[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 20, 2004]
[Pages 2135-2142]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at a Rally in New York City
September 20, 2004
The President. Thank you all for coming.
Audience members. Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!
The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Thank you all for
coming. So I said to Pataki, try
introducing me at the convention. If it works out well, you can
introduce me here tonight. [Laughter] He gave a great introduction at
the convention, for which I am grateful. And I appreciate his
leadership, and I appreciate his friendship.
I also appreciate the friendship of Rudy. I had the privilege of traveling with Rudy in New Mexico.
They've even heard of him there. [Laughter] And he did a great job. It
was a lot of fun. Thanks for coming.
So when I asked Laura to marry me, she said,
``Fine, just so long as I never have to give a speech.'' [Laughter] I
said, ``Well, okay, you'll never have to give a speech.'' Fortunately,
she didn't hold me to that promise. The American people got to see a
compassionate, strong, kind person.
I want to thank--I also want to thank Libby and Emily Pataki for
joining us, and Judith Giuliani for joining
us as well. I wish Howard Mills all the best in
his race for the United States Senate. I want to thank Lew
Eisenberg for his hard work to make this
event successful. I want to thank Al Hoffman for
his hard work. I want to thank my friend Mercer Reynolds, Sandy Treadwell, Mike Long. Most of all, I
want to thank you all for coming. Vito Fossella is here. Where is old Vito? Somewhere around here. He's
a Congressman. He's a great guy.
Thanks for coming. My spirits are high. I'm honored you're here. I
appreciate the support we receive here in the great State of New York.
And a couple of folks slid across the border from New Jersey and
Connecticut as well. [Laughter] I'm proud you're here. I'm not much of a
prognosticator, but things seem to be going awfully well in the three
States I just mentioned. I'm enjoying myself on the campaign trail.
We've got a great country, and I love to get out amongst the people.
Laura and I are traveling a lot. The crowds are
huge. Enthusiasm is high. We're going to win in November.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Thank you all. I'm ready for the stretch run. I know
where I want to lead the country. I look forward to telling the people
what I believe. I believe that schools can do a better job of teaching
our children. Listen, I went to Washington to challenge this practice of
just shuffling kids through schools year after year, grade after grade.
It's what I call challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations.
We've raised the bar. We've increased funding. But in return, we're
now saying, ``Why don't you measure early so we can correct problems
early, before they're too late.'' And the achievement gap in America is
closing, and we're not going to turn around. We're not going to go
backwards. We're going to stay on this path to excellence for every
child, por cada nino, por cada nino.
I went to Washington to fix problems. I believed that we needed to
fix Medicare. You know, medicine has changed; Medicare hadn't. We would
pay $100,000 for heart surgery but not a dime for prescription
[[Page 2136]]
drugs that might prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the
first place. We used to call it ``Medi-scare'' because politicians were
afraid to talk about it. I'm not afraid to take on the tough issue.
We've modernized Medicare. Our seniors are going to get prescription
drug coverage in 2006, and we're not going to turn back.
I believe the role of Government is not to create wealth but an
environment in which the entrepreneurs can flourish. I believe that good
Government policy unleashes the innovation and energy of our farmers,
ranchers, small-business owners, dreamers, doers. And that's why we
unleashed that energy with the largest tax cut in a generation.
Listen, we've been through a lot when it comes to this economy. I
don't need to tell people in New York what it's been like. We had a
recession. We had some corporate citizens forget what it means to be
responsible citizens, and they didn't tell the truth. That affected our
economy, by the way. We passed laws that now say, ``We're not going to
tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America, pure and simple.'' The
attacks on this city hurt us. They say we lost about a million jobs in
the 3 months after September the 11th, but we've overcome these
obstacles. This economy of ours is growing at a rate as fast as any in
nearly 20 years. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, which is
lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Over the past
year, 47 of the 50 States have added jobs, including the great State of
New York. This economy is strong, and it is getting stronger.
A President's most solemn duty is to protect the American people.
And here's what I believe: I believe if we show any uncertainty or
weakness in this decade, this world will drift toward tragedy. This will
not happen on my watch.
I've got a clear and positive plan to build a safer world and more
hopeful America. I'm running with what I call a compassionate
conservative philosophy that Government should help people improve their
lives, not try to run their lives.
I also understand the world in which we live is changing. Listen,
the workforce has changed. Years ago, a man would be the worker, and he
would have one job, one career, and receive one pension plan, one health
care plan, and that was it. This world we live in is really different.
People change careers and jobs. Women are working both inside and
outside the house.
And yet the fundamental institutions of our Government have not
changed with the times. Think about it: The retirement systems haven't
changed; the health care systems haven't changed; the Tax Code hasn't
changed; worker training hasn't changed. I'm running for 4 years to
change the basic systems of Government to reflect the world we live in,
so people will have a better chance of realizing the great dreams of
this country.
Audience member. [Inaudible]
The President. Vamos a ganar. Mis amigos Latinos estan aqui.
Audience members. Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!
The President. I've got some more I've got to say. [Laughter] I'm
talking about a hopeful world, and you can't be hopeful unless the
economy grows.
Audience member. [Inaudible]
The President. Si. [Laughter] America has got to be the best place
in the world to do business. If we want jobs to be created here, this
has got to be the best place in the world.
So people say, ``What do you mean?'' I'll tell you what I mean: Less
regulations, legal reform, an energy policy that encourages conservation
and renewables and uses our technology to change how we consume and use
energy. But in order to keep jobs here, we have got to become less
dependent on foreign sources of energy.
Trade policy has got to be wise. I tell the people, we've opened up
our markets for foreign goods, and that's good for consumers. If you've
got more to choose from,
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you're going to get the product you want at a better price and better
quality. So what we're saying to places like China, ``You treat us the
way we treat you.'' The best trade policy is to level the playing field,
because we can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere in this world.
Audience member. [Inaudible]
The President. Okay. Un momento. [Laughter] Whoo! Only in New York.
[Laughter] I love this city. What a great place--tremendous diversity.
Un momento. [Laughter]
I've got to talk about taxes. [Laughter] Let me tell you something,
if we want the economy to grow, we've got to keep the taxes low. This is
an issue in this campaign. The guy I'm running
against says, ``Well, I've got $2.2 trillion of new spending, and I'm
going to pay for it by taxing the rich.'' First of all, you can't raise
enough money by taxing the rich. Secondly, by running up the top two
brackets, you're hurting every S-corp and every limited partnership in
America that's creating most of the new jobs in this country. Thirdly,
the American people don't buy that, because they understand people hire
lawyers and accountants for a reason--[laughter]--to stick them with the
tab. [Laughter] He's not going to tax the American people, because we're
going to win in November.
A couple of other things about a changing world. Listen, there's a
skills gap in America. We've got communities where jobs have left, and
there are new jobs being created. And so what we've got to do is fill
that skills gap through good policy, Pell grants for community colleges.
We've got great ideas to make sure people have the skills necessary to
fill the jobs of the 21st century. Two out of--one out of every--two out
of every four jobs are created--require a college degree. And yet, one
in four of the students gets there. It's a problem. That's why I'm for
remedial education in high schools. I believe over time we've got to
have rigorous exams before they graduate. I want to expand Pell grants
so more people start their careers with a college diploma.
The health care system is an issue. We've got an issue in health
care in this country. And there's a great philosophical divide. The guy
I'm running against, Senator Kerry, wants to
nationalize health care. He wants the bureaucrats to make the decisions
for the doctors and patients.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Exactly what he's for. For
example, he wants to crowd out small businesses--health insurance for
small businesses by raising Medicare, putting more people on Medicaid.
That's just bad policy, in my judgment. The best way to deal with health
care is to make sure the poor have got health care at places like
community health centers, is to expand the children's health insurance
programs to take care of low-income families that need help, is to
expand health savings accounts, is to promote association health care
plans so small businesses can pool risk, get insurance at the same rate
that big businesses get.
I'll tell you what else needs to happen, we've got to stop these
frivolous lawsuits that are running good docs out of business. It's an
issue in this campaign. Everywhere I go, people that understand the high
cost of medicine occurs because of these frivolous lawsuits. They also
understand they're having trouble finding good docs. You talk to what
it's like--to people what it's like to be an ob-gyn here in America
these days. Many young pregnant moms are having troubling finding an ob-
gyn. They travel miles to get the help they need. 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 make a choice. I think you've got to make a choice,
and I made my choice. I'm standing with the docs, and I'm standing with
the patients. I am for medical liability reform--now.
I'm going to talk about Social Security in this campaign. I'm going
to remind the seniors who are on Social Security, you're fine. You don't
have to worry. The trust
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has got you taken care of. Baby boomers like me are fine when it comes
to Social Security. But we need to be worrying about our children and
grandchildren. That's who we need to be worrying about when it comes to
retirement. I believe younger workers ought to take some of their tax
money and set it aside as personal savings accounts so Social Security
meets the promise for them, an account they call their own, an account
they can pass on to whomever they want, and an account the Government
can't take away.
I also will tell you, in times of change, things shouldn't change,
courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. I believe in a culture
of life in which everybody matters and every person counts. I believe in
family and marriage, which are the foundations of our society. And I'm
going to 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 we respond to terrorism, and
terrorism is a continuing danger. You know, since September the 11th, we
have been on the offense, and we'll stay on the offense. We're pursuing
these terrorists around the world, not for pride, not for power, but
because the lives of our citizens depend on it.
We've got a clear strategy. We're going to defend the homeland. I
appreciate the first-responders in this great city. You know what I'm
talking about when it comes to defending the homeland. Police and
firefighters and EMS squads of New York City are fabulous people. We're
transforming our military. We're strengthening the intelligence
services. We're staying on the offensive. We will strike the terrorists
abroad so we do not have to face them here in America.
And we'll work to advance liberty in Afghanistan and Iraq and
elsewhere, and we're going to prevail. We'll prevail. If we're
steadfast, if we're steady, if we're strong, we'll prevail. I--our
strategy is working. Just think about this. Four years ago, Afghanistan
was the home base of Al Qaida; Pakistan was a transit point for
terrorist killers; Saudi 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 plotted and planned
for death and destruction. Today, because we acted, because the United
States has led, Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is capturing
terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests on Al Qaida
leadership; Libya is dismantling its weapons programs; Iraq now has a
free army, which is fighting for its freedom; and more than three-
quarters of Al Qaida's known leaders and associates have been brought to
justice.
Progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and some
tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. Saddam Hussein was a sworn enemy of America. He was firing weapons at
American pilots, which were enforcing the world's sanctions. He harbored
terrorists. Abu Nidal was a coldblooded terrorist killer who killed Leon
Klinghoffer. Abu Nidal and his organization was in Iraq.
Zarqawi, the person who likes to behead
people in order to shake our will, was in Baghdad. He had a network of
people in that country.
Saddam Hussein paid the families of
suicide bombers. Saddam Hussein possessed and used weapons of mass
destruction. He was a threat. We had been to war with him once. He was
hoping the world would turn away and not watch him. I went to Congress
and said to Congress, ``We see a threat.'' And I went to Congress
because after September the 11th, our Nation must think differently. We
must take threats seriously before they fully materialize. Prior to
September the 11th, we would see a threat, and say, ``Well, it may come
to hurt us or may not. We can deal with it if we want, or we can ignore
it.'' No longer do we have the luxury of doing that in this country. It
is essential that this country never forget that lesson.
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So with that in mind, I went to Congress. They looked at the same
intelligence I looked at. They remembered the same history I remembered,
and they concluded that Saddam Hussein was a
threat. And they authorized the use of force. Now, before a President
ever uses force, he ought to try all options in order to deal with the
threat. Listen, committing troops into harm's way is, by far, the
toughest decision I'll ever have to make, and it's a serious decision.
And I was hoping that diplomacy would work. So I went to the United
Nations. They looked at the same intelligence. They concluded, 15 to
nothing, that Saddam Hussein must disclose, disarm, or face serious
consequences.
I believe when a President speaks, he must mean what he says. And I
believe when an international body speaks, it must mean what they say.
Saddam Hussein--he ignored the resolution,
just as he had for over a decade. He was hoping the world would forget
him. He was hoping we would grow tired and weary. But we weren't growing
tired and weary, because we remember the lessons of September the 11th,
2001. He also systematically deceived the inspectors.
So I have a choice to make at this point in time. Diplomacy had
failed. He had been given his choice, his last option to listen to the
demands of the free world. He ignored that option. So I have a choice:
Do I forget the lessons of September the 11th and take the word of
Saddam Hussein, or take action to defend this
country? Given that choice, I will defend our country every time.
Listen, I thought we would find stockpiles of weapons. Everybody
did. But Saddam still had the capability of making weapons, and he could
have passed that capability on to a terrorist enemy. And that's a risk
we could not afford to take. Knowing what I know today, I would have
made the same decision. And our country is better off with Saddam
Hussein sitting in a prison cell. And as a
result of defending ourselves, as a result of defending ourselves, 50
million people are free.
Think about what's happening in Afghanistan. Listen, 3 years ago,
Afghanistan was a place where many young girls couldn't go to school
because the Taliban were so backward and so barbaric. And their moms
were pulled out in the public square and whipped and sometimes killed in
a sports stadium because they wouldn't toe the line of these people that
have only the darkest of visions. Today, 10 million citizens, 41 percent
of whom are women, have registered to vote in the upcoming Presidential
election in Afghanistan. It's unbelievable. It's powerful. What a
powerful, powerful statement.
Think about that. There were people who said, ``Oh, well, maybe some
people don't want to be free in this world.'' Forget it. People long to
be free. People from all religions long to be free, from all walks of
life, and a free Afghanistan will make us safer.
Iraq--it's tough work in Iraq right now. These killers cannot stand
the thought of a free society emerging in Iraq. They understand the
stakes. And so do I. They understand a free society in Iraq will be a--
stand in stark contrast to their ideology of hate, and it scares them,
and therefore, they're willing to kill innocent people. And it's tough
work. It's tough work. But Prime Minister Allawi, with whom I'll be meeting tomorrow, and who the country
will get to see on TV, is one strong man who believes that Iraq will be
free, who believes in the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people.
There's going to be national elections in January in Iraq. Think about
how far that country has come since the days of mass graves and torture.
Remember I told the story at the convention of the seven guys
walking in who had had their hands cut off--seven Iraqi men came to the
Oval Office. First of all, walking in the Oval Office is not easy. It's
a powerful place. These guys walk in there,
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and they're overwhelmed by the environment. I was overwhelmed by them.
They'd come to America to get new hands put on. Fantastic story, to
think about the contrast in societies. They--and I talked to them--they
longed for freedom. Let me tell you something, when you build a free
society, the institutions will be bigger than the people, and no longer
will a dictator be able to cut off your hand
just because he feels like it.
We'll stand with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. When this
country gives its word, it will keep its word. And our strategy is
clear--our strategy is clear. We're going to train the Iraqis and the
Afghan citizens so they can defend themselves. And that's what we're
doing, so they can do the hard work.
Audience member. [Inaudible]
The President. Gracias. [Laughter] She kind of shook me there for a
minute--[laughter]--just as I was getting to the strategy. [Laughter]
We're going to train the troops. We're going to put them on the path to
stability and democracy, and as quickly as we can, our troops will come
home with the honor they earned.
We've got a great military, by the way. I can't tell you how proud I
am. We're going to support them. We'll support those in our military. We
have a duty in this country to support those we put in harm's way.
That's why, a year ago, I went to the Congress and asked for $87 billion
of supplemental funding. And it was vital funding. This was not only for
folks in Iraq. This was for troops in Afghanistan as well. And the
support was strong for that piece of legislation, because most people in
the Congress understood how vital it was. Only 12 Senators voted against
it, 2 of whom are my opponent and his
runningmate. [Laughter]
And when you're out there campaigning, remind them, four people
voted to authorize the--four Senators voted to authorize the use of
force and not fund our troops. Two of those were my opponent and his runningmate.
So they said to him, ``Why?'' And he said,
``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.''
[Laughter] You know what else? They kept pressing him, and he said
finally, ``The whole thing is a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] There's
nothing complicated about supporting the men and women in the uniform.
The President of the United States must speak clearly and mean what
he says. In order for this world to be peaceful, we must mean what we
say. And it's important not to send mixed signals around the world.
Today my opponent continued his pattern of twisting in the wind, with
new contradictions on old positions in Iraq. He woke up this morning and
now decided, ``No, we shouldn't have invaded Iraq.'' [Laughter] After,
last month, saying he would still have voted for using force, knowing
everything we know today. He believes our national security would be
stronger with Saddam Hussein in power, not in
prison.
Today he said, and I quote, ``We have traded
a dictator for a chaos that has left America
less secure.'' Direct quote.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I--anyway. [Laughter] You cannot--it's hard to
imagine a candidate running for President who prefers the stability of a
dictatorship to the hope and security of democracy. If I might, I'd like
to read a quote he said last December: ``Those
who doubted whether Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam
Hussein and those who believe we are not
safer with his capture, don't have the judgment to be President or the
credibility to be elected President.'' I couldn't have put it better.
I look forward to my meeting with Prime Minister Allawi. It's an important meeting, because I'm going to remind
him, so long as I'm the President, we're going to stand with the people
of Iraq. It's in our interests that we do so. I believe in the
transformational power of liberty. I believe that
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it's possible to take a society that was so hopeless because of the
tyranny that they have been through and encourage them through democracy
that they'll become strong allies in the war on terror. That's what I
believe.
I believe that--I believe in the power of liberty because I have
worked closely with Prime Minister Koizumi, who I also will be working with today. Think about
this for a minute. When you hear the skeptics and doubters talk about
our policies, think about the fact that I sit down with the Prime
Minister of Japan as a friend. Now, it wasn't all that long ago that my
dad and your dads and grandfathers were
fighting the Japanese as a sworn enemy. And after that war was over,
fortunately, Harry Truman and other American citizens believe that
liberty could transform an enemy into an ally and work with Japan to
develop a Japanese style democracy.
And as a result of that faith in the power of liberty, today I sit
down with Prime Minister Koizumi--tomorrow
I'll actually sit down with him--and talk about keeping the peace,
talking about the peace that we all yearn for. Liberty is powerful.
Someday, an American President is going to be sitting down with the
duly elected leader of Iraq talking about the peace. People who are
desperate for hope will be looking at the Iraq model and saying,
``That's possible for me.'' The Palestinians will realize that their
failed leadership, the leadership that has failed them for decades, must
change, in order for them to have a hopeful, peaceful life.
No, liberty is powerful. It will serve as the beacon. These are
historic times. In the short term, we'll defend ourselves by staying on
the offense. In the long term, we'll work to spread liberty. And I
believe people yearn to be free. Freedom is not America's gift to the
world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this
world. That's what I believe.
This young century will be liberty century. We're going to reform
the systems of Government so people will be free to be able to realize
their dreams, to be able to achieve the great hope of this country.
We're going to continue to lead the world for freedom and peace.
I want to tell you, I assure you that I'll never forget the day that
Rudy and George and I were in the ruins of the Twin Towers. It was
September the 14th, 2001. It's a day that--that day might as well have
happened yesterday as far as I'm concerned. It is still so vivid in my
memory, particularly the workers in the hardhats screaming at all of us,
particularly me, I think, ``Whatever it takes.'' That's what they were
yelling at the top of their lungs. We did our best to console people, to
hug people, to cry with people, to thank people for their work. A guy
looked me right in the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Since
that day, I wake up every morning trying to figure out how best to
protect our country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever
it takes. [Applause]
Finally--un momento. Por fin, uno mas te dije. When I campaigned in
New York and around the country, I said, if you gave me the honor of
serving as the President, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of
the office. With your help and thanks to your contributions tonight, I
will continue to do so for 4 more years.
God bless. Thanks for coming. On to victory. Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 6:02 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel of New
York. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. George E. Pataki of New York,
his wife, Elizabeth ``Libby,'' and their daughter, Emily; former Mayor
Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York City, and his wife, Judith; Howard
Mills, senatorial candidate in New York; Al Hoffman, finance chairman,
and Mercer Reynolds, 2004 Victory national finance chairman, Republican
National Committee; Alexander F. ``Sandy'' Treadwell, chairman, New York
Republican
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State Committee; Mike Long, chair, Conservative Party of New York State;
senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime Minister Ayad
Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; and Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi of Japan.