[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[October 2, 2004]
[Pages 2344-2352]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
October 2, 2004
The President. Thank you all for coming.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Thank you all. The sun is shining on Ohio. I'm
thrilled to be here. I am the first sitting President ever to come to
this fine city. The rest of them missed a great place. I'm so proud you
all came out today.
I'm so honored to be standing up here with Chuck
Canterbury to receive
the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of the Police. It means a lot to
get the endorsement from those who serve our country on a daily basis to
make it safe. I'm proud of that endorsement. I want to thank Jim
Pasco and Nick DiMarco as well as all the Fraternal Order of Police folks
standing behind me.
I want to thank you all for coming. I'm here to ask for your vote.
We're getting closer and closer to election day, and I'm here to ask for
your help as well. Go out and register your friends and your neighbors.
Tell them they have a duty in America to vote. In a free society, we
have an obligation to go to the polls. Make sure you don't overlook
those discerning Democrats, either--[laughter]--like Zell
Miller. Or my friend the mayor of Youngstown,
Ohio, George McKelvey. I'm proud you're
here, Mr. Mayor. I'm proud to call you friend, and I'm proud to call you
supporter. Thanks for coming.
Then after you get them registered to vote, get them headed to the
polls. And remind them that if they want a safer America, a stronger
America, and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
Listen, I have one regret, and that is that Laura isn't here with me.
Audience members. Aw-w-w!
The President. Yes, I know. I hear it all the time, ``Why didn't you
send Laura, and you stay at home?'' [Laughter]
True story. She said, ``Fine, I'll marry you,'' when I asked her, but
she said, ``I don't ever want to have to give a speech.'' [Laughter] I
said, ``You got a deal.'' [Laughter] Fortunately, she didn't hold me to
my word. The country got to see Laura speaking in New York City at that
convention. They got to see a strong, decent, fine woman. Laura is a
great First Lady. I'm really proud of her. I'm going to give you some
reasons to put me back in, but perhaps the most important one of all is
so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more years.
And I'm proud of my Vice President, Dick Cheney. He's warming up. [Laughter] He'll be right around the
corner pretty soon. He's not going to have the waviest hair on the set.
[Laughter] I didn't pick him for his hair. [Laughter] I picked him
because of his judgment and his sound experience. Dick Cheney is getting
the job done for the American people.
I'm proud of your United States Senator Mike DeWine. Thanks for coming, Mike. I'm honored you're here.
Speaking about Senators, you've got another good one in George
Voinovich. You need to put him back in.
He's doing Ohio good work. He's
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a good, solid man, a good, decent fellow. I want to thank Congressman
Ralph Regula for being with us today too. Thank
you, Chairman. I'm glad you're here.
Lieutenant Governor Jennette Bradley
is with us. Today is her birthday. Yes. What a great way to celebrate
your birthday. [Laughter]
I want to thank the mayor, Don Robart, who
is here. Mr. Mayor, my only advice, my only advice--I know you didn't
ask for any--but my only advice is, fill the potholes. [Laughter]
I want to thank the high school band that's here. Appreciate you
coming. But most of all, thank you all. I want to thank those who work
at the grassroots level for putting up the signs and making the phone
calls. I appreciate you. I want to thank you for what you have done and
what you're going to do coming down the stretch. With your help, there
is no doubt in my mind we will carry Ohio again and win a great victory
in November.
And I'm looking forward to this campaign. I love coming to your
State. I've been spending some quality time here. [Laughter] I like to
come because I want to tell people where I stand, what I believe, and
where I'm going to lead this Nation.
I believe every child can learn and every school can teach. I went
to Washington to challenge what I've called the soft bigotry of low
expectations. That's a system that, in some cases, passes children
through, grade after grade, year after year, without learning the
basics. It's not right. It's not right for our country. We've raised the
standards. We're now measuring early, so we can solve problems before
they're too late. I believe in local control of schools. We're closing
an achievement gap in America, and we're not going to go back to the old
days.
I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with
good health care. I went to Washington to solve problems, not to pass
them on to future Presidents and future generations. I saw a problem in
Medicare. Medicine had changed, but Medicare hadn't. You know, we pay
$100,000 or so for a heart surgery for a Medicare patient but not one
dime for the prescription drugs to prevent the heart surgery from being
needed in the first place. That doesn't make any sense for our seniors.
It doesn't make any sense for the taxpayers. I brought Republicans and
Democrats together. I signed a bill that modernizes Medicare. Seniors
will get prescription drugs in 2006, and we're not going to go back to
the old days.
I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of our workers, our
small-business owners, our farmers, our ranchers, and that's why we
unleashed that energy with the largest tax relief in a generation.
When you're out gathering up the vote, remind your friends and
neighbors about what this economy has been through. The stock market
started to decline before Dick Cheney and I got
to Washington. Then we had a recession. Then we had some citizens forget
what it means to be a responsible American. They didn't tell the truth.
We passed tough laws. It is abundantly clear now in America, we will not
tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of our country. And then the enemy
hit us. And that hurt us. That hurt our economy. You know it hurt the
economy.
But this economy is strong, and it is getting stronger. We've been
growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. It's growing because
of the spirit of the people. It's growing because of those tax cuts.
We've added 1.7 million new jobs last year. We've added 107,000
manufacturing jobs since January. The national unemployment rate is 5.4
percent, which is lower than the average of the 1970s, the 1980s, and
the 1990s.
There's still work to do in parts of Ohio. I understand that. That's
why I support opportunity zones, places like Summit County, to give
companies relief and incentives so that they can expand to places where
the manufacturing sector has been
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hurt. No, there are things we're going to do, but this economy is
strong, and it's growing stronger. We're not going to go back to the old
days of tax and spend.
I believe the most solemn duty of the 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 am 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're going to win a great victory in November.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. The world in which we live and work is changing. I
understand that. The generation of our dads and granddads, a man
generally had one job and one career, and the company he worked for paid
for the pension plan and health care. This world we're living in is
different. The workforce is changing. Women are working inside the house
and now outside the house. And many workers change careers and jobs over
their lifetime.
And yet, the most fundamental of our systems, the Tax Code, health
coverage, pension plans, and worker training, were created for
yesterday, not tomorrow. I am running to change those systems so all
citizens are equipped, prepared, and thus truly free to make your own
choices so you can pursue your own dreams.
Now, I understand that a hopeful society is one that has got a
growing economy. If we want to keep jobs here in America and expand the
job base, America must be the best place in the world to do business.
That means less regulations on our businessowners. That means we got to
do something about these frivolous lawsuits that plague our small
businesses.
If we want to keep jobs here, if we want to--Congress needs to pass
my energy plan. It is a plan that encourages conservation. It is a plan
that encourages the use of renewables like ethanol and biodiesel. It is
a plan that says we'll explore technologies to make sure we consume
energy in different ways. It is a plan that encourages clean coal
technology. It is a plan that allows us to explore for natural gas in
environmentally friendly ways. It is a plan that recognizes, to keep
jobs here in America, we must be less dependent on foreign sources of
energy.
To keep jobs in this country, we've got to reject economic
isolationism. See, we've opened up our markets--just not me. Other
Presidents, as well, from both parties, have opened up our markets
because it's good for you, the consumer. See, if you've got more
products to choose from, you're likely to get that which you want at a
better price and higher quality. That's how the market works. And so
what I'm saying to places like China, ``You treat us the way we treat
you.'' Opening up markets is good for our workers. It's good for our
farmers. See, we can compete with anybody, anywhere, anytime, so long as
the rules are fair.
To make sure we keep jobs here, we've got to be wise about how we
spend your money in Washington, and we've got to keep your taxes low.
Taxes are an issue in this campaign. I'll tell you why. The
fellow I'm running against has so far proposed
$2.2 trillion in new spending. Yes.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. No, I know. That's a lot, even for a Senator from
Massachusetts. So they asked him how he's
going to pay for it, and he said, ``Well, we're just going to tax the
rich.'' We've heard that before, haven't we? Let me tell you a couple
things wrong with this ``tax the rich.''
First of all, you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay
for $2.2 trillion.
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You raise about $680 billion. Therefore, there is a tax gap. Guess who
always gets to fill the tax gap? Yes, you do. ``Tax the rich,'' yes,
we've heard it. The rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason,
because they want to stick you with the bill. We're not going to let
John Kerry tax you; we're going to win in
November.
Now that we're on taxes, let me say something about the Tax Code.
It's a complicated mess. It's a million pages long. It takes 6 billion
hours a year to fill out the tax forms in this country. In a new term,
I'm going to bring Republicans and Democrats together to simplify this
Tax Code so it's more fair for you.
In a changing world, the skills that are required for the jobs of
the 21st century change. We have a skills gap in America in some
communities. Some jobs are gone; new jobs arrive. In order to help our
workers, I'm a big believer in the community college system, to make the
systems available so people can gain the skills necessary to fill the
jobs of the 21st century. As well in a changing world, most new jobs
filled by people--are filled by people with at least 2 years of college,
yet, one in four of our students gets there. That's why I believe in
early intervention programs in high school to help our at-risk students.
That's why I know we've got to place a new focus on math and science.
Over time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. See, by
raising the performance in our high schools and by expanding Pell grants
for low- and middle-income families, more Americans will start their
career with a college diploma.
In this time of change, we've got to do something about the health
care system. There's a big difference in this campaign on health care.
You listen carefully to what my opponent's
laying out, and it says one thing: The Federal Government's going to run
it.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I want you to run it. I want you to be the
decisionmaker. So here's some practical ways to help. First of all,
we'll take care of the poor and the needy by expanding community health
centers all around the country. We have a duty and an obligation to do
so. It makes sense that those folks get good health care in these
centers and not in the emergency rooms of our hospitals. Secondly, we'll
continue to expand the children's health care program for low-income
Americans.
In order to make sure health care is available and affordable, we're
going to help our small-business owners. One-half of the uninsured,
currently uninsured, work for small businesses. There's a reason why,
small businesses can't afford health care. They ought to be allowed to
pool together their risk so they can buy insurance at the same discount
big businesses can. That makes sense. That's a commonsense way to make
sure the control of health care is in your hands. My opponent opposes that.
I'll tell you another thing we need to do to make sure health care
is available and affordable. We've got to do something about these junk
lawsuits that are running up the cost of medicine and running good
doctors out of practice. You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-
hospital, and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. See, I think you have
to make a choice. My opponent made his choice,
and he put a trial lawyer on the ticket.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I made my choice. I'm standing with the docs and
patients. I'm for medical liability reform--now. In all we do, we'll
make sure the medical decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by
bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
In a changing society, it helps bring stability in people's life if
they own something. The homeownership rate under my administration is
the highest it's ever been in America. Over the next 4 years, we'll
continue to expand the homeownership policies to every corner of
America. I love the idea of somebody opening up the door where
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they live and saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of
property.''
As well, we've got to think different about our retirement systems.
You might remember the 2000 campaign, when people said, ``Well, if
George W. gets in, they're going to take away your Social Security
check.'' You still got your check, didn't you? So here's my message to
our seniors: Don't worry about what they tell you in the campaign; the
Social Security obligation will be fulfilled. And for us baby boomers,
there's enough money in the system to take care of us.
But because there's a lot of baby boomers getting ready to retire,
we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren when it comes
to Social Security. I believe younger workers ought to be allowed to
take some of their own tax money and set up a personal savings account
that they can call their own, that the Government cannot take away.
In this world of change, there are some things that do not change,
the values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and
integrity. In changing times, we'll support the institutions that give
our lives direction and purpose, our families, our schools, our
religious congregations. We believe in a culture of life in which every
person matters and every being counts. We stand for marriage and family,
which are the foundations of our society. 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 the terrible morning of September
the 11th, 2001, we've 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
reforming and strengthening our intelligence services. We're
strengthening our All-Volunteer Army, which will remain an all-volunteer
army. We are staying on the offensive. We are striking the terrorists
abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
We will continue to spread freedom and liberty in the broader Middle
East and around the world, and we will prevail. Our strategy is--see,
you think about the world the way it was a while back. 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 danger; and
Al Qaida was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks.
Because we acted, a free Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is
capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is making 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 have been brought
to justice. We've 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. Saddam
Hussein was a threat. We knew his record of
aggression, support for terrorist organizations. Saddam Hussein used
weapons of mass destruction. He fired missiles at our pilots which were
enforcing the world's sanctions. He slaughtered his own people. Saddam
Hussein was a threat. And after September the 11th, we must always
remember, we must take threats seriously, before the fully materialize.
That is the reality of the world in which we live. I recognized that
reality, and I went to the Congress. Congress debated the issue. They
voted overwhelmingly to authorize the use of force. They had looked at
the same intelligence I did, remembered the same history I did, and
voted overwhelmingly for force. My opponent
looked at the same intelligence I did, and when the vote came to
authorize force, he voted yes. I guess now it depends on what the
meaning of ``yes'' is in his mind.
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Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
The President. Before the Commander in Chief commits our troops into
harm's way, he must try every other alternative. And so I went to the
United Nations hoping that diplomacy would work. The United Nations
debated the issue and voted 15 to nothing, the U.N. Security Council, to
say to Saddam Hussein, ``Disclose, disarm, or
face serious consequences.'' I believe when an international body
speaks, it must mean what it says.
As he had for 16 other resolutions, Saddam Hussein ignored the United Nations. The other night, my
opponent suggested we probably should have
passed the 18th resolution. [Laughter] What good would a resolution do
after he ignored the first 17? As he had for a decade, he wasn't about
to listen to the demands of the free world. As a matter of fact, when
they sent inspectors in--it is now a fact that Saddam Hussein was
systematically deceiving the inspectors. Part of my opponent's plan, as
articulated in Miami, said, ``Well, we should have let the inspectors
work.'' They weren't working. He was deceiving them. He was hoping the
world would turn away. So I had a choice to make at this point in time:
Do I take the word of a madman, forget the lessons of September the
11th, or take action to defend this country? Given that choice, I will
defend America every time.
We didn't find the stockpiles we all thought were there. But
remember, Saddam Hussein had the capability
of making weapons of mass destruction. He could have passed that
capability onto a terrorist 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. America and the world are better off
with Saddam in a prison cell.
Because we acted to defend our country, 50 million people now live
in freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I want you to remind your friends
and neighbors about the Afghan story. You realize, almost 3\1/2\ years
ago, the Taliban, these ideologues of hate, would not yet--let many
young girls go to school. Imagine a society in which young girls weren't
allowed to go to school. When their mothers didn't toe the line on their
ideology, they'd take them in the public square and whip them.
Sometimes, they shot them in the sports stadium. It was a dismal, dark
society.
Today, 10 million Afghan citizens have registered to vote, 41
percent of whom are women, and they're having a Presidential election
later on this month. Think about that. Freedom is powerful. Freedom has
converted a society that was dark and gloomy to one of hope and light.
In Iraq, there's a brave Prime Minister named Prime Minister
Allawi. They're going to have elections in
January. It's hard work there. I know it's hard work. But you can be
realistic and optimistic at the same time. We got a good plan. We're
training the Iraqis so they can do the hard work. A hundred-thousand of
them are trained. They're taking action today against some of those
terrorist thugs. Slowly but surely, their forces are getting up, and
some point in time, they'll be ready to defend themselves.
We're helping to rebuild that country. Other nations are involved.
They're having conferences here and conferences there. I'll tell you one
thing, a summit isn't how you solve the problem. I've been to a lot of
summits. I've never seen one that brought a terrorist to justice.
No, we've got a plan, and it's working. Mr. Zarqawi's got one--he's got one weapon, and that is to shake
our will, because we've got good conscience, because we care about human
life and human dignity. Every life is precious. That's his one weapon.
But when America gives its word, America will keep its word, for the
Iraqi and Afghan citizens. We'll help these people move toward
elections. We'll get them on the path to stability and democracy as
quickly as
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possible, and then our troops will come home with the honor they have
earned.
We've got a great military. I'm proud of our military. And I want to
thank the veterans who are here for having set such a great example for
those who wear the uniform. I also want to thank the military families
who are here today. We appreciate your sacrifice, and I made a
commitment to our families and to those who wear the uniform that you'll
have all the resources you need to complete your missions.
That's why I went to the Congress, September of 2003 and asked them
for $87 billion of important funding, funding to support our troops in
harm's way. We got great support there. As a matter of fact, the support
was overwhelming for the $87 billion. All but 12 United States Senators
voted for the funding, 2 of whom were my opponent and his runningmate. I want you
to remind your friends and neighbors this: There was only four Members
of the Senate that voted to authorize the use of force and didn't vote
to fund our troops, two of whom would be my opponent and his
runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. So they actually asked him,
they said, ``Why did you do that?'' He said, in one of the famous quotes
of the 2004 campaign--[laughter]--``I actually did vote for the $87
billion, right before I voted against it.''
Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
The President. They kept pressing him. He
said he was proud of the vote. Finally, he said, ``It was a complicated
matter,'' and, yet, incredibly enough, he came up with a new reason.
Last week, he described his vote against funding the troops as a protest
vote. He said it on national TV.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. When American troops are in harm's way and defending
our country, they deserve better than to have a candidate for President
use them as a protest vote. Oh, I forgot. I forgot. There's yet another
explanation since then, and it happened at the debate. He said he made a mistake in how he talked about that vote.
The mistake wasn't what Senator Kerry said. The mistake is what Senator
Kerry did.
In the debate, my opponent also said
something revealing when he laid out the Kerry doctrine. [Laughter] He
said this, that America has to pass a ``global test''----
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. ----before we can use troops to defend ourselves.
Senator Kerry's approach to foreign policy
would give foreign governments veto power over national security
decisions.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I have a different view. When our country is in
danger, the President's job is not to take an international poll. The
President's job is to defend America.
I believe in the transformational power of liberty. The heart of my
conviction is that liberty can help change societies for the better. You
know, I spend time with the Prime Minister of Japan. He's a good friend. I was in New York with him at
the U.N. I said, ``By the way, I'm talking about you on the campaign
trail. Do you mind?'' And he said, ``No, not at all.'' I didn't tell him
I was going to tell you that he likes Elvis. [Laughter]
Nevertheless, here's why I like to bring him up. Wasn't all that long ago that our country was
at war with Japan. My dad fought them. Your
dads and granddads fought them as well. They were the sworn enemy. And
after World War II, Harry Truman and other Americans believed that
liberty could transform an enemy into an ally and worked with Japan to
promote democracy. Now, a lot of people then, I'm confident, were
skeptical about that being able to happen. You understand why. We had
just fought them. A lot of lives had been lost. But because Harry Truman
stuck to those values, today, I sit down at the table with the head of a
former enemy,
[[Page 2351]]
talking about the peace we all want, talking about how to work together
to keep the peace.
Liberty is powerful. It is powerful. I am confident that someday, an
American President will be sitting down with a duly elected leader of
Iraq talking about how to keep the peace in the greater Middle East, and
our country will be better off for it. Our children and grandchildren
will be able to grow up in a more peaceful world.
I believe that the women in the Middle East want to live in freedom.
I believe that everybody wants their child to grow up in a free and
peaceful society. I believe if given the chance, the people in that part
of the world will embrace the most honorable form of government ever
devised by man. And I'll tell you why I believe these things: 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'll 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 work to spread ownership and
opportunity to every corner of our country. We'll pass the enduring
values of our country on to a young generation. We'll continue to work
for peace and freedom around the world.
You know, 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. It's a time
that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the values
that make this a great nation.
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
began. September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
Towers. I'll never forget it. There were workers in hardhats there
yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I
remember trying to console some people coming out of that rubble. A guy
grabbed me by the arm. He looked me straight in the eye, and he said,
``You don't let me down.'' Waking up every morning since then, trying to
figure out how best to protect America. I will defend the security of
the people of this country, whatever it takes.
Four years ago, as I traveled your great State asking for the vote,
I made this pledge. I said if I was honored to be able to hold the
office of the Presidency, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of
that office. With your help and with your hard work, I will do so again
for 4 more years.
Thanks for coming. God bless you all. Thanks for being here. Thank
you all.
Note: The President spoke at 3:51 p.m. at the Cuyahoga Falls Civic
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Kenneth C. Canterbury, national
president, James O. Pasco, Jr., executive director, and Nicholas
DiMarco, Ohio State president, Fraternal Order of Police; Mayor Don L.
Robart of Cuyahoga Falls, OH; Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made
the keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; senior
Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of
the Iraqi Interim Government; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of
Japan.
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