[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[May 3, 2004]
[Pages 714-723]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Kalamazoo, Michigan
May 3, 2004
The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Be seated, unless
you don't have a seat. [Laughter] I appreciate you being here. It's
great to be back in Kalamazoo. It just didn't seem all that long ago
that I was here. We had a great trip in 2000. I'm back here asking for
the vote again, and I'm asking for your help.
I want to thank you for coming. I want to thank you for showing an
interest in the future of our country. For those of you who are ready to
go to work like I am, I would urge you to dial up georgewbush.com. That
will give you an opportunity to volunteer. It will help you find out
ways to register the vote. I'm asking you to go to your community
centers and your houses of worship, to speak to your neighbors from all
political parties, and tell them I've got a hopeful, optimistic,
positive vision for every citizen who lives in the State of Michigan.
We've accomplished a lot in 3 years, but there's more to do. There's
more to do. I have a plan to win the war on terror and to spread freedom
and peace throughout the world. We have shown the country that this
administration can help lead the country through tough times. But
there's more to do. I have a plan to make sure this Nation is prosperous
in every corner of America, so every citizen from all walks of life can
realize the great promise of our country.
[[Page 715]]
I understand the limitations of Government, so I have a plan to call
upon the compassion of the American people, to rally the deep love
Americans have for their neighbors to make sure that those who hurt find
comfort, those who are hungry find food, those who look for shelter can
find housing. I have a vision I look forward to laying out to our fellow
citizens. With your help, there is no doubt in my mind we will carry
Michigan and earn 4 more years from the American people.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Thank you all.
The best reason for 4 more years is to make sure that Laura is the
First Lady for 4 more years. I'm really proud of
Laura. She is a great role model. She is steady, a calming influence
when the Nation needed calm. She understands the importance of reading
in the lives of our fellow citizens. She loves libraries. She loves
books. She's been an inspiration to the women in Afghanistan. She has
been an inspiration to women all over the world. Laura Bush is a great
First Lady, and I'm lucky she's my wife.
When you're out there gathering up the vote, remind them about the
team that I have put together on behalf of the American citizens. I've
asked people from all walks of life to serve in my Cabinet. I've put
together people who are smart and capable, people who are dedicated to
the service of our country. Our country has had no finer Vice President
than Dick Cheney. Mother heard me say that one time. She said, ``Wait a
minute.'' [Laughter]
Today I had the privilege of traveling from Washington to South Bend
then to Niles and now here to Kalamazoo with a really fine Member of the
United States Congress, Congressman Fred Upton.
I want to thank Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land for joining us today. Secretary, thanks for coming. A
good sign when the speaker and the majority leader of the senate show
up. Leader Ken Sikkema is with us as well as
Speaker Rick Johnson. Thank you both for
coming. I'm glad you all are here. Thank you.
And I want to thank the local officials who are here and the State
officials. Thank you all for taking time out to come by to say hello.
I'm proud you're here. My only advice is, fill the potholes. [Laughter]
I want to thank my friend Betsy DeVos, who
is with us today. She represents all the grassroots activists who are
here in the crowd. I want to thank you for what you're doing to make
sure that people get to the polls. Thank you for coming.
I want to thank the men and women who wear our uniform who are here
today. I've had the high honor of being the Commander in Chief of some
of the finest citizens our country has every produced. I've been to
bases all across our country and all across the world, and I can tell
you, ladies and gentlemen, freedom is in the hands of some mighty fine
people.
This is going to be a tough campaign. That's why I'm here asking for
your help. We got a lot of work to do. We got a lot of work to do
together. I'm running against an experienced candidate, somebody who
spent a lot of time in Washington in the Halls of the United States
Senate. I'm not going to take him lightly. He's a worthy
opponent, and that's why we've got to do
everything we can to convince people to go to the polls. We've got to
convince people to listen to the message.
My opponent has been there long enough to
develop the Washington language. I call it Washingtonitis. [Laughter]
The other day in Washington, they asked him about what kind of car he
has. [Laughter] Here in the State of Michigan, he was asked that
question. Of course, this is the great auto-producing State. He said,
``Well, we've got some SUVs.'' He talked about having a couple of
minivans and a big Suburban. Last month on Earth Day--[laughter]--he had
a little different description of the fleet. He said, ``I don't own an
SUV.'' To clear up the confusion, he said
[[Page 716]]
this: ``The family has it. I don't have it.'' [Laughter] In other words,
he doesn't have an SUV except when he's in Michigan. [Laughter] One guy
is getting a lot of mileage out of one SUV.
What this country needs is a leader who speaks clearly, and when he
says something, he means it. You've got to tell the people what you
intend to do and then go out and do it.
We've done a lot for the last 3 years. We've dealt with emergencies
and wars and recessions. But there's a lot to do. Today I want to tell
you about the course I intend to put this Nation on for the next 4
years. I want this country to be safer and stronger and a better nation.
I've come to Kalamazoo to ask for your help but also to let you know
I see clearly where I want to lead this Nation. And my most important
duty is to make sure this country is safe. My most important duty is to
speak clearly about the challenges we face. There's still an enemy that
would like to strike America. On September the 11th, our world changed.
On September the 11th, we realized that oceans wouldn't protect us and
that, because of what we believe, there's an enemy that wants to hurt
us. That's the reality that we now face.
I have a solemn duty to do everything I can to protect America, and
we made a lot of changes in Washington. The communication between the
intelligence agencies and law enforcement are a lot better. The ports
are better guarded. As you know, the airplanes are safer. They're even
looking at your shoes. [Laughter] We got a lot of good people working
hard. We have to be right 100 percent of the time, but the enemy has to
be right only once. The best way to protect the homeland is to go on the
offensive, is to stay on the offensive, and is to bring the killers to
justice.
There are some who question whether America is really at war. In
other words, they think that this is primarily a law enforcement and
intelligence matter that confronts the country. But that's what we
thought after the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993. We thought it
was a law enforcement and intelligence matter. And yet the enemy was
planning more sophisticated attacks. The enemy was using training bases
in Afghanistan. Those who believe that way, in my judgment, are
absolutely wrong. This isn't a matter of intelligence and law
enforcement. This is a matter of war. The enemy declared war on the
United States of America, and war is what they got.
And we're making progress--we're making progress. About two-thirds
of the known Al Qaida leadership are--have been brought to justice, and
we're chasing down the rest of them. We're chasing down the rest of
them. Right after September the 11th, I laid out a doctrine that said,
``If you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you hide a
terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist.'' When an American
President lays down such a doctrine, he better mean what he says. For
the sake of keeping--for the sake of peace and freedom, when the
American President speaks, he better mean it. I meant what I said, and
the Taliban in Afghanistan found out I meant what I said.
There are no longer Al Qaida training camps in Afghanistan. In other
words, America is more secure. Afghanistan is heading toward democracy
and freedom. The thing I really like about our action, besides making
America more safe and secure, is the fact that we liberated people.
There were people in the clutches--it's hard to believe this if you're
an American citizen, because of the nature of our society, but there are
young girls--were young girls growing up in Afghanistan who never had a
chance to go to school. It's just beyond our comprehension, isn't it,
that people would be that barbaric, that backwards. These people were
enslaved to a backward ideology, and thanks to America and our allies,
people are now free in Afghanistan, and the world is better off for it.
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The American President must be a realist. He must see the world the
way it really is. And after September the 11th, I learned this lesson,
and it's the lesson that we must keep in our minds as we protect our
country: When we see a gathering threat, we just can't hope it goes
away. If we see a threat, given the lesson of September the 11th, this
Nation must lead the world to deal with that threat.
I looked at the intelligence and the history in Iraq and saw a
threat. The Congress, the Members of the United States Congress looked
at the same intelligence, and they saw a threat. The United Nations
Security Council on my watch looked at the intelligence, and it saw a
threat. But it also had seen a threat from the past and no wonder.
Saddam Hussein was a man who used weapons of
mass destruction against his own people and in his neighborhood. Saddam
Hussein made his hatred of America well known. He was a threat. He paid
suiciders to go kill innocent Israeli citizens. He had terrorist
connections.
In other words, we all saw a threat. I saw a threat. The Congress
saw a threat. The United Nations Security Council saw a threat--to the
point where they passed a unanimous resolution that said, ``Mr. Saddam
Hussein, disarm, or face serious
consequences.''
As I just told you, when the President speaks, he better mean what
he says. As he had done for year after year after year, Saddam
Hussein didn't answer the request of the free
world. So I was faced with a choice: Do I take the word of a madman? Do
I forget the lessons of September the 11th, 2001, and hope for the best?
Or do I take actions necessary to defend America? Given that choice, I
will defend America every time.
Thanks to our fantastic military and thanks to over 30 other
nations, Iraq is becoming a free society. Thanks to our fantastic
military and thanks to friends and allies, the torture chambers in Iraq
are closed. Thanks to the United States and friends and allies, the
long-suffering people of Iraq now have hope. They have hope to live like
we want to live, in a free society, in a peaceful society, and a chance
to raise your children in a hopeful environment.
We're on a very difficult mission right now, and it's tough work.
It's tough work because there are a few who want to destroy the hopes of
many. It's tough work because we're dealing with people with no
conscience. They're willing to kill innocent Iraqis, or they're willing
to kill coalition forces in order to stop the march of freedom, in order
to not allow liberty to take root and to spread its wings in a part of
the world that needs freedom and needs liberty. They're doing everything
in--they can to shake our will. America will not allow freedom to lose
in Iraq because of a bunch of thugs and assassins.
Like you, I mourn the loss of life. Like you, I hurt when a mom or a
dad loses a loved one, and I have told them when I've met them in person
that the mission of their son or daughter was a vital mission to the
long-term security of the United States. Because you see, a free society
in the part of the world that breeds resentment will be a peaceful
influence in a part of the world that needs peace. These are historic
times. These are really important times in our country.
I told the story the other day at the press conference about my--
Laura and my dinner with Prime Minister
Koizumi. He is the Prime Minister of
Japan. And we were talking about how to work together to keep the peace
on the Korean Peninsula. Kim Chong-il is a
danger. Kim Chong-il is developing nuclear weapons. And so, working with
a former enemy, it dawned on me during the course of the conversation:
What happens if we had got it wrong at the end of World War II? Would I
have been talking to the Prime Minister of Japan about a way to make the
world a peaceful place? It also dawned on me, when we
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get it right in Iraq, when freedom and democracy take hold in that part
of the world, someday an American President will be talking to an
elected Iraqi leader as to how to deal with the current threat of that
era. These are historic times. Our troops are performing brilliantly,
and we will succeed.
There are plenty of others in the world who agree with the spread of
freedom and democracy. Thank goodness. See, I understand freedom is not
America's gift to the world or any other country's gift to the world;
freedom is the Almighty's gift to every man and woman who lives in this
world.
We have a duty to spread freedom. We have an obligation to spread
freedom, and we're getting plenty of help. There's a difference,
however, between leading a coalition of nations and submitting to the
objections of a few. I'll always work with other countries. If I'm
fortunate enough to be your President for 4 more years, we'll continue
to build alliances and to work with other nations to spread freedom and
make the world more peaceful. But I will never turn America's national
security decisions over to leaders of other countries.
I've come to Kalamazoo to tell you, I've got a clear vision on what
we need to do to make the world more free and more peaceful. I've come
to let you know that a priority of mine over the next 4 years will be to
do everything in our power as a nation to safeguard the American people.
I also have come to let you know that I've got a plan to make sure
that America is a strong nation, and that starts with making sure that
our economy is strong in every part of our country. I'm an optimistic
fellow because I have seen what this Nation has been through. I'm also
optimistic because I know how strong the entrepreneurial spirit is in
America, how vibrant our economy is because the people are hopeful and
optimistic.
Remember what our economy has been through. We've been through a
recession. When we came to office, the country was headed into a
recession. That's a long word for, ``We're going backwards.'' [Laughter]
It's a long word for, ``Dismal times,'' where people were worried about
their jobs and small businesses were worried about meeting the payroll.
We started to come out of the recession, and then the enemy hit us.
September the 11th affected the economy. It hurt. It hurt us because we
realized we were a battlefield in the war on terror. We lost a lot of
jobs. Remember, the airlines weren't flying for a while. The stock
market was shut down. It was a tough period. We came out of that.
America refused to be intimidated, refused to relent.
And then we found out we had some citizens in our country that
forgot what it meant to be a responsible citizen, and they didn't tell
the truth. The corporate scandals affected the economy. You see, in a
market-oriented economy, you've got to have faith in the balance sheet,
faith in the numbers. There were some people who broke the faith. We
passed tough laws. We will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of
America.
The decision to deal with Saddam Hussein
also affected the economy. You might remember on the TV screens, it said
``March to War.'' That's not a conducive environment in which to risk
capital. Marching to war is an incredibly negative thought. Fortunately,
now we're marching to peace.
But all those were overcome because the spirit of America is a
strong spirit. And the small-business sector of this economy stepped up.
People started to invest. People refused to be pessimistic. People
decided to make good decisions about the economy, and I believe one of
the main reasons why is because of the tax cuts we delivered for the
American people.
The proper role of the Government is to make sure that the
entrepreneurial spirit is strong, that the environment for taking risk
is good. Cutting taxes was essential to making sure that that was the
case. And
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remember, we just didn't cut taxes on a few. We cut taxes on everybody
who paid taxes. We raised the child credit to make it easier to raise a
family. We reduced the marriage penalty. What kind of Tax Code is it
that penalizes marriage? We want to strengthen families in America.
Small businesses benefited. Families benefited.
The tax relief and the economic stimulus package we passed is
working. The economy grew at the rate of 4.2 percent in the first
quarter. We were in recession in early '01. Early '04, we're growing at
the rate of 4.2 percent. Economic growth over the past three quarters
has been the fastest in nearly two decades. This economy is beginning to
move.
I understand that Michigan still suffers. My attitude is, when I
hear one person is looking for work, we got to make sure we continue to
grow the economy. And while the growth numbers, the job numbers were
good in certain parts of our country, they were slower in Michigan. But
the plans we put in place should help those workers. We got to make sure
that we don't go backwards and undo the good works we have done. Part of
the vision for the next 4 years is to make sure this economy is healthy
and strong with pro-growth, pro-small-business, pro-entrepreneur
economic policies.
Let me tell you a couple of people I met today, just to maybe put
this economic plan in perspective. I met the O'Roarks, Tom and Beth. They're with us. There
they are, right. And they got two kids, and the reason I bring them is
that the tax relief plan we passed saved them $1,700. That's good. That
may not seem like a lot to some. It's a lot to them. They'll save $1,700
this year too. That's their money by the way. When somebody has got more
of their own money, they're going to demand additional good or a
service. And when that demand goes up, somebody produces the good or a
service. And when somebody produces it, somebody is likely to find work.
No, the tax relief was important for our economy, but it's also
important for families all across the country like the O'Roarks. I said the other day,
our tax relief is showing that Americans can spend their money far
better than the Federal Government would have.
Factory orders are up. Manufacturing is coming back. I tell you a
statistic I love about our Nation right now: More people own a home.
See, the homeownership rate is incredibly high, and not only that, more
minorities own their own home. I tell you what's beautiful about that:
We want more people owning something in America. We want people owning
their own business. We want people owning and managing their own
retirement accounts. We want more people owning their own home because
this administration understands when you own something, you have a vital
stake in the future of our country.
It's very important that fiscal policy understand the importance of
small businesses in our society. Seventy percent of new jobs are created
by small-business owners. Good fiscal policy, good economic policy
focuses on the small-business sector--should focus on the small-business
sector of America. I want you to know that an inherent part of the
economic plan that we put forward is creating incentives for small
business to expand.
Most small businesses in America are Subchapter S corporations or
sole proprietorships. Those are legal terms describing what kind of
taxes they pay, basically. If you're a sole proprietorship or a
Subchapter S corporation, you pay tax at the individual income-tax rate.
Therefore, when you hear us saying we're going to reduce individual
income taxes, we're really reducing taxes as well on small businesses.
The more a small business has in its coffers, the more likely it is it's
going to expand. If 70 percent of new jobs are created by small
businesses and you're worried about job creation, it seems to make sense
to provide
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stimulus to the small-business sector of the economy.
I was talking to Jim Van Zoeren. He
runs a trucking company--Big Jim--and he's an upbeat guy. He's going to
invest about $4 million in trucks and trailers and forklifts this year.
He's a small-business guy. He's willing to invest. ``Invest'' means he's
going to buy something from somebody. And when he buys it from somebody,
somebody has got to make it.
In other words, the economy works as a result of the decisionmaking
process from people like Jim. He has
already hired 20 workers in the year 2004 to meet that investment. In
other words, when you hear investment is up, you hear the tax plan
encouraged investment, think jobs. Because there's 20 more people
working for his firm as a result of the investments that he made. He's
planning to hire 10 more this year. See, when Jim hires 30 people this
year, there's people like him--it says something's happening. There's
people like him all across the country. There's a lot of small
businesses and entrepreneurs who are optimistic and hopeful, who have
had their decisionmaking helped by good tax policy. And I intend to keep
it that way. One reason I need to stay in office is to make sure that we
don't ruin the incentives and don't stop the momentum of economic growth
by failed Washington, DC, policies.
One thing you better watch out for are spending promises on a
campaign. And you've got to take these promisers for their word. My
opponent is a pretty good spender. We've got 6
more months to go in the campaign, and he's easily over a trillion in
new promises. And so the question that I ask is, how is he going to pay
for it? He said, of course, by taxing the rich. There's not enough money
to tax the rich to pay for the new promises he's made. So guess who he
is going to tax? He's going to tax you. That's what's going to happen.
In order to meet all the promises he's making, he's going to have to
raise the taxes on the American people.
Now is not the time to be raising taxes. This economy is getting
strong. This economy is getting better. A tax increase on the American
people, a tax increase on small-business owners, a tax increase on moms
and dads who are trying to raise their families, raising that marriage
penalty up is the wrong policy at the wrong time, and we're not going to
let him have a chance to do so.
There is more to do to make sure this economy is the best place to
do business in the world. If you're interested in jobs growing here in
America, if you're interested in jobs staying here, I got some ideas
that I want to share with you right quick. First, we cannot let Congress
raise taxes on you. Raising taxes on the American people will make the
country less competitive and will make it harder for people to find a
job.
Secondly, we've got to make sure we've got good worker training
programs. Listen, technology is changing. There are--changing the
workforce. And the demand for workers--there's all kinds of jobs in
America, but oftentimes, workers need new skills. They need new
training. The community college system in America is a fantastic place
to match up workers who want to find new skills with employers looking
for new workers. I've got a plan called the Jobs for the 21st Century
program to do just that.
We've got to make sure that health care costs are more affordable,
and we must do so without letting the Federal Government run the health
care industry. That's why I'm for association health care plans and
health savings accounts, and that's why I am for medical liability
reform at the Federal level, to stop the junk and frivolous lawsuits
which are running up the cost of medicine.
You know, most American Presidents have opened up our markets to
foreign products. That's good for consumers. When you get more products
to choose from, it helps on price; it helps on quality. The
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problem is, a lot of American Presidents haven't said to other nations,
``Open up your markets.'' The best way to make sure that we have jobs
for the 21st century, the best way we make sure that people can find
work is reject economic isolationism and make sure the playing field is
level. Listen, American workers, American farmers, American ranchers can
compete with anybody, any time, anyplace so long as the rules are fair.
We need to make sure we get an energy policy in this country. We
want to make sure that people are able to find work in the 21st century.
This Nation needs an energy policy. I've laid out a plan to encourage
conservation. I've laid out a plan to develop alternative sources of
energy. Listen, I want to be the person that lays the groundwork for a
President to be able to say, ``Hey, the corn harvest was up, and we're
less dependent.'' We need alternative sources of energy to be developed
in this country. We've got research and development--ongoing research
and development to encourage that. We need clean coal technology. We
need to be exploring for natural gas in our own hemisphere. We need safe
nuclear energy. We need a full-scale energy plan to make us less
dependent on foreign sources of energy.
I'm running because I got a plan to make sure we're the best place
to do business, so people can find work. I'm running because I
understand what it means to keep America competitive in the world. We
live in a global economy. I'm also running because I want to keep us--I
want to enable us to be the innovative society that we are. Listen, we
need to have broadband technology in every home in Kalamazoo, Michigan,
and every farm in rural Michigan as well.
The role of Government is not to create wealth but an environment in
which the entrepreneur, the imagination, the genius of the American
people can survive, and that's why I need 4 more years as your
President.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Finally, I want to talk about something that's dear
to my heart because--and it's because I understand the true strength of
the country, and that is, my job is to rally the compassion of America
to help save lives in this country. Look, Government is not a loving
organization. [Laughter] Government is justice. Government is law. But
Government is not loving. Love exists in the hearts and souls of the
American citizens. The true strength of this country is not our
military, although it's an important part of keeping the peace. The true
strength of the country is not the fact that we're a very strong economy
relative to other nations in the world. The true strength of the country
is the hearts and souls of the American people, and I understand that.
I also understand that many problems can be only solved by love.
Many problems can only be solved when a decent citizen takes time out of
their life and says, ``How can I help you, brother? What can I do to
make your life better?''
No, the job of the President is to understand the proper
relationship between the Government and the strength of the country. And
the job of the President is to call upon that strength and rally that
strength and encourage that strength to help save America one heart, one
soul, one conscience at a time.
And that's why I have pushed so hard for what I call the Faith- and
Community-Based Initiative that says to people, ``Let us not focus on
the process in Washington, DC. Let's focus on the results.'' And if
there's a faith community that's got the capacity to change hearts and,
therefore, help an addict on drugs, we ought not to fear empowering that
program. We ought to encourage that program through Government help.
I met Iris and Louie
Tortorelli here today. Where are the
Tortorellis? There they are. [Applause] Thank you all. Nice
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spattering of applause there for them. [Laughter] They're mentors. These
are people that have lived a full life, and they want to live a fuller
life by taking time out to help a child learn to read--what a wonderful
gift, not only a gift to the child but a gift to them.
Like many of you in the audience, they are soldiers in the army of
compassion. I'm sure I'm looking at people that have heard that call to
love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself, people who
are willing to do simple acts of kindness and love to help brighten
somebody's day. These good folks are mentoring children, elementary
school children. Here's what Louie said. He said, ``It's so rewarding to
work with the kids. I'm excited about what I'm doing. I can't do much
physical work anymore, but I can do that.''
I want to thank Iris and
Louie for setting such a fine example. I
want to thank you all as well. It's really part of what I call ushering
in a new culture--the responsibility era, I like to call it. It's a
different kind of culture from one that we had been through in the
country, the culture that said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and do
it,'' and, ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else.'' I envision
a new culture, and it's happening not because of me but because of
America, where each of us understands we're responsible for the
decisions we make in life.
If you're a mom or a dad, you are responsible for loving your
children with all your heart and all your soul. 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. Each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor
like we'd like to be loved yourself. It's happening here in America.
It's happening because the strength of this country is the character of
the American people.
On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
Towers. I will never forget that day. There were workers in hardhats
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. You 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.
I want to again thank you for coming. We have a purpose together. We
have a mission. 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. That 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.
Note: The President spoke at approximately 4:30 p.m. at Wings Stadium.
In his remarks, he referred to Speaker Rick Johnson and Majority Leader
Ken Sikkema, Michigan State Legislature; Betsy DeVos, chairman, Michigan
Republican Party; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and Chairman Kim Chong-il of North
Korea. The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also
included the remarks of the First Lady, who introduced the President.
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