[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 7, 2004]
[Pages 1953-1960]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Columbia, Missouri
September 7, 2004
The President. Thank you all for coming.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Thanks for coming. I appreciate it. That's what I'm
here to tell you: I'm ready to lead this Nation for 4 more years. It is
great to be back in Columbia. It is nice to be here at the Boone County
Fairgrounds. I was hoping to get a corny dog. [Laughter] Thanks for
coming.
We're taking a bus tour across your State. It's a great way to spend
a Tuesday. I'll tell you why I'm here. I'm here to ask for the vote. I
believe we've got to get out--I'm not only here to ask for the vote; I'm
here to ask for your help. I think we have a duty in this country to
vote, and I'm here to ask you to register your friends and neighbors to
vote. And then after you get them registered to vote, head them to the
polls. And as you get them going to the polls, remind them, if they want
a safer country, a stronger country, a better country, put me and Dick
Cheney back in office.
And by the way, when you're registering people, make sure you not
only register Republicans and independents, but make sure you include
discerning Democrats too. You might remember Zell Miller. He's a discerning Democrat, and there's a lot of folks
like him all across this country. I appreciate you coming. It means a
lot to me that you're here.
My only regret is that Laura is not here.
Audience members. Aw-w-w!
The President. Yes, I know it. When I asked her to marry me, she said, ``Fine, just so long as I never
have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay.''
[Laughter] Fortunately she didn't hold me to the promise. As you all
saw, she is a--has got a lot of class. She is a great First Lady, a
wonderful mom. I love her dearly. Perhaps the most important reason to
put me back in there is so that she'll have 4 more years as the First
Lady.
I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney as
well. He's a fine Vice President. He doesn't have the waviest hair in
the race. I didn't pick him for his hairdo. I picked him because he's a
man of enormous experience and sound judgment, and he can get the job
done for the American people.
I'm proud to be standing up here with Kenny. Congressman
Hulshof is a fine, fine Member of the
United States Congress. I appreciate it. I'm proud to call him friend.
I understand that Governor Blunt was here. I
know Lieutenant Governor Kinder is here. Good
to see you, Peter. Thanks for coming. Pete's a good friend of mine, been
a friend for quite a while.
I appreciate the speaker being here, Catherine Hanaway. And I appreciate the fact that Sarah
Steelman was here. I want to thank all the
other State and local officials. I appreciate your attendance.
I want to thank my uncle Bucky Bush from St. Louis, Missouri. He's here with us today.
I thank Ernie Lee, State veterans cochairman,
is with us today. I appreciate you coming, Ernie. I want to thank Mark
Wills, the country and western singer, for
entertaining you here.
But most of all, thank you. I'm here to tell you, I'm looking
forward to this campaign. I'm looking forward to telling you where I
stand and what I believe and where I'll lead this country. I believe
every child can learn and every school must teach. I went to Washington
to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. See, I believe you've
got to raise the bar. I believe you must assess early so you can solve
problems before they're too late. I believe we've got to end this
practice of simply shuffling the kids through the schools year
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after year, grade after grade, without learning the basics. I believe in
local control of schools. And I know we're closing the achievement gap
in America, and we're not turning back.
We have a moral responsibility to honor our citizens with good
health care. Medicare is a really important program, yet it wasn't
modernizing like medicine was. For example, we were willing to pay--or
did pay $100,000 for heart surgery but would not pay for the
prescription drugs that would have prevented the heart surgery from
happening in the first place. That didn't make any sense for our
seniors, and it didn't make any sense for our taxpayers. We've
strengthened and modernized Medicare for our seniors. Beginning in 2006,
all seniors can have prescription drugs in Medicare, and we're not
turning back.
I believe in the energy and innovation of the American workers and
farmers and ranchers and small-business owners, so we unleashed that
energy with the largest tax cut in a generation. When you're out
gathering the vote, remind your friends and neighbors what this economy
has been through. We've been through a recession. We've been through
corporate scandals, and we've been through that attack, which hurt our
economy. But we're overcoming those obstacles. We're overcoming them
because we're a great country. We're overcoming them because the
entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We're overcoming them because we
believe in the creativity of the workforce.
Last Friday, we received a jobs report that shows we added 144,000
new jobs in the month of August--1.7 million new jobs since August of
'03. The national unemployment rate is at 5.4 percent. That's a full
point below the peak of last summer. It is lower than the average rate
of the 1970s and the 1980s and the 1990s. Our economic stimulus plan is
working.
I believe a President must confront problems, not pass them on to
future Presidents and future generations. And 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 isn't going to happen on my watch.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. I'm running for President with a clear and positive
plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America. I'm running with
a compassionate conservative philosophy that governments should help
people improve their lives, not try to run their lives. And I believe
this Nation wants steady, consistent, principled leadership, and that is
why, with your help, we will carry Missouri again and win a great
victory in November.
The world in which we live is changing. You know, our dads and
granddads generally had one job, one career; that company they worked
for provided a pension plan and health benefits. The world we're living
in is different. Women now work outside the home. They work in the home
and outside the home. Many people are changing careers often. Yet many
of the most fundamental systems, our Tax Code and health coverage and
pension plans and worker training, were created for the world of
yesterday. They were designed for the world of yesterday, not tomorrow.
And so we'll transform these systems. And we will do so so all citizens
are equipped, prepared, and thus truly free to make your own choices, so
you can live your own dreams.
A hopeful society is one in which the economy is growing. And I have
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. To
create jobs in America, we must stop the junk lawsuits that threaten our
small-business owners. The cost to our economy of litigation is
conservatively estimated to be over $230 billion a year.
We have a difference of opinion in this race. Now, I recognize my
opponent
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changes positions a lot, but for 20 years, he's been one of the trial
lawyers' most reliable friends. He's consistently voted against legal
reform that protects our entrepreneurs and our workers. Fellow lawyers
have responded with millions of dollars of donations for his campaign. I
just disagree. See, I'm taking a different view. I believe we've got to
stop those junk lawsuits. Personal injury lawyers shouldn't get richer
at the expense of hard-working Americans.
To create jobs here in America, Congress needs to get an energy plan
to my desk. I submitted a plan 2 years ago. It encourages conservation,
encourages the use of renewables like ethanol and biodiesel. It
encourages clean coal technology and exploration for hydrocarbons in a
sensitive way. To keep jobs here, we must become less dependent on
foreign sources of energy.
To create jobs here, we must reject economic isolationism and open
up markets for U.S. goods and services. See, we open up our markets to
other countries, which is good for you. It means you have more choices,
and when you have more choices in the marketplace, you're likely to get
that which you want at a better price and higher quality. So what we're
telling other countries like China is, you treat us the way we treat
you. American workers and farmers can compete with anybody, anytime,
anywhere, so long as the playing field is level.
And one reason our ag economy is so strong today is because we're
selling soybeans around the world, and we're selling corn around the
world, and I intend to keep markets open so our farmers can make a good
living.
We have a difference in this campaign on taxes. See, I believe in
order to keep jobs here in America, we've got to be wise about how we
spend your money and keep your taxes low. I think running up the taxes
on the people now would be a mistake. It would hurt our economic growth.
The fellow I'm running against has proposed over
$2 trillion of new Federal spending so far.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. It's awfully tempting, when you get out there, to
tell people what they want to hear. So they asked him--they said,
``Well, how are you going to pay for it?'' And he
said, ``Well, don't worry. I'll pay for it by taxing the rich.'' Well,
first of all, you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for
all his promises. You know what that means. Secondly, you've heard that
rhetoric before, haven't you? ``Oh, don't worry, we'll just tax the
rich.'' Well, the rich hire lawyers and accountants, and you get stuck
with the bill. But we're not going to let him. We're going to win in
November.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Let me say something else about the Tax Code. The Tax
Code is a drag on our economy. It's a complicated mess. It's filled with
special interest loopholes. It is estimated that the Tax Code burdens
Americans with more than 6 billion hours of paperwork every year. In a
new term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to simplify and reform the
Federal Tax Code.
Listen, we've got to do more to keep jobs here in America. We've got
to help people gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st
century. That's why I'm such a strong believer in the community college
system of America. And we'll help workers retrain in our community
colleges. As well we will double the number of people served by our
principal job training programs.
Most new jobs in America, by the way, are filled with people with at
least 2 years of college. And yet, one in four of our students gets
there. In our high schools, we'll fund early intervention programs to
help students at risk. We'll provide new focus on math and science. Over
time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By raising
performance in our high schools
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and by expanding Pell grants for low- and middle-income families, we
will help more Americans start their career with a college diploma.
In changing times, we've got to do more to make health care
available and affordable. See, most of the uninsured, one-half of the
working uninsured, are employees of small businesses. Yet, small
businesses are having trouble affording health care. And there are some
reasons why. In order to make sure our families get the help they need,
we must allow small firms to join together to purchase insurance at the
discounts available for big companies.
We will expand health savings accounts to help our small businesses
and families. We will ensure every poor county in America has a
community or rural health center. But to make sure that health care is
available and affordable, we need medical liability reform in America.
Let me tell you, these frivolous lawsuits against our docs are making it
harder for good doctors to practice medicine, and they're running up the
cost of your health care.
I met Mike Ditmore, sitting right there.
He's a doc. He's a neurosurgeon. He was, until his premiums went up to
$108,000 a year. These lawsuits drove him out of business. There's one
less good doctor available for help here in the State of Missouri. I met
doctors all over our country. Talk to your ob-gyns. Ask them what it's
like to live in a world in which these junk lawsuits are making it hard
for them to practice medicine. It's not right. We need medical liability
reform now in America.
By the way, Dr. Ditmore is so upset
about medical liability reform and other issues, he's running for the
State senate to do something about it.
In all we do to help the folks in health care, we'll make sure the
decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in
Washington, DC.
I'll continue to promote ownership in America. See, during changing
times, if you own something, it brings stability to your life. We want
more people owning their own home. Do you realize the homeownership rate
in America is at an alltime high now? More people owning their home.
We've got a plan to expand ownership. We want more people opening their
front door and saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of
property.''
Another important part of ownership is our retirement system. If
you're an older citizen, you don't have to worry about Social Security.
The promise our Government made to you will be kept. If you're a baby
boomer, we're in pretty good shape when it comes to Social Security. But
we need to worry about our children and grandchildren when it comes to
Social Security. I hope the youngsters listen carefully to this debate
about Social Security. See, I believe younger workers ought to be
allowed to take some of their tax money and put it in a personal savings
account, to make sure the Social Security system is available to them.
We have a difference when it comes to policy here at home. If you
listen carefully, my opponent plans to expand
Government. My plan is to expand opportunity, because I trust the
American people.
In a world of change, there are some things that do not change, the
values we try to live by, courage, compassion, reverence, and integrity.
In times of change, we'll support the institutions that bring stability
to our society, our families, our schools, our religious congregations.
We stand for a culture of life in which every person matters and every
person counts. We stand for marriage and family, which are the
foundations of our society. 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 fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for
pride, not for power, but because the lives of
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our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is clear. We're defending the
homeland. We're transforming our military. We're strengthening our
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. And we will advance--we will work to advance liberty
around the world, because we know that freedom will bring a future of
hope and peace that we all long for. 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 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 acted, the
Government of a free Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is
capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests;
Libya is dismantling its weapons programs; the army of a free Iraq is
fighting for freedom; and more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's members
and associates have been brought to justice. We have led. Many have
joined, and America and the world are safer.
The progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and
some tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
Hussein's record of aggression and his
support for terror. We knew his long history of pursuing and using
weapons of mass destruction. And we know that after September the 11th,
we must think differently. America must take threats seriously before
they fully materialize.
In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. I
went to the United States Congress. They looked at the same intelligence
I looked at, remembered the same history I remembered, and concluded
that Saddam Hussein was a threat and authorized the use of force. My
opponent looked at the same intelligence I looked
at, and he voted for the use of force.
Before the Commander in Chief commits our troops into combat, we
must try all means to deal with the threat. So I was hoping diplomacy
would work, and I went to the United Nations. And I said to the United
Nations, ``We see a threat.'' They looked at the same intelligence I
looked at. They remembered the same history we remembered. And they
voted by a 15-to-nothing vote in the Security Council that said,
``Saddam Hussein must disclose, disarm, or
face serious consequences.'' The world spoke.
But as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein ignored the demands of the free world. As a matter of
fact, when the United Nations sent inspectors into Iraq, he
systematically deceived them. So I had a choice, a choice that only
comes to the President, a choice no President wants to make but best be
prepared to make it. And that is, do I forget the lessons of September
the 11th, trust a madman, or take action to defend America? Given that
choice, I will defend our country every time.
Because we defended to act--because we acted to defend our country,
50 million people now live in freedom. In Afghanistan--this is an
amazing thought, at least it is for me. You know, the Taliban was
running this country, and they wouldn't let young girls go to school.
And if their moms stepped out of line, they whipped them in the public
square and sometimes killed them. These guys were brutal. They were
backward. They had a dim view of the world. Light is arising in
Afghanistan. Ten million people have registered to vote in the upcoming
Presidential elections. Amazing.
Despite ongoing acts of violence and despite the fact it wasn't all
that long ago that a tyrant brutally ruled a country in Iraq, Iraq now
has a strong Prime Minister, a National Council,
and national elections are scheduled for January. The world is changing,
and we will stand with the people
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of Afghanistan and Iraq, because when America gives its word, America
must keep its word.
We are also 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 resentment 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 the world more
peaceful.
So our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We'll help new
leaders train their armies. We want Iraqis and Afghan citizens doing the
hard work of defending freedom. We'll help them through their elections.
We'll move--we'll get them on the path of stability and democracy as
quickly as possible, and then our troops will return home with the honor
they have earned.
I am proud of our military. I have had the honor of meeting our men
and women who wear the uniform here at home and around the world. I've
seen their courage and their great decency. The cause of freedom is in
really good hands. And I want to thank the veterans who are here for
having set such a great example for those who wear today's uniform.
I made a commitment to our troops and to their loved ones. They will
have the resources they need to complete their missions. That's why in
September of '03, a year ago, I went to the United States Congress and
requested $87 billion in funding for body armor and spare parts,
ammunition, fuel, and supplies needed for our troops doing battle in
Afghanistan and Iraq. And we received great support for that request. As
a matter of fact, only 12 United States Senators voted against the
funding--[laughter]--2 of whom were my opponent
and his runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. So they--do you realize this? Four United States
Senators--only four--voted to authorize the use of force and then voted
against funding our troops.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Two of those four were my opponent and his runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. So they asked him, they said,
``Why?'' He said, ``Well, I actually did vote for the $87 billion,
before I voted against it.'' And then they said, you know--he said,
well, he's proud of it, and finally said, ``It's just a complicated
matter.'' [Laughter] That's what he said. There's nothing complicated
about supporting our troops in combat.
A Commander in Chief must be steady, must have a clear vision, must
speak clearly. My opponent has now voted for the
war and against supplying our troops. When he got on in the Democrat
primary, he declared himself the antiwar candidate. Most recently, he
switched again, saying he would have voted for the war, even knowing
everything we know today. And then in the last 2 days, he woke up with
yet another new position, and this one isn't even his own. [Laughter]
It's the one of Howard Dean. He even used the
same words Howard Dean did back when he supposedly disagreed with him.
[Laughter] Look, no matter how many times my opponent flip-flops, we
were right to make America safer by removing Saddam Hussein from power.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. I appreciate the contributions our friends and allies
are making. It is wrong for my opponent to denigrate the contributions
of our allies, people who are standing side by side with our men and
women in uniform, risking their lives for freedom and peace. Over the
next 4 years, I'll continue to build alliances. We'll work together. But
I will never turn over America's national security decisions to leaders
of other countries.
I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I believe the
wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom. You know, I've
spent a lot of time with Prime
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Minister Koizumi of Japan. It wasn't all
that long ago in the march of history that our dads and granddads were
fighting the Japanese. They were a sworn enemy of America. And yet,
because Harry Truman of Missouri and other folks during that period of
time believed liberty could transform societies, Japan is free today.
See, there was a lot of skeptics during those days, I'm certain,
that said, ``How could an enemy ever be an ally? We just fought them.''
But people believed in power of liberty to change enemies to friends.
And so today, I sit down with the head of a former enemy talking about
the peace, talking about how to make the world more peaceful. Someday, a
duly elected leader of Iraq is going to sit down with an American
leader, and they'll be talking about the peace. And our children and
grandchildren will be better off for it.
I believe millions in the Middle East plead for liberty. I believe
women want to be free. I believe that given the chance, the people of
the Middle East will embrace the most honorable form of government ever
devised by man. I believe these--freedom is not America's gift to the
world; freedom 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 abroad, we'll build a safer world and a more hopeful
America. By reforming our systems of government, the American people
will be better able to realize their dreams. We'll spread ownership and
opportunity to every corner of this country. We'll pass the enduring
values of our country to a new generation. We will continue to lead the
world in 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 make us a great nation.
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
began. September the 14th, I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers. It's
a day I'll never forget. There were workers there yelling at me at the
top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes!'' I was doing my best to thank
people and comfort them, and a guy grabbed me by the arm, he looked me
in the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' As we did that day, he
took it personally. I took it personally. You all took it personally. I
have a duty that goes on. 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, I traveled your great State asking for the vote. I
said if you gave me the chance to serve, I would uphold the dignity and
the honor of the office to which I had been elected. With your help and
hard work, I will do so for the next 4 years.
May God bless you. Thank you for coming. I appreciate it. Thank you
all. Thank you all very much.
Note: The President spoke at 3:40 p.m. at the Boone County Fairgrounds.
In his remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made
the keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; Missouri
Secretary of State Matt Blunt, candidate for Missouri Governor; Missouri
State Senator Peter Kinder, candidate for Missouri Lieutenant Governor;
Catherine L. Hanaway, speaker, Missouri State House of Representatives;
Missouri State Senator Sarah Steelman; William H.T. ``Bucky'' Bush,
Missouri State chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; Ernie Lee, cochairman,
Missouri Veterans Leadership Team, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; Prime Minister
Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; former Democratic
Presidential candidate Howard Dean; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
of Japan.
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