    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [September 2, 2004]
    [Pages 1855-1863]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National
    Convention in New York City
    September 2, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Mr. Chairman, delegates, fellow
    citizens: I am honored by your support, and I accept your nomination for
    President of the United States.
        When I said those words 4 years ago, none of us could have
    envisioned what these years would bring. In the heart of this great
    city, we saw tragedy arrive on a quiet morning. We saw the bravery of
    rescuers grow with danger. We learned of passengers on a doomed plane
    who died with a courage that frightened their killers. We have seen a
    shaken economy rise to its feet. And we have seen Americans in uniform
    storming mountain strongholds and charging through sandstorms and
    liberating millions with acts of valor that would make the men of
    Normandy proud.
        Since 2001, Americans have been given hills to climb and found the
    strength to climb them. Now, because we have made the hard journey, we
    can see the valley below. Now, because we have faced challenges with
    resolve, we have historic goals within our reach and greatness in our
    future. We will build a safer world and a more hopeful America, and
    nothing will hold us back.
        In the work we have done and the work we will do, I am fortunate to
    have a superb Vice President. I have counted on
    Dick Cheney's calm and steady judgment in difficult days, and I am
    honored to have him at my side.
        I am grateful to share my walk in life with Laura Bush. Americans have come to see the goodness and kindness
    and strength I first saw 26 years ago, and we love our First Lady.
        I'm a fortunate father of two spirited, intelligent, and
    lovely young women.
    I'm blessed with a sister and brothers who are my closest friends. And I
    will always be the proud and grateful son of George and Barbara Bush.
        My father served 8 years at the side of
    another great American, Ronald Reagan. His spirit of optimism and good
    will and decency are in this hall and are in our hearts and will always
    define our party.
        Two months from today, voters will make a choice based on the
    records we have built, the convictions we hold, and the vision that
    guides us forward. A Presidential election is a contest for the future.
    Tonight I will tell you where I stand, what I believe, and where I will
    lead this country in the next 4 years.

    [[Page 1856]]

        I believe every child can learn and every school must teach, so we
    passed the most important Federal education reform in history. Because
    we acted, children are making sustained progress in reading and math;
    America's schools are getting better; and nothing will hold us back.
        I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor America's seniors,
    so I brought Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen Medicare.
    Now seniors are getting immediate help buying medicine; soon every
    senior will be able to get prescription drug coverage; and nothing will
    hold us back.
        I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of America's workers,
    entrepreneurs, farmers, and ranchers, so we unleashed that energy with
    the largest tax relief in a generation. Because we acted, our economy is
    growing again and creating jobs, and nothing will hold us back.
        I believe the most solemn duty of the American President is to
    protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty or 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. I believe this Nation wants
    steady, consistent, principled leadership, and that is why, with your
    help, we will win this election.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. The story of America is the story of expanding
    liberty, an ever-widening circle, constantly growing to reach further
    and include more. Our Nation's founding commitment is still our deepest
    commitment: In our world and here at home, we will extend the frontiers
    of freedom.
        The times in which we work and live are changing dramatically. The
    workers of our parents' generation typically had one job, one skill, one
    career, often with one company that provided health care and a pension.
    And most of those workers were men. Today, workers change jobs, even
    careers, many times during their lives. And in one of the most dramatic
    shifts our society has seen, two-thirds of all moms also work outside
    the home.
        This changed world can be a time of great opportunity for all
    Americans to earn a better living, support your family, and have a
    rewarding career. And Government must take your side. Many of our most
    fundamental systems, the Tax Code, health coverage, pension plans,
    worker training, were created for the world of yesterday, not tomorrow.
    We will transform these systems so that all citizens are equipped,
    prepared--and thus truly free--to make your own choices and pursue your
    own dreams.
        My plan begins with providing the security and opportunity of a
    growing economy. We now compete in a global market that provides new
    buyers for our goods but new competition for our workers. To create more
    jobs in America, America must be the best place in the world to do
    business. To create jobs, my plan will encourage investment and
    expansion by restraining Federal spending, reducing regulation, and
    making the tax relief permanent. To create jobs, we will make our
    country less dependent on foreign sources of energy. To create jobs, we
    will expand trade and level the playing field to sell American goods and
    services across the globe. And we must protect small-business owners and
    workers from the explosion of frivolous lawsuits that threaten jobs
    across our country.
        Another drag on our economy is the current Tax Code, which is a
    complicated mess, filled with special interest loopholes, saddling our
    people with more than 6 billion hours of paperwork and headache every
    year. The American people deserve--

    [[Page 1857]]

    and our economic future demands--a simpler, fairer, progrowth system. In
    a new term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to reform and simplify the
    Federal Tax Code.
         Another priority in a new term will be to help workers take
    advantage of the expanding economy to find better and higher paying
    jobs. In this time of change, many workers want to go back to school to
    learn different or higher level skills. So we will double the number of
    people served by our principal job training program and increase funding
    for our community colleges. I know that with the right skills, American
    workers can compete with anyone, anywhere in the world.
        In this time of change, opportunity in some communities is more
    distant than in others. To stand with workers in poor communities and
    those that have lost manufacturing, textile, and other jobs, we will
    create American opportunity zones. In these areas, we will provide tax
    relief and other incentives to attract new business and improve housing
    and job training to bring hope and work throughout all of America.
        As I've traveled the country, I've met many workers and small-
    business owners who have told me that they are worried they cannot
    afford health care. More than half of the uninsured are small-business
    employees and their families. In a new term, we must allow small firms
    to join together to purchase insurance at the discounts available to big
    companies.
        We will offer a tax credit to encourage small businesses and their
    employees to set up health savings accounts and provide direct help for
    low-income Americans to purchase them. These accounts give workers the
    security of insurance against major illness, the opportunity to save
    tax-free for routine health expenses, and the freedom of knowing you can
    take your account with you whenever you change jobs. We will provide
    low-income Americans with better access to health care. In a new term, I
    will ensure every poor county in America has a community or rural health
    center.
        As I have traveled our country, I have met too many good doctors,
    especially ob-gyns, who are being forced out of practice because of the
    high cost of lawsuits. To make health care more affordable and
    accessible, we must pass medical liability reform now. And in all we do
    to improve health care in America, we will make sure that health
    decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in
    Washington, DC.
        In this time of change, Government must take the side of working
    families. In a new term, we will change outdated labor laws to offer
    comp-time and flex-time. Our laws should never stand in the way of a
    more family-friendly workplace.
        Another priority for a new term is to build an ownership society,
    because ownership brings security and dignity and independence.
        Thanks to our policies, homeownership in America is at an alltime
    high. Tonight we set a new goal: 7 million more affordable homes in the
    next 10 years so more American families will be able to open the door
    and say, ``Welcome to my home.''
        In an ownership society, more people will own their health care
    plans and have the confidence of owning a piece of their retirement.
    We'll always keep the promise of Social Security for our older workers.
    With the huge baby boom generation approaching retirement, many of our
    children and grandchildren understandably worry whether Social Security
    will be there when they need it. We must strengthen Social Security by
    allowing younger workers to save some of their taxes in a personal
    account, a nest egg you can call your own and Government can never take
    away.
        In all these proposals, we seek to provide not just a Government
    program but a path, a path to greater opportunity, more freedom, and
    more control over your own life.
        And the path begins with our youngest Americans. To build a more
    hopeful America, we must help our children reach as far as their vision
    and character can take

    [[Page 1858]]

    them. Tonight I remind every parent and every teacher, I say to every
    child: No matter what your circumstance, no matter where you live, your
    school will be the path to promise of America.
        We are transforming our schools by raising standards and focusing on
    results. We are insisting on accountability, empowering parents and
    teachers, and making sure that local people are in charge of their
    schools. By testing every child, we are identifying those who need help,
    and we are providing a record level of funding to get them that help. In
    northeast Georgia, Gainesville Elementary School is mostly Hispanic and
    90 percent poor, and this year 90 percent of the students passed State
    tests in reading and math. The principal expresses the philosophy of his
    school this way: ``We don't focus on what we can't do at this school. We
    focus on what we can do, and we do whatever it takes to get kids across
    the finish line.'' See, this principal is challenging the soft bigotry
    of low expectations. And that is the spirit of our education reform and
    the commitment of our country: No dejaremos a ningun nino atras. We will
    leave no child behind.
        Audience members. Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!
        We are making progress--we are making progress, and there is more to
    do. In this time of change, most new jobs are filled by people with at
    least 2 years of college, yet only about one in four students gets
    there. In our high schools, we will fund early intervention programs to
    help students at risk. We will place a new focus on math and science. As
    we make progress, we will require a rigorous exam before graduation. By
    raising performance in our high schools and expanding Pell grants for
    low- and middle-income families, we will help more Americans start their
    career with a college diploma.
        America's children must also have a healthy start in life. In a new
    term, we will lead an aggressive effort to enroll millions of poor
    children who are eligible but not signed up for the Government's health
    insurance programs. We will not allow a lack of attention or information
    to stand between these children and the health care they need.
        Anyone who wants more details on my agenda can find them online. The
    web address is not very imaginative, but it's easy to remember:
    georgewbush.com.
        These changing times can be exciting times of expanded opportunity.
    And here, you face a choice. My opponent's policies are dramatically
    different from ours. Senator Kerry opposed
    Medicare reform and health savings accounts. After supporting my
    education reforms, he now wants to dilute them. He opposes legal and
    medical liability reform. He opposed reducing the marriage penalty,
    opposed doubling the child credit, opposed lowering income taxes for all
    who pay them.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Wait a minute--wait a minute. To be fair, there are
    some things my opponent is for. [Laughter] He's
    proposed more than $2 trillion in Federal spending so far, and that's a
    lot, even for a Senator from Massachusetts. And to pay for that
    spending, he's running on a platform of increasing taxes, and that's the
    kind of promise a politician usually keeps. [Laughter]
        His tax--his policies of tax and spend, of
    expanding Government rather than expanding opportunity, are the politics
    of the past. We are on the path to the future, and we're not turning
    back.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. In this world of change, some things do not change,
    the values we try to live by, the institutions that give our lives
    meaning and purpose. Our society rests on a foundation of responsibility
    and character and family commitment.
        Because family and work are sources of stability and dignity, I
    support welfare reform that strengthens family and requires work.
    Because a caring society will value

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    its weakest members, we must make a place for the unborn child. Because
    religious charities provide a safety net of mercy and compassion, our
    Government must never discriminate against them. Because the union of a
    man and woman deserves an honored place in our society, I support the
    protection of marriage against activist judges, and I will continue to
    appoint Federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion
    and the strict interpretation of the law.
        My opponent recently announced that he is the
    conservative--the candidate of ``conservative values''--must have come
    as a surprise to a lot of his supporters. [Laughter] There's some
    problems with this claim. If you say the heart and soul of America is
    found in Hollywood, I'm afraid you are not the candidate of conservative
    values. If you voted against the bipartisan Defense of Marriage Act,
    which President Clinton signed, you are
    not the candidate of conservative values. If you gave a speech, as my
    opponent did, calling the Reagan Presidency 8 years of ``moral
    darkness,'' then you may be a lot of things, but the candidate of
    conservative values is not one of them.
        This election will also determine how America responds to the
    continuing danger of terrorism, and you know where I stand. Three days
    after September the 11th, I stood where Americans died, in the ruins of
    the Twin Towers. Workers in hardhats were shouting to me, ``Whatever it
    takes.'' A fellow grabbed me by the arm, and he said, ``Do not let me
    down.'' Since that day, I wake up every morning thinking about how to
    better protect our country. I will never relent in defending America,
    whatever it takes.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. So we have fought the terrorists across the Earth--
    not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are
    at stake. Our strategy is clear. We have tripled funding for homeland
    security and trained a half a million first-responders, because we are
    determined to protect our homeland. We are transforming our military and
    reforming and strengthening our intelligence services. We are staying on
    the offensive, striking terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them
    here at home. And we are working to advance liberty in the broader
    Middle East, because freedom will bring a future of hope and the peace
    we all want. And we will prevail.
        Our strategy is succeeding.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of Al
    Qaida; Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist groups; Saudi Arabia
    was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising; Libya was secretly
    pursuing nuclear weapons; Iraq was a gathering threat; and Al Qaida was
    largely unchallenged as it planned attacks. Today, the Government of a
    free 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 detained or killed. We have led; many have joined; and America
    and the world are safer.
        This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and
    some tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
    Hussein's record of aggression and support
    for terror. We knew his long history of pursuing, even using weapons of
    mass destruction. And we know that September the 11th requires our
    country to think differently. We must and we will confront threats to
    America before it is too late.
        In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat.
    Members of both political parties, including----
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

    [[Page 1860]]

        The President. Members of both political parties, including my
    opponent and his runningmate, saw the threat and voted to authorize the use of force.
    We went to the United Nations Security Council, which passed a unanimous
    resolution demanding the dictator disarm or face serious consequences.
    Leaders in the Middle East urged him to comply. After more than a decade
    of diplomacy, we gave Saddam Hussein another chance, a final chance, to
    meet his responsibilities to the civilized world. He again refused, and
    I faced the kind of decision that comes only to the Oval Office, a
    decision no President would ask for but must be prepared to make: Do I
    forget the lessons of September the 11th and take the word of a madman,
    or do I take action to defend our country? Faced with that choice, I
    will defend America every time.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. Because we acted to defend our country, the murderous
    regimes of Saddam Hussein and the Taliban are
    history, more than 50 million people have been liberated, and democracy
    is coming to the broader Middle East. In Afghanistan, terrorists have
    done everything they can to intimidate people, yet more than 10 million
    citizens have registered to vote in the October Presidential election, a
    resounding endorsement for democracy. Despite ongoing acts of violence,
    Iraq now has a strong Prime Minister, a national
    council, and national elections are scheduled for January. Our Nation is
    standing with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, because when America
    gives its word, America must keep its word.
        As importantly, we are serving a vital and historic cause that will
    make our country safer. Free societies in the Middle East will be
    hopeful societies which no longer feed resentments and breed violence
    for export. Free governments in the Middle East will fight terrorists
    instead of harboring them, and that helps us keep the peace. So our
    mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear: We will help new leaders to
    train their armies and move toward elections and get on the path of
    stability and democracy as quickly as possible. And then our troops will
    return home with the honor they have earned.
        Our troops know the historic importance of our work. One Army
    specialist wrote home: ``We are transforming a once sick society into a
    hopeful place.'' ``The various terrorist enemies we are facing in
    Iraq,'' he continued, ``are really aiming at you back in the United
    States. This is a test of will for our country. We soldiers of yours are
    doing great and scoring victories and confronting the evil terrorists.''
        That young man is right. Our men and women in uniform are doing a
    superb job for America. Tonight I want to speak to all of them and to
    their families: You are involved in a struggle of historic proportion.
    Because of your service and sacrifice, we are defeating the terrorists
    where they live and plan, and you're making America safer. Because of
    you, women in Afghanistan are no longer shot in a sports stadium.
    Because of you, the people of Iraq no longer fear being executed and
    left in mass graves. Because of you, the world is more just and will be
    more peaceful. We owe you our thanks, and we owe you something more. We
    will give you all the resources, all the tools, and all the support you
    need for victory.
        Again, my opponent and I have different
    approaches. I proposed and the Congress overwhelmingly passed $87
    billion in funding needed by our troops doing battle in Afghanistan and
    Iraq. My opponent and his runningmate voted against this money for bullets and fuel and
    vehicles and body armor.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When asked to explain his vote, the Senator said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before
    I voted against it.''

    [[Page 1861]]

        Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
        The President. Then he said he was proud of
    that vote. Then, when pressed, he said it was a complicated matter.
    There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
        Our allies also know the historic importance of our work. About 40
    nations stand beside us in Afghanistan and some 30 in Iraq. I deeply
    appreciate the courage and wise counsel of leaders like Prime Minister
    Howard, President Kwasniewski, Prime Minister Berlusconi, and, of course, Prime Minister Tony Blair.
        Again, my opponent takes a different
    approach. In the midst of war, he has called American allies, quote, ``a
    coalition of the coerced and the bribed.'' That would be nations like
    Great Britain, Poland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, El
    Salvador, Australia, and others, allies that deserve the respect of all
    Americans, not the scorn of a politician. I respect every soldier from
    every country who serves beside us in the hard work of history. America
    is grateful, and America will not forget.
        The people we have freed won't forget either. Not long ago, seven
    Iraqi men came to see me in the Oval Office. They had X's branded into
    their foreheads, and their right hands had been cut off by Saddam
    Hussein's secret police, the sadistic
    punishment for imaginary crimes. During our emotional visit, one of the
    Iraqi men used his new prosthetic hand to slowly write out, in Arabic, a
    prayer for God to bless America. I am proud that our country remains the
    hope of the oppressed and the greatest force for good on this Earth.
        Others understand the historic importance of our work. The
    terrorists know. They know that a vibrant, successful democracy at the
    heart of the Middle East will discredit their radical ideology of hate.
    They know that men and women with hope and purpose and dignity do not
    strap bombs on their bodies and kill the innocent. The terrorists are
    fighting freedom with all their cunning and cruelty because freedom is
    their greatest fear. And they should be afraid, because freedom is on
    the march.
        I believe in the transformational power of liberty. The wisest use
    of American strength is to advance freedom. As the citizens of
    Afghanistan and Iraq seize the moment, their example will send a message
    of hope throughout a vital region. Palestinians will hear the message
    that democracy and reform are within their reach, and so is peace with
    our good friend Israel. Young women across the Middle East will hear the
    message that their day of equality and justice is coming. Young men will
    hear the message that national progress and dignity are found in
    liberty, not tyranny and terror. Reformers and political prisoners and
    exiles will hear the message that their dream of freedom cannot be
    denied forever. And as freedom advances, heart by heart and nation by
    nation, America will be more secure and the world more peaceful.
        America has done this kind of work before, and there have always
    been doubters. In 1946, 18 months after the fall of Berlin to Allied
    forces, a journalist in the New York Times wrote this: ``Germany is a
    land in an acute stage of economic, political, and moral crisis.
    European capitals are frightened. In every military headquarters, one
    meets alarmed officials doing their utmost to deal with the consequences
    of the occupation policy that they admit has failed.'' End quote. Maybe
    that same person is still around, writing editorials. Fortunately, we
    had a resolute President named Truman who, with the American people,
    persevered, knowing that a new democracy at the center of Europe would
    lead to stability and peace. And because that generation of Americans
    held firm in the cause of liberty, we live in a better and safer world
    today.
        The progress we and our friends and allies seek in the broader
    Middle East will

    [[Page 1862]]

    not come easily or all at once. Yet Americans, of all people, should
    never be surprised by the power of liberty to transform lives and
    nations. That power brought settlers on perilous journeys, inspired
    colonies to rebellion, ended the sin of slavery, and set our Nation
    against the tyrannies of the 20th century. We were honored to aid the
    rise of democracy in Germany and Japan and Nicaragua and Central Europe
    and the Baltics, and that noble story goes on. I believe that America is
    called to lead the cause of freedom in a new century. I believe that
    millions in the Middle East plead in silence for their liberty. I
    believe that given the chance, they will embrace the most honorable form
    of government ever devised by man. I believe all these things because
    freedom is not America's gift to the world; it is the Almighty God's
    gift to every man and woman in this world.
        This moment in the life of our country will be remembered.
    Generations will know if we kept our faith and kept our word.
    Generations will know if we seized this moment and used it to build a
    future of safety and peace. The freedom of many and the future security
    of our Nation now depend on us. And tonight, my fellow Americans, I ask
    you to stand with me.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. In the last 4 years, you and I have come to know each
    other. Even when we don't agree, at least you know what I believe and
    where I stand. You may have noticed I have a few flaws too. People
    sometimes have to correct my English. [Laughter] I knew I had a problem
    when Arnold Schwarzenegger started
    doing it. [Laughter] Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger,
    which in Texas is called walking. [Laughter] Now and then I come across
    as a little too blunt, and for that we can all thank the white-haired
    lady sitting right up there. [Laughter]
        One thing I have learned about the Presidency is that whatever
    shortcomings you have, people are going to notice them--[laughter]--and
    whatever strengths you have, you're going to need them. These 4 years
    have brought moments I could not foresee and will not forget. I've tried
    to comfort Americans who lost the most on September the 11th, people who
    showed me a picture or told me a story so I would know how much was
    taken from them. I've learned firsthand that ordering Americans into
    battle is the hardest decision, even when it is right. I have returned
    the salute of wounded soldiers, some with a very tough road ahead, who
    say they were just doing their job. I've held the children of the
    fallen, who are told their dad or mom is a hero but would rather just
    have their mom or dad. I've met with the parents and wives and husbands
    who have received a folded flag and said a final goodbye to a soldier
    they loved.
        I am awed that so many have used those meetings to say that I'm in
    their prayers and to offer encouragement to me. Where does that--
    strength like that come from? How can people so burdened with sorrow
    also feel such pride? It is because they know their loved one was last
    seen doing good, because they know that liberty was precious to the one
    they lost. And in those military families, I have seen the character of
    a great nation, decent, idealistic, and strong.
        The world saw that spirit 3 miles from here when the people of this
    city faced peril together and lifted a flag over the ruins and defied
    the enemy with their courage. My fellow Americans, for as long as our
    country stands, people will look to the resurrection of New York City
    and they will say, ``Here buildings fell. Here a nation rose.''
        We see America's character in our military, which finds a way or
    makes one. We see it in our veterans, who are supporting military
    families in their days of worry. We see it in our young people, who have
    found heroes once again. We see that character in workers and
    entrepreneurs, who are renewing our economy with their effort and

    [[Page 1863]]

    optimism. And all of this has confirmed one belief beyond doubt: Having
    come this far, our tested and confident Nation can achieve anything.
        To everything we know there is a season, a time for sadness, a time
    for struggle, a time for rebuilding. And now we have reached a time for
    hope. This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting liberty
    abroad, we will build a safer world. By encouraging liberty at home, we
    will build a more hopeful America. Like generations before us, we have a
    calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom. This is the
    everlasting dream of America, and tonight, in this place, that dream is
    renewed. Now we go forward, grateful for our freedom, faithful to our
    cause, and confident in the future of the greatest nation on Earth.
        May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our great country.
    Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:08 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. In his
    remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim
    Government; Prime Minister John Howard of Australia; President
    Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland; Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of
    Italy; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; and Gov. Arnold
    Schwarzenegger of California.