the people of our
    country, which means we got to stay on the offense when it comes to
    dealing with Al Qaida, and we got to be wise about dealing with threats
    before they become imminent or fully materialize. That's the--to me,
    those are the lessons of September the 11th, 2001. It changed the
    calculation as to how you analyze and deal with threat.
        We are on the hunt for Al Qaida. You just got to know that there's a
    lot of brave people searching them out. And I view the

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    hunt for Al Qaida as part of the war on terror. And it requires all
    assets, intelligence assets and military assets, to chase them down and
    bring them to justice. And we're doing pretty good--better than pretty
    good. If Al Qaida were a corporation, middle management has been brought
    to justice. And that's important for you to know. We can take comfort
    about the progress we're making. But we've got a lot more to do, and so
    we'll just stay on the hunt here in--out of Washington, DC.
        As you know, I laid out some doctrine that said, ``If you harbor a
    terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist.'' And it's very
    important for the administration to follow through when they say
    something. It makes diplomacy a little easier when your word means
    something, and in Al Qaida, our word meant something. The Taliban is no
    longer in power. We've still got work there to do, but the country is
    now more free than ever before.
        You ought to see the movie ``Osama.'' It's an interesting movie. It
    talks about what it was like to be a woman in Afghanistan during the
    Taliban era. It will give you a perspective about what it means to be a
    Governor in a nation which is willing to sacrifice not only for its own
    security but for the freedom of others. When you hear talk about being a
    liberator, that movie will bring home what it means to be liberated from
    the clutches of barbarism.
        A lot of my foreign policy is driven by the fact that I truly
    believe that freedom is a gift from the Almighty to every person and
    that America has a responsibility to take a lead in the world, to help
    people be free. And we're making progress in Afghanistan. We really are.
    Just look at the fact that young girls are now going to school for the
    first time in a long period of time.
        Secretary Rumsfeld's wife and Karen
    Hughes and Margaret Spellings, who is my Domestic Policy Adviser--they're on a
    plane right now heading to Afghanistan to continue the progress toward a
    more free society.
        And in Iraq, obviously, I made a tough choice. But my attitude is,
    is that the lessons of September the 11th mean that we must be clear-
    eyed and realistic and deal with threats before they fully materialize.
    I looked at the intelligence and came to the conclusion that Saddam was
    a threat. The Congress looked at the same intelligence, and it came to
    the conclusion that Saddam Hussein was a
    threat. The United Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence,
    and it concluded that Saddam Hussein was a threat. My predecessor and
    his administration looked at the same intelligence and concluded that
    Saddam Hussein was a threat, and that's why Congress passed a--resolved
    to remove Saddam from power, that regime change was a--was policy for
    the Government.
        And there's a reason why not only did the intelligence say that
    he was a threat, his actions said he was a
    threat. He had used weapons of mass destruction on his own people. He
    hid weapons of mass destruction from inspectors. In other words, he
    wouldn't be open. The United Nations Security Council, at my request,
    took a look at the issue one last time and unanimously voted to have
    Saddam reveal, disclose, and destroy weapons of mass destruction and/or
    weapons of mass destruction programs and, if not, face serious
    consequences.
        September the 11th affected my way of thinking when it came to the
    security of the country. We saw a danger, and so I gave him an ultimatum. The world, really, gave him an
    ultimatum. And he refused. And rather than take the word of a madman
    whose actions had proven unworthy of leadership, we acted, and we
    removed him. And the world is better off for it, in my judgment.
        It is essential we succeed in Iraq, just like it's essential we
    succeed in Afghanistan. A free Iraq is an historic opportunity to help
    change the world. And I want to thank the Governors for going to Iraq. I
    want

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    to thank you for taking the risk to go and to say thanks to the troops
    on the ground, whether they be your Guard's troops or reservists or
    whether they be active duty personnel.
        We can debate all day long about whether or not I made the right
    decision, but what is not in question is the bravery and skill of our
    troops. And I want to thank you for your support--support for people who
    are serving a cause greater than themselves, people who are willing to
    sacrifice not only for our own security but people who when, by and
    large, when you talk to them, understand that the long-term consequences
    of a free Iraq will make us more secure.
        Some of the stories from Iraq are amazing stories. Just ask your
    Governors to account for what they saw and heard. It's important for you
    to know that we fully recognize there needs to be certainty in troop
    rotation, that we're asking families and troops to go serve the country,
    and there needs to be a certain timeframe. It's important for you to
    know that our troops will get the best equipment and best possible
    training.
        I went to Fort Polk in Louisiana, and they showed me some of the
    training missions that our Guard units are going through, particularly
    the Guard unit out of Arkansas--Huckabee. And
    the training is very good. It is intense. It is realistic. It is
    preparing these souls for duty. And again, I want to thank you, as
    Commander in Chief, for understanding the mission.
        See, the danger is, is that the Iraqi people think we'll cut and
    run. That's what they're worried about. I think if you ask the
    Governors, they'll tell you they heard that same sentiment. We're not
    going to cut and run. We've got to make it clear we're there to succeed,
    and we will.
        And they're making progress on the ground. I don't think it's all
    that bad that people are arguing about the nature of government. It's a
    pretty good sign. We argue about government all the time here. As a
    matter of fact, later on this year, we'll be having a pretty good
    argument about government. [Laughter] But it's a good sign in Iraq.
    That's part of the process of heading for a society in which minority
    rights are recognized and human dignity is paramount. Again, I'll repeat
    to you, I view this as an historic moment. I truly believe that a free
    Iraq is going to change the world for the better.
        I had a dinner with Koizumi--Prime Minister Koizumi in Tokyo, and we were eating Kobe beef, which is
    quite good, I might add. And we were talking about, of all things, North
    Korea, how best, as friends, to deal with North Korea. It dawned on me
    in the midst of that conversation, what would it have been like if we'd
    blown the peace with Japan. Would I have ever--or any American President
    ever been sitting down with a Prime Minister talking about how to deal
    with the current threat, for the common good?
        During the course of the conversation, I also realized that 50 years
    from now, when we get it right in Iraq, some American President will be
    sitting down with the leader of Iraq, talking about the common good, how
    to maintain the peace, how to create a more hopeful society. This is an
    historic opportunity, and this country will not flinch from the hard
    duty ahead of us.
        At home, obviously, the economy and jobs are on my mind. I know
    they're on yours as well. I'm pleased that the economy is growing; 5.6
    percent unemployment is a good national number. It's not good enough,
    but it's a good number, particularly since what we've been through,
    which has been a recession, an emergency, and corporate scandal and war.
    And yet, the economy is growing, which is a good sign.
        My view of government is to create an environment that is good for
    the entrepreneur, that encourages capital formation, particularly among
    small businesses. The tax relief we passed not only put more money into
    the pockets of individuals,

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    which I believe is good when you're trying to come out of a recession,
    but it also helps small businesses. Remember, most small businesses in
    your States are sole proprietorships or Subchapter S corporations.
    That's a fact, and when you cut income taxes--all taxes, not a few but
    all--you're providing additional capital for Subchapter S and sole
    proprietorships.
        And if you're worried about job growth, it seems like it makes sense
    to give a little fuel to those who create jobs, the small-business
    sector. So I'll vigorously defend the permanency of the tax cuts, not
    only for the sake of the economy but for the sake of the entrepreneurial
    spirit, which is important in your States. It's important that people
    have got incentive to create jobs. Not only is it good for those people
    looking for work, it's good for the soul of the country for people to
    own something. We want us to be an ownership society in America.
        There's more to do. We need an energy bill. We'll try to get one out
    of the Congress here. We need tort reform, it seems like to me. We need
    tort reform for class action; we need tort reform for asbestos. We need
    medical--national medical liability reform in order to help control the
    rising cost of health care, associated health care plans. I hope you
    support these. These are opportunities for small businesses to pool risk
    in order to better control the cost of health. That's where the focus
    ought to be, how best to address the rising cost of health care. And
    this administration will continue to do so for the sake of jobs--less
    regulations, obviously.
        We won't back off our desire to open up markets for U.S. products--
    farm products, ranch products, manufacturing products. It's pretty easy
    to trade into America. What's hard is for Americans to trade into other
    countries. And so it's important for the administration to continue to
    focus on trade and the benefits of trade here at home.
        And I mentioned the permanency of the tax cuts. It's very important
    for people who are planning for the future to have--wonder about tax
    relief, whether it will be there. It's essential that there be certainty
    in the Tax Code.
        We also recognize that these are changing times. The economy is
    changing. People go to work in different ways. And therefore, the policy
    ought to reflect that. The policy ought to reflect it through health
    care, where people have got more control over their health care
    decisions. Health savings accounts are one such way to do that.
        The education system is vital. However, as the economy changes,
    people have got to be prepared to work in the changing economy. I'm
    going to vigorously defend No Child Left Behind because I know in my
    heart of hearts it's the absolute right role for the Federal Government
    to provide money but insist upon results, to say for the first time,
    ``Would you please show us whether or not the children are learning to
    read and write and add and subtract.'' And if not, there will be special
    help to make sure they do. And if so, there will be ample praise.
        You design the accountability. I know Rod talked to you about
    flexibility and how we get to the numbers, which is good. Accountability
    isn't meant to punish anybody. Accountability systems are meant to help
    determine whether curriculum are working, whether or not the strategy is
    working, and whether or not people are being just shuffled through from
    grade to grade without concern as to whether or not they can read or
    write. That's what this is all about, and I look forward to working with
    you to make sure the system works well. And I just can assure you this
    is--there will be a vigorous defense of what I think is the one of the
    most constructive reforms in education policy at the Federal Government
    ever.
        We have put out some policies to encourage reading and math, a
    program for high school students who are falling behind, additional
    money for advanced placement for low-income schools, increasing--larger
    Pell grants for students who prepare for

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    college by taking more rigorous courses. And of course, I've always felt
    that the community college system provides a great opportunity for job
    training. Elaine will talk about that to you.
    Community colleges are available, affordable; they're flexible. We don't
    need to be training 500 hairdressers for 50 jobs which exist. The system
    ought to be designed toward meeting the demand of your employers, and a
    good community college system will make it much easier for Governors and
    mayors to attract jobs to your communities. And I know a lot of you have
    used your community college system wisely.
        Governor Napolitano--I was in Arizona,
    went to the Mesa Community College System. It's a fine community college
    system. One of the interesting stories there, a lady who worked for 15
    years as a graphic design artist, and she went to the community college
    system to help get the skills necessary to become a viable employee in
    the high-tech world. And her starting pay--I believe it's called Cable
    One--was higher than her 15th year as a graphic artist because she took
    time, with Government help--I think a Pell grant in her case--to become
    reeducated. So we've got money in our budget to help invigorate the
    community college system.
        Another issue that I think we need to work on--I know we need to
    work on is welfare. They need to reauthorize welfare. I hope the
    Congress will reauthorize welfare. Welfare reform had worked. You need
    to have certainty as you plan your--on how to help people become less
    dependent on government, and we need a welfare reform bill. And we'll
    push it here in Washington.
        And finally, the Faith-Based Initiative--I want to talk a little bit
    about that. My attitude is, if a program works, let's use it. If a
    program can help save somebody's life, it seems like to me that program
    ought to be allowed to access monies aimed at helping people help
    themselves. And yet, that's not the way it was here in Washington.
    Faith-based programs were discriminated against. There was a process
    argument, and Governors are results-oriented people, and so am I. And it
    seems like to me, you ought have the flexibility and people at your
    grassroots level ought to have the flexibility to access taxpayers'
    money if they're able to meet common objectives. Now--and so--well, I
    couldn't get the bill out of the Congress, so I just signed an Executive
    order which opened up Federal grant money to faith-based groups on a
    competitive basis.
        We're also making sure that our bureaucracies don't say to faith-
    based groups, ``You can't be a faith-based group.'' If faith is part of
    being an effective program, it doesn't make sense to say to somebody,
    you can't practice your faith. And so we recognize, here in Washington,
    faith-based programs are a two-way street--one, there's a Federal
    interface, and two, that sometimes can be frightening to people of
    faith. And by the way, I'm talking about all faiths. This isn't just a
    single faith. It's Christian, Jewish, Muslim faiths, all of which exist
    because they've heard the universal admonition to love a neighbor like
    you'd like to be loved yourself.
        And so I want to applaud those of you who have set up faith-based
    offices and encourage you, if you haven't, to do so. There is a lot of
    Federal money available to effective providers of social services. One
    such program is going to be the $100 million drug treatment programs,
    where now vouchers can be issued to people where they can choose where
    they go, whether it be kind of a clinical program or a program designed
    to help change somebody's heart. By the way, if your heart gets changed,
    it's a lot easier to quit drinking. I know. And so it's--so this is an
    opportunity that I think is a viable opportunity for Governors and
    States to really help people. And that's why we're in office, isn't it,
    is to do the best--[applause].
        So regardless of your party, I hope you have this sense of optimism
    I do. You see the people in your States--we are lucky

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    to be leaders in such a fabulous country. We really are--good, honest,
    decent, honorable people. We've overcome a lot. There's more to do.
    There's a lot we can do together. So thanks for coming by the White
    House.
        That's my pledge. This is going to be a year in which a lot of
    people are probably going to think nothing can get done, right, because
    we're all out campaigning. Well, that's not my attitude. I fully
    understand it's going to be the year of the sharp elbow and the quick
    tongue. But my pledge to you is, we'll continue to work with you. You've
    got what you--you've got to do what you've got to do in your home
    States, in terms of politics. But surely we can shuffle that aside
    sometimes and focus on our people, do what you were elected to do and
    what I was elected to do to make this country hopeful.
        So thanks for coming by. I'll be glad to answer a couple of
    questions.
        You're out of here.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:20 a.m. in the State Dining Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to Raymond ``Coach'' Blanco,
    husband of Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Louisiana; Secretary of
    Homeland Security Tom Ridge; Gov. Michael F. Easley of North Carolina;
    Gov. Mark R. Warner of Virginia; Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of Secretary of
    Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld; Karen Hughes, former Counselor to the
    President; Margaret Spellings, Assistant to the President for Domestic
    Policy; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Gov. Mike Huckabee of
    Arkansas; Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; Secretary of Labor
    Elaine L. Chao; and Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona. The Office of the
    Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these
    remarks.