[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[March 25, 2004]
[Pages 454-459]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Boston, Massachusetts
March 25, 2004

     Thank you all. Thanks for the warm welcome. It's great to be back 
in Boston. Thank you. [Laughter] I spent some quality time here in the 
seventies--[laughter]--mostly in the library at Harvard, of course. 
[Laughter] Well, I spent some quality time here.
    I really appreciate the traditions here in Massachusetts. Last 
weekend I had the honor of participating in one of the city's finest 
traditions. It was the annual Saint Patrick's Day breakfast in South 
Boston. I called in. The good senator took my 
call. Actually, he took Andy Card's 
call, a great Massachusetts citizen, and Andy handed me the phone. When 
I called in, I had the feeling they were going to ask me about a 
Massachusetts politician who had his eye on the White House, so I 
addressed the issue as directly as possible: I told Mitt the job was filled until 2008.
    I'm proud of the job this good man is doing as Governor of this 
great State. Mitt Romney is a great Governor. 
And like me, he married very well. [Laughter] I'm proud Ann is here with 
us tonight. Ann, thank you for coming.
    And I'm sorry Laura is not here. She is a 
fabulous First Lady. She is a great wife. She's visiting her mom in Midland, Texas. Like me, we put our faith in 
families first, above all. And she is--[applause].
    I appreciate my friend Ambassador Dick Egan, for helping make this an incredibly successful fundraiser. 
The country called, and he responded as the Ambassador to Ireland. He 
did a fine job on behalf of the citizens of this country. Dick, thank 
you for your service.
    And my old buddy, the former Governor of Massachusetts, Bill 
Weldis here tonight. I appreciate you 
coming, Governor. I want to thank all the State officials who are here 
and local officials who are here. I see the high sheriff and others here 
today. I want to thank my friend Joe O'Donnell for renting a tie for tonight. [Laughter] I appreciate so 
very much Mercer Reynolds, who is the 
national finance chairman for my campaign, for taking time out to make 
sure that we're able to get our message out all across our country.
    I want to thank all the people who have worked so hard to really do 
a fantastic job, when you think about it. We've come to Boston, 
Massachusetts--some people would think that we wouldn't have much 
support here. But they're wrong. We've got a lot of support in this 
city.

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    I want to thank Darrell Crate, who is the 
chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, for being here. And I 
want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. Nobody should 
take any State for granted in 2004.
    The Vice President and I are counting on 
you. We want your help. We want you out there turning those voters out. 
Speaking about the Vice President, I made a really good pick when I 
asked Dick Cheney to be the Vice President of the United States. One 
time, giving a speech in front of Mother and 
Dad, I said, ``Dick Cheney is the finest 
Vice President our country has ever had.'' Mother said, ``Wait a 
minute.'' [Laughter] But he's doing a great job. [Laughter]
    I've had the opportunity to observe the two United States Senators 
from this State. Your senior Senator, Ted Kennedy, is a very effective legislator. In Washington, he's known 
as the conservative Senator from Massachusetts. [Laughter] Your other 
Senator, my opponent, is an experienced Senator. 
He's built up quite a record. My opponent has been in Washington long 
enough to take both sides on just about every issue. [Laughter] He 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 very strongly about each of these issues. [Laughter]
    In order to lead this country, you have to be consistent and clear. 
Someone asked Senator Kerry why he voted against 
the $87 billion funding bill to help our troops in Iraq. Here's 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 so clear, but the 
voters will have a clear choice in this campaign. 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 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.
    I'm looking forward to this campaign. I'm looking forward to 
traveling this great country to talk about what I want to do for our 
country. I'm looking forward to reminding people that in 3 years, we've 
achieved great things. The most important thing is that we have a 
positive vision, an optimistic vision, a hopeful vision for the years 
ahead. We have a positive vision for winning the war against terror and 
extending peace and freedom throughout the world, a positive vision for 
promoting opportunity and compassion here at home. I'm going to leave no 
doubt where we stand, and we're going to 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 major industrialized 
nation in the world. We had to confront corporate crime that cost people 
their jobs and their savings. We passed strong corporate reform 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've 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 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

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and underappreciated, so we gave our military the resources and respect 
they deserve. And today, no one can question the skill, the strength, or 
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 to make the hard decisions and to keep his commitments, and that is 
how I will continue to lead our 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. The 
other side hasn't offered much in the ways of strategy 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 this country. I will take on the big issues with optimism and 
resolve and determination. I will make it clear to the American people, 
I stand ready to lead this Nation for 4 more years.
    The big issue for every American family 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 to create new jobs, the 
American people have used their money far better than the Federal 
Government could have.
    I'm optimistic about the future of this country because I've seen 
Americans overcome economic challenge after economic challenge. I'm 
optimistic because of the good policies we've put in place but 
optimistic because of the hard work and productivity of the American 
people.
    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. Homeownership is 
at the highest rate ever. The minority homeownership rate is at the--
nearly at the highest level ever. Job creation is gaining strength. 
We've added over 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. When we reduced the marriage penalty, he voted 
against it. When we created a lower 10-percent rate for working 
families, he voted against it. When we reduced the tax rate on dividends 
that many seniors depend upon, he voted against it. When we gave small 
businesses tax incentives to expand and hire, he voted against it. When 
we passed a phase-out of the death tax, he voted against it. We're 
beginning to see a pattern. [Laughter]
    My opponent is one of the main opponents of 
tax relief in the United States Congress. When tax increases are 
proposed, it's a lot easier to get a ``yes'' vote out of him. Over the 
years, he's voted over 350 times for higher taxes on the American 
people, including the biggest tax increase in American history. He 
supported a 50 cent a gallon tax increase on gasoline. He wanted you to 
pay the extra money at the pump, and he wouldn't even throw in a free 
car wash. [Laughter]
    Now my opponent is proposing a lot of new Federal spending--a lot of 
Federal spending. But somehow he's going to have to pay for it. There's 
a gap between Senator Kerry's spending promises 
and Senator Kerry's promise to lower the deficit. It's called a tax gap. 
Given Senator Kerry's record for supporting tax increases, it's pretty 
clear how he's going to fill the tax gap. He's going to tax all of you. 
But fortunately, he will not have that chance.
    Higher taxes would undermine growth and destroy jobs just as this 
economy is getting stronger. To help grow the American economy and to 
create more jobs for American workers, I have a better idea. We should 
make all the tax cuts permanent.

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    And there's more to do. We must maintain spending discipline in the 
Nation's Capital. I've offered a plan to protect small-business owners 
and employees from frivolous lawsuits and needless regulation. We need 
tort reform in America. I've laid out a strategy to help control the 
cost of health care so people have better access to good health care 
through association health care plans and tax-free health savings 
accounts. We must have medical liability reform to protect our docs and 
to stop running up the cost of medicine on people.
    In order to make sure we grow our economy, we need to reject 
economic isolationism and open up other countries' markets for U.S. 
goods and U.S. services.
    I proposed--in order to make sure job growth is strong, we need to 
have an energy policy in America. We need to modernize the electricity 
system, and this country must become less dependent on foreign sources 
of energy.
    Oh yes, there's a lot of talk about job creation. But my 
opponent is against every one of these job-
creating measures. Empty talk about jobs and economic isolationism will 
not get anyone hired. The best way to make sure people can find work is 
to reelect a pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur 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; the Taliban are no longer in 
power. America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in 
Iraq. The dictator chose defiance; 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 information, and we saw a 
threat. Members of Congress looked at the intelligence information, and 
they saw a threat. The United Nations Security Council looked at the 
intelligence information, and it saw a threat. The previous 
administration and previous Congress looked at the intelligence and made 
regime change in Iraq the policy of our Nation. 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 refused to comply. So I had a choice to make, 
either to take the word of a madman or defend this country. Given 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 Hussein's torture chambers are closed. Because 
we acted, Iraq's weapons programs are ended forever. Because we acted, a 
source of money to suiciders in the Middle East has been ended. Because 
we acted, nations like Libya got the message and renounced their own 
weapons programs. Because we acted, an example of democracy is rising in 
the 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. And there's a 
reason. They know that a free Iraq will be major defeat for the cause of

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terror. This collection of killers is trying to shake the will of 
America. They don't understand our country. America will never be 
intimidated by thugs and assassins.
    We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq. We will defeat 
them there so we do not have to face them in our own country. We're 
calling on other nations to help Iraq build a free society, which will 
make the whole world more secure. And we're standing with the Iraqi 
people, the brave Iraqi people, as they assume more of their own defense 
and move toward self-government. These aren't easy tasks, but they are 
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 the 34 coalition partners in Iraq right now. Yet 
America must never outsource America's national security decision to the 
leaders of other countries.
    Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all. My 
opponent said, and I quote, ``The war on terror 
is less of a military operation and far more of an intelligence 
gathering, law enforcement operation.'' I disagree--strongly 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.
    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 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, our families, our schools, our 
religious congregations. These values and institutions are fundamental 
to our lives, and they deserve the respect of our Government.
    We stand for a fair treatment of faith-based groups, charitable 
groups of 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 
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, to be exploited, or to be 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 judges who try to remake the values of 
America by court order.
    We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. We're changing 
the culture of our country 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

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in life. If you're 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 ourself.
    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. These aren't one of those times. You and I are 
living in a period when the stakes are high, 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'll never forget the day. A guy looked at me and said, ``Don't 
let me down.'' A lot of the workers were shouting, ``Whatever it takes. 
Whatever it takes, Mr. President.'' 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 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. They had doubts about our capacity to meet a serious 
challenge 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. 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 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.

Note: The President spoke at 6:10 p.m. at the Park Plaza Hotel and 
Towers. In his remarks, he referred to Massachusetts State Senator Jack 
Hart; Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and his wife, Ann; former U.S. 
Ambassador to Ireland Richard Egan; former Gov. William F. Weld of 
Massachusetts; and Joseph J. O'Donnell, fundraiser, and Mercer Reynolds, 
national finance chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.