[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[July 20, 2004]
[Pages 1368-1382]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in a Discussion at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, 
Iowa
July 20, 2004

    The President. Thank you all very much. Please be seated.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Thank you all for 
coming. Thanks for being here. That's what I'm here to tell you: I'm 
ready to serve this Nation for 4 more years. And I've got a reason. I've 
got a reason. I want to continue to make this a safer and stronger and 
better place for every citizen.
    We've got a little different format today. It's an opportunity for 
me to interface with some of your citizens about why I've done some of 
the policies that I've done, give them a chance to explain to you how 
these policies might have helped. Oh, I know, you're probably here 
thinking I'm going to spend most of the time attacking my 
opponent. I've got too much good to talk about.
    It's very important for the people of this important State to know 
that we're going to carry the State of Iowa. And I need your help. 
Listen, there's a place you can go on the web page--I mean, on the 
Internet called georgewbush.com. And you need to get on there if you 
want to figure out how to help. So you can get on there, and you can 
register to vote, or you can figure out ways to help people register to 
vote, or you can sign up to work in your neighborhood. And that's what 
I'm here to ask you to do, because we've got a plan to make sure this 
country is a better place. And I want your help to convincing people 
from all walks of life, Republicans and discerning Democrats and wise 
independents.
    I am sorry that Laura is not with us.
    Audience members. Aw-w-w!
    The President. That's generally the reaction. [Laughter] It's kind 
of like, ``I wish she'd come and you'd have 
stayed at home.'' [Laughter] Fortunately, however, our two daughters came today, and 
I'm proud--I'm really glad they're on the campaign trail with me. It's 
makes the days a little shorter and the trips a lot more fun.
    I want to thank the good people here at this wonderful community 
college. Norm, I want to thank you. Thanks for 
having me, Norm, here at Kirkwood. I'm going to talk a little bit about 
community colleges. They're an integral part of making sure America's 
future is hopeful, as we want it to be. Thanks for opening it up. It's 
not easy to host the President. [Laughter]
    I appreciate the mayor; Mayor Paul Pate 
from Cedar Rapids is with us today. Thanks for coming, Mayor. I know 
Chuck Gipp is here. I want to thank Chuck for 
coming as well, the majority leader of the house of representatives. I 
want to thank all the other State and local officials. Most of all, I 
want to thank you all. I want to thank you all.
    It's very important--it's very important for the people of this 
country to understand the stakes that we're confronted with, to 
understand the challenges we face. The enemy declared war on us, and 
you've just got to know, nobody wants to be the war President. I want to 
be the peace President. I want to be the President that after 4 years, 4 
more in this office, I want people to look back and say, ``The world is 
a more peaceful place. America is a safer country.'' Four more years, 
and America will be safer and the world will be more peaceful.
    But in this world, you just can't hope for the best; you have to 
lead. You have to make the hard decisions to make sure America is a 
safer place and the world is a more peaceful place.
    It's very important never to forget the lessons of that fateful day 
which changed

[[Page 1369]]

American history. Let me tell you some of the lessons that I have 
learned and will continue to apply as your President. First, the 
terrorists, these radicals who use terror to scare us and frighten us 
and shake our will, are nothing but a bunch of coldblooded killers. You 
cannot talk sense to them. You cannot negotiate with them. They must be 
brought to justice, in order to make the country more secure. This 
country is a peaceful country. This country is a country that yearns for 
freedom and peace. But when the enemy hit us, we resolved--we as a 
nation resolved--to stay firm and diligent, to do whatever it takes to 
defend our security.
    The second lesson I learned and America must always remember is that 
when the country says something, we better mean it. In order to make 
this world a more peaceful place, when we say something, we better act 
on what we say. And so I said, ``If you harbor a terrorist, you're just 
as guilty as the terrorists, themselves.'' That's a part of making sure 
America is more secure. It's one thing to resolve to bring the 
terrorists to justice--and we are. Al Qaida is slowly but surely being 
dismantled because of our brave troops and because of our allies. But I 
also recognized that you cannot allow these radicals, these people who 
have hijacked a religion, nonreligious people who have hijacked a great 
religion, to find safe haven.
    And so we said to the Taliban that was running Afghanistan, ``Get 
rid of them. Join our side.'' They refused, of course, and so I had the 
tough decision to make--and that is to enforce our word in order to make 
the world a better place. And we did, and we removed the Taliban. And 
there are no longer Al Qaida training camps. As a matter of fact, 
Afghanistan is going to hold Presidential elections. And you need to be 
proud of the fact that your Nation liberated a country so that many 
young girls now go to school for the first time in their lives.
    A second lesson of September the 11th is this very important lesson 
that I will always remember and I hope the country will always remember, 
that when we see a threat, we must deal with it before it fully 
materializes; that we can no longer, when we see a threat, we can no 
longer hope for the best. We used to think we could hope for the best, 
until September the 11th changed it all. And now we must deal with it. 
The military will always be our last option--the last option. But we 
must deal with threats.
    And so I just want to step back and remind you all of the facts. 
Saddam Hussein was a sworn enemy of the 
United States of America. He is a person who had used weapons of mass 
destruction on his own people. He is a person that was allowing 
terrorists to exit and enter his country, and he provided safe haven for 
terrorist organizations like that of Abu Nidal or Zarqawi. In other words, he was a danger. Everybody knew he 
was a danger. After all, the United Nations Security Council had said he 
was a danger in resolution after resolution after resolution.
    I looked at the intelligence--I looked at the intelligence, and it 
said Saddam Hussein was a threat to the 
United States. Members of the United States Congress of both political 
parties looked at the same intelligence, and they came to the same 
conclusion I came to. Then the U.N. Security Council, yet again, looked 
at the intelligence and said, ``The man is a threat.'' They also said, 
``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.'' That's what was said 
by the free world. The world came together and said that. And so we 
said, ``Okay, fine, we'll give him one last chance. It's his choice to 
make; he gets to make the choice.'' And he deceived the inspectors. 
These people who have been over there studying what went on have made it 
clear. I saw that happening. And then--at least we thought it was 
happening; it's been verified that it was happening. ``What did he have 
to hide,'' the free world was saying to themselves. ``Why would he not 
allow inspectors in?'' See, he was a threat. He

[[Page 1370]]

made the choice, not the United States of America. He defied the world.
    And I had a choice to make: Do I forget the lessons of September the 
11th and hope for the best? Do I trust the word of a madman? Or do we 
take action to defend this country? Given that choice, I will defend 
America every time.
    For a while, we were marching to war; now, we're marching to peace. 
The world is becoming more peaceful. I told you about Afghanistan; it's 
a free society. No one would have thought 3 years ago--remember what the 
world was like 3 years ago? Three years ago, Afghanistan was a troubled 
area run by the Taliban. Three years ago, Iraq was run by a sworn 
enemy of the country who was torturing his 
own people; he had mass graves by the thousands for the people in his 
country. And today, Iraq is run by a person who believes in the hopes 
and aspirations of the Iraqi people, a strong leader named Prime 
Minister Allawi, a person who wants there to be 
a free society in Iraq.
    And I'm going to tell you something, this is an historic moment. A 
free Iraq will change the world. A free Iraq will not only make 
America's short-term security interests better; it will make our long-
term security interests better, because the way to defeat the radicals 
who promote terrorist activity to frighten us and drive us out of the 
world is to spread freedom. Free societies are peaceful societies. 
Because we have led--because we have led, 50 million people that once 
lived in tyranny are now free, and the world is better for it.
    Three years ago, Pakistan recognized the Taliban, and Al Qaida was 
able to transit their country without worry. Today, Pakistan is an ally 
in the war on terror. They're chasing down Al Qaida leadership in the 
remote regions of that country, and America is safer for it. Three years 
ago, Saudi Arabia wasn't that worried about Al Qaida. Today, Saudi 
Arabia is chasing down the Al Qaida leadership. They are bringing them 
to justice. America is safer for it. Three years ago--3 years ago, 
Libya--Libya was a friend of the terrorists. Libya had weapons of mass 
destruction programs. Libya was a danger. Today, Libya has dismantled 
her programs, and America is safer for it. In three short years, because 
America has led with friends and allies, the world is changing for the 
better. The world is becoming a more free place, and therefore, the 
world is becoming a more peaceful place.
    I want to make a couple of more points about our foreign policy and 
what I intend to do over 4 years. First, let me share an interesting 
story with you. It's one that has touched my heart deeply. Seven men 
walked into the Oval Office from Iraq. First of all, coming to the Oval 
Office is a--it's a pretty powerful experience, American or Iraqi. 
[Laughter] It's the kind of place where people stand outside the door, 
and they say, ``I can't wait to get in there and tell him what for.'' 
[Laughter] And they walk in, and they get overwhelmed by the Oval Office 
and say, ``Man, you're looking pretty, Mr. President.'' [Laughter]
    So these seven come in; all of them had their right hands cut off by 
Saddam Hussein. You know why? Because his 
currency had devalued and he needed somebody to blame. This story was 
picked up and put on TV, and a fellow in Houston, Texas, saw it, a guy 
named Marvin Zindler. He flew them down, at 
his--I guess at the expense of a foundation he's put together, and they 
got new hands. And now they're coming to the United States to see me. I 
can't tell you what a powerful moment that was. A guy grabbed a pen, and 
he wrote ``God bless America'' in Arabic. What a stark contrast between 
the brutality of a dictator and the great compassion of a free country. 
He told me, he said--one of those men said, ``Thank you, Mr. 
President.'' I said, ``You don't thank me.'' I said, ``You thank the men 
and women who wear the uniform of the United States and their loved 
ones.''

[[Page 1371]]

    We have done the hard work, and there's more hard work to do. But 
this world is a more peaceful world. And when you give me 4 more years, 
it's going to be even more peaceful than it is today. We're making 
progress. We're making progress.
    By the way, to whom much has been given, much is owed. Not only are 
we leading the world in terms of encouraging freedom and peace, we're 
feeding the hungry; we're taking care of, as best as we possibly can, 
the victims of HIV/AIDS. No, this is a strong nation, but we are a 
compassionate nation. And this country ought to be proud of the great 
heart, the collective heart of the American people. I sure am.
    One other point I want to make; then I want to talk about our 
economy and how to make sure America is a stronger place. We will--we've 
got great allies. Listen, Great Britain is leading, Poland, Italy. There 
are 60 countries working on the Proliferation Security Initiative. There 
are 30 countries in Iraq, 40 countries--nearly 40 in Afghanistan. We've 
got people working well together. But you need to know something about 
me: I will never turn over America's national security decisions to 
leaders of other countries.
    We need to make sure the country is a stronger country. That starts 
by making sure the economy continues to grow. Right quick, we've been 
through a recession. We've been through an emergency. We've been through 
a war. We have been through corporate scandals, and we're growing--and 
we're growing. The economy is strong, and it's getting stronger. And I 
think one of the reasons why is because I understand the role of 
Government is not to try to create wealth but an environment in which 
the entrepreneur, the small-business person, the farmer can thrive. And 
we have done just that.
    The unemployment rate here is 4.3 percent. That's good. The people 
of this State are working. Our economy is growing at nearly the fastest 
rate in 20 years. Homeownership rate is at the highest ever. That's what 
we want in America, isn't it? We want people owning their own home. We 
want people owning their own piece of property. Manufacturing is up. And 
I believe one of the main reasons why is because we cut the taxes on the 
working people here in the country. We let people keep more of their own 
money. I like to say, when the American people invest, save, they help 
create new jobs, which shows they can spend their money far better than 
the Federal Government can.
    So the question is, what are you going to do over the next 4 years 
to make sure the job growth continues? Here's what we're going to do. 
We're going to make sure tax policy is fair and consistent. We're not 
going to let them raise the taxes on you. And I'm going to talk to a 
couple--we're about to talk to a couple from Cedar Rapids that will help 
me make my point. By the way, we're about to talk to a small-business 
owner. You'll find that much of the progrowth program that I promoted in 
Congress is aimed right at the small-business sector of America. Do you 
know why? Seventy percent of new jobs in America are created by the 
small-business owners. We've got to make sure the small-business sector 
is healthy in this country.
    In order to make sure we continue to grow, we need sensible energy 
policy in America. You know something? Driving in this--through this 
part of the world, which I have done before, I might add, quite a few 
times--I'm better for it--[laughter]--it just reminded me once again, 
wouldn't it be wonderful for somebody to walk up and say, ``Mr. 
President, the corn crop is up, and we're less dependent on foreign 
sources of energy.'' So any reasonable energy policy is to encourage 
research and development to make sure we can use ethanol better and 
biodiesel better. It makes sense. It makes sense.
    We've got to make sure that we conserve energy better. But listen, 
we can do things in environmentally friendly ways that we couldn't do 20 
years ago. For the sake of

[[Page 1372]]

national security and economic security, we need to be developing the 
resources we have here at home to become less dependent on foreign 
sources of energy.
    You can't have a healthy economy if everybody is getting sued. We 
need legal reform in this country. We need to make sure people aren't 
constantly--you ask these small-business owners what it's like to fear a 
lawsuit, and they're going to tell you, it makes their future uncertain. 
And with an uncertain future, it makes it more difficult to risk 
capital.
    We need good trade policy. I came to the people of this State and 
said, ``I will work to open up markets for Iowa farmers.'' I said two 
things during the campaign. I said, one, we'll promote ethanol, 
alternative sources of energy. We have done that. And the second thing I 
said is, we will work to open up markets for Iowa farmers. When you're 
good at something, we ought to be encouraging it. We're good at growing 
soybeans. We're good at growing corn, and we're now selling it all 
around the world.
    The temptation is to say, well, you know, we better shut her down; 
we better have economic isolationism. That would be bad for Iowa. To 
make sure that we got jobs in the future, we need to be confident. Now 
look, we've opened up our markets for foreign goods. That's good for 
consumers. It just wasn't me. It was Presidents before me that made that 
decision. See, if you have more goods coming in, you have more choices. 
And when you have more choices as a consumer, you're going to get better 
quality at better price. That's how the marketplace works. What we need 
to do is make sure other countries treat us like we treat them. We've 
got to make sure we have a level playing field for Iowa's entrepreneurs 
and farmers.
    Two other quick points: One, we've got to have reasonable health 
care, affordable health care. That's why I support association health 
plans, health savings accounts, and medical liability reform. Listen, no 
one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. Ask your docs what it's 
like to have the legal system look like a lottery. It doesn't do the 
consumers any good; it doesn't do the providers any good; it doesn't do 
small-business owners any good to have a legal system that is not fair 
and balanced. We need medical liability reform.
    So last night on the Truman Balcony, guess who was up there? Chuck 
Grassley. He said, ``Would you mind 
mentioning my name?'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay.'' [Laughter] I just 
did. [Laughter] He said, ``When you go to Iowa, remind them of a promise 
you made and I made and we kept, and that was to reform Medicare.'' We 
reformed Medicare not only to help our seniors--and it's a good bill, 
and it's going to make a big difference in the lives of the senior 
citizens of this country--we also reformed Medicare to make sure that 
Iowa's rural hospitals are treated fairly. So when you see the Senator, 
you tell him I mentioned his name.
    Finally, I want to work hard for 4 more years to make sure the 
country is a better country. There's two ways to do--there's a lot of 
ways to do that; let me talk about two. One, we must continue on 
education reform. We must make sure that every child--every child--can 
learn to read and write and add and subtract. And we're making great 
progress; we really are. We've raised the standard. We've raised the 
standard. And in return for increased Federal money, we're now asking 
this question, ``Can you read?'' That's not an unreasonable question to 
ask, is it? No. We want every child reading at the third-grade level. 
And it starts by asking, ``Show us whether you can.''
    See, the system oftentimes quit on people. They just shuffled them 
through. It's what I call the soft bigotry of low expectations. And 
guess who got left behind oftentimes? Families--kids of families who 
don't speak English as a first language--that's pretty easy to quit on 
them, isn't it? You walk into a classroom--``Oh, these are the

[[Page 1373]]

hard-to-educate; just move them through.'' And that doesn't work. Or how 
about inner-city, African American kids, oftentimes they're just moved 
through. We've stopped that practice in Washington, DC. We said, ``We'll 
increase the money, but we're raising the bar, because we know every 
child can learn to read and write and add and subtract. And now, we want 
you to show us.''
    And not only do we want to make sure people are literate in the 
fourth grade, we're going to make sure people are able to have access to 
community colleges and to make sure that community colleges continue to 
teach subjects which are relevant. We're about to talk to a fellow Iowan 
who went back to school at a community college, and as result of 
continuing education, now makes more money than she did in her previous 
job. I mean, education is crucial to make sure the economy continues to 
grow, and it's crucial to make sure we're a better America.
    Now finally, one of the most important initiatives that--I think one 
of the most important initiatives that we put forth was the Faith-Based 
and Community-Based Initiative. I'll tell you why. You see, some of the 
problems that people face are really problems of the heart. And 
Government can't change hearts, but hearts can be changed by loving 
individuals who are inspired by something greater than Government.
    Take, for example, alcohol and drug abuse. We want to save people's 
lives in America, and sometimes it requires a higher power to help 
change somebody's life. You change their heart; they change their 
habits. And Government, therefore, ought not to fear welcoming and 
opening up grants to programs whose sole being is based upon faith.
    In the past it wasn't that way. In the past, they'd say, we can't 
have an interface with Government and faith. And, by the way, many in 
the faith community say, ``Why do I want to interface with Government? 
Bureaucracies cause me to lose my mission.'' We've changed that attitude 
in Washington. Over the next 4 years, I will continue to promote this 
Faith- and Community-Based Initiative so that we help save more lives 
and provide more hope for the American people.
    I'm running because I want to make sure America is a safer and 
stronger and better place. And that's why I'm here, to ask for your 
help.
    Now, let me tell you something. I met John today, John 
Bloomhall. There he is. Stand up, John. 
[Applause] Yes, that's kind of nice, scattered round of applause for 
him. I've asked John to come because he is the president and chief 
executive officer of Diamond V Mills. Accurate?
    John Bloomhall. Yes, correct.
    The President. Let me say one thing about how his company is structured, to put this in context. His company 
is what's called a Subchapter S corporation. As a matter of fact, 90 
percent of small businesses--about 90 percent--are either called 
Subchapter S corporations or sole proprietorships. And what that means 
is they pay tax at the individual income-tax level. So part of our tax 
policy, as you might recall, was to reduce income taxes at the 
individual income-tax level, including all income tax rates--not just 
some, not just the politically favored. But the view was, if you pay 
tax, you get relief.
    So what does your company do?
    Mr. Bloomhall. We--it's yeast 
fermentation; we manufacture a animal feed ingredient for animal feeds.
    The President. Good. Are the animals eating it this year?
    Mr. Bloomhall. A lot of it. [Laughter]
    The President. That's good. [Laughter] Are they eating enough of it 
to--like, have you hired anybody?
    Mr. Bloomhall. Yes, we've added five 
net new jobs this year.
    The President. Yes. See, let me stop you there. Most new jobs are 
created--started by small businesses. John 
just stood up and

[[Page 1374]]

said, ``Five net new jobs.'' Now, that's not a lot, when you think about 
it. It's a lot for the person who got the job. [Laughter] And by the 
way, there are a lot of Johns in this country who have their own 
business. There's a huge number of small businesses. They're adding five 
employees here, five there.
    Keep going.
    Mr. Bloomhall. Well, we've got 124 
employees worldwide. They're the best and the brightest, because as we 
can save taxes and reinvest it in our business--in capital, in the 
equipment to automate our manufacturing lines, in science--we hire 
Ph.D.'s, real good-paying jobs. And we can grow jobs and investment in 
our country better than the Government can by collecting taxes.
    The President. I didn't tell him to 
say that. But I couldn't have said it any better myself. John said, 
``Investment.'' One of the things in the tax relief plan that we passed, 
it says to small businesses, ``We'll encourage you to invest by allowing 
you what they call bonus depreciation.'' These are fancy tax words; I'm 
trying to simplify it. It says, ``You invest in planned equipment; you 
get a tax break for doing so.''
    Are you going to invest, do you think, this year?
    Mr. Bloomhall. Yes, we're investing 
about 1.3 million this year.
    The President. Yes. What do you--when you say ``invest,'' what does 
that mean? Are you buying things?
    Mr. Bloomhall. Primarily capital 
investment in our plant and equipment.
    The President. Like what kind of plant and equipment?
    Mr. Bloomhall. Automation equipment so 
that our employees are not doing the manual jobs; they're doing the 
thinking jobs. They create greater value to us; we can pay them more; 
and everybody wins.
    The President. Okay. Now, listen, this is a very interesting lesson 
here, because I think it will explain why we insisted on tax relief and 
why part of the tax relief was aimed at small businesses. He just said, he's going to invest a million dollars in 
new plant and equipment. And so when he buys new equipment with that 
million dollars, that the tax relief has encouraged him to do, somebody 
has got to make the equipment, see. So he has made a decision that 
affects an employee--not only his own company, because they have become 
more productive and he can pay them more, he just said--but an employee 
in somebody else's business who is making the equipment that John has 
said, ``I want to purchase.''
    It's these--all these decisions by small-business owners have the 
cumulative effect of encouraging economic vitality and growth. That's 
what we're here to understand. And therefore, if we raise the taxes on 
John, he's not going to make these 
decisions. It will change his decisionmaking thought process--I presume. 
Now, I'm not a lawyer, you'll be happy to hear. That's the other team. 
This is the pro-small-business team.
    So anyway, raising taxes--and so let me say something to you so you 
hear--in the campaign, you'll hear, ``We're going only to tax the 
rich.'' That's what you'll hear. Now, this is from a fellow who has promised about $2 trillion of new spending thus 
far. And only taxing the rich, first of all, creates a huge tax gap, 
which means buyer beware. You see, if you can't raise enough by taxing 
the rich, guess who gets to pay next? Yes, the not-rich. [Laughter] 
That's all of us.
    On the other hand, when you say you're going to raise those rates 
at, say, $200,000 or more, that's who he's talking about right there. 
When you're talking about raising those individual rates, I want our 
fellow citizens to remember, he's raising taxes on small businesses like 
John's. Now is not the time to be raising 
taxes on the small-business owners of America. Thanks, John.
    We got the Schlotterbacks with us--Mike and Kathie. Hi, Mike, 
what do you do?

[[Page 1375]]

    Mike Schlotterback. I'm a 
photographer. I have a photo studio here in town called Fisheye.
    The President. Anybody needs some photos developed, take it right 
over to Mike. [Laughter] And 
Kathie, a mom?
    Kathie Schlotterback. Yes.
    The President. How many kids you got?
    Mrs. Schlotterback. Two girls--two 
daughters.
    The President. Oh, yes. [Laughter]
    Mrs. Schlotterback. Lindsie and 
Cora.
    The President. Good to see you all.
    Let me tell you something about the tax relief. Some people look at 
it, and they say, ``Oh, tax relief, what's it mean?'' I'm going to tell 
you what it means. Let me tell you what it meant to Mike and Kathie. They saved 
$1,700.
    Mrs. Schlotterback. Correct.
    The President. The tax relief we passed--remember, we raised the 
child credit. So if you got kids, you get a little tax relief, because 
we want to make it easier for people to raise kids. We reduced the 
penalty on marriage. What kind of system is it--I don't think it's a 
very wise Tax Code to penalize marriage. We're trying to encourage 
marriage in America. And we reduced all rates, and they saved $1,700. 
That may not seem like a lot to some of the big shots in Washington, but 
ask them if it's a lot to them.
    Mr. Schlotterback. Yes, we were able 
to take that money which you sent us----
    The President. No, no, no, I didn't send it to you. It's your money 
to begin with.
    Mr. Schlotterback. That's right, 
absolutely.
    The President. You just got to keep--you just got to keep more of 
your own money.
    Mr. Schlotterback. Right, right. But 
these two girls are our top priority, and so we took that money, bought 
a computer, set up a home office. It allows me to work a little more 
from home and spend time with these girls.
    The President. Yes, that's interesting, isn't it? One of the ways we 
got to make sure this economy continues to grow is to make sure there is 
broadband technology throughout the entire country, so people like this 
good man, people like Mike, can work out 
of home if they want to or can bring educational information into their 
home. I mean, this is a tale of the changing economy we're in. Here's a 
fellow who owns his own business, and he can work out of his home, doing 
his duty, just like Kathie is, to love their children with all their 
heart and soul.
    Now, let me say something about this. They saved $1,700 in '03, 
$1,700 in '04. But some of this tax relief is getting ready to expire, 
see, which means his taxes go up. That's what that means. So when you 
hear all this stuff about the tax cuts are going to expire, you need to 
think tax increase--because this couple isn't going to save $1,700 the 
next time. As a matter of fact, they're going to save something 
substantially less than that. That will mean they have less money in 
their pockets, less after-tax disposable income, which is their money to 
begin with. Congress needs to make the tax relief permanent and not 
raise taxes.
    Where's Dawn? Dawn, where are you? Cayton. 
Oh, there she is, yes. You were trying to hide.
    Dawn Cayton. I'm in red.
    The President. Oh, yes, you're in red. This is an interesting story. 
I feel like--kind of like a talk show host here. [Laughter] So I met 
Dawn, and I said, ``What do you do?'' And she said----
    Ms. Cayton. I'm a registered respiratory 
therapist with St. Luke's Home Care Services here in Cedar Rapids.
    The President. Very good. She is in health 
care. What did you do before?
    Ms. Cayton. I was a mom, but I always worked 
part-time to help out. I taught gymnastics at Twisters, and I also 
worked in a hotel a couple nights a week doing night audit.

[[Page 1376]]

    The President. Okay. And then what happened? You decided to----
    Ms. Cayton. Go back to school.
    The President. Okay, let me stop you. Actually, right here at 
Kirkwood, she came back to school. Why? Why did 
you decide to go back to school?
    Ms. Cayton. What motivated me was, my oldest 
daughter was going into eighth grade, and all of a sudden I realized we 
had 5 years before she was going to college. And I had always helped out 
here and there, but I needed to really retrain myself so I could go out 
and make a lot more money.
    The President. Yes. This is a really interesting story. First of 
all, Government can't make somebody, say, go back to school. That has to 
come from inside a person's soul. And she said, ``I want to go back to 
school.'' Government can help, through Federal loans, in this case, I 
think. But this is something people need to hear, because in order to 
make sure the economy continues to grow, there's a constant kind of--
people have to constantly be educated to meet--to have the skills for 
the new jobs that are being created.
    Health care is a field that is growing all across America, and 
they're looking for workers. We have a shortage of health care workers, 
and these workers need to be retrained. Community colleges are a 
fantastic place for people to be retrained for the jobs of the 21st 
century. Give me 4 more years, and we will continue to invigorate our 
community colleges, to help people like Dawn gain the skills necessary 
to fill the jobs that are being created.
    Was it hard to go back to school? I want people listening out there 
to listen to this story. Because I know somebody's going to say, ``I 
don't want to go back to school. I don't have the energy to go back to 
school. I kind of think I need to go back to school so I can make more 
money.'' Was it hard to go back to school? Tell the truth.
    Ms. Cayton. Seriously----
    The President. Yes, seriously. [Laughter]
    Ms. Cayton. I thought about it for one year 
before I actually did it----
    The President. So it was a little hard, otherwise you would have dug 
right into it.
    Ms. Cayton. Right--but, no, I had the 
support of my family. My husband, Marlin, did all the laundry. 
[Laughter]
    The President. Marlin, if we stay in this 
room any longer, you're going to have a lot to do.
    Ms. Cayton. And I have two girls, and they 
understood; you know, it was a sacrifice for them too, because sometimes 
I couldn't go to their things, because when you're in the medical field 
you are in clinical practice as well, so I was at different hospitals, 
basically getting my schooling.
    The President. There are jobs available all across the country. 
Sometimes people need to be--to gain new skills. There is money 
available and help available for people to go to community colleges. And 
when you get new skills, you make more money; you become a more 
productive employee. That's the kind of economy we're in. I really thank 
you for sharing that with us. Congratulations.
    Ms. Cayton. Thank you.
    The President. Okay. I want to talk about--before we all start 
falling out here--[laughter]--I want to talk about one more interesting 
story. Listen, we've got a lot of strength to this country. Our military 
is a strength. We'll keep it strong. I will keep it strong. I will work 
with Congress to do that--which means, by the way, we're going to make 
sure the people who wear the uniform have got all they need. We owe it 
to the families, don't we, to say, your son or daughter or husband or 
wife are getting all you need. That's why that vote on the supplemental 
last fall was an interesting vote. It kind of explained a different 
philosophy.
    I called it up. I said, ``Congress, support these troops. We've put 
them in harm's way; support them.'' And the Congress did. We had a good 
vote. Twelve Senators voted

[[Page 1377]]

no on the 87 billion, 2 of whom I'm running against. [Laughter] And my view is, is 
that when you put people in harm's way, they deserve the best. No 
excuses, by the way.
    Secondly, the economy is strong, but the true strength of the county 
is the hearts and souls of our citizens. That's the strength of America, 
and I recognize that. I recognize that the role of Government is to 
promote and to foster this strength.
    Today I met Dr. Jim Bell. This is an 
interesting story. He's what I call a social entrepreneur. He is--he is 
cofounder of His Hands Ministries. He is a doctor who operates a free 
clinic in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that provides help to people who need 
medical help.
    Why did you do this?
    Jim Bell. It was because we're just answering 
the call.
    The President. Yes. It's a faith-based ministry.
    Dr. Bell. We're a Christ-centered ministry. And 
we understand that even as our economy improves--and it is in Cedar 
Rapids--that there's always going to people who fall between the cracks 
and that are going to need help. And not only are they going to need 
help physically, but we believe that our greatest measure of success is 
seeing a changed life for Christ. I've never been called a social 
entrepreneur before. I've been called a lot of things.
    The President. Do what now?
    Dr. Bell. I've never been called a social 
entrepreneur before.
    The President. Well, you are now. Yes, well, it's kind of--you are. 
First of all, the reason why is entrepreneurs are self-starters. They're 
motivated by something other than Government law, for example. You don't 
start your business--you can't pass a law that says, you will start your 
own business. You decide to start your own--you decided to start your 
own faith ministry to heal people because you heard a call, you see. And 
you stepped out, and said, ``I've got the courage necessary,'' you and 
your cofounders. I presume there's somebody else?
    Dr. Bell. Yes.
    The President. Yes, okay, the two of you said, ``What can we do?'' 
And they started this ministry. It's a fabulous ministry, isn't it?
    There's Jim Bells all over America. He's not 
alone. There's hundreds of thousands of people who have asked 
themselves, ``What can I do to save a life?'' And if we had more Jim 
Bells in the world saving lives, America would be a more hopeful place, 
wouldn't it? Think of this issue--and I'll get back to you in a minute.
    You know there are about a million children whose mothers and 
fathers--who have a mother and father in prison. Those are kids who 
wonder whether or not America's promise belongs to them. They think 
that. Imagine if we could find a mentor for each one of those children. 
That's the mission. That's one of the goals we're on, is to encourage 
programs, community-based--you don't have to be a faith-based program, 
although it turns out faith-based programs are pretty good places to 
find people who want to love a neighbor just like they'd like to be 
loved themselves.
    Government can help. We're not a competitor of Jim. We complement Jim with what's called community health 
centers. We've been expanding them. I think this is a really good role 
for Federal taxpayers' money, is to put primary care facilities for the 
indigent and the uninsured available to keep them out of emergency 
rooms.
    But I really appreciate Jim's program. Anything 
you need from us--like better liability law? Are you protected under 
liability law?
    Dr. Bell. We are, and we could sure----
    The President. Yes.
    Dr. Bell. I almost wanted to start talking 
about medical liability when you were talking about that earlier.
    The President. Good.
    Dr. Bell. But the partnership that you 
mentioned is one of the best things that

[[Page 1378]]

we found in working with Government. And they're going to start a 
community--they're working on starting a community health center here in 
Cedar Rapids too, with Federal funding.
    The President. Yes.
    Dr. Bell. Not only that, we also have found 
great friends in partnering with our Government organizations here in 
Cedar Rapids. And I think the most important thing for us is that we 
know that we have an administration behind us, is very sentimental 
towards what we do.
    The President. I am sentimental. You know why? Thank you, buddy. 
I'll tell you why: Because we can change America, one heart and one soul 
at a time. And Jim recognizes he can't save every soul and help every 
life, but he can help 1,000, which is what he's done.
    The true strength of this country is found in the hearts of people 
like Jim Bell. Now, he's not going to like hearing 
me say that, see. He just wants to be anonymous and go about his 
business. I can look at him in his eyes and tell that. [Laughter] But 
that's what makes him such a great steward.
    We got some time for questions, maybe? Unless everybody is about 
ready to fall out--it's up to you. [Laughter] You want me to answer some 
questions for a while? Yes, what you got? You got a question right 
there.

The Presidency/Freedom

    Q. Do you like being President?
    The President. Do I like being the President? So much so that I want 
to do it for 4 more years.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. I'll tell you why--I'll tell why. This is a job where 
you have a chance, working with others, by the way, and working with our 
country, to say the world is a better place; to use the influence of the 
United States of America to spread freedom and peace not only for our 
own sake but for the sake of others.
    And I mentioned to you, little fellow, I think--we're just 
beginning. I talked about five countries that have changed over the past 
3 years, that have made a difference, and your life is going to be 
better for it. Your life is going to be better because somebody your age 
can live in a free society in a part of the world that doesn't know 
freedom.
    See, Americans have this great faith in our ideals. And it stems 
from this: We don't think freedom is America's gift to the world; we 
know that freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in 
this world.
    Anybody got a question? How about here in the end zone? Yes.

HIV/AIDS Initiative

    Q. [Inaudible]--HIV will work here?
    The President. Right. Very good question. Obviously, you're a 
knowledgeable person. ABC method is the method to--used in Uganda to 
reduce the number of HIV--incidence of HIV/AIDS, and it's worked. 
There's three components to it: Abstinence--which, by the way, works 
every time--[laughter]--be faithful, and use condoms. Now, those are--
that's what ABC stands for. And it is a method that says that countries 
must seize the initiative and educate their people about the dangers of 
HIV/AIDS as part of a prevention program. And it's working. And it's--
it's applied everywhere, including the United States; I mean, it makes 
sense. We do it a little differently in the United States, but 
nevertheless, it is a strategy that is working.
    The second aspect, by the way, of the HIV/AIDS Initiative is to make 
sure that we get antiretroviral drugs to those poor souls who are 
suffering from this devastating disease. What's interesting when you 
talk to the experts, there's something called the Lazarus effect. In 
other words, people who have had no hope all of a sudden see their 
neighbor take an antiretroviral drug, and their lives begin to improve, 
and then they start asking the question, ``Gosh,

[[Page 1379]]

maybe I ought to do this for myself.'' Now, we don't have the cure for 
AIDS, but antiretrovirals surely improve the quality of life.
    And the third aspect of our strategy is to help the orphans of 
those--you see, what's happening in our lifetime on the continent of 
Africa, there is a pandemic. We're losing an entire generation of 
people. We have 14-year-old young girls raising their brothers and 
sisters.
    And I made the decision--and fortunately, a lot of Members of 
Congress joined--that we can afford to help, and we should be doing 
more. And we are. We've got a 15 billion, 5-year program to help save 
lives. I believe it is in--I know it's in our interests to do so, and I 
know it's in our heart. In other words, we've got to work here at home 
too. Don't ever get me wrong, when I talk about foreign initiatives; 
we're not neglecting the homefront. But with this pandemic raging, I 
believe we have a duty and an obligation.
    Thanks for asking the question. It was a great question. We're 
making a difference. The United States is leading.
    Yes, sir.
    Q. [Inaudible]
    The President. Thank you, sir. Yes, I'm for that.
    Yes, sir. Man with the baby--how old is that baby?
    Q. Twelve days.
    The President. Twelve days? Baby probably think it's in an 
incubator. [Laughter]
    Q. [Inaudible]
    The President. Yes, I'll get a picture. Is that the question--can I?

Iraqi Reconstruction

    Q. How do we get our friends in the media back there to report the 
positive, good things there are going on in Iraq?
    The President. You know history--the question was, how do we get 
friends in the media to promote the good things in Iraq? Well, that's up 
to them to do that. One thing we will always honor is a free press here 
in America. It makes us a better country for it.
    History will judge. Let me tell you something interesting about Iraq 
and history. I read a lot of history. I love history, and I'm reading 
about--I'm getting clips from the post-World War II period. And there 
was a lot of discussion right after World War II as to whether or not 
Germany could be free, whether or not the reconstruction effort was 
worth it, whether or not the plans and strategies we had in place were 
working, whether or not they really--had a well thought out strategy to 
help rebuild Germany. Same in Japan. There was a lot of wondering 
whether or not Japan could conceivably self-govern, whether or not the 
reconstruction efforts were working--a lot of doubters, by the way, 
during that period of time.
    And fortunately, my predecessors--predecessor--was optimistic and 
believed that people yearned to be free and that no matter how hard the 
work is, that people would eventually become self-governing--it's in 
their interest--this understanding that no matter the culture in which 
people live, moms and dads want their children to grow up in a peaceful 
world and have the very best for their children. And they were diligent 
and optimistic, and now I can sit at a table with somebody like Prime 
Minister Koizumi--the leader of a country 
against whom my dad fought and many of your 
dads fought as well--and talk about peace. See, he is a partner in 
peace. He is a friend because a predecessor didn't give up on 
understanding the power of liberty to change the habits of men and women 
for the better.
    Some day an American President will be sitting down with a duly 
elected Iraqi official, talking about how to keep the peace, and America 
will be better off for it.
    Yes, little fellow. All right--yes, I'll sign it. I'll be there in a 
minute. He wants a card signed.
    Yes, ma'am. Yes, what you got?

[[Page 1380]]

President's Pets

    Q. What kind of pets do you have in the White House?
    The President. I can't stand these tough questions. [Laughter] 
``What kind of pets have we got in the White House?'' [Laughter] Thank 
you for asking that question. We have got two. We had three, and 
unfortunately little Spot has passed on. It was a sad moment. She is--
interestingly enough, Spot was born in the White House, when 
Mother and Dad 
were there. And curiously enough, Spot passed away in the White House, a 
happy dog. [Laughter] She was happy. We were sad. We loved her dearly--
15 years old, I want you to know.
    Now we have--we got two left: The cat--the cat's got about nine 
lives and nine names. [Laughter] I just call it Willie. Is that all 
right? Yes. The girls love Willie. And then the alltime great dog, 
Barney. [Laughter] Barney--Barney is a near-4-year-old Scottish terrier. 
Gosh, I'm glad you asked. [Laughter] He's a fabulous little guy.
    Yes, sir, and then you're next.

Former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV

    Q. Did Ambassador Wilson lie?
    The President. Did Ambassador Wilson lie, is that what you asked? 
Well, you need to ask the press that question. [Laughter]
    Yes.

2004 Presidential Election

    Q. Do you think you can beat John Kerry?
    The President. Do I think I can beat John Kerry? I do. I do. I need 
your help, though. I know you're not old enough to vote, but you can put 
a sign in the yard. And you can go to your neighbor, who may not have 
made up their mind, and say, ``I'll pick up your newspaper for a week--
if.'' [Laughter]
    Yes, sir, what have you got?

Immigration Reform

    Q. [Inaudible]
    The President. That's okay, I get the drift. You're trying to figure 
out how you can get a permanent residence card? Yes. Well, we have a 
system that I know--first of all, I hope you think it is interesting 
that you get to come, as a person newly arrived, and ask the President a 
question. That's our system. It's an open system. I think it's a great 
thing about America. I love that aspect of the country. And we've got to 
be a welcoming country, but we've got rules, of course. A nation must 
have rules.
    There is a system that determines whether or not you qualify for 
asylum. And there's a system that then says that if you're here, if 
you've got a job, you can stay here for a period of time. But we have 
rules, and we've got to honor those rules. And it's very important for 
those who have been here legally not to have somebody who hasn't been to 
jump ahead of them in line for citizenship purposes. But you're welcome 
here, and we hope you--you know, good luck. I mean, I think that was 
your question.
    Yes, ma'am.

Faith-Based and Community Initiative

    Q. [Inaudible]--missionary. How can we get more--[inaudible]--all 
the paperwork is so hard.
    The President. Great question. The question is, is that she is a 
inner-city missionary program that gets overwhelmed by the paperwork. 
Well, I think there are--there are groups involved that help people with 
papers. In other words, there's kind of a--a better way to put it, a 
centralized overhead group that will help you with your paperwork. You 
need to call our faith-based shop in Washington, DC--seriously--and ask, 
because there are programs that help people such as yourself become 
unburdened by the paperwork and legal and accounting requirements.
    Okay, a couple more and then we'll get out of here. Yes, ma'am.

[[Page 1381]]

Freedom of Religion/Prayer

    Q. I just got back from Mexico----
    The President. Hablo Espanol?
    Q. Si, yo hablo poquito Espanol.
    The President. Okay, I can hear that. That means, ``I speak a little 
Spanish.'' [Laughter]
    Q. It made me realize how truly blessed this country is. I think 
that a lot of people don't understand how truly blessed we are until we 
see the poverty. But we spent about 10 days praying for this country. 
But I guess my question to you, Mr. President, is, do you find the 
importance of actually dedicating a moment in time on your knees in 
prayer for this country and for the next coming-up election?
    The President. That's a great question. Let me just talk about 
religion and politics. First--first--first, it is essential that this 
country never abandon the principle that people can worship the way they 
want to, that you can worship, that you can choose to worship or not 
worship and be equally patriotic. That's important for people to know.
    The second principle is that if you choose to worship, you're 
equally American if you're a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu. That's an 
important part of our society. It's essential that we always honor that. 
That's called freedom of religion. It's an integral part of the American 
past, present, and future. The state should never be the church, and the 
church should never be the state.
    Now, having said that, I am inspired, uplifted, and comforted by the 
fact that millions of our fellow citizens whom I will never know 
actually take time to pray for me and Laura and our family, for which I 
am eternally grateful. It's an amazing country, when you think about a 
country that prays for its leaders, regardless of their political party. 
It's an amazing----
    Q. Love you----
    The President. Thank you. It's an amazing country, and I can't tell 
you how grateful I am and touched I am and humbled I am by this--the 
outpouring of prayer by fellow citizens.
    A couple more questions, then we've got to--yes, sir.
    Q. [Inaudible]
    The President. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thanks for saying that.
    Q. [Inaudible]
    The President. Okay. If you can't hear it, I'll translate it. And if 
it's a lousy question, I'll just ask myself a question. [Laughter]

Significance of September 11, 2001, Attacks

    Q. It appears that some people are forgetting 9/11--[inaudible]--
remember 9/11 and those who are fighting for our freedom----[inaudible].
    The President. Interesting question. He says it appears to him, 
there's an effort to forget about 9/11. We'll never forget 9/11. I mean, 
it is a--I appreciate that question. I think that there is a tendency 
for people to want to hope that there is normalcy. I remember talking to 
the country and saying, this is going to be a different kind of 
experience we're going through and that there will be--people want to 
live in normalcy.
    And his question is, is there a concerted effort to kind of try to 
push 9/11 out of our memories. No, I don't think so. I don't think so; 
as a matter of fact, quite the contrary. I think it is one of those 
events that is a defining moment. Like, 30 years from now when you and I 
are kind of creaking around and we run into each other, we'll say, 
``Gosh, you remember where you were on 9/11?'' You will, and I will.
    The key thing about September the 11th, 2001, is never to forget the 
lessons that we learned that day. That is the most important aspect of 
that tragedy, and never forget the lives lost, either. But I think it's 
going to be--this will be one of those monuments in our history. I mean, 
it's one of those moments that we just will never forget. And they'll 
analyze--there will be a lot of history written about it. But my

[[Page 1382]]

job, and my call to the country, is to never forget--never forget: we've 
got to take threats seriously, before they materialize; when we say 
something, mean it; and that we have an obligation to remember there are 
still people out there that are so evil in their hearts, they will be 
willing to try to kill again.
    And you've got to know something about the homeland. This is--it's 
hard to defend our homeland. Do you know why? Because we're free. And 
that's the way we intend to keep it. It's hard to defend a free country. 
And so the best way to do so is, we've reorganized the Government. We're 
sharing intelligence like we've never shared intelligence before. And 
there are really a lot of good people working hard on your behalf, at 
the Federal level, the State level, and right here in Cedar Rapids, 
Iowa. And I know you'll join me in thanking the local police and 
firefighters and EMS teams for their work.
    You know what? So I'm looking around the room trying to figure out 
who is going to be the first to fall out. [Laughter] I remember 
campaigning here with Chuck Grassley in 
the caucuses, and it was the dead of winter. [Laughter] And we went to 
an elementary school, and it was like really hot inside the elementary 
school. And I was speaking, and to my left, boom, he hit the deck. And 
then pretty soon, somebody over here hit the deck. It was a lesson I 
learned, and that is that I stop speaking before people hit the deck. 
[Laughter]
    So I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to give everybody 
an oxygen break. But before I do, I can't thank you enough for coming. 
We have a fabulous country. We have got a fabulous country. Together we 
have been through some hard times. Together we've done some hard things. 
The spirit of this country is strong and vibrant and real. It's a great 
country because the people who are fortunate enough to be called 
Americans are great people.
    And there will be--there's lessons we have learned, and the hard 
work we have done is paying off. The next 4 years will be peaceful 
years, prosperous years, and hopeful years for everybody fortunate 
enough to be a citizen of this great country.
    I can't tell you how grateful I am you have come. May God bless you 
all, and may God continue to bless America. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 12:42 p.m. in the recreation center. In his 
remarks, he referred to Norm Nielsen, president, Kirkwood Community 
College; Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal, who was found dead in his 
apartment in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 19, 2002; senior Al Qaida 
associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi 
Interim Government; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.