[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 2, 2004]
[Pages 1855-1863]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National 
Convention in New York City
September 2, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Mr. Chairman, delegates, fellow 
citizens: I am honored by your support, and I accept your nomination for 
President of the United States.
    When I said those words 4 years ago, none of us could have 
envisioned what these years would bring. In the heart of this great 
city, we saw tragedy arrive on a quiet morning. We saw the bravery of 
rescuers grow with danger. We learned of passengers on a doomed plane 
who died with a courage that frightened their killers. We have seen a 
shaken economy rise to its feet. And we have seen Americans in uniform 
storming mountain strongholds and charging through sandstorms and 
liberating millions with acts of valor that would make the men of 
Normandy proud.
    Since 2001, Americans have been given hills to climb and found the 
strength to climb them. Now, because we have made the hard journey, we 
can see the valley below. Now, because we have faced challenges with 
resolve, we have historic goals within our reach and greatness in our 
future. We will build a safer world and a more hopeful America, and 
nothing will hold us back.
    In the work we have done and the work we will do, I am fortunate to 
have a superb Vice President. I have counted on 
Dick Cheney's calm and steady judgment in difficult days, and I am 
honored to have him at my side.
    I am grateful to share my walk in life with Laura Bush. Americans have come to see the goodness and kindness 
and strength I first saw 26 years ago, and we love our First Lady.
    I'm a fortunate father of two spirited, intelligent, and 
lovely young women. 
I'm blessed with a sister and brothers who are my closest friends. And I 
will always be the proud and grateful son of George and Barbara Bush.
    My father served 8 years at the side of 
another great American, Ronald Reagan. His spirit of optimism and good 
will and decency are in this hall and are in our hearts and will always 
define our party.
    Two months from today, voters will make a choice based on the 
records we have built, the convictions we hold, and the vision that 
guides us forward. A Presidential election is a contest for the future. 
Tonight I will tell you where I stand, what I believe, and where I will 
lead this country in the next 4 years.

[[Page 1856]]

    I believe every child can learn and every school must teach, so we 
passed the most important Federal education reform in history. Because 
we acted, children are making sustained progress in reading and math; 
America's schools are getting better; and nothing will hold us back.
    I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor America's seniors, 
so I brought Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen Medicare. 
Now seniors are getting immediate help buying medicine; soon every 
senior will be able to get prescription drug coverage; and nothing will 
hold us back.
    I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of America's workers, 
entrepreneurs, farmers, and ranchers, so we unleashed that energy with 
the largest tax relief in a generation. Because we acted, our economy is 
growing again and creating jobs, and nothing will hold us back.
    I believe the most solemn duty of the American President is to 
protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in 
this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen 
on my watch.
    I'm running for President with a clear and positive plan to build a 
safer world and a more hopeful America. I'm running with a compassionate 
conservative philosophy, that government should help people improve 
their lives, not try to run their lives. I believe this Nation wants 
steady, consistent, principled leadership, and that is why, with your 
help, we will win this election.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. The story of America is the story of expanding 
liberty, an ever-widening circle, constantly growing to reach further 
and include more. Our Nation's founding commitment is still our deepest 
commitment: In our world and here at home, we will extend the frontiers 
of freedom.
    The times in which we work and live are changing dramatically. The 
workers of our parents' generation typically had one job, one skill, one 
career, often with one company that provided health care and a pension. 
And most of those workers were men. Today, workers change jobs, even 
careers, many times during their lives. And in one of the most dramatic 
shifts our society has seen, two-thirds of all moms also work outside 
the home.
    This changed world can be a time of great opportunity for all 
Americans to earn a better living, support your family, and have a 
rewarding career. And Government must take your side. Many of our most 
fundamental systems, the Tax Code, health coverage, pension plans, 
worker training, were created for the world of yesterday, not tomorrow. 
We will transform these systems so that all citizens are equipped, 
prepared--and thus truly free--to make your own choices and pursue your 
own dreams.
    My plan begins with providing the security and opportunity of a 
growing economy. We now compete in a global market that provides new 
buyers for our goods but new competition for our workers. To create more 
jobs in America, America must be the best place in the world to do 
business. To create jobs, my plan will encourage investment and 
expansion by restraining Federal spending, reducing regulation, and 
making the tax relief permanent. To create jobs, we will make our 
country less dependent on foreign sources of energy. To create jobs, we 
will expand trade and level the playing field to sell American goods and 
services across the globe. And we must protect small-business owners and 
workers from the explosion of frivolous lawsuits that threaten jobs 
across our country.
    Another drag on our economy is the current Tax Code, which is a 
complicated mess, filled with special interest loopholes, saddling our 
people with more than 6 billion hours of paperwork and headache every 
year. The American people deserve--

[[Page 1857]]

and our economic future demands--a simpler, fairer, progrowth system. In 
a new term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to reform and simplify the 
Federal Tax Code.
     Another priority in a new term will be to help workers take 
advantage of the expanding economy to find better and higher paying 
jobs. In this time of change, many workers want to go back to school to 
learn different or higher level skills. So we will double the number of 
people served by our principal job training program and increase funding 
for our community colleges. I know that with the right skills, American 
workers can compete with anyone, anywhere in the world.
    In this time of change, opportunity in some communities is more 
distant than in others. To stand with workers in poor communities and 
those that have lost manufacturing, textile, and other jobs, we will 
create American opportunity zones. In these areas, we will provide tax 
relief and other incentives to attract new business and improve housing 
and job training to bring hope and work throughout all of America.
    As I've traveled the country, I've met many workers and small-
business owners who have told me that they are worried they cannot 
afford health care. More than half of the uninsured are small-business 
employees and their families. In a new term, we must allow small firms 
to join together to purchase insurance at the discounts available to big 
companies.
    We will offer a tax credit to encourage small businesses and their 
employees to set up health savings accounts and provide direct help for 
low-income Americans to purchase them. These accounts give workers the 
security of insurance against major illness, the opportunity to save 
tax-free for routine health expenses, and the freedom of knowing you can 
take your account with you whenever you change jobs. We will provide 
low-income Americans with better access to health care. In a new term, I 
will ensure every poor county in America has a community or rural health 
center.
    As I have traveled our country, I have met too many good doctors, 
especially ob-gyns, who are being forced out of practice because of the 
high cost of lawsuits. To make health care more affordable and 
accessible, we must pass medical liability reform now. And in all we do 
to improve health care in America, we will make sure that health 
decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in 
Washington, DC.
    In this time of change, Government must take the side of working 
families. In a new term, we will change outdated labor laws to offer 
comp-time and flex-time. Our laws should never stand in the way of a 
more family-friendly workplace.
    Another priority for a new term is to build an ownership society, 
because ownership brings security and dignity and independence.
    Thanks to our policies, homeownership in America is at an alltime 
high. Tonight we set a new goal: 7 million more affordable homes in the 
next 10 years so more American families will be able to open the door 
and say, ``Welcome to my home.''
    In an ownership society, more people will own their health care 
plans and have the confidence of owning a piece of their retirement. 
We'll always keep the promise of Social Security for our older workers. 
With the huge baby boom generation approaching retirement, many of our 
children and grandchildren understandably worry whether Social Security 
will be there when they need it. We must strengthen Social Security by 
allowing younger workers to save some of their taxes in a personal 
account, a nest egg you can call your own and Government can never take 
away.
    In all these proposals, we seek to provide not just a Government 
program but a path, a path to greater opportunity, more freedom, and 
more control over your own life.
    And the path begins with our youngest Americans. To build a more 
hopeful America, we must help our children reach as far as their vision 
and character can take

[[Page 1858]]

them. Tonight I remind every parent and every teacher, I say to every 
child: No matter what your circumstance, no matter where you live, your 
school will be the path to promise of America.
    We are transforming our schools by raising standards and focusing on 
results. We are insisting on accountability, empowering parents and 
teachers, and making sure that local people are in charge of their 
schools. By testing every child, we are identifying those who need help, 
and we are providing a record level of funding to get them that help. In 
northeast Georgia, Gainesville Elementary School is mostly Hispanic and 
90 percent poor, and this year 90 percent of the students passed State 
tests in reading and math. The principal expresses the philosophy of his 
school this way: ``We don't focus on what we can't do at this school. We 
focus on what we can do, and we do whatever it takes to get kids across 
the finish line.'' See, this principal is challenging the soft bigotry 
of low expectations. And that is the spirit of our education reform and 
the commitment of our country: No dejaremos a ningun nino atras. We will 
leave no child behind.
    Audience members. Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!
    We are making progress--we are making progress, and there is more to 
do. In this time of change, most new jobs are filled by people with at 
least 2 years of college, yet only about one in four students gets 
there. In our high schools, we will fund early intervention programs to 
help students at risk. We will place a new focus on math and science. As 
we make progress, we will require a rigorous exam before graduation. By 
raising performance in our high schools and expanding Pell grants for 
low- and middle-income families, we will help more Americans start their 
career with a college diploma.
    America's children must also have a healthy start in life. In a new 
term, we will lead an aggressive effort to enroll millions of poor 
children who are eligible but not signed up for the Government's health 
insurance programs. We will not allow a lack of attention or information 
to stand between these children and the health care they need.
    Anyone who wants more details on my agenda can find them online. The 
web address is not very imaginative, but it's easy to remember: 
georgewbush.com.
    These changing times can be exciting times of expanded opportunity. 
And here, you face a choice. My opponent's policies are dramatically 
different from ours. Senator Kerry opposed 
Medicare reform and health savings accounts. After supporting my 
education reforms, he now wants to dilute them. He opposes legal and 
medical liability reform. He opposed reducing the marriage penalty, 
opposed doubling the child credit, opposed lowering income taxes for all 
who pay them.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Wait a minute--wait a minute. To be fair, there are 
some things my opponent is for. [Laughter] He's 
proposed more than $2 trillion in Federal spending so far, and that's a 
lot, even for a Senator from Massachusetts. And to pay for that 
spending, he's running on a platform of increasing taxes, and that's the 
kind of promise a politician usually keeps. [Laughter]
    His tax--his policies of tax and spend, of 
expanding Government rather than expanding opportunity, are the politics 
of the past. We are on the path to the future, and we're not turning 
back.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. In this world of change, some things do not change, 
the values we try to live by, the institutions that give our lives 
meaning and purpose. Our society rests on a foundation of responsibility 
and character and family commitment.
    Because family and work are sources of stability and dignity, I 
support welfare reform that strengthens family and requires work. 
Because a caring society will value

[[Page 1859]]

its weakest members, we must make a place for the unborn child. Because 
religious charities provide a safety net of mercy and compassion, our 
Government must never discriminate against them. Because the union of a 
man and woman deserves an honored place in our society, I support the 
protection of marriage against activist judges, and I will continue to 
appoint Federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion 
and the strict interpretation of the law.
    My opponent recently announced that he is the 
conservative--the candidate of ``conservative values''--must have come 
as a surprise to a lot of his supporters. [Laughter] There's some 
problems with this claim. If you say the heart and soul of America is 
found in Hollywood, I'm afraid you are not the candidate of conservative 
values. If you voted against the bipartisan Defense of Marriage Act, 
which President Clinton signed, you are 
not the candidate of conservative values. If you gave a speech, as my 
opponent did, calling the Reagan Presidency 8 years of ``moral 
darkness,'' then you may be a lot of things, but the candidate of 
conservative values is not one of them.
    This election will also determine how America responds to the 
continuing danger of terrorism, and you know where I stand. Three days 
after September the 11th, I stood where Americans died, in the ruins of 
the Twin Towers. Workers in hardhats were shouting to me, ``Whatever it 
takes.'' A fellow grabbed me by the arm, and he said, ``Do not let me 
down.'' Since that day, I wake up every morning thinking about how to 
better protect our country. I will never relent in defending America, 
whatever it takes.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. So we have fought the terrorists across the Earth--
not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are 
at stake. Our strategy is clear. We have tripled funding for homeland 
security and trained a half a million first-responders, because we are 
determined to protect our homeland. We are transforming our military and 
reforming and strengthening our intelligence services. We are staying on 
the offensive, striking terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them 
here at home. And we are working to advance liberty in the broader 
Middle East, because freedom will bring a future of hope and the peace 
we all want. And we will prevail.
    Our strategy is succeeding.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of Al 
Qaida; Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist groups; Saudi Arabia 
was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising; Libya was secretly 
pursuing nuclear weapons; Iraq was a gathering threat; and Al Qaida was 
largely unchallenged as it planned attacks. Today, the Government of a 
free Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is capturing terrorist 
leaders; Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests; Libya is dismantling 
its weapons programs; the army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom; 
and more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates 
have been detained or killed. We have led; many have joined; and America 
and the world are safer.
    This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and 
some tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam 
Hussein's record of aggression and support 
for terror. We knew his long history of pursuing, even using weapons of 
mass destruction. And we know that September the 11th requires our 
country to think differently. We must and we will confront threats to 
America before it is too late.
    In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. 
Members of both political parties, including----
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

[[Page 1860]]

    The President. Members of both political parties, including my 
opponent and his runningmate, saw the threat and voted to authorize the use of force. 
We went to the United Nations Security Council, which passed a unanimous 
resolution demanding the dictator disarm or face serious consequences. 
Leaders in the Middle East urged him to comply. After more than a decade 
of diplomacy, we gave Saddam Hussein another chance, a final chance, to 
meet his responsibilities to the civilized world. He again refused, and 
I faced the kind of decision that comes only to the Oval Office, a 
decision no President would ask for but must be prepared to make: Do I 
forget the lessons of September the 11th and take the word of a madman, 
or do I take action to defend our country? Faced with that choice, I 
will defend America every time.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. Because we acted to defend our country, the murderous 
regimes of Saddam Hussein and the Taliban are 
history, more than 50 million people have been liberated, and democracy 
is coming to the broader Middle East. In Afghanistan, terrorists have 
done everything they can to intimidate people, yet more than 10 million 
citizens have registered to vote in the October Presidential election, a 
resounding endorsement for democracy. Despite ongoing acts of violence, 
Iraq now has a strong Prime Minister, a national 
council, and national elections are scheduled for January. Our Nation is 
standing with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, because when America 
gives its word, America must keep its word.
    As importantly, we are serving a vital and historic cause that will 
make our country safer. Free societies in the Middle East will be 
hopeful societies which no longer feed resentments and breed violence 
for export. Free governments in the Middle East will fight terrorists 
instead of harboring them, and that helps us keep the peace. So our 
mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear: We will help new leaders to 
train their armies and move toward elections and get on the path of 
stability and democracy as quickly as possible. And then our troops will 
return home with the honor they have earned.
    Our troops know the historic importance of our work. One Army 
specialist wrote home: ``We are transforming a once sick society into a 
hopeful place.'' ``The various terrorist enemies we are facing in 
Iraq,'' he continued, ``are really aiming at you back in the United 
States. This is a test of will for our country. We soldiers of yours are 
doing great and scoring victories and confronting the evil terrorists.''
    That young man is right. Our men and women in uniform are doing a 
superb job for America. Tonight I want to speak to all of them and to 
their families: You are involved in a struggle of historic proportion. 
Because of your service and sacrifice, we are defeating the terrorists 
where they live and plan, and you're making America safer. Because of 
you, women in Afghanistan are no longer shot in a sports stadium. 
Because of you, the people of Iraq no longer fear being executed and 
left in mass graves. Because of you, the world is more just and will be 
more peaceful. We owe you our thanks, and we owe you something more. We 
will give you all the resources, all the tools, and all the support you 
need for victory.
    Again, my opponent and I have different 
approaches. I proposed and the Congress overwhelmingly passed $87 
billion in funding needed by our troops doing battle in Afghanistan and 
Iraq. My opponent and his runningmate voted against this money for bullets and fuel and 
vehicles and body armor.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. When asked to explain his vote, the Senator said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before 
I voted against it.''

[[Page 1861]]

    Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
    The President. Then he said he was proud of 
that vote. Then, when pressed, he said it was a complicated matter. 
There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
    Our allies also know the historic importance of our work. About 40 
nations stand beside us in Afghanistan and some 30 in Iraq. I deeply 
appreciate the courage and wise counsel of leaders like Prime Minister 
Howard, President Kwasniewski, Prime Minister Berlusconi, and, of course, Prime Minister Tony Blair.
    Again, my opponent takes a different 
approach. In the midst of war, he has called American allies, quote, ``a 
coalition of the coerced and the bribed.'' That would be nations like 
Great Britain, Poland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, El 
Salvador, Australia, and others, allies that deserve the respect of all 
Americans, not the scorn of a politician. I respect every soldier from 
every country who serves beside us in the hard work of history. America 
is grateful, and America will not forget.
    The people we have freed won't forget either. Not long ago, seven 
Iraqi men came to see me in the Oval Office. They had X's branded into 
their foreheads, and their right hands had been cut off by Saddam 
Hussein's secret police, the sadistic 
punishment for imaginary crimes. During our emotional visit, one of the 
Iraqi men used his new prosthetic hand to slowly write out, in Arabic, a 
prayer for God to bless America. I am proud that our country remains the 
hope of the oppressed and the greatest force for good on this Earth.
    Others understand the historic importance of our work. The 
terrorists know. They know that a vibrant, successful democracy at the 
heart of the Middle East will discredit their radical ideology of hate. 
They know that men and women with hope and purpose and dignity do not 
strap bombs on their bodies and kill the innocent. The terrorists are 
fighting freedom with all their cunning and cruelty because freedom is 
their greatest fear. And they should be afraid, because freedom is on 
the march.
    I believe in the transformational power of liberty. The wisest use 
of American strength is to advance freedom. As the citizens of 
Afghanistan and Iraq seize the moment, their example will send a message 
of hope throughout a vital region. Palestinians will hear the message 
that democracy and reform are within their reach, and so is peace with 
our good friend Israel. Young women across the Middle East will hear the 
message that their day of equality and justice is coming. Young men will 
hear the message that national progress and dignity are found in 
liberty, not tyranny and terror. Reformers and political prisoners and 
exiles will hear the message that their dream of freedom cannot be 
denied forever. And as freedom advances, heart by heart and nation by 
nation, America will be more secure and the world more peaceful.
    America has done this kind of work before, and there have always 
been doubters. In 1946, 18 months after the fall of Berlin to Allied 
forces, a journalist in the New York Times wrote this: ``Germany is a 
land in an acute stage of economic, political, and moral crisis. 
European capitals are frightened. In every military headquarters, one 
meets alarmed officials doing their utmost to deal with the consequences 
of the occupation policy that they admit has failed.'' End quote. Maybe 
that same person is still around, writing editorials. Fortunately, we 
had a resolute President named Truman who, with the American people, 
persevered, knowing that a new democracy at the center of Europe would 
lead to stability and peace. And because that generation of Americans 
held firm in the cause of liberty, we live in a better and safer world 
today.
    The progress we and our friends and allies seek in the broader 
Middle East will

[[Page 1862]]

not come easily or all at once. Yet Americans, of all people, should 
never be surprised by the power of liberty to transform lives and 
nations. That power brought settlers on perilous journeys, inspired 
colonies to rebellion, ended the sin of slavery, and set our Nation 
against the tyrannies of the 20th century. We were honored to aid the 
rise of democracy in Germany and Japan and Nicaragua and Central Europe 
and the Baltics, and that noble story goes on. I believe that America is 
called to lead the cause of freedom in a new century. I believe that 
millions in the Middle East plead in silence for their liberty. I 
believe that given the chance, they will embrace the most honorable form 
of government ever devised by man. I believe all these things because 
freedom is not America's gift to the world; it is the Almighty God's 
gift to every man and woman in this world.
    This moment in the life of our country will be remembered. 
Generations will know if we kept our faith and kept our word. 
Generations will know if we seized this moment and used it to build a 
future of safety and peace. The freedom of many and the future security 
of our Nation now depend on us. And tonight, my fellow Americans, I ask 
you to stand with me.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. In the last 4 years, you and I have come to know each 
other. Even when we don't agree, at least you know what I believe and 
where I stand. You may have noticed I have a few flaws too. People 
sometimes have to correct my English. [Laughter] I knew I had a problem 
when Arnold Schwarzenegger started 
doing it. [Laughter] Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, 
which in Texas is called walking. [Laughter] Now and then I come across 
as a little too blunt, and for that we can all thank the white-haired 
lady sitting right up there. [Laughter]
    One thing I have learned about the Presidency is that whatever 
shortcomings you have, people are going to notice them--[laughter]--and 
whatever strengths you have, you're going to need them. These 4 years 
have brought moments I could not foresee and will not forget. I've tried 
to comfort Americans who lost the most on September the 11th, people who 
showed me a picture or told me a story so I would know how much was 
taken from them. I've learned firsthand that ordering Americans into 
battle is the hardest decision, even when it is right. I have returned 
the salute of wounded soldiers, some with a very tough road ahead, who 
say they were just doing their job. I've held the children of the 
fallen, who are told their dad or mom is a hero but would rather just 
have their mom or dad. I've met with the parents and wives and husbands 
who have received a folded flag and said a final goodbye to a soldier 
they loved.
    I am awed that so many have used those meetings to say that I'm in 
their prayers and to offer encouragement to me. Where does that--
strength like that come from? How can people so burdened with sorrow 
also feel such pride? It is because they know their loved one was last 
seen doing good, because they know that liberty was precious to the one 
they lost. And in those military families, I have seen the character of 
a great nation, decent, idealistic, and strong.
    The world saw that spirit 3 miles from here when the people of this 
city faced peril together and lifted a flag over the ruins and defied 
the enemy with their courage. My fellow Americans, for as long as our 
country stands, people will look to the resurrection of New York City 
and they will say, ``Here buildings fell. Here a nation rose.''
    We see America's character in our military, which finds a way or 
makes one. We see it in our veterans, who are supporting military 
families in their days of worry. We see it in our young people, who have 
found heroes once again. We see that character in workers and 
entrepreneurs, who are renewing our economy with their effort and

[[Page 1863]]

optimism. And all of this has confirmed one belief beyond doubt: Having 
come this far, our tested and confident Nation can achieve anything.
    To everything we know there is a season, a time for sadness, a time 
for struggle, a time for rebuilding. And now we have reached a time for 
hope. This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting liberty 
abroad, we will build a safer world. By encouraging liberty at home, we 
will build a more hopeful America. Like generations before us, we have a 
calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom. This is the 
everlasting dream of America, and tonight, in this place, that dream is 
renewed. Now we go forward, grateful for our freedom, faithful to our 
cause, and confident in the future of the greatest nation on Earth.
    May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our great country. 
Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:08 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. In his 
remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim 
Government; Prime Minister John Howard of Australia; President 
Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland; Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of 
Italy; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; and Gov. Arnold 
Schwarzenegger of California.