[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 16, 2004]
[Pages 2085-2093]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Rochester, Minnesota
September 16, 2004
The President. Thank you all.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Thank you all. That's what I'm here to tell you. I'm
ready to serve this country for 4 more years. Thanks for coming.
Rochester, Minnesota, is a fantastic city. I appreciate--I know
something about it. You see, my mother is a
trustee of the Mayo Clinic, and I'm still listening to my mother, after
all these years. And she said, ``When you get over to Rochester, you
tell them to keep doing what they're doing, and Barbara Bush sends her
best.''
Thanks for coming out today. Today, as I traveled your State on the
bus, I've been on the telephone getting updates on the devastation being
caused by Hurricane Ivan in Florida and Alabama and parts of Mississippi
and Louisiana. Federal teams are there to do everything possible to help
the folks down there. I know all my fellow Americans join me in sending
our prayers and concern for the families who lost loved ones and for
those whose lives are being affected by this devastating storm.
I also want to express my sympathy and concern for the people just
down the road in Austin, Minnesota, and the surrounding areas who have
been affected by flash flooding there.
I've had a great day traveling your State--St. Cloud, Anoka, the
Halloween capital of America--[laughter]--Blaine, Minnesota, and right
here in Rochester. What a great way to spend a day. I kind of like to
spend an afternoon in the ballpark. I also like coming to ask people for
their vote, and that's what I'm doing here in the great State of
Minnesota. I want your vote. I also want your help. I'm traveling on
this bus to let people know that I'd like your help coming down the
stretch in this campaign.
We have a duty in this country to vote. And I'd like you to go out
and register your friends and neighbors to vote. Remind them we have an
obligation in a free society to go to the polls. And when you're
registering people, don't overlook discerning Democrats like Zell
Miller. And after you get people registered to
vote--and voting time is around the corner--get them headed to the
polls, and tell them if they want a safer America, a stronger
[[Page 2086]]
America, and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
My only regret of today is that Laura is not
traveling with me. When I asked her to marry me, she said, ``Fine, just
so long as I don't ever have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I
said, ``Okay.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to her word. The
American people in New York City got to see a compassionate, strong,
fine First Lady in Laura Bush. Today I'm going to give you some reasons
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 First Lady for 4 more
years.
I want to thank my friend Gil Gutknecht,
the fine United States Congressman from this part of the world. I
appreciate his service. I appreciate working with him to do what's right
for our country. He's a stalwart friend, and he's a great Member of
Congress.
Today I had the privilege of being on the bus with your Governor,
Tim Pawlenty, who has done such a fine job
for the people of Minnesota. I'm proud to work with United States
Senator Norm Coleman. I want to thank all the
State and local officials who are here. I want to thank the people
running for office.
I want to thank the grassroots activists. You are the people who put
up the signs and make the phone calls and do all the hard work and never
get enough credit. I'm here to give you credit for what you have done
and what you're going to do, as we're coming down the pike. There's no
doubt in my mind, with your help, we will carry the great State of
Minnesota.
I'm looking forward to this campaign. I like to get out amongst the
people and tell people where I stand, what I believe, and where I'm
going to lead this Nation for the next 4 years. I believe every child
can learn and every school must teach. I went to Washington, DC, to
challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. I didn't like a system
that just shuffled kids through the schools, year after year, without
learning the basics. So we raised standards. We measure early to solve
problems before it's too late. We believe in local control of schools.
We're closing an achievement gap here in America, and we're not turning
back.
I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our citizens with
good health care. I went up to Washington to solve problems. We had a
problem in Medicare. Medicine was modernizing. Medicare wasn't. Medicare
would pay $100,000 for heart surgery and would not pay for the
prescription drugs to prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the
first place. That didn't make any sense. It didn't make any sense for
our seniors. It certainly didn't make any sense for the taxpayers. We've
modernized Medicare. In 2006, our seniors are going to get prescription
drug coverage, and we're not turning back.
I believe in the energy and innovation and spirit of our workers,
our small-business owners, our farmers, and ranchers. And that is why we
unleashed that energy with the largest tax relief in a generation.
Listen, when you're out gathering the vote, when you're out there in the
hustings convincing people to go to the polls, remind them what this
economy has been through. We've been through a recession. We had
corporate scandals. We passed tough laws in Washington. By the way, it's
now abundantly clear we're not going to tolerate dishonesty in the
boardrooms of America. And the attack on our country hurt. It hurt
people looking for work. They estimate in the 3 months after September
the 11th, we lost a million jobs.
But we're overcoming these obstacles. 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've added 1.7 million new
jobs in the last 12 months. The national unemployment rate is at 5.4
percent, which is lower than the average of 1970s, 1980s,
[[Page 2087]]
and 1990s. The unemployment rate in Minnesota is less than 5 percent.
This economy is overcoming the obstacles we have faced, and we're not
turning back.
I believe the most solemn duty of the American President is to
protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty and weakness
in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not
happen on my watch. I am 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 with your
help, we're going to win a great victory in November.
Listen, the world in which we live is changing. You know, when our
dads and granddads were coming up, a man usually worked at one company
all his life, and there was a pension plan and health care. And women
stayed at home. This world of ours is different. Men change--or people
change careers and jobs often. And women not only work inside the house;
they're now working outside the house. And yet the systems of our
Government, the fundamental systems haven't changed with the times. Tax
Code, health care, pensions plans, worker training were created for the
world of yesterday, not tomorrow. In the new term, we'll transform these
systems so all citizens are equipped, prepared, and thus truly free to
be able to make your own choices and to pursue the great American Dream.
A hopeful society is one in which the economy grows. The best way to
keep jobs here in America is to make sure America is the best place in
the world to do business. To make sure we have jobs here, we've got to
lessen the regulations on our job creators. To make sure we have jobs
here in America, we've got to stop these frivolous lawsuits that are
plaguing small-business owners.
To create jobs here, Congress needs to pass my energy plan. I
proposed a plan over 2 years ago that encourages conservation, that uses
technologies to explore for hydrocarbons in environmentally friendly
ways, that promotes clean coal technology, that uses ethanol and
biodiesel. It's an energy plan that understands in order to keep jobs in
America, we must be less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
To create jobs, we've got to reject economic isolationism and open
up markets for our farmers and entrepreneurs. We open up our market, and
it's good for you. When you have more choices, you're likely to get the
product you want at better quality and better price. And so what I tell
countries like China and elsewhere is, ``You treat us the way we treat
you.'' I say that because I know we can compete with anybody, anytime,
anywhere, so long as the rules are fair.
Listen, to create jobs, we've got to be wise about how we spend your
money and keep your taxes low. Taxes are an issue in this campaign.
They're an issue. I'm running against a fellow
who's promised 2.2 trillion--that's with a ``T''--new dollars so far.
And we're coming down--we haven't even got to the stretch run yet.
[Laughter] So they said to him, ``Well, how are you going to pay for
it?'' He said, ``Oh, that's easy, we're just going to tax the rich.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. You've heard that before, haven't you? Yes. First of
all, you can't tax the rich enough to pay for $2.2 trillion. There's a
tax gap. If he has his way, guess who's going to
get stuck with the bill? You've heard the rhetoric about taxing the rich
before. Well, the rich hire accountants and lawyers for a reason, so you
get stuck with the tab. We're not going to let him raise your taxes.
We're going to win in November.
Speaking about taxes, this Tax Code of ours is full of special
interest loopholes. It's a complicated mess. It's a million words long.
The American people spend 6 billion
[[Page 2088]]
hours a year on taxes. I think we need to do something about the Tax
Code. In a new term, I'm going to bring Republicans and Democrats
together to make this Tax Code more simple and more fair for the
American people.
Listen, in a changing world, jobs change. You know as well as
anybody here in Rochester, Minnesota, that the health care field offers
fantastic opportunities. But oftentimes, there's a skills gap in
America. You know, workers don't have the skills necessary to fill the
new jobs of the 21st century. That's why I've laid out a comprehensive
plan to make sure our worker training programs are modernized. That's
why I'm such a big backer in the community college system, to enable our
workers to gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st
century.
In this changing world, most new jobs are 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 emphasize math and science. Over time, we will
require a rigorous exam before graduation. See, 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.
In a time of change, we've got to do something to reform our health
care system. People in this town know what I'm talking about. See,
Government must understand that it should stand side by side with
patients and doctors, not try to dictate to patients and doctors. A good
health care system is one that honors the provider and the patient. When
it comes to health care, my opponent wants
Government to dictate. I want you to decide.
More than half of the Americans who are currently uninsured are
small-business employees and their families. That's because small
businesses are having trouble affording health care. I want to change
the laws to allow small firms to pool together and purchase insurance at
the same discounts big companies get. My opponent
opposes this reform because he says it will hurt consumers. No, what
hurts consumers is not having health insurance. Under my plan, the same
laws that protect workers at large companies will protect consumers at
small companies. It's time to stop excuses, and it's time to act to give
Americans more quality health care coverage.
We need to expand tax-free health savings accounts. We'll help the
working uninsured purchase health savings accounts. We'll help small
businesses with health savings accounts. We want there to be a tax-free
plan for Americans from all walks of life to be able to call a health
plan their own. If they change jobs, they ought to be able to take the
plan from one job to the next. If they save money in their plan, it
ought to be theirs tax-free. We want plans where they make the
decisions, not faceless bureaucrats and HMOs.
We're going to continue to expand community health centers to make
sure the indigent and the poor get primary care and preventative care.
It's better they get care in the health centers than in emergency rooms
of hospitals. We're going to continue to expand health information
technology, which will reduce costs.
But I'll tell you what else we need to do. We need to stop these
frivolous lawsuits that are running good docs out of business and
running up the cost of your medicine. Listen, I don't think you can be
pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. I
think you have to choose. My opponent made his
choice, and he put a trial lawyer on the
ticket. I made my choice. I am for medical liability reform--now.
Listen, we have a commonsense, practical plan to make high-quality
health care more affordable and more accessible. This is a big issue in
this campaign, and there is a big philosophical difference. My
[[Page 2089]]
opponent's plan is a massive, big-Government
plan. And you can tell it is, because it costs a lot--[laughter]--1.5
trillion, with a ``T,'' and that's a lot even for a Senator from
Massachusetts. [Laughter]
Two problems with the plan. Only one way to pay for it, is to raise
your taxes, and the other problem is he's
expanding Government. For example, he's going to increase Medicaid
coverage, which will crowd out private insurance. It will mean 8 million
families are now going to be on the Government's insurance policy. The
problem with that is, is that when you're on a Government insurance
policy, it means the Government is in charge of the decisionmaking. When
you're on a Government insurance policy, bureaucrats make the decisions,
deciding what doctors you can see and what health services are covered.
That's the wrong plan for America. The right plan for America is to have
a practical plan that keeps the decisionmaking between doctors and
patients, not bureaucrats in our Nation's Capital.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. In a new term, we'll continue to promote ownership in
America. In changing times, ownership brings stability to people's
lives. Homeownership rates are at an alltime high in America today. It's
a hopeful statistic, isn't it? More and more people are opening up the
door where they live, and they're saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome
to my piece of property.'' In a new term, we'll continue to spread
ownership to every corner of America.
And we've got to think differently about retirement plans as well.
We've got to do something about Social Security. Now, if you're a senior
on Social Security, the Government has got enough money in the Trust
Fund to take care of you. I don't care what the politicians tell you,
you have nothing to fear when it comes to Social Security. As a matter
of fact, baby boomers like me, and a couple others out there I see--
[laughter]--are just fine when it comes to Social Security.
But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren when
it comes to Social Security. I believe younger workers ought to be able
to take some of their own tax money and set it aside in personal savings
accounts to help fulfill the promise of Social Security, an account they
call their own, an account the Government cannot take away.
In this world of change, some things do not change, the values we
try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. In a
time of change, we will support the institutions that give our lives
directions and purpose, our families, our schools, our religious
congregations. We stand for a culture of life in which every person
matters and every person counts. We stand for marriage and family, which
are the foundations of our society. And we 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 that 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. We're strengthening our intelligence
services. We're staying on the offensive. We will strike the terrorists
abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. 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; Al Qaida
was largely
[[Page 2090]]
unchallenged as it planned attacks. Because we acted----
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Because we acted, the Government of 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, 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 even using weapons
of mass destruction. And we know that after September the 11th, our
country 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. They looked at the same intelligence
I looked at. They remembered the same history I remembered. They
concluded Saddam was a threat and authorized the use of force. My
opponent looked at the same intelligence I looked
at. He came to the same conclusion we came to, that Saddam was a threat,
and he voted yes for the authorization of force.
Before the Commander in Chief commits troops into harm's way, we
must try all avenues to solve the problem. That's why I went to the
United Nations. I was hoping that diplomacy would work. The United
Nations looked at the same intelligence we looked at. They remembered
the same history we remembered, and by a 15-to-nothing vote in the
United Nations Security Council voted to declare to Saddam
Hussein, ``Disclose, disarm, or face serious
consequences.'' I believe when international bodies speak, they must
mean what they say, in order to make the world peaceful.
But as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein wasn't interested in what the free world said. He
ignored this resolution like he ignored resolutions and resolutions and
resolutions for the decade before. When the United Nations sent
inspectors into the country, he systematically deceived the inspectors.
So I'm faced with a choice: Do I forget the lessons of September the
11th and take the word of a madman, or take action to defend this
country? Given that choice, I will defend America every time.
We didn't find the stockpiles that we thought would be there, but
Saddam Hussein had the capability of making
weapons, and he could have passed that capability on to the enemy. And
that was a risk we could not afford to take after September the 11th.
Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision. And
America and the world are safer with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison
cell.
Because we acted to defend our country, more than 50 million in
Afghanistan and Iraq are now free. Think about Afghanistan. Three years
ago, many young girls couldn't go to school because the Taliban was so
backward and barbaric, and their moms would be pulled out in the public
square and whipped if they didn't toe the line of these backward people.
Today in Afghanistan, 10 million people, 41 percent of whom are women,
have registered to vote in the upcoming Presidential election.
There's a lot of violence in Iraq. I understand that. But Iraq now
has a strong Prime Minister, National Council,
and national elections are scheduled in January. The world is becoming
more free. Parts of the world where people never dreamt there would be
liberty are becoming more free. And we're standing with the people of
Afghanistan and Iraq. When America gives its word, America will keep its
word under my administration.
[[Page 2091]]
We're also serving an historic cause that will make us safer and
make generations of Americans grow up in a safer world. See, 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 supporting them, and that
makes us all safer.
Our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We will help new
leaders to train their police and armies, so they can do the hard work
of defending their countries against the few who would deny the
ambitions of the many. We'll help them have elections. We'll get them on
the path to stability and democracy as quickly as possible, and then our
troops will return home with the honor they have earned.
I'm proud of our United States military. I've traveled to bases
across our country and around the world. I've seen their great courage
and wonderful decency. I want to thank the veterans who are here for
having set such a great example for those who wear the uniform. I assure
you, ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in great hands.
And I want to thank the military families who are here. We
appreciate your service and your sacrifice. The Federal Government owes
your loved ones all the support necessary to complete their missions.
That's why I went to the United States Congress last September and asked
for $87 billion of supplemental funding to support our troops in harm's
way in both Afghanistan and Iraq. This was vital legislation. It was
important legislation. It was so important that we received great
bipartisan support in Congress. As a matter of fact, only 12 United
States Senators voted against the funding for our troops, 2 of whom are
my opponent and his runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. When you're out gathering the vote, remind citizens
that only four United States Senators voted to authorize the use of
force and then voted against funding our troops. And two of those four
are my opponent and his runningmate. So they asked him, they said, ``Why did you make the
decision you made?'' And you might remember his famous answer: ``I
actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' You
know, I doubt many people talk like that in Rochester, Minnesota. They
pressed him further. He said he's proud of the vote. Finally he just
said, ``It's a complicated matter.'' There is nothing complicated about
supporting our troops in combat.
The Commander in Chief must be clear and mean what he says. In order
to make this world a more peaceful place, when the President of the
United States speaks, he better mean what he says. During the course of
this campaign, my opponent has probably seven or
eight different positions on the war in Iraq. He's for it and wouldn't
fund. Then he became the antiwar candidate. Then last summer he stood
there--I believe it was on the edge of the Grand Canyon--and said,
``Well, knowing everything we know today, I would have voted to go into
Iraq.'' Then he got pressure and said, ``Well, maybe that wasn't the
right thing to do.'' Then he said, ``We're spending too much money.''
That's right after he criticized me for not spending enough money.
So yesterday in a radio interview he tried to clear things up, and
here's what he said: He said there were no
circumstances, none, under which we should have gone to war, although
his own vote to go to war was the right vote, and it was right to hold
Saddam Hussein accountable. [Laughter] Even
the radio host said, ``I can't tell you what he said.'' [Laughter]
Let me be clear about something. Mixed signals are the wrong signals
to send to our troops in the field, the Iraqi people, our allies, and
most of all, the enemy.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. I appreciate the contributions our friends and allies
are making. I
[[Page 2092]]
particularly want to thank the lady Member of Parliament for being here from our strong ally Great Britain.
Welcome. We put together a coalition of nations all bound together to
make this world a better place. There are some 40 nations involved in
Afghanistan, some 30 nations involved in Iraq. Please don't listen to
the language by some who said this coalition is feeble and not strong.
It's a strong coalition. The next 4 years, I'll continue to work to
build coalitions. But I'm never going to turn over America's national
security decisions to leaders of other countries.
I believe in the transformational power of liberty. The wisest use
of our strength is to advance freedom. I like telling people about the
fact that I sit at the table with Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. You know, it wasn't all that long ago in
the march of history that our dads and granddads were fighting the
Japanese as a sworn enemy. Think about that.
Because of Harry Truman and Americans who believed in the power of
liberty, after World War II, we helped Japan become a democracy. There
were a lot of skeptics during that period of time. You can understand
why. People were saying, ``Wait a minute. We just fought these people
and here we are helping them become a democracy. That doesn't make any
sense.'' It did make sense. It made sense because today I sit at the
table with Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan
talking about the peace we all want, talking about how to make the world
a more peaceful place.
Someday, an American President and a British Prime Minister are
going to be sitting down with a duly elected leader of Iraq, talking
about the peace, and our children and grandchildren are going to be
better off.
I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence for
their liberty. I believe women in the greater Middle East want to have a
free society so they can realize their dreams. And 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; freedom 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 abroad, we will build a safer world and a more hopeful
America. By reforming systems of Government, we will help more Americans
realize their dreams. We'll spread ownership and opportunity to every
corner of America. We'll pass the enduring values of our country on to a
new generation. We will continue to work to spread freedom and peace
around the world.
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
that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the values
that makes us 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'm never going to forget. There were workers there
in hardhats yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it
takes.'' I remember trying to console a--one of the fellows came out of
the rubble. He looked me right in the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me
down.'' Ever since that day, I wake up thinking about how to better
protect our country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever
it takes.
Four years ago, as I traveled your great State asking for the vote,
I made a pledge that if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold
the dignity and the honor of the office to which I have been elected.
With your help, with your hard work, I will do so for 4 more years.
God bless. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 4 p.m. at Mayo Field. In his remarks, he
referred to
[[Page 2093]]
Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the keynote address at the 2004
Republican National Convention; Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota; Prime
Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; Theresa May,
Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, United Kingdom; and Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.