    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [March 3, 2004]
    [Pages 304-309]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Los Angeles
    March 3, 2004

        Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Thank you all for
    coming. Appreciate you coming. Please be seated. Thanks for the warm
    welcome. It is great to be back in Los Angeles. I'm thankful you all are
    here.
        I'm aware that they handed out the Oscars last Sunday night.
    ``Terminator 3'' didn't win any. [Laughter] But the star of the movie
    had a pretty good year. I know he's new to politics, but he is getting
    used to all the lights and the cameras. I used to think my brother
    Jeb was the coolest Governor. By electing Arnold
    Schwarzenegger, the voters of
    California have shown that no party can take this State for granted.
        The Vice President and I are going to be
    spending some quality time in the State of California. With your help,
    we're going to make California part of a nationwide victory in November
    of '04. Speaking of the Vice President, he's doing a fine job. The
    country has had no finer Vice President than Dick Cheney. Mother may have a second opinion. [Laughter]
        It's good to see the Desert Moms here. Those are the ones who didn't
    go through the background check. [Laughter] But recently, Laura was in the desert with the Moms. And she sends her best
    to not only the Moms but all the folks here. I'm really proud of Laura.
    She is a fabulous First Lady and a great wife.
        I want to thank my friend Brad Freeman, who
    has been a loyal friend. He's the State finance chairman here in
    California. I want to thank my friend Gerry Parsky, who's the State campaign general chairman. I want to thank
    my friend Mercer Reynolds from Cincinnati,
    Ohio, who is the chairman of the Bush-Cheney reelect

    [[Page 305]]

    campaign. I appreciate the fact that Bill Simon
    is here and his wife, Cindy. I want to thank
    them for having served.
        I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here.
    [Applause] There you go. I appreciate my friend Rabbi Marvin Hier, who gave the blessing. He has a wonderful heart. It
    sets an incredibly important tone for the country. I want to thank Art
    Yoon, who's the mayor pro tem of Hermosa Beach, for
    leading the pledge.
        But most of all, I want to thank you all for being our friend. Thank
    you for helping us. Thank you for getting ready for this campaign.
        Last night, I placed a call to Senator Kerry.
    I told him I was looking forward to a spirited campaign. I congratulated
    him on his victory. This should be an interesting debate on the issues.
    He spent two decades in Congress; he's built up quite a record.
    [Laughter] In fact, Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to
    take both sides on just about every issue.
        The voters will have a very clear choice this year 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. I'm ready for this campaign. I
    look forward to setting the alternative squarely before the American
    people.
        We've achieved great things the past 3 years. But most importantly,
    we have a positive vision for the years ahead, a positive vision for
    winning the war against terror and extending peace and freedom, a
    positive vision for creating jobs and promoting opportunity, a positive
    vision for compassion here at home. We'll leave no doubt where we stand,
    and we will win on the 2d of November.
        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 heading into recession. We delivered historic tax relief, and
    now our economy is the fastest growing of any industrialized nation.
        We confronted corporate criminals that cost people their jobs and
    their savings, so we passed strong corporate reforms and made it clear
    we will not tolerate 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. We captured or killed many
    of the 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 the two most violent and
    dangerous regimes on Earth. We freed over 50 million people. And 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 in the world can question the skill and the strength and the spirit
    of the United States military.
        When we came to office, people had gotten used to gridlock, and old
    problems were used to score political points. Old problems were
    politicized and debated and then just passed on from year to year. But
    we came to Washington to get things done. We passed major reforms to
    raise the standards in our public schools. We passed reforms in Medicare
    to get prescription drugs and choices to our seniors. We have chosen to
    lead, and we have delivered results for the American people.
        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, make the hard decisions, keep his commitments, and that is exactly
    how I will continue to lead our country.
        Great events will turn on this election. The man who sits in the
    Oval Office will

    [[Page 306]]

    set the course of the war on terror and the direction of our economy.
    The security and prosperity of America are at stake. My opponent hasn't offered much in the way of strategies to win the
    war or policies to expand our economy. So far, all we hear from that
    side is a lot of old bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an
    agenda for the future of America. My administration has taken on the big
    issues with optimism and resolve and determination, and we stand ready
    to lead this Nation for 4 more years.
        A big issue for every family in America is the Federal tax burden.
    With the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was President, we've
    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 Government would have.
        Because we acted, our economy is growing stronger. The economy grew
    in the second half of 2003 at the fastest rate in nearly 20 years.
    Productivity is high. Business investment is rising. Interest rates and
    inflation are low. Homeownership is the highest rate ever. Manufacturing
    is increasing. We've added 336,000 new jobs over the last 5 months. The
    tax relief we passed is working.
        My opponent has plans for those tax cuts. He
    wants to take them away, and he would use that money to expand the
    Federal Government. I have a better idea: To keep this economy growing
    and to create jobs, the tax cuts must be permanent.
        And we must do more to keep the economy growing. We need to maintain
    fiscal discipline in Washington, DC. We need to protect small-business
    owners and employees from frivolous lawsuits and needless regulation. We
    need to help control the costs of health care by passing Federal medical
    liability reform. We need to continue to open up markets for America's
    farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs and manufacturers. We need to
    pass sound energy legislation to modernize the electricity system and
    make our country less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        My opponent talks about job creation too, but
    he's against every one of these job-creating measures. Empty talk about
    jobs and economic isolation won't get anyone hired. The way to create
    jobs is our pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur agenda.
        This economy of ours is going through a time of change, and we're
    helping people to gain the skills and security to make a good living.
    All skills start with education, so I worked with Congress to pass the
    No Child Left Behind Act. This is a good law that is challenging the
    soft bigotry of low expectations. It's a law that is bringing higher
    standards and accountability to every public school so that not one
    single child is left behind.
        And there's more to do. We have a plan to help high school students
    who fall behind in reading and math. We have a plan to help community
    colleges train workers for the industries that are creating the most new
    jobs. You see, this administration understands clearly that education is
    the gateway to a hopeful future, and that gate must be open to all
    Americans.
        We're also working to promote an ownership society in America in
    which more people own their own homes and build their own savings. We
    want more people owning their own small businesses. We want people to
    own and manage their own health care plans. We want younger workers to
    be able to own and manage their own retirement under Social Security. I
    understand this, that when people have solid assets, they gain
    independence and security and dignity and more control over their own
    future. I believe in private property so much, I want everybody to have
    some in America.
        On issue after issue, the American people have a clear choice. My
    opponent is against personal retirement accounts.
    He's against putting patients in charge of Medicare. He's against tax
    relief. He seems to be against every idea that gives Americans more
    authority, more choices, and more

    [[Page 307]]

    control over our own lives. It's the same old Washington mindset:
    They'll give the orders, and you will pay the bills. I've got news for
    the Washington crowd. America has gone beyond that way of thinking, and
    we're not going back. I trust the people of this country. I trust the
    people to make the best decisions for their own money, for their own
    health, for their own retirement.
        Our future also depends on America's leadership in this 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 of 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; the
    dictator now 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 information,
    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 country. In 2002, the United Nations Security Council yet
    again demanded a full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs. As he had for over a decade, Saddam
    Hussein refused to comply. So we had a choice to make, either to take
    the word of a madman or take action to defend America and the world.
    Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time. [Applause]
    Thank you.
        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 election in Iraq. [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, Saddam'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, and America
    is more secure.
        We still face thugs and terrorists in Iraq who would rather go on
    killing the innocent than accept the advance of liberty. They know that
    a free Iraq will be a major defeat in the cause of terror. This
    coalition of killers is trying to shake our will. They don't understand
    America. America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins. We
    are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq. We're on the
    offensive. We'll defeat them there so we don't have to face them in our
    own country.
        We're calling on other nations to help Iraq to build a free society.
    A free Iraq will make us all more safe. We're standing with the Iraqi
    people as they assume more of their own defense and move toward self-
    government. These are not easy tasks, but they are essential tasks. We
    will finish what we have begun. 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 don't object. [Laughter] I'm all
    for united action, and so are the 34 coalition partners in Iraq right
    now. Yet America must never outsource

    [[Page 308]]

    America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
        Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all. My
    opponent said the war on terror is far less of a
    military operation and far more of an intelligence-gathering, law
    enforcement operation. I 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, 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.
        At bases across our country and the world, I've had the privilege of
    meeting with the men and women of our military. These good folks are
    defending our country. They're sacrificing for our security. I've seen
    their great decency and their unselfish courage. I can assure you,
    ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in 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, families 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 the 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
    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, 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 culture of America
    by court order.
        We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. We're changing
    the culture of America 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're responsible for loving your child with all your heart.
    If you're worried about the quality of the education in which you live,
    you're responsible for doing something about it. If you're a CEO in
    corporate America, you have a responsibility to tell the truth to your
    shareholders and your employees. And in this new responsibility society,
    each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we would
    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 its leaders. This is not one of those times. You and I are
    living in a period when the stakes are high and the challenges are
    difficult, a time when 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 remember a lot about that day. I remember the workers in
    hardhats who were shouting, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember the guy
    who

    [[Page 309]]

    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've 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, our capacity 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 will need all of 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 country, the best days lie ahead.
        God bless you all. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:52 p.m. at the Shrine Auditorium. In his
    remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; Brad Freeman,
    California State finance chairman, Gerald L. Parsky, California State
    chairman, and Mercer Reynolds, national finance chairman, Bush-Cheney
    '04, Inc.; and Bill Simon, former California gubernatorial candidate,
    and his wife, Cindy.