    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [May 4, 2004]
    [Pages 761-767]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Cincinnati, Ohio
    May 4, 2004

        The President. Thanks for coming. It is exciting to end what has
    been a great bus trip across Ohio right here in a wonderful city,
    Cincinnati, Ohio. Thanks for coming out tonight. I appreciate you coming
    out. I appreciate you giving me a chance to thank you for what you're
    going to do as we come down the stretch in this campaign in 2004.
        I'm here asking for your vote, and I'm here asking for your help.
        Audience member. Viva Bush!
        The President. Vamos a ganar. That means, we're going to win. We set
    up a web site called georgewbush.com. It will give you a chance to find
    out how to volunteer, how to register voters, how to turn them out. We
    need your help. And when you're talking to people, talk to people from
    all walks of life about this campaign. Talk to people who may never have
    voted before about this campaign. Talk to people from different parties
    about this campaign, because, see, we've got a positive vision. We've
    got a positive vision for everybody who lives in America. We've got a
    vision to make sure America is safer and stronger and better. We have a
    mission to make this country as hopeful as it can possibly be. Put out
    the word, and we will win in November of 2004.
        I wish Laura were here to see this crowd.
    Listen, a good reason to put me back in there is so she will have 4 more
    years as the First Lady. She's a great First Lady. She's a fantastic
    wife and a great mom and a wonderful First Lady. I'm really proud of
    her. She sends her best. She sends all her best--she sends her best to
    all her friends here in Cincinnati.
        By the way, a measure of a good President is whether or not he
    surrounds himself with excellence. I do. I put together a fantastic team
    to serve the American people, people from different backgrounds, people
    from different walks of life, smart and capable people, all of whom have
    come to Washington to serve a cause greater than themselves, the United
    States of America. Our country has got a great Vice President in Dick
    Cheney.
        I want to thank the elected officials who have come here today. Your
    Governor, Bob Taft, is with us. And Governor, I'm
    honored you're here. Thank you for coming. Congressman Rob
    Portman is with us today. I appreciate
    Congressman Portman. Congressman Steve Chabot
    is with us today. I'm honored you're here. I mean, we've got statewide
    officials. We've got elected--local officials. We've got all kinds of
    people who are here, and I'm proud you've come.
        I appreciate the grassroots people who are here. Listen, you've got
    to work hard to turn out the vote, and that's what we call grassroots. I
    want to thank you. I'm here to fertilize the grassroots today. I'm here
    to ask you to grow.
        I want to thank our entertainers who are here. I'm proud you've
    come, Billy. It's good to see you again. I
    appreciate you coming. My friend Billy Cerveny was with us yesterday, as
    well as Steven Chapman. I'm honored that
    Steven was here as well.
        The last 3 years have brought serious challenges, and we have given
    serious answers. We came to office with a stock market in decline, an
    economy headed into recession. We delivered 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 their jobs and their
    savings, so we passed strong corporate reforms. We brought the
    wrongdoers to account, and we made it clear, we will not tolerate
    dishonesty in the boardrooms of America.

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        We saw war and grief arrive on a quiet September morning, so we
    pursued the terrorist enemy across the world. We have captured or killed
    many key leaders of the Al Qaida network, and the rest of them will
    learn there is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from American
    justice.
        We confronted the dangers of state-sponsored terror and the spread
    of weapons of mass destruction, so we ended two of the most violent and
    dangerous regimes on Earth. We liberated over 50 million people. Once
    again, America is proud to stand against tyranny and to set nations
    free.
        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. A President needs to step
    up and to make the hard decisions and to keep his commitments, and that
    is how I will continue to lead our great Nation.
        I'm so glad you're here, because great events will turn on this
    election. The man who sits in the Oval Office will set the course of the
    war on terror and the direction of our economy. The security and
    prosperity of America are at stake. I'm running against an experienced
    United States Senator. He's been in Washington a
    long period of time.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. No, he's been there quite a
    while. He's been there long enough to take both sides of just about
    every issue. He spent some time here in Ohio looking for the vote, just
    like I'm looking for the vote, and he's looking for endorsements, just
    like I'm looking for endorsements. But you know, he's claimed he's
    picked up some important endorsements from foreign leaders. He just
    won't give us their names. [Laughter] He did drop a hint a few days ago.
    He insisted, quote, ``What I said is true''--what he said on national TV
    about the foreign leaders--``What I said is true. I mean, you can go to
    New York City, and you can be in a restaurant, and you can meet a
    foreign leader.'' End of quote. [Laughter] I've got a hunch this whole
    thing might be a case of mistaken identity. Just because somebody has an
    interesting accent, a nice suit, and a good table at a New York
    restaurant doesn't make him a foreign leader. Whoever these mystery men
    are will not be deciding the election. The American people will be
    deciding this election.
        The people of this State and the people of this country have an
    unmistakable choice in this election. It's a choice between keeping the
    tax relief that is moving this economy forward or putting the burden of
    higher taxes back on the American people. It's 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 strategy to win the war or policies to expand our
    economy. We're into this campaign and all we hear is old bitterness, but
    they're going to learn something from the American people. Anger is not
    an agenda for the future of this country.
        I will take on the big issues with optimism and resolve and
    determination, and I will make it clear to the American people I stand
    ready to lead this Nation for 4 more years.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. A big issue for every family in America is the
    Federal tax burden. With the largest tax relief since Ronald
    Reagan was President, we have left more
    money in the hands that earned it. By spending and investing and helping
    create new jobs, the American people have used their money far better
    than the Federal Government could have. Our economy is getting better.

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        I know there are still people in this important State who hurt.
    There are still people looking for work. That's a reason to be--that's
    not a reason to fall into pessimistic policy. We've got to be
    optimistic, and there's reason to be optimistic. The entrepreneurial
    spirit is strong. Small businesses are vibrant. We're going through a
    time of transition, but things are getting better. Just look at the
    facts. The economy grew at a strong rate of 4.2 percent in the first
    quarter of this year. Economic growth over the past three quarters has
    been the fastest in nearly two decades. In March, the economy added
    308,000 jobs; 7,900 of those were created right here in Ohio.
        No, there's been some tough times for people in Ohio. But listen to
    this: The unemployment rate has dropped from its high of 6.3 percent
    last summer to 5.7 percent in March. Manufacturing activity is
    increasing. Business investment is rising. Disposable income is up.
    Homeownership is at the highest rate ever. The tax relief we passed is
    working.
        My opponent has a different view of tax
    relief. When we passed an increase in the child credit to help families,
    he voted no.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When we reduced the marriage penalty, he voted against it.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When we lowered a 10-percent break for working
    families--or created the 10-percent rate, he
    voted no.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When we voted to reduce the taxes on dividends that
    seniors depend on, he voted against it. When we
    gave small businesses tax incentives to expand and hire, he voted no.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Are you getting the picture? But when tax increases
    are proposed, it's a lot easier to get a ``yes'' out of him. Over the years, my opponent has voted over 350 times for
    higher taxes----
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. ----including the biggest tax increase in American
    history. He supported raising the gas tax. He
    won't even give you a free car wash. [Laughter] There is a trend here.
    He's got a record. In this campaign thus far, he has proposed a lot of
    Government spending, over a trillion dollars thus far. And there's 6
    more months to go. [Laughter] And yet, he says he's going to pay for it
    by taxing the rich. You can't tax the rich enough to pay for all the
    spending promises he's made. So guess who's going to pay? You're going
    to pay. But the good news is, we're not going to let him raise your
    taxes. The tax relief we passed must be permanent. We don't need to be
    raising taxes on the American people.
        In order to make sure this economy grows and people can find work,
    we've got to make sure we protect small-business owners and employers
    from frivolous and junk lawsuits. We need tort reform. We've got to help
    control the cost of the increasing medicine by medical liability reform.
    We've got to make sure the doctor-patient relationship is central to
    decisionmaking in health care through association health care plans and
    health savings accounts.
        In order for us to grow and make sure we're the leading economy in
    the world so people can find work, Congress needs to pass an energy
    plan. We need an energy plan that encourages conservation, an energy
    plan that helps develop alternative sources of energy. We need an energy
    plan that has clean coal technology as a part of its supply. We need to
    make sure that we explore for natural gas in environmentally friendly
    ways. We need to become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        We need to have trade policy that is confident and optimistic. We
    need to reject economic isolationism. See, we're good at things here in
    America. We're good at growing crops. We're good at raising cows. We're
    good at high-tech. We're good at manufacturing. We've got the most
    productive workforce in the world. Rather than

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    walling ourselves off from the world, we need a President who will open
    up markets. We can compete with anybody, any time, anywhere if the
    playing field is level.
        This economy is strong, and it's getting stronger. And I've got a
    plan to keep us on the path to economic vitality and strong growth so
    people can find work, because I understand the role of Government is not
    to create wealth; the role of Government is to create an environment in
    which the entrepreneurial spirit can flourish, in which small businesses
    can grow to be big businesses. I need 4 more years to make sure a pro-
    growth, pro-small-business agenda--[applause].
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. 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. And
    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 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 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. Members
    of 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
    intelligence and made regime change in Iraq the policy of our
    Government.
        In 2002, the United Nations Security Council yet again demanded a
    full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons
    program. As he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein, the man who had
    used weapons of mass destruction before, the man who had terrorist ties,
    the man who paid suiciders to go kill innocent Israelis, refused to
    comply.
        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. Maybe 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 our coalition acted,
    Saddam'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 have voluntarily disarmed. Because we acted, an
    example of democracy is rising at the very heart of the Middle East.
    Because we acted, the world is more free and America is more secure.
        On the ground in Iraq, we still face serious and dangerous
    challenges. Illegal militias and remnants of the regime, joined by
    foreign terrorists, are trying to take by force the power they could
    never gain by the ballot. They know that a free Iraq will be a major
    defeat in the cause of terror. These groups have found little support
    among the Iraqi people. They will find no success in their attempts to
    shake the will of America. They do not understand this country. America
    will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins.

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        Our coalition is implementing a clear strategy in Iraq. We will
    ensure an atmosphere of security as Iraqis move toward self-government.
    We support the efforts of local Iraqis to disarm the radicals in
    Fallujah. We made it clear that militias in Najaf and elsewhere must
    disarm or face serious consequences. American and coalition forces are
    in place, and we will enforce order in Iraq.
        We will return sovereignty to the people of Iraq on the schedule
    that we agreed to. Like any proud people, Iraqis want to manage their
    own affairs, and that is a goal we share. On June 30th, a sovereign
    Iraqi interim government will take office.
        These are tough days. We honor the sacrifice of those who have
    fallen. We appreciate their families. We ask for God's blessing. These
    are tough times. They're difficult tasks, but they're essential tasks.
    America will finish what we have begun, and we will win this essential
    victory in the war on terror.
        On national security, Americans have the clearest possible choice.
    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 our more than 30 coalition partners in Iraq. I will
    never turn over America's national security decisions to leaders of
    other countries.
        We've got fantastic troops. They've got to have the best supplies,
    best equipment, best body armor. And that's why I proposed an $87
    billion supplemental last fall. Someone recently asked my
    opponent why he voted against that bill. Here is
    what he said: ``I actually did vote for the 87 billion, before I voted
    against it.'' The American President must speak clearly and mean what he
    says.
        We have a difference of opinion. We have a difference of opinion
    about whether 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 disagree--I disagree. Our
    Nation followed that approach after the World Trade Center was bombed in
    1993. The matter was handled in the courts and thought by some to be
    settled, but the terrorists were still training in Afghanistan, plotting
    in other nations, and drawing up more ambitious plans.
        After the chaos and carnage of September the 11th, it is not enough
    to serve our enemies with legal papers. With those attacks, the
    terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States of
    America, and war is what they got.
        Our men and women in the military are taking great risks, and
    they're doing great work. At bases across our country and the world,
    I've had the privilege of meeting with those who defend our country and
    sacrifice for our freedom. I've seen their great decency and unselfish
    courage. And I assure you, ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom 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,
    reverence and integrity. We're strong because of the institutions that
    help give us direction and purpose, family and schools and religious
    congregations. These values and institutions are fundamental to our
    lives, and they deserve the respect of our Government.
        We stand for the fair treatment of faith-based groups so they can
    receive Federal support for their works of compassion and healing. We
    will not stand for Government discrimination against people of faith.
        We stand for welfare reforms that require work and strengthen
    marriage, which have helped millions of Americans find independence and
    dignity. We will not stand for any attempt to weaken those reforms and
    send people back into lives of dependence.

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        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 and 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're fortunate enough to be a mother or
    a father, you are responsible for loving your child with all your heart.
    If you're worried about the quality of the education in the community in
    which you live, you're responsible for doing something about it. If
    you're a CEO in corporate America, you are responsible for telling the
    truth to your shareholders and your employees. And in the new
    responsibility society, each of us is responsible for loving our
    neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourselves.
        For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
    apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
    expected of the leaders. This isn't one of those times. You and I are
    living in a period where the stakes are high, the challenges are
    difficult, a time when firm resolve is needed.
        None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
    began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. I'll never forget that day. I'll never forget the workers in the
    hardhats who were shouting, ``Whatever it takes.'' I'll never forget the
    firefighter that 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. 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 have also been a witness to the character of this
    Nation. Not so long ago, some had their doubts about the American
    character, our capacity to meet serious challenges or to serve a cause
    greater than self-interest. Americans have given their answer. I've seen
    the unselfish courage of our troops. I've seen the heroism of Americans
    in the face of danger. I've seen the spirit of service and compassion
    renewed in our country, and we've all seen our Nation unite in common
    purpose when it mattered most.
        We will need all these qualities for the work ahead. You see, I'm
    running for 4 more years because we have a war to win, and the world is
    counting on us to lead the cause of freedom and peace. I'm asking for
    your help because we have a duty to spread opportunity to every part of
    America. This is the work that history has set before us. We welcome it.
    And we know that for our country, the best days lie ahead.
        May God bless you all. May God continue to bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:48 p.m. at the Cincinnati Gardens Arena.
    In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Bob Taft of Ohio; entertainers Billy
    Cerveny and Steven Curtis Chapman; and former President Saddam Hussein
    of Iraq.

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