[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[March 8, 2004]
[Pages 335-341]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Houston, Texas
March 8, 2004

    Thank you all. Go ahead and be seated--[laughter]--unless you don't 
have a seat. Thanks for a great Houston welcome. I'm so glad to be back 
home. Nothing like a

[[Page 336]]

weekend in Texas to kind of refresh the soul. By the way, if you see 
41, tell him I was asking about him--
[laughter]--or Mother, over there at the Rice 
Epicurean. [Laughter] I do want to thank you all for being so kind to 
Mother and Dad. They love Houston. They love the citizens of Houston. 
They're proud to call this place home, just like I'm proud to call Texas 
home.
    I'm feeling pretty good about my chances in Texas. [Laughter] But 
I'm not going to take anything for granted. With your help, Texas is 
going to be the cornerstone for a national victory in November of this 
year. Vice President Cheney and I are looking 
forward to working here in Texas to get as many votes as we can get. If 
you think about the Vice President, I picked the right man. Dick Cheney 
is doing a great job. I like to tell people, Vice President Cheney is 
the greatest Vice President the country has ever had. One time 
Mother said, ``Wait a minute.'' [Laughter]
    I married the greatest First Lady the country 
has ever had--Mother included. [Laughter] Laura 
sends her love. I'm really proud of her. She is steady and strong, 
decent and compassionate. I'm lucky she said, yes when I said, ``Will 
you marry me?''
    I'm proud to be here with Rich Kinder and 
Nancy. I want to thank them for their loyal 
friendship. He said, 4 years ago he introduced me. He's been introducing 
me for years and years and years, and I'm grateful for that.
    I'm proud to be here with the great Governor of the State of Texas, 
Rick Perry. He's doing a fine job for the people 
of Texas, all the people of Texas.
    We're blessed to have a great congressional delegation in 
Washington. I take great comfort in knowing that Kay Bailey 
Hutchison represents the State of 
Texas. She's a leader on the Senate floor. If you need to get anything 
done in the Senate, you give Kay Bailey a holler. [Laughter] I'm also 
proud that John Cornyn is representing our State 
so well in the United States Senate.
    Tom DeLay can deliver the vote. We've had a 
great record of accomplishment, working together. But make no mistake 
about it, this guy can deliver the vote in the House of Representatives, 
and the country is better off for it.
    Joe Barton is with us tonight. I want to 
thank Joe for coming. He's a Congressman from up north--that is, north 
of Texas. [Laughter] Kevin Brady is with us. 
Congressman Brady, thank you for coming. Congressman 
Culberson is here from the great city of 
Houston. I'm honored you're here, John. Congressman 
Neugebauer from Lubbock is with us today 
too. Randy, thank you for coming. You're probably wondering why the 
Congressman from Lubbock came all the way over to Houston to hear me 
speak. He heard Air Force One is flying back to Washington after the 
speech. [Laughter] I think you'll like the accommodations. [Laughter]
    I'm proud of my friend Fred Meyer for being 
the State finance chairman for the State of Texas. Thank you, Fred, and 
Jeanne Johnson Phillips. My friend 
Mercer Reynolds, the national finance 
chairman--he's from Cincinnati, Ohio. We let him come into Texas anyway. 
[Laughter] And he's doing a great job. I'm proud of Mercer and proud of 
you all, for all of you have worked hard, particularly this cast of 
characters sitting on the stage. I want to thank you from the bottom of 
my heart for being good friends and for helping us prepare for what's 
going to be a good, strong campaign.
    I finally got an opponent. [Laughter] And I called him last Tuesday to congratulate him, and I told him I'm 
looking forward to a spirited campaign. It's going to be an interesting 
debate on the issues. He spent two decades in Washington, and he's built 
up quite a record. Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to 
take both sides on just about every issue.

[[Page 337]]

[Laughter] Senator Kerry voted for the PATRIOT Act, for NAFTA, for the 
No Child Left Behind Act, and for the use of force in Iraq. Now he 
opposes the PATRIOT Act, NAFTA, the No Child Left Behind Act, and the 
liberation of Iraq. My opponent clearly has strong beliefs. They just 
don't last very long. [Laughter]
    The voters have a very clear choice between keeping the tax relief 
that is moving this economy forward or putting the burden of higher 
taxes back on the American people. They have a clear choice between an 
America that leads the world with strength and confidence or an America 
that is uncertain in the face of danger. I look forward to putting these 
alternatives squarely before the American people. I look forward to this 
campaign.
    We've achieved great things the last 3 years, and I look forward to 
telling the American people that. But most importantly, we have a 
positive vision for the years ahead, a positive vision for winning the 
war against terror and for extending peace and freedom throughout our 
world, a positive vision for creating jobs and promoting opportunity and 
compassion here at home. We'll leave no doubt where we stand, and come 
November, we'll be reelected for 4 more years.
    The last 3 years have brought serious challenges, and we have given 
serious answers. We came to office with the stock market in decline, and 
our economy was heading into recession. But we acted. We delivered 
historic tax relief for the American people, and now our economy is the 
fastest growing of any major industrialized nation.
    We had to confront corporate crimes that cost people their jobs and 
their savings, so we passed strong corporate reforms and made it very 
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 enemy across the world. We've captured or killed many of the 
key leaders of the Al Qaida network, and the rest 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 freed over 50 million people. And once 
again, America is proud to lead the armies of liberation.
    When Dick Cheney and I came to office, we 
found a military that was underfunded and underappreciated. We gave our 
military the resources and respect they deserve. And today, no one in 
the world can doubt the strength and the skill 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 points. Old problems were politicized and 
debated and then just passed on from year to year. We came to the 
Nation's Capital to get some things done for the people. We passed major 
reforms to raise the standards in public schools. We passed reforms in 
Medicare to give prescription drugs and choices to seniors. We chose to 
lead, and we have delivered for the American people.
    It is the President's job to confront problems, not to pass them on 
to future Presidents or future generations. A President must stand up, 
make tough decisions, and keep his commitments. And that is how I will 
continue to lead our great Nation. 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.
    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 the other side is a lot of old bitterness and partisan 
anger. Anger is not an agenda for the future of America. I'll take on 
the big issues with optimism and resolve and determination. Dick 
Cheney and I will

[[Page 338]]

make it clear to this country, we are ready to lead our Nation for 4 
more years.
    A big issue for every family in America is the Federal tax burden. 
With the biggest--with the largest tax relief since Ronald 
Reagan was the 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 Federal Government could have.
    Because we acted, the 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 at its highest rate ever. 
Manufacturing is increasing. We've added more than 350,000 new jobs over 
the last 6 months. The tax relief is working.
    My opponent has plans for those tax cuts. 
[Laughter] He wants to take them away. He will 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.
    We must do more to keep this economy growing. We need fiscal 
discipline in Washington, DC. We need to protect small-business owners 
and employees from frivolous lawsuits. We need to control needless 
regulation. We need to help control the cost of health care by 
association health care plans, by health savings accounts. We need 
medical liability reform at the Federal level. This country ought to be 
opening up markets, new markets, for our farmers and ranchers and 
entrepreneurs and manufacturers. We need to pass sound energy 
legislation to modernize our electricity system and make this country 
less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    My opponent talks about job creation, but 
he's against every one of these job-creating measures. Empty talk about 
jobs and economic isolationism won't get anyone hired. The way to create 
jobs is our pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur, small business-owner economic 
agenda.
    This economy is changing, and people need skills. All skills start 
with education, so I worked with Congress to pass the No Child Left 
Behind Act. It's a good law. We're challenging the soft bigotry of low 
expectations. We've raised the bar for every single child. We've 
demanded accountability in our public school system. We expect the 
schools to teach our children how to read and write and add and 
subtract, so not one single child is left behind in this country.
    We have a plan to help our high school students who fall behind in 
reading and math. We've got an aggressive plan to help our community 
colleges to train the workers for the industries, the new jobs being 
created for the 21st century. Education is the gateway to a hopeful 
future, and this administration understands the gate must be open to all 
Americans.
    We're also working hard to make sure America promotes ownership. We 
promoted an ownership society in this administration. We want more 
people to own their own homes. We want people to own their own savings. 
We want more people owning their own small businesses. We want people to 
own and manage their health care plans. We want younger workers to own 
and manage their retirement under the Social Security system. We 
understand that when people have assets of their own, they gain 
independence and security and dignity and more control over their 
future. I believe in private property so much, I want every American to 
have some.
    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 the 
tax relief. He seems to be against every idea that gives Americans more 
authority and more choices and more control over our own lives. It's the 
same old Washington mindset: They'll give

[[Page 339]]

the orders, and you pay the bills. [Laughter] I got news for the 
Washington crowd. America has gone beyond that way of thinking, and 
we're not going back.
    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 
challenges. 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. America 
and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in Afghanistan. 
The Taliban chose defiance; 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 
Government, 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, he 
chose defiance. And 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 our country every time.
    My opponent admits that Saddam 
Hussein was a threat. He just didn't support 
my decision to remove him from power. [Laughter] 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 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 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. You see, they 
know that a free Iraq would be a major defeat in the cause for terror. 
That's what they know, and they're right. This collection of killers is 
trying to shake the will of America. They don't really understand our 
country. America will never be intimidated by thugs or assassins.
    We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them 
there so we do not have to face them in our own country. We're calling 
on other nations to help Iraq to build a free society, which will make 
the whole world more secure. We're standing with the Iraqi people as 
they assume more of their own defense and move towards self-government. 
These are not easy tasks, but they are essential tasks. We 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 don't object. [Laughter] I'm for 
united action, and so are 34 coalition partners in Iraq right now. 
America must never outsource America's national security decisions to 
leaders of other countries.
    Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all. 
Just the other day,

[[Page 340]]

my opponent indicated that he's not comfortable using the word ``war'' 
to describe the struggle we're in. He said, ``I don't want to use that 
terminology.'' He also said 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 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.
    One very important part of this war is intelligence gathering, as 
Senator Kerry says. Yet in 1995, 2 years after 
the first attack on the World Trade Center, my opponent introduced a 
bill to cut the overall intelligence budget by $1.5 billion. His bill 
was so deeply irresponsible that he didn't have a single cosponsor in 
the United States Senate. [Laughter] Once again, Senator Kerry is trying 
to have it both ways. He's for good intelligence, yet he was willing to 
gut the intelligence services. And that is no way to lead our Nation in 
a time of war.
    Our intelligence professionals are taking great risks, and they're 
doing great work. And so are the men and women of the United States 
military. At bases across our country and the world, I have had the 
privilege--the high privilege--of meeting with those who defend our 
country and sacrifice for our security. I've seen their great decency 
and unselfish courage, and 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 are 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 from all 
faiths, 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 
to send people back into lives of dependence.
    We stand for a culture of life in which each 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 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 new 
culture in which each of us understands we are responsible for the 
decisions we make in life. If you are a mom or a dad, you're 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

[[Page 341]]

and your employees. And in this new responsibility culture, 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, the choices are clear, 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'll never forget that day. Workers in hardhats were shouting, 
``Whatever it takes.'' I remember a guy pointing 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 
country. Not long ago, some had their doubts about the American 
character, our capacity to meet serious challenges or our ability 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'll 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 this 
country. 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. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 5:55 p.m. at the Hilton Americas. In his 
remarks, he referred to Rich and Nancy Kinder, fundraisers, Jeanne 
Johnson Phillips, Texas State finance vice chairman, and Mercer 
Reynolds, national finance chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; Gov. Rick 
Perry of Texas; Fred Meyer, chairman, Republican National Committee 
Presidential Victory Team; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.