[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 17, 2004]
[Pages 2101-2113]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in a Discussion on Women's Issues in Charlotte, North Carolina
September 17, 2004
The President. Thanks for being here. Go ahead and be seated. We've
got some work to do here. [Laughter] Thanks for such a warm welcome here
in the great State of North Carolina. It's nice to be back here. I'm
here asking for the vote, and I'm here to ask for your help.
Gosh, there's a lot of people back there. Can you hear me back
there? [Applause] That's good. Thanks for coming.
The first thing I'd like you to do is ask you to register your
friends and neighbors to vote. And while you're doing that, don't
overlook discerning Democrats like Zell Miller.
And then after we get them registered to vote, when it comes voting
time, head them to the polls and remind them if they want a safer
America, a stronger America, a better America, to put me and Dick
Cheney back in office.
Listen, we've got an interesting way to talk about some issues
today. One of the things you've got to know is, I've got a reason to run
again. I'm asking for the vote because there's more to do to make this
country a safer place and a better place for everybody, a more hopeful
place for those of us who live here in America. And so I asked some of
our fellow citizens here to share some ideas, or to discuss some of the
ideas I have about a new term. I think you're going to find it
interesting. I hope you do.
Before I begin to talk with them about ways to make this country a
more hopeful place, I do want to tell you that I lucked out when
Laura said yes. One way to maybe look at this
race is, you can judge the nature of a fellow by the company he keeps.
I'm keeping great company when it comes to Laura Bush. I'm proud of her.
Listen, when I asked her to marry me, she said, ``Fine, just so long as
I don't have to give any political speeches.'' [Laughter]
[[Page 2102]]
I said, ``Okay, you won't have to give any speeches.'' Fortunately, she
didn't hold me to my word. The other night the country got to see what
I've seen in Laura for all these years: She's compassionate; she's
decent; she's strong; she is a great mom, a wonderful wife, and a
fantastic First Lady for our country.
I want to thank my friend Elizabeth Dole.
She's a great United States Senator for the State of North Carolina. I
want to thank my friend Robin Hayes. I
appreciate you being here, Congressman. I'm glad you're here. Nice to
see you, sir. Congresswoman Sue Myrick,
she's here. Thanks for coming, Sue. It's great to see you. Richard
Burr, is he here? Where is he? Burr, how are
you? I'm in town not only to talk about my race; I'm in town to talk
about his race. He needs to be elected to the United States Senate.
I want to thank Pat McCrory, the
great mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. Mr. Mayor, thank you for
coming. Cherie Berry is with us today. We got
some statehouse folks. We got Patrick Ballantine, the next Governor, with us today.
I want to thank the grassroots activists who are here today. These
people put up the signs and do the hard work. I want to thank you for
what you have done and what you're going to do, which is, coming down
the pike, turn people out to vote. We carried North Carolina last time,
and with your help, we're going to carry it this time.
I know Teresa Earnhardt is with us
today. I'm proud you're here, Teresa. It's good to see you. Thanks for
coming. There you are. Appreciate you being here. I was going to the
NASCAR race in New Hampshire on Sunday, but I'm going down to help
provide as much comfort as I can to the folks whose lives have been
turned upside down by the hurricane that hit the coast so hard. I know
it's affecting parts of North Carolina. We send our prayers to the
people whose lives are being affected in your great State, and we stand
ready to help when this storm passes through.
I appreciate you all coming. Let me tell you something about what I
believe. I believe Government should stand side by side with people, not
try to tell people how to run their life. I believe the proper role of
Government is to help people help themselves, not dictate to people.
There's a fundamental difference in this campaign in philosophy of
Government. And in the course of the next days coming down the stretch,
people are going to see a clear difference.
Today I also want you to understand I understand the world of ours
is changing, and the fundamental systems of Government must change with
the changing world. The Government of the--the society of ours has
changed dramatically. For example, in the old days, women used to stay
at home. Now they're staying at home and working; they're inside the
house and outside the house. That's a fundamental shift in our labor
market. And yet, the labor laws haven't changed. So we're going to talk
about flex-time and comp-time today, to help women juggle the needs of
work and family. We want the labor laws to be family-friendly here in
America. We want them to adjust with the times.
In the old days, you know, the dad or granddad worked for one
company and one career, and today, people are now changing jobs and
careers oftentimes. And yet, the worker training programs haven't
adjusted with the times. If you've got a workforce where people are
changing jobs often, you've got to have a worker training program that
helps train people for the jobs which actually exist. And so we're going
to talk about how to make sure the worker training programs here in
America work.
See, what I'm telling you is many of the systems of Government were
designed for yesterday. I'm running for President to make sure they're
designed for tomorrow--our tax system is designed for tomorrow, our
health care systems are designed for
[[Page 2103]]
tomorrow, our pension plans are designed for tomorrow. I want to make
sure Government helps people be able to realize their dreams here in the
greatest country on the face of the Earth.
[At this point, a portion of the President's remarks were missing from
the transcript made available by the Office of the Press Secretary.]
I already worked through one mike. [Laughter]
In order to make sure there's a hopeful society, we've got to make
sure this economy continues to grow. Now, 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. That meant some people forgot what it meant to be a
responsible citizen. We passed laws that now make it clear we're not
going to tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of our country. And we
went through that attack on our country on September the 11th, 2001,
that cost jobs. It affected our economy.
We're overcoming these obstacles. These are obstacles in the way for
economic growth and vitality. We're overcoming them because we've got
great workers, great farmers and ranchers, great small-business owners,
and because of tax relief.
The economy has added 1.7 million jobs since August of last year.
The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, which is lower than the
average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment rate here in
North Carolina is 5 percent. The tax relief we--the economic stimulus
plan we passed is working. And so the fundamental question is, how are
you going to make sure this recovery is sustained economic growth? I'm
going to talk a little bit about that, if you don't mind.
First, we need an energy plan to make sure jobs stay right here in
America. In order to make sure people can find work, this country must
have an energy plan. I submitted one to Congress that said: We're going
to encourage conservation; we'll use renewables like ethanol and
biodiesel; we'll use clean coal technologies; we'll use technologies to
explore in environmentally friendly ways for natural gas. But it's a
plan that understands this: In order to make sure people can find work
here in America today and tomorrow, we need to be less dependent on
foreign sources of energy.
In order to make sure we have jobs here in America, we need to do
something about these junk lawsuits that are threatening small-business
owners. In order to do something about making sure we got jobs here in
America, we got to be wise about our regulatory policy. Many small-
business owners fill out regulations. I can't guarantee you whether
anybody in the Federal Government has ever read them. [Laughter] But I
do know paperwork is costly.
In order to make sure jobs stay in America, we got to have wise
trade policy. Now, we've opened up our markets for foreign goods, which
is good for the American consumers. If you have more choices in the
marketplace, you're more likely to get the product you want at a better
quality and a better price. So what I'm saying to other nations is,
``You treat us the way we treat you.'' That's why we were the first
administration to invoke the China Textile Safeguard. That's why we were
the first administration to file a WTO case against China. The message
is clear: If you want to trade with us, you treat us fairly, because
Americans can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere, if the rules are
fair.
Two other things I want to tell you about in order to make sure jobs
are here. See, I've got a six-point economic plan to make sure the
recovery that we're witnessing is a lasting recovery, so people can
realize their dreams here in America. Listen, a hopeful society is one
not only that changes fundamental systems to help people, but it's one
in which the economic vitality is strong enough for people to be able to
[[Page 2104]]
find work or start their own business or have a chance to realize their
dreams.
Now, we got to be wise about how we spend your money in Washington
if we're going to make sure this economy continues to grow. Here's my
view of things. We're going to set priorities, and then we're going to
let you keep as much money as we possibly can. Because once the Federal
Government meets those priorities, I think you can spend your money
better than the Federal Government can.
To make sure this economy grows, we got to keep your taxes low.
We're going to talk to a small-business owner here in a minute, a woman-
owned business. One of the most amazing--one of the most important
changes that has taken place in this changing world is that there are 10
million women-owned businesses here in America. What a phenomenal change
in society, isn't it?
I think tax policy ought to encourage the formation of women-owned
businesses, and I think tax policy ought not to harm women-owned
businesses. Do you realize most businesses today--small businesses are
Subchapter S corporations or limited partnerships, which means they pay
tax at the individual income-tax level? So when you cut individual
income taxes, you're really helping small businesses. You're helping
women-owned small businesses.
I think raising taxes on small businesses would be a mistake. It
would hurt our economy. I'm running against a fellow who's promised $2.2 trillion in new Federal spending so
far, and we haven't even got to the stretch run yet. So they said, ``How
are you going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh, that's simple. We'll just
tax the rich.'' You run up the top two brackets of the individual income
taxes, you're taxing about a million small businesses here in America.
Seventy percent of new jobs in America are created by small businesses,
and you're taxing the job creators.
That doesn't make any economic sense. You've heard the talk before,
haven't you, ``We're just going to tax the rich.'' Yes. The rich hire
accountants and lawyers, so you get stuck with the bill. You can't tax
the rich enough to pay for $2.2 trillion of new spending. There's a tax
gap. And guess who gets stuck with that tax gap? You do. But we're not
going to let him tax you, because we're going to
win in November.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Okay. Thank you. We've got work to do here.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. We've got a little work to do. Thanks. I told you one
of the most amazing statistics is the fact there's 10 million small-
business owners. I think, in the State of North Carolina, I think 45
percent of the small businesses are owned by women. That is an
incredibly hopeful statistic, isn't it? It's a fantastic statistic. See,
when I talk about a changing world, that's what I'm talking about.
And so we got one of those entrepreneurs with us today. Stewart
Gordon is with us, a businessowner, The
Buttercup, Inc. What do you do?
Stewart Gordon. We're a gift and
stationery shop, and we started 29 years ago, five women with an
investment of $500 each--only in America.
The President. Wait a minute. You're obviously still in business.
Ms. Gordon. We are. We're still going
strong.
The President. Do you have employees?
Ms. Gordon. We have 37 talented women
that work with us. We own our own building, and we have a good time.
It's a nourishing environment, not only for us, our staff, but also for
our customers. We are true ``steel magnolias.'' So with determination
and a little hard work, The Buttercup is strong.
The President. Good. The Buttercup is a Subchapter S corporation.
That means they pay tax at the individual income-tax level, and so when
you hear them coming
[[Page 2105]]
out of Washington saying, ``Oh, we're just going to tax the rich,'' keep
The Buttercup in mind. See, when they run up the top two brackets,
companies like The Buttercup get affected. And if they start taking
money out of The Buttercup's coffers, it's less likely the women who
work there are going to be able to keep their jobs.
How many people did you hire this year, do you know?
Ms. Gordon. We hired six.
The President. Six people. See, that's what's happening in the
economy. Six people hired by this small business here, six there. This
economy is growing because the small-business sector is strong. Tax
policy ought to help women-owned business, not hurt women-owned
businesses. Let's talk about flex-time, do you want to?
[Ms. Gordon made further remarks.]
The President. See, Federal labor law--[applause]--hold on for a
minute--labor law prevents there to be maximum of flex-time. The labor
law is stuck in the past. It was written when women stayed at home. The
world has changed. We've got women now working in the house and out of
the house, like I said, and that's good for our economy. But the labor
laws need to adjust to allow moms to be able to juggle the needs of the
workplace and the family. I'm running again because I want to change
systems of Government that prevent people from realizing their dreams.
If you make it easier for a mother--or a father, for that matter--to
be a good mom or a dad, it's more likely they're going to be a better
employee and have a higher quality of life.
Good job. Are you ready? Yes, she's ready. Frances, you're ready. My old buddy Frances. We met before.
One of the things we've changed is to change this concept of
Government--getting people dependent upon Government. We changed welfare
laws in a more compassionate way, as far as I'm concerned. We made the
system more compassionate so as to help people realize their dreams.
And Frances Cunningham is with us--my
old buddy, right?
Frances Cunningham. I'm here.
The President. Until I asked her to
come on the stage. [Laughter] Mother of two.
Ms. Cunningham. Yes. Can you hear me?
The President. Oh, yes, they can hear you loud and clear.
[Ms. Cunningham made brief remarks.]
The President. You're doing good.
Ms. Cunningham. Thank you.
The President. Frances is a great
story, you know. She was on welfare. They have a great welfare
department here. They said, ``Let's help--let's help somebody help
themselves.'' That's what I'm telling you about. We're changing systems
so people have a chance to realize dreams.
Now what she's saying, she wants to
go to the next level. Hopefully, somebody is listening out there in the
camera that says, ``Wait a minute, maybe Frances could make a''----
Ms. Cunningham. And I have been
promoted on my job, and it just opened up a lot of doors for me. And I'm
sure a lot of women out here understand, you know, when you have to
depend on the Government to help you, that is fine for a while--to help
you get your life in order. And it's been great. And I just encourage
business to just help one another and help people and help us to become
better citizens out here and mothers and fathers, you know?
The President. That's good. You're doing great. Listen,
she has the hardest job in America,
though. I want you to know she's got the toughest job in America--a
single mother is the toughest job in America. And we need to help. And I
appreciate you. You did great.
I want to talk to Kema Jenkins. We're going
to talk to Kema right now----
Ms. Cunningham. Can I say one more
thing?
[[Page 2106]]
The President. Absolutely. You've got the mike, and it's still on.
Ms. Cunningham. I just want to thank
my supervisor.
The President. Where is your supervisor?
Ms. Cunningham. That's her, right
there.
The President. Good job. Thanks for coming.
Ms. Cunningham. She's been very
supportive.
The President. Appreciate you being here.
Ms. Cunningham. Give her a handshake
for me.
The President. Handshake right now? Well, let me finish the thing
here. [Laughter]
Ms. Cunningham. Okay. All right.
Thank you. And Mr. Jacobson, he's not here, Department of Social Service
director. He's been like a mentor.
The President. That's good. See, people can make a difference in
somebody's life. We can change one America one heart and one soul at a
time if somebody just takes time out of their life to love a neighbor
like you'd like to be loved yourself.
Are you ready, Kema? I told you one of the
real challenges we have is to help people have the skills necessary to
fill the jobs of the 21st century. We've got a really interesting story
here in Kema Jenkins. She is a--she's a good soul who--well, tell us.
You used to work for?
Kema Jenkins. A textile company. That is
now----
The President. Yes. You don't want to say its name? No? Okay.
Pillowtex--I will. [Laughter]
[Ms. Jenkins made brief remarks.]
The President. Let me--if I can help say what you just said. Look,
the Government needs to help people gain the skills necessary to fill
jobs. I know what it's like here with the textile industry, and so do
you. It's been hit hard. But the amazing thing about your economy is
that it is diversifying. There are health care jobs available. And the
Government, I think, has a responsibility to help people like
Kema gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs
of the 21st century.
Nobody likes jobs going away. But there's new opportunity. In a
changing economy like ours, there are new opportunities for people. When
an economy changes, it certainly creates dislocation, and I understand
that. And that's not good. But what is good is that jobs are replaced
with higher paying jobs so long as the people have the skill set
necessary to fill the jobs. And that's what we're talking about here.
Women need help. If they get laid off from work, they need help. That's
why I'm such a big believer in the community college system, in helping
people go back and gain the skills.
You can't say--Government can't pass a law that says Kema has got to go back to school. She's got to make up her
own mind. She said, ``I want to embetter myself,'' and ``Is there a
place to find help?'' I think it's a legitimate use of your taxpayer--of
your money, is to help somebody like Kema be able to realize dreams in
the workplace.
Now, let me ask you something. One of the interesting things about
education--I didn't see you all over there; that's the end zone. Okay,
never mind.
One of the interesting things about education is that as you
increase your skill level, you increase your productivity. It means
you're a more productive worker. And when you become more productive,
you make more money. One of the interesting things about a changing
economy is that our workers are more productive than ever before. That
means instead of using a hoe, you use a backhoe. Or instead of using,
you know, a regular old standard typewriter, you use a computer. In
other words, that's an example of becoming more productive.
But that creates a challenge for us. It creates a challenge for us
in our society
[[Page 2107]]
because the more productive workers become, the faster the economy has
to grow so people can find work. That's why my six-point plan is
essential to making sure people in a productive world can find work.
So you worked there for Pillowtex for a while and--so what's the
difference in pay? I'm not--maybe not exactly numbers. More, less, same?
Ms. Jenkins. I'm going to be making more
this year than I've made the past 21 years at Pillowtex.
The President. Yes. See, that's the great opportunity for women.
It's the great opportunity for women in the workplace. If you can help a
person with the skill set necessary to work, help them become more
productive, they make more money. She's making
more money in the beginning of a new career than she made at the end of
her other career.
And that's what's happening all around America. That's why it's
important for us to change fundamental systems to help women--and men,
for that matter--realize their dreams. And that's what we're talking
about. It's helping people. It's a difference of philosophy. As opposed
to saying, you know, ``You will be dependent on Government,'' or, ``You
will do this, or you will do that,'' my philosophy says, ``Can we help
you, and can we help you help yourself.'' In a changing world, helping
people help themselves creates a more hopeful America.
Let me talk about health care right quick. It's an issue in this
campaign. There is a fundamental difference between what I believe and
my opponent believes when it comes to health
care. I believe the best health care decisions are made by doctors and
patients. I believe it is essential that the Federal Government does not
run your health care.
And I put out some practical plans to help people. Do you know that
about 50 percent of the working uninsured work for small businesses? And
the reason why they're uninsured is because small businesses have
trouble purchasing affordable health care for their employees. And yet,
most small-business owners want to purchase affordable health care for
their employees. I see a lot of the women businessowners here nodding.
They--the best way to help small businesses and their employees and
their families is to allow small businesses to pool together, to bind
together across jurisdictional boundaries so they can buy insurance at
the same discounts that big businesses get to do.
Those are called association health plans. My opponent is against them. I think they make a lot of sense.
Government should help people solve problems. The--health savings
accounts are a very interesting way for people to save money when it
comes to health care and to help small businesses afford insurance for
their employees. Health savings accounts are basically catastrophic
plans with a high deductible and that the employer and employee
contribute, based upon the contractual arrangement, tax-free money into
an account. So, in other words, if you've got--say, the insurance
company will pay for everything over $2,000, you cover from zero to
2,000 either as a contribution to your employee or the employee puts it
in, and it's your money. And if you spend the 2,000, you replenish next
year. If you spend nothing on your health care because you're a good
exerciser, you make good choices, you've been lucky, things went well,
that 2,000 is your money. It earns interest tax-free. You carry it over
from one year to the next, and then you've got a nest egg for the next
year.
And basically what it says is, it says that people make decisions on
health care, not some faceless bureaucrat. It means that you've got a
chance to control this health care plan. In a changing world, people
change jobs and careers quite often, which means you take your health
savings account with you wherever you go.
To make sure health care is available and affordable, we're going to
spend some money to make sure that children who are eligible for the
low-income health programs
[[Page 2108]]
at the government level get signed up. See, there's too many of the kids
not signing up what they call SCHIP. It's a good program, and we ought
to encourage families to take advantage of the low-income health
programs for our children.
I also want to tell you another interesting idea. Actually, we're
doing it right now. To make sure health care is available for all of us,
we're going to expand community health centers. Now, community health
centers are places where the indigent and the poor can get primary care
and preventative care. It's a good use of your money to expand community
health centers. It's better that people get this kind of care and get
this kind of care at a community health center and not in an emergency
room of a local hospital. And so, in a second term, we will expand
community health centers to every poor county in America.
Two other things on health care I want to talk about--want to talk
about Medicare. I went to Washington to fix problems, not pass them on
to future Presidents and future generations. We had an issue in
Medicare. We had an issue in Medicare. A lot of senior women were
affected by a Medicare system that hadn't modernized. People say, ``What
are you talking about?'' I say, ``Well, Medicare would pay for the
$100,000 for the heart surgery but would not pay for the prescription
drugs that might prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the
first place.'' That didn't make any sense. It didn't make any sense for
Medicare recipients. It didn't make any sense for taxpayers.
And so we're modernizing the system. They've got drug discount cards
now available for our seniors. I urge our seniors to look at the drug
discount card. People are having great savings when it comes to
prescription drug coverage, particularly our poor seniors, because we're
helping them with the purchase of drugs. In 2005, there will be
preventative screenings paid for by Medicare for the first time ever in
the system. It helps us solve problems by diagnosing problems early. And
in 2006, our seniors will get prescription drug coverage, and the system
makes sense.
And finally, we've got a healer with us today, a doc, Andrea
Torsone. One reason why it's hard for small
businesses to afford health care, one reason why your health care costs
are going up, one reason why docs are becoming less available for people
is because these junk lawsuits are beginning to hurt the health-care
industry significantly. If you're a doctor and you're getting sued all
the time or your neighbor is getting sued all the time, you're going to
practice defensive medicine so that you can defend yourself in a court
of law. That costs--practicing of defensive medicine, in other words,
you're prescribing more than you need to do; you're just doing the extra
X ray here or extra test there--that costs the Federal Government $28
billion a year, to practice defensive medicine. I mean, there is a
direct correlation between these lawsuits and the cost of Government.
We need to do something about it. Too many good docs are leaving
practice. Too many women are having trouble with keeping their ob-gyn,
particularly the ob part of the ob-gyn. And they're getting run out of
business. I've talked to too many women who are pregnant, and they don't
have their local doc because the local doc had to surrender the practice
due to the high cost of premiums caused by lawsuits. And that's not
right. That's not right. Good health care for women and good health care
for every American depends on having a legal system that is reasonable.
We need medical liability reform--now.
And this is an issue in this campaign. This is an issue in this
campaign. There's a fundamental difference of opinion. See, I don't
think you can be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-hospital and pro-
trial-lawyer at the same time. I think you have to choose. I think you
have to choose. My opponent made his choice, and
he put a trial lawyer on the ticket.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
[[Page 2109]]
The President. I made my choice. I'm standing with the docs and
patients. We're for medical liability reform in this campaign.
All right, Doc. You are a--what kind of
doc?
[Andrea Torsone made brief remarks.]
The President. See, this is a problem. Here is a kind, compassionate
soul who is obviously talented and went to
school because she wanted to deliver babies. And the cost of doing
medicine is so high because of lawsuits that she no longer does so. It's
just one less person to help a woman, and it's--we got a national
problem with this issue. She said her premiums have gone up 300 percent
in a very brief period of time. That's because it's like a legal lottery
out there, and you just keep filing these lawsuits, one after another.
And it's happening, State after State. Good people are saying, ``I'm
through. I wish I could practice. I wish I could heal. I wish I could
help, but I can't afford it anymore.''
And this is a living example of why we need medical liability reform
in Washington, DC. Listen, I believe that this is a national issue. I
believe it is a national problem. And I know it's causing our budgets to
go up, and that's why I submitted a plan to the House and the Senate. It
passed the House. It's stuck in the Senate because there's too many
trial lawyers in the United States Senate.
I also want to share some thoughts with you about my most important
duty, which is protect you and your children. That's the most important
duty I have. Let me share some lessons I've learned from September the
11th.
One, we face an enemy that has no conscience. They--it's hard for us
to understand people that will kill for the sake of an ideology of
hatred, but they do. And therefore, you cannot negotiate with these
people. You cannot hope for the best. You cannot sit down and maybe
think, ``Well, gosh, there's a chance we can rationalize with them.''
You cannot. And that's why our strategy in this Government is to find
them in places around the world so we do not have to face them here--is
to bring them to justice in foreign lands. [Applause] Okay, hold on a
second. Thank you all, but not yet.
Secondly--I've got more than one lesson to share with you. Secondly,
this is a different kind of struggle. It's a different kind of war.
There are places where these people can hide and wait and plan. And
therefore, I laid out a doctrine which said, ``If you harbor a
terrorist, you're just as equally--you're just as guilty as the
terrorist.'' Now, when the President says something--hold on for a
second--when the President says something, he better mean what he says
in order to make this world more peaceful. I meant what I said. I meant
what I said.
The Taliban ignored what we said. And thanks to a lot of really
fine, fine soldiers, the Taliban is no longer in power in Afghanistan.
And we're better off for it. The world is safer for it, and so is
America. No longer does Al Qaida have a safe haven. See, these people
are like parasites, and they try to find a weak host so they can
eventually kind of become the host. And as a result of removing the
Taliban from power, we're safer. These Al Qaida no longer have safe
haven there. There's still some hiding in remote regions of that part of
the world, and we're after them. Day after day, we're slowly but surely
dismantling the Al Qaida network. Seventy-five percent of their leaders
and associates have been brought to justice. Over the next 4 years,
we'll continue to keep the pressure on. That's our duty to the American
people.
But I also want to tell you what else happened in Afghanistan. This
is a country where many young girls didn't get to go to school. When I
talk about ideologies of hate, I'm talking about people that would not
allow girls to be educated. That's part of an ideology of hate. Their
mothers were taken to the squares of that country and
[[Page 2110]]
whipped or killed in some cases, in the sports stadium, because they
would not toe the line of this dark ideology. That's the way these
people think. There is no freedom, in their view. As a matter of fact,
freedom frightens them, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom
of speech.
Today, in Afghanistan--this is 3 years ago, which really isn't very
long, when you think about it--3 years after these people were
brutalizing much of that society, 10 million citizens, 41 percent of
whom are women, have registered to vote in the upcoming Presidential
election. Isn't that fantastic? Think about that. This is a society
which has gone--which is going from darkness to light because of
freedom. And we're better off for it. We're better off that Afghanistan
is a free country. It helps us to have an ally in the war on terror
there, as opposed to a place where the terrorists can hide.
Third lesson is that we must take threats seriously before they
fully materialize. That's one of the lessons of September the 11th. It's
a harsh lesson, but it's one we must never forget. Prior to September
the 11th, planners and thinkers in Washington, DC, could see a threat
and say, ``Well, we don't have to worry about it because it could never
come and hurt us.'' That's what we thought. It wasn't that way during
the cold war, admittedly, but we had a plan, mutually assured
destruction. But after the cold war, we thought we were safe, didn't we?
If you really think about the time, 3 short years ago, we felt like we
were protected. And so when we saw threats we could decide to deal with
it if we wanted to deal with it or not. After that day, every threat
must be taken seriously.
In Saddam Hussein, I saw a threat. I saw
a threat because he was a sworn enemy of the United States of America.
He was our enemy. As a matter of fact, they were firing missiles--he was
firing missiles at U.S. aircraft enforcing the world's sanctions. We had
been to war with Saddam Hussein before. He had been to war in his
neighborhood. In other words, he was a destabilizing influence. He had
terrorist ties. Abu Nidal killed Leon Klinghoffer, if you remember.
Remember that incident? The guy was in Baghdad, as were people in his
organization. Zarqawi, the beheader,
was in and out of Baghdad, and he had a poisons network in Iraq. He was
a terrorist. Saddam Hussein paid the families of suicide bombers.
Suicide bombing is a terrorist activity. He had terrorist ties. He also
had the capability of making weapons of mass destruction, and he had
used weapons of mass destruction. And the intelligence I looked at and
the intelligence Congress looked at said he actually had them there.
So I saw a threat. And I went to the United States Congress and
said, ``We got an issue here that we're going to have to deal with.''
Members of the Congress of both political parties looked at the very
same intelligence I looked at--the very same intelligence--and they
remembered the same history I remembered, and they concluded that Saddam
Hussein was a threat and authorized the use
of force. My opponent looked at the same
intelligence I looked at, and when they said, ``Do you authorize the use
of force,'' he voted yes.
Before the Commander in Chief commits troops into harm's way, before
the Commander in Chief looks a mom or dad in the eye and says, ``I'm
sending your son or daughter into harm's way,'' we must have tried all
options--all options. And I was hopeful diplomacy would solve this
problem. I was hopeful that we could diplomatically deal with the
threat. And so I went to the United Nations, said, ``We see a problem.''
They looked at the same intelligence I looked at. They remembered the
same history I remembered, and with a 15-to-nothing vote in the United
Nations Security Council, they voted to tell Saddam Hussein, ``You disclose, disarm, or face serious
consequences.''
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Now, I told you when I say something, you better mean it if you're
the President. I think when international bodies speak, they better mean
it as well. And they said this. Saddam Hussein, as he had for resolution after resolution after
resolution after resolution, ignored this one. He wasn't about to
disclose, disarm. So he didn't believe there would be serious
consequences, I guess. As a matter of fact, when they sent inspectors
in, the U.N. sent inspectors in, he systematically deceived them. And I
knew he was deceiving them. So I have a choice to make at this point in
time: Do I take 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 America every time.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Okay, hold on.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Thank you all. Thank you all.
A couple of other things I want to share. Let me share some other
things with you right quick. We didn't find the stockpiles we thought we
would find, the stockpiles that everybody thought was there. But I do
know that he had the capability of making those weapons, and he could
have passed that capability on to an enemy. And that's a risk we could
not afford to take after September the 11th. Knowing what I know today,
I would have made the same decision. The world is better off with Saddam
Hussein sitting in a prison cell, make no
mistake about it.
Prime Minister Allawi is coming here next
week. He's a tough guy who believes that Iraq should be free. And he
cares about the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people. He is--I'm
looking forward to meeting him. I think he's coming to speak to the
Congress--I hope I didn't let the cat out of the bag. Everybody knows
that? Okay, good. [Laughter] Hope he knows it. [Laughter] I'm looking
forward to the American people hearing him. It's important that we hear
from someone there on the ground who believes that people want to be
free, believes that the people of Iraq really want to be free.
Here's our strategy in both Afghanistan and Iraq. We're going to
help the Iraqis hold elections. The Afghan people are holding their
elections soon. There will be free elections in Iraq in January of this
year. People want to vote. People want to participate. We're going to
help train Iraqi police and army so they can defend themselves against
the few who are trying to stop the dreams of the many in that country.
We'll help them, and we're making progress. We're making progress. It's
tough. Of course it's tough, because there are killers there who are
trying to shake our will and shake the will of the Iraqis. It's tough on
the Iraqi citizens. These people are indiscriminately killing because
they want to cause us to leave, and they want the Iraqis to grow weary
of trying to be a free society. Listen to Allawi. He'll talk about what it means to be free.
Once we get these folks trained and get them on the path to
stability and democracy, our troops are coming home with the honor they
earned. And I appreciate those in the United States military. I'm proud
you all are here.
Here's the fourth lesson I want to share with you. The fourth lesson
is, when we put troops in harm's way, they deserve the full support of
the Federal Government, full support. That's why I went to the Congress
and asked for $87 billion of support for our troops. And this is
important funding, really important funding. As a matter of fact, it was
so important that there was wide bipartisan support in the Senate and in
the House. As a matter of fact, when I say ``wide bipartisan support,''
I'm talking only 12 Members of the Senate voted against the funding, 2
of whom are my opponent and his
runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
[[Page 2112]]
The President. When you're out rounding up the vote, when you're
rounding up the vote, remind people of this fact. Only four Members of
the Senate voted to authorize the use of force and then voted not to
fund the troops, two of whom are my opponent and
his runningmate.
Now, you might remember, when they asked him,
they said, ``Why,'' and he said, ``Well, I actually did vote for the $87
billion, before I voted against it.'' There's not a lot of folks in
Charlotte, North Carolina who speak that way, I can assure you.
We've done hard work. We've done hard work. Because of the hard work
we've done, this world is becoming more peaceful. I believe in the
transformational power of liberty. That's what I believe. It's the heart
of much of what I think, is because I believe liberty can change enemies
to allies and change distressed societies to hopeful societies. I like
to share with people my feelings about Japan. You know, Prime Minister
Koizumi is a friend of mine. I like him.
He's a good guy to talk to. And he is the Prime Minister of a country
with which we were at war during my dad's
lifetime. After all, he was there, as was your dads and granddads. Think
about that. It wasn't all that long ago that Japan was the sworn enemy
of the United States of America. We were fighting them. Young men went
off to war, and a lot didn't come back.
And yet, after World War II, Harry Truman and other American
citizens believed that if Japan became a democracy, the world would be
better off. And that was hard work, really hard work. You can imagine
why. You can imagine the moms here saying, ``What do you mean, working
with Japan to make a democracy? They just killed--caused great harm.''
And yet, there was this unshakeable faith that liberty could change
societies. And as a result of that unshakeable faith of a prior
President and citizens of this country, I now sit down at the table with
Prime Minister Koizumi talking about
keeping the peace. Think about that.
Someday, an American President, whoever he or she may be, will be
sitting down with a duly elected leader of Iraq talking about how to
keep the peace in the greater Middle East. And our children and
grandchildren will be better off for it.
Liberty can change societies. Free societies are peaceful societies.
Free societies help change the world. I believe everybody longs for
freedom. And I believe this not because freedom is America's gift to the
world; I believe it because freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each
man and woman in this world.
I'm here today to let you know I have a reason to seek the office
again. I'm running to help transform systems of Government so people can
realize their dreams. I'm running again to continue to lead so this
world will be a safer place. I'm running again because I want to help
spread the peace we all want. I'm running again because I have great
faith in the American people and have great faith in the values that
make us a great nation. I know where I want to lead. And I want to thank
your help--for your help in helping us get there. With your help, we'll
win a great victory in November of this year.
God bless. God bless you all.
Note: The President spoke at 4:01 p.m. at the Charlotte Merchandise
Mart. In his remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who
made the keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention;
Representative Richard Burr of North Carolina, senatorial candidate in
North Carolina; North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry; North
Carolina gubernatorial candidate Patrick Ballantine; Teresa Earnhardt,
chief executive officer and president, Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; senior Al
Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the
Iraqi Interim Government; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.
[[Page 2113]]