    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [August 4, 2004]
    [Pages 1474-1482]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Davenport, Iowa
    August 4, 2004

        The President. Thank you all so very much for coming. Thanks for
    having me. It's great to be back here in the Quad Cities area. It's a
    great place to work and raise your family. It's what I would call the
    heart and soul of the country. We have a little difference of opinion
    about the heart and soul--some of them think you can find it in
    Hollywood.
        Audience members. No-o-o!
        The President. I think you find it right here in Davenport, Iowa.
        I'm looking forward to the race. I'm here to ask for your vote and
    ask for your help. Everywhere we're going, the crowds are

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    big, the enthusiasm is high, the signs are good. With your help, Dick
    Cheney and I will have 4 more years.
        I regret that Laura is not here to see this
    significant crowd. She is a fabulous First Lady. She is a great mother
    and a wonderful wife. Today I'm going to give you some reasons for you
    to put me back in office, but perhaps the most important reason of all
    is so that Laura will be the First Lady for 4 more years.
        I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney. I
    admit he's not the prettiest one on the ticket. [Laughter] I didn't pick
    him for his looks. [Laughter] I picked him for his judgment and his
    experience. Dick Cheney is a great Vice President.
        I want to thank my friend Jim Nussle. I
    appreciate his leadership in the United States Congress. He's the budget
    man. He's looking out after your money. He and I understand when we
    spend money in Washington, it's not the Government's money; it's the
    people's money.
        I appreciate my friend Jim Leach joining
    us today. What a fine, fine citizen of the State of Iowa. I want to
    thank my friend Tom Latham for joining us, the
    Congressman from the other part of the State. Thanks for inviting him
    here to eastern Iowa. It's good for your Congressmen to get a taste for
    the decency of the folks that live in this part of the State.
        I want to thank Chuck Gipp, David
    Vaudt, all the State officials here. I
    appreciate the mayor coming. Mr. Mayor,
    we're proud you're here. Fill the potholes. [Laughter]
        I want to thank Mayor Freemire of
    Bettendorf as well. I'm proud you're here. I want to thank my friend
    David Roederer, who is the campaign chairman
    for this great State of Iowa. I appreciate my friend Larry
    Gatlin. We were both raised in west Texas
    together. I was in Midland; he was in Odessa. I can't sing; he can.
    [Laughter]
        Listen, I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. I
    appreciate you coming. I want to thank you for what you are going to do,
    which is to register the voters. We have a duty in this country to vote.
    Make sure you register people. Don't worry about what party they're in;
    we want everybody voting in America. However, now when you're convincing
    them who to vote for, don't overlook discerning Democrats and wise
    independents. [Laughter] When you get them headed toward the poll, nudge
    them our way. I'm counting on your help, and together we're going to win
    not only Iowa, but it's going to be a great victory in November
    nationwide. We were close in Iowa last time--not this time; we're going
    to carry it.
        Every incumbent who's asking for the vote has to answer a question
    why--why should the American people give me the great privilege of
    serving as your President for 4 more years? In the past years we've been
    through a lot together. We've been through a whole lot together, and
    we've accomplished a great deal. But there's only one reason to look
    backward at the record, and that is to determine who best to lead our
    Nation forward.
        I'm asking for your vote because so much is at stake. We have more
    to do. We must work to move America forward. I want to be your President
    for 4 more years to make our country safer.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. I want to be your President for 4 more years to make
    our economy stronger. I want to be your President for 4 more years to
    make our future brighter and better for every one of our citizens. From
    creating jobs to improving schools, from fighting terror to spreading
    the peace, we have made much progress, and there is still more to do.
        We have more to do to make our public schools the centers of
    excellence we know that they can be, so that no child is left behind in
    this country. When we came to office 3\1/2\ years ago, too many children
    were being shuffled from grade to grade, year after year, without
    learning the basics.

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    So we've challenged the soft bigotry of low expectations. We've raised
    the bar. We believe in accountability. We believe in making sure local
    folks are in charge of public schools. We believe in empowering parents.
    And today, children across America are showing real progress in reading
    and math. When it comes to improving America's public schools, we're
    turning the corner, and we're not turning back.
        Listen, we've got more to do. The world we're in is changing. The
    jobs of the future will require greater knowledge and a higher-level
    skills, so we've got to reform our high schools to make sure a high
    school diploma means something. We're going to expand math and science
    so young people can compete in our high-tech world. We will expand the
    use of the Internet to bring high-level training into classrooms. With 4
    more years, we will help a rising generation gain the skills and
    confidence they need to realize the American Dream.
        We have more to do to make quality health care available and
    affordable. When we came to office, too many older Americans could not
    afford prescription drugs, and Medicare didn't pay for them. Leaders in
    both political parties for years had promised prescription drug coverage
    for our seniors; we got it done. Already, more than 4 million seniors
    have signed up for drug discount cards that provide real savings.
    Beginning in 2006, all seniors on Medicare will be able to choose a plan
    that suits their needs and gives them coverage for prescription drugs.
        I remember campaigning with Nussle and
    Leach and Latham and
    your fine United States Senator, Charles Grassley. I said, ``We're going to strengthen Medicare to make sure
    rural hospitals in Iowa get the help they need,'' so we provided more
    funds to hospitals healing--handling a low volume of patients. We've
    increased payments for ambulance providers and suppliers in rural areas.
    We're giving better bonuses to physicians, so we can keep good doctors
    practicing in rural America. In other words, we delivered on our promise
    to the people of Iowa. The other folks talk a good game; we deliver.
        To help people get access to quality care, we've expanded community
    health centers for low-income Americans. We've created health savings
    accounts so families can save, tax-free, for their own health care
    needs. When it comes to giving Americans more choices about their health
    care and making health care more affordable, we're moving America
    forward, and we're not going to turn back.
        This world is changing. Most Americans get their health care
    coverage through their work. Most of today's new jobs are created by
    small businesses, which too often cannot afford to provide health
    coverage. To help more American families get health insurance, we must
    allow small employers to join together to purchase insurance at the
    discounts available to big companies.
        To improve health care, we must end the frivolous lawsuits that
    raise health care costs and drive doctors out of medicine. You cannot be
    pro-patient and pro-doctor and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. You
    have to choose. My opponent made his choice, and
    he put him on the ticket. [Laughter] I made my
    choice: I will continue to work with Congress to pass medical liability
    reform for the patients of America.
        We can do more to harness technology to reduce costs and prevent
    health care mistakes. We can do more to expand research and seek new
    cures for terrible diseases. And in all we do to improve health care in
    America, we'll make sure the health decisions are made by doctors and
    patients, not by bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
        We have more to do to make our economy stronger. Listen, we've come
    through a recession and terror attacks and corporate scandals and a
    stock market decline. We overcame these obstacles because of the hard
    work of Iowa's small-business people, because we've got the best workers
    in the

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    world. We've overcome these obstacles because we've got the best farmers
    in the world.
        And we've overcome these obstacles because of well-timed tax relief
    for the American people. Listen, we didn't pick winners and losers when
    it came to tax relief. We gave tax relief to every American who pays
    Federal income taxes. We gave tax relief for families with children. We
    gave tax relief for married couples. What kind of Tax Code is it that
    penalizes marriage? It's a Tax Code that needs to be changed. We gave
    tax relief for every small business that purchases equipment. And this
    time, the check really was in the mail.
        Because we acted, our economy since last summer has grown at a rate
    as fast as any in nearly 20 years. Because we acted, America has added
    more than 1.5 million new jobs since last August. Because we acted, Iowa
    has added more than 11,000 jobs over the past year. Because we acted,
    Iowa's unemployment rate now is 4.3 percent. When it comes to creating
    jobs for American workers, we are turning the corner, and we're not
    going back.
        We worked to strengthen our farmers and ranchers. We passed a good
    farm bill; I was proud to sign it. We phased out the death tax so
    America's family farmers can stay in the family. We've opened up foreign
    markets for Iowa's and Illinois farmers. You see, if you're good at
    something, you ought to have the opportunity to sell that which you're
    good at around the world.
        Listen, this country needs an energy strategy. We must become less
    dependent on foreign sources of energy if we want to keep jobs here in
    America. And one way to become less dependent on foreign sources of
    energy is to promote alternative sources of fuel like biodiesel and
    ethanol. I told the people of this State when I was running in 2000, I
    support ethanol. I have kept my promise to Iowa's farmers. In the last 3
    years, America's farmers have posted record net-cash farm income--
    record--record exports, record farm equity and land values. I have made
    the success of America's farmers and ranchers a priority, and America is
    better off for it.
        To keep jobs in America, regulations need to be reasonable and fair.
    To keep jobs in America, we must end the junk lawsuits which threaten
    our small businesses. To keep jobs in America, we will not overspend
    your money, and we will keep your taxes low. To keep jobs in America, we
    will offer our workers a lifetime of learning and to make sure they get
    training for the jobs of the future, at our community colleges. The
    education and training community colleges offer can be the bridge
    between people's lives as they are and people's lives as they want them
    to be.
        And we're going to make sure America's families keep more of
    something they never have enough of, and that is time--time to be with
    your kids, time to take care of your parents, time to go to class to
    improve yourselves. Congress needs to work with the administration to
    enact comp-time and flex-time to help America's families better juggle
    their home needs and their work needs.
        What I'm telling you is, after 4 more years, the economy will be
    better, more small-business owners will be in America, better and higher
    paying jobs will exist here, and our farmers will be able to put
    something aside for the future generations.
        We have more to do to wage and win the war against terror. America's
    future depends on our willingness to lead in this world. If America
    shows uncertainty and weakness in this decade, the world will drift
    toward tragedy. This is not going to happen on my watch.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. 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 for Al Qaida, which trained
    and deployed thousands of killers to set

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    up terror cells in dozens of countries, including our own. Today,
    Afghanistan is a rising democracy. Afghanistan is a place where many
    young girls now go to school for the first time. Afghanistan is an ally
    in the war against terror, and America and the world are safer.
        Before September the 11th, Pakistan was a safe transit point for
    terrorists. Today, Pakistan is an ally in the war on terror. Pakistani
    forces are aggressively helping to round up the terrorists. America and
    the world are safer.
        In Saudi Arabia, before September the 11th, terrorists were raising
    money and recruiting and operating with little opposition. Today, the
    Saudi Government is taking the fight to Al Qaida. 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 have
    sent a strong and clear 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 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 used weapons of mass destruction against
    his own people. He had harbored terrorists. He invaded his neighbors. He
    subsidized families of suicide bombers. He had murdered tens of
    thousands of his own citizens. He was a source of great instability in a
    volatile part of the world.
        After September the 11th, we looked at all the threats in a new
    light. One of the lessons of September the 11th is, this country must
    take threats seriously before they fully materialize. The September the
    11th Commission concluded that our institutions of Government had failed
    to imagine the horror of that day.
        After September the 11th, we could not fail to imagine that a brutal
    tyrant who hated America, had ties to terror,
    had used weapons of mass destruction might use those weapons or share
    his deadly capabilities with our enemies. We saw a threat. The United
    States Congress--members of both political parties, including my opponent--looked at the same intelligence and saw a
    threat to America. The United Nations looked at the same intelligence,
    and it saw a threat and unanimously demanded a full accounting of Saddam
    Hussein's weapons and weapons programs or face serious consequences.
    That's what the free world demanded.
        After 12 years of defiance, the tyrant
    refused to comply. He continued to deceive the world. He deceived the
    weapons inspectors that the world had sent into Iraq. Now, I had a
    choice to make: Do I forget the lessons of September the 11th and trust
    a madman----
        Audience members. No-o-o!
        The President. ----or do I take action to defend America? Given that
    choice, I will defend our country.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Because the dictator sits
    in a prison cell, the people of Iraq are better off. America and the
    world are safer.
        When it comes to fighting the threats of our world, when it comes to
    making America safer, when it comes to spreading peace, we're moving
    forward, and we're not turning back.
        We've got more to do. I'm running for 4 more years because we've got
    more to do. We must continue to work with our friends and allies around
    the world to aggressively pursue the terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan
    and elsewhere. See, you can't talk sense to the terrorists.
        Audience members. No-o-o!
        The President. You cannot negotiate with them.
        Audience members. No-o-o!
        The President. You cannot hope for the best. We must engage the
    enemies around

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    the world 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 defeat terror,
    and that's necessary. Over 60 nations are involved with the
    Proliferation Security Initiative. Nearly 40 nations are involved in
    Afghanistan. Some 30 nations are involved in Iraq. We will continue to
    build our alliances. We will continue to work with our friends for the
    cause of security and peace. But I will never turn over America's
    national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
        We will keep our commitments to help Afghanistan and Iraq become
    peaceful, democratic societies. These two nations are now governed by
    strong leaders, people who want the boys and girls of their respective
    countries to grow up in peace. They know what we know in America: Moms
    and dads long for a peaceful society; they long for their children to be
    able to be educated and realize their dreams. The people of these
    countries are stepping up, providing security for their own people.
    After years of brutality, they see a glimmer of hope, a chance to live
    in a free society. And these people can count on our help and the help
    of our coalition.
        You see, when we acted to protect our own security, we also promised
    to help deliver them from tyranny, to restore their sovereignty, to help
    set them on the path to liberty. And when America gives its word,
    America will keep its word.
        In these crucial times, our commitments are kept by the men and
    women of our military. At bases across our country and the world, I've
    had the privilege of meeting with those who defend our country and
    sacrifice for our security. I've seen their great decency and their
    unselfish courage. The cause of freedom is in really good hands.
        And our men and women in uniform deserve the full support of our
    Government. Last September, while our troops were in combat in both
    Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed supplemental funding to support our
    military and its mission. This legislation provided funding for body
    armor and vital equipment, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition,
    fuel, and spare parts for our military. In the Senate, only a small,
    out-of-the-mainstream minority of 12 voted against the legislation. Two
    of those twelve Senators are my opponent and his
    runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Here's how my opponent tried
    to explain his vote. He said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion,
    before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] End quote. [Laughter] Then he
    went on to say, he was proud that he and his runningmate voted against it, and he further said the whole thing is
    a complicated matter. There is 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 a powerful example to their
    neighbors in a part of the world that is desperate for freedom.
        Free countries do not export terror. Free countries listen to the
    dreams and aspirations of their citizens. By serving the ideal of
    liberty, we're bringing hope to others, and that makes America more
    secure. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're making the world a more
    peaceful place. By serving the ideal of liberty, we serve 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 have more to do to protect us. Enemies who hate us are still
    plotting to harm us. Those who claim that America's war on terror is to
    blame for terror threats against the United States have a fundamental
    misunderstanding of the nature of

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    the enemy. See, the 9/11 Commission said something wise: Our homeland is
    safer, but we are not yet safe.
        Beginning immediately after September the 11th, we've started the
    hard process of reform. We transformed our defenses. We've created a new
    Department of Homeland Security. We passed the PATRIOT Act to give law
    enforcement the tools they need to help make America more secure. The
    mission of the FBI is now focused on preventing terror. We're
    integrating intelligence and law enforcement better than we ever have
    before. We've taken action on a large majority of the Commission's
    recommendations.
        We have more to do to better secure our ports and borders, to train
    first-responders, to dramatically improve our intelligence gathering
    capability. That's why this week I called on Congress to create a
    position of National Intelligence Director, so that one person is in
    charge of coordinating all our intelligence efforts overseas and here at
    home.
        These reforms are not going to be easy. I understand that. You see,
    reform is never easy in Washington. [Laughter] There's a lot of
    entrenched interests there. People don't like to have the status quo
    challenged. It's not enough, though, to advocate reform; you have to be
    able to get it done.
        And we're getting it done on behalf of the people of this country.
    When it comes to reforming schools to provide an excellent education for
    all our children, results matter. When it comes to health care reforms
    that give families more access and more choices, results matter. When it
    comes to improving our economy and creating quality jobs, results
    matter. When it comes to a strong farm economy, results matter. When it
    comes to better securing our homeland, fighting the forces of terror,
    and promoting the peace, results matter. When it comes to electing a
    President, results matter.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. No, there's a lot of big talkers in the Nation's
    Capital. We just like to be known as the people who can get the job
    done. We're living in a time of great change. And it's an exciting
    time--it really is--to be an American. We got to make sure Government
    responds to these times by standing side by side with people, side by
    side with our workers, and side by side with our families.
        The best way to do so, in my judgment, is to encourage people to own
    something, to encourage people to own their own homes. Listen, the
    homeownership rate in America is at an alltime high, and that's good
    news for our country. We want our workers to be able to own their own
    health care accounts so they can take them from job to job. We want
    younger workers to be able to own a Social Security personal retirement
    account that they can call their own and pass on from one generation to
    the next. We want people owning their own farm and their own small
    business. See, we understand when you own something, you have a vital
    stake in the future of this country.
        The world is--times have changed, but some things are not going to
    change. Our belief in liberty will not change. Our belief in the
    nonnegotiable demands of human dignity will not change. Our desire to
    make sure opportunity, the great American experience, is spread
    throughout every corner of this country, will not change. The individual
    values we try to live by won't change, courage and compassion, reverence
    and integrity. The institutions that give us direction and purpose are
    important, our families, our schools, our religious congregation. They
    are so important and so fundamental; they deserve the respect of
    Government.
        We stand for things. We stand for something. We stand for
    institutions like marriage and family, which are the foundations of our
    society. We stand for a culture of life in which every person matters
    and every person counts. We stand for judges

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    who faithfully interpret the law instead of legislating from the bench.
        And we stand for a culture of responsibility in America. This
    culture of ours 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're fortunate enough to be a mother or
    a father, you are responsible for loving your child with all your heart
    and all your soul. If you're worried about the quality of the education
    in the community in which you live, you are responsible for doing
    something about it. If you are a CEO in corporate America, you're
    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.
        Listen, the strength of this country is not our military. The
    strength of this country is not our wallets. The strength of this
    country is the heart and soul of the American people.
        I want to be your President for 4 more years so we can continue to
    rally the armies of compassion, so we can help change America one heart,
    one soul, one conscience at a time.
        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. It's a time that
    requires strength and firm resolve. This is a time that requires courage
    and our willingness to lead.
        Audience member. That's why we love you!
        The President. None of us will ever forget that era--that week when
    one era ended and another one 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 in hardhats yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' A
    guy grabbed me by the arm. He had tears in his eyes; he was exhausted
    from searching through the rubble to find his friend. He said, ``Do not
    let me down.''
        He took it personally. The people searching through the rubble took
    that day personally. You took it personally, and so did I. I wake up
    every morning thinking about how to better protect our people. I will
    never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. No, we've come through much together. We've done hard
    work. During the next 4 years, we will spread ownership and opportunity
    all throughout our land. We'll pass the enduring values of our country
    to another generation. And during the next 4 years, we'll continue to
    lead in the cause of freedom so the world will be a more peaceful place.
        You know, 4 years ago I traveled your great State asking for the
    vote, and I made a pledge that if you honored me with this great
    responsibility, I would uphold the dignity and the honor of the office
    to which I had been elected, so help me God. And with your help, I will
    do so during the next 4 years.
        May God bless you. Thanks for coming. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:27 a.m. at LeClaire Park and Bandshell.
    In his remarks, he referred to Iowa State Representative Chuck Gipp;
    Iowa State Auditor David A. Vaudt; Mayor Charles W. Brooke of Davenport,
    IA; Mayor Michael J. Freemire of Bettendorf, IA; entertainer Larry
    Gatlin; Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, leader of Libya; former
    President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and the National Commission on
    Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission).

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