    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [August 17, 2004]
    [Pages 1688-1695]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Hedgesville, West Virginia
    August 17, 2004

        The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming, and
    thanks for inviting me here to Hedgesville. It's such an honor to be
    back in what they call the Mountain State. What a beautiful place. I
    really--some of them think you can find the heart and soul in Hollywood.
    I think you find it right here. This is the heart and soul of America,
    as far as I'm concerned.
        I want to thank you all for coming. Thanks for bringing your
    families. I'm here to ask for the vote. I'm traveling your important
    State not only asking for the vote but asking for your help. See, we
    have a duty in this country to vote. We have an obligation in a free
    society to go to the polls. So I'm asking you to register your friends
    and neighbors, and then, come voting time, head them to the polls. And
    remind them if they want this country to be safer, stronger, and better,
    put George Bush and Dick Cheney back in there.
    With your help, we carried this State in 2000. With your help, we'll
    carry it again and win a great victory in November of 2004.
        I am sorry Laura is not with me today. She's
    out working. [Laughter] She's asking for the vote. What a great mother
    and a great wife, and she's doing a great job as our 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 that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more
    years.
        I'm running with a good man in Dick Cheney.
    He's a fine Vice President. I admit it, he's not the prettiest face in
    the race. [Laughter] I didn't pick him for his looks. [Laughter] I
    picked him because he can get the job done.
        I want to thank Gale for his kind
    introduction. I appreciate his service to the West Virginia men's
    basketball team. What a great man he is and a great class act. I'm
    honored--I appreciate, Coach, that you'd introduce me. I appreciate
    standing by your side.
        I want to thank my friend Shelley Moore Capito, the Congressman for the great State of West Virginia. I
    want to thank Don Dellinger, Manny
    Arvon, and Dr. Bill Queen of the school system around here. I appreciate you letting
    me come to this facility, and thanks for working to make sure our kids
    get a good education here in West Virginia. I want to thank all the
    people running for office, all the local officials. Thanks for showing
    up. Most importantly, I want to thank you all. I'm honored you're here.
    This is a huge turnout, and I'm grateful for it.
        I want to thank the Hedgesville High School Marching Band for
    playing here today. And, of course, I've got to thank my friends the
    Bellamy Brothers
    for being here as well. I'm honored they're here.
        Listen, I'm here asking for the vote, and I understand one thing
    about politics, though--there's only one reason to look backwards at the
    record, and that's who best to lead us forward. We've done a lot
    together. You think about what we've been through. We've been through a
    lot, and we've accomplished a lot. But I'm here to tell you there is
    more to do. We've got more work to do to make this country a hopeful
    place. We've got more work to do to make sure that our schools work.
    We've got more to do to keep us safe. We've

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    got more to do to spread freedom, and we've got more to do to make the
    world a peaceful place.
        Audience member. You're the man for the job!
        The President. [Laughter] Listen, we've got more work to do to make
    our schools the centers of excellence we all know they can be, so that
    no child is left behind in America. You might remember when we came to
    office 3\1/2\ years ago, too many of the children were being shuffled
    from grade to grade, year after year, without learning the basics. We
    increased Federal funding, but we've also started to ask important
    questions: Can our children read and write and add and subtract? We're
    challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. We've raised the bar.
    We believe in accountability. We believe in local control of schools.
    And when we find schools that will not teach and will not change, we're
    bold enough to challenge the status quo.
        And we're making progress all across America. We're closing an
    achievement gap in this country. But there's more work to be done. We
    want to make sure high school diplomas mean something. We want to make
    sure we have strong math and science in our classrooms so our children
    can compete in the 21st century. We want to make sure we've got Internet
    in our classrooms so we can bring the latest education to help every
    child in America. What I'm telling you is, after 4 more years a rising
    generation will have more confidence and more skills to be able to
    realize the great promise of our country.
        We got more to do to make sure quality health care is available and
    affordable. You might remember all the stale debates on Medicare.
    Campaign after campaign, they'd come to West Virginia and say, ``Put me
    in office. We'll make sure Medicare is strengthened and modernized.'' We
    got the job done. Already more than 4 million seniors have signed up for
    drug discount cards which will provide real savings for our seniors. And
    starting in 2006, all seniors on Medicare will be able to choose a plan
    that meets their needs and gives them coverage for prescription drugs.
        There's more work to be done in health care. To make sure that
    people get quality care, we've expanded community health centers for
    low-income Americans. We've established health savings accounts so
    families can save tax-free for their needs. Most people get their health
    insurance through their jobs, and many small businesses are having
    trouble affording health care for their employees. We must allow small
    businesses to pool their risk so they can buy insurance at the same
    discounts that big companies are able to do.
        We got to make sure we have technology in health care so--reduce the
    costs and reduce medical errors. And one thing is for certain: To make
    sure you've got health care which is affordable and available, we need
    medical liability reform. See, I don't think you can be pro-patient and
    pro-doctor and pro-plaintiff-attorney at the same time. I think you have
    to choose. My opponent made his choice, and he put him on the ticket.
    [Laughter] I made my choice. We need medical liability reform now. In
    all we do to improve health care in America, we will make sure that the
    health care decisions are made by patients and doctors, not by
    bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
        Listen, we've got more work to do to make this economy stronger.
    We've been through a lot. We've been through a recession, corporate
    scandals, and a terrorist attack. Yet, this economy is strong, and it's
    getting stronger. And the reason why is because we've got great workers
    in America. We've got great farmers in America. The entrepreneurial
    spirit is strong in America, and so is the spirit of our fellow
    citizens. We've overcome those obstacles, and I think one of the main
    reasons why, besides the spirit of our country, is because of well-timed
    tax relief.
        We didn't pick winners or losers when it came to tax relief. We
    said, ``If you're paying taxes, you ought to get relief.'' And

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    we're helping our families by raising the child credit. We're doing
    something about the marriage penalty. Listen, the Tax Code has got it
    wrong. We ought to be encouraging marriage, not penalizing marriage.
        We're helping our small businesses, and this time the check was
    actually in the mail. [Laughter] Because we acted, our economy, since
    last summer, has grown at a rate as fast as any in nearly 20 years.
    We've added 1.5 million new jobs since last August. The national
    unemployment rate is 5.5 percent. The unemployment rate in this
    important State is 5.3 percent. The people of this State are working.
        I'm not going to rest until somebody who wants to work can find a
    job. There's more work to be done. In order to keep jobs here in
    America, we need an energy policy. That includes using West Virginia
    coal. We need more conservation, more renewable. We need to use the
    resources we have in environmentally friendly ways. What I'm telling you
    is, to keep jobs here in America, we need to become less dependent on
    foreign sources of energy.
        We need tort reform. We need to be wise about how we spend your
    money in Washington. And we need to keep your taxes low. You know,
    you've heard the talk in this campaign. I'm running against a
    fellow who has made over $2 trillion of new
    spending promises. And so they asked him the other day, they said, ``How
    are you going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Well, I'm going to tax the
    rich.'' You can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for all
    his promises. So guess who is going to end up paying? Yes. But we're not
    going to let him. We're going to win in November.
        In order to make sure we keep jobs here, we're going to make sure
    trade is fair for American workers and American manufacturers and
    American entrepreneurs. We can compete with anybody, anytime, anyplace,
    so long as the rules are fair.
        In order to make sure we've got jobs here, we've got to make sure
    our workers are trained for the jobs of the 21st century. That's why I'm
    such a strong backer in the community college system. The community
    college system will allow people to go back to work, and we'll provide
    help for them so they can get the skills necessary to fill the jobs that
    will exist in the 21st century.
        After 4 more years, there will be better jobs in America. After 4
    more years, there will be better--a better farm economy in America.
    After 4 more years, the entrepreneurial spirit will be strong. And after
    4 more years, America will still be the strongest economy among any
    major industrialized nation in the world.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. We have more to do to wage and win the war against
    terror. Our future depends on our willingness to lead in the world. If
    America shows uncertainty and weakness in this decade, the world will
    drift toward tragedy. This isn't going to happen on my watch.
        The world changed on a terrible September morning. And since that
    day, we have changed the world. Before September the 11th, Afghanistan
    served as the home base of Al Qaida, which trained and deployed
    thousands of killers to set up terror cells around the world, including
    our own country. Because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising democracy.
    Because we acted, Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror. Because
    we acted, young girls go to school for the first time in that country.
    Because we acted, America and the world are safer.
        Before September the 11th, Libya was spending millions to acquire
    weapons of mass destruction. Today, because America and our allies sent
    a strong and easy-to-understand message, the leader of Libya has abandoned his pursuit of weapons
    of mass destruction, and America and the world are safer.
        Before September the 11th, the----
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

    [[Page 1691]]

        The President. Thank you. I'm ready for 4 more years.
        Before September the 11th, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of America. He was defying the
    world. He was firing weapons at American pilots enforcing the world's
    sanctions. He had pursued and he had used weapons of mass destruction.
    He harbored terrorists. He invaded his neighbors. He subsidized the
    families of suicide bombers. Saddam Hussein murdered tens of thousands
    of his own citizens. He was a source of great instability in the world's
    most volatile region. He was a threat.
        One of the lessons of September the 11th is that this Nation must
    deal with threats before they fully materialize. I saw a threat, and I
    went to the United States Congress. I said, ``This man is a threat to
    the United States.'' They looked at the intelligence, the same
    intelligence I looked at. They remembered the facts about Saddam
    Hussein, and members of both political
    parties, including my opponent, agreed that
    Saddam Hussein was a threat.
        I then went to the United Nations, and I did so because force is the
    last resort for America. The decision to go to war is the toughest
    decision a President will ever make. I went to the United Nations in the
    hopes that diplomacy would work. The United Nations looked at the same
    intelligence I looked at and the Congress looked at and came to the same
    conclusion we did: Saddam Hussein was a threat. In the U.N. Security
    Council, there was a 15-to-nothing vote that said, ``Disclose, disarm,
    or face serious consequences.'' As he had for over a decade, Saddam
    Hussein defied the demands of the free world.
    He went so far as to systematically deceive the inspectors that we sent
    in that country.
        So I had a choice to make: Either forget the lessons of September
    the 11th and trust a madman, or take action necessary to defend America.
    Given that choice, I will defend our country every time.
        Even though we didn't find the stockpiles we expected to find,
    Saddam Hussein had the capability of making
    weapons, and he could have passed that capability on to our enemies.
    After September the 11th, that is a risk we could not afford to take.
    Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision. And
    America and the world are safer with Saddam Hussein in a prison cell.
        Now, almost 2 years after he voted for the war in Iraq, and 7 months
    after switching positions to declare himself the antiwar candidate, my
    opponent has found a new nuance. He now agrees it
    was the right decision to go into Iraq. After months of questioning my
    motives and even my credibility, the Senator from Massachusetts now
    agrees with me that even though we haven't found the stockpile of
    weapons we all believed were there, knowing everything we know today, he
    would have voted to go into Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power. I want to thank the Senator for clearing
    that up. [Laughter] Remember, there's over 75 days left in the campaign.
    He can still change his mind. [Laughter]
        I'm running for 4 more years because I understand that we have more
    work to do to secure our country, to work with our friends and allies
    around the world, to aggressively pursue the terrorists and foreign
    fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere. See, you can't talk
    sense to these people. You cannot negotiate with them. You cannot hope
    for the best. We must engage these enemies so we do not have to face
    them here at home.
        America will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral
    clarity. We put together a strong coalition to help us. There are nearly
    40 nations involved in Afghanistan, some 30 nations involved in Iraq.
    Today I talked to Tony Blair and Silvio
    Berlusconi, Prime Ministers of great
    allies. We talked about how to spread peace and freedom around the
    world. These are important allies, and I appreciate their contributions.
    I will continue, over the next 4 years, to make sure our alliance is
    strong.

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    But I will never turn over America's national security decisions to
    leaders of other countries.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. We will keep our commitments to help Afghanistan and
    Iraq become democratic and peaceful societies. Those countries have now
    got strong leaders, men dedicated to the future of their countries. You
    realize over 9 million people have registered to vote in Afghanistan.
    They long for freedom. They want to be free, and we'll help them. Our
    military forces will help meet our goal of stable and free countries who
    are allies in the war on terror by not only providing security but by
    training Iraqi and Afghan forces so they can stand up and defend their
    countries. Our military will complete this mission as quickly as
    possible, so our troops do not stay a day longer than necessary.
        The other day my opponent said if he's
    elected, the number of troops in Iraq will be significantly reduced
    within 6 months. That sends a dangerous message. The enemy can wait 6
    months and 1 day. It sends the wrong message to our troops in theater.
    It sends the wrong message to the Iraqis. They're wondering whether or
    not America means what it says. They're wondering whether or not they
    are willing to take risks for freedom. They're wondering whether or not
    tyranny will come back into their land. No, when this country says
    something, we will honor our commitment. Afghanistan and Iraq will be
    free.
        We've done a lot of hard work and the world is better for it. In
    these crucial times, our commitments are kept by the men and women of
    our military. We've got a fantastic military. And I want to thank the
    veterans who are here for setting the example for those who wear today's
    uniform. I've seen the decency of our troops, their great courage. The
    cause of freedom is in really good hands.
        I have made a commitment to them and to their loved ones. Our troops
    will have the resources they need to fight and win this war against the
    terrorists. This administration has met that commitment. Last September,
    while our troops were in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed
    supplemental funding to support them in their missions. This funding
    went for body armor and vital equipment, hazard pay, health benefits,
    ammunition, fuel, and spare parts. It was an important vote. We received
    great bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate--such a strong
    vote in the Senate that only 12 Members voted against it, 2 of whom are
    my opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When I asked him about it, he
    said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against
    it.'' [Laughter] I don't think that's the way the folks around here
    talk. They tell you what's on your mind. You know, then he got pressed
    even further, and he said he was proud of his vote; then he said, ``It
    was a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] There's nothing complicated about
    supporting our troops in combat.
        In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We
    must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror--that's
    poverty and hopelessness and resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq and a
    free and peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful examples in a part of the
    world that is desperate for freedom. Free societies listen to the hopes
    and aspirations of their people. Free societies are peaceful societies.
    By serving the ideal of liberty, we're helping others secure their
    freedom, and we're securing our own country. By serving the ideal of
    liberty, we're spreading peace that we all long for. By serving the
    ideal of liberty, we're serving the deepest ideals of our country.
    Freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty
    God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
        We got more work to do to secure this homeland. There's an enemy who
    hate us,

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    and they're still plotting. It's the realities of the world we live in.
    We have a difference of opinion about these people. My opponent said the other day that going to war with the terrorists
    is actually improving their recruiting efforts. I think the logic is
    upside down. It shows a misunderstanding of the people that we have to
    bring to justice. See, during the nineties, the terrorists were
    recruiting and training for war with us, long before America went to war
    with them. They don't need an excuse for their hatred. It's wrong to
    blame America for the evil of these killers. We don't create terrorists
    by fighting back; we defeat the terrorists by fighting back.
        We're working hard to protect the homeland. You got to know there's
    a lot of people at the Federal and State and local level working as hard
    as they possibly can to protect our fellow citizens. And I'm grateful
    for their contributions and their sacrifice and their hard work. We
    created the Department of Homeland Security to better guard you. We've
    got better communications between our intelligence networks. The PATRIOT
    Act is a vital tool so law enforcement can run down these terrorists
    before they hit America again.
        We've been working hard to reform everything in Washington, but
    reform in Washington is hard. [Laughter] There's a lot of entrenched
    interests there. It's hard to challenge the status quo, but I've been
    willing to do so. See, it's not enough to advocate reform. You have to
    be able to get the job done.
        When it comes to reforming our schools to provide an excellent
    education for all our children, we're getting the job done. When it
    comes to health care reforms to give our families and seniors more
    access and better choices in health care, we're getting the job done.
    When it comes to improving our economy and creating jobs, we're getting
    the job done. When it comes to defending America and spreading freedom
    and peace, we're getting the job done. And when it comes to electing a
    President, America must put somebody in the White House who can get the
    job done.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Thank you all. You know, these are exciting times
    we're living in. It is a time of change, and change can be unsettling. I
    understand that. But if Government stands side by side with families or
    workers, it can help a lot. See, I want people owning something in
    America. I want people owning and controlling their own health care, so
    if they change jobs, they can take them from job to job. I want people
    owning and managing their own personal retirement accounts when it comes
    to Social Security. Listen, the Social Security system is in good shape
    for older folks like me. [Laughter] It's the younger workers we've got
    to be thinking about. In order to make sure the younger workers got a
    retirement system that meets its promises, younger workers ought to be
    allowed to own their own personal savings accounts.
        You know, one of the things I love about America is, more and more
    people are owning their home. The homeownership rate is at the highest
    its ever been in this country. What a wonderful idea, when somebody
    opens their door and says, ``This is my home. Welcome to my property.''
    We want more people owning their home in this country. We want more
    people owning their own business in this country. The small-business
    sector is a vibrant part of the health of our Nation. When you own
    something, you have a vital stake in the future of our country.
        In these changing times, there are going to be some things that
    won't change, as far as I'm concerned: Our belief in liberty and
    opportunity and the non-negotiable demands of human dignity; the
    individual values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence
    and integrity; the institutions that give us direction, our families,
    our schools, and our religious congregations.

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        We stand for institutions like marriage and family, which are the
    foundations of our society. We stand for a culture in life in America
    where every person counts and everybody matters. We stand for judges who
    faithfully interpret the law, instead of legislating from the bench. We
    stand for a culture of responsibility. You know this culture is changing
    from one that has 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.
        If you are a mother and father, you're responsible for loving your
    child with all your heart and all your soul. If you're worried about the
    schools here in your neighborhood, you're responsible for doing
    something about it. You're responsible for supporting your teachers,
    your principals, the people involved with the schools. If you're a CEO
    in corporate America, you are responsible for telling the truth to your
    shareholders and your employees. And in a responsibility society, each
    of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be
    loved ourself.
        I'm running for 4 more years to continue to rally the armies of
    compassion. I understand the limitations of Government. Government can
    hand out money, but it cannot put hope in a person's heart or a sense of
    purpose in a person's life. That happens when a loving soul puts their
    arm around somebody who needs some love and says, ``What can I do to
    help you? How can I stand by you? What can I do to make your life
    better?'' Listen, America is going to change one heart, one soul, one
    conscience at a time because of the armies of compassion in this great
    land.
        For all America, 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. It's a time when we must
    have firm resolve, clear vision, and a strong abiding faith in the
    values that make us a great nation.
        None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
    one began. I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers on September the
    14th, 2001, and it is a day I'll never forget. There were workers in
    hardhats yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I was working the line
    there to thank people, and a guy looked me in the eye, and he said, ``Do
    not let me down.'' He took that day personally. The people searching the
    rubble took it personally. You took it personally, and so did I. I have
    a duty that goes on. I wake up every morning thinking about how better
    to protect our country. I will never relent in defending America,
    whatever it takes.
        Now, we've been through a lot together, and there's more work to be
    done. During the next 4 years, we will spread ownership and opportunity
    to every corner of a country. We will pass the enduring values of our
    country on to a younger generation. We will lead the cause of freedom
    and peace.
        You know, when I campaigned around your State in 2000, I said that
    if you gave me the high honor of serving as your President, I would
    uphold the honor and the dignity of the office to which I had been
    elected. And with your help, I will do so for 4 more years.
        God bless. Thanks for coming. Thank you all very much. We're on to
    victory. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:17 p.m. at Hedgesville High School. In
    his remarks, he referred to Gale Catlett, former men's basketball coach,
    University of West Virginia; Don Dellinger, principal, Hedgesville High
    School; Manny P. Arvon, superintendent, Berkley County Schools; William
    F. Queen, president, Berkley County Schools Board of Education;
    entertainers the Bellamy Brothers; Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi,
    leader of Libya; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Prime Minister
    Tony Blair

    [[Page 1695]]

    of the United Kingdom; and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy.