[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[August 29, 2004]
[Pages 1802-1810]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Wheeling, West Virginia
August 29, 2004
The President. Thank you all. Thank you all for coming. And thanks
for having me. I am thrilled to be back here in the Mountain State. You
may have noticed I'm spending some quality time here. You know why?
Because we're going to carry West Virginia again.
I'm here to thank you for your help. I'm here to ask for your vote.
I'm here to encourage you to go the extra mile to get people to show up
at the polls. Most of all, I want to thank you for coming out on a
Sunday afternoon. I appreciate you all coming out and taking time away--
or bringing your families here. It means a lot to me. I really
appreciate it.
You know, I was in your neighborhood a while ago. I was at the new
Cabela's. The place has hired over a couple thousand jobs, creating a
couple thousand jobs there. I'm there because I'm a hunter and I like to
fish. I understand a lot of people in these parts like to fish. A couple
of you like to hunt. I just don't get to do enough of it. I'm hunting
for votes.
There's a lot of differences in this campaign. You know, one of the
most notable differences came up the other day when my opponent said, ``Well, you can find the heart and soul of America
in Hollywood.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Yes. I think you find the heart and soul of America
right here in Wheeling, West Virginia.
I gave Laura a kiss goodbye today and said,
``I'm heading to Wheeling.'' She said, ``Well, I'm working on my
speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Well, make it a good one, will you?''
[Laughter] I didn't need to say that. Of course it's going to be a good
one. Laura is a great First Lady, a wonderful mom, and a great wife. I'm
really proud of her--I'm really proud of her. Today I'm going to give
you some reasons why I think you ought to put me back into office.
Perhaps the most important one of all is for Laura to be the First Lady
for 4 more years.
Rick mentioned my runningmate. I'm real
proud of Dick Cheney. He's a great, solid man. I
admit he's not the prettiest face in the race. [Laughter] I picked him
because of his judgment, his experience, and his ability to get the job
done.
I thank Rick, Rick Casini, for being
here. I'm proud of his leadership. As he told you, he's a union shop
steward, he's a leader of men and women. He's--he represents the hard-
working people of the steel industry here in this part of the country.
It means a lot to me that he stands up and endorses my candidacy. See, I
believe our message is good for Republicans. I believe our message is
good for Democrats, and I believe our message is good for independents.
I appreciate the steelworkers who are standing behind me, standing
with me. When I make up my mind on issues, I don't say, ``Well, you
know, oh, so-and-so might benefit, but they didn't vote for me.'' That's
not how I do things. I make up my mind based upon what I think is right.
And I appreciate--I want to thank my friend Congresswoman Shelley
Moore Capito for joining us today, a
fine Member
[[Page 1803]]
of the United States Congress. I want to thank the Wheeling Park High
School Marching Band for being here today. I'll try to keep my speech
short, so you can get back home and do your homework for tomorrow.
[Laughter] No? Okay.
I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. Kathy
Fortunato is with us today. And I want
to thank all of--here's what a grassroots activist does: You put up
signs; you make the phone calls; you register people to vote. See, we
have a duty in our country to register people to vote and to vote. And
therefore, I'm asking you, as a supporter, to go out amongst your
friends and neighbors and remind your friends and neighbors to register.
Tell them that in America our system functions because people
participate. You might remind them of this amazing statistic, that in
Afghanistan, after 3 short years of their liberation, over 10 million
people have registered to vote. They're getting a whiff of liberty in
Afghanistan, that sweet smell of freedom. And here in America, we must
remind people to participate. See, that liberty functions because people
show up. And when you get them registered, don't ignore Democrats. You
heard Rick--[laughter]--don't worry about--don't overlook discerning
independents. And then, when you get them registered and you get them
headed to the poll, remind them, if they want a safer country, a
stronger country, a better country, put us back into office.
We have been through a lot together in the last few years, and we
have accomplished a lot. We have done a lot. But there's only one reason
to look back at the record, and that is to determine who best to lead us
forward. I'm traveling your important State to let you know that even
though we have done a lot, there's more work to do, that I've got more
to accomplish with your help, that I want to make sure our schools
realize their full potential so every child--every child--has a chance
to realize the great promise of America.
We're working with our local folks to make sure that excellence is
in every classroom. See, I believe in local control of schools. We're
spending more money at the Federal level to help you out here. But we're
changing things, because now we're beginning to ask the question, can a
child read and write and add and subtract, see. That's what we're
beginning to ask, because we believe every child can learn to read, and
we expect every child to read. And when we find the schools that are
teaching, we'll praise their teachers. But this administration will
challenge the status quo. We will make sure that schools that do not
teach and will not change get the message that every child should learn
to read in America.
There's more work to be done. I believe in intervention programs to
make sure children have the skills necessary to learn. I know we've got
to raise the standards in our high schools by working on math and
science curricula. We want more Internet in our classrooms. We want a
high school diploma to mean something. What I'm telling you is, after 4
more years, a rising generation will have the skills and confidence
necessary to realize the American Dream.
We've got more work to do on health care. We're making good progress
on health care. We've created community health centers all around the
country, so low-income people can get primary care. It seems like a
legitimate function of your Government is to help people with their
health care needs, if they can't afford it. You might remember the old
Medicare debate. That's a program, of course, that our seniors count on.
Many seniors will tell you the program needed to be modernized and
strengthened. See, you couldn't get prescription drugs through Medicare,
not until old George W. came along.
We worked with Republicans and Democrats to say, ``Let's keep our
commitment to our seniors.'' Beginning in the year 2006,
[[Page 1804]]
seniors are going to have choices in Medicare. Seniors will be able to
design a program that meets their needs. Plus, Medicare will include
prescription drugs.
We created health savings accounts for American families, so you can
save tax-free for your own health care needs. I fully recognize most
people get their health care through their businesses. Most small--most
new jobs are created by small businesses. A lot of small businesses are
having trouble affording health care these days. One way to address that
problem is to allow small employers to join together to pool risk, so
they can buy insurance at the same discount big businesses get to do.
We will continue to spend dollars on research, so we can help find
cures for terrible diseases. We'll work to modernize the health care
industry. But I'll tell you one thing we need to do to make sure you've
got health care that's available and affordable: We need to stop these
junk lawsuits that are threatening our docs. This is an issue in this
campaign. You see, I don't think you can be pro-plaintiff-attorney and
pro-doctor and patient at the same time. See, I don't think you can be
pro-small-business 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. I made my
choice. I am for medical liability reform--now.
In all we do to improve health care, we will make sure the health
care decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in
Washington, DC.
I'm running again because I want to continue the economic growth
we're seeing now. We've been through a lot in this economy. We've been
through a recession. We've been through corporate scandals, and we've
been through those--a terror attack. And yet we've overcome these
obstacles. We've overcome them because we've got great workers in
America. We've overcome them because we've got great farmers in America.
We've overcome them because the small-business sector is alive and well
in America. We've overcome these obstacles because of two well-timed tax
cuts.
We didn't try to pick winners or losers when it came to tax relief.
We did it the fair way. We said, ``If you're paying taxes, you ought to
get relief.'' We increased the child credit. We reduced the effects of
the marriage penalty. I believe the Tax Code ought to encourage
marriage, not penalize marriage. We helped our small businesses, and the
plan is working. Our economy has been growing at rates as fast as any in
nearly 20 years. Over the last 12 months, we've added about 1.5 million
new jobs. The unemployment rate, the national unemployment rate is down
to 5.5 percent, which is well below the national average of the 1970s,
1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment rate in West Virginia is 5.2 percent.
The economic plan we put in place to overcome the obstacles this
country faced is working, and there's more to do. That's why I've come
here to Wheeling, West Virginia, to let you know there is more work to
be done to make sure this economy continues to grow, to make sure
anybody who's looking for work is able to find a job. To keep jobs here
in America, we must have reasonable and fair regulations. You see, you
ask your small-business owner here what it's like to fill out paperwork,
and a lot of them will tell you it's too much. My problem is I can't
guarantee you whether anybody in Washington has ever read the paperwork
you fill out. We need tort reform in America to keep jobs here in
America.
Listen, to keep these folks working, to keep people working around
the country, we need a sound energy policy in America. I submitted a
plan to the Congress, and a vital part of that plan is a strategy based
upon clean coal technology. As a matter of fact, my budgets for clean
technology have increased 160 percent since I came to office. The budget
next year for clean coal technology is $447 million. The reason
[[Page 1805]]
why I'm telling you this is, an integral part of making sure we're less
dependent on foreign sources of energy is coal.
And I remember campaigning in this State in 2000 and telling you
that was my position then. And I'm running against a fellow who is kind of shifting. [Laughter] A while ago, he said
coal is a dirty source of energy. Then he decided he wanted to come to
your State and knock on your door. And then he said, ``Now, well, I am
for legislation that is supporting clean coal technology.'' In other
words, he shifted. He's out there mining for votes. [Laughter] All I'm
asking you to do is tell your friends and neighbors, be careful of
somebody whose position shifts in the wind.
Trade policy is important to make sure that jobs stay here. See, our
markets are open for other folks. It's good for you that they're open.
When you have more choices, you're liable to get a better product at a
better price. That's how the economy works. So what I'm telling other
countries is, ``We're treating you this way. You treat us the same
way.''
And we'll enforce law in this administration. We think an industry
is being treated unfairly, we'll enforce the law, and that's exactly
what I did when it came to the U.S. steel industry. See, I thought there
was a--I thought I needed to stand up for steel, and I did stand up for
steel. I put in place safeguards to restore fairness to the market to
help our steel folks adjust, and it worked. The plan worked. These folks
back here are working in good jobs, good, high-paying jobs. See, if the
rules are fair, if the playing field is level, our workers, our small-
business owners, our farmers, can compete with anybody, anyplace,
anytime, anywhere.
We need to provide our workers with a lifetime of learning to keep
jobs here in America. The economy is changing. New high-paying jobs are
being created. But sometimes, there's a skills gap. Sometimes somebody
needs a little help going back to the community college to be able to
gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. I'm
committed to making sure our workers have got an opportunity to go back
to get an associate degree, so they have the skills necessary to fill
the jobs of the 21st century.
And finally, in order to keep jobs here in America, we've got to be
wise about how we spend your money, and we've got to keep your taxes
low. It's an issue in this campaign. I'm running against a fellow who has already put out there about $2 trillion worth of
new spending promises. That's $2 trillion. That's a lot--with a T.
[Laughter] And we've got 60 days left. No telling what's going to happen
coming down the stretch. [Laughter] So they said, ``Well, how are you
going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Well,'' he said, ``we're just going to
tax the rich.'' You've heard that before, haven't you?
Audience members. Yes!
The President. Yes. Oh, you're just going to tax the rich. You know
how it works: The rich dodge, and you pay. But we're not going to let
him. We're going to beat him in November of 2004.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. I am running again because I know we have more to do
to wage and win the war against 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. This isn't
going to happen on my watch.
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 of Al Qaida, which trained and deployed
thousands of killers to set up cells around the world, including our own
country. Because we acted, today, Afghanistan is a rising democracy.
They're going to have Presidential elections in October of this year.
Because we acted, many young girls
[[Page 1806]]
go to school for the first time in Afghanistan. Because we acted,
Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror. Because we acted, 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 easy-to-understand 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. You might remember, he was firing weapons at American pilots who
were enforcing the world's sanctions. He had used weapons of mass
destruction. He harbored terrorists. He invaded his neighbors. He
subsidized the families of suicide bombers. He and his henchmen murdered
tens of thousands of his own people. He was a great source of
instability in the world's most volatile region. He was a threat.
After September the 11th, this country must remember the new
lessons. And a new lesson is, is that we must take threats seriously
before they fully materialize. That is the new reality of the world in
which we live. And it's really important we never forget that reality.
So I saw a threat, and I went to the United States Congress. They looked
at the intelligence I looked at. They remembered the history of Saddam
Hussein, and they said he was a threat and
authorized the use of force--they being Republicans; they being
Democrats; they being my opponent and his
runningmate.
Because the use of force should be the last option of the Commander
in Chief, the very last option, I went to the United Nations in the
hopes that diplomacy would solve the threat. You might remember, the
debate went on, and after consideration, the U.N. Security Council voted
15 to nothing to say to Saddam Hussein,
``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.'' So the world spoke.
As he had for over a decade, he defied
the demands of the free world. This wasn't the only U.N. resolution he
ignored. We then sent inspectors in--or the world sent inspectors in,
and he systematically deceived the inspectors. And so I had a choice to
make: Whether or not to trust the word of a madman and forget the
lessons of September the 11th, or take action to defend our country.
Given that choice, I will defend our country.
You know, we did not find the stockpiles that we thought would be
there. I want to remind you that Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons of mass
destruction, and he could have passed that capability on to others. And
after September the 11th, that is not a risk this country could afford
to take. Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision.
America and the world are safer because Saddam Hussein sits in a prison
cell.
Now, almost 2 years after he voted for the war in Iraq and 7 months
after switching positions to declare himself the antiwar candidate, my
opponent has found a new nuance. He now agrees it
was the right decision to go into Iraq. After months of questioning my
motives and even my credibility, he now agrees with me that even though
we haven't found the weapons we thought would be there, knowing
everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and remove
Saddam Hussein from power. I appreciate him
for clearing that up. [Laughter] However, there's still a little over 60
days for him to change his mind again. [Laughter]
I'm running for 4 more years because I know we have more to do. We
will continue to work with our friends and allies around the world to
aggressively pursue the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq and
elsewhere. See, you cannot talk sense to these people. You cannot
negotiate with them. In the post-9/11 era we live in, you just simply
cannot hope for the best. We must aggressively pursue them around the
world
[[Page 1807]]
so we do not have to face them here at home.
We will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral
clarity. We put together a strong coalition. We're working with some
great allies. There's over 40 nations involved in--nearly 40 nations
involved in Afghanistan and some 30 in Iraq. Over the next 4 years, I
will continue to work with friends to help secure our country, their
country, and spread the peace. But I will never turn over America's
national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
We're going to keep our commitments to the people of Afghanistan and
Iraq. It's in our interest we keep our commitment. It's in our interest
they become peaceful and democratic societies. The two nations are now
governed by strong leaders who believe in the hopes and aspirations of
their people. These nations are now headed for elections. Our strategy
is clear, and our goal is clear. The goal is to have peaceful,
democratic countries in the heart of the Middle East who are allies in
the war on terror. That's our goal. It's in our interest we achieve that
goal.
We are meeting that goal by providing security so that the political
process develops. We will meet that goal by training Afghan and Iraqi
forces so they can defend their country against these terrorists, so
they get to take--do the necessary hard work for democracy to survive.
Our military will complete this mission as quickly as possible, so our
troops do not stay a day longer than necessary.
In these crucial times, the men and women of our military keep our
commitments. We've got a great military. The people who wear our
uniform--I've seen their great decency and unselfish courage. The cause
of freedom is in really good hands. And I want to thank the veterans who
are here today for setting such a great example to the modern military.
I made a commitment to our troops, and I made a commitment to their
families as well that this Government will support them in their
missions. That's why, last September, I went to the Congress and said,
``We need supplemental funding--support the people over there in
Afghanistan and Iraq.'' This funding was for body armor, vital
equipment, fuel, ammunition, spare parts, hazard pay, health benefits.
This is important legislation. And I was really pleased that we got
great bipartisan support. As a matter of fact, the support was so strong
that only 12 Members of the United States Senate voted against it, 2 of
whom are my runningmate and his--my opponent and
his runningmate. See, they voted against it.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. So they asked him, they said, ``Why did you vote
against the funding?'' He said, ``Well, I
actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' That
was his explanation. I don't think a lot of people in Wheeling talk like
that. [Laughter] So they pressed him even further. He said, well, he was
proud of his vote. And then they said, ``Well, you know, what else?''
And he finally said, ``Well, it's just a complicated matter.''
[Laughter] His words. There is nothing complicated about supporting our
troops in combat.
In the long run, our security is not going to be guaranteed by force
alone. We must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror,
poverty and hopelessness and resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq and a
free and peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful examples in a part of the
world that is desperate for freedom. Free societies do not export
terror. Free societies do not stifle the dreams of their citizens.
We've done this kind of work before. One of my closest collaborators
in peace is the Prime Minister of Japan.
It wasn't all that long ago in the march of history that my dad and your
dads were fighting the Japanese. And yet here we are, because we
insisted upon the transforming qualities of liberty, we insisted that
Japan be given
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a chance to self-govern and be a democratic nation. We believe that even
an enemy could accept liberty as a way of life. Fortunately, my
predecessor, Harry Truman, stuck with that point of view. Fortunately,
America stuck with that point of view, and now Japan is an ally and a
friend.
We believe in liberty in America. We believe that liberty can
transform nations from tyranny to hope. We have seen it in our past. We
not only believe that liberty will bring peace; we know that liberty
answers to the deepest needs of the American soul. See, 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 this country. I'm running because I
understand that we've got to work hard to protect America. See, there's
an enemy out there that still hates us. It's the reality of the world in
which we live, and we'll deal with that. It's very important that we
view these people as who they are. There's a difference of opinion in
this race. I want to address a subject that I'm sure you're going to be
asked about. See, my opponent said that going to war with the terrorists
is actually improving their recruiting efforts. I think the logic is
upside-down. You see, during the nineties--remind somebody who asks you
that, that during the nineties the terrorists were recruiting and
training and plotting for war with us, long before we went to war with
them. I think it's wrong to provide excuses for their hatred. You don't
create terrorists by fighting back. You defeat the terrorists by
fighting back.
A lot of good folks working hard to protect the homeland, good folks
at the Federal level, State level, and right here in Wheeling, West
Virginia. You've got a great--a lot of really great first-responders who
are responding. There's more to do. We've got a lot to do. We're
beginning to implement some of the intelligence reforms that are
necessary to make sure we've got the best intelligence. I've got to have
the best intelligence to make decisions; our planners and everybody
involved with the Government needs to have the best intelligence. That's
why we're implementing a lot of the 9/11 Commission reforms. We want to
make sure there's still good, close cooperation between the different
agencies in Washington. We're working on doing that. We need to renew
the PATRIOT Act, so our law enforcement have the tools necessary to
protect you against terrorist attack. We'll continue to work to make
sure the Homeland Security Department does its job.
I'll push for reforms. I've got to warn you, it's hard to get reform
in Washington. See, there's a lot of entrenched interest there, a lot of
people willing to defend the status quo. When you're out there
campaigning, remind them it's not enough to advocate reform. You need
somebody in Washington who can get the job done.
When it comes to reforming our schools, to raise standards, and
close the achievement gap, we're getting the job done. When it comes to
improving health care for our seniors and giving Americans more
opportunities and more choices in health care, we're getting the job
done. When it comes to a strong and vibrant steel industry, we're
getting the job done. When it comes to improving our overall economy,
we're getting the job done. When it comes to finding the terrorists,
securing the homeland, and spreading freedom and peace, we're getting
the job done. When it comes--and tell your friends and neighbors, when
it comes time to choose a President, put somebody back in there who can
get the job done.
We live in a time of change, and change can be very unsettling. It's
really a different time, when you think about it. Not all that long ago,
moms stayed at home. Now, moms are working. Not all that long ago, a
person would work for one company and retire with that company, and that
company provided the health care and retirement. That's changing. These
are changing times, and I fully understand that. And they can
[[Page 1809]]
be unsettling times. And therefore, Government has a role not to dictate
to people but to help people, to stand side by side with people.
And one way to do that is to promote an ownership society in
America. One way to help people through times of change is to encourage
ownership. That's why I support health care policies that people can
call their own, manage their own, so they can take them from job to job.
That's why I believe it's very important in the Social Security system
to say to boomers like me, nothing's going to change. We're in good
shape. But if you're a younger worker, you better listen very carefully
to the Presidential debates on Social Security. The fiscal solvency of
Social Security is in doubt for the young workers coming up. Therefore,
I think young workers ought to be able to own a personal retirement
account, a personal savings account, in order for Social Security to
work.
In times of change, it's really helpful for people to own their own
home. There's nothing better than people opening that door up and say,
``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of property.'' Today, the
homeownership rate in America is at an alltime high. We want more people
owning their own home. We want more people owning their own business. If
you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of the United
States of America.
Changing times--there are some things that won't change: the values
we try to live by, courage, compassion, reverence, and integrity; our
beliefs in liberty and opportunity and the nonnegotiable demands of
human dignity. During changing times, we will support the institutions
that give us direction and purpose, our families, our schools, our
religious congregations.
We believe--and we stand for institutions like marriage and family,
which are the foundations of society. We stand for a culture of life in
which every person matters and every person counts. We stand for judges
who faithfully interpret the law instead of legislating from the bench.
We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. See, the
culture 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 a mother or a father, 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. That's your responsibility. 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'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 our neighbor just like we'd like to be
loved ourself.
Today when I landed, I met Nancy Weeks.
Nancy works with the 4-H National Youth Development Program. She takes
time out of her life to teach values to kids. I'm sure there's Scout
leaders here, Boy Scout and Girl Scout leaders here. I know there's
Little League scouts here--I mean, Little League coaches here. I know
there's people working with kids. I know there's people here feeding the
hungry, providing shelter for the homeless, loving those whose souls
need love. See, the strength of this country is the hearts and souls of
the American citizens. That's our strength. I'm running again to rally
the armies of compassion, which are changing this country one heart and
one soul at a time.
For all Americans, these years in our history will stand apart.
There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is expected of
its leaders. This is not one of those times. This is a time that
requires firm resolve, clear vision, and an unshakeable belief in the
values that makes us a great nation.
[[Page 1810]]
You know--and you'll never forget, either, the week when one era
ended and another began. I stood in the ruins of those Twin Towers on
September the 14, 2001. It's a day that I will never forget. There were
workers in hardhats yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I was coming
down through there and shaking hands, a fellow looked me right in the
eye, and he said, ``You don't let me down.'' See, he took the day
personally. Everybody there--you took it personally. I took it
personally. I have a duty that goes on. I wake up every day trying to
figure out how best to defend this country. I will never relent in
defending America, whatever it takes.
We've come through a lot together. We've done a lot of hard work.
But there's more work to be done. That's why I've come to Wheeling, West
Virginia. During the next 4 years, we'll spread ownership and
opportunity to every corner of this country. During the next 4 years, we
will pass the enduring values of this Nation on to another generation.
During the next 4 years, we'll continue to spread freedom and peace, and
we will prevail. You know, with your support and your prayers, I will be
a leader that America can count on during a time of change.
Four years ago, I came to your State a lot. I'll do so again now. I
said if you gave me a chance, if you voted for me and if I was fortunate
enough to hold this office, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of
the office to which I had been elected. With your help and your hard
work, I will do so for the next 4 years.
God bless. Thank you for coming. Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 2:20 p.m. at the WesBanco Arena. In his
remarks, he referred to Richard Casini, steelworker, ISG Weirton Inc.;
Katherine Fortunato, West Virginia State chair, W Stands for Women
Steering Committee; Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and the
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11
Commission).