    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [January 23, 2004]
    [Pages 115-123]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the United States Conference of Mayors
    January 23, 2004

        Thanks for your kind words, Big Jim.
    [Laughter] I've known him for quite a while, and he's an honorable man
    who's doing a fine job for the mayors. And I appreciate you all giving
    me a chance to come by and visit. I've got some thoughts I'd like to
    share with you about how we can work together to make this country
    hopeful and safe and secure.
        I want to, first, thank you for serving your communities. It's not
    easy to be a mayor. Probably a lot harder than being a President. After
    all, I don't have to fill potholes--[laughter]--or empty the trash.
    [Laughter] But I do really want to thank you. This country is a fabulous
    country because we've got good, honorable people who are willing to
    serve at all levels of government. And one of the key levels of
    government, of course, is running the city hall, and you're doing a fine
    job. And I look forward to working with you, and so does my
    administration.
        I do want to thank you all for the invitation. I want to thank Mayor
    Plusquellic, who's going to be
    chairman next year. Is that done? Yes--okay, good. I didn't want to jump
    the gun. [Laughter] I look forward to working with you. Mayor
    O'Neill, thank you very much for having me.
        Mayor Riley, it's good to see you,
    sir. You reminded me, my mother went to high
    school in the town he runs in South Carolina, and I reminded him that
    she graduated--[laughter]--like her son, barely.
        Speaking about sons, there's nothing wrong with a guy following in
    his father's footsteps. In this case, this guy is doing it really well.
    Mayor Daley, I appreciate you. Great mayor.
        I appreciate my temporary Mayor, Mayor Williams. He's a really good guy. He's the Mayor of Washington, DC.
    I notice you were over lobbying Laura the other
    day to handle a project. [Laughter] He knows where the power is in the
    White House. [Laughter] I appreciate you, Tony. He's a good fellow. We
    worked hard on an interesting education initiative. He took a bold
    leadership position on education, and we worked with the Congress to get
    some scholarship money to poor students in Washington, DC, who are going
    to schools that are failing, that will help liberate them and their
    parents to be able to choose new schools. And this is a landmark piece
    of legislation that's going to change people's lives for the better. And
    the Mayor showed strong leadership. He got out on front on a tough
    issue, and as a result, the children of this city are going to benefit.
    And I appreciate you, Mayor, a lot for taking that on.
        I want to thank the mayors who are here from Texas. Yes. Behave
    yourselves. [Laughter] Go to bed early. [Laughter] Don't whoop and
    holler. [Laughter] But I'm glad you're here. I miss my home State. I
    love Texas. I love the people who represent our State, and thanks for
    coming today.
        I also want to thank Pat McCrory for
    meeting me. You might remember he is the mayor of Charlotte, North
    Carolina. We

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    worked together on brownfield legislation, which, Tommy, I want to thank you and the organization for working on
    that important piece of legislation. It will change America for the
    better. It's a collaborative effort between the administration and the
    mayors to do some good environmental policy that will make communities a
    better place.
        McCrory--I wanted to talk about
    brownfields--of course, he wanted to talk about football. [Laughter] And
    I bet Mayor Menino does too. [Laughter] So
    perhaps I can arrange a little bit of a friendly wager between you two,
    if it hasn't happened yet. It has happened? Well, that's good. Be
    careful what you bet. [Laughter]
        I wish I could report to you that the war on terror is over with and
    America is safe and secure, but I cannot. I can't tell you that in good
    conscience because I don't believe in it. The truth is that there's an
    enemy that still lurks out there. And we must continue to work together
    to protect our country. It is the most solemn duty of government, is to
    protect American people.
        It's important for all of us in positions of responsibility never to
    forget the lessons of September the 11th, 2001. It is natural that we
    would, as distance passes, that we would kind of try to think for the
    best and hope for the best and think that time has maybe solved the
    problem of the first war of the 21st century. It's just not the case.
    It's not the case, and so we will continue to work with you on homeland
    security.
        My '05 budget has got $30 billion in there for homeland security.
    That's 3 times the amount spent prior to September the 11th. It's
    important that the money be spent wisely and focused on the protection
    of the American people.
        Mayor Jim just told me, on the way in he
    said, ``You know, one of the problems we face, we mayors face, is that
    the money is allocated and gets stuck.'' And I appreciated that
    recognition of the problem, and so we'll work with the mayors to make
    sure it gets unstuck. I understand sometimes it gets stuck not in
    Washington; it gets stuck at the State level, as I understand. Look I
    don't--hold on, I'm an ex-Governor, so I'm--[laughter]--and we're
    hosting the Governors pretty soon. [Laughter] But it will provide an
    opportunity to work this out so that it works better.
        Listen, I'm not interested in pointing fingers. I'm interested in
    making the system work better. Our most solemn duty is to work together
    to protect our people. That is the most important responsibility we
    have. And I want to thank you for the coordination that is taking place
    between the Federal Government, the State government, and the local
    governments.
        I've asked Tom Ridge often, how well are we
    doing communicating with each other, how good is the city response
    mechanism? And the report is very good. And the mayors get the credit.
    The mayors get the credit for energizing Joint Terrorism Task Forces.
    The mayors get the credit for good communication. The mayors get credit
    for good response.
        Recently, over the Christmas holidays, Los Angeles and Las Vegas and
    Washington, DC, and New York were put on especially high alert, and I'm
    telling you, the mayors and their offices did a fabulous job of
    coordinating information and activity. And I don't know if they're out
    there, but mayor, you deserve a lot of credit for doing the right thing
    and for responding.
        I know there's some talk in your communities about the PATRIOT Act.
    Let me tell you about the PATRIOT Act right quick. We're in a new war, a
    different kind of war. We need to be able to share information across
    jurisdictional boundaries at the Federal level. Do you realize, prior to
    September the 11th, 2001, the CIA could not pass information to the FBI
    or vice versa? By law, they were prohibited from sharing information.
    How can you fight a war against terrorists who hide in dark corners of
    the world and maybe slide into our

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    country if you can't share information? We need the CIA and the FBI to
    be able to talk to each other.
        As I said in the State of the Union, many of the provisions in the
    law have been used to catch embezzlers or criminals. We need to make
    sure those provisions stay in the law. We're at war. We're trying to
    hunt terrorists. It's a different kind of war.
        In the old days, you know, you could measure progress based upon
    tanks destroyed or airplanes brought down to Earth, you know, by
    missiles or air-to-air combat. It's no longer the way it is in the 21st
    century. We're on an international manhunt. We have to find these people
    before they come and get us. And in order to do so, we need the best
    intelligence and the capacity to share that intelligence across
    jurisdictional boundaries. The PATRIOT Act is vital for our security,
    and Congress needs to renew it.
        We want to work with you on defending America. The best way to
    defend America, however, is to stay on the offensive and to find these
    killers, one by one, and bring them to justice. That's precisely what
    our Government is doing and will continue to do. There are thousands of
    military personnel, with aid from intelligence personnel, on an
    international manhunt. Slowly but surely, we are dismantling the Al
    Qaida network that caused such great harm to America and still continues
    to plot, by the way.
        I said in the speech the other night that two-thirds of known
    leaders have been captured or killed. That's a significant number when
    you think about where we were prior to September the 11th. We're, slowly
    but surely, demolishing them. If you--if Al Qaida was a corporation in
    America, you'd have the board of directors somewhat intact, but the
    operators, the middle management, retired, no longer useful, no longer a
    part of the problem.
        And we're going to stay on the hunt, which requires good
    intelligence, good cooperation, good participation with friends and
    allies around the world. As the world saw, there is no hole deep enough
    from the long arm of American justice.
        We're making progress. It's important for America to speak clearly
    and, when America says something, to mean it. And so when I said right
    after September the 11th, ``If you harbor a terrorist, you're just as
    guilty as the terrorist,'' I meant it. I meant it as clearly as I could
    say it. And the Taliban found out what we meant. Thanks to a coalition,
    a large coalition of freedom-loving nations, we removed the Taliban from
    power. And America is more secure for it, because remember, Afghanistan
    was a haven for training bases. This is where many of the Al Qaida
    fighters learned how to fight and kill.
        And as importantly, the people of Afghanistan are free. They're free
    from the clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes in history. It is
    hard for the Western mind to fathom such a regime, a regime that refuses
    to allow young girls to go to school, but that's the way it was. And
    today, thanks to our coalition and our deep love for freedom and our
    intense desire to protect ourselves, young girls go to school in
    Afghanistan, and the world is better off for it.
        And as you know, I made a tough decision to take out Saddam
    Hussein, and I did so for this reason:
    September the 11th made it clear that America can no longer ignore
    gathering threats. Oceans no longer protected us from harm. We just
    couldn't say, ``Okay, well, there's a gathering threat. Let's just hope
    it goes away.'' I'm never going to forget the lessons of September the
    11th, 2001.
        And so, when we saw a threat--we saw a threat; we dealt with it. We
    dealt in this way: I went to the United Nations, and I said, ``You've
    given this man warning after warning after
    warning, and he's totally ignored you. You've got to have credibility.''
    We want international institutions to work, but he ignored them. And the
    more he

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    ignored them, the weaker the United Nations became. So I said, ``Let's
    pass a resolution,'' which was passed unanimously. ``Now let's enact,
    enact the resolution. Let's be a credible body. Let's be people, when
    you say something, people believe it for the sake of peace and
    freedom.''
        And we moved. We moved against a man who
    had used weapons of mass destruction against his own people, attacked
    his neighbors, a man who we found out subsequently had murdered
    thousands of men, women, and children and buried them in mass graves, a
    person who when he found dissenters, tortured them, a person who ruled
    with utmost fear.
        No, we acted in our own--for our own security. No one can say the
    world is not more safe with Saddam Hussein
    sitting in a jailhouse. It is more safe, and so is America.
        Our most important duty is to protect America. But I also want you
    to know that something else drives me. And it's that my belief that
    freedom is not America's gift to the world, but freedom is the Almighty
    God's gift to each man and woman in this world. And it's the spread of
    freedom that will bring peace. Free societies are peaceful societies.
        And yet, we're running against a pretty strong current, because some
    in the world say that certain people, evidently, can't be self-governing
    and can't be free. That's not what Americans believe. We believe that
    people--all people from all walks of life--have got freedom indelibly
    etched in their heart. And I believe this Nation has an obligation to
    lead the world to be more free and more peaceful.
        I know many of you--you hear from families whose sons and daughters
    are in our military. I try the best I can to thank them for their
    service. I hope you do as well. I know you do. I know you're just as
    proud of them as I am. But I want to assure you as leaders in your
    community, these troops will have the resources they need to be
    successful in the war against terror.
        We're making good progress--we really are--in parts of the world.
    Afghanistan has now got a constitution which talks about freedom of
    religion and talks about women's rights. I don't think anybody would
    have dreamed that would have been possible prior to September the 11th,
    and now it's a reality. Democracy is flourishing. The world is better
    off because of that.
        I met with some of the city council leaders in Baghdad when I snuck
    in over Thanksgiving. I hope someday that you're able to welcome them to
    your own cities. And these are people that are--you can imagine what
    their vision might be like. First of all, they're overwhelmed with the
    thought of being free. That makes sense, because they had been locked in
    this cell of a country by a brutal tyrant. And they're learning what it
    means to be a free country, and they're learning what it means to be
    able to get along with their neighbor that may have a different view of
    how to worship the Almighty. But it's happening.
        Adnan Pachachi was with us the other day.
    He sat next to Laura at the State of the Union.
    He came to the Oval Office. He's a distinguished gentleman who believes
    in the possibilities of the Iraqi people. He sees a clear vision of a
    free country, and we're moving that way, moving toward a basic law that
    honors minority rights, a basic law that--based upon the principles of
    human dignity.
        I hope to have the sovereignty passed over, and I think we will, by
    June the 30th. But there's still work to do--you read about it in your
    newspapers--because people are trying to shake our will. That's what
    you've got to understand is happening. They're willing to kill innocent
    life to shake our will, but thugs and assassins will not intimidate
    America. We will stay the course until the job is done, because a free
    Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will make the world more peaceful.
    These are historic times. This is an historic opportunity to

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    change the world, and America will continue to lead.
        At home, I'm optimistic as well. I'm optimistic because I see the
    economy is growing. That's important for the health of our cities. And
    it's getting better, and statistics say it's getting better. One aspect
    about the growing economy that I believe speaks to why it's growing is
    the tax cuts we passed. We'll have a philosophical argument about that
    here in Washington, DC, of course. I look forward to it. But I will tell
    you that one of the things in the tax relief plan that I hope you find
    inspirational for your cities is it is aimed at the entrepreneur. Much
    of the tax relief is aimed at the small-business owner. And the truth of
    the matter is the vibrancy of the inner cities of our country depend
    upon ownership.
        When more people own a small business, when people are starting
    their own business, when people are creating small businesses, they're
    creating jobs. They're not only creating a more vibrant and hopeful
    community; more jobs are being created. And the tax relief we passed
    was, in part, aimed at small businesses for this reason: Most small
    businesses are sole proprietorships or Subchapter S corporations, and
    they, therefore, pay tax at the individual income-tax rate. And so
    therefore, when you reduce individual income taxes, you're injecting
    capital into the small-business sectors of America's cities.
        The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in America. You know it as well
    as I do. The desire for some to own their business is strong, and the
    tax relief we passed helped invigorate that spirit.
        So this economy is growing, and we've got to make sure people are
    prepared to meet the jobs of the 21st century. It starts with making
    sure there's a literate America, which--make sure that the schools work
    well. No Child Left Behind Act--let me tell you my view of that
    important piece of legislation, since I was the person that asked
    Congress to pass it. I said, first of all, ``We'll increase the
    budgets,'' which we have done by 49 percent since 2001. But I've also
    said, ``In return for additional money, primarily aimed at Title I
    students, we should expect results.'' You see, some people aren't
    interested--well, I'm sure they're interested in results. They just
    don't want to measure results, and I think that's a shame. If you
    believe that every child can learn, then you want to know whether or not
    that's happening. It seems like to me that if the expectation is for
    excellence, we ought to measure.
        We ought to measure in a way that is open, measure in a way that
    puts the results out for everybody to see, including the mayors. So you
    know for a fact whether or not the obligations of our society are being
    met to the youngest of our children. In the bill, in the No Child Left
    Behind Act, not only do we insist upon local control of schools, an
    accountability system designed at the State or local level, we also say
    that when you see failure early, there's additional money to make sure
    children aren't left behind. This is an important piece of legislation,
    and I will resist any attempt to undermine it.
        I laid out the other night a Jobs for the 21st Century program. A
    part of that is to make sure there's additional money to help junior
    high and high school students who have been just simply shuffled through
    the system. And that's what's happened, as you know. If you want to be
    blunt about what has taken place, sometimes when you don't measure, you
    just shuffle kids through. Then you wake up at the high school level and
    find out that the literacy level of our children are appalling. I expect
    you, as mayors, to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. I
    challenge you to keep raising that bar and standards.
        And we want to help here. We've got money for that. We've got money
    for additional grants, for Pell grants for low-income kids who are
    taking a good, strong curriculum. I told you what the Mayor did.

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    He's challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. It might not have
    been the most politically popular thing in certain editorial pages or
    around the city, but he's taken the lead. He's not afraid to lead, and
    that's what we expect from people at the local level when it comes to
    insisting that every child learn and no child be left behind in America.
        I also hope you work with your community colleges. The community
    college system provides a great opportunity to make sure you match
    willing workers with the skills necessary to occupy the jobs of the 21st
    century. Some of you who have been around long enough may remember the
    old days when they had workforce training requirements that said, ``Just
    go train people.'' So they'd go out and train 1,000 hairdressers for 50
    jobs. You'd have 950 well-trained hairdressers, but they weren't
    working.
        We've got to make sure the workforce training programs focus on the
    needs of the employers. And I know many of you are doing that in your
    communities and many of you are working with your local chambers. I went
    to Phoenix, and if the mayor is here, thank you, Mr. Mayor, for your hospitality. But there is a really interesting
    collaboration between the high-tech community and the community college
    system, all aimed at providing people with the skills so that when the
    job base expands, and as it is in many communities, they've got the
    skills necessary to fill the work.
        There is a health care shortage of workers in America. You need to
    work with your community colleges to make sure that those colleges are
    able to provide the skills in the health care industry so that people
    who want to work can do so. And that's what we're talking about when you
    hear about this community college initiative of $250 million. I
    certainly hope the Congress listens as well, because it makes sense to
    use the community college system wisely.
        Speaking about workers, I want to talk about illegal immigrants who
    are working in your cities. I believe strongly that this Nation is a
    nation of rule of law, and therefore, we must be open about what's
    taking place. And as you know, there's a lot of people here on false
    papers who have been smuggled in by ``coyotes,'' who have risked their
    lives to come and do what many of us--many of our citizens do, which is
    to work hard to put food on the table for their families. And they're
    here, and they're working, and they're making a contribution to the
    economy. And yet we don't have a system to deal with them, do we? We
    have a system that's underground, that's in the shadows of society. And
    in my judgment, that's not right.
        So what I think we need to do is have what I call a temporary-worker
    program, to issue a card, a temporary-worker card that's legitimate and
    real, that says, if you're a willing American employer, you can hire a
    willing foreign employee that has a temporary-worker card, so long as
    there's not an American worker available. In other words, people are
    doing jobs Americans aren't doing. And they're coming to our country,
    and they're taking great risk. And we've got a lot of Border Patrol
    agents trying to chase the good, hard-working people down. If we make
    the system work right, if we make it legitimate, then our Border Patrol
    will be able to chase down true threats to our national security.
    They'll be able to focus on the threats. We won't be putting our
    employers in a position where they're hoping the documentation that's
    presented to them is real.
        Now, this isn't an amnesty program. Let me be clear about this. This
    is a temporary-worker program to be registered and aboveboard. I oppose
    amnesty because amnesty--amnesty would encourage further illegal
    immigration. And I oppose amnesty because amnesty would reward those who
    have broken the laws of the United States. We've had people in line
    trying to become a citizen of our country. They've been waiting in line
    for a long period of time, and this program will not allow people to
    jump

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    ahead in the line of those who have been here legally.
        I think this is a realistic approach to make sure the employer-
    employee relationship is honest in this country. And I also think it's
    necessary. I think it's necessary because I don't like the thought of
    hard-working citizens, no matter where they may be from, not willing to
    report abuse, for example, because they'd then get shipped home and
    wouldn't be able to do their job as a mom or a dad. This is a humane
    country, and we need to treat people humanely, with good, reasonable,
    commonsense law. I look forward to Congress to getting it passed. I
    thank you for giving me a chance to explain that piece of policy.
        I'm winding down. I'm sure Daley is
    wondering when he's going to quit. [Laughter] Being from the Windy City
    he's--[laughter]--he sees the President is a little windy, himself.
    [Laughter]
        Let me talk about housing right quick. I know housing is important
    for the mayors. We want people owning their own home in America. This
    administration has been consistent about promoting what I call an
    ownership society. You heard me talk about creating environments for the
    entrepreneur to flourish. I want people owning their own home.
    Homeownership is high in America. I think it's the highest ever, which
    is really positive. It's positive for our country. We understand, when
    somebody owns something, he or she has a vital stake in the future of
    this country.
        But we've got more work to do. There's still a minority
    homeownership gap in America. I think here at the mayors', I laid out
    some initiatives that, in the past, one of which just recently passed
    the Congress, which is the downpayment assistance program. I'm asking
    Congress for $200 million to help people with their downpayment. As you
    know better than me, many citizens have the desire to own a home, but
    they don't have the dough to make the downpayment. And therefore, they
    balk at making the decision. So we want to help families with
    downpayments, and we've now got a plan to do so. Congress needs to fund
    it. It's authorized. It now needs to be funded.
        The print on these contracts is a little too fine for first-time
    homebuyers. And frankly, it's a little too fine for multiple-time home
    buyers. It's hard to understand the contracts. And I know HUD is working
    to simplify the contracts and to make it easier and less expensive for
    people to enter the process of buying a home, by simplifying the forms.
        I don't know if you felt it yet. We're expanding counseling services
    around the country, many times run by faith-based groups, by the way, to
    help people understand what it means to buy a home. First-time
    homebuyers are sometimes confused by not only the regulations but the
    obligations. And we've got counseling services being expanded out of
    HUD. And if you haven't had one in your neighborhood, call HUD. Get them
    to show up. It's a useful service. It's a helpful service to close the
    homeownership gap.
        I'm going to talk to the Congress about allowing the Federal home
    administration to permit zero-percent downpayment loans to low-income
    Americans. That needs to happen in order to encourage more
    homeownership. And Congress also, by the way--and they need to pass the
    single family housing credit to help people who are building these
    homes, these affordable homes inside America's cities.
        And we're making progress, by the way. The gap is narrowing. There's
    more work to do. I look forward to working with the mayors to close the
    minority homeownership gap in America, for the good of the country--for
    the good of your cities, but for the good of the country as well.
        Let me conclude by talking about a really important domestic
    initiative, at least as far as I'm concerned, and that's the Faith-Based
    Initiative--see if I can explain it properly to you. First of all, we
    strongly believe in the separation of church and

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    state here in Washington, DC, and that's the way it's going to be.
    Secondly, I love the fact that people are able to worship freely in our
    country, and if you choose not to worship, you're just as patriotic as
    your neighbor. Freedom of religion means freedom to practice any
    religion you choose or the freedom not to practice.
        Thirdly, there has been discrimination against faith-based programs
    in Washington, DC. Sure, you can receive a Federal grant, but you have
    to take the cross off the wall in order to do so or the Star of David
    down or the crescent. Well, how can you be a faith-based program if you
    can't practice your faith? All of a sudden, you become just another
    program.
        Fourthly, I want you to know that out of frustration with Congress,
    I've asked them to pass a Faith-Based Initiative. I just decided through
    Executive order to open up as much Federal money as we possibly could,
    the grantmaking process, to faith-based programs, to let them apply. We
    want people of faith involved in solving people's lives.
        I know that you have opened an office to expedite Federal monies or
    the process or the grantmaking progress--process for your faith-based
    programs in your communities. I urge you to take advantage of it. I urge
    you to take advantage of it. You know as well as I do that many of the
    problems your citizens face are problems of the heart--addiction--and
    programs sometimes work. Government programs sometimes work, but
    sometimes they don't work. And sometimes it requires a higher power than
    a government program to help change a person's life. You've got armies
    of compassion in your communities that I'm confident, by working
    together, we can unleash, for the betterment of the people we serve.
        You know, I was down in New Orleans. Ray Nagin is the fine mayor of that city. And we had a Faith-Based
    Initiative there, and he has got a faith-based coordinating group to not
    only work in the city but with the State of Louisiana. I also urge you--
    kind of like the grant problem we got in other areas, sometimes the
    money goes to the States, and if the State is not anxious to be involved
    with the faith programs, it gets stuck and doesn't make it to you. And
    so I urge you to work with your Governors to make sure that their faith-
    based offices are up and running and that they help cut through the
    inherent prejudice toward faith programs, the inherent prejudice in
    government.
        And I'm talking about all faiths, by the way. There's fantastic
    Jewish charities in America that are helping change this country, one
    soul at a time. You ought to look at those and welcome them and
    encourage them. Same with the Muslim charities and, of course, the
    Christian charities that are strong. This Government is--will continue
    to work hard to make sure this vision becomes reality.
        Jim Towey--raise your hand,
    Towey; right over there--he runs the faith-based office in the White
    House. We've got faith-based offices throughout bureaucracies. I see
    that the Deputy Secretary of HUD designee is
    with us. We've got a faith office at HUD that can be used by mayors and
    community groups to access Federal money. Billions of dollars are now
    available. I encourage you--I encourage you to use this source of fund
    and empower one of the greatest strengths we have in our country, the
    faith community.
        There are other initiatives. I laid out the prison initiative, $300
    million to help on the prison reentry program. This will make a big
    difference in your communities. It will make a big difference in
    people's lives. Call upon your faith-based programs to help with these
    souls that are looking for help. You know, the clinical probation
    program sometimes works. But oftentimes, it's helpful to have somebody
    with their arms out there saying, ``I love you, brother,'' or ``I love
    you, sister. What can I do to help you reenter our society?''

    [[Page 123]]

        That's not exactly the traditional approach, I readily concede, to
    prison--to rehabilitation programs. I know that. But sometimes
    traditional rehabilitation programs have fallen short of the mark.
    Sometimes, it's that extra ingredient called love that will make a
    fundamental difference in somebody's future. And our houses of worship
    are houses of love. That's what they exist for. The universal call, love
    your neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself, is a important
    part of the soul of your community. Use it. And the Federal Government
    want to help you.
        Towey's job is to make sure
    that we cut through the strings, to make sure your faith groups are able
    to access the money without losing their faith. You're going to hear
    people say, ``Why do I want to interface with the Government? They're
    going to call me to have to do something I don't want to do.'' Towey's
    job--and by the way, just to show you what kind of society we have,
    before he came, he was Mother Teresa's lawyer. [Laughter] I'm not going
    to get into lawsuit abuse--[laughter]--but he's doing a good job. And
    his job is to make sure that the armies of compassion are unleashed.
        So those are the things that are on my mind. I thank you for giving
    me a chance to come by and share them with you. I'll tell you what else
    is on my mind. I understand '04 is going to be a difficult year for
    some. But I want you to know this--[laughter]--I want you to know this.
    I don't want--I don't want politics to get in the way of me doing my job
    and you doing your job for the people. I want you to know, I assure
    you--I understand it, and so do you. But let us not let the elections
    get in the way of our solemn responsibility. I don't care what your
    party is. I don't care who you're for, for President. I have a job to
    do, and so do you. And by working together, by working together on key
    initiatives in a way that respects our differences, honors our values,
    we can do our job for America.
        And that's what I expect of you, and I know that's what you expect
    of me. And together, we're going to make this country continue to be
    great. Thanks for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:25 a.m. at the Capital Hilton Hotel. In
    his remarks, he referred to Mayor James A. Garner of Hempstead, NY,
    president, U.S. Conference of Mayors, who introduced the President;
    Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic of Akron, OH, vice president, U.S.
    Conference of Mayors; Mayor Beverly O'Neill of Long Beach, CA, advisory
    board chair, U.S. Conference of Mayors; Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., of
    Charleston, SC; Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago, IL; Mayor Anthony A.
    Williams of Washington, DC; Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston, MA; former
    President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Adnan Pachachi, Acting President,
    Iraqi Governing Council; Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix, AZ; and Roy A.
    Bernardi, Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development,
    Department of Housing and Urban Development.