[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[July 31, 2004]
[Pages 1445-1452]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in Cambridge, Ohio
July 31, 2004

    The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming out today. 
Thanks for inviting me to Cambridge. It's an honor to be here. I always 
feel comfortable being in the middle of a ball diamond. I appreciate so 
many taking time out of your Saturday to come by and say hello and to 
welcome us on what we call the Heart and Soul of America tour.
    There seems to be a difference of opinion about the heart and soul--
I'm running against a fellow who thinks you can 
find the heart and soul in Hollywood.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. No, I know where you find the heart and soul of 
America, right here in places like Cambridge, Ohio.
    Thanks for coming out. I'm here to ask for the vote. I'm ready to 
lead for 4 more years, and I want your help.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. I'm glad to be amongst my fellow Republicans, 
discerning Democrats, and wise independents. I'd like to ask you to 
volunteer to register voters. See, we have a duty in this country to 
vote. We have a duty in a land of free to exercise our individual 
choices in the ballot box. So please register your neighbors to vote. 
Make sure you tell them after they register to vote, and when you get 
them heading toward the polls, why don't you nudge them our way?
    Thanks for coming. My regret is that Laura 
isn't with me today.
    Audience members. Aw-w-w!
    The President. I know. That's usually the reaction. I'm really proud 
of her. She's a great lady. Today I'm going to 
give you some reasons why I think you need to put me back into office, 
but perhaps the most important reason of all is so that Laura can be 
First Lady for 4 more years.
    I'm running with a really good man. I know 
he's not the prettiest face on the ticket. [Laughter] But I didn't pick 
him for that reason. I picked him because he's solid. I picked him 
because he's got good advice and great experience. I picked him because 
he's a good man. I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney.
    I'm proud to be traveling on this bus with Governor Bob Taft. Thank you for coming, Governor. Senator Mike 
DeWine and his wife, Fran. By the way, Voinovich 
was with me a little earlier. You need to put him back into office; he's 
a great United States Senator. He's a good man--he's a good man. I 
appreciate Congressman

[[Page 1446]]

Bob Ney being with us today. Congressman, I'm 
proud you're here.
    Mr. Mayor--I appreciate the mayor coming; Mayor Sam is with us today. I'm honored you're here, Mayor. Thank 
you, Mayor. I was walking by; he said, ``You get a chance, put in a good 
word for me.'' He said he's going to fill the potholes. I said, ``All 
right.''
    I want to thank all the other State and local officials. I 
appreciate the chairman of the party, Bob Bennett. I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. 
Those are the people who are putting up the signs and manning the phones 
and getting your neighbors to show up to the polls on election day. And 
I want to thank you for your hard work; I really do. My job is to set 
the vision; your job is to get the people to the polls. And together, 
we're going to win Ohio and win the Nation.
    Everybody running for office, every incumbent who asks for the vote 
has got to answer the question, why--why are you running again? Why 
should the American people give me the high privilege, the great 
privilege of serving as your President for 4 more years? Let me tell you 
something. We've been through a lot together, and we have done a lot. 
We've accomplished a great deal. But there's only one reason to look 
backward at the record, and that is to determine who best to lead the 
Nation forward.
    I'm asking for your vote because there's a lot at stake, and there's 
more to do to move our country forward. I want to be your President, and 
I'll work hard to be your President and to keep your confidence to make 
this country safer, to make the economy stronger, and to make our future 
brighter and better for every single citizen. I'm ready to lead the 
country for 4 more years.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Listen, we've got more to do. We've got more work to 
do to make sure our public schools are the center of excellence so no 
child is left behind in America. When we came to office 3\1/2\ years 
ago, too many of the children were being just shuffled through, grade to 
grade, year after year, without learning the basics. So we confronted 
the status quo. We're challenging what I call the soft bigotry of low 
expectations. We're raising the bar. We expect better results. We're 
insisting on accountability. We're empowering parents. And we're making 
sure that local folks are in charge of the public schools. And today, 
children across America are showing real progress when it comes to 
learning to read and math. When it comes to improving our schools, we're 
turning the corner, and we're not turning back.
    There's more to do; this world of ours is changing. The jobs of the 
future will require greater knowledge and a higher level of skill, and 
so we must reform our high schools to make sure a high school diploma 
means something. We will expand math and education so our youngsters can 
compete in a high-tech world. We will expand the use of the Internet to 
bring high-level training to classrooms all across America with 4 
years--with 4 more years. We will help raise a generation of young 
Americans to have confidence and the skills necessary to realize the 
American promise.
    We've got more to do to make quality health care available and 
affordable. When we came to office, too many of our older Americans 
could not afford prescription drugs, and Medicare didn't pay for them. 
You might remember the old debates of Medicare: There was promise after 
promise, but nothing was ever done. We got it done. More than 4 million 
seniors have signed up for drug discount cards that provide real 
savings. And beginning in 2006, all seniors on Medicare will be able to 
choose a plan that suits their needs and gives them coverage for 
prescription drugs.
    Listen, we've expanded community health centers so low-income 
Americans can get health care. We've created health savings accounts so 
families can save, tax-

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free, for their own health care needs. And when it comes to giving 
Americans more choices about their health care and making health care 
more affordable, we're turning the corner, and we're not turning back.
    Most Americans get their health care coverage through their work. I 
understand that. Most of today's new jobs are created by small 
businesses. Many small businesses cannot afford to provide health 
coverage. We must deal with that. To help more American families get 
health insurance, small employers must be allowed to join together to 
purchase insurance at discounts available for big companies.
    To make sure the health care system is available and affordable, we 
must limit the frivolous lawsuits that raise health care costs, that not 
only raise your costs, but they drive the good doctors of Ohio out of 
business. Listen, we'll harness technology to reduce costs and prevent 
costly errors. We will expand research to find new cures for terrible 
diseases. In all we do to improve health care in America, we'll make 
sure the health decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by 
bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
    Listen, we've got more to do to make this country's economy 
stronger. We've come through a lot together. Think about what we've been 
through. We've been through a recession. We've been through attacks. 
We've been through a stock market decline. And we've been through 
corporate scandals. But we've overcome all these obstacles. We've 
overcome them together. I'll tell you why: We've got the greatest 
workers in the world in America; we've got the most productive, greatest 
workers in this country.
    We're overcoming these obstacles because we've got great farmers and 
ranchers. We're overcoming these obstacles because the entrepreneurial 
spirit of America is strong. The small-business sector of our economy is 
vibrant and alive.
    And we've overcome these obstacles because of well-timed tax cuts. 
Listen, we didn't pick winners or losers when it came to tax relief. We 
had a fair attitude, I think, that says if you pay taxes, you ought to 
get relief.
    Audience member. Thank you!
    The President. And so families with children got relief. People who 
are married got relief. Small-business owners got relief. And this time, 
the check really was in the mail. [Laughter]
    Because we acted, our economy since last summer has grown at a rate 
as fast as any in nearly 20 years. Because we acted, America has added 
over 1.5 million new jobs since last August. Look, I understand there 
are challenges here in eastern Ohio. This part of the country has lagged 
behind other parts of the country. But let me tell you something, 
raising your taxes isn't going to create jobs. Isolating America from 
the rest of the world isn't going to create new jobs. Voting against 
energy policy isn't going to create new jobs. We will not rest until 
every America who wants to find a job, has one. That's the policy of the 
Bush administration.
    There's more work to do to make sure this country is job-friendly 
and our workplaces are family-friendly. To keep American jobs in 
America, regulations need to be fair and reasonable. To keep American 
jobs in America, we must end the junk and frivolous lawsuits that 
threaten employers all across the country. To keep American jobs in 
America, we will not overspend your money and we will keep your taxes 
low.
    To keep American jobs in America, we need a reasonable energy 
policy. As you know in Cambridge, an important part of an energy 
strategy is clean coal technology. My budget for next year provides $447 
million to encourage this vital technology. I'll tell you why: In order 
for us to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy, we must use 
American coal.
    We have a difference of opinion on this. My opponent said--he called coal a dirty energy source.

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    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He opposed my energy plan, 
which promoted clean coal technology and alternative sources of fuel. 
The other night in Boston, he said he wants America finally and forever 
independent of Mideast oil. Listen, I share that goal, and I know how to 
achieve it. To make sure we're independent, to make sure we're not 
dependent on foreign sources of energy, we must be wise about how we use 
America's energy sources, including coal.
    We'll offer America's workers a lifetime of learning and to help 
them get training for the jobs of the future at our community colleges. 
Listen, to make sure American jobs stay here, we must be wise and 
educate people for the jobs of the 21st century.
    When it comes to keeping jobs in America, we must not isolate 
ourselves from the world. I know people around here are worried about 
trade. Let me tell you my view of trade. I believe we can compete with 
anybody, anytime, anywhere so long as the rules are fair. I believe--and 
my job is to make sure the rules are fair, holding countries to account 
that mistreat American manufacturers, holding countries to account that 
do not let their currency float, holding countries to account that close 
their markets. No, to keep jobs in America, you need a President who 
won't isolate us in the world, a President who's confident in the 
American worker, the American entrepreneur, the American manufacturer, 
and insists that foreign countries treat us just the way we treat them.
    We'll help American families keep something they never have enough 
of, and that is time--time to be with your kids, time to go to Little 
League games or Girl Scout meetings, time to take care of the elderly, 
time to improve themselves by going back to class. Congress needs to 
join me in supporting what we call comp-time and flex-time to help 
American families better juggle the demands of work and home.
    After 4 more years, there will be better paying jobs in America. 
There will be more jobs in America. Our farmers will be better off, and 
the small-business sector will be alive and well.
    Listen, we've got more to do to wage and win the war on terror. 
America's future depends on our willingness to lead in the world. If 
America shows uncertainty and weakness in this decade, the world will 
drift toward tragedy. That's not going to happen on my watch.
    The world changed on that terrible morning in September. And since 
then, we have changed the world. We've done the hard work, and we're 
headed to peace. Before September the 11th, Afghanistan served as the 
home base of Al Qaida, which trained and deployed thousands of killers 
to set up terror cells in dozens of countries, including our own. 
Because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising democracy. Because we acted, 
many young girls now go to school for the first time. Let me tell you 
something, what happened yesterday in Cleveland. I went to the 
International Children's Games. I was able to see a young girls' soccer 
team from Afghanistan on American soil. Because we acted, the people are 
free. Because we acted, we have an ally in the war on terror in 
Afghanistan. Because we acted, America is safer, and so is the world.
    Before September the 11th, Pakistan was a safe transit point for 
terrorists. Today, they're an ally in the war on terror. Their forces 
are aggressively helping to round up the terrorists, and America and the 
world is safer.
    Before September the 11th, in Saudi Arabia, terrorists were raising 
money and recruiting and operating with little opposition. Today, the 
Saudi Government has taken the fight to Al Qaida, and America and the 
world are safer.
    Before September the 11th, Libya was spending millions to acquire 
weapons of mass destruction. Today, because America and our allies have 
sent a strong and clear message, the leader of Libya abandoned his

[[Page 1449]]

pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and America and the world are 
safer.
    Before September the 11th, the tyrant of Iraq was a sworn enemy of America. He was defying the 
world. You might remember, he was firing weapons at American pilots who 
were enforcing the world's sanctions. He had pursued and used weapons of 
mass destruction against his own people. He harbored terrorists. He 
invaded his neighbors. He subsidized the families of suicide bombers. He 
had murdered tens of thousands of his own citizens. He was a source of 
great instability in a dangerous part of the world.
    After September the 11th, we looked at all the threats of the world 
in a new light. See, a lesson of that fateful day was that we must take 
threats seriously before they fully materialize.
    And so we looked at the intelligence and saw a threat; that's what 
the intelligence said. The United States Congress--members of both 
political parties, including my opponent--looked 
at the same intelligence and came to the same conclusion, that 
Saddam was a threat. The United Nations 
Security Council looked at the intelligence and voted unanimously to 
demand a full accounting of Saddam's weapons, or he would face serious 
consequences. That's exactly what the world said. After 12 years of 
defiance, the dictator chose defiance again. He deceived the inspectors. 
So I had a choice to make: forget the lessons of September the 11th, 
hope for the best, and trust a madman, or take decisions to defend this 
country. And given that choice, I will defend America every time.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. The dictator of Iraq sits 
in a prison cell, and America and the world are safer.
    We have more to do. We've more to do. We must continue to work with 
friends and allies around the world to aggressively pursue the 
terrorists and foreign fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere. 
See, you can't talk sense to these folks. You cannot negotiate with 
them. You cannot hope for the best. We must engage these enemies around 
the world so we do not have to face them here at home.
    America will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral 
clarity. We put together a strong coalition to help us. There are nearly 
40 nations involved in Afghanistan and some 30 nations involved in Iraq. 
Over the next 4 years, we'll continue to build on our alliances and work 
with our friends for the cause of security and peace. But I will never 
turn over America's national security decisions to leaders of other 
countries.
    We'll keep our commitments to help Afghanistan and Iraq become 
peaceful and democratic societies. These two nations are now governed by 
strong leaders. See, these people are committed to free societies. They 
understand, the moms and dads of Iraq and Afghanistan want the children 
there--want their children there to grow up in a peaceful world, just 
like moms and dads here in America do, just like Laura and I do. We want people to grow up in a peaceful 
society. We want them to be able to realize their dreams.
    The people of these countries can count on our continued help. See, 
when we acted to protect our own security, when we took action to do our 
duty to protect our own people, we also promised to help deliver them 
from tyranny, to restore their sovereignty, to help them get on the path 
to liberty. And when America gives it word, America keeps its word.
    In these crucial times, America's commitments are kept by the men 
and women of our military. At bases across our country and around the 
world, I have had the privilege of meeting with those who defend our 
country and sacrifice for our security. These are fine, fine people.
    The cause of freedom is in really good hands, and those who wear our 
uniform deserve all the support from our Government. Last September, 
while our troops

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were in combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed supplemental 
funding to support them in their missions. The legislation provided 
funding for body armor and vital equipment, for hazard pay, health 
benefits, ammunition, fuel, and spare parts. In the United States 
Senate, only a small, what I would call out-of-the-mainstream minority 
of 12 senators voted against the legislation. Two of the twelve Senators 
are my opponent and his runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. When asked about his vote, Senator Kerry said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before 
I voted against it.'' [Laughter] End quote. Now he's got some different 
explanations. He said, well, he's proud of the vote, and further, he 
said the whole thing is a complicated matter. There's nothing 
complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
    In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We 
must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror: poverty and 
hopelessness and resentment. You see, a free and peaceful Iraq and a 
free and peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful examples for their 
neighbors. Free countries don't export terror. Free countries do not 
stifle the dreams of their citizens. Free countries have governments 
which listen to the aspirations of their people.
    By serving the ideal of liberty, we're bringing hope to others, and 
that makes America more secure. And by serving the ideal of liberty, 
we're serving the values which make us great. We don't--America does not 
believe that freedom is our gift to the world; America believes freedom 
is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in this world.
    There are still enemies that want to do us harm. They still plot. 
Listen, I agree with the conclusion of the September the 11th 
Commission--says our homeland is safer, but we're not yet safe. But 
we've started the hard process of reform. We've transformed--we're 
transforming our defenses and created a new Department of Homeland 
Security. We passed the PATRIOT Act to give law enforcement the new 
tools to track and find the terrorists. The mission of the FBI is now 
focused on preventing terror. We've integrated intelligence and law 
enforcement better than we ever have before. When it comes to protecting 
America, we're turning the corner, and we're not going back.
    There's a lot more to do over the next 4 years to better secure our 
ports and borders and to train our great first-responders and to 
dramatically improve our intelligence gathering capabilities. Listen, 
reform isn't easy. There's a lot of entrenched interests in places like 
Washington, DC. [Laughter] Some people up there love the status quo.
    It's not enough to advocate reform; you have to get it done, see, 
because when it comes to reforming schools to provide an excellent 
education for all our children, results matter. When it comes to health 
care reforms to give families more access and more choices, results 
matter. When it comes to improving our economy and creating quality 
jobs, results matter. When it comes to defending America and spreading 
freedom and peace, results matter. When it comes to electing a 
President, results matter.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. This week, the other party gathered in Boston. And 
they had a convention and there was a lot of clever speeches and some 
pretty big promises. Listen, I think my opponent 
has good intentions, but good intentions don't always translate into 
results. He's been there for 19 years in the U.S. Senate. He's had 
thousands of votes but few signature achievements. During 8 years on the 
Senate Intelligence Committee, for example, he voted to cut the 
intelligence budget, yet he had no record of reforming America's 
intelligence gathering capability. He's had no

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significant record on education or health care.
    See, he and his runningmate consistently opposed reforms that limit the power of 
Washington, reforms that leave more power in the hands of the people. We 
have a different point of view. We have a different philosophy. He spent 
nearly 20 years in Government, in the Federal Government, and now he's 
concluded it's not big enough. That's why he's promised $2 trillion of 
new money. That's a lot of money, and the campaign is just getting 
started. [Laughter] He hasn't told us how he's going to pay for it, 
though. Yes, I know, we can figure it out--looking at his record. In 
order to pay for all that new spending, you're going to have to pay for 
it. But we're not going to let him.
    Audience members. No-o-o!
    The President. It's the wrong medicine for America. And the people 
understand, you're not raising taxes on the working people of this 
country. They share that same old Washington mindset: They'll give the 
orders, and you pay the bills. [Laughter]
    Audience member. No way!
    The President. We're turning that corner, and we're not turning 
back.
    This is a world of rapid change, amazing times we live in. In order 
to make sure the American people are able to adjust to the change, I 
think people need to own something. I think you need to be owning your 
own health care account and managing it for your purposes. I think 
people, younger workers--I mean, young workers--need to have the 
opportunity to manage and own some of their own retirement accounts. I 
think--I know we need to keep working for people to own their own home, 
own their own small business. This administration understands that when 
you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of our country.
    No, this is a time of amazing change. But some things will never 
change: our belief in liberty, our desire for opportunity to spread 
throughout this country, the nonnegotiable demands of human dignity. The 
individual values we try to live by will not change: courage and 
compassion, reverence and integrity. The institutions that give us 
direction and purpose, our families, our schools, our religious 
congregations. These values and institutions are fundamental to our 
lives. They deserve the respect of Government.
    We stand for something. We stand for institutions like marriage and 
family, which are the foundation of society. We stand for a culture of 
life in which every person counts and every person matters. We stand for 
judges who faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench.
    We stand for the Second Amendment, which gives every American the 
individual right to bear arms. I've got a good record on that issue. It 
stands in stark contrast to my opponent. As a sportsman, I understand 
that gun ownership carries serious responsibilities. I also know that 
when a person commits a crime with a gun, they need to be held to 
account. Over the past 3 years, Federal prosecutions of crimes committed 
with firearms have increased 68 percent. Our message is, law-abiding 
citizens should be allowed to bear and own a gun, and criminals who 
commit crime with guns ought to go to jail.
    We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. This culture of 
this country is changing from one that has said, ``If it feels good, 
just go ahead and do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody 
else,'' to a culture in which each of us understands we're responsible 
for the decisions we make in life. If you're fortunate enough to be a 
mother or a father, you're responsible for loving your child with all 
your heart and all your soul. If you're worried about the quality of the 
education in which you live, you're responsible for doing something 
about it. If you're a CEO in corporate America, you're responsible for 
telling the truth to your shareholders and your employees. And in a 
responsibility society, each of us is responsible for loving

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our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourselves.
    You know, for Americans, these years in our history will always 
stand apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little 
is expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is times 
that requires vision and strength and determination, resolute will.
    None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another 
began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin 
Towers. It's a day I will never forget. I remember those guys in 
hardhats yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember the 
firefighter grabbing me by the arm and looking me in the eye, bloodshot 
eyes and sweat pouring, and he said, ``Do not let me down.''
    This fellow--and they all took what happened on that day personally. 
I know you did, as did I. I have a duty that goes on. I wake up every 
morning thinking about how to better protect America. I will never 
relent in bringing justice to the enemy. I will never relent in 
defending America, whatever it takes.
    We've come through a lot. We've come through a lot together. We've 
done a lot of hard work together to make this country hopeful and 
promising. During the next 4 years, we'll work to spread ownership and 
opportunity to every corner of the country--I mean every corner. We'll 
pass the enduring values of our country on to another generation. We 
will lead the cause--lead the cause of freedom and peace. And we will 
prevail.
    With your support and your prayers, I will be a leader America can 
count on in this world of change. Listen, 4 years ago, when I traveled 
to your great State and traveled our wonderful Nation, I told our fellow 
citizens, if you honored me with the great responsibility of being the 
President, I would uphold the dignity and the honor of the office to 
which I was elected. If you give me 4 more years--with your help, with 4 
more years, I will continue to honor that pledge.
    Thank you for coming. May God bless you all, and may God bless our 
great country. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 2:16 p.m. at Don Coss Field in Cambridge 
City Park. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Bob Taft of Ohio; Mayor 
Samuel A. Salupo of Cambridge, OH; Robert T. Bennett, chairman, Ohio 
Republican Party; Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, leader of Libya; 
and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.