    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [July 4, 2004]
    [Pages 1235-1240]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Independence Day in Charleston, West Virginia
    July 4, 2004

        Thank you all. They got the best seat in the house. [Laughter] Glad
    you all are here. Thanks for coming. Happy Fourth of July. I am thrilled
    to be back in your great State to celebrate once again Independence Day,
    this time in the capital of the

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    Mountain State, the great city of Charleston, West Virginia. I
    appreciate the good people of this State. You work hard; you look after
    your neighbors; and you love your country. And you sure know how to make
    a President feel welcome. Thank you all.
        West Virginia is an important State to our Nation in many ways--in
    many ways. You're one of the most beautiful places to visit in America.
    People ought to come here and see the beauty of West Virginia, to see
    the Almighty's work. There are hard-working people here making the
    factories hum and the farms producing products we need. Listen, this
    country is better off because of the coal found here in West Virginia.
        Presidents have been coming to this State for a long time. I did a
    little research. It turns out that a lot of the land owned around
    Charleston was owned by George Washington. I call him George W.
    [Laughter] And today we remember names like Washington, Adams,
    Jefferson, and Franklin. We honor their courage, and we honor their
    vision on the Fourth of July. We're thankful that this Nation they
    created 228 years ago remains free and independent and the best hope for
    all mankind.
        Today is the day we gather with our friends and family and give
    thanks to the United States of America--give thanks to the fact that we
    are citizens in a free land. I give thanks to Shelley Moore
    Capito for serving the people of West
    Virginia so well in the United States Congress.
        I was greeted by your mayor today. I'm honored the mayor, Mayor
    Danny Jones, took time to say hello. Mr. Mayor,
    thanks for having me here, and thanks for serving your community. I
    know; you want me to tell him to fill the potholes. [Laughter] I
    appreciate the president of the Charleston City Council, Councilman Tom
    Lane, for being here as well. Thank you,
    Councilman--all those who work hard for the people of Charleston.
        We've got a lot of State and local officials. I'm honored you all
    are here. Thanks for inviting me to this beautiful capitol. I appreciate
    the planning committee for this independence weekend celebration. You
    know, it takes a lot of effort to put one of these deals together, and a
    lot of people have been working hard to do so, starting with Spike
    Maynard, who is the cochairman
    and the Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. I
    told the judge I liked being in the presence with somebody who doesn't
    try to rewrite the Constitution.
        I appreciate Mr. Sam Hindman, who is the
    retired publisher of your newspaper. He's a leader in your community.
    He's been a community leader for a long time. Thanks, Sam, for your
    hospitality. I want to thank my friend Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, for
    being here as well.
        I appreciate the U.S. Air Force Ceremonial Brass Band for
    entertaining you. I want to thank the West Virginia Air National Guard
    and the 130th Airlift Wing Honor Guard for being here today as well.
    You've got a proud tradition here in West Virginia, and that is, you've
    got a fantastic Guard. You've got people--I appreciate you,
    General. And I appreciate the men and women
    who wear the uniform of the West Virginia Guard. I want to thank their
    families, their loved ones, for the sacrifice and dedication the Guard
    members have showed the United States of America.
        There's still West Virginians overseas. We ask for God's blessings
    on their safety today. The day we celebrate our freedom, we thank them
    for guaranteeing the freedom of the United States.
        And highly decorated Four Star General Doc Foglesong is with us today. General, thanks for being
    here. He's a son of West Virginia.
        I want to thank all the singers and Scouts. By the way, if you're a
    Boy Scout or Girl Scout leader, thanks for doing what you're doing.
    Thanks for taking time out

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    of your life to instill values in our children. Thank you for taking
    time out of your busy schedules to teach character to the future of our
    country.
        You know, I oftentimes talk about the strength of America is the
    hearts and souls of our citizens. Listen, one of our strengths is our
    military--will keep us strong. One of our strengths is that we're a
    great economic power--will keep us strong. But the true strength lies in
    the hearts and souls of our fellow citizens, people who have heard the
    universal call to love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved
    yourself, people who understand that America can be a hopeful place if
    somebody who hurts is surrounded by somebody who says, ``I love you.
    What can I do to help you? How can I help make your life a better
    place?''--people who step up and not only teach character to our young
    but feed the hungry, provide shelter for the homeless, take care of the
    elderly. No, the strength of this country--make no mistake about it, the
    strength of this country lies in the hearts and souls of millions of
    loving American citizens.
        I want to thank Aaron Tippin for being
    here. I like a good country and western singer. He's a good one. I
    appreciate Barnabus, the group that performed the National Anthem. Thank
    you all for taking time on your--on the Fourth of July to entertain
    these good folks.
        Finally, I was to head to Pastor Thornton's church, the Bible Center Church here in West Virginia.
    Pastor Shawn Thornton and his family came in the capitol to meet me, and
    I was grateful. But I assured him that I was looking forward to his
    sermon. That's not the reason I missed it. I missed it because the plane
    broke down. [Laughter] But Pastor, thank you and your congregation for
    rolling out the red carpet for what would have been a Presidential visit
    to your fine church, but more importantly, Pastor Thornton, thank you
    for ministering to those who hurt. One of the great things about this
    particular church is that the outreach program, into the lives of those
    who suffer, into the lives of those who wonder if there's hope, is
    strong and vibrant and real.
        I want you to know that on the Fourth, we are proud of our Founders,
    but I know that the Founders would be proud of America today. They would
    take a look at this great country and see a place where opportunity is
    common, where all stand equal before the law, where all can hope for a
    better life. They'd see a country full of promise and hope; that's what
    they would see. They would see a nation that is the world's foremost
    champion of liberty. They would see a nation which stands strong in the
    face of violent men. They would see a reliable friend of any dissident
    or political prisoner who dreams of justice. That's what they would see
    in the great land they created. They would see Americans who care for a
    neighbor in need and are generous to the sick, to those who struggle
    here at home, and to those who look for hope around the world. They
    would see a strong, decent, good-hearted country, and they would see
    millions of people proud to say, ``America is my home.'' And they would
    see an America on Independence Day, 2004, that is moving forward with
    confidence and strength.
        Listen, we've been through some tough times in this country.
    Everybody knows that. We've been tested. But this Nation has responded
    as we always do, with courage, determination, and optimism. Our economy
    is healthy and growing, and that's good news, because more people are
    finding work every single day. That's what we want. We're all working on
    our public school system. We want to raise the standards, so every child
    can learn to read and write and add and subtract. No, our forefathers
    would see a nation of strong values, faith in God, love of our families.
    They would not only find those values strong all across the country;
    they'd find them very strong in the State of West Virginia.

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        I'm thankful you invited me here, especially because you're paying
    special tribute to the men and women who have served our Nation in
    uniform. I want to thank you for that. America has always been able to
    count on the might of our military and on the character and the courage
    of those who serve.
        We've got a lot of veterans here. I want to thank the veterans for
    setting such a good example, for setting such a good example for those
    who have followed you. We're proud of your service. We're grateful for
    the example you have set for America.
        On July the 4th, 1942, in the midst of the Second World War,
    President Franklin Roosevelt gave encouragement to our troops abroad by
    reminding them of our Nation's founding creed. They were fighting, he
    said, because Americans believe in ``the right to liberty under God.''
    The President said, ``for all peoples and races and groups and nations
    everywhere in the world.'' Today, a new generation of Americans is
    wearing the uniform. They are serving the same creed. They are showing
    the same courage, and they make us proud every single day.
        The war on terror has placed demands on our military. In Afghanistan
    and Iraq and elsewhere, our people in uniform have been unrelenting in
    their performance of duty. They've been skillful and courageous. They've
    accepted hard missions, long deployments, and the difficulties of being
    separated from their homes and their families. Some have returned home
    wounded. Some have died. Each is mourned and missed, and each one will
    be honored by our country forever.
        As in other times, Americans are serving and sacrificing to keep
    this country safe and to bring freedom to others. After the attacks of
    September the 11th, 2001, this Nation resolved to fight terrorists where
    they dwell. We resolved to arm the terrorist enemy. Afghanistan, at the
    time, as you remember, was a terror state, a training camp for Al Qaida
    killers. Because we acted, Afghanistan today is a rising democracy and
    an ally in the war on terror.
        Iraq, only last year, was under the control of a dictator who
    threatened the civilized world, who used weapons of mass destruction
    against his own people. He tormented and tortured the people of Iraq.
    Because we acted, Iraq today is a free and sovereign nation. And because
    we acted, the dictator, the brutal tyrant, is sitting in a prison cell,
    and he will receive the justice he denied so many for so long.
        We got a job to do. We have got a job to do, and that is to protect
    our country. And I've called on good men and women to do so. I'm honored
    that you're thanking the men and women of uniform today in Charleston,
    West Virginia.
        Our immediate task in battlefronts like Iraq and Afghanistan and
    elsewhere is to capture or kill the terrorists. That's our immediate
    task. We made a decision, you see: We will engage these enemies in these
    countries and around the world so we do not have to face them here at
    home.
        You can't talk sense to them. You can't negotiate with them. You
    cannot hope for the best with these people. We must be relentless and
    determined and do our duty.
        There's no such thing as perfect security in a country as big as
    ours. And the threats to our homeland are very real. We know the
    terrorists want to strike the United States again. They do because they
    want to disrupt our way of life. They want to spread fear. So we've done
    a lot of things to help, and there's some folks here who are working
    hard on your behalf. See, we reorganized the Government to make sure
    there's better communication between the Federal Government and the
    State government and the local governments. And on behalf of a grateful
    people, I want to say thanks to the firefighters and the police and the
    emergency teams of Charleston, West Virginia.
        There's a lot of people in this country working hard to make sure
    this homeland of ours is as secure as it can possibly be

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    without disrupting the freedoms of our fellow citizens. They're working
    hard, and I am grateful--I am grateful for the hard work they are doing.
        Yet in the long term, our security and safety requires more than
    defending the homeland and defeating the terrorists abroad. We must work
    to remove the conditions that give rise to terror in parts of the world
    like the Middle East: the poverty, the hopelessness, and the resentments
    that the terrorists exploit. Life in the Middle East will be a far more
    hopeful and, therefore, a more peaceful place when men and women can
    enjoy the benefits of a free society, when men and women can elect their
    own leaders, when the people can decide their own futures.
        On this Fourth of July, we confirm our love of freedom, the freedom
    for people to speak their minds, the freedom for people to worship as
    they so choose. Free thought, free expression, that's what we believe.
    But we also understand that freedom is not America's gift to the world;
    freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
    And by serving that ideal, by never forgetting the values and the
    principles that have made this country so strong after--228 years after
    our founding, we will bring hope to others and, at the same time, make
    America more secure.
        Because we've taken the fight to the enemy, because we've been
    strong and determined to do our duty to protect America, and because
    freedom is rising in places they claim as their own, the terrorists are
    desperate, and they are furious. They're running out of places to hide.
    They know their cause is failing. They know that time is against them,
    and their only chance is to shake the resolve of Iraqis, Americans,
    anybody else who loves freedom. And that's why their actions have grown
    more cruel and sadistic.
        They cover their faces in videos, in the videos of their crimes. But
    those hoods cannot hide the face of evil. We've seen their kind before,
    in overseas death camps and gulags. And as before, America will
    persevere. We will fear no evil, and we will prevail.
        The conditions for successes are now coming together. Afghanistan
    and Iraq now have responsible leaders. President Karzai of Afghanistan is a good, honest man who wants his
    people to be free. Prime Minister Allawi of
    Iraq--he's a good, honest, courageous man who will stand square in the
    face of these terrorists trying to stop the march of freedom. We've got
    an ally in these two leaders, because they understand what we know: Free
    men and women will be peaceful men and women; free men and women will be
    able to realize their deep desires. Listen, moms and dads in Iraq want
    to be able to raise their children in a society where their children can
    have a bright future, just like the moms and dads in America do.
        These leaders have
    said, ``We want your help.'' And America has responded. And nations of
    the world have rallied to them as well. The NATO Alliance and the EU and
    the United Nations are all standing behind the newly liberated people of
    Afghanistan and Iraq. And these good people are taking on more of their
    own responsibility. Listen, they understand their future depends on
    their ability to deal with the thugs and criminals and foreign
    terrorists. And so we're helping them train to do their duty, to do
    their civic responsibility in a free society.
        But what's important for those people is that they can count on
    America. We have promised to help deliver them from tyranny, to restore
    their sovereignty, and to set them on the path to democracy. And when
    America gives its word, America keeps its word.
        There was a time not so long ago when America was a young democracy.
    When the Declaration was signed, not many in this world would have bet
    on the success of the American cause. We were a little group of colonies
    on the edge of a continent. Our

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    small and hungry band of soldiers was against the army of a great
    empire. Many in that empire considered July the 4th, 1776, to be just
    another day on the calendar. Yet, America's Founders knew that something
    very important had happened that day, something new and hopeful in the
    course of human events.
        They called the American experiment a ``new order of the ages.'' The
    time has confirmed their belief. The Colonies became a country. The
    people of America crossed a continent, and the ideals that created
    America have crossed the globe.
        This history we celebrate today is a testament to the power of
    freedom to lift up a whole nation. And we still believe, on America's
    228th birthday, that freedom has the power to change the world.
        May God bless you, and may God bless America. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:57 p.m. at the West Virginia State
    Capitol Grounds. In his remarks, he referred to Sam Hindman, former
    publisher, Charleston Daily Mail; Maj. Gen. Allen E. Tacket, adjutant
    general, West Virginia National Guard; Gen. Robert H. ``Doc'' Foglesong,
    USAF, commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, commander, Allied Air Forces
    Northern Europe, and air component commander, U.S. European Command;
    former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Rev. Shawn R. Thornton, senior
    pastor, Bible Center Church, Charleston, WV; President Hamid Karzai of
    Afghanistan; and Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim
    Government.