[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 9, 2004]
[Pages 1970-1977]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
September 9, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Thanks for 
coming. You know, it turns out I am the first sitting President to have 
visited Johnstown in more than 30 years. All those other Presidents sure 
missed out. Thanks for coming. I'm proud you came out. I'm honored you 
are here. I'm pleased to be with the good folks here in Johnstown. I 
know you like to hunt and fish. So do I. I know you care about your 
neighbors. I appreciate that. I know you take your baseball seriously. 
And from the looks of things, with your help, we'll carry Pennsylvania 
in November.
    I'm here to ask for your vote. And I'm here to ask for your help. We 
have a duty to vote in this country, and I'm here to

[[Page 1971]]

ask you to register your friends and neighbors and encourage them to do 
their duty. And when you're out registering people, don't overlook 
discerning Democrats. You might remember my friend Zell Miller. He represents a lot of folks who understand that when 
you put Dick Cheney and me back in office, this 
country will be safer, stronger, and better for every American.
    My regret is that Laura didn't come with me 
today.
    Audience members. Aw-w-w!
    The President. She was a public school 
librarian when I asked her to marry me. And she said, ``Fine, I'll marry 
you, so long as I don't have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I 
said, ``Okay.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. You saw 
her the other night in New York City. You saw how gracious she is, how 
strong she is. I love her dearly. I'm going to give you some reasons why 
I think you ought to put me back in office, but perhaps the most 
important one of all is so that Laura is First Lady for 4 more years.
    I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. I 
admit it, he doesn't have the waviest hair on the ticket. [Laughter] I 
didn't pick him for his looks. I picked him because he's a man of sound 
judgment and great experience and can get the job done for the American 
people.
    I appreciate Congressman Bill Shuster 
joining us today. He's been telling me all along I need to come to 
Johnstown, Pennsylvania. When I showed up, he said, ``You finally made 
it.'' I said, ``I made it just in time to rally these folks to get ready 
to win this election come November.''
    I want to thank your mayor, Don Zucco, 
for joining us today. Mr. Mayor, I'm proud you're here. Sometimes they 
say, ``Well, do you ever have any advice for the local officials?'' Mr. 
Mayor, fill the potholes. [Laughter] I appreciate you coming, Mayor.
    I want to thank all the State and local officials who are here. I 
want to thank my friend Victor Raia. He heads 
Veterans for Bush. And I want to thank all the veterans who have joined 
us here today as well.
    I want to thank the Wil Gravatt Band. I 
appreciate them playing here. I appreciate the high school band that's 
here tonight. Thank you for coming. I'm going to try to keep my speech 
short so you can get home and do your homework. [Laughter]
    I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here, the 
people who put up the signs and make the phone calls. I really 
appreciate your help. I know you're working hard, but keep working. And 
I'll be working right alongside of you.
    I'm looking forward to the campaign. I'm going to tell the people 
where I stand, where I--what I believe, and where I'm going to lead this 
Nation. I'm going to tell them that I have a plan to keep this country 
of ours safer and a more hopeful America. I'm running on a compassionate 
conservative philosophy that says, ``Government ought to help people, 
not dictate to people.''
    I believe every child can learn. That's what I believe. I went to 
Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. We've 
raised standards. We're measuring early to solve problems before it is 
too late. We're ending that old practice of just shuffling the kids 
through the system year after year without learning the basics. We trust 
the local people to make the right decisions for the schools. We're 
closing an achievement gap in America, and we're not turning back.
    I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with 
good health care. I went up to Washington to fix problems. We had a 
problem with Medicare. Let me give you one example. Medicare would pay 
tens of thousands of dollars for the heart surgery, and that's okay. But 
it wouldn't pay for the medicine to prevent the heart surgery from 
happening in the first place. It didn't make any sense for our seniors 
to have a Medicare system like that, and

[[Page 1972]]

it certainly didn't make sense for the taxpayers. We have modernized 
Medicare. Our seniors will get prescription drug coverage, and we're not 
turning back.
    I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of the American worker 
and farmer and small-business owner. And that's why we unleashed that 
energy with the largest tax relief in a generation. When you're out 
rounding up the vote, remind your friends and neighbors that we've been 
through a lot. This economy of ours has been through a lot. See, 5 
months before I got into office, the stock market had begun to decline. 
We had a recession. We had corporate scandals, which affected our 
economy. And of course, we had the attacks on our country. But we've 
overcome all these obstacles because we've got good workers, good small-
business owners. We've overcome them too because of well-timed tax cuts.
    And this economy of ours is strong, and it is getting stronger. Our 
economy has been growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. 
We're adding jobs here in America, about 1.7 million new jobs over the 
last 12 months. We've added 107,000 manufacturing jobs since January. 
The unemployment rate is now 5.4 percent. That is lower than the average 
rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment rate in your great 
State is 5.3 percent. The economic stimulus plan we passed is working.
    I believe a President must confront problems, not pass them on to 
future Presidents and future generations. 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 is not going to happen on my watch. I believe this 
Nation wants steady, consistent, principled leadership, and that is why, 
with your help, we're going to win a great victory in November.
    The world in which we live and work is changing. In the generations 
of our dads and granddads, a man generally had one job and one career, 
worked for one company, and the company provided health care and a 
pension plan. It's a different world today; I understand it's a 
different world today. Many women now work inside the home and outside 
the home. The workplace is changing. Many people change careers. Yet 
many of the most fundamental systems of our Government, the Tax Code, 
health coverage, pension plans, and worker training, were created for 
the world of yesterday, not tomorrow. In the next 4 years, we will 
transform these systems so that all citizens are equipped, prepared, and 
thus truly free to make your own choices, so you can realize the great 
promise of America.
    Listen, any hopeful society has a growing economy, and I've got a 
plan to keep this economy moving forward. To create more jobs in 
America, America must be the best place in the world to do business. 
That means we must reduce the regulatory burden on our small-business 
owners in America. To create more jobs in America, we must stop the junk 
lawsuits that threaten our employers. To keep jobs here and to expand 
our economy, Congress needs to pass my energy plan, a plan that 
encourage conservation, encourages renewable sources of energy like 
ethanol and biodiesel. It encourages clean coal technology. It is a plan 
that understands that we must become less dependent on foreign sources 
of energy.
    Listen, to create jobs here, we've got to open up markets for U.S. 
products. We open up our markets for goods from other countries, and 
that's good for the consumer. And it's good for you. If you've got more 
choices to choose from, you're likely to get the product you want at a 
better price and higher quality. So what I tell countries like China is, 
``You treat us the way we treat you.'' America can compete with anybody, 
anytime, anywhere so long as the rules are fair.
    To create jobs, we got to be wise about how we spend your money and 
keep your taxes low. We have a difference of opinion about taxes in this 
campaign. I'm running

[[Page 1973]]

against a fellow who has proposed more than $2 
trillion in new spending so far.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Awfully tempting when you're coming down the pike to 
tell everybody what they want to hear. So they said, ``Well, how are you 
going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh, that's 
simple. We'll just tax the rich.'' There's two problems with that. One 
is that you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for $2 
trillion. There's a gap between what he promises and what he says he's 
going to do. Guess who usually has to fill that gap? Yes. Here's the 
other problem. You've heard that rhetoric before, ``Oh, don't worry. 
We'll just tax the rich.'' They hire lawyers and accountants and dodge, 
and you get stuck with the bill. We're not going to let him tax you. 
We're going to win in November.
    Thinking about taxes, the Federal Tax Code needs to be changed. It's 
a complicated mess. It is full of special interest loopholes. Americans 
spend hours after hours filling out their tax form. They estimate about 
6 billion hours worth of paperwork and headache on an annual basis is 
spent by American workers and small-business owners and big businesses. 
You see, the American people need a simpler, fairer, progrowth Tax Code. 
In a new term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to simplify and make more 
fair the Federal Tax Code.
    The job base is changing, and we've got to help workers gain the 
skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. That's why I'm 
such a strong proponent of helping workers gain new skills at the 
community colleges across this country. Most new jobs are now filled by 
people with at least 2 years of college. Yet one in four of our students 
gets there. So in our high schools, we'll fund early intervention 
programs to help students at risk. We'll place an emphasis on math and 
science. Over time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By 
raising performance in our high schools and by expanding Pell grants for 
low- and middle-income families, we will help more Americans start their 
career with a college diploma.
    In this time of change, we will do more to make sure health care is 
available and affordable. More than half of the uninsured are employees 
of small businesses. Small businesses are having trouble with health 
care costs. In order to help those families and help small businesses, 
Government should allow small businesses to join together to purchase 
insurance at the discounts available for big companies.
    We will expand health savings accounts. We will make sure poor 
communities have got community health centers. And we've got to do 
something about these junk lawsuits. I'm telling you, the cost of 
medicine is on the rise because junk lawsuits are driving good docs out 
of practice and running up the cost of medicine here in America. You 
cannot be pro-doctor, pro-hospital, pro-patient, and pro-trial-lawyer at 
the same time. You have to choose. And my opponent has made his choice, and he put him on the ticket.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I have made my choice. I am for medical liability 
reform--now. 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 a changing society, ownership can help bring stability to 
people's lives. That's why we want more people owning their own home in 
America. The homeownership rate in America is at an alltime high right 
now. Isn't that fantastic? Think about that. More people are opening 
their front door, saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of 
property.'' We've got a plan to continue to expand homeownership to 
every community in this country.
    And we also want to make sure that our pension plans are modern and 
work. If you're an older citizen, you're in good shape when it comes to 
Social Security. If you're a baby boomer, like me, you're

[[Page 1974]]

in okay shape when it comes to Social Security. But we need to worry 
about our children and our grandchildren. I believe younger workers 
ought to be able to take some of their own money and set it aside in a 
personal account to make sure Social Security is available.
    We have a difference of philosophy in this campaign. If you listen 
carefully to the rhetoric, my opponent's programs 
expand Government. My programs expand opportunity. And I feel 
comfortable doing that because I think the role of Government is to 
trust the people, trust the people with their own decisions, trust the 
people with their own money, trust the people to make the right 
judgment.
    In a world of change, there's some things that just do not change, 
the values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and 
integrity. In a time of change, we must support the institutions that 
give us stability, our families, our schools, and our religious 
congregations.
    We stand for a culture of live in which every person counts and 
every being matters. We stand for marriage and family, which are the 
foundations of our society. And I stand for the appointment of Federal 
judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict 
interpretation of the law.
    This election will also determine how America responds to the 
continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of September 
the 11th, 2001, 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're defending the homeland. We're 
transforming our military. And we're reforming and strengthening the 
intelligence services. We're staying on the offensive. We're striking 
the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. We will work to advance liberty in the broader Middle 
East and around the world, and we will prevail. Our strategy is 
succeeding. 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.
    Because we led, because we acted, the Government of a free 
Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is capturing terrorists; 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 
brought to justice. We have led. Many have joined, and America and the 
world are safer.
    This progress involved careful diplomacy and 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 and using weapons of 
mass destruction. And we know that after September the 11th, this Nation 
must think differently. We must take threats seriously before they fully 
materialize.
    In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. I 
went to the United States Congress. I said, ``Take a look at this 
threat,'' and they took a look at the same intelligence I looked at. 
They remembered the same history I remembered. They concluded that 
Saddam Hussein was a threat and authorized the use of force. My 
opponent looked at the very same intelligence I 
looked at, came to the same conclusion we came to, and he authorized the 
use of force.
    Before the Commander in Chief commits troops into combat, we must 
try all means to deal with any threat. See, I was hopeful diplomacy 
would work. And so I went to the United Nations, and I gave a speech at 
the U.N. They looked at the

[[Page 1975]]

same intelligence I looked at. They remembered the same history we 
remembered. And with a 15-to-nothing vote, the United Nations Security 
Council voted that Saddam Hussein must 
disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.
    But as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein wasn't interested in what the free world has to say. 
As a matter of fact, he systematically deceived the inspectors that were 
sent into his country. So I had a choice to make, a choice that only 
comes to the Oval Office, a choice nobody wants to make but must be 
prepared to make: Do I trust the word of a madman and forget the lessons 
of September the 11th, or do I take action to defend America? Given that 
choice, I will defend our country every time.
    Because we acted, because we acted to defend our country, 50 million 
people now live in freedom. Fifty million people are free. In 
Afghanistan, the world has changed since those dark days when young 
girls weren't allowed to go to school and their mothers were whipped in 
the public square. The Taliban were barbaric people. They were backward. 
They had a dim vision of the world. Today, Afghanistan is an ally. 
They're helping us in the war on terror, and over 10 million Afghan 
citizens have registered to vote in the upcoming Presidential elections. 
It's amazing.
    Despite ongoing violence, Iraq now has a strong Prime 
Minister, a National Council, and national 
elections are scheduled for January. We are standing with the people of 
Afghanistan and Iraq because when America gives its word, America must 
keep its word. We're also standing with them because we're 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 
makes America more secure, and it makes the world more peaceful.
    Our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We'll help new leaders 
to train their armies and their police forces so citizens in those 
countries can do the hard work of defending the hopes of many against 
the terror of a few. We'll help them get on their way to elections. 
We'll help them become more stable, and then our troops will return home 
with the honor they've earned.
    I'm proud of our military. I'm proud of our military, and I know you 
are as well. We've got a fantastic United States military. I've had the 
privilege of meeting with the service men and women who wear our 
uniform. I've seen their unselfish courage. I know their great decency. 
The cause of freedom is in really good hands.
    I have made a pledge to those who wear the uniform and their 
families that they will have all the support they need to complete their 
missions. That's why, a year ago, I went to the United States Congress 
and proposed supplemental funding of $87 billion to help our troops in 
not only Iraq, but Afghanistan. It was important funding, really 
important funding. It was a really important funding request because it 
funded body armor and spare parts, ammunition, fuel, supplies needed for 
people to do their jobs. And we received great bipartisan support, so 
strong that only 12 United States Senators voted against the funding 
request.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Two of those Senators were my opponent and his runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. In fact, only four United States Senators voted to 
authorize the use of force and then voted against funding our troops. 
Two of those Senators--two of those four were my opponent and his runningmate. When asked 
to explain his vote, he said, ``Well, I actually did vote for the $87 
billion, before I voted against it.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Now, I suspect that not many people in Johnstown, 
Pennsylvania,

[[Page 1976]]

talks that way. They kept asking him. He said, 
well, he was proud of the vote. And finally, my opponent said, ``The 
whole thing is a complicated matter.'' There is nothing complicated 
about supporting our troops in combat.
    After voting for the war but against funding it, after saying 
he would have voted for the war even knowing 
everything we know today, my opponent woke up this week--[laughter]--
with new campaign advisers and yet another new position. Suddenly, he's 
against it again.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. No matter how many times he 
flip-flops, we were right to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
    I appreciate the contributions our friends and allies are making. I 
spoke with Tony Blair this morning. He's got a 
clear vision. He's a good, strong leader. Every time I talk to him, I 
thank him for his contributions. You know, we put together a broad 
coalition--some 40 nations in Afghanistan, some 30 in Iraq. And I will 
continue, over the next 4 years, to build our alliances, to strengthen 
our relationships. But I will never turn over America's national 
security decisions to leaders of other countries.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. I believe in the transformational power of liberty. 
The wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom. I like to 
tell the people that I've spent time with the Prime Minister of 
Japan during my 3\1/2\ years as President. 
I like him a lot. He's a good fellow. The amazing thing about my 
discussions with him is that here I am, sitting down with somebody that 
our country was at war with some 60 years ago--my dad, I'm sure your dads or granddads fought against the 
Japanese. They were our sworn enemy. Yet right after World War II, 
President Harry Truman and many Americans believed that by helping the 
Japanese self-govern and become a democracy, that liberty would 
transform an enemy into a friend. And sure enough, it worked, because, 
guess what, Prime Minister Koizumi and I sit around the table talking 
about how to make the world more peaceful, talking about how to use our 
respective positions in the world to make our countries more secure and 
the world a better place. Someday, an American President and a duly 
elected leader from Iraq will be sitting down at the table talking about 
the peace.
    I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence for 
their liberty. I believe that if given the chance, they will embrace the 
most honorable form of government ever devised by man. I believe these 
things because freedom is not America's gift to the world; it is the 
Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
    This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting freedom 
at home and freedom abroad, we will build a safer world and a more 
hopeful America. By reforming our systems of Government, we'll help more 
Americans realize their dreams. We'll spread ownership and opportunity 
to every corner of the land. We will pass the enduring values of our 
country on to a new generation, and we will continue to work for freedom 
and peace.
    For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand 
apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is 
expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a time 
when we need firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the values 
that makes this a great nation.
    None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another 
began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin 
Towers. It's a day I'll never forget. There were workers in hardhats 
yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember trying to console the 
first-responders, the brave firefighters and policemen who had gone into 
rubble and come out emptyhanded--a lot of them had come out emptyhanded. 
They'd lost their buddies. A guy looked me right in the eye,

[[Page 1977]]

and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' I wake up every morning thinking 
about how to better protect our country. I will never relent in 
defending America, whatever it takes.
    Four years ago, as I traveled this great State asking for the vote, 
I made a pledge that if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold 
the honor and the dignity of the office to which I had been elected. 
With your help and with your hard work, I will do so for the next 4 
years.
    God bless. Thank you all. Thanks for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 5:06 p.m. at the Cambria County War 
Memorial Arena. In his remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of 
Georgia, who made the keynote address at the 2004 Republican National 
Convention; Mayor Donato B. Zucco of Johnstown, PA; Prime Minister Ayad 
Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the 
United Kingdom; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.