    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [September 30, 2004]
    [Pages 2271-2272]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Debate Watch Party in Coral Gables, Florida
    September 30, 2004

        The President. Thank you all for being here. Anything worthwhile on
    TV tonight? [Laughter] I enjoyed it. I had a good time up there talking
    about what I believe. No, it's not hard to debate if you know what's in
    your heart, know where you want to lead this country.
        Listen, I too want to thank the people of this State for their
    courage, compassion, and decency in the face of incredible suffering.
    These four hurricanes came to this State, and the people of this State
    have risen up. And when they found a neighbor in need, they provided
    compassion and help. When they found somebody who's hurting, they
    provided succor needed. And I thank the people of this State so very
    much for setting such a great example for the rest of our country.
        There I was, standing there on the stage, and guess who I was
    looking at the whole time? Laura. If you could
    see a smile occasionally come across my face, that's because I was
    looking at a lady I love. Then occasionally I'd glance over and see
    Barbara and Jenna. I
    love them too. Oh, yes, I want to thank Jenna and Barbara for working so
    hard in this campaign. I want to thank Laura for her great compassion
    and composure.
        I want to thank my brother Jeb for being such a
    great Governor for Florida. I mean, when this State needed him, needed
    his leadership, he showed up. He'd been every--he's been all over this
    State, working hard to make sure that those who have suffered realize
    that help is around the corner, that we're doing everything we can to
    protect people.
        Listen, I'm honored to be here with the next United States Senator,
    Mel Martinez. This man needs to be in the
    United States Senate. He not only had a fantastic past--as a matter of
    fact, he's a member of Pedro Pan--but he's got a great future, and the
    people of Florida will benefit by having Mel Martinez in the U.S.
    Senate. We love Kitty, Kitty Martinez. She's
    one of our favorites.
        I want to thank--before I went out there to debate, I saw two of the
    preprogram participants--it's kind of hard for a Texan to say--
    [laughter]--preprogram participants. That would be Rudy
    Giuliani. I want to thank him for being
    here.
        Audience members. Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
        The President. And I want to thank my friend General Tommy
    Franks for being here as well.
        Now, we've got two more campaigns to go--I mean, two more debates to
    go. No more campaigns except this one, two more debates to go and a lot
    of hard work. There's no doubt in my mind, with your help, we're going
    to carry Florida again.
        I was only disappointed in one thing about the debate tonight: There
    was not one question on Cuba. Let me tell you my question: Cuba libre.
    [Applause] Quatro mas anos. No, people know where I stand. People know
    what I believe. I've got a plan

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    to fight these terrorists, to keep this country secure. I've got a plan
    to spread freedom, not only in the greater Middle East but in our own
    hemisphere, in places like Cuba. I've got a plan to make this world more
    peaceful.
        I'm looking forward to the debate on domestic policy too. There's
    some big differences. He's going to run up your
    taxes.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I'm going to keep them low. We've got a plan to
    continue growing this economy, a plan to make sure our children get a
    good education, a plan to make sure health care works, but a plan that
    recognizes this: The role of Government is to help people realize their
    dreams, not to tell people how to live their lives.
        Now, I'm honored you all came out. As you know, I'm kind of getting
    older, so I need to get my sleep. [Laughter] We have come to thank you
    for your steadfast support. Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'm getting
    up and heading to Pennsylvania, and then I'm going to New Hampshire.
    What I'm telling you is, I'm going to keep campaigning as hard as I
    possibly can, carrying our message of a better tomorrow, and we're going
    to win in November.
        God bless. God bless America. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:04 p.m. at the Coconut Grove Expo
    Center. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; Kitty
    Martinez, wife of Florida senatorial candidate Mel R. Martinez; Rudolph
    W. Giuliani, former mayor of New York City; and Gen. Tommy R. Franks,
    USA (Ret.), former combatant commander, U.S. Central Command.