    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [September 4, 2004]
    [Pages 1900-1907]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Kirtland, Ohio
    September 4, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Listen, there's nothing better than
    taking a Saturday bus ride with your family--[laughter]--especially in
    Ohio. Thanks for coming out today. It's great to be in Lake County. I
    appreciate so many people turning out. It looks like Lake County and
    Ohio is Bush-Cheney country.

    [[Page 1901]]

        I believe you got to get out with the people and ask for the vote,
    and that's what we're doing today. I'm here to ask for your vote, and
    I'm here to ask for your help.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. I'm going to give you some reasons why I think you
    ought to put me back in, but perhaps the most important one of all is so
    that Laura is First Lady for 4 more years. She's
    a great mom, a wonderful wife. She is a terrific First Lady for the
    United States.
        And I'm so proud of Barbara and
    Jenna. I really appreciate them coming out on the
    campaign trail with us today. Campaigning like this is kind of like
    going on the family camping trip--[laughter]--I promised, but never took
    them on. [Laughter]
        I appreciate my friend Steve LaTourette. He's a great United States Congressman. You need to put
    him back into office. And while you're putting me back in and putting
    him back in, put George Voinovich back
    in as well. I appreciate you being here, Senator. I also appreciate
    Senator Mike DeWine and his daughter
    Alice joining us today. Michael, thank you for
    coming. Congressman Ralph Regula from Ohio is
    on the bus trip with us today. Thanks for being here, Ralph.
        I appreciate Mayor David Anderson
    coming today. Mr. Mayor, thank you for coming. Fill the potholes.
    [Laughter] I want to thank the Sonny Burgess
    Band for coming today.
        I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. I want to
    thank you for setting up such a fantastic rally. I appreciate your hard
    work. I appreciate what you've done and what you're going to do. I'm
    here to ask you to register your friends and neighbors to vote. We have
    a duty in this country to vote. Remind your citizens--your fellow
    citizens to do their duty. And when you're registering voters, register
    independents and discerning Democrats. You heard Zell Miller the other night. He represents a lot of folks who
    understand that with 4 more years, Dick Cheney
    and I will make this country safer, stronger, and better.
        We're approaching an historic national election, and the time for
    choosing is getting closer. I'm looking forward to campaigning in your
    State. You've got a great State full of great people. I'm looking
    forward to talking about the records we've built, the convictions we
    hold, and the vision that guides us forward. I fully understand a
    Presidential contest is a contest over the future. And so as I travel
    your State, I'll tell you where I stand, what I believe, and where I'll
    lead this country for the next 4 years.
        I believe every child can learn and every school must teach. And
    that's why we passed the most important Federal election reform in
    history. We are challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. We're
    raising standards. We're using accountability system to figure out who
    needs help early, before it's too late. We believe in local control of
    schools. We know reading is the new civil right. We're making progress
    in America. The achievement gap is closing, and we're not turning back.
        I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with
    good health care. That's why I brought Republicans and Democrats
    together. Seniors now get immediate help buying medicine. Soon, every
    senior will be able to get prescription drug coverage, and we're not
    turning back.
        I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of America's workers,
    small-business owners, farmers, and ranchers, and that is why we
    unleashed that energy with the largest tax relief in a generation.
    Because we acted, our economy is growing. Yesterday we received the jobs
    report for August. It shows that our economy is strong and getting
    stronger. We added 144,000 new jobs last month, including 22,000 new
    jobs in manufacturing. We've added 1.7 million new jobs since last
    August, a year ago last August. The national unemployment rate is 5.4
    percent. That is a full point below last

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    summer. It is lower than the average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and
    the 1990s. There's more work to be done here in the State of Ohio. I
    understand there's people looking for work and can't find a job. We will
    not rest until they do find a job. We're making progress, and we're not
    turning back.
        I believe the job of the President is to confront problems, not pass
    them on to future Presidents and future generations. I believe the most
    solemn duty of the American President is to protect the American people.
    If America shows uncertainty and weakness in this decade, the world will
    drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. I'm running 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're going to carry Ohio and win a great national victory in November.
        One of the things I talked about the other night in New York was how
    this world of ours is changing. People are changing jobs. Women are
    working not only inside the house but now outside of the house as well.
    It's a different world from the world of our parents and grandparents,
    yet most of the fundamental systems of our country haven't changed. The
    Tax Code, the health coverage, the pension plans, the worker training
    were created for the world of yesterday, not for tomorrow. We're going
    to transform these systems so that all citizens are equipped and
    prepared and thus truly free to make your own choices so you can pursue
    your dreams.
        Any good plan starts with making sure people can find work. Any good
    plan makes sure that we expand hope and opportunity with a growing
    economy. To create more jobs in America, America must be the best place
    in the world to do business. To create jobs in America, Congress must
    get my energy plan to my desk so we become less dependent on foreign
    sources of energy. To create more jobs in America, we must open up
    markets around the world for U.S. goods and services. We open up our
    markets--my message to other countries like China is, ``You open up
    yours.'' We can compete with anybody, anywhere, anytime, so long as the
    rules are fair. To create more jobs in America, we must get rid of these
    junk lawsuits that threaten our small-business owners. To create more
    jobs here, we've got to be wise about how we spend your money.
        See, I believe Government can set priorities and fund those
    priorities and let you keep more of your own money. My philosophy says,
    ``We're good at some things, but once we fund those things, you can
    spend your money far better than the Federal Government can.''
        In order to make sure this economy grows, we've got to keep your
    taxes low. And there we have a difference of opinion in this campaign.
    I'm running against a fellow who has already
    promised over $2 trillion of new Federal programs if he's elected.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That's a lot. That's a lot, even for a Senator from
    Massachusetts. So they asked him the other day,
    ``How are you going to pay for it?'' And he said that old line we've
    heard before, ``Oh, don't worry, we'll pay for it by taxing the rich.''
    We have heard that line before. First of all, you can't raise enough
    money to pay for all those programs by taxing the rich, and secondly,
    you know how it works. They get accountants and lawyers, and you get
    stuck with the bill. But we're not going to let him. We're going to
    carry Ohio and the country.
        Thank you all for being here. I appreciate you coming.

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        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Today, a little earlier, I talked about creating
    what's called American opportunity zones. These will help communities
    recovering from lost manufacturing, textile, and other jobs. For
    example, an area like greater Cleveland will be able to apply for tax
    relief and investment incentives and regulatory relief, specifically
    designed to attract new businesses and new jobs.
        Another drag on our economy is the Federal Tax Code. Yes, that Tax
    Code is a complicated mess. It's filled with special interest loopholes.
    You realize it takes 6 billion hours of paperwork and headache every
    year to comply with the Tax Code. In a new term, I will lead a
    bipartisan effort to reform and simplify the Federal Tax Code.
        In a new term, we'll help our workers by expanding access to
    community colleges so they can gain the skills necessary to fill the
    jobs of the 21st century. Let me tell you what else we need to do. In a
    time of change, most new jobs are filled by people with at least 2 years
    of college. That's the realities of the 21st century. Yet one in four of
    our students gets there. In our high schools, we'll fund early
    intervention programs to help students at risk. We'll place a new focus
    on math and science. Over time, we'll require rigorous exam before
    graduation. By raising performance in our high schools and expanding
    Pell grants to low- and middle-income families, we will help more
    Americans start their career with a college education.
        In changing times, we've got to do more to make quality health care
    available and affordable. One-half of all the uninsured are small-
    business employees and their families. Small businesses are having
    trouble affording health care. So in a new term, we must allow small
    firms to join together to purchase insurance at the discounts that big
    companies get.
        We're going to offer tax credits to encourage small businesses and
    their employees to set up health savings accounts. In a new term, I'll
    ensure every poor county in America has a community or rural health
    center. And to make sure we improve health care for you in Lake County,
    we've got to get rid of these frivolous lawsuits that are running up the
    cost of medicine and running your docs out of practice. We've got a
    national problem when it comes to these frivolous lawsuits. I don't
    think you can be pro-doctor, pro-hospital, and pro-patient, and pro-
    plaintiff-attorney at the same time. I think you have to make a choice.
    My opponent made his choice, and he put
    him on the ticket.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I made my choice. I'm for medical liability reform--
    now.
        In changing times, there's nothing like owning something to bring
    stability to your life. We're going to continue to promote homeownership
    in America. The homeownership rate in our country is at an alltime high.
    Nothing better than knowing more people are opening the door to their
    house and saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of
    property.''
        As well if you're a younger worker, you better look at that Social
    Security system very seriously. Older guys like me are just fine when it
    comes to Social Security. But the fiscal solvency of Social Security is
    in doubt, if you're a younger worker. We'll strengthen Social Security
    by allowing younger workers to save some of their taxes in a personal
    savings account, an account they call their own, an account they can
    pass on from one generation to the next.
        In this world of change, there are some things that do not change,
    the values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and
    integrity. The institutions that bring us stability must not change, our
    families, religious congregations. They deserve our support. We stand
    for a culture of life in which every person matters and every

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    person counts. We believe religious charities provide a safety net of
    mercy and compassion, and 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. I will continue to appoint Federal judges who know the
    difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the
    law.
        This election will also determine how America responds to the
    continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of September
    the 11th, 2001, we have fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for
    pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at
    stake.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. Our strategy is clear. We are defending the homeland.
    We're transforming our military. We're strengthening our intelligence
    services. We're staying on the offensive. We will strike the terrorists
    abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. We are working to advance liberty in the broader
    Middle East because freedom will bring hope and the peace we all want.
    By being resolute and strong, we will prevail.
        Our strategy is succeeding. 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
    pursuing nuclear weapons; Iraq was a gathering threat; Al Qaida was
    largely unchallenged as it planned its attacks. Because we acted, 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 then 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. Remember, he subsidized the families of suicide bombers. He
    harbored Abu Nidal and his organization. He let Zarqawi run free in Baghdad, and his crowd. We knew his long
    history of pursuing and even using weapons of mass destruction. And we
    know that September the 11th requires our country to think differently.
    We must take threats seriously before they fully materialize.
        And so I went to the United States Congress. I saw a threat, and I
    said to the Congress, ``Do you see a threat?'' And members of both
    political parties looked at the same intelligence I looked at and came
    to the same conclusion we came to. And they authorized force, including
    my opponent. He looked at the same intelligence.
    He came to the same conclusion. And when they said on the Floor of
    Congress, ``Do you vote to authorize the use of force,'' he said, ``I
    do.''
        The last commitment of the Commander in Chief has got to be to put
    troops in combat. The first commitment has got to be to try to resolve
    problems diplomatically. And so I went to the United Nations. I said to
    that body, I said, ``We see a threat.'' They looked at the same
    intelligence we had looked at and again concluded that Saddam
    Hussein was a threat. They passed a
    resolution 15 to nothing that said, ``Disclose, disarm, or face serious
    consequences.'' The free world had spoken. But as he had for over a
    decade, Saddam Hussein ignored the demands of the free world. He wasn't
    about to listen to the collective voice of the world. As a matter of
    fact, he deceived inspectors that were sent into his country.

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        So I had a choice to make. It's the kind of choice that only comes
    to the Oval Office. It's the kind of decision no President would ask for
    but must be prepared to make. The decision was: Do I trust a madman and
    forget the lessons of September the 11th, or defend our country? Given
    that choice, I will defend America every time.
        Because we acted to defend our country, 50 million people have been
    liberated. Think about this, young women, young girls could not go to
    school in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Their mothers were whipped in
    the public squares. Yet, because we acted, we're not only more secure,
    but 10 million people have registered to vote for the upcoming
    Presidential election in October. Iraq has got a strong Prime
    Minister and National Council, and national
    elections are scheduled in January. The world is changing. Freedom is on
    the march.
        We're standing with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, because when
    America gives its word, America must keep its word. We're also doing so
    because we're serving a historic cause that will make our country safer.
    See, free societies in the Middle East will be hopeful societies, which
    no longer feed resentment and breed violence for export. Free societies
    change people. Free governments in the Middle East will fight terrorists
    instead of harboring them. That helps us keep the peace.
        Our mission in those countries are clear. We'll help new leaders
    train their army so they can do the hard work of defending themselves
    against a few who want to deny the hopes of the many. We will help those
    countries head toward elections. We will help them 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.
        We've got a fabulous United States military full of decent,
    honorable, and courageous people. I want to thank the veterans who are
    here for having set such a great example for those who wear the uniform.
        I made a pledge to those who wear the uniform and their families,
    we'd give them all they need so they can do their job. And that's why I
    went to the Congress last September, proposed--and the Congress
    overwhelmingly passed--$87 billion of funding needed for our troops for
    body armor and fuel, spare parts, ammunition, hazard pay, health
    benefits, all that's necessary to support them in their missions in Iraq
    and Afghanistan. And I was pleased that we received strong bipartisan
    support. As a matter of fact, it was so strong that only 12 United
    States Senators voted against the funding.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Yes. Two of them are my runningmate and his--my
    opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Only four United States Senators voted to authorize
    the use of force and then voted against funding our troops. Two of those
    Senators were my opponent and his
    runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. So they asked him why, and he
    said, ``Well, I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted
    against it.'' That's a----
        Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
        The President. I bet you they don't speak that way on the town
    square in the cities here in Lake County. They pressed him further, and he said he's proud of the vote. Then he
    just said, ``The whole thing was a complicated matter.'' There's nothing
    complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
        Over the next 4 years, we'll continue to work with our friends and
    allies in the cause of freedom and peace. There are nearly 40 nations
    involved in Afghanistan, some 30 nations involved in Iraq. I'm proud of
    their contributions. I appreciate working with the leaders of those
    countries for making us all more secure. But I will never

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    turn over America's national security decisions to leaders of other
    countries.
        I believe in the transformational power of liberty. That's what I
    believe. I believe the wisest use of American strength is to advance
    freedom. I've been spending time with Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. We sit at a table and discuss a lot of
    things, and one of the most important things we discuss is peace. Think
    about that. It wasn't all that long ago in the march of history that my
    dad and your dads or granddads were
    fighting Japan in a brutal war. They were our enemy. And here today,
    because my predecessor and others believed in the power of liberty to
    transform an enemy into an ally, because they stood strong in the face
    of the skeptics, because they believed that freedom is the deepest
    desire of every human heart, that Japan is a democracy and an ally. And
    here I am talking about the peace, talking about North Korea, how to
    make it work on the peaceful peninsula, talking about Iraq, talking
    about how to bring terrorists to justice. Some day an American President
    will be sitting down with a duly elected leader of Iraq talking about
    the peace, and our children and grandchildren will be better off.
        I believe millions in the Middle East plead in silence for their
    liberty. I believe that given a chance, they will embrace the most
    honorable form of government ever devised by man. I believe all these
    things, not because freedom is America's gift to the world but because
    freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in this world.
        I believe that the 21st century will be the century of liberty. By
    promoting freedom here at home and abroad, we will build a safer world
    and a more hopeful America. We'll spread ownership and opportunity to
    every corner of this land. We'll pass the enduring values on to another
    generation. We'll continue to lead the world in the cause of freedom and
    peace.
        For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
    apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
    expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a time
    when we need firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep abiding faith in the
    values that make this a great nation.
        None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
    began. September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. It's a day I will never forget. I'll never forget those workers
    in hardhats at the top of their lungs yelling at me, ``Whatever it
    takes.'' I remember shaking hands with people who just came out of the
    rubble, the firefighters and the police who set such an incredibly
    powerful example for bravery and courage and compassion all across the
    country. The guy looked me in the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me
    down.'' And since that day, I wake up thinking about how better to
    protect our country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever
    it takes.
        Four years ago, when I traveled your great State and asked for the
    vote, I made a pledge. I pledged 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. With your help, I will do so for the next 4
    years.
        God bless. Thanks for coming. God bless you all. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at noon at Lake Farmpark. In his remarks, he
    referred to Mayor David E. Anderson of Willoughby, OH; Senator Zell
    Miller of Georgia, who made the keynote address at the 2004 Republican
    National Convention; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi;
    Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; and Prime
    Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.

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