[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[July 31, 2004]
[Pages 1445-1452]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Cambridge, Ohio
July 31, 2004
The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming out today.
Thanks for inviting me to Cambridge. It's an honor to be here. I always
feel comfortable being in the middle of a ball diamond. I appreciate so
many taking time out of your Saturday to come by and say hello and to
welcome us on what we call the Heart and Soul of America tour.
There seems to be a difference of opinion about the heart and soul--
I'm running against a fellow who thinks you can
find the heart and soul in Hollywood.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. No, I know where you find the heart and soul of
America, right here in places like Cambridge, Ohio.
Thanks for coming out. I'm here to ask for the vote. I'm ready to
lead for 4 more years, and I want your help.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. I'm glad to be amongst my fellow Republicans,
discerning Democrats, and wise independents. I'd like to ask you to
volunteer to register voters. See, we have a duty in this country to
vote. We have a duty in a land of free to exercise our individual
choices in the ballot box. So please register your neighbors to vote.
Make sure you tell them after they register to vote, and when you get
them heading toward the polls, why don't you nudge them our way?
Thanks for coming. My regret is that Laura
isn't with me today.
Audience members. Aw-w-w!
The President. I know. That's usually the reaction. I'm really proud
of her. She's a great lady. Today I'm going to
give you some reasons why I think you need to put me back into office,
but perhaps the most important reason of all is so that Laura can be
First Lady for 4 more years.
I'm running with a really good man. I know
he's not the prettiest face on the ticket. [Laughter] But I didn't pick
him for that reason. I picked him because he's solid. I picked him
because he's got good advice and great experience. I picked him because
he's a good man. I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney.
I'm proud to be traveling on this bus with Governor Bob Taft. Thank you for coming, Governor. Senator Mike
DeWine and his wife, Fran. By the way, Voinovich
was with me a little earlier. You need to put him back into office; he's
a great United States Senator. He's a good man--he's a good man. I
appreciate Congressman
[[Page 1446]]
Bob Ney being with us today. Congressman, I'm
proud you're here.
Mr. Mayor--I appreciate the mayor coming; Mayor Sam is with us today. I'm honored you're here, Mayor. Thank
you, Mayor. I was walking by; he said, ``You get a chance, put in a good
word for me.'' He said he's going to fill the potholes. I said, ``All
right.''
I want to thank all the other State and local officials. I
appreciate the chairman of the party, Bob Bennett. I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here.
Those are the people who are putting up the signs and manning the phones
and getting your neighbors to show up to the polls on election day. And
I want to thank you for your hard work; I really do. My job is to set
the vision; your job is to get the people to the polls. And together,
we're going to win Ohio and win the Nation.
Everybody running for office, every incumbent who asks for the vote
has got to answer the question, why--why are you running again? Why
should the American people give me the high privilege, the great
privilege of serving as your President for 4 more years? Let me tell you
something. We've been through a lot together, and we have done a lot.
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 the
Nation forward.
I'm asking for your vote because there's a lot at stake, and there's
more to do to move our country forward. I want to be your President, and
I'll work hard to be your President and to keep your confidence to make
this country safer, to make the economy stronger, and to make our future
brighter and better for every single citizen. I'm ready to lead the
country for 4 more years.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Listen, we've got more to do. We've got more work to
do to make sure our public schools are the center of excellence so no
child is left behind in America. When we came to office 3\1/2\ years
ago, too many of the children were being just shuffled through, grade to
grade, year after year, without learning the basics. So we confronted
the status quo. We're challenging what I call the soft bigotry of low
expectations. We're raising the bar. We expect better results. We're
insisting on accountability. We're empowering parents. And we're making
sure that local folks are in charge of the public schools. And today,
children across America are showing real progress when it comes to
learning to read and math. When it comes to improving our schools, we're
turning the corner, and we're not turning back.
There's more to do; this world of ours is changing. The jobs of the
future will require greater knowledge and a higher level of skill, and
so we must reform our high schools to make sure a high school diploma
means something. We will expand math and education so our youngsters can
compete in a high-tech world. We will expand the use of the Internet to
bring high-level training to classrooms all across America with 4
years--with 4 more years. We will help raise a generation of young
Americans to have confidence and the skills necessary to realize the
American promise.
We've got more to do to make quality health care available and
affordable. When we came to office, too many of our older Americans
could not afford prescription drugs, and Medicare didn't pay for them.
You might remember the old debates of Medicare: There was promise after
promise, but nothing was ever done. We got it done. More than 4 million
seniors have signed up for drug discount cards that provide real
savings. And 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.
Listen, we've expanded community health centers so low-income
Americans can get health care. We've created health savings accounts so
families can save, tax-
[[Page 1447]]
free, for their own health care needs. And when it comes to giving
Americans more choices about their health care and making health care
more affordable, we're turning the corner, and we're not turning back.
Most Americans get their health care coverage through their work. I
understand that. Most of today's new jobs are created by small
businesses. Many small businesses cannot afford to provide health
coverage. We must deal with that. To help more American families get
health insurance, small employers must be allowed to join together to
purchase insurance at discounts available for big companies.
To make sure the health care system is available and affordable, we
must limit the frivolous lawsuits that raise health care costs, that not
only raise your costs, but they drive the good doctors of Ohio out of
business. Listen, we'll harness technology to reduce costs and prevent
costly errors. We will expand research to find new cures for terrible
diseases. 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.
Listen, we've got more to do to make this country's economy
stronger. We've come through a lot together. Think about what we've been
through. We've been through a recession. We've been through attacks.
We've been through a stock market decline. And we've been through
corporate scandals. But we've overcome all these obstacles. We've
overcome them together. I'll tell you why: We've got the greatest
workers in the world in America; we've got the most productive, greatest
workers in this country.
We're overcoming these obstacles because we've got great farmers and
ranchers. We're overcoming these obstacles because the entrepreneurial
spirit of America is strong. The small-business sector of our economy is
vibrant and alive.
And we've overcome these obstacles because of well-timed tax cuts.
Listen, we didn't pick winners or losers when it came to tax relief. We
had a fair attitude, I think, that says if you pay taxes, you ought to
get relief.
Audience member. Thank you!
The President. And so families with children got relief. People who
are married got relief. Small-business owners got relief. And this time,
the check really was in the mail. [Laughter]
Because we acted, our economy since last summer has grown at a rate
as fast as any in nearly 20 years. Because we acted, America has added
over 1.5 million new jobs since last August. Look, I understand there
are challenges here in eastern Ohio. This part of the country has lagged
behind other parts of the country. But let me tell you something,
raising your taxes isn't going to create jobs. Isolating America from
the rest of the world isn't going to create new jobs. Voting against
energy policy isn't going to create new jobs. We will not rest until
every America who wants to find a job, has one. That's the policy of the
Bush administration.
There's more work to do to make sure this country is job-friendly
and our workplaces are family-friendly. To keep American jobs in
America, regulations need to be fair and reasonable. To keep American
jobs in America, we must end the junk and frivolous lawsuits that
threaten employers all across the country. To keep American jobs in
America, we will not overspend your money and we will keep your taxes
low.
To keep American jobs in America, we need a reasonable energy
policy. As you know in Cambridge, an important part of an energy
strategy is clean coal technology. My budget for next year provides $447
million to encourage this vital technology. I'll tell you why: In order
for us to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy, we must use
American coal.
We have a difference of opinion on this. My opponent said--he called coal a dirty energy source.
[[Page 1448]]
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He opposed my energy plan,
which promoted clean coal technology and alternative sources of fuel.
The other night in Boston, he said he wants America finally and forever
independent of Mideast oil. Listen, I share that goal, and I know how to
achieve it. To make sure we're independent, to make sure we're not
dependent on foreign sources of energy, we must be wise about how we use
America's energy sources, including coal.
We'll offer America's workers a lifetime of learning and to help
them get training for the jobs of the future at our community colleges.
Listen, to make sure American jobs stay here, we must be wise and
educate people for the jobs of the 21st century.
When it comes to keeping jobs in America, we must not isolate
ourselves from the world. I know people around here are worried about
trade. Let me tell you my view of trade. I believe we can compete with
anybody, anytime, anywhere so long as the rules are fair. I believe--and
my job is to make sure the rules are fair, holding countries to account
that mistreat American manufacturers, holding countries to account that
do not let their currency float, holding countries to account that close
their markets. No, to keep jobs in America, you need a President who
won't isolate us in the world, a President who's confident in the
American worker, the American entrepreneur, the American manufacturer,
and insists that foreign countries treat us just the way we treat them.
We'll help American families keep something they never have enough
of, and that is time--time to be with your kids, time to go to Little
League games or Girl Scout meetings, time to take care of the elderly,
time to improve themselves by going back to class. Congress needs to
join me in supporting what we call comp-time and flex-time to help
American families better juggle the demands of work and home.
After 4 more years, there will be better paying jobs in America.
There will be more jobs in America. Our farmers will be better off, and
the small-business sector will be alive and well.
Listen, we've got more to do to wage and win the war on terror.
America's future depends on our willingness to lead in the world. If
America shows uncertainty and weakness in this decade, the world will
drift toward tragedy. That's not going to happen on my watch.
The world changed on that terrible morning in September. And since
then, we have changed the world. We've done the hard work, and we're
headed to peace. Before September the 11th, Afghanistan served as the
home base of Al Qaida, which trained and deployed thousands of killers
to set up terror cells in dozens of countries, including our own.
Because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising democracy. Because we acted,
many young girls now go to school for the first time. Let me tell you
something, what happened yesterday in Cleveland. I went to the
International Children's Games. I was able to see a young girls' soccer
team from Afghanistan on American soil. Because we acted, the people are
free. Because we acted, we have an ally in the war on terror in
Afghanistan. Because we acted, America is safer, and so is the world.
Before September the 11th, Pakistan was a safe transit point for
terrorists. Today, they're an ally in the war on terror. Their forces
are aggressively helping to round up the terrorists, and America and the
world is safer.
Before September the 11th, in Saudi Arabia, terrorists were raising
money and recruiting and operating with little opposition. Today, the
Saudi Government has taken the fight to Al Qaida, and 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 abandoned his
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pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and America and the world are
safer.
Before September the 11th, the tyrant of Iraq was a sworn enemy of America. He was defying the
world. You might remember, he was firing weapons at American pilots who
were enforcing the world's sanctions. He had pursued and used weapons of
mass destruction against his own people. He harbored terrorists. He
invaded his neighbors. He subsidized the families of suicide bombers. He
had murdered tens of thousands of his own citizens. He was a source of
great instability in a dangerous part of the world.
After September the 11th, we looked at all the threats of the world
in a new light. See, a lesson of that fateful day was that we must take
threats seriously before they fully materialize.
And so we looked at the intelligence and saw a threat; that's what
the intelligence said. The United States Congress--members of both
political parties, including my opponent--looked
at the same intelligence and came to the same conclusion, that
Saddam was a threat. The United Nations
Security Council looked at the intelligence and voted unanimously to
demand a full accounting of Saddam's weapons, or he would face serious
consequences. That's exactly what the world said. After 12 years of
defiance, the dictator chose defiance again. He deceived the inspectors.
So I had a choice to make: forget the lessons of September the 11th,
hope for the best, and trust a madman, or take decisions to defend this
country. And given that choice, I will defend America every time.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. The dictator of Iraq sits
in a prison cell, and America and the world are safer.
We have more to do. We've more to do. We must continue to work with
friends and allies around the world to aggressively pursue the
terrorists and foreign fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere.
See, you can't talk sense to these folks. You cannot negotiate with
them. You cannot hope for the best. We must engage these enemies around
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. There are nearly
40 nations involved in Afghanistan and some 30 nations involved in Iraq.
Over the next 4 years, we'll continue to build on our alliances and 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'll keep our commitments to help Afghanistan and Iraq become
peaceful and democratic societies. These two nations are now governed by
strong leaders. See, these people are committed to free societies. They
understand, the moms and dads of Iraq and Afghanistan want the children
there--want their children there to grow up in a peaceful world, just
like moms and dads here in America do, just like Laura and I do. We want people to grow up in a peaceful
society. We want them to be able to realize their dreams.
The people of these countries can count on our continued help. See,
when we acted to protect our own security, when we took action to do our
duty to protect our own people, we also promised to help deliver them
from tyranny, to restore their sovereignty, to help them get on the path
to liberty. And when America gives it word, America keeps its word.
In these crucial times, America's commitments are kept by the men
and women of our military. At bases across our country and around the
world, I have had the privilege of meeting with those who defend our
country and sacrifice for our security. These are fine, fine people.
The cause of freedom is in really good hands, and those who wear our
uniform deserve all the support from our Government. Last September,
while our troops
[[Page 1450]]
were in combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed supplemental
funding to support them in their missions. The legislation provided
funding for body armor and vital equipment, for hazard pay, health
benefits, ammunition, fuel, and spare parts. In the United States
Senate, only a small, what I would call out-of-the-mainstream minority
of 12 senators voted against the legislation. Two of the twelve Senators
are my opponent and his runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. When asked about his vote, Senator Kerry said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before
I voted against it.'' [Laughter] End quote. Now he's got some different
explanations. He said, well, he's proud of the vote, and further, he
said the whole thing is a complicated matter. There's nothing
complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We
must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror: poverty and
hopelessness and resentment. You see, a free and peaceful Iraq and a
free and peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful examples for their
neighbors. Free countries don't export terror. Free countries do not
stifle the dreams of their citizens. Free countries have governments
which listen to the aspirations of their people.
By serving the ideal of liberty, we're bringing hope to others, and
that makes America more secure. And by serving the ideal of liberty,
we're serving the values which make us great. We don't--America does not
believe that freedom is our gift to the world; America believes freedom
is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in this world.
There are still enemies that want to do us harm. They still plot.
Listen, I agree with the conclusion of the September the 11th
Commission--says our homeland is safer, but we're not yet safe. But
we've started the hard process of reform. We've transformed--we're
transforming our defenses and created a new Department of Homeland
Security. We passed the PATRIOT Act to give law enforcement the new
tools to track and find the terrorists. The mission of the FBI is now
focused on preventing terror. We've integrated intelligence and law
enforcement better than we ever have before. When it comes to protecting
America, we're turning the corner, and we're not going back.
There's a lot more to do over the next 4 years to better secure our
ports and borders and to train our great first-responders and to
dramatically improve our intelligence gathering capabilities. Listen,
reform isn't easy. There's a lot of entrenched interests in places like
Washington, DC. [Laughter] Some people up there love the status quo.
It's not enough to advocate reform; you have to get it done, see,
because when it comes to reforming schools to provide an excellent
education for all our children, results matter. When it comes to health
care reforms to 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 defending America and spreading
freedom and 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. This week, the other party gathered in Boston. And
they had a convention and there was a lot of clever speeches and some
pretty big promises. Listen, I think my opponent
has good intentions, but good intentions don't always translate into
results. He's been there for 19 years in the U.S. Senate. He's had
thousands of votes but few signature achievements. During 8 years on the
Senate Intelligence Committee, for example, he voted to cut the
intelligence budget, yet he had no record of reforming America's
intelligence gathering capability. He's had no
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significant record on education or health care.
See, he and his runningmate consistently opposed reforms that limit the power of
Washington, reforms that leave more power in the hands of the people. We
have a different point of view. We have a different philosophy. He spent
nearly 20 years in Government, in the Federal Government, and now he's
concluded it's not big enough. That's why he's promised $2 trillion of
new money. That's a lot of money, and the campaign is just getting
started. [Laughter] He hasn't told us how he's going to pay for it,
though. Yes, I know, we can figure it out--looking at his record. In
order to pay for all that new spending, you're going to have to pay for
it. But we're not going to let him.
Audience members. No-o-o!
The President. It's the wrong medicine for America. And the people
understand, you're not raising taxes on the working people of this
country. They share that same old Washington mindset: They'll give the
orders, and you pay the bills. [Laughter]
Audience member. No way!
The President. We're turning that corner, and we're not turning
back.
This is a world of rapid change, amazing times we live in. In order
to make sure the American people are able to adjust to the change, I
think people need to own something. I think you need to be owning your
own health care account and managing it for your purposes. I think
people, younger workers--I mean, young workers--need to have the
opportunity to manage and own some of their own retirement accounts. I
think--I know we need to keep working for people to own their own home,
own their own small business. This administration understands that when
you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of our country.
No, this is a time of amazing change. But some things will never
change: our belief in liberty, our desire for opportunity to spread
throughout this country, the nonnegotiable demands of human dignity. The
individual values we try to live by will not change: courage and
compassion, reverence and integrity. The institutions that give us
direction and purpose, our families, our schools, our religious
congregations. These values and institutions are fundamental to our
lives. They deserve the respect of Government.
We stand for something. We stand for institutions like marriage and
family, which are the foundation of society. We stand for a culture of
life in which every person counts and every person matters. We stand for
judges who faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench.
We stand for the Second Amendment, which gives every American the
individual right to bear arms. I've got a good record on that issue. It
stands in stark contrast to my opponent. As a sportsman, I understand
that gun ownership carries serious responsibilities. I also know that
when a person commits a crime with a gun, they need to be held to
account. Over the past 3 years, Federal prosecutions of crimes committed
with firearms have increased 68 percent. Our message is, law-abiding
citizens should be allowed to bear and own a gun, and criminals who
commit crime with guns ought to go to jail.
We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. This culture of
this country is changing from one that has said, ``If it feels good,
just go ahead and 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're responsible for loving your child with all
your heart and all your soul. If you're worried about the quality of the
education in which you live, you're responsible for doing something
about it. If you're 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
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our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourselves.
You know, for 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 times
that requires vision and strength and determination, resolute will.
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 will never forget. I remember those guys in
hardhats yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember the
firefighter grabbing me by the arm and looking me in the eye, bloodshot
eyes and sweat pouring, and he said, ``Do not let me down.''
This fellow--and they all took what happened on that day personally.
I know you did, as did I. I have a duty that goes on. I wake up every
morning thinking about how to better protect America. I will never
relent in bringing justice to the enemy. I will never relent in
defending America, whatever it takes.
We've come through a lot. We've come through a lot together. We've
done a lot of hard work together to make this country hopeful and
promising. During the next 4 years, we'll work to spread ownership and
opportunity to every corner of the country--I mean every corner. We'll
pass the enduring values of our country on to another generation. We
will lead the cause--lead the cause of freedom and peace. And we will
prevail.
With your support and your prayers, I will be a leader America can
count on in this world of change. Listen, 4 years ago, when I traveled
to your great State and traveled our wonderful Nation, I told our fellow
citizens, if you honored me with the great responsibility of being the
President, I would uphold the dignity and the honor of the office to
which I was elected. If you give me 4 more years--with your help, with 4
more years, I will continue to honor that pledge.
Thank you for coming. May God bless you all, and may God bless our
great country. Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 2:16 p.m. at Don Coss Field in Cambridge
City Park. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Bob Taft of Ohio; Mayor
Samuel A. Salupo of Cambridge, OH; Robert T. Bennett, chairman, Ohio
Republican Party; Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, leader of Libya;
and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.