    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [September 9, 2004]
    [Pages 1970-1977]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
    September 9, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Thanks for
    coming. You know, it turns out I am the first sitting President to have
    visited Johnstown in more than 30 years. All those other Presidents sure
    missed out. Thanks for coming. I'm proud you came out. I'm honored you
    are here. I'm pleased to be with the good folks here in Johnstown. I
    know you like to hunt and fish. So do I. I know you care about your
    neighbors. I appreciate that. I know you take your baseball seriously.
    And from the looks of things, with your help, we'll carry Pennsylvania
    in November.
        I'm here to ask for your vote. And I'm here to ask for your help. We
    have a duty to vote in this country, and I'm here to

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    ask you to register your friends and neighbors and encourage them to do
    their duty. And when you're out registering people, don't overlook
    discerning Democrats. You might remember my friend Zell Miller. He represents a lot of folks who understand that when
    you put Dick Cheney and me back in office, this
    country will be safer, stronger, and better for every American.
        My regret is that Laura didn't come with me
    today.
        Audience members. Aw-w-w!
        The President. She was a public school
    librarian when I asked her to marry me. And she said, ``Fine, I'll marry
    you, so long as I don't have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I
    said, ``Okay.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. You saw
    her the other night in New York City. You saw how gracious she is, how
    strong she is. I love her dearly. I'm going to give you some reasons why
    I think you ought to put me back in office, but perhaps the most
    important one of all is so that Laura is First Lady for 4 more years.
        I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. I
    admit it, he doesn't have the waviest hair on the ticket. [Laughter] I
    didn't pick him for his looks. I picked him because he's a man of sound
    judgment and great experience and can get the job done for the American
    people.
        I appreciate Congressman Bill Shuster
    joining us today. He's been telling me all along I need to come to
    Johnstown, Pennsylvania. When I showed up, he said, ``You finally made
    it.'' I said, ``I made it just in time to rally these folks to get ready
    to win this election come November.''
        I want to thank your mayor, Don Zucco,
    for joining us today. Mr. Mayor, I'm proud you're here. Sometimes they
    say, ``Well, do you ever have any advice for the local officials?'' Mr.
    Mayor, fill the potholes. [Laughter] I appreciate you coming, Mayor.
        I want to thank all the State and local officials who are here. I
    want to thank my friend Victor Raia. He heads
    Veterans for Bush. And I want to thank all the veterans who have joined
    us here today as well.
        I want to thank the Wil Gravatt Band. I
    appreciate them playing here. I appreciate the high school band that's
    here tonight. Thank you for coming. I'm going to try to keep my speech
    short so you can get home and do your homework. [Laughter]
        I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here, the
    people who put up the signs and make the phone calls. I really
    appreciate your help. I know you're working hard, but keep working. And
    I'll be working right alongside of you.
        I'm looking forward to the campaign. I'm going to tell the people
    where I stand, where I--what I believe, and where I'm going to lead this
    Nation. I'm going to tell them that I have a plan to keep this country
    of ours safer and a more hopeful America. I'm running on a compassionate
    conservative philosophy that says, ``Government ought to help people,
    not dictate to people.''
        I believe every child can learn. That's what I believe. I went to
    Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. We've
    raised standards. We're measuring early to solve problems before it is
    too late. We're ending that old practice of just shuffling the kids
    through the system year after year without learning the basics. We trust
    the local people to make the right decisions for the schools. We're
    closing an achievement gap in America, and we're not turning back.
        I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with
    good health care. I went up to Washington to fix problems. We had a
    problem with Medicare. Let me give you one example. Medicare would pay
    tens of thousands of dollars for the heart surgery, and that's okay. But
    it wouldn't pay for the medicine to prevent the heart surgery from
    happening in the first place. It didn't make any sense for our seniors
    to have a Medicare system like that, and

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    it certainly didn't make sense for the taxpayers. We have modernized
    Medicare. Our seniors will get prescription drug coverage, and we're not
    turning back.
        I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of the American worker
    and farmer and small-business owner. And that's why we unleashed that
    energy with the largest tax relief in a generation. When you're out
    rounding up the vote, remind your friends and neighbors that we've been
    through a lot. This economy of ours has been through a lot. See, 5
    months before I got into office, the stock market had begun to decline.
    We had a recession. We had corporate scandals, which affected our
    economy. And of course, we had the attacks on our country. But we've
    overcome all these obstacles because we've got good workers, good small-
    business owners. We've overcome them too because of well-timed tax cuts.
        And this economy of ours is strong, and it is getting stronger. Our
    economy has been growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years.
    We're adding jobs here in America, about 1.7 million new jobs over the
    last 12 months. We've added 107,000 manufacturing jobs since January.
    The unemployment rate is now 5.4 percent. That is lower than the average
    rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment rate in your great
    State is 5.3 percent. The economic stimulus plan we passed is working.
        I believe a President must 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 or weakness in this decade, the world will drift
    toward tragedy. This is not going to happen on my watch. I believe this
    Nation wants steady, consistent, principled leadership, and that is why,
    with your help, we're going to win a great victory in November.
        The world in which we live and work is changing. In the generations
    of our dads and granddads, a man generally had one job and one career,
    worked for one company, and the company provided health care and a
    pension plan. It's a different world today; I understand it's a
    different world today. Many women now work inside the home and outside
    the home. The workplace is changing. Many people change careers. Yet
    many of the most fundamental systems of our Government, the Tax Code,
    health coverage, pension plans, and worker training, were created for
    the world of yesterday, not tomorrow. In the next 4 years, we will
    transform these systems so that all citizens are equipped, prepared, and
    thus truly free to make your own choices, so you can realize the great
    promise of America.
        Listen, any hopeful society has a growing economy, and I've got a
    plan to keep this economy moving forward. To create more jobs in
    America, America must be the best place in the world to do business.
    That means we must reduce the regulatory burden on our small-business
    owners in America. To create more jobs in America, we must stop the junk
    lawsuits that threaten our employers. To keep jobs here and to expand
    our economy, Congress needs to pass my energy plan, a plan that
    encourage conservation, encourages renewable sources of energy like
    ethanol and biodiesel. It encourages clean coal technology. It is a plan
    that understands that we must become less dependent on foreign sources
    of energy.
        Listen, to create jobs here, we've got to open up markets for U.S.
    products. We open up our markets for goods from other countries, and
    that's good for the consumer. And it's good for you. If you've got more
    choices to choose from, you're likely to get the product you want at a
    better price and higher quality. So what I tell countries like China is,
    ``You treat us the way we treat you.'' America can compete with anybody,
    anytime, anywhere so long as the rules are fair.
        To create jobs, we got to be wise about how we spend your money and
    keep your taxes low. We have a difference of opinion about taxes in this
    campaign. I'm running

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    against a fellow who has proposed more than $2
    trillion in new spending so far.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Awfully tempting when you're coming down the pike to
    tell everybody what they want to hear. So they said, ``Well, how are you
    going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh, that's
    simple. We'll just tax the rich.'' There's two problems with that. One
    is that you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for $2
    trillion. There's a gap between what he promises and what he says he's
    going to do. Guess who usually has to fill that gap? Yes. Here's the
    other problem. You've heard that rhetoric before, ``Oh, don't worry.
    We'll just tax the rich.'' They hire lawyers and accountants and dodge,
    and you get stuck with the bill. We're not going to let him tax you.
    We're going to win in November.
        Thinking about taxes, the Federal Tax Code needs to be changed. It's
    a complicated mess. It is full of special interest loopholes. Americans
    spend hours after hours filling out their tax form. They estimate about
    6 billion hours worth of paperwork and headache on an annual basis is
    spent by American workers and small-business owners and big businesses.
    You see, the American people need a simpler, fairer, progrowth Tax Code.
    In a new term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to simplify and make more
    fair the Federal Tax Code.
        The job base is changing, and we've got to help workers gain the
    skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. That's why I'm
    such a strong proponent of helping workers gain new skills at the
    community colleges across this country. Most new jobs are now filled by
    people with at least 2 years of college. Yet one in four of our students
    gets there. So in our high schools, we'll fund early intervention
    programs to help students at risk. We'll place an emphasis on math and
    science. Over time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By
    raising performance in our high schools and by expanding Pell grants for
    low- and middle-income families, we will help more Americans start their
    career with a college diploma.
        In this time of change, we will do more to make sure health care is
    available and affordable. More than half of the uninsured are employees
    of small businesses. Small businesses are having trouble with health
    care costs. In order to help those families and help small businesses,
    Government should allow small businesses to join together to purchase
    insurance at the discounts available for big companies.
        We will expand health savings accounts. We will make sure poor
    communities have got community health centers. And we've got to do
    something about these junk lawsuits. I'm telling you, the cost of
    medicine is on the rise because junk lawsuits are driving good docs out
    of practice and running up the cost of medicine here in America. You
    cannot be pro-doctor, pro-hospital, pro-patient, and pro-trial-lawyer at
    the same time. You have to choose. And my opponent has made his choice, and he put him on the ticket.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I have made my choice. I am for medical liability
    reform--now. 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 a changing society, ownership can help bring stability to
    people's lives. That's why we want more people owning their own home in
    America. The homeownership rate in America is at an alltime high right
    now. Isn't that fantastic? Think about that. More people are opening
    their front door, saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of
    property.'' We've got a plan to continue to expand homeownership to
    every community in this country.
        And we also want to make sure that our pension plans are modern and
    work. If you're an older citizen, you're in good shape when it comes to
    Social Security. If you're a baby boomer, like me, you're

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    in okay shape when it comes to Social Security. But we need to worry
    about our children and our grandchildren. I believe younger workers
    ought to be able to take some of their own money and set it aside in a
    personal account to make sure Social Security is available.
        We have a difference of philosophy in this campaign. If you listen
    carefully to the rhetoric, my opponent's programs
    expand Government. My programs expand opportunity. And I feel
    comfortable doing that because I think the role of Government is to
    trust the people, trust the people with their own decisions, trust the
    people with their own money, trust the people to make the right
    judgment.
        In a world of change, there's some things that just do not change,
    the values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and
    integrity. In a time of change, we must support the institutions that
    give us stability, our families, our schools, and our religious
    congregations.
        We stand for a culture of live in which every person counts and
    every being matters. We stand for marriage and family, which are the
    foundations of our society. And I stand for the appointment of 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. Our strategy is clear. We're defending the homeland. We're
    transforming our military. And we're reforming and strengthening the
    intelligence services. We're staying on the offensive. We're striking
    the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. We will work to advance liberty in the broader Middle
    East and around the world, and 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 secretly pursuing
    nuclear weapons; Iraq was a gathering threat; and Al Qaida was largely
    unchallenged as it planned attacks.
        Because we led, because we acted, the Government of a free
    Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is capturing terrorists; 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
    brought to justice. We have led. Many have joined, and America and the
    world are safer.
        This progress involved careful diplomacy and 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 and using weapons of
    mass destruction. And we know that after September the 11th, this Nation
    must think differently. We must take threats seriously before they fully
    materialize.
        In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. I
    went to the United States Congress. I said, ``Take a look at this
    threat,'' and they took a look at the same intelligence I looked at.
    They remembered the same history I remembered. They concluded that
    Saddam Hussein was a threat and authorized the use of force. My
    opponent looked at the very same intelligence I
    looked at, came to the same conclusion we came to, and he authorized the
    use of force.
        Before the Commander in Chief commits troops into combat, we must
    try all means to deal with any threat. See, I was hopeful diplomacy
    would work. And so I went to the United Nations, and I gave a speech at
    the U.N. They looked at the

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    same intelligence I looked at. They remembered the same history we
    remembered. And with a 15-to-nothing vote, the United Nations Security
    Council voted that Saddam Hussein must
    disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.
        But as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein wasn't interested in what the free world has to say.
    As a matter of fact, he systematically deceived the inspectors that were
    sent into his country. So I had a choice to make, a choice that only
    comes to the Oval Office, a choice nobody wants to make but must be
    prepared to make: Do I trust the word of a madman and forget the lessons
    of September the 11th, or do I take action to defend America? Given that
    choice, I will defend our country every time.
        Because we acted, because we acted to defend our country, 50 million
    people now live in freedom. Fifty million people are free. In
    Afghanistan, the world has changed since those dark days when young
    girls weren't allowed to go to school and their mothers were whipped in
    the public square. The Taliban were barbaric people. They were backward.
    They had a dim vision of the world. Today, Afghanistan is an ally.
    They're helping us in the war on terror, and over 10 million Afghan
    citizens have registered to vote in the upcoming Presidential elections.
    It's amazing.
        Despite ongoing violence, Iraq now has a strong Prime
    Minister, a National Council, and national
    elections are scheduled for January. We are standing with the people of
    Afghanistan and Iraq because when America gives its word, America must
    keep its word. We're also standing with them because we're 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
    makes America more secure, and it makes the world more peaceful.
        Our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We'll help new leaders
    to train their armies and their police forces so citizens in those
    countries can do the hard work of defending the hopes of many against
    the terror of a few. We'll help them get on their way to elections.
    We'll help them become more stable, and then our troops will return home
    with the honor they've earned.
        I'm proud of our military. I'm proud of our military, and I know you
    are as well. We've got a fantastic United States military. I've had the
    privilege of meeting with the service men and women who wear our
    uniform. I've seen their unselfish courage. I know their great decency.
    The cause of freedom is in really good hands.
        I have made a pledge to those who wear the uniform and their
    families that they will have all the support they need to complete their
    missions. That's why, a year ago, I went to the United States Congress
    and proposed supplemental funding of $87 billion to help our troops in
    not only Iraq, but Afghanistan. It was important funding, really
    important funding. It was a really important funding request because it
    funded body armor and spare parts, ammunition, fuel, supplies needed for
    people to do their jobs. And we received great bipartisan support, so
    strong that only 12 United States Senators voted against the funding
    request.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Two of those Senators were my opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. In fact, only four United States Senators voted to
    authorize the use of force and then voted against funding our troops.
    Two of those Senators--two of those four were my opponent and his runningmate. When asked
    to explain his vote, he said, ``Well, I actually did vote for the $87
    billion, before I voted against it.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Now, I suspect that not many people in Johnstown,
    Pennsylvania,

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    talks that way. They kept asking him. He said,
    well, he was proud of the vote. And finally, my opponent said, ``The
    whole thing is a complicated matter.'' There is nothing complicated
    about supporting our troops in combat.
        After voting for the war but against funding it, after saying
    he would have voted for the war even knowing
    everything we know today, my opponent woke up this week--[laughter]--
    with new campaign advisers and yet another new position. Suddenly, he's
    against it again.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. No matter how many times he
    flip-flops, we were right to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
        I appreciate the contributions our friends and allies are making. I
    spoke with Tony Blair this morning. He's got a
    clear vision. He's a good, strong leader. Every time I talk to him, I
    thank him for his contributions. You know, we put together a broad
    coalition--some 40 nations in Afghanistan, some 30 in Iraq. And I will
    continue, over the next 4 years, to build our alliances, to strengthen
    our relationships. But I will never turn over America's national
    security decisions to leaders of other countries.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. I believe in the transformational power of liberty.
    The wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom. I like to
    tell the people that I've spent time with the Prime Minister of
    Japan during my 3\1/2\ years as President.
    I like him a lot. He's a good fellow. The amazing thing about my
    discussions with him is that here I am, sitting down with somebody that
    our country was at war with some 60 years ago--my dad, I'm sure your dads or granddads fought against the
    Japanese. They were our sworn enemy. Yet right after World War II,
    President Harry Truman and many Americans believed that by helping the
    Japanese self-govern and become a democracy, that liberty would
    transform an enemy into a friend. And sure enough, it worked, because,
    guess what, Prime Minister Koizumi and I sit around the table talking
    about how to make the world more peaceful, talking about how to use our
    respective positions in the world to make our countries more secure and
    the world a better place. Someday, an American President and a duly
    elected leader from Iraq will be sitting down at the table talking about
    the peace.
        I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence for
    their liberty. I believe that if given the chance, they will embrace the
    most honorable form of government ever devised by man. I believe these
    things because freedom is not America's gift to the world; it is the
    Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
        This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting freedom
    at home and freedom abroad, we will build a safer world and a more
    hopeful America. By reforming our systems of Government, we'll help more
    Americans realize their dreams. We'll spread ownership and opportunity
    to every corner of the land. We will pass the enduring values of our
    country on to a new generation, and we will continue to work for 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 faith in the values
    that makes this a great nation.
        None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
    began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. It's a day I'll never forget. There were workers in hardhats
    yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember trying to console the
    first-responders, the brave firefighters and policemen who had gone into
    rubble and come out emptyhanded--a lot of them had come out emptyhanded.
    They'd lost their buddies. A guy looked me right in the eye,

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    and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' I wake up every morning thinking
    about how to better protect our country. I will never relent in
    defending America, whatever it takes.
        Four years ago, as I traveled this great State asking for the vote,
    I made a pledge that if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold
    the honor and the dignity of the office to which I had been elected.
    With your help and with your hard work, I will do so for the next 4
    years.
        God bless. Thank you all. Thanks for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:06 p.m. at the Cambria County War
    Memorial Arena. In his remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of
    Georgia, who made the keynote address at the 2004 Republican National
    Convention; Mayor Donato B. Zucco of Johnstown, PA; Prime Minister Ayad
    Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the
    United Kingdom; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.