    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [September 27, 2004]
    [Pages 2235-2244]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in West Chester, Ohio
    September 27, 2004

        The President. Thanks for coming. Thank you all. Thanks for coming.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Thank you all for coming. That's what I'm here to
    tell you: I'm ready to lead this Nation for 4 more years. And I'm here
    to ask for your vote.

    [[Page 2236]]

        I think you've got to get out among the people and give them a
    reason. That's what I'm here to do today. I'm here to give you a reason
    why you ought to put me back in office for 4 more years. I not only want
    your vote; I want your help. I'd like for you to register your friends
    and neighbors, tell them we have a duty in this country to participate
    in democracy. Register your Republican friends; register your
    independent friends; register your discerning Democrat friends, people
    like Zell Miller. And then when it's voting
    time, head them to the polls and tell them if they want a safer America,
    a stronger America, and a better America, to put me and Dick
    Cheney back in office.
        Thanks for coming. It's a good sign when this many people come here
    for a rally. Let me tell you what I think. I think we're going to carry
    Ohio again, and I think we're going to win a great victory in November.
        I wish Laura were here today to see this
    crowd. I'm going to have dinner with her tonight, and I cannot wait to
    tell her what I saw. As you might remember, she was a public school
    librarian. I asked her to marry me. She said, ``Fine, just so long as I
    don't ever have to give a speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay.''
    [Laughter] Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. The American
    people got to see her in New York City a while ago, saw what a strong,
    compassionate, great lady she is. I love her dearly. Perhaps the most
    important reason to put me back into office is so that Laura is First
    Lady for 4 more years.
        I'm proud of my runningmate. Dick Cheney is
    a fine man. Listen, I admit it, he doesn't have the waviest hair in the
    race. [Laughter] I didn't pick him for his hair. I picked him because of
    his experience, his sound judgment. I picked him because he can get the
    job done for the American people.
        I'm proud to be on this stage with John Boehner. What a fine man he is and a great United States
    Congressman. I'm proud to have worked with him on important legislation,
    and I'm proud to call him friend. I'm honored that Mike DeWine is with me today, the fine United States Senator from
    the State of Ohio. I appreciate you coming, Mike. Speaking about
    Senators, I hope you put George Voinovich back in office. He's a fine leader, good man.
        I appreciate Congressman Rob Portman, Dave
    Hobson, who is with us, Mike Turner, Steve Chabot. I want to
    thank you all for coming. I'm proud you're serving the people of the
    great State of Ohio so well.
        I want to thank all the State and local officials who are here. I
    know the Lieutenant Governor and the
    State auditor. My friend Joe Deters is here. Write him in. Make sure you write him in.
    He's a good one.
        I want to thank all the grassroots activists. I see my friend
    Anthony Munoz is here. I appreciate you.
        Audience members. Munoz!
        The President. Yes. He can still play, I
    agree. [Laughter] Fortunately, he's on my team. I need him, and I
    appreciate his hard work.
        I want to thank Darryl Worley. I'm honored
    you're here, Darryl. I hope you like his music as much as I do.
        Lakota East High School and Lakota West High School, thank you all
    for being here.
        Most of all, thank you all for coming. It lifts my spirits to see so
    many people. I'm honored you're here, and I appreciate your interest in
    this campaign. You know, I'm looking forward to campaigning. I like it.
    I like to tell people what I believe, where I stand, and where I intend
    to lead this Nation for the next 4 years.
        I believe every child can learn and every school must teach. I went
    to Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. I
    didn't like a system that had low expectations and just shuffled kids
    through school year after year, grade after grade without teaching the
    basics. That's not

    [[Page 2237]]

    right. That's not the America we know. So I worked with John
    Boehner to change the laws. We've raised the
    standards. We now measure so we can solve problems early, before they're
    too late. We trust the local people to run their schools. We're making
    progress in America. An achievement gap is closing, and we're not going
    to turn back.
        I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with
    good health care. I went to Washington to solve problems, not to pass
    them on to future Presidents. I felt like we had a problem in Medicare.
    Medicine was modernizing, but Medicare wasn't. Take, for example, the
    fact that Medicare would pay some $100,000 for heart surgery but not one
    dime for the prescription drugs that would prevent the heart surgery
    from being needed in the first place. That wasn't fair to our seniors.
    It's not fair to the taxpayers. We brought people together. We've
    strengthened and modernized medicine. Our seniors will be getting
    prescription drugs in Medicare in 2006, and we're not going to turn
    back.
        I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of America's workers
    and small-business owners and farmers and ranchers. And that's why we
    unleashed that energy with the largest tax relief in a generation.
        Listen, our economy has been through a lot. You might remember the
    stock market had been declining for about 5 months prior to our arrival
    in Washington, DC. And then when the recession came and hit us, and then
    some of our citizens forgot what it meant to be a responsible American.
    They didn't tell the truth to their shareholders and their employees. We
    passed tough laws in the face of those corporate scandals. We made it
    abundantly clear, we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of
    America. And then we got hit on September the 11th, and that hurt our
    economy as well.
        When you're out there rounding up the vote, you remind people what
    this economy has been through. But our economy is strong, and it is
    getting stronger. Our economy has been growing at rates as fast as any
    in nearly 20 years. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, which
    is lower than the unemployment rate--average unemployment rate in the
    1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Still, parts of our country are lagging behind.
    You've got some people who are hurting here in Ohio. I know that. I'm
    not going to rest until every American who wants to work can find a job.
    We'll continue to promote pro-growth, pro-small-business, pro-farmer
    economic policy so everybody has a chance to be able to make a living.
        I believe the most solemn duty of the American President is to
    protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty and weakness
    in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This is not 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 with 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'll carry Ohio and win a great victory in November.
        I understand the world we live in is changing. In the generation of
    our dads and granddads, a man generally had one job, one career, worked
    for one company that provided a pension plan and health care. This is a
    different world we're living in. Many people change jobs and careers
    during the course of a lifetime. Women work inside the house and now
    outside the house as well. Yet, the fundamental systems of our
    Government haven't changed. In a changing world--think about this--the
    fundamental systems, the Tax Code and health coverage and pension plans
    and worker training, were created for the world of yesterday, not
    tomorrow. I'm running for 4 more years to help transform these systems

    [[Page 2238]]

    so that all citizens are equipped and prepared and thus truly free to
    make your own choices and pursue your own dreams.
        A hopeful society is one that helps people realize their dreams. A
    hopeful society is one in which people can find work. I have a plan to
    make sure this recovery is lasting prosperity. If we want jobs to stay
    here in America, America must be the best place in the world to do
    business. If we want jobs here, we've got to do something about these
    needless regulations that hamper our small-business owners. If you want
    jobs here in America, we must do something about the frivolous lawsuits
    that make it hard to expand the job base.
        Listen, if you want jobs here, Congress needs to pass my energy
    plan. You cannot have a growing economy without a good energy plan. I
    submitted a plan that encourages conservation, a plan that uses
    renewables like ethanol and biodiesel, a plan that says we can use our
    coal in environmentally friendly ways by using clean coal technology, a
    plan that says we'll explore for natural gas in environmentally friendly
    ways using new technologies, a plan that modernizes our electricity
    grid, a plan that recognizes that in order to keep jobs here, America
    must be less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        Listen, to create jobs, we've got to reject economic isolationism.
    We don't want to wall ourselves off from the world. One in five jobs in
    the manufacturing sector in this country depend on exports. See, we've
    opened up our markets--I didn't open up the markets. Previous
    Presidents, both Republicans and Democrats, just like me realized it's
    to your advantage that you've got more products to choose from. See,
    when you get more products to choose from, you're going to find what you
    want at a better price and higher quality. That's how the marketplace
    works. That's why I'm saying to places like China, ``You treat us the
    way we treat you. You treat us fairly just the way we treat you fairly.
    You open up your markets to our people.'' And I say that because I know
    we can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere if the rules are fair.
        To create jobs, to make sure people can find work here, 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 has proposed $2.2 trillion in new Federal spending--
    so far.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Imagine what's going to happen when we get to
    October. [Laughter] Two-point-two trillion, that's a lot of money, even
    for a Senator from Massachusetts. [Laughter] So they asked him, ``How are you going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Fine.
    We'll just tax the rich.'' You've heard that, haven't you? See, you
    can't raise enough money to pay--by taxing the rich to pay off $2.2
    trillion worth of new spending. There's a tax gap. You know who fills
    the tax gap.
        Audience members. We do.
        The President. Yes, you do. I'll tell you something else about that
    rhetoric, ``tax the rich.'' The rich hire lawyers and accountants for a
    reason, to stick you with the bill. The good news is, he's not going to tax you, because we're going to win in
    November.
        I'll say something else about the Tax Code.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. I told you, our systems need to change. The Tax Code
    needs to change. It is a complicated mess. The Tax Code is a million
    pages long. Our people spend 6 billion hours a year filling out taxes.
    It's full of special interest loopholes. I'm going to bring Republicans
    and Democrats together in a new term to simplify this Tax Code, to make
    it more fair for the people of America.
        See, I've got a plan to make sure our workers have the skills
    necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. These are changing
    times, and the nature of jobs change

    [[Page 2239]]

    with them. And sometimes people need help in order to get the skills
    necessary to fill the jobs for the 21st century. That's why I'm such a
    strong backer in the community college system. I also understand that
    most new jobs in a changing world are filled by people with at least 2
    years of college, yet only one in four of our students gets there.
    That's why we'll fund early intervention programs to help students at
    risk in our high schools. That's why we'll emphasize math and science.
    Over time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By raising
    performance in our high schools and 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 need to do something about our health care
    system. When it comes to health care, I want you to listen to this
    debate now, coming down the pike. When it comes to health care, we have
    a philosophical divide. My opponent wants
    Government to dictate to you. I want you to decide. I want you to be the
    decisionmaker.
        More than half of the Americans who are currently uninsured work for
    small businesses. Small businesses are having trouble affording health
    care. In order to make sure these good folks have got health care, in
    order to make sure health care is more available and affordable for
    small-business owners, we must allow small businesses to pool together
    so they can buy insurance at the same discounts that big companies can.
    Under this plan, small-business owners and employees will be the
    deciders. My opponent opposes this kind of plan.
    He wants Government to decide on behalf of people.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. We need to expand tax-free health savings accounts.
    We'll give small-business owners tax credits to encourage them to put
    money in health savings accounts for their employees. We want people
    owning a health savings account so they can make medical decisions on
    the advice of a doctor, not on somebody working for an HMO. We will
    expand community health centers to every poor county in America to help
    the indigent and the poor. We want people to have access to health care.
    We'll make sure that our low-income children's programs are fully
    enrolled in. We want people to--people who can't afford health care--we
    want to make sure health care is available for them.
        But I'm going to tell you what else we need to do. In order to make
    sure health care is available and affordable, we've got to stop these
    junk lawsuits that are running good doctors out of practice and running
    up the cost of your health care. I've talked to too many ob-gyns in this
    country who are getting sued and having trouble practicing their
    medicine, and that hurts women. No, we need to make sure that we do
    something different than what we're doing in lawsuits--in the legal
    system today. See, you cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-hospital,
    and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. I think you have to choose. My
    opponent made his choice, and he put a trial
    lawyer on the ticket.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I made my choice. I'm for medical liability reform--
    now. Now, in all we do to make sure health care is available and
    affordable, we'll make sure that the decisions are made by doctors and
    patients, not by bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
        Listen, in changing times, it helps people to have stability if they
    own something. The homeownership rate in America is at an alltime high
    under my administration. More and more people are owning their own home.
    We've got a plan over the next 4 years to continue to expand
    homeownership to every corner of this country. I want more people owning
    the--opening up that door of the house they live in and say, ``Welcome
    to my home. Welcome to my piece of property.''

    [[Page 2240]]

        We've got to think differently about retirement systems too. Listen,
    if you're on Social Security, you don't have a thing to worry about. You
    might remember the campaign 4 years ago when they said, ``If George W.
    gets elected, you're not going to get your check.'' Remember those ads?
    You got your check, didn't you? Don't listen to them this time, either.
    Baby boomers are in pretty good shape when it comes to Social Security.
        But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren when
    it comes to Social Security. We need to think differently about
    retirement. I think younger workers ought to be allowed to take some of
    their own money and set up a personal savings account to make sure
    Social Security meets its promise, a Social Security account you call
    your own, a Social Security account that Government cannot take away.
        We have a difference of philosophy in this campaign. My
    opponent's programs expand Government. My
    programs expand freedom and opportunity for every American.
        Listen, in changing times, things--some things won't change, the
    values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and
    integrity. In changing times, we'll support the institutions that gives
    our lives direction and purpose, 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. I stand for the appointment of
    Federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the
    strict interpretation of the law.
        And we'll continue to work to spread the responsibility culture in
    this country. The culture of our country is changing from one that 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're
    responsible for the decisions we make in life.
        This election will also determine how America responds to the
    continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of September
    the 11th, 2001, we've fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for
    pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at
    stake. Our strategy is clear. We'll defend the homeland. We will
    transform our military. We'll strengthen our intelligence services. We
    will stay on the offensive. We will defeat the terrorists abroad so we
    do not have to face them here at home. We will work to advance liberty
    and freedom throughout the world, and we will prevail.
        Our strategy is succeeding. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home
    base of Al Qaida; Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist groups;
    Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising; Libya was
    secretly 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 terrorist leaders; Saudi is making raids
    and arrests; Libya is dismantling its weapons programs; the army of a
    free Iraq is fighting terror; and more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's
    key members have been brought to justice. We've led; many have joined.
    And America and the world are safer.
        We've still got hard work. This progress involved careful diplomacy,
    clear moral purpose, and some hard decisions. The hardest came on Iraq.
    We knew Saddam Hussein's record of
    aggression. We knew he was a sworn enemy of America. We knew of his
    support for terror. After all, he harbored Abu Nidal, the leader of a
    terrorist organization that carried out attacks throughout Europe and
    Asia. Abu Abbas was in his country. He's the person that killed Leon
    Klinghoffer. Zarqawi, the beheader, had
    been in Baghdad prior to our arrival. We knew Saddam Hussein's long
    history of pursuing and even using weapons of mass destruction. We knew

    [[Page 2241]]

    that. And we know that after September the 11th, our country must think
    differently. We must take threats seriously before they fully
    materialize.
        In this dangerous world, we must never forget the lessons of
    September the 11th. We have a duty to protect the American people. We
    must take each threat seriously. So in Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat, and I went to the Congress. The
    Congress looked at the intelligence I looked at, remembered the same
    history I remembered, and voted overwhelmingly to authorize the use of
    force. My opponent looked at the same
    intelligence I looked at, and he voted yes when it came time to
    authorize the use of force.
        Before the Commander in Chief commits troops into harm's way, he
    must try everything possible to prevent war. And so I went to the United
    Nations hoping that diplomacy would finally work with Saddam Hussein.
    That's why I went there. I have a duty to the moms and dads and husbands
    and wives of those who wear the uniform to try everything to protect our
    country without the use of the military. And so I stood in front of the
    United Nations and made the case. They looked at the same intelligence I
    did. They remembered the same history, and they voted 15 to nothing to
    say to Saddam Hussein, ``Disclose, disarm, or
    face serious consequences.'' I believe when an international body
    speaks, it must mean what it says.
        Saddam Hussein didn't believe it. He
    didn't believe it. Why should he? After all, for 16 years, he had
    ignored the United Nations--excuse me, 10 years, 16 resolutions. That's
    resolution after resolution after resolution. As a matter of fact, when
    they sent inspectors into his country, he systematically deceived them.
    Diplomacy wasn't going to work. He wasn't about to listen to our
    demands. So we gave him a last chance. He ignored the last chance. And
    then I had a choice to make: Take the word of a madman, forget the
    lessons of September the 11th, or do what's necessary to defend this
    country. Given that choice, I will defend America every time.
        Because we acted to defend our country, 50 million people in
    Afghanistan and Iraq now live in freedom. Think about what happened in
    Afghanistan. That was a country run by the Taliban. They were
    barbarians. They think the exact opposite of the American people. They
    do not believe in freedom. Many young girls were not allowed to go to
    school in that country. Imagine a society that would not allow young
    girls to go to school, and then when their moms stepped out of line,
    they whipped them in the public square, sometimes killed them in a
    sports stadium. But today, the free people of Afghanistan are now able
    to register to vote. Ten million citizens, 41 percent of whom are women,
    have registered to vote in the upcoming October elections. It's a
    powerful statement of freedom.
        It's in our interests that Afghanistan be free. There's no longer
    training camps there. Al Qaida can no longer find safe haven.
    Afghanistan is now an ally in the war on terror. And Afghanistan stands
    as a bright light, stands in contrast to that ideology of hatred spread
    by our enemies.
        In Iraq, despite ongoing violence, they now have a strong Prime
    Minister, a National Council, and national
    elections will be held in January. I met with Prime Minister Allawi.
    He's a strong man. I wanted to make sure he was as committed to freedom
    as we were. He is. I looked him in the eye. He told me, he said, ``Mr.
    President, we'll succeed if you don't let these terrorists shake your
    will.'' I told him, I said, ``When America gives its word, Mr. Prime
    Minister, America will keep its word.'' A strong man, who knows that
    they can achieve their objective, which is a free society.
        It's in our interest they achieve a free society. It's in our
    interest that Iraq be free. Iraq will be an ally in the war on terror.
    Iraq will be standing with the nations of freedom to stop these
    ideologues

    [[Page 2242]]

    of hate from advancing their cause. You know, when the Prime
    Minister was here, he received great accolades,
    except there was one noticeable voice. My opponent criticized Prime Minister Allawi here in the United
    States.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He criticized a brave
    man who's risking his life for the freedom of
    his country and for our security. You cannot lead; you cannot lead a
    coalition; you cannot convince the Iraqi people that we stand with them
    if when their Prime Minister and their leader comes to U.S. soil,
    someone is willing to criticize him. He was wrong to question his
    credibility. America must stand with these people as they make the hard
    choices for freedom; it's in our interest.
        The world will be more peaceful when Iraq is free, and Iraq will be
    free. And that's our mission. We will help train Iraqi citizens and
    Afghan citizens so they can do the hard work of defending their country
    against these terrorists who want to stop the march of freedom. We'll
    get them on the path to stability and democracy as quickly as possible,
    and then our troops will come home with honor they have earned.
        Listen, we've got a great United States military. I'm proud to be
    their Commander in Chief. And I want to thank the veterans who are here
    today for having set such a great example for those who wear the
    uniform. Thank you, sir.
        And I want to assure the loved ones of those who wear the uniform,
    they'll have the full support of the Government. That's why I went to
    the Congress and asked for $87 billion to provide vital equipment and
    fuel and ammunition, body armor for our troops in harm's way in both
    Iraq and Afghanistan. This was an important piece of legislation. Matter
    of fact, it was so important, we got great bipartisan support. Only 12
    Members of the United States Senate voted against the funding request, 2
    of whom are my opponent and his
    runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When you're out rounding up the vote, remind people
    of this fact: Four Members of the United States Senate voted to
    authorize force and didn't vote to fund the troops, only four Members,
    two of whom are my opponent and his
    runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. You might remember, they asked him, ``How could you make that vote?'' He said, ``Well, I
    actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' They
    kept pressing him. He said he's proud of his vote. And finally, he said,
    ``The whole thing was a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] There's nothing
    complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
        I appreciate the contributions our friends and allies are making in
    our cause. They've been helping. We've got some 40 nations involved in
    Afghanistan, nearly 30 in Iraq, and I thank them. I'm not going to
    denigrate their service. I'm going to continue to thank their service in
    the cause of freedom. I believe they're doing useful, important work.
    Over the next 4 years, I'll continue to work with our allies and
    friends, but I will never turn over America's national security
    decisions to leaders of other countries.
        Later this week, I'm going to have an opportunity to debate my
    opponent. It's been a little tough to prepare for
    the debates because he keeps changing his positions--[laughter]--
    especially on the war. I mean, after all, he voted for the use of force
    but against funding the troops. He said that we're not spending enough
    money to reconstruct Iraq, yet now says we're spending too much. He said
    it was the right decision to go into Iraq, yet now he calls it the wrong
    war.
        Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
        The President. I think he can spend 90 minutes debating himself.
    [Laughter] You

    [[Page 2243]]

    cannot lead if you don't know where you stand. I'm going to continue to
    speak as clearly as I can and tell the people what I believe. And I'm
    not going to change positions when times get tough.
        I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I believe the
    wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom. I like to tell
    the people that one of my favorite leaders is Prime Minister
    Koizumi of Japan. I saw him in New York. I
    said, ``Do you mind if I talk about you on the campaign trail?'' He
    said, ``Fine.'' I said, ``All right. I'm going tell them you like
    Elvis''--[laughter]--which he does. [Laughter]
        I want you to think about this when you're explaining to people
    about what I mean by the transformational power of liberty. Think about
    this fact, that it wasn't all that long ago that we were fighting Japan
    as a sworn enemy of America. Fifty-eight years ago, it seems like a
    long--if you're 58 years old, it seems like a long time. [Laughter] In
    the march of history, it really wasn't all that long. My dad was in the war. I suspect many people's relatives
    were in that war against a sworn enemy.
        After we won World War II, Harry Truman said, ``Why don't we help
    the Japanese become a democracy,'' because he believed in the
    transformational power of liberty. There were a lot of skeptics in our
    country then. They said, ``Well, you know, they were an enemy. They
    can't be a democracy,'' or, ``Why worry? They were an enemy. They
    inflicted too much harm on us.'' But fortunately, the President and
    others stood their line. They believed, and today, because of that
    belief, I sit down with Prime Minister Koizumi, talking about how to keep the peace we all want.
    Think about that. And that's what we want. We want our children and
    grandchildren to be able to grow up in a peaceful world.
        I believe we have that obligation to work for that peaceful world.
    And when we succeed in Iraq--you see, Zarqawi has only got one weapon. He can't beat us militarily. The
    only thing he can do is shake our conscience because we value human
    rights and human dignity. We weep when we see the brutality he inflicts
    on TV. It breaks our--that's the only weapon he has. We also understand
    that freedom will whip the Zarqawis of the world in the long term. In
    the long term, free societies will make this world a peaceful place.
    Someday, an American President will be sitting down with a duly elected
    leader of Iraq, and they'll be talking about the peace. And our children
    and our grandchildren will be able to grow up in a better world.
        I believe the women in the broader Middle East yearn to be free. I
    believe that moms in every society want to raise their children in a
    free society. I believe that if given the chance, people in the broader
    Middle East will choose the finest government ever devised by man, and
    that's democracy. I believe all these things not because 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.
        This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting freedom
    at home and abroad, we'll build a safer world and a more hopeful
    America. By reforming our systems of Government, we'll help more
    Americans realize their dreams. 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 will continue to lead the cause of
    freedom and peace.
        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 isn't one of those times. This is a time
    that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the values
    that makes us a great nation.
        None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
    began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. I'll never forget the day. I'll never forget the sights

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    and sounds of standing in that rubble. I remember workers in hardhats
    yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember doing my best to
    console those who had come out of the rubble, and a guy looked me right
    in the eye, and he said, ``Don't let me down.'' I've waken up every
    morning since that day thinking about how best to protect America. I
    will never relent in defending the security of this country, whatever it
    takes.
        Four years ago, as I traveled your great State asking for the vote,
    I said if you--I made a pledge that if you gave me a chance to serve our
    great country, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of the office to
    which I had been elected. With your help and with your hard work, I will
    do so for 4 more years.
        God bless. Thanks for coming. Thank you all. Thank you,
    firefighters.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:39 p.m. at Voice of America Park. In his
    remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the
    keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; Lt. Gov.
    Jennette Bradley and Auditor of State Betty Montgomery of Ohio; Ohio
    State Treasurer Joseph T. Deters, write-in candidate for county
    prosecutor, Hamilton County, OH; pro football Hall of Famer Anthony
    Munoz; entertainer Darryl Worley; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al
    Zarqawi; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; and
    Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.