[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[March 20, 2004]
[Pages 416-422]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Orlando, Florida
March 20, 2004
The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. It turns out the
crowd is always a little bigger when Laura comes
along. America loves her almost as much as I love her. I think she
deserves 4 more years as the First Lady.
No, it's great to be back in the great State of Florida again.
There's a big election coming up, and I thought I'd come down for a
little spring training. It's always a good chance to be with
Brother. [Laughter] He's a great Governor of this
great State. Like me, he married well. [Laughter] I appreciate
Colu being here as well. I used to say that Jeb
was the coolest Governor in the country. That's until
Arnold got elected.
Speaking about great leaders, I made a really good choice when I
asked Dick Cheney to be my runningmate. He and I
are grateful for the many strong supporters we have here in Florida.
We're going to be spending some quality time in this State. We're here
to earn the vote, and we need your help. I know you're here because you
do want to help. One of the most important things you can do is
encourage your neighbors to vote. We want a lot of people voting in this
country. We want people from all walks of life doing their duty in this
country, and that is to show up to the polls. And by the way, when you
get them headed to the polls, you might suggest what's good for the
country, and that is Bush-Cheney for 4 more years.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. And by the way, we set up a web site, so that you can
get on to figure out how to volunteer. We need your help. That's what
I'm here to ask for. It's not very complicated. It's georgewbush.com.
That's an easy one for me to remember. [Laughter] With your help, we're
going to make Florida a part of a great nationwide victory this
November.
I'm so thankful for you all coming. I'm proud of the fact that two
Members of the United States Congress is with us, Ric Keller and Tom Feeney.
Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings is here.
I appreciate the Governor Jennings. Tom Gallagher is a statewide official. I'm proud my friend is here, Tom
Gallagher. I want to thank all the statehouse members, all the local
officials. The high sheriff is with us today. And thank all the law
enforcement people that are with us today.
I want to thank my friend Roberto Candelario for leading the invocation. Roberto, thank you for
coming. Thank you, Lisa Faulkner, for leading
this great crowd in the national anthem. I got here a little late; I
didn't get to hear my friend Billy Ray Cyrus. Thank you, Billy Ray. The Katinas are with us as well.
I'm proud they're here. I'm proud to have their support. My friend Lynn
Swann is with us. He's welcome to come to Florida. We're a little
nervous about inviting him down to Dallas. [Laughter] You know what I
mean--a lot of Cowboy fans there. I appreciate so very much Footy for
being here. Footy, thank you for emceeing this event.
The chairman of Bush-Cheney, Marc Racicot,
the former Governor of Montana, is with us today. Marc, thank you for
coming. My friend Al Hoffman, who has worked so
hard in this State, is with us. Carole Jean Jordan, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party, is with
us.
But most importantly, you're with us. I appreciate you coming. I
know many of you are getting on buses and vans today for a voter
registration drive. Thanks for doing that. The effort is going to help
us. It will help our entire ticket. We have a strong slate of
candidates. We're coming
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into an historic election, and we're going to win an historic victory
this November.
The Presidential primary contest is over. I finally got an opponent.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He's following an interesting strategy. The other
day, here in Florida, he claimed some important endorsements from
overseas. He won't tell us the name of the foreign admirers. That's
okay. Either way, I'm not too worried, because I'm going to keep my
campaign right here in America.
Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
The President. He's an experienced Senator, and he's built up quite
a record. In fact, Senator Kerry has been in
Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue.
[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 feels strongly about each of
these issues--[laughter]--so strongly that one position is never just
enough. He demonstrated the technique the other day. Someone asked
Senator Kerry why he voted against the $87-billion funding bill to help
our troops in Iraq. Here is what he said: ``I actually did vote for the
87 billion, before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] End of quote.
[Laughter] That sure clears things up, doesn't it? [Laughter]
His answers aren't always clear, but the voters will have a very
clear choice in this campaign. It is the 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 is a choice between an
America that leads the world with strength and confidence or an America
that is uncertain in the face of danger.
Now, I look forward to this debate. I look forward to this campaign.
I'm looking forward to talking about what we've accomplished and what
we're going to do. In the past 3 years, we've achieved great things, and
most important, we have a positive vision for the years ahead: A
positive vision for winning the war against terror; a positive vision
for extending peace and freedom throughout our world; a positive vision
for creating jobs and promoting opportunity and compassion here at home.
We will leave no doubt where we stand. We will win on the 2d of
November.
The last 3 years have brought serious challenges, and we've given
serious answers. We came to office with a stock market in decline and an
economy heading into recession. We delivered historic tax relief. 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. We passed strong corporate reforms, and we 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 have captured or killed
many of the key leaders of the Al Qaida network, and the rest of them
will know 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. 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. Today, no one
can question the skill and the strength and the spirit of the United
States military.
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It is the President's job to confront problems, not to pass them on
to future Presidents or future generations. It is the President's job to
step up and make the tough decisions and to keep his commitments. And
that is how I will continue to lead our great Nation.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. 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. The other side 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 bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an agenda for
the future of America. We will take on the big issues with optimism and
resolve and determination, and we will make it clear to the American
people, 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 have left more money in the hands that
earned it. By spending and investing and helping to create new jobs, the
American people have used their money far better than the Federal
Government would have.
Oh, I know there's some economic pessimists who refuse to accept
good news about our economy. But I'm optimistic. I'll tell you why. I
know what we've overcome. I've seen the spirit of the American people.
I've seen Americans overcome economic challenges. Because of good
policies and the hard work of the American people, our economy is
strong, and it is growing stronger. Economic growth in the second half
of 2003 was the fastest in nearly 20 years. Manufacturing activity is
increasing. Business investment is rising. Disposable income is rising.
Inflation is low. Interest rates are low. Homeownership is at the
highest rate ever. Job creation is gaining strength. We've added more
than 350,000 new jobs over the last 6 months. 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 against it.
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 created a lower 10-percent tax rate for
working families, he voted against it.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. When we reduced the tax rate on dividends that many
seniors depend on, Senator Kerry voted against
it.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. When we gave small businesses a tax incentive to
expand and to hire, he voted against it.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. We're beginning to see a pattern here. [Laughter]
Senator Kerry is one of the main opponents of tax
relief in the United States Congress. However, when tax increases are
proposed, it's a lot easier to get a ``yes'' vote out of him. [Laughter]
Over the years, he's voted over 350 times for higher taxes on the
American people----
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. ----including the biggest tax increase in American
history. He also supported a 50-cent gallon tax on gasoline.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He wanted you to pay all that money at the pump and
wouldn't even throw in a free car wash. [Laughter]
Now, Senator Kerry is proposing a lot of new
Federal spending in this campaign. He's going to have pay for it
somehow. There's a gap between Senator Kerry's spending promises and
Senator Kerry's promise of a lower deficit. It's what I call a tax gap.
Given Senator Kerry's record of supporting tax increases, it's pretty
clear
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how he's going to fill the tax gap. He's going to tax all of you.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Fortunately, you're not going to give him that chance.
Higher taxes right now would undermine growth and destroy jobs just
as our economy is getting stronger. It's bad policy. To help grow the
American economy and create more jobs for American workers, I have a
better idea: We should make all the tax cuts permanent.
We must do more to keep this economy growing to create jobs. We need
to maintain spending discipline in our Nation's Capital. I have a plan
to protect small-business owners and employees from frivolous and junk
lawsuits and needless regulation. We have a plan to control the cost of
health care and give people better access through association health
care plans and health savings accounts. And in order to control health
care costs and to make sure docs are available, we need national medical
liability reform now.
We have a strategy to make sure Florida goods are sold in markets
all around the world. I proposed a great strategy to make sure our
Nation has a sound energy plan, a plan that encourages conservation, a
plan that modernizes the electricity system, a plan to make America less
dependent on foreign sources of energy.
They talk a lot about job creation. My opponent talks about it, 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 to reelect a pro-growth,
pro-entrepreneur, small-business President, and that's George W. Bush.
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 no longer
are in power. America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror
regime in Iraq. The dictator chose defiance,
and the dictator today 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
programs. And as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein refused to
comply. So we had a choice to make, either take the word of a madman or
to 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 waiting
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
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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. There's a
reason. They know that a free Iraq will be a major defeat for the cause
of terror. This collection of killers is trying to shake the will of the
United States. They don't understand us. America will never be
intimidated by thugs and assassins.
Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
The President. We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq.
We're on the offensive. We will defeat them there so we do not have to
face them in our own cities.
Other nations are helping us to build a free society in Iraq,
because a free Iraq will make us all safer. We're standing with the
Iraqi people as they assume more of their own defense and move toward
self-government. These aren't easy 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 don't object.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I'm all for united action, and so are our 34
coalition partners in Iraq right now. Yet America must never outsource
America's national security decisions to the leaders of other countries.
Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all.
Senator Kerry 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.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I disagree--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. The terrorists
were still training in Afghanistan. They were still plotting in other
nations. They were still 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 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 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 fellow 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 so they can
receive Federal support for their works of compassion and healing. We
will not stand for discrimination by the Federal Government against
people of faith.
We stand for welfare reforms that require work and strengthen
marriage, which have helped millions of Americans find their
independence and dignity. We will not stand for any attempt to weaken
those reforms and 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
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of any life as a commodity to be experimented upon or exploited or
cloned.
We stand for the confirmation of judges who strictly and faithfully
interpret the law. We will not stand for judges who undermine democracy
by legislating from the bench or judges who try to remake the values of
America by court order.
We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. It's the
culture of a country that's changing from one that has said, ``If it
feels good, do it,'' and, ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody
else,'' to a culture in which each of us understands we are responsible
for the decisions we make in life. If you are fortunate enough to be a
mother or a father, you'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're responsible for
telling the truth to your shareholders and your employees. And in the
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 is not one of those times. You and I are
living in a period when the stakes are high, 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'll never forget that day. One guy pointed at me and said,
``Don't let me down.'' Workers in hardhats were shouting, ``Whatever it
takes.'' And 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 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. 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 sacrifice and
compassion renewed in our country. We've all seen our country unite in
common purpose when it mattered most.
We'll need all these qualities for the work ahead. We have a war to
win. The world is counting on us to lead the cause of freedom and peace.
We have a duty to spread opportunity to every corner of America. With
your help, we're going to share our message of optimism and national
strength with every voter in the State of Florida.
I'm looking forward to this campaign ahead. I'm going to give it my
all. And I'm counting on you all to do the same. Talk to your friends.
Talk to your neighbors. Get out the word. Ask people to join our cause
to participate in democracy. With you at my side, there is no doubt in
my mind we're headed to a victory on November the second.
Thank you for coming. God bless. Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 12:14 p.m. at the Orange County Convention
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, and his
wife, Columba; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California; Lt. Gov. Toni
Jennings of Florida; Tom Gallagher, chief financial officer, Florida
Department of Financial Services; Kevin Beary, sheriff, Orange County,
FL; Roberto Candelario, pastor, Centro de la Familia Cristiana, Orlando,
FL; country music entertainer Billy Ray Cyrus; musical group the
Katinas; pro football Hall of Fame receiver Lynn C. Swann;
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John ``Footy'' Kross, Miami Y100.7 radio personality; and Al Hoffman,
finance chairman, Republican National Committee.