Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)

[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[August 14, 2004]
[Pages 1658-1667]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

Remarks in Sioux City, Iowa
August 14, 2004

The President. Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Thanks for
coming. I've got an interesting line of work, don't I. Yes, it's a line
of work where you get introduced by your wife.
[Laughter] Thankfully, she said yes when I said, ``Will you marry me?''
What a great First Lady she is, a fabulous mom, and a wonderful wife.
I'm going to

[[Page 1659]]

give you some reasons today why I think you ought to put me back into
office, but perhaps the most important one of all is so that Laura will
be the First Lady for 4 more years.
We're glad to be in Sioux land, and we thank you all for coming. I'm
here to ask for the vote. I'm here traveling this important State to
say, there's more to do to make this country a safer, stronger, and
better nation for all of our citizens. And I'd like your help. I'd like
you to register your friends and neighbors. See, we have an obligation
in this free land to vote. And I'd like my supporters to encourage all
your citizens to register to vote and to do our duty. And when you get
them headed to the polls, you might just tell them, for the sake of a
better nation, George Bush and Dick Cheney are
ready to lead for 4 more years.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. We're coming off a swing around the West. It's been a
great trip. The crowds are large. The enthusiasm is strong. And there's
no doubt in my mind with your help, we will carry Iowa, and we will win
a great national victory in 2004.
Tomorrow I'm going to travel down to Florida to visit with those
whose lives have been hurt by Hurricane Charley. I just want them to
know that our Federal Government is responding quickly. We have got aid
stations in place. FEMA Federal officials are on the ground working with
State and local officials. Many lives have been affected by this
hurricane. And I know you join me in sending our prayers to those people
who look for solace and help.
I'm running with a really good man in Vice President Cheney. Look, I didn't pick him because he's the prettiest guy
in--[laughter]--I picked him because he can do the job. I picked him for
his advice and his sound judgment. And we're ready to go. I'm looking
forward to it. There are big differences, and I'm looking forward to
making those differences clear to the American people.
I want to thank my friend Congressman Steve King. I appreciate his leadership. I look forward to working
with him for 4 more years for the good of this country.
I know the State auditor, David Vaudt, is
here. I know the speaker is with us today, Christopher Rants. And I want to thank Ralph Klemme for coming. I want to thank all the State officials who
are serving the State of Iowa and those from Nebraska. Those good souls
from South Dakota who have come down here. Let me make something clear
about South Dakota: John Thune needs to be the
United States Senator.
I want to thank the mayor, Dave Ferris, here
from Sioux City. Mr. Mayor, thanks for coming. Fill the potholes.
[Laughter] I want to thank my friend Dave Roederer, who is the State campaign chairman for Iowa. He knows
what I know; we're going to carry this State.
Backstage, I had the honor of meeting Jeff Fortenberry. He's running for the United States Congress for
Nebraska. I want to thank the Blue County band for being here. I
appreciate you lending your talents. I thank the All-American Concert
Band for being here. Most of all, I want to thank you all for being
here. Thanks for taking time out of your weekend to come.
You know, in the past few years, Americans have been through a lot
together. These have been hard times. We've accomplished a great deal.
But there's only one reason to look backwards, and that is to determine
who best to lead us forward. See, that's the only reason to look
backwards, is who best to get the job done for the American people.
I'm asking for the vote, and I'm working hard to ask for the vote
because so much is at stake in this election. We have much more to do to
move this country forward. I'm running again because I want to work to
continue to create jobs and improve our

[[Page 1660]]

schools. I'm running again because I know we've got to continue to fight
the terrorists to secure our homeland. I'm running again to spread the
peace. I'm running again--what I'm here to tell you is, we have made
much progress, and there is more work to be done.
We have more to do to make our public schools the centers of
excellence we all know they can be, so that no child is left behind in
America. You might remember, 3\1/2\ years ago, there was--when we came
to office, too many of our children were being shuffled from grade to
grade, year after year, without learning the basics. We have challenged
the soft bigotry of low expectations. We have raised the bar. We believe
in accountability because we want to know whether or not our children
are learning to read and write and add and subtract. We believe in local
control of schools. When we find schools that will not teach and will
not change, we are bold enough to challenge the status quo.
There's more work to be done. We want our high school diplomas to
mean something. We want to intervene early, before it's too late. We
want to make sure that technology is in the classrooms so that we can
bring high-level training to our kids. We want to emphasize math and
science. What I'm telling you is after 4 more years, a rising generation
will have skills and confidence necessary to compete in the 21st
century.
We have more to do to make quality health care affordable and
available. You might remember those Medicare debates. You might remember
campaign after campaign, people would travel this State saying, ``Don't
worry. We'll strengthen Medicare.'' We got the job done. Drug discount
cards that provide real savings are available for our seniors. 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.
I was working with--I remember campaigning in this State in 2002.
There were a lot of skeptics. People would say, ``Well, you know, they
talk a good game in Washington.'' Do you remember what was happening to
the rural hospitals of Iowa? Do you remember what it was like when the
reimbursement levels didn't support health care in this important State?
I stood up for Charles Grassley, the
fine United States Senator from Iowa. I said, ``We're going to work
together to get the job done,'' and we got the job done for the people
of this State.
We're helping low-income seniors by expanding community health
centers. We've created health savings accounts so families can save tax-
free for their own health care needs. We're getting the job done in
America for health care, and there's more to do. We want our small
businesses to be able to pool across jurisdictional boundaries so they
can afford insurance just like big companies are able to do.
In order to make sure you've got health care available and
affordable in Iowa and Nebraska and South Dakota, we need medical
liability reform now. See, I don't think you can be pro-patient and pro-
doctor and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. I think you have to
choose. My opponent made his choice, and he put
him on the ticket. [Laughter] I made my choice.
We need medical liability reform now.
We will expand research and seek cures for diseases. We will harness
technology to reduce costs. And in all we do to improve health care in
America, I'll make sure that the health decisions are made by doctors
and patients, not by Washington, DC, bureaucrats.
Listen, there's more work to be done to keep our economy strong.
We've been through a lot. Think about what this economy has been
through. We've been through a recession, corporate scandals, a terror
attack; yet we've overcome those obstacles. We've overcome them because
our workers are great. We've overcome them because our farmers and
ranchers are really good

[[Page 1661]]

at what they do. We've overcome them because the entrepreneurial spirit
of this country is really strong. We've overcome it because small
businesses are vibrant and healthy and expanding. And we've overcome it
because of well-timed tax cuts.
When it came time for providing tax relief, when it came time--which
really means just letting you keep more of your own money. Sometimes you
hear them in Washington say, ``Well, we're going to give them some
Government money.'' [Laughter] That's not Government money. No, that's
the people's money. That's whose money it is. We said, ``If you pay tax,
you ought to get relief.'' It seems like to be the fair way to do
things, instead of trying to pick winners and losers. If you're a mom or
a dad, you got relief. We increased the child credit. We provided relief
from the marriage penalty. I never quite understood a Tax Code that
penalizes marriage. It seems like policy ought to encourage marriage in
America. We helped our small businesses, and this time, the check
actually 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. This economy is strong. It's
getting stronger. We've added about 1.5 million new jobs. The national
unemployment rate is 5.5 percent, and right here in the State of Iowa,
your unemployment rate is 4.3 percent.
And there's more work to be done. I'm running because I understand
that we've got to continue with a pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur, pro-
agricultural policy in order to make sure this economy stays strong and
people can find work. You know, when I campaigned before, I said, ``Give
me a chance, and I'll stay focused on the agricultural economy of
America.'' See, I understand, good agricultural policy is good economic
policy for this country.
We passed a good farm bill, and it's working. Farm income is up.
Property values are up. Our farmers and ranchers are making a good
living, and that's good for the American economy. And we also did
something else to help our farm economy, put the death tax on its way to
extinction. The problem is, unless you have a President and Congress who
understands how devastating the death tax is to our agricultural economy
and our small-business economy, it's going to come back to life in 2011.
It's going to make it kind of strange in 2010. I believe we ought to get
rid of the death tax forever.
In order to make sure jobs stay here in America and people can find
work, we need an energy policy which makes us less dependent on foreign
sources of energy. That's why I am a strong supporter of alternative
sources of energy like ethanol and biodiesel. Someday my hope is that
somebody walks in the Oval Office and plops a report right in front of
the President and says, ``The corn crop is up, and we're less dependent
on foreign sources of energy.''
In order to make sure we've got jobs here, we must have wise trade
policy. See, I believe in free trade, and I believe in fair trade. I
believe the job of this administration is to reject economic
isolationism and open up markets. One reason the farm economy is high is
because not only are our farmers feeding Americans; they're feeding
people all around the world.
In order to make sure we've got jobs here, we need less regulations
and less lawsuits against our employers. In order to make sure we've got
jobs here, we must not overspend your money, and we must keep your taxes
low. And that's an issue in this campaign.
We've still got about 80 days to go in this campaign, and the fellow
I'm running against has already made over $2.2 trillion of new promises.
And so I said, ``Well, how are you going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh,
don't worry, we'll tax the rich.'' You've heard that rhetoric before,
haven't you? It's why the rich have got accountants--[laughter]--figure
out how he can't tax them. In order to make sure he fulfills all his
promises, guess who is going to pay? You are.

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But the good news is we're not going to let him
get in office in the first place.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. I'm running because I know we need to continue with a
pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur, pro-farmer economic agenda to make sure
people can find a decent wage in this country and to make sure this
country is the strongest economy in the industrialized world.
We have more to do to wage and win the war against terror. Our
future depends on our willingness to lead in this world. See, if America
shows uncertainty and weakness in this decade, the world will drift
toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
The world changed on that terrible September morning. And since that
day, we have changed the world. Before September the 11th, Afghanistan
served as the home base of Al Qaida, which trained and deployed
thousands of killers to set up terrorist cells around the world,
including our own country. Because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising
democracy. Because we acted, Afghanistan is an ally in the war on
terror. Because we acted, many young girls now go to school for the
first time. Because we acted, America and the world are safer.
Before September the 11th, Pakistan was a safe transit point for
terrorists. Today, Pakistan is an ally in the war on terror, and America
and the world are safer.
Before September the 11th, in Saudi Arabia, the terrorists were
raising money and recruiting and operating with little opposition.
Today, the Government, the Saudi Government, is after Al Qaida. 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 sent
a clear and strong message, the leader of Libya has abandoned his pursuit of weapons of mass
destruction. America and the world are safer.
Before September the 11th, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of America. He was defying the
world. He was firing weapons at American pilots who were enforcing the
world's sanctions. He had pursued and he had used weapons of mass
destruction. He had harbored terrorists. He invaded his neighbors. He
subsidized the families of suicide bombers. Saddam Hussein murdered tens
of thousands of his own citizens. He was a source of instability in the
world's most volatile region. He was a threat.
We looked at intelligence. Not only did we look at the facts, we
looked at intelligence as we had it and saw a threat. I knew it was
important to bring the Congress in, so I called on Congress to give me
its judgment. The Congress remembered the facts and looked at the
intelligence and saw a threat. You see, both of us saw a threat--me and
the Congress saw a threat--because we remembered one of the lessons of
September the 11th was, is that when we saw a threat we must deal with
it before it fully materializes. It's a different world we're in. So
Members of Congress--like me--saw that lesson and voted overwhelmingly
to use force, if necessary, to protect America. Members of both
political parties looked at the intelligence and made that declaration.
My opponent looked at the same intelligence and came to the same
conclusion I did.
I then went to the United Nations. See, I do think it's important
always to have war as the last resort and that we must try diplomacy as
first resort in order to bring the peace. So I went to the U.N. They
agreed with our assessment that Saddam Hussein was a threat. You might remember they voted
overwhelmingly in the U.N. Security Council to say to Saddam Hussein,
``Disclose. Disarm, or face serious consequences.''
As he had for over a decade--he didn't
care what the free world said. Remember, he defied the world, resolution
after resolution after resolution. He did so again. As a matter of fact,
when we sent inspectors

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in to find out the facts, he systematically deceived them. So I had a
choice to make: Either forget the lessons of September the 11th and
trust the word of a madman, or take action to defend our country. Given
that choice, I will defend America every time.
Even though we did not find the stockpiles that we thought we would
find, you need to remember that Saddam Hussein had the capability to make weapons of mass
destruction, and he could have passed that capability on to our enemies.
And that's not a risk, after September the 11th, that we could afford to
take. Knowing what I know today, I would have taken the same action.
America and the world are safer because Saddam is in a prison cell.
Now--and now, almost 2 years after he voted for the war in Iraq and
about 220 days after switching positions to declare himself the antiwar
candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance.
[Laughter] He now agrees it was the right decision to go into Iraq. See,
after months of questioning my motives and my credibility, the Senator
from Massachusetts now agrees with me that even though we have not found
the stockpile of weapons we all believed were there, knowing everything
we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and remove Saddam
Hussein from power. And I want to thank
Senator Kerry for clearing that up. [Laughter] Although, I caution you,
there are still 80 days left where he could change his mind again.
I'm running because I know we must continue to work with friends and
allies around the world to aggressively pursue the terrorists in Iraq
and Afghanistan and elsewhere. See, you can't talk sense to these
people. You cannot negotiate with them. In this post-9/11 world, we
cannot simply hope for the best. We must aggressively pursue them and
defeat them in foreign lands so we do not have to face them here at
home.
During the next 4 years, America will continue to lead the world
with confidence and moral clarity. We have put together a strong
coalition to help us in the pursuit of the terrorists and to spread
peace. There are nearly 40 nations involved in Afghanistan, and some 30
nations involved in Iraq. I really appreciate the moms and dads in those
countries who share the same sacrifices that the moms and dads and
husbands and wives in our country share, knowing a loved one is serving
a noble cause during historic times. I will continue to build alliances
and strengthen 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.
These are crucial time. They're crucial times, and we're doing the
hard work to secure our country and to spread peace. And our commitments
are being kept by our men and women of the military. I want to thank the
veterans who are here for setting such a good example to those who wear
the uniform today. I appreciate you all coming.
I've had the privilege of traveling to bases in our country and
around the world. I've met those--with those who defend our security.
I've seen their great decency and their unselfish courage. I can assure
you, ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in really good hands.
And those who wear our uniform deserve the full support of our
Government. Last September, while our troops 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, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition, fuel, spare
parts. I appreciated the bipartisan support my request received in the
House and the Senate. It was a strong support in the United States
Senate. As a matter of fact, only a small, what I would call, out-of-
the-mainstream minority of 12 voted against the funding, and 2 of those
12 are my opponent and his runningmate.

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Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. You might remember his initial explanation. He said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before
I voted against it.'' [Laughter] That doesn't sound like the way people
in Sioux land talk. The pressure got on a little bit about that vote.
Then he said, well, he's proud of the vote, and he went on to say the
whole thing is a complicated matter. [Laughter] 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. These are historic times. A free and
peaceful Iraq and a free and peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful
examples in a neighborhood that is desperate for freedom. See, Americans
believe that peaceful societies emerge when governments listen to the
hopes and aspirations of their people. In Iraq and Afghanistan, there
are strong leaders who have emerged who believe in the hopes and
aspirations of their people.
Success in Iraq will be achieved when more Iraqis are trained to
defeat those who want to stop the advance of freedom. Our job is to
stand with the Government that is heading toward elections and preparing
the Iraqis for a day of security and freedom. That's what we're doing in
Iraq.
And it's important work. It's important work because by serving the
ideal of liberty, we're bringing hope to others, and we're making our
own country more secure. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're
spreading peace. Free countries are peaceful countries. By serving the
ideal of liberty, we're serving our deepest ideals as Americans. We
believe that freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in
this world.
Let me share a story with you right quick, tell you what I'm talking
about. Laura and I were having dinner with Prime Minister of
Japan, and--Prime Minister Koizumi--in
Tokyo. And we're talking, and during the course of the conversation, it
dawned on me that it's really interesting that I was having a meeting
with the leader of a former enemy. My dad
fought in World War II. Many of your dads fought against the Japanese,
and here we were sitting down to dinner. What was remarkable about the
conversation is, we were talking about how to keep the peace.
Fortunately, my predecessor and others in our Government after World
War II believed in the power of liberty to transform enemies into allies
and friends. They believed that liberty had the capacity to take a
former enemy and help them become a peaceful advocate for freedom, and
that's what happened. And fortunately, they defied the pessimists. They
didn't listen to the doubters. They didn't listen to the naysayers. They
held deep in their hearts this conviction that we hold in America that
freedom is a right of people all around the world, and freedom is an
amazingly powerful, transforming philosophy.
And so we were talking about the peace. We were talking about how to
deal with North Korea, as allies in peace. Someday, when we complete our
mission, an American President will be sitting down with a duly elected
leader of Iraq, saying to himself or herself, thank God America didn't
forget its values, and they'll be talking about how to keep the peace.
We have more work to do. We have more work to do to protect our
country. There's enemies who hate us. They still plot to harm us. You
know, there's a debate about the course of action I've taken. They say--
he says that going to war with the terrorists is actually improving
their recruiting efforts. I strongly disagree with that. There's
obviously a clear difference of opinion. I think it shows a
misunderstanding of the nature of the enemy. I want you to remember,
during the 1990s, the terrorists were recruiting and training for war
with us long before we went to war with them. I don't think they need an
excuse

[[Page 1665]]

for their hatred and their evil hearts. You do not create terrorists by
fighting back; you defeat the terrorists by fighting back.
We're reforming how we protect our homeland. It's hard work to
reform how you protect your homeland. It's hard work to reform at all in
Washington--a lot of entrenched interests there. But we're making
progress. You just need to know there's a lot of really good people
working hard on your behalf to find terrorists before they can hurt us.
We've created a new Department of Homeland Security. We passed the
PATRIOT Act. Listen, the PATRIOT Act is a vital piece of legislation
which gives our law enforcement the tools necessary to crack these
terrorist networks. And they do so without compromising your
constitutional rights as an American. We're integrating intelligence and
law enforcement better than ever before. We're taking action on a large
majority of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, which I found to be a
very helpful report and a good report.
We've got more to do to secure our ports and borders and to train
our first-responders and dramatically improve intelligence gathering
capability. When Congress comes back in, we'll continue to work with
them on the National Intelligence Director, so one person is in charge
of coordinating intelligence overseas and at home. We're working hard. A
lot of people are working hard, and I'm proud to be associated with
great people at the Federal level and at the State level and the first-
responders here at the local level who are doing their duty to the
American citizens--for the American citizens.
I told you reform is hard. It's easy to advocate it in Washington,
but you have to get the job done. When you're out campaigning and
rounding up the voters, remind them, when it comes to reforming public
schools and improving education for every child, we're getting the job
done. When it comes to health care reforms and giving families more
access and more choices in health care, we're getting the job done. When
it comes to a strong agricultural economy, we're getting the job done.
When it comes to growing our economy and creating quality jobs, we're
getting the job done. When it comes to securing our Nation and spreading
the peace, we're getting the job done. When it comes to electing a
President, put a man in there who can get the job done.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. These are exciting times we live in, and they're a
time of change. And I think one of the ways that Government can help
people during a time of change is to encourage an ownership society. We
want more people owning their own health care accounts, so that if they
change jobs, they can take the health care accounts with them. We want--
look, I've got to tell you, I'm concerned about Social Security. For old
guys like me, Social Security is fine. [Laughter] It's for the younger
workers, those who are just starting to work, we've got to worry about
the fiscal solvency of the Social Security system. That's why I believe
we ought to allow younger workers to own their own personal retirement
account in Social Security.
I love the fact, in a changing world, more people own their own
home. The homeownership rate is at an alltime high in America. There's
nothing better than thinking about somebody opening a door, say,
``Welcome to my home. Come into my piece of property.'' You know, the
entrepreneurial sector of America is strong and vibrant. More people are
owning their own business. The reason I believe in an ownership society
is not only to provide stability during changing times, I also
understand that if you own something, you have a vital stake in the
future of our country.
During changing times, though, there are some things that won't
change, our belief in liberty, opportunity, and the nonnegotiable
demands of human dignity. Individual values we try to live by won't
change, courage, compassion, reverence,

[[Page 1666]]

and integrity; the institutions that give us direction and purpose, our
families, our schools, our religious congregations. By the way, these
institutions are fundamental to our lives. They deserve the respect of
Government.
We stand for institutions like marriage and family, which are the
foundations of society. We stand for a culture of life, in which every
person matters and every person counts. We stand for judges who
faithfully interpret the law, instead of legislating from the bench.
We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. The culture of
this country is changing from one that has said, you know, ``If it feels
good, do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to
a culture in which each of us understands we are responsible for the
decisions we make in life. Listen, if you're fortunate enough to be a
mother or a father, you are responsible for loving your child with all
your heart and all your soul. If you're worried about the quality of the
education in Sioux City, Iowa, you're responsible for doing something
about it. If you're a CEO in corporate America, you are responsible for
telling the truth to your shareholders and your employees. And in a
responsibility society, each of us is responsible for loving our
neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourself.
No, I understand the strength of this country is in the hearts and
souls of our citizens. Government can hand out money, but Government
cannot put hope in a person's heart or a sense of purpose in a person's
life. Compassion* happens when a loving neighbor puts their arm around
somebody who hurts and says, ``I love you,'' and ``Can I help you?'' I
will continue to rally the armies of compassion so that we change
America one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
*White House correction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For all Americans these years in our history will always stand
apart. There are quiet times in the life of nations when little is
expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is the
times where we need firm resolve and clear vision, strong belief in the
values that make us such a wonderful country.
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
began. I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers on September the 14th,
2001. It's a day that I'll never forget. Amidst all the scenes in my
memory that day, a couple stand out--the workers in hardhats that were
chanting, ``Whatever it takes.'' I was working the ropeline. A guy grabs
me. His eyes were bloodshot. He says, ``Do not let me down.'' I remember
meeting with the victims' families who had this great hope of all hopes
that somehow a loved one who had rushed in the rubble to save life would
still be alive. All of us there took that day personally. I took it
personally. I know you took it personally.
I have a duty that goes on. Every day that I wake up, I think of
best how to defend our country. I will never relent. I will stay firm in
my desire to bring justice to the enemies, to keep America safe and
secure, whatever it takes.
We've come through a lot. We've come through a lot together, and
we've done hard work and important work. But there's more to be done.
During the next 4 years, we'll spread ownership and opportunity to every
corner of America. We will pass the enduring values of our country on to
a young generation. We'll stay focused and firm in our resolve to secure
America and to spread the peace.
You know, when I campaigned through your State in 2004, I said that
if I had the high honor of holding this office, I would pledge to you
that I would uphold the dignity and the honor of the office of the
Presidency. And with your help, during the next 4 years, I will continue
to do so.
May God bless you all. Thanks for coming. God bless. Thank you all.

[[Page 1667]]

Note: The President spoke at approximately 1:15 p.m. at the Tyson Events
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Iowa State Auditor David A.
Vaudt; Speaker Christopher Rants and State Representative Ralph Klemme,
Iowa State House of Representatives; former Representative John R.
Thune, senatorial candidate in South Dakota; Mayor Dave Ferris of Sioux
City, IA; Jeff Fortenberry, candidate for Nebraska's First Congressional
District; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi of Japan. The transcript released by the Office of the
Press Secretary also included the remarks of the First Lady, who
introduced the President.