    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [September 22, 2004]
    [Pages 2165-2174]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
    September 22, 2004

        The President. Thank you all very much for coming. I'm proud you all
    are here. Thanks for coming out to say hello.
        How good does it get to be introduced by Arnold Palmer? What a fantastic citizen of our country. I'm proud to
    be here in his hometown. He said, ``Have you ever heard of Rolling
    Rock?'' I said, ``I quit drinking.'' [Laughter]
        But thank you all for coming out today. I'm asking for the vote, is
    what I'm doing here today in Pennsylvania. I like getting out amongst
    the people and letting them know I've got a reason for running--to serve
    you for 4 more years.
        I'm here to tell you what my plans are for the future of our
    country. I'm also here to ask for your help. I'd like for you to
    register your friends and neighbors to vote. We have a duty in this
    country to vote. Call upon your friends and neighbors to exercise their
    responsibility. And when you're out registering people to vote, don't
    overlook discerning Democrats like Zell

    [[Page 2166]]

    Miller. And when you get them headed toward the
    polls, tell them that if they want this to be a safer, stronger, better
    America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in
    office.
        I'm sorry Laura is not with me today.
        Audience members. Aw-w-w!
        The President. I know it. I don't blame you. When I asked her to
    marry me, she said, ``Fine, just so long as I
    never have to give a speech.'' I said, ``Okay, fine, you'll never have
    to give a speech.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to my word.
    [Laughter] The people of this country got to see her in New York City
    giving a speech. They saw how compassionate, strong, and decent she is.
    She's a great mom, a great wife, a wonderful First Lady. I'm going to
    give you some reasons to put me back in, but perhaps the most important
    one of all is so Laura is First Lady for 4 more years.
        I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney.
    He's a good man. Now look, I admit it. 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 he's a man of great judgment, sound experience, and
    he can get the job done on behalf of the American people.
        Listen, you did a good job of training Tom Ridge. And I did a smart thing by picking him to run the new
    Department of Homeland Security.
        I want to thank the United States Senators who are with me today.
    I'm here to ask you to put Arlen Specter back
    in the United States Senate for 6 more years. I'm proud to be traveling
    with the other Senator, Rick Santorum. I want
    to thank Congressman Tim Murphy, the Congressman
    from this district. I call him Murph. I want to thank Congresswoman
    Melissa Hart from the great State of
    Pennsylvania for joining us.
        I want to thank all the candidates who are here and local and State
    officials. Thanks for serving Pennsylvania and your communities.
        I want to thank my friend Lynn Swann. He
    and I worked together to try to promote physical fitness. You need to
    walk. [Laughter] You want to stay healthy, get some exercise. And I
    appreciate my friend Lynn Swann for supporting my candidacy.
        I want to thank John Michael Montgomery for singing here today.
        I just came from Millvale, where I saw the devastation caused by the
    floods of Ivan. I assure you that we're helping as much as we possibly
    can to help people restore their lives, and that the prayers of the
    people of this country are with those who suffer.
        I'm looking forward to this campaign. I like to campaign, because I
    like to be with people. I'm looking forward to telling people where I
    stand, what I believe, and where I'm going to lead this Nation for the
    next 4 years.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. I went to Washington to solve problems, not to pass
    them on to future Presidents and future generations. I saw a problem
    with Medicare. See, Medicare was--is a very important program, but it
    wasn't changing with medicine. There was a problem. For example,
    Medicare would pay $100,000 to--for heart surgery for a senior but
    wouldn't pay for the prescription drugs to prevent the heart surgery
    from being needed in the first place. That's a problem. It's a problem
    for our seniors, who deserve modern medicine in Medicare. It's a problem
    for the taxpayers. So I brought Republicans and the Democrats together
    to strengthen Medicare. In 2006, our seniors will get prescription drug
    coverage. We're not turning back to the old days.
        When we came into office, the economy was turning south. The stock
    market had been in decline prior to our arrival. The first three
    quarters of my Presidency were a recession. We started to recover a
    little bit, and then we found out some of our citizens didn't tell the
    truth. Some CEOs forgot what it meant to be a responsible citizen in
    this country. By the way, we

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    passed tough laws that now make it abundantly clear, we're not going to
    tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of our country. Then we got hit
    with an attack, and that hurt us. It cost us about a million jobs in the
    3 months after September the 11th.
        There was a problem. We're overcoming those problems. We're
    overcoming those obstacles because our workers are great, our farmers
    know what they're doing, the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We're
    overcoming those problems because of well-timed tax cuts.
        Our economy has been growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20
    years. The national unemployment rate is at 5.4 percent, which is lower
    than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Inflation is low.
    Mortgage rates are low. You're adding jobs here in the State of
    Pennsylvania. This economy is growing, and we're not going to go
    backwards. We're not turning back to the old days.
        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 will not
    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. And I believe this Nation wants
    steady, principled leadership. And that's why, with your help, we're
    going to carry Pennsylvania and win a great victory in November.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. I believe every child can learn and every school must
    teach. I went to Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low
    expectations. We passed a new law called the No Child Left Behind Act.
    It raises standards. It uses accountability to solve problems early,
    before a child simply gets shuffled through the schools. It trusts the
    local people to make the right decision for the schools and the
    community in which you live. This law is making a difference. Here in
    the State of Pennsylvania, 81 percent of the Pennsylvania schools are
    meeting higher standards. That's up from 62 percent in just one year.
        Across this Nation, test scores are rising. African American and
    Hispanic students are closing the achievement gap here in America. We're
    making progress in this country, and we're not turning back to the old
    days of low expectations.
        We'll do more to improve education and prepare our children for the
    future. Listen, we've got a changing job force. Most new jobs are filled
    by people with at least 2 years of college, yet one in four of our
    students gets there. That's why, at our high schools, we'll fund early
    intervention programs to help at-risk students. We'll emphasize math and
    science so our kids can fill the jobs of the 21st century. We'll reward
    teachers who gets results for their students. We'll give our best
    teachers incentives to teach in the neediest schools. 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
    Americans, we will help more of our citizens start their career with a
    college diploma.
        Listen, I understand the world in which we live is changing. Think
    about what happened over the course of the last couple of decades. It
    used to be a person would work for one company, have one career. They'd
    have one pension plan, one health care plan. That person was a man.
    Today, our workers change jobs and careers, and women are working not
    only inside the house but outside the house. This workforce has changed,
    yet the systems of Government have not changed with the times. The
    pension plans, health coverage, the Tax Code, and worker training were
    created in a world of yesterday, not tomorrow. I'm running for President
    to transform these

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    systems so that all citizens are equipped, prepared, and thus truly free
    to make your own choices and to realize the great promise of our
    country.
        Listen, I understand a hopeful society is one in which the economy
    is growing. If we want to keep jobs here in America, America must be the
    best place in the world to do business. If we want people to find work
    here, we've got to do something about these regulations and lawsuits
    that are making it hard on the employers in the State of Pennsylvania.
        If we want to keep jobs here, Congress needs to pass my energy plan.
    Listen, in order to make sure this economy grows, we've got to encourage
    conservation, the use of renewables such as ethanol and biodiesel. We've
    got to use--modernize the electricity grid. We've got to use
    technologies to make sure we can use our coal. I'm for clean coal
    technology. We've got to use our technology so we can explore for
    natural gas in environmentally friendly ways. In order to keep jobs here
    in America, we must be less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        In order to keep jobs, we've got to reject economic isolationism.
    See, we open up our markets for a--for goods from overseas, and that's
    good for you. If you've got more--more to choose from, you're likely
    going to get the good you want at a better price and higher quality.
    What I'm saying to places like China is, ``You treat us the way we're
    treating you.'' And I'm saying that because I know we can compete with
    anybody, anytime, anywhere so long as the rules are fair.
        In order to make sure we've got jobs here, to make sure this
    recovery we have is a sustained--is sustained economic growth, 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 promised $2.2 trillion of new Federal spending
    so far.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That $2.2 trillion is a lot, even for a Senator from
    Massachusetts. [Laughter] So they said, ``How are you going to pay for
    it? How are you going to pay for this new spending?'' He said, ``We're going to tax the rich.'' Now, you've heard
    that before, haven't you? Here's the problem with that. You can't raise
    enough money by taxing the rich to pay for $2.2 trillion. There's a tax
    gap. And guess who always gets stuck with the bill? I'll tell you
    something else about that language, ``tax the rich.'' The rich hire
    lawyers and accountants for a reason, so you get stuck with the bill.
    We're not going to let John Kerry tax you, because we're going to carry
    Pennsylvania and win in November.
        Say something else about the Tax Code. That Tax Code needs to be
    changed. It's a complicated mess. It's full of special interest
    loopholes. In a new term, I'm going to bring Republicans and Democrats
    together to simplify the Tax Code and make it more fair for the American
    people.
        In a changing world, the economy changes, the nature of the jobs
    change, and oftentimes, there's a skills gap. That's why I'm such a big
    believer in the community college system. We're going to expand access
    to our community colleges so our workers are going to be able to gain
    the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century.
        In a changing world, we've got to think about how to provide
    stability in people's lives. One way to provide stability in a person's
    life is to encourage ownership. We want more people owning their own
    home. Do you realize, under my administration, the homeownership rate in
    America is at an alltime high? Over the next 4 years, we'll continue to
    expand ownership so more and more people are able to open up the door
    where they live and say, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of
    property.''
        In changing times, we need to reform our health care system. The
    costs are rising rapidly. I've got a commonsense, practical

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    plan to make sure health care is available and affordable. When it comes
    to health care, my opponent wants the Government
    to dictate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He wants the Government to
    decide. When it comes to health care, I want you to decide. More than
    half of the Americans who are currently uninsured are small-business
    employees and their families. We've got to change law to allow small
    firms to pool together so they can purchase insurance at the same
    discounts that big businesses get.
        My opponent opposes association health plans.
    Those are the plans that will give small businesses the opportunity to
    afford insurance so their workers can have insurance. I believe that we
    need to continue to expand tax-free health savings accounts. We'll give
    small businesses credits that encourage them to put money in health
    savings accounts. We want more workers to have their own health savings
    accounts so they can base medical decision on advice from their doctor,
    not because of people at HMOs.
        I believe we have an obligation to help the poor in this country.
    That's why I want to expand community health centers, places where the
    poor and the indigent can get good preventative care and good primary
    care. I want a community health center in every poor county in America.
        I'm going to tell you what else you've got a problem with in this
    State, and many others do as well in other States. One reason your costs
    of health care are going up, and one reason it's harder to find a doc
    these days, like ob-gyns, is because of the frivolous lawsuits. You
    cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time.
    You have to choose. My opponent made his choice,
    and he put a trial lawyer on the ticket. I made
    my choice: I'm standing with the docs and the patients and the
    hospitals. I am for medical liability reform--now. In all we do to make
    sure health care works in America, we'll make sure the decisions are
    made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in our Nation's
    Capital.
        I see we've got some young workers here. I want to talk about Social
    Security right quick. I told you systems have changed--or systems
    haven't changed, and they're stuck in the past. Listen, if you're a
    senior, you will get your Social Security check. You should not listen
    to the political nonsense that happens in the course of a campaign. The
    Social Security trust has got enough money to fulfill its promise to
    those who are receiving Social Security today.
        If you're a baby boomer, like me--[laughter]--leading edge of the
    baby boomers, I might add--[laughter]--we're going to be in pretty good
    shape when it comes to Social Security. We need to worry about our
    children and our grandchildren when it comes to Social Security. I
    believe younger workers ought to be able to take some of their own money
    and set up a personal savings account that earns better interest than
    the Social Security trust, a personal savings account they can call
    their own and a personal savings account Government cannot take away.
        Listen, in a world of change, some things don't change, the values
    we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. In
    times of change, we will support the institutions that give 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. We stand for the second amendment,
    which gives every American the individual right to bear arms. And I
    stand for the appointment of Federal judges who know the difference
    between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
        This election also determines how America responds to the continuing
    danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of September the 11th,
    2001, we have fought

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    the terrorists around the world, not for pride, not for power, but
    because the lives of our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is clear:
    We're defending the homeland; we're transforming our military; we're
    strengthening our 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'll work to advance liberty in the broader Middle East and around
    the world. And by being steadfast and resolved, we'll prevail. Our
    strategy is succeeding. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of
    Al Qaida; Pakistan was the 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 led, Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is
    capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests;
    Libya is dismantling its weapons programs; the army of a free Iraq is
    fighting for freedom; and more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key
    members and associates have been brought to justice.
        We've led. Many have joined, and America and the world are safer.
    And this progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and
    some hard decisions.
        Our hardest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam Hussein's record of aggression and support for terror. We know
    he had harbored Abu Nidal, the leader of a terrorist organization that
    carried out attacks in Europe and Asia. We knew Saddam harbored Abu
    Abbas, who found refuge in Baghdad after he killed American Leon
    Klinghoffer. We knew he paid the families of suicide bombers. We knew
    Saddam Hussein harbored Zarqawi, the
    terrorist we have seen who has beheaded some of our citizens. We knew
    they were there. We knew that Saddam Hussein was a sworn enemy of the
    United States of America. We knew that he had pursued and used weapons
    of mass destruction. We knew we had been at war with him once before. We
    knew he was a threat. And after September the 11th, this Nation must
    think differently about threats. We must take threats seriously before
    they fully materialize.
        I went to the United States Congress. Members of both political
    parties, including my opponent, looked at the
    same intelligence I was looking at, remembered the same history I
    remembered, and voted to authorize the use of force.
        Before the United States President ever commits people into harm's
    way, he must try all options to deal with the threat. I was hoping that
    diplomacy would work. I was hoping we could deal with the threat in Iraq
    by the use of diplomacy. That's why I went to the United Nations. At the
    United Nations, I made my case. They looked at the same intelligence I
    looked at. They remembered the history of Saddam Hussein and passed yet another resolution, 15 to nothing, that
    said, ``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.'' I believe when
    international bodies speak, they better mean what they say.
        Saddam Hussein once again did not listen
    to the demands of the free world. He ignored this resolution, just like
    he ignored resolution after resolution after resolution for nearly a
    decade. He just didn't believe ``serious consequences.'' He was hoping
    we'd look the other way. He was hoping that we would continue with the
    failed policy. As a matter of fact, when we sent inspectors in--or the
    U.N. sent inspectors into Iraq, he systematically deceived the
    inspectors. That's what he did. So I had a choice to make at this time.
    Diplomacy has failed. Do I trust Saddam Hussein? Do I 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 in our self-interest, 50 million people in
    Afghanistan and Iraq now live in freedom. Do you realize, a little more
    than 3 years ago, young girls couldn't go to school in Afghanistan
    because that

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    country was run by some barbarians whose dim vision of the world is the
    exact opposite of ours. Their moms could be pulled out in the public
    square and whipped or sports stadium and killed because they wouldn't
    toe the line of this ideology of hate. Today, 10 million citizens, 41
    percent of whom are women, have registered to vote in the upcoming
    October Presidential election. Amazing, isn't it?
        How powerful a statistic is that? Three years to go from darkness to
    light because of a free society. It's in our interests that Afghanistan
    no longer is a safe haven for Al Qaida. It's in our interests that
    Afghanistan has now joined us in fighting the terrorists. It's in our
    interests to spread freedom, because free societies are peaceful
    societies.
        Despite ongoing acts of violence, Iraq has a strong Prime
    Minister, with whom I met yesterday and will
    meet tomorrow and hold a press conference with him. I can't wait for the
    American people to hear this man. He's strong. He's tough. He was lying
    in a bed one night in London, and he wakes up--late at night, he was
    asleep--wakes up late at night; two henchmen from Saddam
    Hussein are by his bed with an ax trying to
    ax this man to death. He, fortunately, was able to get out of the
    situation. Today, he's the Prime Minister of Iraq. You talk about a guy
    who understands the stakes, somebody who understands what it means to
    live under the thumb of a thug. Prime Minister Allawi believes in the
    future of the people. They're going to have elections in January in
    Iraq. When America gives its word, America will keep its word. We'll
    stand with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq.
        Our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We'll help the new
    leaders train their armies so the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq can
    do the hard work of defeating the few who want to stop the ambitions of
    the many. We will help them get on the path of stability and democracy
    as quickly as possible, and then our troops will come home with the
    honor they have earned.
        We have a great United States military, and I'm proud to be their
    Commander in Chief. I've had the privilege of meeting with the service
    men and women who defend our country and sacrifice for our security. I
    know their courage and their great decency. The cause of freedom is in
    really good hands. And I want to thank the veterans who are here today
    for having set such a great example for those who wear the uniform
    today.
        Our Government must support the men and women of our uniform. We owe
    it to them, and we owe it to their loved ones. That's why I went to the
    United States Congress a year ago and asked for $87 billion in
    supplemental funding that was crucial money needed for our troops who
    were in harm's way in both Afghanistan and Iraq. That money was for
    ammunition and fuel and spare parts and body armor and hazard pay and
    health benefits. It was vital request. We received great support,
    bipartisan support. Republicans and Democrats said, ``This is vital
    funding.'' As a matter of fact, it was so strong that only 12 Members of
    the Senate voted against funding the troops----
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. ----only 12 Members, 2 of whom were my
    opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Only 4 Members of the Senate, only 4 out of 100,
    voted to authorize the use of force and then voted against funding the
    troops. Two of those four are my opponent and his
    runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. So they asked him--they said,
    ``How could you have made that vote?'' He said, ``I actually did vote
    for the $87 billion, right before I voted against it.'' Not a lot of
    people talk like that in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. And they pressed him
    further. He finally just said, ``The whole thing is a complicated
    matter.''

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    There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
        Prime Minister Allawi said yesterday that
    we're making progress in Iraq. Yet as we're seeing on our TV screens,
    it's tough; it's hard work. It's incredibly hard work, because the
    terrorists are desperate. They're trying to affect the elections in
    Iraq. They can't stand the thought of the people of that country voting
    to decide who their leaders are. They want to impose their dim vision on
    the people of that country. That's what they're trying to do, and that's
    why you're seeing on your TV screens awful brutality. Those terrorists
    will not defeat our military. They cannot defeat our military. The only
    thing they can do is behead people and try to shake our will.
        They're trying to shake the will of the Iraqis. They're trying to
    convince the Iraqis freedom is not worth it. They're trying to convince
    the American people that we will not succeed. That's the only weapon
    they have. They don't understand our country. We abhor the violence. We
    can't stand the beheadings, but we're not going to let thugs keep us
    from doing our duty.
        We have a strategy to help this country get to elections. We have a
    strategy to bring security to that country. Our military commanders have
    got flexibility to do their job. They're adjusting to conditions on the
    ground. We're helping the Iraqis rebuild their country. But one thing we
    will do--we will show our troops, the Iraqi people, the world, and our
    enemies that America will stand firm, and we will prevail.
        And the way to prevail, the way toward the successful conclusion we
    all want, the way to secure Iraq and bring our troops home is not to
    wilt or waver or send mixed signals. Incredibly, this week, my
    opponent said he would prefer the dictatorship of
    Saddam Hussein to the situation in Iraq
    today.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That's not the first time he's
    changed positions. You cannot lead the war on terror if you wilt or
    waver when the times are tough. You cannot expect the Iraqi people to
    stand up and do the hard work for democracy if you are pessimistic about
    their ability to govern themselves. You can't expect the Iraqi people to
    have faith when you believe they were better off with Saddam
    Hussein in power. You can't expect these
    people to trust America if we think mass graves are the wave of the
    future of these people and the torture rooms of Saddam Hussein.
        What kind of message does this send our troops, who are risking
    their lives and see firsthand the mission is hard, when they hear people
    who grow--when they wilt in the face of pressure? No, this mission is
    crucial to our success, and it's crucial to our future, and it's crucial
    to freedom. Mixed signals are the wrong signals. I will continue to lead
    with clarity, and when I say something, I mean it. I appreciate----
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. I had a chance to visit with some of our friends and
    allies who are making contributions to our coalition in Afghanistan and
    Iraq. I had a chance to thank them on behalf of the American people for
    the sacrifices they're making, for the sacrifices their moms and dads of
    those troops--their troops, and the husbands and wives of their troops
    are making. I'm proud of the coalition we've put together. We've got
    some 40 nations involved in Afghanistan, some 30 in Iraq. And I'm going
    to continue to lead, to build these alliances over the next 4 years. But
    I will never turn over America's national security decisions to leaders
    of other countries.
        I believe in the transformational power of liberty. You know, I sat
    down with Prime Minister Koizumi
    yesterday. I said, ``I'm using your name quite a bit when I'm traveling
    around the country.'' I said, ``I hope it's all right.'' [Laughter]
    ``Sometimes, I'm telling the people you like Elvis too.'' [Laughter] I
    like to tell my--about my relationship with Prime Minister Koizumi
    because it wasn't all that long ago in the

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    march of history that we were at war with the Japanese. They were the
    sworn enemy of the United States of America. As a matter of fact, I bet
    you a lot of your relatives fought against the Japanese. I know my
    dad did, and many others did as well.
        And after we won in World War II, Harry S. Truman, President of the
    United States, wanted to work for democracy in Japan because he believed
    liberty could transform nations. And you can bet there were some
    skeptics. There were skeptics then, just like there are some skeptics
    today. A lot of people in America said, ``Why do we want to work with an
    enemy? This enemy can't change its ways. We just fought them.'' But a
    lot of citizens didn't agree with that. Japan did become a democracy.
    And today, I sit down at the table with a former enemy, talking about
    achieving the peace we all want.
        Liberty is powerful. One day, an American President is going to be
    sitting down with a duly elected official from Iraq, talking about how
    to keep the peace. And our children and grandchildren will be better off
    for it.
        It's hard work to spread liberty, particularly in societies that
    have only known tyranny. But I believe the women of the greater Middle
    East desire to be free. I believe they want to be able to realize their
    dreams. I believe if they're the mother of a young girl, they want that
    young girl to be able to grow up and be anything she can be in life. I
    believe if given a chance, the people in that part of the world will
    embrace the most honorable form of government ever devised by man. I
    believe these things because freedom is not America's gift to the world;
    freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
        I said in my convention speech, we've done the hard work. We've
    climbed the mountain, and now we can see the valley below. And that
    valley is a peaceful valley. That valley is a hopeful valley. That
    valley is a better day for every single citizen who lives in this
    country. 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 pass the enduring values of our
    country to a new generation. We'll continue to work to spread freedom
    and peace.
        You know, 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 make 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. It's a day I will never forget. There were workers there in
    hardhats yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.''
    I remember working the ropeline, doing my best to console those folks
    who had just been doing everything they could to find a buddy out of the
    rubble, save people from harm's way. A guy grabbed me by the arm, and he
    said, ``Don't let me down.'' Those were impressions I'll never forget. I
    wake up every morning trying to figure out how best to defend our
    country. I will defend the security of America, whatever it takes.
        When I campaigned--4 years ago, when I campaigned in your great
    State asking for the vote, I made a pledge to my fellow Americans. I
    said if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold the honor and the
    dignity of the office to which I had been elected. With your help, with
    your hard work, I will do so for 4 more years.
        May God bless you. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all.

    [[Page 2174]]

    Note: The President spoke at 5:15 p.m. at Arnold Palmer Regional
    Airport. In his remarks, he referred to professional golfer Arnold
    Palmer; Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the keynote address at
    the 2004 Republican National Convention; Lynn C. Swann, chairman,
    President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; entertainer John
    Michael Montgomery; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi;
    Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; and Prime
    Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.