[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[August 29, 2004]
[Pages 1802-1810]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in Wheeling, West Virginia
August 29, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Thank you all for coming. And thanks 
for having me. I am thrilled to be back here in the Mountain State. You 
may have noticed I'm spending some quality time here. You know why? 
Because we're going to carry West Virginia again.
    I'm here to thank you for your help. I'm here to ask for your vote. 
I'm here to encourage you to go the extra mile to get people to show up 
at the polls. Most of all, I want to thank you for coming out on a 
Sunday afternoon. I appreciate you all coming out and taking time away--
or bringing your families here. It means a lot to me. I really 
appreciate it.
    You know, I was in your neighborhood a while ago. I was at the new 
Cabela's. The place has hired over a couple thousand jobs, creating a 
couple thousand jobs there. I'm there because I'm a hunter and I like to 
fish. I understand a lot of people in these parts like to fish. A couple 
of you like to hunt. I just don't get to do enough of it. I'm hunting 
for votes.
    There's a lot of differences in this campaign. You know, one of the 
most notable differences came up the other day when my opponent said, ``Well, you can find the heart and soul of America 
in Hollywood.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Yes. I think you find the heart and soul of America 
right here in Wheeling, West Virginia.
    I gave Laura a kiss goodbye today and said, 
``I'm heading to Wheeling.'' She said, ``Well, I'm working on my 
speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Well, make it a good one, will you?'' 
[Laughter] I didn't need to say that. Of course it's going to be a good 
one. Laura is a great First Lady, a wonderful mom, and a great wife. I'm 
really proud of her--I'm really proud of her. Today I'm going to give 
you some reasons why I think you ought to put me back into office. 
Perhaps the most important one of all is for Laura to be the First Lady 
for 4 more years.
    Rick mentioned my runningmate. I'm real 
proud of Dick Cheney. He's a great, solid man. I 
admit he's not the prettiest face in the race. [Laughter] I picked him 
because of his judgment, his experience, and his ability to get the job 
done.
    I thank Rick, Rick Casini, for being 
here. I'm proud of his leadership. As he told you, he's a union shop 
steward, he's a leader of men and women. He's--he represents the hard-
working people of the steel industry here in this part of the country. 
It means a lot to me that he stands up and endorses my candidacy. See, I 
believe our message is good for Republicans. I believe our message is 
good for Democrats, and I believe our message is good for independents.
    I appreciate the steelworkers who are standing behind me, standing 
with me. When I make up my mind on issues, I don't say, ``Well, you 
know, oh, so-and-so might benefit, but they didn't vote for me.'' That's 
not how I do things. I make up my mind based upon what I think is right.
    And I appreciate--I want to thank my friend Congresswoman Shelley 
Moore Capito for joining us today, a 
fine Member

[[Page 1803]]

of the United States Congress. I want to thank the Wheeling Park High 
School Marching Band for being here today. I'll try to keep my speech 
short, so you can get back home and do your homework for tomorrow. 
[Laughter] No? Okay.
    I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. Kathy 
Fortunato is with us today. And I want 
to thank all of--here's what a grassroots activist does: You put up 
signs; you make the phone calls; you register people to vote. See, we 
have a duty in our country to register people to vote and to vote. And 
therefore, I'm asking you, as a supporter, to go out amongst your 
friends and neighbors and remind your friends and neighbors to register. 
Tell them that in America our system functions because people 
participate. You might remind them of this amazing statistic, that in 
Afghanistan, after 3 short years of their liberation, over 10 million 
people have registered to vote. They're getting a whiff of liberty in 
Afghanistan, that sweet smell of freedom. And here in America, we must 
remind people to participate. See, that liberty functions because people 
show up. And when you get them registered, don't ignore Democrats. You 
heard Rick--[laughter]--don't worry about--don't overlook discerning 
independents. And then, when you get them registered and you get them 
headed to the poll, remind them, if they want a safer country, a 
stronger country, a better country, put us back into office.
    We have been through a lot together in the last few years, and we 
have accomplished a lot. We have done a lot. But there's only one reason 
to look back at the record, and that is to determine who best to lead us 
forward. I'm traveling your important State to let you know that even 
though we have done a lot, there's more work to do, that I've got more 
to accomplish with your help, that I want to make sure our schools 
realize their full potential so every child--every child--has a chance 
to realize the great promise of America.
    We're working with our local folks to make sure that excellence is 
in every classroom. See, I believe in local control of schools. We're 
spending more money at the Federal level to help you out here. But we're 
changing things, because now we're beginning to ask the question, can a 
child read and write and add and subtract, see. That's what we're 
beginning to ask, because we believe every child can learn to read, and 
we expect every child to read. And when we find the schools that are 
teaching, we'll praise their teachers. But this administration will 
challenge the status quo. We will make sure that schools that do not 
teach and will not change get the message that every child should learn 
to read in America.
    There's more work to be done. I believe in intervention programs to 
make sure children have the skills necessary to learn. I know we've got 
to raise the standards in our high schools by working on math and 
science curricula. We want more Internet in our classrooms. We want a 
high school diploma to mean something. What I'm telling you is, after 4 
more years, a rising generation will have the skills and confidence 
necessary to realize the American Dream.
    We've got more work to do on health care. We're making good progress 
on health care. We've created community health centers all around the 
country, so low-income people can get primary care. It seems like a 
legitimate function of your Government is to help people with their 
health care needs, if they can't afford it. You might remember the old 
Medicare debate. That's a program, of course, that our seniors count on. 
Many seniors will tell you the program needed to be modernized and 
strengthened. See, you couldn't get prescription drugs through Medicare, 
not until old George W. came along.
    We worked with Republicans and Democrats to say, ``Let's keep our 
commitment to our seniors.'' Beginning in the year 2006,

[[Page 1804]]

seniors are going to have choices in Medicare. Seniors will be able to 
design a program that meets their needs. Plus, Medicare will include 
prescription drugs.
    We created health savings accounts for American families, so you can 
save tax-free for your own health care needs. I fully recognize most 
people get their health care through their businesses. Most small--most 
new jobs are created by small businesses. A lot of small businesses are 
having trouble affording health care these days. One way to address that 
problem is to allow small employers to join together to pool risk, so 
they can buy insurance at the same discount big businesses get to do.
    We will continue to spend dollars on research, so we can help find 
cures for terrible diseases. We'll work to modernize the health care 
industry. But I'll tell you one thing we need to do to make sure you've 
got health care that's available and affordable: We need to stop these 
junk lawsuits that are threatening our docs. This is an issue in this 
campaign. You see, I don't think you can be pro-plaintiff-attorney and 
pro-doctor and patient at the same time. See, I don't think you can be 
pro-small-business and pro-plaintiff-attorney at the same time. I think 
you have to make a choice. My opponent made his 
choice, and he put him on the ticket. I made my 
choice. I am for medical liability reform--now.
    In all we do to improve health care, we will make sure the health 
care decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in 
Washington, DC.
    I'm running again because I want to continue the economic growth 
we're seeing now. We've been through a lot in this economy. We've been 
through a recession. We've been through corporate scandals, and we've 
been through those--a terror attack. And yet we've overcome these 
obstacles. We've overcome them because we've got great workers in 
America. We've overcome them because we've got great farmers in America. 
We've overcome them because the small-business sector is alive and well 
in America. We've overcome these obstacles because of two well-timed tax 
cuts.
    We didn't try to pick winners or losers when it came to tax relief. 
We did it the fair way. We said, ``If you're paying taxes, you ought to 
get relief.'' We increased the child credit. We reduced the effects of 
the marriage penalty. I believe the Tax Code ought to encourage 
marriage, not penalize marriage. We helped our small businesses, and the 
plan is working. Our economy has been growing at rates as fast as any in 
nearly 20 years. Over the last 12 months, we've added about 1.5 million 
new jobs. The unemployment rate, the national unemployment rate is down 
to 5.5 percent, which is well below the national average of the 1970s, 
1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment rate in West Virginia is 5.2 percent.
    The economic plan we put in place to overcome the obstacles this 
country faced is working, and there's more to do. That's why I've come 
here to Wheeling, West Virginia, to let you know there is more work to 
be done to make sure this economy continues to grow, to make sure 
anybody who's looking for work is able to find a job. To keep jobs here 
in America, we must have reasonable and fair regulations. You see, you 
ask your small-business owner here what it's like to fill out paperwork, 
and a lot of them will tell you it's too much. My problem is I can't 
guarantee you whether anybody in Washington has ever read the paperwork 
you fill out. We need tort reform in America to keep jobs here in 
America.
    Listen, to keep these folks working, to keep people working around 
the country, we need a sound energy policy in America. I submitted a 
plan to the Congress, and a vital part of that plan is a strategy based 
upon clean coal technology. As a matter of fact, my budgets for clean 
technology have increased 160 percent since I came to office. The budget 
next year for clean coal technology is $447 million. The reason

[[Page 1805]]

why I'm telling you this is, an integral part of making sure we're less 
dependent on foreign sources of energy is coal.
    And I remember campaigning in this State in 2000 and telling you 
that was my position then. And I'm running against a fellow who is kind of shifting. [Laughter] A while ago, he said 
coal is a dirty source of energy. Then he decided he wanted to come to 
your State and knock on your door. And then he said, ``Now, well, I am 
for legislation that is supporting clean coal technology.'' In other 
words, he shifted. He's out there mining for votes. [Laughter] All I'm 
asking you to do is tell your friends and neighbors, be careful of 
somebody whose position shifts in the wind.
    Trade policy is important to make sure that jobs stay here. See, our 
markets are open for other folks. It's good for you that they're open. 
When you have more choices, you're liable to get a better product at a 
better price. That's how the economy works. So what I'm telling other 
countries is, ``We're treating you this way. You treat us the same 
way.''
    And we'll enforce law in this administration. We think an industry 
is being treated unfairly, we'll enforce the law, and that's exactly 
what I did when it came to the U.S. steel industry. See, I thought there 
was a--I thought I needed to stand up for steel, and I did stand up for 
steel. I put in place safeguards to restore fairness to the market to 
help our steel folks adjust, and it worked. The plan worked. These folks 
back here are working in good jobs, good, high-paying jobs. See, if the 
rules are fair, if the playing field is level, our workers, our small-
business owners, our farmers, can compete with anybody, anyplace, 
anytime, anywhere.
    We need to provide our workers with a lifetime of learning to keep 
jobs here in America. The economy is changing. New high-paying jobs are 
being created. But sometimes, there's a skills gap. Sometimes somebody 
needs a little help going back to the community college to be able to 
gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. I'm 
committed to making sure our workers have got an opportunity to go back 
to get an associate degree, so they have the skills necessary to fill 
the jobs of the 21st century.
    And finally, in order to keep jobs here in America, we've got to be 
wise about how we spend your money, and we've got to keep your taxes 
low. It's an issue in this campaign. I'm running against a fellow who has already put out there about $2 trillion worth of 
new spending promises. That's $2 trillion. That's a lot--with a T. 
[Laughter] And we've got 60 days left. No telling what's going to happen 
coming down the stretch. [Laughter] So they said, ``Well, how are you 
going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Well,'' he said, ``we're just going to 
tax the rich.'' You've heard that before, haven't you?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. Yes. Oh, you're just going to tax the rich. You know 
how it works: The rich dodge, and you pay. But we're not going to let 
him. We're going to beat him in November of 2004.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. I am running again because I know we have more to do 
to wage and win the war against 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. This isn't 
going to happen on my watch.
    The world changed on a 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 cells around the world, including our own 
country. Because we acted, today, Afghanistan is a rising democracy. 
They're going to have Presidential elections in October of this year. 
Because we acted, many young girls

[[Page 1806]]

go to school for the first time in Afghanistan. Because we acted, 
Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror. Because we acted, 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 easy-to-understand message, the leader of 
Libya has abandoned his 
pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and 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. You might remember, he was firing weapons at American pilots who 
were enforcing the world's sanctions. He had used weapons of mass 
destruction. He harbored terrorists. He invaded his neighbors. He 
subsidized the families of suicide bombers. He and his henchmen murdered 
tens of thousands of his own people. He was a great source of 
instability in the world's most volatile region. He was a threat.
    After September the 11th, this country must remember the new 
lessons. And a new lesson is, is that we must take threats seriously 
before they fully materialize. That is the new reality of the world in 
which we live. And it's really important we never forget that reality. 
So I saw a threat, and I went to the United States Congress. They looked 
at the intelligence I looked at. They remembered the history of Saddam 
Hussein, and they said he was a threat and 
authorized the use of force--they being Republicans; they being 
Democrats; they being my opponent and his 
runningmate.
    Because the use of force should be the last option of the Commander 
in Chief, the very last option, I went to the United Nations in the 
hopes that diplomacy would solve the threat. You might remember, the 
debate went on, and after consideration, the U.N. Security Council voted 
15 to nothing to say to Saddam Hussein, 
``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.'' So the world spoke.
    As he had for over a decade, he defied 
the demands of the free world. This wasn't the only U.N. resolution he 
ignored. We then sent inspectors in--or the world sent inspectors in, 
and he systematically deceived the inspectors. And so I had a choice to 
make: Whether or not to trust the word of a madman and forget the 
lessons of September the 11th, or take action to defend our country. 
Given that choice, I will defend our country.
    You know, we did not find the stockpiles that we thought would be 
there. I want to remind you that Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons of mass 
destruction, and he could have passed that capability on to others. And 
after September the 11th, that is not a risk this country could afford 
to take. Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision. 
America and the world are safer because Saddam Hussein sits in a prison 
cell.
    Now, almost 2 years after he voted for the war in Iraq and 7 months 
after switching positions to declare himself the antiwar candidate, my 
opponent has found a new nuance. He now agrees it 
was the right decision to go into Iraq. After months of questioning my 
motives and even my credibility, he now agrees with me that even though 
we haven't found the weapons we thought would be there, knowing 
everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and remove 
Saddam Hussein from power. I appreciate him 
for clearing that up. [Laughter] However, there's still a little over 60 
days for him to change his mind again. [Laughter]
    I'm running for 4 more years because I know we have more to do. We 
will continue to work with our friends and allies around the world to 
aggressively pursue the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq and 
elsewhere. See, you cannot talk sense to these people. You cannot 
negotiate with them. In the post-9/11 era we live in, you just simply 
cannot hope for the best. We must aggressively pursue them around the 
world

[[Page 1807]]

so we do not have to face them here at home.
    We will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral 
clarity. We put together a strong coalition. We're working with some 
great allies. There's over 40 nations involved in--nearly 40 nations 
involved in Afghanistan and some 30 in Iraq. Over the next 4 years, I 
will continue to work with friends to help secure our country, their 
country, and spread the peace. But I will never turn over America's 
national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
    We're going to keep our commitments to the people of Afghanistan and 
Iraq. It's in our interest we keep our commitment. It's in our interest 
they become peaceful and democratic societies. The two nations are now 
governed by strong leaders who believe in the hopes and aspirations of 
their people. These nations are now headed for elections. Our strategy 
is clear, and our goal is clear. The goal is to have peaceful, 
democratic countries in the heart of the Middle East who are allies in 
the war on terror. That's our goal. It's in our interest we achieve that 
goal.
    We are meeting that goal by providing security so that the political 
process develops. We will meet that goal by training Afghan and Iraqi 
forces so they can defend their country against these terrorists, so 
they get to take--do the necessary hard work for democracy to survive. 
Our military will complete this mission as quickly as possible, so our 
troops do not stay a day longer than necessary.
    In these crucial times, the men and women of our military keep our 
commitments. We've got a great military. The people who wear our 
uniform--I've seen their great decency and unselfish courage. The cause 
of freedom is in really good hands. And I want to thank the veterans who 
are here today for setting such a great example to the modern military.
    I made a commitment to our troops, and I made a commitment to their 
families as well that this Government will support them in their 
missions. That's why, last September, I went to the Congress and said, 
``We need supplemental funding--support the people over there in 
Afghanistan and Iraq.'' This funding was for body armor, vital 
equipment, fuel, ammunition, spare parts, hazard pay, health benefits. 
This is important legislation. And I was really pleased that we got 
great bipartisan support. As a matter of fact, the support was so strong 
that only 12 Members of the United States Senate voted against it, 2 of 
whom are my runningmate and his--my opponent and 
his runningmate. See, they voted against it.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. So they asked him, they said, ``Why did you vote 
against the funding?'' He said, ``Well, I 
actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' That 
was his explanation. I don't think a lot of people in Wheeling talk like 
that. [Laughter] So they pressed him even further. He said, well, he was 
proud of his vote. And then they said, ``Well, you know, what else?'' 
And he finally said, ``Well, it's just a complicated matter.'' 
[Laughter] His words. There is nothing complicated about supporting our 
troops in combat.
    In the long run, our security is not going to be guaranteed by force 
alone. We must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror, 
poverty and hopelessness and resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq and a 
free and peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful examples in a part of the 
world that is desperate for freedom. Free societies do not export 
terror. Free societies do not stifle the dreams of their citizens.
    We've done this kind of work before. One of my closest collaborators 
in peace is the Prime Minister of Japan. 
It wasn't all that long ago in the march of history that my dad and your 
dads were fighting the Japanese. And yet here we are, because we 
insisted upon the transforming qualities of liberty, we insisted that 
Japan be given

[[Page 1808]]

a chance to self-govern and be a democratic nation. We believe that even 
an enemy could accept liberty as a way of life. Fortunately, my 
predecessor, Harry Truman, stuck with that point of view. Fortunately, 
America stuck with that point of view, and now Japan is an ally and a 
friend.
    We believe in liberty in America. We believe that liberty can 
transform nations from tyranny to hope. We have seen it in our past. We 
not only believe that liberty will bring peace; we know that liberty 
answers to the deepest needs of the American soul. See, freedom is not 
America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each 
man and woman in this world.
    We have more to do to protect this country. I'm running because I 
understand that we've got to work hard to protect America. See, there's 
an enemy out there that still hates us. It's the reality of the world in 
which we live, and we'll deal with that. It's very important that we 
view these people as who they are. There's a difference of opinion in 
this race. I want to address a subject that I'm sure you're going to be 
asked about. See, my opponent said that going to war with the terrorists 
is actually improving their recruiting efforts. I think the logic is 
upside-down. You see, during the nineties--remind somebody who asks you 
that, that during the nineties the terrorists were recruiting and 
training and plotting for war with us, long before we went to war with 
them. I think it's wrong to provide excuses for their hatred. You don't 
create terrorists by fighting back. You defeat the terrorists by 
fighting back.
    A lot of good folks working hard to protect the homeland, good folks 
at the Federal level, State level, and right here in Wheeling, West 
Virginia. You've got a great--a lot of really great first-responders who 
are responding. There's more to do. We've got a lot to do. We're 
beginning to implement some of the intelligence reforms that are 
necessary to make sure we've got the best intelligence. I've got to have 
the best intelligence to make decisions; our planners and everybody 
involved with the Government needs to have the best intelligence. That's 
why we're implementing a lot of the 9/11 Commission reforms. We want to 
make sure there's still good, close cooperation between the different 
agencies in Washington. We're working on doing that. We need to renew 
the PATRIOT Act, so our law enforcement have the tools necessary to 
protect you against terrorist attack. We'll continue to work to make 
sure the Homeland Security Department does its job.
    I'll push for reforms. I've got to warn you, it's hard to get reform 
in Washington. See, there's a lot of entrenched interest there, a lot of 
people willing to defend the status quo. When you're out there 
campaigning, remind them it's not enough to advocate reform. You need 
somebody in Washington who can get the job done.
    When it comes to reforming our schools, to raise standards, and 
close the achievement gap, we're getting the job done. When it comes to 
improving health care for our seniors and giving Americans more 
opportunities and more choices in health care, we're getting the job 
done. When it comes to a strong and vibrant steel industry, we're 
getting the job done. When it comes to improving our overall economy, 
we're getting the job done. When it comes to finding the terrorists, 
securing the homeland, and spreading freedom and peace, we're getting 
the job done. When it comes--and tell your friends and neighbors, when 
it comes time to choose a President, put somebody back in there who can 
get the job done.
    We live in a time of change, and change can be very unsettling. It's 
really a different time, when you think about it. Not all that long ago, 
moms stayed at home. Now, moms are working. Not all that long ago, a 
person would work for one company and retire with that company, and that 
company provided the health care and retirement. That's changing. These 
are changing times, and I fully understand that. And they can

[[Page 1809]]

be unsettling times. And therefore, Government has a role not to dictate 
to people but to help people, to stand side by side with people.
    And one way to do that is to promote an ownership society in 
America. One way to help people through times of change is to encourage 
ownership. That's why I support health care policies that people can 
call their own, manage their own, so they can take them from job to job. 
That's why I believe it's very important in the Social Security system 
to say to boomers like me, nothing's going to change. We're in good 
shape. But if you're a younger worker, you better listen very carefully 
to the Presidential debates on Social Security. The fiscal solvency of 
Social Security is in doubt for the young workers coming up. Therefore, 
I think young workers ought to be able to own a personal retirement 
account, a personal savings account, in order for Social Security to 
work.
    In times of change, it's really helpful for people to own their own 
home. There's nothing better than people opening that door up and say, 
``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of property.'' Today, the 
homeownership rate in America is at an alltime high. We want more people 
owning their own home. We want more people owning their own business. If 
you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of the United 
States of America.
    Changing times--there are some things that won't change: the values 
we try to live by, courage, compassion, reverence, and integrity; our 
beliefs in liberty and opportunity and the nonnegotiable demands of 
human dignity. During changing times, we will support the institutions 
that give us direction and purpose, our families, our schools, our 
religious congregations.
    We believe--and 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. See, the 
culture is changing from one that has said, ``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're responsible for the decisions we make 
in life. If you're a mother or a father, 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. That's your responsibility. If you're 
worried about the quality of the education in the community in which you 
live, you are 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 our neighbor just like we'd like to be 
loved ourself.
    Today when I landed, I met Nancy Weeks. 
Nancy works with the 4-H National Youth Development Program. She takes 
time out of her life to teach values to kids. I'm sure there's Scout 
leaders here, Boy Scout and Girl Scout leaders here. I know there's 
Little League scouts here--I mean, Little League coaches here. I know 
there's people working with kids. I know there's people here feeding the 
hungry, providing shelter for the homeless, loving those whose souls 
need love. See, the strength of this country is the hearts and souls of 
the American citizens. That's our strength. I'm running again to rally 
the armies of compassion, which are changing this country one heart and 
one soul at a time.
    For all Americans, these years in our history will stand apart. 
There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is expected of 
its leaders. This is not one of those times. This is a time that 
requires firm resolve, clear vision, and an unshakeable belief in the 
values that makes us a great nation.

[[Page 1810]]

    You know--and you'll never forget, either, the week when one era 
ended and another began. I stood in the ruins of those Twin Towers on 
September the 14, 2001. It's a day that I will never forget. There were 
workers in hardhats yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I was coming 
down through there and shaking hands, a fellow looked me right in the 
eye, and he said, ``You don't let me down.'' See, he took the day 
personally. Everybody there--you took it personally. I took it 
personally. I have a duty that goes on. I wake up every day trying to 
figure out how best to defend this country. I will never relent in 
defending America, whatever it takes.
    We've come through a lot together. We've done a lot of hard work. 
But there's more work to be done. That's why I've come to Wheeling, West 
Virginia. During the next 4 years, we'll spread ownership and 
opportunity to every corner of this country. During the next 4 years, we 
will pass the enduring values of this Nation on to another generation. 
During the next 4 years, we'll continue to spread freedom and peace, and 
we will prevail. You know, with your support and your prayers, I will be 
a leader that America can count on during a time of change.
    Four years ago, I came to your State a lot. I'll do so again now. I 
said if you gave me a chance, if you voted for me and if I was fortunate 
enough to hold this office, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of 
the office to which I had been elected. With your help and your hard 
work, I will do so for the next 4 years.
    God bless. Thank you for coming. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 2:20 p.m. at the WesBanco Arena. In his 
remarks, he referred to Richard Casini, steelworker, ISG Weirton Inc.; 
Katherine Fortunato, West Virginia State chair, W Stands for Women 
Steering Committee; Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and the 
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 
Commission).