[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[March 31, 2004]
[Pages 492-497]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Dinner
March 31, 2004

    Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Thank you all. 
Alex, thank you very much. I didn't realize 
you were such a good orator. [Laughter]
    I wasn't Alex's first choice to speak 
tonight. His request was that Laura come to be 
the key speaker. Alex is a man of good judgment. So am I, by asking 
Laura to marry me. She's a fabulous wife and a great First Lady. She 
sends her love. I think Laura deserves 4 more years as the First Lady.
    Laura will be out campaigning with me, and so 
will Dick Cheney. Our country has had no finer 
Vice President than Dick Cheney. Mother heard 
me say that the other day, and she said, ``Now, wait a minute.'' 
[Laughter] No, I'm proud of the Vice President. He's doing a fabulous 
job.
    And I want to thank you all for supporting this ticket, and thanks 
for coming tonight. This is a huge turnout. Alex said, ``Why don't you come by. I may have a few friends 
here''--[laughter]--``a few Greek Americans might show up.''
    And Manny, thank you as well. I 
appreciate you and Alex working so hard to 
make this a spectacular event. I want to thank my friend Mercer 
Reynolds, who is the national finance 
chairman for Bush-Cheney. He's a business guy who has taken time out of 
his life to help. I thank my friends Jim Langdon and Julie Finley for being the 
Washington, DC, finance cochairmen. Manny and Alex have helped the DC 
finance cochairmen meet their goals, for which we are grateful.
    I want to thank Congressman Mike Bilirakis from the great State of Florida, for joining us. 
Congressman Jim Greenwood is with us 
today, from the great State of Pennsylvania. Thanks for coming, Jim. 
Jerry Kilgore, the attorney general from 
Virginia, is with us today. The Lieutenant Governor of the great State 
of Maryland, Michael Steele, is with us 
today. I really appreciate you all being here.
    I finally got an opponent. The campaign season has arrived. My 
opponent is an experienced Senator, and he's 
built up quite a record. In fact, he's been in Washington long enough to 
take both sides of just about every issue. Senator Kerry voted for the 
PATRIOT Act. He voted for NAFTA. He voted for No Child Left Behind, and 
he voted for the use of force in Iraq. Now he opposes the PATRIOT Act, 
NAFTA, No Child Left Behind, and the liberation of Iraq. He feels 
strongly about these issues. [Laughter] If he could find a third side, I 
imagine he'd take that one too. [Laughter]
    It's going to be an interesting campaign. Someone asked Senator 
Kerry why he had voted against the $87 billion funding bill to help our 
troops in Iraq. And here's what he said, ``I actually did vote for the 
$87 billion before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] Clears things up, 
doesn't it? [Laughter]
    The voters this year are going to have a clear, unmistakable choice. 
It's a choice between the tax relief that is moving this economy forward 
or putting the burden of higher taxes back on the American people.

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It is a choice between an America that leads the world with confidence 
and strength or an America that is uncertain in the face of danger. I 
look forward to this campaign. I look forward to the debate. I look 
forward to reminding the American people that in the last 3 years, we've 
accomplished great things. And I look forward--and most importantly, I 
look forward to laying out a positive vision for the years ahead, a 
positive vision for winning the war against terror and extending peace 
and freedom throughout the world, a positive vision for creating jobs 
and promoting opportunity and compassion here at home. I will leave no 
doubt where we stand, and we are going to win on the 2d of November.
    The last 3 years have brought serious challenges, and we've given 
serious answers. When we came to office, the stock market was in decline 
and our economy was 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 had to confront corporate crimes that cost people their jobs and 
their savings, so we passed strong corporate reforms, and we made it 
clear that 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 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 Washington, 
we found a military that was underfunded and underappreciated, so we 
gave our military the resources they deserve. And today, no one can 
question the skill, 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, to make hard decisions, to keep his commitments, to speak clearly, 
and that is exactly how I will continue to lead our great country.
    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. Security and the prosperity of America are at stake. The 
other side hadn't offered much in the ways of strategy to win the war or 
policies to expand our economy. So far all we hear is old partisan 
rhetoric and bitterness. Anger and bitterness are not an agenda for the 
future of America.
    I will take on the big issues, set big goals. With optimism, 
resolve, and determination, 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 create new jobs, the 
American people have used their money far better than the Federal 
Government would have.
    I'm optimistic about our future. I'm optimistic about our economy 
because I've seen the hard work of the American people. I understand the 
entrepreneurial spirit of this country. Because of good policies and 
because of that spirit, 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 up. Inflation is low. 
Interest rates are low. Homeownership is at the highest rate ever in 
American history. Job creation is gaining strength. We've added over 
350,000 new jobs over

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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 tax 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 them. 
When we phased out the death tax, he voted against it. We're beginning 
to see a pattern here. [Laughter]
    My opponent is one of the main opponents of 
tax relief in the United States Congress. But 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 higher gas taxes 11 times. He's favored a gas tax increase of 
50 cents a gallon. That would cost you another $5 or more every time you 
fill up the tank. For that kind of money, at least he ought to offer a 
free car wash. [Laughter]
    Senator Kerry is proposing a lot of new 
Government spending as well--about $1.7 trillion at last count--and the 
campaign is just getting started. He says he's going to pay for all this 
by raising taxes on the rich. To cover all of the spending, Senator 
Kerry would need to eliminate every single one of the tax reductions we 
passed as well as more tax increases. The marriage penalty would go back 
up. The child credit would go down. Taxes on many small businesses would 
rise. Even low-income people paying the 10-percent rate would see their 
taxes go up. I guess that's his idea of taxing the rich. It turns out, 
if you have a job, a child, or a dollar to spare, Senator Kerry thinks 
you're rich enough to pay more taxes. Fortunately, we're not going to 
give him that chance.
    Higher taxes would undermine growth and destroy jobs, just as our 
economy is getting stronger. Raising taxes is lousy economic policy. To 
help grow the American economy and to create more jobs for our workers, 
I have a better idea. We should make the tax cuts permanent.
    We must do more to keep this economy growing and to create jobs. We 
need to maintain spending discipline in the Nation's Capital. We need to 
protect small-business owners and employees from frivolous and junk 
lawsuits. We've laid out a plan to control the cost of health care and 
get people better access through association health care plans, tax-free 
health savings accounts. And we need to pass medical liability reform at 
the Federal level in order to hold down health care costs.
    This country must never become isolated from the world. We must 
reject the pessimistic thoughts of the economic isolationists and knock 
down trade barriers and open up new markets around the world for our 
country's farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs and manufacturers. I 
proposed a sound energy strategy, one that will modernize our 
electricity system and one that will make America less dependent on 
foreign sources of oil. The Congress needs to pass the energy bill.
    You hear a lot of talk about job creation up here, but the other 
side is against every one of these job-creating measures. Empty talk 
about jobs and economic isolationism won't get anyone hired. The way to 
make sure this economy continues to grow is to reelect a pro-growth, 
pro-entrepreneur President, and that is 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

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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, a 
lesson this Nation must 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 this country.
    In 2002, the U.N. 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 I had a choice to make: Either take the word of a madman or defend 
this country. Given that choice, I will defend America every time. 
[Applause] Thank you all.
    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 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 because we acted, 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 why. They know that a free Iraq will be a major defeat in the 
cause of terror. This collection of killers is trying to shake our will. 
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.
    Other nations are helping. They're helping Iraq become a free 
society, because they understand what we in America know: The world will 
be a safer place with a free Iraq. We stand with the Iraqi people as 
they assume more of their own defense and move toward self-government. 
These are hard tasks, but they're necessary tasks. America will complete 
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. 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 if 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 completely 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. They were plotting in 
other nations. They were drawing up more ambitious plans. After the 
chaos and carnage of September the 11th, it is not

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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 have had the 
privilege of meeting with those who defend our country, sacrifice for 
our security. I've seen their great decency and unselfish courage. And I 
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, 
reference and integrity. We're strong because of the institutions that 
give us direction and purpose, our families, our schools, and our 
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 or 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 this 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 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 this new 
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. This is not one of those times. You and I are 
living in a period when the stakes are high, the challenges are 
difficult, and the choices are clear. We live in 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.'' A guy 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, or our willingness 
to serve a cause greater than self-interest. But

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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 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. Thank you for coming. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 6:30 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park 
Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Alex G. Spanos and Manuel N. 
Stamatakis, event cochairmen, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; and former 
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.