[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 14, 2004]
[Pages 2047-2055]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Greenwood Village, Colorado
September 14, 2004
The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Thank you all for
coming. Listen, I'm here in Colorado asking for the vote. I'm proud to
be back in this beautiful State. Matter of fact, it's nice to be out
West, where the cowboy hats outnumber the ties. I appreciate you being
here. I'm honored to be introduced by the man who led ``the drive.'' Now
I'm glad he's helping my drive. [Laughter] John Elway is a class act. I'm proud to call him friend, and I'm
proud to call him supporter.
I'm also here asking for your help. See, I think we have a duty in
this country to vote. I'm asking you to register your friends and
neighbors to vote. And as you register people to vote, make sure you
don't overlook discerning Democrats like Zell Miller. There's a lot of Democrats and independents understand
that when you put Dick Cheney and me back in
office, this country is going to be safer, stronger, and better for
every American.
I'm sorry Laura is not here. She's a
wonderful wife, a great mom. You know, when I asked her to marry me, she
was a public school librarian in Texas. She said, ``Fine, I'll marry
you, so long as I don't have to give any political speeches.''
[Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you won't have to give any.'' Fortunately,
she didn't hold me to my word. [Laughter] She gave a great speech in New
York City. The American people saw her heart, her compassion, her steady
demeanor, her calm. I love her dearly. I'm going to give you some
reasons to put me back in, but perhaps the most important one of all is
so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more years.
I want to thank my friend Governor Bill Owens. He's one of the finest Governors in the State of--in
this country, and he's represented the State of Colorado so well. I'm
honored First Lady Frances Owens is with us
today as well. Frances, thank you for coming. We're proud to call you
friend.
I want to thank my friend Ben Nighthorse Campbell for being here. I was a little hot at old Ben when
I heard he was retiring, because he's such a fine Senator, but I feel a
lot better knowing that Pete Coors is going to be
the U.S. Senator following him.
Audience members. Pete! Pete! Pete!
The President. I want to thank Lieutenant Governor Jane
Norton. Speaking about Nortons, Gale
Norton is doing a heck of a good job in my
Cabinet. I appreciate so very much the wonderful job she's doing. She
was here in Colorado yesterday designating our newest national park, the
Great Sand Dunes National Park. Doing a fine job.
[[Page 2048]]
I want to thank Mayor Nancy Sharpe for
coming today. Madame Mayor, I appreciate you coming. Thank you for
serving. I want to thank Senator Hank Brown.
Appreciate him being here. He's a fine man.
I thank all the statehouse folks who are here and the courthouse
folks who are here. Thanks for coming. Thanks for serving. I want to
thank John Lynch of the mighty Denver Broncos for
joining us today. Danny Kanell is with us
today. I appreciate Danny coming. I want to thank Tom Nalen, center of the Denver Broncos, for joining us today. I
want to thank my fellow Texan Dan Neil for joining
us today. I don't know if you remember me when I was the Governor, but I
remember you. [Laughter] Great to see you again.
Most of all, I want to thank you all for coming. I want to thank the
grassroots activists. I want to thank the party officials who worked
hard to put up the signs and make the phone calls. I urge you and
encourage you to continue to work hard. With your help, we will carry
Colorado again and win a great victory in November.
I'm looking forward to this campaign. I like to get out amongst the
people. I'm going to tell the people where I stand, what I believe, and
where I'm going to lead this Nation for the next 4 years.
I believe that every child can learn and every school must teach. I
went to Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. So
we're raising standards. We're measuring early so we can solve problems
before they're too late. We're closing an achievement gap in America,
and we're not turning back.
I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with
good health care. I went to Washington to fix problems. Medicare was not
modernizing the way medicine was. See, we would pay for a $100,000 heart
surgery in Medicare but would not pay for the prescription drugs that
could prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the first place.
That didn't make any sense for our seniors, and it didn't make any sense
for our taxpayers. We have strengthened Medicare for our seniors, and
we're not turning back.
I believe in the energy and innovation and spirit of our small-
business owners, our farmers and ranchers and our workers. And that's
why we unleashed that energy with the largest tax relief in a
generation.
When you're out rounding up the vote, remind people that our economy
has been through a lot. We've been through a recession. We had corporate
scandals. We passed tough laws, by the way, in Washington that make it
abundantly clear, we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of
America. The attacks on our country hurt our economy.
But we're overcoming those obstacles. Our economy is strong, and it
is getting stronger. We've been growing at rates as fast as any in
nearly 20 years. We've added 1.7 million new jobs since August of '03.
The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent. That's lower than the
average rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment rate in
your State is 5.1 percent. This economy is strong, and we're not turning
back.
I believe a President must confront problems, not pass them on to
future Presidents and future generations. I believe the most solemn duty
of the American President is to protect the American people. If America
shows uncertainty 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. I am running for President with a clear and positive
plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America. I am running
with a compassionate conservative philosophy that Government should help
people improve their lives, not try to run their lives. I believe this
Nation wants steady, consistent, principled leadership, and that is why,
with your help, we're going to win a great victory in November.
[[Page 2049]]
I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. I appreciate the fact that
he's out there every day gathering the vote. I admit he doesn't have the
waviest hair in the race. [Laughter] I didn't pick him because of his
hairdo. [Laughter] I picked him because of his judgment, his experience.
I picked him because he can get the job done.
When you're out rounding up the vote, remind people I understand the
world in which we live in changing. You know, when our dads were coming
up, people had one job, one career for one company. Today, that's
different. People are changing jobs often. They're changing careers. In
the old days women stayed at home. Today, women are in the workplace.
They're working in the home and outside the home. These are changing
times we live in, different times.
And yet, the most fundamental systems of our Government, the Tax
Code, health coverage, pension plans, worker training, were created for
the world of yesterday, not tomorrow. In a new term, I will work with
the Congress to transform these systems so that all citizens are
equipped, prepared, and thus truly free to make your own choices so you
can pursue the American Dream.
A hopeful society has a growing economy. I've got a plan to keep
this economy moving forward. To create more jobs in America, America
must be the best place in the world to do business. That means we've got
to reduce the regulatory burden on our small-business owners. To create
jobs here, we've got to stop these junk lawsuits that threaten
employers.
To create jobs here at home, we need an energy plan. Listen, I
submitted a plan to the United States Congress 2 years ago. It's stuck,
of course, because of politics. But it's a plan that encourages
conservation, encourages the use of renewables like ethanol and
biodiesel, encourages clean coal technology, and uses technology to
wisely explore for natural gas here in our own hemisphere. What I'm
telling you is, in order to keep jobs here, we must become less
dependent on foreign sources of energy.
To make sure this economy grows and to keep jobs here, we've got to
open up markets overseas for our products. See, we open up our markets
for foreign goods, and that helps you. It helps you because 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 I tell the Chinese,
for example, ``You treat us the way we treat you.'' And I do that
because I know American workers and farmers and ranchers and small-
business owners can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere so long as
the rules are fair.
In order to make sure jobs stay here, we've got to be wise about how
we spend your money in Washington, and we've got to keep your taxes low.
Taxes are an issue in this campaign. See, I'm running against a
fellow who has had a history of voting for higher
taxes.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. And thus far in the campaign, he's proposed over $2 trillion of new Federal spending.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. And so they said, ``Well, how are you going to pay
for it?'' He said, ``That's easy. I'm just going
to tax the rich.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Now, first of all, you can't tax the rich enough to
pay for his new spending, so there's a tax gap.
And secondly, you've heard that rhetoric before, haven't you?
Audience members. Yes!
The President. Yes. ``Elect me. I'm going to tax the rich.'' But the
rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason--to stick you with the
bill. But we're not going to let him tax you.
We're going to win in November.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. See, something else about taxes. Our Tax Code is a
complicated mess.
[[Page 2050]]
It is full of special interest loopholes. Americans spend about 6
billion hours a year on the taxes. It's got over a million words in the
code. In a new term, I'll call Republicans and Democrats together to
simplify the Federal Tax Code.
A changing economy means many new jobs require new skills. A
changing economy and a growing economy creates new opportunities for our
workers, but oftentimes, the worker doesn't have the skills necessary to
fill the jobs. That's why I'm a strong proponent of community colleges.
That's why I believe we ought to promote a lifetime of learning for
America's workers, so they can match their skills with the jobs which
exist.
I also understand most new jobs are filled by people with at least 2
years of college. That's--when I say changing worlds, that's one of the
aspects of a changing world. Yet, only one in four of our students gets
there. That's why in our high schools, we'll fund early intervention
programs to help at-risk students. We'll place a new focus on math and
science. Over time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By
raising performance in our high schools and expanding Pell grants for
low- and middle-income families, we will help more Americans start their
career with a college diploma.
In a time of change, we need to reform our health care system.
Health care costs are rising rapidly. They're burdening our economy.
They're leaving too many people uninsured. I have a commonsense,
practical plan to make high-quality health care more affordable and more
accessible. More than one-half of the uninsured today are small-business
employees and their families. That's why I believe small firms ought to
be allowed to join together to purchase insurance at the discounts
available for big companies.
I met Gail Lindley. She is a small-business
owner from Denver. She is worried about her employees, and she's worried
about the cost of health care. She understands how powerful association
health care plans will be for small businesses. She said this, ``My
employees would be thrilled. They would be paying lower premiums. I
would have more money to invest back in my company.'' Washington needs
to understand that we need to help small businesses when it comes to
health care here in America.
We need to expand tax-free health savings accounts. We will help
small businesses with health savings accounts so they can provide them
for their employees. Today I met Jeff Cheley. He
runs a small business here. He runs Cheley Colorado Camps, CCC. He has
an HSA. He's planning to provide them for his workers. He says, ``It
helps us cover our workers and lower overall costs. For a small family
business like ours, it's a good deal.'' What I'm telling you is we've
got a practical plan to help people who are uninsured and to help our
small-business owners.
We're going to expand community health centers so poor citizens have
access to preventative and primary care. As a matter of fact, I believe
every poor county in America ought to have a community health center.
We're going to make sure that we bring technology into medicine to lower
costs. But most of all, what we need to do is to make sure that we stop
these frivolous lawsuits that are running up the cost of your medicine
and driving good docs out of business.
I don't think you can pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-hospital, and
pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. See, I think you have to choose. My
opponent made his choice. He put him on the ticket. I made my choice. I'm standing with the
docs and patients. I am for medical liability reform--now.
There is a difference of opinion when it comes to health care in
this campaign. I'm running against a fellow who
has proposed a massive, complicated blueprint to increase Government
control over your health care.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
[[Page 2051]]
The President. They estimated the cost of his
plan yesterday at 1.5 trillion new dollars. And that's a lot, even for a
Senator from Massachusetts. [Laughter] I believe that we--I believe
America is better suited for our commonsense plan that says health
decisions will be made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in
Washington, DC.
In changing times, it helps to bring stability in people's life if
they own something. We're going to continually promote an ownership
society in America. Do you realize the homeownership rate in America,
under my administration, is at an alltime high? It's a fantastic
statistic, isn't it? During the next term, we'll continue to promote
ownership to every corner of this country. I love the fact that more and
more people from all walks of life are opening the place where they
live--open that door up where they live, saying, ``Welcome to my home.
Welcome to my piece of property.''
I think we need to extend the concept of ownership to the retirement
systems. If you're a senior citizen, Social Security is going to pay
what they said they're going to pay. I don't care what the politicians
in Washington tell you; the promise will be kept. If you're a baby
boomer like me, we're in good shape when it comes to Social Security.
But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren, see?
That's where the bind comes. That's where the problems will exist in
Social Security, not for our seniors who've retired, not for those of us
who are near retirement, but for the kids. We need to think differently
when it comes to our pension plans. I believe younger workers ought to
be allowed to take some of their own tax money and set it aside in a
personal savings account to make sure Social Security meets the promise.
No, these are--it's a changing world. There's a clear difference of
opinion. We're running against some fellows who want to expand the reach
of Government. We want to expand opportunity. We want people to be able
to realize their dreams. We want people to be able to realize the great
promise of this country. In this world of change, some things don't
change, the values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence
and integrity. In times of change, we must support the institutions that
give our lives direction and purpose, 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 society. We 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 that terrible morning of September
the 11th, 2001, we have fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for
pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at
stake. Our strategy is clear. We're defending the homeland. We're
transforming our military. We're reforming and strengthening our
intelligence services. We're staying on the offensive. We'll strike the
terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
We will work to advance liberty in the broader Middle East and
throughout the world, and we'll prevail. Our strategy is succeeding.
Four years ago, Afghanistan was home base of Al Qaida; Pakistan was a
transit point for terrorist groups; Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for
terrorist fundraising; Libya was 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;
[[Page 2052]]
and more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates
have been brought to justice. We have led. Many have joined, and America
and the world are safer.
This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and
some tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
Hussein's record of aggression and support
for terror. We knew his long history of pursuing and even using weapons
of mass destruction. And we know after September the 11th, our country
must think differently. We must take threats seriously before they fully
materialize.
In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. So I
went to the Congress. The Congress looked at the intelligence I had
looked at. They remembered the history of Saddam just the way I
remembered him, and they saw a threat. My opponent looked at the same intelligence. He came to the same
conclusion I did, that Saddam was a threat, and voted yes when it came
to the authorization of force.
Before the Commander in Chief commits troops into harm's way, we
must try all of our options to solve a problem. I was hoping diplomacy
would work. I was really hoping diplomacy would work. And that's why I
went to the United Nations, and I spoke to the United Nations. And when
I went to the United Nations----
[At this point, there was a disturbance in the audience.]
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. And so I went to the United Nations. The United
Nations looked at the same intelligence I did. They had the debate. They
remembered the history I remembered and voted 15 to nothing in the
United Nations Security Council, saying to Saddam Hussein, ``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.'' I
believe that when the world says something, it must mean it in order to
make the world more peaceful. I believe when the American President
speaks, he must mean what he says in order to make the world more
peaceful.
Saddam Hussein had no intention of
listening to the demands of the free world. As he had for over a decade,
he ignored the resolution. As a matter of fact, when they sent
inspectors into his country, he systematically deceived the inspectors.
So I had a choice to make at this point in our history. I realized
diplomacy wasn't going to work. Do I trust a madman, forget the lessons
of September the 11th, or take action to defend our country? Given that
choice, I will defend America every time.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Because we acted to defend our country, 50 million
people live in freedom. In Afghanistan, young girls now go to school for
the first time. Their mothers are no longer taken in the public square
and whipped because they don't toe the line with the backward Taliban.
Because we acted, 10 million citizens, 41 percent of whom are women,
have registered to vote in the upcoming Presidential election. Despite
ongoing acts of violence, Iraq now has a strong Prime Minister, a National Council, and national elections are scheduled
in January. Our country is safer because we made tough decisions.
Free societies in the Middle East will be hopeful societies which no
longer feed resentments and breed violence for export. Free governments
in the Middle East will fight terrorists, instead of harboring them. Our
mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We'll help new leaders to
train their armies so that the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq can
defend themselves against the few who want to stop the hopes of the
many. We'll help them move toward elections. 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'm proud of our military. We've got a great military. I've had the
privilege of
[[Page 2053]]
meeting with the service men and women who defend our country and
sacrifice for our security. I know their unselfish courage and their
great decency. I want to thank the veterans who are here who have set
such a great example for those who wear the uniform. I want to thank the
military families who are here today for coming.
I want to assure you, our Federal Government will support our
troops. We will give them what they need to complete their missions.
That's why I went to the Congress a year ago and asked for $87 billion
of supplemental funding. This money was to go to our troops in combat in
Afghanistan and Iraq. It was a really important funding. We received
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----
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. ----two of whom are my opponent and his runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. When you're out gathering the vote, remind people
there's only four United States Senators who voted to authorize the use
of force and then didn't vote to fund the troops--only four, two of whom
are my opponent and his runningmate. So they asked him why. He said, ``Well, I actually did
vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Now, I've spent some time in Colorado. The people out
here don't talk like that. He said he was proud
of his vote. They kept pressing him. And he finally said, ``The whole
thing was a complicated matter.'' There's nothing complicated about
supporting our troops in combat.
Before 2000, Senator Kerry once said, ``It
would be naive, to the point of grave danger, not to believe that if
left to his own devices, Saddam Hussein will
provoke, misjudge, or stumble into a future, more dangerous
confrontation with the civilized world.'' That was his opinion during
the time of my predecessor's Presidency. In 2002, you know, he voted for
the war, then voted against the funding for our troops. When the heat
got on the Democrat primary, he declared himself the antiwar candidate.
Then several months later, earlier this summer, he said he would still
have voted to go to war, even knowing everything we know today. Last
week, he adopted the language of his onetime rival Howard Dean, saying, ``It's the wrong war at the wrong time,'' even
though he earlier said it was the right decision and he supported it.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. So here's the latest wrinkle. Here's the latest
twist. He's now decided we're spending too much
money in Iraq, even though on national TV last summer, he criticized us
for not spending enough.
Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
The President. The American President must be clear in his thinking
and must be clear in his speaking in order to make this world a freer
place.
I appreciate the contributions of our friends and allies. During the
next 4 years, we'll continue to work to strengthen our alliances.
There's nearly 40 countries involved in Afghanistan, some 30 in Iraq.
But as we strengthen alliances, I'll assure you, 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
liberty can change nations. I believe liberty has the capacity to take a
nation that has been plagued and tortured by a tyrannical thug into a
partner in peace. I believe that, in part, because I've had a great
experience with Prime Minister Koizumi of
Japan. You know, it wasn't all that long ago in the march of history
that my dad and your dads or granddads were
fighting the Japanese as a sworn enemy.
[[Page 2054]]
Yet, after World War II, Harry Truman and many American citizens
believed that liberty could transform an enemy into an ally. I know a
lot of people doubted it then. A lot of people doubt that concept now.
But because they stayed true to what we believe, Japan became a
democracy, and now I sit at the same table with Prime Minister
Koizumi talking about the peace. And
that's what we want. We understand in the short term, we'll stay on the
offensive. In the long term, we'll spread liberty to make the world a
more peaceful place, a chance for our children and grandchildren to grow
up in a more peaceful world.
You see, I believe that if given the chance, the people of the
Middle East, who plead in silence for their liberty, will embrace the
most honorable form of government ever devised by man. I believe women
in the Middle East long for a chance to realize their dreams and their
God-given talents. I believe that freedom is powerful. I believe all
these things, not because freedom is America's gift to the world; I
believe it because freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and
woman in this world.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. This 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, we'll help more
Americans realize their dreams. We'll spread ownership and opportunity
to every corner of our country. We'll pass the enduring values of our
country to a new generation. We will continue to lead the world to make
it more free and more peaceful.
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
that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the values
that makes us a great country.
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
began. Three years ago today, on September the 14th, 2001, I stood in
the ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I'll never forget. There were
workers there in hardhats yelling at me at the top of their lungs,
``Whatever it takes.'' I remember a guy grabbed me by the arm, a big old
burly firefighter--I guess he was a firefighter--he said, ``Do not let
me down.'' I have a responsibility 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, as I traveled your beautiful State and our great
land, I made a pledge to our fellow citizens that I would uphold the
honor and the dignity of the office to which I had been elected. With
your help, with your hard work, I will do so for 4 more years.
Thanks for coming. God bless. Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 8:51 a.m. at the Coors Amphitheatre. In his
remarks, he referred to pro football Hall of Famer John Elway, who
introduced the President; Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the
keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; Gov. Bill
Owens of Colorado and his wife, Frances; Lt. Gov. Jane Norton of
Colorado; Mayor Nancy Sharpe of Greenwood Village, CO; former Senator
Hank Brown of Colorado; John Lynch, safety, Danny Kanell, quarterback,
Tom Nalen, center, and Dan Neil, offensive guard, Denver Broncos; Prime
Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; former Democratic
Presidential candidate Howard Dean; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
of Japan.
[[Page 2055]]