[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[April 23, 2004]
[Pages 659-665]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Victory 2004 Reception in Coral Gables, Florida
April 23, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Thank you.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Thank you. Vamos a ganar. Thank you all for coming. 
For those who don't speak Spanish, that says: We're going to win. And 
one reason why is because we've got such great support here in south 
Florida.

[[Page 660]]

    I'm honored you all came out today. I can't tell you how grateful I 
am to see the grassroots so excited. [Laughter]
    I picked a pretty good man to be the chairman 
of the State of Florida for my campaign. I consulted with my 
mother. [Laughter] I said, ``Who do you think 
would be the best man to carry the Bush banner here in Florida?'' She 
said, ``Why don't you turn to the Governor?'' [Laughter] I said, 
``Okay.'' You've got a great Governor in the State of Florida. He's a 
good man. He really makes us proud.
    We had a great day today on the west coast of Florida. I was talking 
about how to increase the wetlands so that our environment is stronger. 
I reminded Jeb that when I make a promise, I meant 
it. When I said, ``There's not going to be any drilling offshore of 
Florida,'' I meant what I said.
    I want to thank my friend Armando Codina for his leadership. He's been a long-time friend, and I 
thank him for convincing you all to support this candidacy and this 
campaign. I want to thank my friend Al Hoffman 
and Al Cardenas.
    Today I've been spending some quality time with a Member of the 
United States Congress, Mario Diaz-Balart. 
Adonde esta, Mario? Adonde esta? Thank you, Mario. I'm glad you brought 
your brother, Lincoln, here today too. 
Thank you, Lincoln. There's Lincoln back there. And Ileana is with us today. Adonde esta, Ileana? Ahi. Stand up, 
Ileana. [Laughter]
    These three Members of the Congress are 
strong and steadfast. They're great Members of the United States House 
of Representatives. They care deeply for our country. They care deeply 
for a free Cuba. They've been strong supporters, and I'm proud to call 
them friends.
    I'm sorry that the First Lady isn't traveling 
with me today.
    Audience members. Aw-w-w!
    The President. No, I know it--I know it. She's campaigning in Tennessee. Tennessee got the better 
deal. [Laughter]
    But I'm really proud of Laura. She is a 
fabulous wife, a wonderful mother, and a great First Lady for our 
country.
    I'm looking forward to the campaign. I really am. I look forward to 
bringing our message to the American people. It's a positive message. 
It's a hopeful message. It is an optimistic message of what I believe is 
possible. I will campaign and present a vision to the American people as 
to how to win the war on terror and how to continue to spread freedom 
and peace throughout the world.
    I will continue to campaign on a positive vision to make sure that 
we expand prosperity to all corners of our country so every single 
citizen has the chance to realize the great American Dream. I'm looking 
forward to the campaign. There's no doubt in my mind we will carry 
Florida, and we will win on November the 2d.
    I put together a great administration to serve the American people, 
people from all walks of life, men and women who care deeply about the 
future of our Nation. And thankfully, I have put together a good 
administration, because we have been tested. We've shown the American 
people that we know how to lead.
    Once you remember the history of the last 3 years--when we came to 
office, this country was headed into a recession; the stock market had 
begun to decline. But we acted. We passed historic tax relief. We let 
people keep more of their own money, and as a result, the economy is 
strong, and it is growing stronger.
    When we came into office, we had to confront corporate citizens who 
did not tell the truth to their shareholders and their employees. It was 
a problem for our Nation. But we acted. We passed tough laws. And now it 
is abundantly clear that we will not tolerate dishonesty in the 
boardrooms of America.
    When we came to office, when Dick Cheney and 
I came to office--Dick Cheney is the greatest Vice President our country 
has ever had. Mother heard me say that

[[Page 661]]

one time and she said, ``Wait a minute, buster.'' [Laughter] But when we 
came to office, our military was growing dispirited. It wasn't receiving 
the resources it needed. So we strengthened our defense budget, and 
today, no one can question the skill and the strength and the spirit of 
the United States military.
    And we were attacked on that September day in 2001. The enemy hit 
us. They hit us because of what we love. See, we love freedom. They hate 
freedom. The enemy came to our shore. They declared war on the United 
States of America that day, and war is what they got. We've been on the 
offensive against this enemy. We're chasing them down one at a time to 
bring them to justice. We will use every resource at our disposal to 
protect America. And once again, this Nation is proud to lead the armies 
of liberation. Fifty million people are now free, thanks to the United 
States of America and our coalition.
    I have made it clear where I stand. I have spoken clearly to the 
American people and to the world. And when I say something, I mean it. 
And that's important for a leader. It's also important for a leader to 
understand the responsibilities of leadership. My job is to confront 
problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future 
generations.
    I'm looking forward to the campaign. I'm looking forward to it. I'm 
running against a fellow who has been in Congress a long, long time, so 
long that he's taken just about both positions 
possible on every issue. [Laughter] He was for the PATRIOT Act. He was 
for the No Child Left Behind Act. He was for NAFTA. He was for the use 
of force in Iraq. Now he's against the PATRIOT Act. He's against NAFTA. 
He's against the No Child Left Behind Act. He was against my decision in 
Iraq. He's been on both sides of just about every issue. If there was a 
third side possible, he'd take it. [Laughter]
    Not only have we confronted problems; we have delivered. We've 
delivered results for the American people. This economy of ours is 
growing stronger every day--every single day. Think about what we've 
overcome. We've overcome attacks. We've overcome war. We've overcome 
scandal. We've overcome recession. Yet I can tell you, the economy is 
strengthening. GDP growth is strong. Manufacturing activity is up. 
Homeownership is at the highest rate ever in American history. More 
minorities own a home today than ever before, and that is positive news 
for America.
    Our economy is adding new jobs now. Remember, we had 308,000 job 
increase in March; 750,000 jobs since last August. People are finding 
work. Things are getting better. We acted, and as a result, this economy 
is improving. That's good news. That's real good news.
    But there's more to do. One of the things that's important for a 
person running for office is to constantly talk about what we intend to 
do. See, I've got a vision to make sure our prosperity is lasting 
prosperity. We've got to make sure we're a nation that doesn't wall us 
off from the rest of the world. We must reject economic isolationism. We 
must open up markets for U.S. products. Listen, if you're good at 
something, you want to be selling things in the world. For the sake of 
job creation and lasting priority and prosperity, I will work to open up 
markets for U.S. goods so people can find work right here at home.
    In order to make sure we have lasting prosperity, we've got to have 
a legal system that is fair. There's too many junk and frivolous 
lawsuits that penalize small-business owners here in America. We need 
tort reform. In order to make sure that we have lasting prosperity, 
we've got to do something about health care, the cost of health care. 
What I will not do is allow the Federal Government to run the health 
care system of America.
    I'm for--I strongly support health savings accounts to empower 
consumers in America. I'm for association health care plans to allow 
small businesses to pool risk, so

[[Page 662]]

they can better afford insurance for their employees. And we need 
medical liability reform at the Federal Government.
    We need an energy plan. We need more energy in this country, and we 
can do so without drilling off the coast of Florida. We're too dependent 
on foreign sources of energy. We need to encourage conservation. We need 
new technologies to make us less dependent. But one thing is for 
certain, we need to use the resources that are at our disposal so that 
we're not dependent on foreign sources of energy. For us to have lasting 
prosperity, the Congress needs to get me an energy bill to my desk this 
year.
    In order to make sure we have lasting prosperity, we better make 
sure our folks are educated. There's all kinds of new jobs being 
created, and sometimes the skill sets of our workers don't match those 
jobs. Good education, by the way, starts in the early grades.
    I passed the No Child Left Behind Act. It's a strong piece of 
legislation. It says that every child can learn; every child has the 
potential to learn. We're going to stop this business about just 
shuffling our children through the schools. You see, what happens is, if 
you just give up on kids, like oftentimes happens, you wake up at the 
end and people can't read and write and add. You can't be a country with 
lasting prosperity unless every child learns to read and write and add 
and subtract. In return for Federal money, we're now insisting that 
States measure. See, we want to know. We want to know if a child can 
read and write, and if they can't, they're going to get extra help 
early. The No Child Left Behind Act is an important part of making sure 
this country is literate and strong.
    And as our economy grows and changes, we better make sure that our 
workers are reeducated. I put out what we call the Jobs for the 21st 
Century plan, which utilizes community colleges more actively. It says 
to the community colleges, ``Here's some Federal help so you can train 
people for jobs which actually exist.'' Technology is changing our 
world. We'd better make sure our workers have the skills to fill the 
jobs of the 21st century. If we want to have lasting prosperity, we've 
got to have an education system that works, an education system that 
enables our workers to fill the jobs that are being created here in our 
country.
    In order to make sure we have lasting prosperity, we need certainty 
in the Tax Code. Listen, we did good work on the tax relief package. We 
increased the child credit. If you've got a family, we made it easier 
for you to raise the family. We reduced the marriage penalty. What kind 
of Tax Code is it that penalizes marriage? [Laughter] We're not 
interested in penalizing marriage in America. We're interested in 
encouraging marriage in America.
    If you paid taxes, you ought to get relief. Instead of trying to 
pick or choose winners, if you pay taxes, you get relief. The tax relief 
we passed helped our small businesses all across America. It was an 
incredibly important part of the vitality of our economy, because most 
new jobs are created by small businesses and entrepreneurs. No, the tax 
relief we passed came at the right time. It's working, and in order to 
make sure we have lasting prosperity, we need to make the tax relief 
permanent.
    And finally, in order to make sure we have lasting prosperity, the 
Federal Government has got to be wise about how we spend your money. 
See, it's your money, not the Government's money. We've got to be wise 
about how we spend it. We need fiscal discipline in Washington, DC. We 
need to be willing to set priorities and meet those priorities.
    The problem in the campaign, of course, is that the tendency is to 
overpromise. My opponent has done a good job of that. He's already promised over a trillion dollars of new 
spending. See, the temptation is to get in front of audiences and 
promise here and promise there. I've submitted a budget which cuts the 
deficit in half over 5 years.

[[Page 663]]

He's begun to make those promises. There's no audience that he's not 
willing to make a promise in front of.
    But we're adding up the money. There's over a trillion dollars, and 
he says he's going to pay for it by taxing the 
rich. The problem is, there's not enough money in taxing the rich to pay 
for the promises. You know what it means he's going to do? He's going to 
tax everybody in America. The good news is, we're not going to let him, 
because I'm going to win in November.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. There are big differences in foreign policy, during 
the foreign policy debates. I've got a clear vision as to how to protect 
America and to spread freedom and peace throughout the world. We're 
still at war--we're still at war. It's important for the President to 
understand the stakes. I understand the enemy. They're ruthless. They're 
coldblooded. They're trying to frighten us. They're trying to shake our 
will. This country must be determined, must be strong, and never relent 
to the killers.
    I will use all the tools at my disposal to protect America. We'll 
work with other nations to protect America. We'll share intelligence. 
We'll use our great military. We'll do everything we can. My most solemn 
duty is to protect America from the enemy. That's why I created the 
Department of Homeland Security, to better share information, make sure 
our borders are better protected. The best way to protect America is to 
stay on the offensive, is to find them. There is no cave or hole deep 
enough to hide from justice of America.
    We're making progress against Al Qaida. Two-thirds of the known 
leaders have been captured or killed, and we'll get the rest of them 
with time. It's a matter of time. It's a matter of will and strength and 
determination and time. I'm telling you, we've got a fabulous military. 
For those of you who have got a loved one in the United States 
military--for those of you with a loved one in the military, you tell 
them the Commander in Chief is incredibly proud of their service to our 
Nation.
    Right after September the 11th, I told the world that ``if you 
harbor a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist.'' When the 
President says something, he better mean it. I meant it, and the Taliban 
found out what we meant. This was this barbaric crowd that was running 
in Afghanistan. They were providing safe haven for Al Qaida. They were 
providing training camps for Al Qaida. They not only did that, but they 
were incredibly repressive. Young girls were not able to go to school in 
Afghanistan, but thanks to the United States and our coalition, not only 
is America more secure, not only is the world more secure, but young 
girls now go to school, many of them for the first time in their life.
    Another lesson of September the 11th is that when we see a threat 
overseas, we must take it seriously. When we see a gathering threat, we 
can no longer hope oceans protect us from harm's way. I looked at the 
intelligence and saw a threat in Iraq. The United States Congress looked 
at the same intelligence, and they saw a threat in Iraq. The United 
Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence, and it saw a threat 
in Iraq.
    I took the threat seriously as your President. I knew the world had 
changed after September the 11th. I took the threat seriously because I 
remembered the facts--not only the intelligence said something, but 
Saddam Hussein used weapons of mass 
destruction on his own people. Saddam Hussein invaded countries in his 
neighborhood. Saddam Hussein paid suiciders to kill Israelis. Saddam 
Hussein had ties to terrorist organizations. I took the threat seriously 
and went to the United Nations Security Council.
    I said to the United Nations Security Council, ``For nearly a 
decade, you have said to Saddam Hussein to 
disarm, and now is the time for your words to mean something. But if you 
won't disarm him, we

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will lead a coalition to do so.'' The United Nations Security Council, 
if you remember, acted. On a 15-to-nothing vote, they sent this clear 
message to Saddam Hussein, ``Disarm, or face serious consequences.'' 
Saddam Hussein, once again, decided to deceive the world. So I was 
presented with a choice: Either trust the word of a madman or defend 
America. Given that choice, I will defend America every time.
    My opponent voted for the use of force in 
Iraq. He just didn't support my decision to get rid of Saddam 
Hussein. Perhaps he was hoping that Saddam 
would lose the next election. [Laughter]
    We acted. We acted, and there are no longer mass graves and torture 
rooms and rape rooms in Iraq. We acted. Because we acted, Libya got the 
message and have now voluntarily decided to disarm. Because we acted, 
freedom is rising in the heart of the Middle East. Because we acted, the 
world is more peaceful and America is more secure.
    There is a debate going on about when the President must take action 
to defend America. Listen, we'll build coalitions, and we have. There's 
over 30 nations in Iraq helping us now. We've got nations in Afghanistan 
helping us. We're working closely with our friends and allies who 
understand the stakes.
    But let me make this very clear to you: I will never allow leaders 
of other nations to determine the national security issues of America. 
We have tough work in Iraq. It's been tough weeks for America. It's been 
tough weeks for those who have got loved ones in the Iraq theater. And 
there's a reason why, because we're making progress toward freedom, and 
the enemies of freedom want to stop us. They want to shake our will. 
They'll kill anybody in their way in order to try to get us to leave.
    But the stakes are too high for us to leave. This is an historic 
moment. You see, a free society will be a peaceful society. A free 
society in the heart of the Middle East will begin to change the world 
for the better. No, they're trying to shake our will, but America will 
never be run out of Iraq by a bunch of thugs and killers.
    We will keep our word to the Iraqi people. There are thousands in 
Iraq who long for freedom. See, freedom is not America's gift to the 
world; freedom is the Almighty's gift to each man and woman in this 
world. That's what we believe. That's what we hold dear here in America. 
That's something we will never forfeit. And therefore, the United States 
and our brave troops and allies will continue on the offensive, continue 
implementing our strategy, and we will win this essential battle in the 
war against the terrorists.
    We believe in freedom not only in Iraq, but we believe in freedom in 
our own neighborhood. My foreign policy--I've got two words for my 
policy--two words for my foreign policy for Cuba: Cuba Libre!
    Audience members. Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!
    The President. We will keep the pressure on the tyrant. We want the people of Cuba to hear this message loud 
and clear: We will make no concessions to tyranny; we believe strongly 
in freedom; we will insist upon their human rights, their God-given 
rights; we stand strongly with the freedom fighters and the island of 
Cuba.
    As well we believe in a democratic and free Haiti. Our quest for 
freedom is around the world. Good foreign policy is a foreign policy 
that insists upon freedom in our own neighborhood. Good foreign policy 
is a policy that insists upon freedom in parts of the world where 
there's hatred and the lack of hope. That's why I will continue to work, 
so long as I'm President, for a vision of peace based upon the 
cornerstone of free societies, and we will succeed.
    And finally, I will continue to work for a culture which says that 
each of us is responsible for the decisions we make in life. See, I want 
to help to change the culture from one that has said, ``If it feels 
good, just go ahead and do it,'' and, ``If you've got a problem, blame 
somebody

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else,'' to a culture in which each of us understands we're responsible 
for what we do.
    See, if you're a mother or a father, you're responsible for loving 
your child with all your heart. That's your responsibility. It is your 
most solemn and important responsibility to love your children. 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. Just 
don't hope that Washington, DC, solves problems. Get involved with your 
schools here in Miami, Florida, and insist upon quality of education for 
each child. Support your teachers. If you're in corporate America, if 
you're a CEO, you're responsible for telling the truth to your 
shareholders and your employees.
    And finally, in a responsibility era, each of us is responsible for 
loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourselves. Listen, 
the strength of this country is the citizens of this country, the hearts 
and souls of the people. That's the true strength of America. We're a 
compassionate nation. We're a decent nation. We're a nation of many 
people bound by freedom and a nation of many people who care deeply 
about their neighbor.
    I met Donna Huck today when I got to the 
airport. She's a volunteer. She's a soul who said, ``What can I do to 
make my community a better place?'' So she works at the Children's 
Hospital here. She cares about children. She's lending her love to help 
heal the broken heart of the sick. I call to you here in Miami, as I do 
around America, and say, ``If you want to serve your Nation, feed the 
hungry, mentor children, provide shelter for the homeless, reach out to 
the lonely, and together, we can change America one heart, one 
conscience, one soul at a time.'' No, the strength of this country is 
the great people of America, and it is my high honor to be the President 
of such a fantastic country.
    Thanks for coming. May God bless. Thank you all very much.

Note: The President spoke at 5:31 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. In 
his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; Al Hoffman, 
finance chairman, Republican National Committee; Al Cardenas, former 
chair, Republican Party of Florida; Representatives Lincoln Diaz-Balart 
and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida; former President Saddam Hussein of 
Iraq; and President Fidel Castro of Cuba.