    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [April 19, 2004]
    [Pages 611-617]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Dinner for Senator Arlen Specter
    in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    April 19, 2004

        The President. Thanks for coming. I'm here to say it as plainly as I
    can: Arlen Specter is the right man for the United States Senate.
        Thank you all for coming out. It's good to be back in ``Knowledge
    City.'' [Laughter] The last time I was here, Jerome Bettis was in the crowd. [Laughter] Remember ``Bettis the
    Bus''? He said, ``Keep it short, President.'' [Laughter] I listened.
        I do have some things I want to say. I first of all appreciate my
    friendship with Arlen Specter. He's been a friend for quite a while. I'm
    proud to campaign for him. We've got a good, frank relationship. The
    last time--one of the last times we flew here to the great State of
    Pennsylvania, as we were coming down the stairs together, I took a look
    at a pretty ratty looking coat he was wearing. [Laughter] I said,
    ``Senator, if we're going to keep company, I'd advise you to upgrade
    your wardrobe.'' [Laughter] He's a frugal man. [Laughter] He was telling
    me he wore that coat back in the Korean war. [Laughter] Turns out, his
    family got the word and bought him a new coat, and you're looking
    awfully sharp today. [Laughter]
        I'm proud to tell you I think he's earned another term as a United
    States Senator. He is a tough and principled legislator. He can get
    things done for the people of Pennsylvania. He's a little bit
    independent-minded sometimes. [Laughter] There's nothing wrong with
    that. He is dedicated to the people of this State. He truly is. We spend
    a lot of time together. He's always talking about what he can do for the
    people here.
        I--let me tell you what, I can count on this man. See, that's
    important. He's a firm

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    ally when it matters most. I can look at Arlen Specter and say, ``I need
    your help, Mr. Senator,'' and he'll give it.
        I appreciate you coming tonight. I urge you to go back to your
    neighborhoods and turn out the vote. There's no doubt in my mind he'll
    win the primary, and he'll win the general election, and that's good for
    Pennsylvania.
        Seems like this administration is paying attention to Pittsburgh.
    After all, the Vice President was here over the
    weekend. [Laughter] And I want to thank you for being hospitable to the
    great Vice President. He is the finest Vice President our Nation has
    ever had. Mother heard me say that the other
    day, and she said, ``Wait a minute, boy.'' [Laughter]
        I'm a man of strong opinions. I tell it like I see it. Laura
    Bush is the finest First Lady our country has
    ever had as well. She sends her very best to Arlen and thanks you all
    for coming tonight as well. She knows what kind of a good working
    relationship I have with Senator Specter. She's, by the way--she's just
    a joy to be around. She is a great comforting soul who--I'm just lucky
    she said yes when I asked her to marry me. [Laughter]
        I want to thank--I'm proud to be up here with the junior
    Senator. [Laughter] He is a lot younger than
    we are. [Laughter] But he's doing a great job as well for the people of
    Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum. I mean it. I know that Congressman Tim
    Murphy is here. Tim, thank you for coming. I'm
    proud you're here.
        We've got people running for office here. I want to thank you all
    for coming. I want to thank the party activists who are here. I want to
    thank you for what you're going to do to turn out the vote at the
    primary. I want to thank you for what you're fixing to do come November.
    See, I'm counting on you.
        You need to get out and turn out that vote. This is the kind of
    State where you can look at your neighbor, whether he be Republican,
    Democrat, or independent, and convince them to be for us. You need to--
    you don't worry about party label when it comes to turning out the vote
    this November. Get people to do their duty. Get out to the grassroots,
    and get on the phones, and put up the signs. And tell people in this
    country they have a duty, as people who live in a democracy, to show up
    to vote.
        And when you do, you can tell them this: Tell them in the last 3
    years we've accomplished great things. Most importantly, tell them we've
    got a positive vision.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Let me finish first, before you make up your mind.
    [Laughter]
        You tell them this. You tell them the most important thing is that
    we have a positive vision for winning the war against terror and for
    extending peace and freedom throughout this world. We have a positive
    vision for creating jobs and promoting opportunity and compassion here
    at home. Arlen and I will leave no doubt where we stand, and we will win
    in Pennsylvania, and I'm going to win all across the country on November
    the 2d.
        The last 3 years have brought serious challenges, and we've given
    serious answers. We came to office with a stock market in decline and an
    economy headed into recession. We worked with Arlen and Rick and Members of the United States Congress to deliver
    historic tax relief, and now our economy is the fastest growing of any
    major industrialized nation in the world.
        We uncovered corporate crimes that cost people jobs and their
    savings. So we passed strong corporate reforms and made it abundantly
    clear that we will not tolerate the dishonesty in the boardrooms of
    America.
        We saw war and grief arrive on a quiet September morning. So we
    pursued the terrorist enemy across the world and captured or killed many
    key leaders of the Al Qaida network. The rest of them will learn there
    is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from American justice.

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        We strengthened our defenses here at home. Arlen Specter helped
    author a bill to create the Department of Homeland Security. I proudly
    signed the bill into law and appointed your former Governor, Tom Ridge,
    as the Secretary of Homeland Security.
        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 over 50 million people. 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 can question the skill and the strength and the spirit of the United
    States military.
        It is the President's job to confront problems, not to pass them on
    to future Presidents and future generations.
        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 the prosperity of America are at stake.
        I'm running against an experienced Senator
    who has built up quite a record. He's been in Washington long enough to
    take both sides of just about every issue. [Laughter] My opponent voted
    for the PATRIOT Act, voted for NAFTA, voted for the No Child Left Behind
    Act, and for the use of force in Iraq. Now, he opposes the PATRIOT Act
    and NAFTA and the No Child Left Behind Act and the liberation of Iraq.
    If he could find a third side to an issue, I'm confident he'd take it.
    [Laughter]
        When a President speaks, he must mean what he says, and he must be
    clear. He must be crystal clear. Someone recently asked the Senator from
    Massachusetts why he voted against the $87
    billion funding bill to help our troops in Iraq, and here's what he
    said: ``I actually did vote for the 87 billions, before I voted against
    it.'' End of quote. [Laughter]
        The voters are going to have a clear choice in this campaign. It's a
    choice--it is a choice between keeping the tax relief that has been
    moving this 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.
        The other side hasn't offered much in the way of strategies to win
    the war or to grow the economy. You know, I know it's early in the
    campaign, but thus far, all we've heard is a lot of old bitterness and
    partisan anger. He's going to find out right
    quick that anger is not an agenda for the future of America.
        I look forward to campaigning with Arlen this fall on an agenda that
    is based upon our optimism, our confidence, our determination, and our
    resolve for the future of this country.
        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 left more money in the hands that
    earned it. By spending and investing and to help create new jobs, the
    American people have used their money far better than the Federal
    Government would have.
        Because of good policies and hard work, our economy is strong, and
    it is getting stronger. America added 308,000 new jobs in the month of
    March, the highest monthly job growth total in almost 4 years. Since
    August, our economy has added over three-quarters of a million new jobs.
    There's confidence being displayed by our employers. There's rising hope
    of workers. In the second half of 2003, the economy grew at the fastest
    rate in nearly 20 years. Manufacturing activity is increasing. The steel
    industry is strong. Business investment is rising. Disposable income is
    rising. Inflation is low. Homeownership is at an historic high. The tax
    relief we passed is working.

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        When I needed him, he was with me on tax relief.
        My opponent took a different view of tax
    relief. When we passed an increase in the child credit to help families,
    he voted no. When we reduced the marriage penalty, he voted against it.
    When we created a lower, 10-percent bracket for working families, he
    voted against it. When we reduced the tax on dividends that many seniors
    depend upon it, Senator Kerry voted no. When we gave small businesses a
    tax incentive to expand and hire, he voted against it. We're beginning
    to see a pattern here. [Laughter]
        But when tax increases are proposed, it's a lot easier to get a
    ``yes'' vote out of Senator Kerry. Over the
    years, he's voted over 350 times for higher taxes on the American
    people, including the biggest tax increase in American history. He
    supported higher gas taxes 11 times and once favored a tax increase of
    50 cents a gallon. That would cost you another $5 or more every time you
    fill up your tank. For that kind of money, he ought to throw in a free
    car wash. [Laughter]
        I want your neighbors to listen closely to the rhetoric of the
    campaign. Thus far, my opponent has proposed over a trillion dollars of
    new spending, and the campaign is just getting started. [Laughter] He
    says he's going to pay for this by taxing the rich.
        You can't pay for a trillion dollars of new spending by taxing the
    rich. What that really means is, he's going to
    have to eliminate every one of the single tax reductions we passed, and
    he's still going to have to raise taxes on top of that. In order to fund
    his new spending programs, he's going to have to tax people who go to
    work. He's going to have to raise the marriage penalty. He's going to
    have to lower the child credit. It turns out if you have a job, if you
    have a child, if you have a dollar to spare, Senator Kerry thinks you're
    rich enough to pay more taxes. The good news is, we're not going to let
    him do it.
        Higher taxes right now would undermine growth and destroy jobs just
    as this economy is getting stronger. To help grow the American economy
    and to create more jobs, I have a better idea: We ought to make all the
    tax cuts permanent.
        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.
        This Nation is strong and confident in the cause of freedom. Today,
    no friend or enemy doubts the word of the United States of America.
    America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in
    Afghanistan. The Taliban chose defiance. And thankfully for the women
    and children of Afghanistan, the Taliban are no longer in power. America
    and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in Iraq. The
    dictator chose defiance, and now the dictator
    sits in a prison cell.
        September the 11th, 2001, taught a lesson we must never forget. It's
    a lesson I will never forget: America must confront threats before they
    fully materialize.
        In Iraq, my administration looked at the intelligence, and we saw a
    threat. Arlen and his colleagues in Congress looked at the intelligence,
    and they saw a threat. The United Nations Security Council looked at the
    intelligence, and it saw a threat. The previous administration and
    Congress looked at the same intelligence and made regime change in Iraq
    the policy of our country.
        In 2002, the U.N. Security Council yet again demanded a full
    accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons
    programs. They were worried. They were worried not only because of the
    intelligence; they remembered that he had used chemical weapons

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    against his own people. As he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein
    refused to comply with the demands of the world. So I had a choice to
    make: Either take the word of a madman, or take action to defend
    America. Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time.
        My opponent admits that Saddam
    Hussein was a threat. He just didn't support
    my decision to remove Saddam from power. Perhaps he was hoping Saddam
    would lose the next Iraqi election. [Laughter] We showed the dictator
    and a watching world that America means what it says. Because of our
    actions, because of the actions by our coalition, Saddam Hussein's
    torture 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. Because we acted, America is
    more secure.
        We've had some tough weeks recently in Iraq. There are thugs and
    terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the
    advance of liberty. There's a reason why. They know that a free Iraq,
    with freedom in the heart of the Middle East, will be a major defeat for
    the cause of terror. That's why they're reacting the way they react.
    They're trying to shake our will. These killers are trying to shake the
    will of the civilized world and America. They don't understand America.
    We will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins. We will strike the
    terrorists in Iraq. We will defeat them there so we do not have to face
    them in our own country.
        Other nations are helping to build a free society in Iraq, because
    they understand what we know: It will make us all safer. And we're
    standing with the brave Iraqi people as they assume more of their own
    defense and move towards self-government. These are not easy tasks. It's
    not easy to go from democracy--to democracy from brutal tyranny. They're
    hard tasks, but they are essential tasks. America will finish what we
    have begun, and we will win this essential victory in the war against
    terror.
        On national security, Americans have the clearest possible choice.
    My opponent says he approves of bold action in
    the world but only if other countries do not object. I'm all for united
    action, and so are more than 30 coalition partners in Iraq right now.
    But I will never submit America's national security needs to the rulers
    of other nations.
        Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all. My
    opponent said, and I quote, ``The war on terror is far less of a
    military operation and far more of an intelligence gathering, law
    enforcement operation.'' I strongly disagree.
        Our Nation followed this approach after the World Trade Center was
    bombed in 1993. The matter was handled in the courts and thought by some
    to be settled. But the terrorists were still training in Afghanistan.
    They were still plotting in other nations and drawing up more ambitious
    plans. After the chaos and carnage of September the 11th, it is never
    enough to serve our enemies with legal papers. With those attacks, the
    terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States of
    America, and war is what they got.
        Our men and women in the United States military are taking great
    risks, and they're doing great work. At bases across our country and in
    the world, I've had the privilege of meeting with them, with those who
    defend us, with those who sacrifice for our security. I've seen their
    great decency and their unselfish courage. And I assure you, ladies and
    gentlemen, the cause of freedom and the cause of our security is in
    really good hands.
        This Nation is prosperous and 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,

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    reverence and integrity. We're strong because of the institutions that
    help give us direction and purpose, our families, our schools, and our
    religious congregations. The 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--all 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. We 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 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 judges who try to remake the values of
    America by court order.
        We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. The culture of
    this country is changing 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 are responsible for the
    decisions we make in life.
        If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you are
    responsible for loving your child with all your heart. If you are
    worried about the quality of the education in your community, you're
    responsible for doing something about it. If you are a CEO in corporate
    America, you are responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders
    and your employees. And in a responsibility society, each of us is
    responsible for loving our neighbors, just like we'd like to be loved
    ourselves.
        For all Americans, these years in our history will stand apart.
    There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is expected of
    its leaders. This isn't one of those times. You and I are living in a
    period when the stakes are high and the challenges are difficult. We're
    living in a period when resolve is needed.
        None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
    began. September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. I'll never forget the day. There were workers in hardhats
    shouting at me as loud as they could, ``Whatever it takes.'' One guy
    looked 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. 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.
        In these times, I've also been a witness to the character of this
    Nation. Not so long ago, some had their doubts about the American
    character and our capacity to meet a serious challenge or to serve a
    cause greater than self-interest. But 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've all seen our Nation unite in
    common purpose when it mattered most.
        We're going to need all 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 great country, the best days lie ahead.
        May God bless you all.

    [[Page 617]]

    Note: The President spoke at 6:21 p.m. at the David L. Lawrence
    Convention Center. In his remarks, he referred to Jerome Bettis, running
    back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.