    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [September 13, 2004]
    [Pages 2038-2046]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Battle Creek, Michigan
    September 13, 2004

        The President. Thank you all.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Thanks for coming. Thank you all very much. As you
    can see, I'm on a bus tour of your beautiful State. And stopping here in
    ``Cereal City'' is a good way to end a bus tour.
        Thanks for coming out to say hello. I'm here to ask for the vote. I
    kind of like spending an afternoon in the ballpark asking for the vote.
    I so appreciate you being here. I'm not only here to ask for the vote; I
    want your help. See, I believe we have a duty in this country to vote,
    and I would hope you would go out and register your friends and
    neighbors. Convince them they have a duty, in a free country, to
    participate. Don't overlook discerning Democrats like Zell
    Miller when you're out registering people to
    vote.
        We've got a lot of people from the Democrat Party supporting my
    candidacy. We've got a lot of independents supporting my candidacy.
    We've got a lot of Republicans, because they understand that with 4 more
    years, this country will be safer, stronger, and better. There is no
    doubt in my mind, with your help, we will carry Michigan and win a great
    victory in November.
        I am sorry that Laura is not here today.
    She's a great wife, a wonderful mom. I'm going to give you some reasons
    to put me back in, but perhaps the most important one is so that Laura
    will be First Lady for 4 more years.
        I am running with a good man in Dick Cheney.
    Listen, I admit it, he doesn't have the waviest hair in the race. I
    didn't pick him for his hair. I picked him because he's got good
    judgment and great experience. I picked him because he can get the job
    done.

    [[Page 2039]]

        I want to thank Congressman Nick Smith for
    his service in the United States Congress. I'm looking forward to
    working with Dr. Joe Schwarz, the next
    Congressman from this district. I appreciate Terri Lynn Land being here. I appreciate the mayor being here. Mr.
    Mayor, thank you for coming. My only
    advice is fill the potholes. I'm honored you're here, sir. I want to
    thank all the people running for office.
        I want to thank the grassroots activists, like my friend Betsy
    DeVos and all the people who are putting up the
    signs and making the phone calls. I appreciate the hard work you have
    been doing. I appreciate the hard work you are going to do. You're
    turning out a big vote come November.
        I want to thank my friend Billy Dean for
    singing here today. I want to thank the Pennfield High School band for
    being here today. I'm trying to hurry up my speech so you can get home
    and do your homework. [Laughter] No? Okay.
        I'm looking forward to the campaign. I'm looking forward to coming
    to Michigan a lot. I'm going to tell the people where I stand and what I
    believe and where I'm going to lead this Nation for 4 more years.
        I believe that every child can learn and every school must teach. I
    went to Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. I
    want to raise the standards so we stop the practice of just shuffling
    kids through school year after year, without learning the basics. I
    believe we ought to measure early, so we can solve problems before it's
    too late. We're closing the achievement gap here in America because
    we've got a good plan, and we're not turning back.
        I believe we have a moral responsibility to make sure our seniors
    get good health care. I went to Washington to solve problems. We had a
    problem with Medicare. See, medicine was modernizing, but Medicare
    wasn't. We'd pay nearly $100,000 for heart surgery but wouldn't pay for
    the prescription drugs to prevent the heart surgery from being needed in
    the first place. That didn't make any sense. It didn't make any sense
    for our seniors. It didn't make any sense for the taxpayers. We've
    strengthened and modernized Medicare, and we're not turning back.
        I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of America's workers,
    our farmers, our small-business owners. And that's why we unleashed that
    energy with the largest tax relief in a generation. When you're out
    there convincing people to go to the polls, remind them what this
    economy has been through. We've been through a recession. We've been
    through corporate scandals. By the way, we passed new laws, and it's
    abundantly clear here in America, we're not going to tolerate dishonesty
    in the boardrooms of America. We went through that terror attack. Some
    estimate that cost us three--a million jobs in the 3 months after the
    attack.
        In other words, we've been through a lot, but this economy is strong
    and getting stronger. It's been growing at rates as fast as any in
    nearly 20 years. It's growing because the entrepreneurial spirit is
    strong. It's growing because there's no obstacle America cannot
    overcome.
        We're adding jobs. We're adding jobs here in America. We've added
    1.7 million new jobs since August of '03. The national unemployment rate
    is 5.4 percent. That's lower than the average rate in the 1970s, the
    1980s, and the 1990s. In Michigan, the unemployment rate here has fallen
    by 1 percent in the year 2004. But I understand we've got more work to
    do. We've got to continue to grow this economy to make sure the American
    people can find work. We've got to continue to have a pro-growth, pro-
    entrepreneur, pro-agriculture economic policy so people can find a job.
        I believe a President must confront problems and not pass them on to
    future generations and future Presidents. I believe the most solemn duty
    of the American President is to protect the American people. If America
    shows uncertainty or weakness

    [[Page 2040]]

    in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This isn't going to
    happen on my watch.
        I'm running for President with a clear and positive plan to build a
    safer world and a more hopeful America. I'm running on a compassionate
    conservative philosophy that Government should help people improve their
    lives, not try to run their lives. I believe this Nation wants steady,
    consistent, principled leadership, and that is why, with your help,
    we're going to win 4 more years.
        Listen, the world we live in is changing. I understand that. When
    our fathers were coming up, they generally had one job, one career, one
    company, paid one pension plan, and one health care plan. The world we
    live in is different. It's changing. People have more than one career.
    They change jobs several times. Perhaps the biggest change of all is the
    workforce has changed. Women work inside the house now and outside the
    house. This is a changing world. And yet, many of the fundamental
    systems of our Government, health care and the Tax Code and pension
    plans and worker training, were designed for yesterday, not tomorrow.
    Think about that.
        And so I believe we've got to change these systems so that all
    citizens are equipped and prepared and thus truly free to make your own
    decisions so you can realize the great promise of America, so it can be
    a hopeful society.
        Listen, any hopeful society, though, starts with a growing economy.
    I've got a plan to keep this economy moving forward. In order to keep
    jobs here in America, in order to make sure our fellow citizens can find
    work, America must be the best place in the world to do business. That
    means we've got to cut down on needless regulations that hamper the
    entrepreneurs in America. That means we've got to do something about
    these personal injury lawyers who keep suing everybody, makes it hard to
    keep work.
        In order to keep jobs here, it means we need an energy plan. Listen,
    I submitted a plan to the United States Congress several years ago, and
    it's stuck. But it's a good plan. It encourages conservation. It
    encourages the development of renewables, alternative sources of energy
    like ethanol and biodiesel. It's a plan that says we can use
    technologies better, to use available resources. But it's a plan that
    understands this: To keep jobs here, to grow this economy, we must
    become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        In order to keep this economy growing, we get wise about how we use
    our resources. I believe that we can manage our environment in wise and
    commonsensical ways. Every day is Earth Day if you own the land. If you
    make a living off the land, every day is Earth Day. We've also got to be
    wise about how we use our water resources. That starts with keeping
    Great Lakes water in the Great Lakes Basin. Earlier this year, my
    opponent said his decision about Great Lakes
    water diversion would be a delicate balancing act. Sounds just like him.
    [Laughter] My position is very clear: My administration will never allow
    the diversion of Great Lakes water.
        To create jobs, we must reject economic isolationism and open up
    markets for U.S. products. Listen, we opened up our markets for goods
    from overseas, and it's good for the consumers here. If you've got more
    products to choose from, you're likely to get what you want at a better
    price and higher quality. What I'm saying to other countries like China
    is, ``You treat us the way we treat you.'' [Applause] Yes. ``You open up
    your markets for our farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs.'' See, we
    can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere if the rules are fair.
        To create jobs, we've got to be wise about how we spend your money
    and keep your taxes low. Taxes are an issue in this campaign. I'm
    running against a fellow who, thus far, has
    promised over $2 trillion of new Federal spending.

    [[Page 2041]]

        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Yes. And we haven't even gotten in the stretch run
    yet. So they asked him, ``How are you going to
    pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh, we'll just tax the rich.'' You've heard
    that before, haven't you? That's why the rich hire lawyers and
    accountants, so you get stuck with the bill. We're not going to let him
    tax you. We're going to win in November.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Let me say--now we're talking about taxes, I want to
    say something about the Tax Code. It's a complicated mess. It's full of
    special interest loopholes. To keep jobs here, to keep the economy
    growing, we need a Tax Code that is fair and simple. In a new term, I'll
    work with Republicans and Democrats to simplify the Federal Tax Code.
        Listen, in a changing world, our economy changes, and there are
    great new opportunities for the workers of America. But sometimes
    there's a skills gap. In order to make sure jobs stay here in America,
    we've got to make sure our worker training programs are modern and
    relevant. And that's one of the reasons why I'm such a big backer of the
    community college system around America. I want people to have the
    opportunity to re-train for the jobs for the 21st century.
        I also know that most new jobs are filled by people with at least 2
    years of college. We've got a changing world. Yet, only about one in
    four of our students gets there. In order to make sure jobs stay here,
    we've got to fund early intervention programs to help students at risk
    in our high schools. We've got to emphasize math and science in our high
    schools, so people are prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. Over
    time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. What I'm telling
    you is, before--by raising performance in high schools and by expanding
    Pell grants for low- and middle-income families, we will help more
    Americans start their career with a college diploma.
        In a time of change, we've got to do more to make sure health care
    is available and affordable. More than one-half of the uninsured are
    small-business employees and their families. Government should take the
    side of our small-business owners. We did so in the tax relief; we must
    do so when it comes to health care. To make sure families get the help
    they need, small businesses ought to be allowed to join together to
    purchase insurance at the discounts that big companies get to do.
        In order to make sure that health care is available, I promise to
    open or expand 1,200 community health centers around America by 2006.
    These are important facilities. These are places where the poor can go
    get primary care. This is where there can be preventative care. These
    are important because they take the strain off of emergency rooms around
    the country, and they're important because we're a compassionate
    country.
        Today I met Dr. A.J. Jones. He runs the
    Family--Family Health Center of Battle Creek, Michigan. Right here in
    your hometown, you've got a community health center. He expects 85,000
    visits this year, mostly from uninsured patients. And they're expanding
    the good work to Albion Clinic. What works--what I'm telling you is, in
    a new term, we're going to make sure every poor county in America has a
    community health center.
        We'll expand health savings accounts. We'll make sure technology
    takes hold in the health care industry, which will help hold down costs.
    But I'm going to tell you one thing we need to do around this country to
    make sure health care is available and affordable. We've got to do
    something about these junk lawsuits that are running good docs out of
    business and are running up the cost of your health care. See, I don't
    think you can be pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-hospital, and pro-trial-
    lawyer at the same time. I think you have to choose.

    [[Page 2042]]

    And my opponent made his choice. He put
    him on the ticket. I made my choice: I'm for
    medical liability reform--now.
        I believe the decisions--health care decisions need to be made
    between doctors and patients, not by Washington bureaucrats. And that's
    the fundamental difference between my health care plan and that of my
    opponent. He's laid out a massive, complicated
    blueprint to have Government control your health care. As a matter of
    fact, they took a look at his plan. They said it's going to cost $1.5
    trillion in new Government spending.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That's what you'd expect from a Senator from
    Massachusetts.
        In a changing world, ownership will help people deal with changing
    times. I believe in encouraging ownership. We're having great success
    when it comes to people owning their own homes. The homeownership rate
    is at an alltime high in America today. In the next term, we'll continue
    to expand ownership to all corners of this country, to all people. We
    want more people opening up the door where they live and say, ``Welcome
    to my home. Welcome to my piece of property.''
        And I believe we've got to do something about the Social Security
    system. First of all, if you're a Social Security recipient, if you're
    retired or near retirement, you don't have a thing to worry about. I
    don't care what they say out of Washington, DC. I don't care how hard
    they try to scare you, you're going to get your check. Baby boomers,
    guys like me, we're in good shape when it comes to Social Security. But
    we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren. We need to be
    thinking about the youngsters coming up. I believe that young workers
    ought to be able to take some of their own tax money and set aside a
    personal savings account in Social Security, an account they call their
    own, an account that'll help Social Security make the promise, an
    account Government cannot take away.
        These are changing times, and Government is going to stand side by
    side with people, not dictate to people. But in changing times, there
    are some things that do not change, the values we try to live by,
    courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. In changing times,
    we'll support the institutions that give our lives purpose and
    direction, our families, our schools, our religious congregations. We
    stand for a culture of life in which every person matters and every
    being counts. We stand for marriage and family, which are the
    foundations of our society. We stand for the appointment of Federal
    judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict
    interpretation of the law.
        This election will also determine how America responds to the
    continuing danger of terrorism. Since September the 11th, 2001, that
    terrible morning which changed our history, we have fought the
    terrorists across the Earth, not for pride, not for power, but because
    the lives of our citizens are at stake.
        We've got a clear strategy. We're defending the homeland. We're
    transforming our military. We're strengthening the intelligence
    services. We're staying on the offensive. We're striking the terrorists
    abroad, so we do not have to face them here at home.
        We're working to advance liberty around the world and in--most
    particularly, the broader Middle East, and we're going to prevail. We
    will prevail. Our strategy is succeeding. Four years ago, not all that
    long ago, Afghanistan was the home base of Al Qaida; Pakistan was a
    transit point for terrorist groups; Saudi Arabia was a fertile ground
    for terrorist fundraising; Libya was pursuing nuclear weapons; Iraq was
    a gathering threat; Al Qaida was largely unchallenged as it planned
    attacks.
        Because we acted, the Government of a free Afghanistan is fighting
    terror; Pakistan is capturing terrorists; Saudi Arabia is making raids
    and arrests; Libya is dismantling its weapons program; the army of a

    [[Page 2043]]

    free Iraq is fighting for freedom; more than three-quarters of Al
    Qaida's key members have been brought to justice.
        We have led. Many have joined, and America and the world are safer.
    This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and some
    tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
    Hussein's record of aggression and his
    support for terror. Abu Nidal, the guy who killed Leon Klinghoffer, he
    and his organization were in Baghdad. Zarqawi was in Baghdad. He's the guy that beheads people in hopes
    to cause us to shirk our duty.
        Saddam Hussein paid the families of
    suicide bombers. He's a sworn enemy of this country. We knew he had a
    long history of pursuing weapons of mass destruction. We knew he had
    used weapons of mass destruction. And we know that after September the
    11th, we must think differently. We must take threats seriously, before
    they fully materialize.
        In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. And I
    went to the United States Congress. They looked at the same intelligence
    I looked at. They remembered the same history I remembered and concluded
    Saddam Hussein was a threat and authorized the use of force. My
    opponent looked at the very same intelligence I
    looked at. He remembered the history, and he voted yes when it came to
    the authorization of force.
        Before the Commander in Chief commits our troops into harm's way, we
    must try to deal with threats any way we can. And so I was hoping
    diplomacy would work. That's why I went to the United Nations. I said to
    the United Nations that we see a threat. ``September the 11th has
    changed the world. Take a look.'' They did. They looked at the same
    intelligence, the same history, and with a 15-to-nothing vote in the
    United Nations Security Council--15 to nothing--concluded that Saddam
    Hussein must disclose, disarm, or face
    serious consequences.
        I believe when the American President says something, he must mean
    it. I believe that when the world speaks, the world must mean it. Saddam
    Hussein ignored the demands of the free
    world--again. He had done so for nearly a decade, and he wasn't
    listening. As a matter of fact, when they sent inspectors into the
    country, he systematically deceived them.
        So I have a choice to make at this point in our history. Diplomacy
    hadn't worked. Saddam Hussein had a final
    chance--his choice--to listen to the demands of the free world. And
    here's the choice: Do I take the word of a madman and forget the lessons
    of September the 11th, or take action to defend this country? Given that
    choice, I will defend America every time.
        Because we acted to defend our country----
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Because we acted in our self-interest, because we
    acted to protect ourself, 50 million people are now free in Afghanistan
    and Iraq. That matters. It matters to our security.
        Think about what's happened in Afghanistan. It wasn't all that long
    ago--3 years ago--that many young girls didn't get to go to school
    because of the Taliban. These people were barbaric people. They had an
    ideology of hate that's hard for Americans to comprehend. As a matter of
    fact, they'd take the mothers of these young girls out and whip them in
    the public square if they didn't toe the line. There was no freedom,
    none whatsoever. Today, because we acted, 10 million people, 40 percent
    of whom are women, have registered to vote in the upcoming Presidential
    election. It's not easy to go from a society as dark and dim as the
    Taliban to one where light is beginning to shine in because of freedom,
    but it's happening right here. And we're watching history. We're
    watching it happen.
        In Iraq, there's a strong Prime Minister.
    There's a National Council. National elections are scheduled in January.
    It wasn't all that long ago we discovered mass graves

    [[Page 2044]]

    where the tyrant just killed people whimsically. And now they're headed
    toward national elections. We're going to stand with the people of
    Afghanistan and Iraq, because when America gives its word, America will
    keep its word.
        And we will stand with the people in Afghanistan and Iraq because we
    understand free societies will be hopeful societies, which no longer
    feed resentment and breed violence for export. We understand free
    governments will fight the terrorists instead of harboring terrorists
    and supporting the terrorists, which makes us all safer. And so our
    mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We'll help the new leaders
    train their police forces and their armies, so Afghan citizens and Iraqi
    citizens can do the hard work of defending freedom against the few who
    want to deny the hopes of the many. We'll help get them on the path on
    stability and democracy as quickly as possible, and then our troops will
    return home with the honor they have earned.
        And it's been my honor to have met those who wear the uniform at
    bases across our country and at bases around the world. I appreciate
    their decency, their incredible courage. I want to thank the veterans
    who are here today for having set such a great example for those who
    wear the uniform.
        I made a commitment to those who wear the uniform and to their loved
    ones that they will have the resources they need to complete their
    missions. They'll have the support of our Government. That's why I went
    to Congress a year ago and asked for $87 billion in funding--important
    funding, necessary funding to support our troops in harm's way in Iraq
    and Afghanistan. And I'm pleased to report that there was bipartisan
    support for that funding. And that was good. It's good for our troops
    and families to know that the Congress not only voted to authorize force
    but was willing to put up the money to help the troops. As a matter of
    fact, the bipartisan support was so strong, the bipartisan support so
    significant, that only 12 Members of the United States Senate voted
    against the funding----
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. ----two of whom are my opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Now, when you're out gathering up the vote, I want
    you to remind people of this fact: There's only four United States
    Senators who voted to authorize the use of force and then voted against
    funding our troops.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Only 4 of 100 Members--only 4 did that, 2 of whom are
    my opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. No, we have a difference of opinion in this race,
    clearly. They asked him, they said, ``Well, why
    did you do that?'' He said, ``Well, I actually did vote for the $87
    billion, right before I voted against it.''
        Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
        The President. And so they said--they finally pressed him hard. He said he's proud of the vote, and he finally
    said, ``The whole thing is a complicated matter.'' There's nothing
    complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
        The American President must be clear in his thinking, must mean what
    he says, must be resolute and firm. Now, my opponent has more different
    positions on the Iraq issue than all his colleagues in the Senate
    combined. Senator Kerry once said, he said this,
    ``It would be naive to the point of grave danger not to believe that,
    left to his own devices, Saddam Hussein will
    provoke, misjudge, or stumble into a future, more dangerous
    confrontation with the civilized world.'' That was said, I believe, in
    1998. In other words, he was warning us about the nature of Saddam
    Hussein.
        Then, of course, he voted for the war in
    2002, and didn't--voted against funding the troops. And then when the
    heat got on in the Democrat primary, he said, well,

    [[Page 2045]]

    he was the antiwar candidate, when the pressure got on. Then he, several
    months later--this is earlier this summer--he said, well, he still would
    have voted to go to war, every--you know, knowing everything we know
    today. Last week he adopted the language of his opponent, Howard
    Dean, when he said ``wrong war at the wrong
    time,'' even though he said earlier it was the right decision and he
    supported it.
        Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
        The President. Now, here's the newest wrinkle: Senator Kerry has now decided we're spending too much money in Iraq,
    even though he criticized me for not spending enough earlier.
        Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
        The President. The only thing that's clear about his position is
    that if he had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. America is safer, and the world is better off with
    Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell.
        I'm proud of the contributions that our friends and allies are
    making. We put together a good coalition. Over the next 4 years, I'm
    going to continue to work with our coalition, to strengthen our
    coalition. See, we've got to work together to make this world more
    peaceful, to help us protect ourselves, not only America but other
    countries. You know, there's about 40 nations involved in Afghanistan,
    some 30 in Iraq. But I assure you, I will never turn over America's
    national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. I believe in the transformational power of liberty.
    The wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom. I believe
    this because I've seen what liberty has done throughout the course of
    history. Think about this, when you're talking to people about what
    we're doing, when you hear me say this is an historic time, remind
    people of this. I sit down at the table with Prime Minister
    Koizumi of Japan, and he is a friend. The
    amazing thing about saying that, it wasn't all that long ago in the
    march of history that we were the sworn enemy of the Japanese. They
    attacked us. My dad fought against the Japanese. You've got relatives,
    I'm confident, who fought against the Japanese; your dads or your
    granddads were at war.
        After we won World War II, my predecessor Harry Truman and many
    American citizens had great faith in the ability of liberty to convert
    an enemy into an ally. And so they worked with the Japanese to help them
    develop a democracy. Now, there was a lot of skeptics in those days.
    There was a lot of people who said, ``That can't be.'' You can
    understand why. We had just fought a bloody war with them, but there was
    a great faith in liberty in those days. And today, because they had that
    faith, I now sit down at the table with my friend Prime Minister
    Koizumi and we're talking about keeping
    the peace.
        That's what we talk about. We talk about how we can work together to
    make the world a more peaceful place. Someday, an American President
    will be sitting down with a duly elected leader of Iraq, and they're
    going to be talking about the peace. And our children and our
    grandchildren are going to be better off for it.
        Freedom is a powerful force for good. I believe, in the Middle East,
    women want to be free. I believe they want their rights. I believe they
    want to have a chance to realize their ambitions and their dreams. I
    believe that people, if given a chance, will accept freedom and will
    adopt to the most honorable form of government ever devised by man.
    That's what I believe. And I believe this not because freedom is--
    freedom is America's gift to the world; I believe this because freedom
    is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
        These are exciting times. We're living in historic times. This young
    century will be

    [[Page 2046]]

    liberty's century. By promoting freedom at home and abroad, we'll build
    a safer world and a more hopeful America. By reforming systems of
    Government, we'll help more Americans realize their dream. We'll spread
    ownership and opportunity to every corner of this country. We'll pass
    the enduring values of our country to a new generation. We'll continue
    to lead the world to make it more free and more peaceful.
        For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
    apart. You know, there are quiet times in the life of a nation when
    little is expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This
    is a time where we need firm resolve, clear vision, and an abiding faith
    in the values that make us a great land.
        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. It's a day that I'll never forget. There were workers in
    hardhats there yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it
    takes.'' I remember trying to console the workers and thank the workers
    as best as I possibly could. And a guy grabbed me by the arm, and he
    said, ``Don't let me down.'' Ever since that morning, I wake up thinking
    about how to better protect our country. I will never relent in
    defending America, whatever it takes.
        Four years ago, as I traveled your great State asking for the vote,
    I made a pledge. I said if I was so honored to serve as President, I
    would uphold the honor and the dignity of the office. With your help and
    with your hard work, I will do so for 4 more years.
        God bless. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all very much. Thank
    you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:03 p.m. at C.O. Brown Stadium. In his
    remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the
    keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; Joe Schwarz,
    candidate for Michigan's Seventh Congressional District; Mayor John
    Godfrey III of Battle Creek, MI; Betsy DeVos, chairman, Michigan
    Republican Party; entertainer Billy Dean; senior Al Qaida associate Abu
    Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim
    Government; former Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean; and
    Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.