Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)

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

Remarks in Davenport, Iowa
August 4, 2004

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

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

[[Page 1476]]

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

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

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

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the world so we do not have to face them here at home.
America will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral
clarity. We put together a strong coalition to help us defeat terror,
and that's necessary. Over 60 nations are involved with the
Proliferation Security Initiative. Nearly 40 nations are involved in
Afghanistan. Some 30 nations are involved in Iraq. We will continue to
build our alliances. We will continue to work with our friends for the
cause of security and peace. But I will never turn over America's
national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
We will keep our commitments to help Afghanistan and Iraq become
peaceful, democratic societies. These two nations are now governed by
strong leaders, people who want the boys and girls of their respective
countries to grow up in peace. They know what we know in America: Moms
and dads long for a peaceful society; they long for their children to be
able to be educated and realize their dreams. The people of these
countries are stepping up, providing security for their own people.
After years of brutality, they see a glimmer of hope, a chance to live
in a free society. And these people can count on our help and the help
of our coalition.
You see, when we acted to protect our own security, we also promised
to help deliver them from tyranny, to restore their sovereignty, to help
set them on the path to liberty. And when America gives its word,
America will keep its word.
In these crucial times, our commitments are kept by the men and
women of our military. At bases across our country and the world, I've
had the privilege of meeting with those who defend our country and
sacrifice for our security. I've seen their great decency and their
unselfish courage. The cause of freedom is in really good hands.
And our men and women in uniform deserve the full support of our
Government. Last September, while our troops were in combat in both
Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed supplemental funding to support our
military and its mission. This legislation provided funding for body
armor and vital equipment, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition,
fuel, and spare parts for our military. In the Senate, only a small,
out-of-the-mainstream minority of 12 voted against the legislation. Two
of those twelve Senators are my opponent and his
runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Here's how my opponent tried
to explain his vote. He said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion,
before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] End quote. [Laughter] Then he
went on to say, he was proud that he and his runningmate voted against it, and he further said the whole thing is
a complicated matter. There is nothing complicated about supporting our
troops in combat.
In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We
must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror--that's
poverty and hopelessness and resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq and a
free and peaceful Afghanistan will be a powerful example to their
neighbors in a part of the world that is desperate for freedom.
Free countries do not export terror. Free countries listen to the
dreams and aspirations of their citizens. By serving the ideal of
liberty, we're bringing hope to others, and that makes America more
secure. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're making the world a more
peaceful place. By serving the ideal of liberty, we serve the deepest
ideals of our country. Freedom is not America's gift to the world;
freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
We have more to do to protect us. Enemies who hate us are still
plotting to harm us. Those who claim that America's war on terror is to
blame for terror threats against the United States have a fundamental
misunderstanding of the nature of

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

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who faithfully interpret the law instead of legislating from the bench.
And we stand for a culture of responsibility in America. This
culture of ours is changing from one that has said, ``If it feels good,
do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a
culture in which each of us understands we're responsible for the
decisions we make in life. If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or
a father, you are responsible for loving your child with all your heart
and all your soul. If you're worried about the quality of the education
in the community in which you live, you are responsible for doing
something about it. If you are a CEO in corporate America, you're
responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders and your
employees. And in a responsibility society, each of us is responsible
for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourself.
Listen, the strength of this country is not our military. The
strength of this country is not our wallets. The strength of this
country is the heart and soul of the American people.
I want to be your President for 4 more years so we can continue to
rally the armies of compassion, so we can help change America one heart,
one soul, one conscience at a time.
For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. It's a time that
requires strength and firm resolve. This is a time that requires courage
and our willingness to lead.
Audience member. That's why we love you!
The President. None of us will ever forget that era--that week when
one era ended and another one began. On September the 14th, 2001, I
stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget.
There were workers in hardhats yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' A
guy grabbed me by the arm. He had tears in his eyes; he was exhausted
from searching through the rubble to find his friend. He said, ``Do not
let me down.''
He took it personally. The people searching through the rubble took
that day personally. You took it personally, and so did I. I wake up
every morning thinking about how to better protect our people. I will
never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. No, we've come through much together. We've done hard
work. During the next 4 years, we will spread ownership and opportunity
all throughout our land. We'll pass the enduring values of our country
to another generation. And during the next 4 years, we'll continue to
lead in the cause of freedom so the world will be a more peaceful place.
You know, 4 years ago I traveled your great State asking for the
vote, and I made a pledge that if you honored me with this great
responsibility, I would uphold the dignity and the honor of the office
to which I had been elected, so help me God. And with your help, I will
do so during the next 4 years.
May God bless you. Thanks for coming. Thank you all.

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

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