[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[October 25, 2004]
[Pages 2698-2705]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in Greeley, Colorado
October 25, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming today. Laura and I are so honored so many came out to say hello. You 
have lifted our spirits. Thank you for being here. It's great to be here 
in Greeley, Colorado. You know, I am told the last sitting President to 
visit Greeley was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who came right before he won 
his second term. With your help, history will be repeated.

[[Page 2699]]

    And that's what we are here to do; we're here to ask for your help. 
We'd like you to get your friends and neighbors to go to the polls. 
Remind them we have a duty in our democracy to vote. When you get them 
headed to the polls, tell them if they want a safer America, a stronger 
America, and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
    So Laura and I were in the seventh grade 
together in west Texas. And then we became reacquainted when she--she 
was a public school librarian at the time. I asked her to marry me. She 
said, ``Fine, but make me one promise.'' I said, ``What is that?'' She 
said, ``Promise me I'll never have to give a political speech.'' 
[Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you've got a deal.'' Fortunately, she didn't 
hold me to that promise. She's given a lot of speeches, and when she 
does, the American people see a strong, compassionate, great First Lady.
    I am proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. 
Look, I readily concede that he does not have the waviest hair in the 
race. [Laughter] But you'll be pleased to know I didn't pick him because 
of his hairdo. I picked him because of his judgment, his experience. 
He's getting the job done for the American people.
    You know, Laura, and I were able to welcome 
the Giulianis to our ranch in Crawford, Texas, last night. We know him 
more--I know him better than I knew him as mayor. I know him as a 
person, a compassionate, strong leader. I am proud to have 
Rudy and Judith Giuliani traveling with us. I'm proud to have your support, Mr. 
Mayor. And I appreciate your great service to our country.
    And like the mayor, I recognize that you've got a great Governor in 
Governor Bill Owens, I want to thank his wife, 
Frances, and daughter, Monica, and son, Brett, for being with 
us today.
    I want to thank Senator Wayne Allard for 
his great service to the State of Colorado, and his wife, Joan, is with us today. I'm proud to stand with the next 
Senator from Colorado, Pete Coors. I appreciate 
Marilyn being here. And when he wins, he'll be 
taking the place of a fine man in Senator Ben Nighthorse 
Campbell. And I know you're proud of 
the Congresswoman from this district, Marilyn Musgrave. We're proud you're here, Marilyn. I appreciate 
Steve being here.
    I want to thank the Lieutenant Governor. 
I want to thank all the State and local officials who are here. I 
appreciate Congressman Bob Schaffer for being 
here. Congressman, I appreciate working together to make sure this party 
stays united coming down the stretch.
    I want to thank Mark Wills, the country and 
western singer who is here. He likes to sing in a part of the world 
where the cowboy hats outnumber the ties. I want to thank Kenny 
Cordova & The Olde Rock Band. I'm proud to be 
up here with a man who can hit that baseball in Todd Helton. We got to know him a little while back; we had he and 
his wife to the White House for dinner. And 
he can sure play. [Laughter]
    I want to thank those who wear the uniform who are with us here 
today. Thank you for your service. I want to thank the veterans who are 
here today for having set such a great example. I want to thank the 
military families who are here today for your sacrifice.
    But most of all, I want to thank the rest of you for coming. I 
appreciate what you have done on behalf of our campaign and what you're 
going to do. Keep putting up the signs, making the phone calls, turning 
out the vote, and we're going to win a great victory on November the 2d.
    We're coming down the stretch in the last week of this campaign. I 
will continue to talk about my vision for a more hopeful America. I am 
committed to low taxes, spending discipline. I'm committed to a sound 
energy policy that makes us less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    In a new term, we'll continue to work to make sure our farmers and 
ranchers can

[[Page 2700]]

make a decent living. In a new term, we'll continue to work to make sure 
the entrepreneurial spirit in America is strong so small businesses can 
thrive and succeed. In a new term, we'll stay on the path of reform and 
results in our schools so no child is left behind in America. In a new 
term, we'll make sure health care is more affordable and accessible for 
all our families and small businesses. In a new term, we'll keep the 
promise of Social Security for our seniors and strengthen the system for 
our children and our grandchildren. We will protect marriage and family, 
which are the foundations of our society. And I'll name judges who know 
the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of 
the law.
    And all the progress we hope to make depends on the security of our 
Nation. We face enemies who hate our country and would do anything to 
harm us. I'll fight these enemies with every asset of our national 
power, and we will do our duty and protect the American people.
    In the last 4 years, we've been through a lot of history. We saw a 
ruthless, sneak attack on the United States. We learned of heroism on 
doomed airplanes. We saw the bravery of rescuers running toward danger. 
We've seen our military bring freedom to the oppressed and justice to 
our enemies. Our Nation has shown our character to the world. We are 
proud to be Americans.
    Now we are nearing the first Presidential election since September 
the 11th, 2001. The people of the United States will choose the leader 
of the free world in the middle of a global war. The choice is not only 
between two candidates; it is between two directions in the conduct of 
the war on terror. Will America return to the defensive, reactive 
mindset that sought to manage the dangers to our country?
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Or will we fight a real war with the goal of victory?
    In every critical aspect, in every critical respect, my 
opponent and I see the war on terror 
differently, and the Americans need to consider these differences as 
they make a vital choice. First, I believe that America wins wars by 
fighting on the offensive. When I saw those images of the fire and death 
on September the 11th, I made a decision: Our country will not sit back 
and wait for future attacks; we will prevent those attacks by going 
after the enemy.
    We are waging a global campaign from the mountains of central Asia 
to the deserts of the Middle East, from the Horn of Africa to the 
Philippines. And those efforts are succeeding. Since September the 11th, 
2001, more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates 
have been brought to justice, and the rest of them know we're on their 
trail.
    After September the 11th, we set a new direction for American policy 
and enforced a doctrine that is clear to all: ``If you supported or 
harbored terrorists, you are equally guilty of terrorist murder.'' We 
destroyed the terror camps that trained thousands of killers in 
Afghanistan. We removed the Taliban from power. We have persuaded 
Governments in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to recognize the enemy and to 
join the fight. We ended the regime of Saddam Hussein, which sponsored terror. America and the world are 
safer with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell. We sent a clear 
message to Libya, which has now given up its weapons of mass destruction 
programs. We have acted through diplomacy and force to shrink the area 
where the terrorists can freely operate. And that strategy has the 
terrorists on the run.
    My opponent has a different view.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He says that fighting 
terrorists in the Middle East, America has, quote, ``created terrorists 
where they did not exist,'' end quote.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. This is his argument, that 
terrorists are somehow less dangerous or

[[Page 2701]]

fewer in number if America avoids provoking them.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. But this represents a fundamental misunderstanding of 
the enemy. We are dealing with killers who have made the death of 
Americans the calling of their lives. If America were not fighting these 
killers west of Baghdad and in the mountains of Afghanistan and 
elsewhere, what does Senator Kerry think they 
would do? Would they be living productive lives of service and charity? 
[Laughter] Would the terrorists who behead innocent people on camera 
just be quiet, peaceful citizens if we had not liberated Iraq?
    Audience members. No-o-o!
    The President. We are fighting these terrorists with our military in 
Afghanistan and Iraq and beyond so we do not have to face them in the 
streets of our own cities.
    America is not to blame for terrorist hatred, and no retreat by 
America would appease them. We don't create terrorists by fighting them. 
We defeat the terrorists by fighting them.
    Our second big difference concerns Iraq. Victory in Iraq is 
essential to victory in the war on terror. We have a strategy to achieve 
that victory. The stakes in that country are high. If a terror regime 
were allowed to reemerge in Iraq, terrorists would again find a home, a 
source of funding, and vital support; they would correctly conclude that 
free nations do not have the will to defend themselves.
    As Iraq succeeds as a free society in the heart of the Middle East, 
an ally in the war on terror, and a model of hopeful reform in a 
troubled region, the terrorists will suffer a crushing defeat, and every 
free nation will be more secure.
    We are still confronting serious violence from determined enemies. 
Yet, the Iraqi Interim Government, with American and coalition support, 
is making progress week by week. Along with Iraqi forces, we're on the 
offensive in Fallujah, north Babil. We've restored Government control in 
Samarra, Tall `Afar, and Najaf. More than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers, 
police, and border guards are already trained, equipped, and bravely 
serving their country. More than 200,000 will be in place by the end of 
next year. An Iraqi independent electoral commission is up and running. 
Political parties are planning campaigns. A free and fair Iraq elections 
will be held on schedule this January.
    The desperate executions of unarmed Iraqi security forces show the 
evil nature of the terrorists we fight. It proves these terrorists are 
enemies of the Iraqi people and the American people and everyone who 
loves freedom. The terrorist insurgents hate our progress, and they 
fight our progress, but they will not stop our progress. We will stay on 
the offense against these terrorists, and we will prevail. We will help 
the Iraqis get on the path to stability and democracy as quickly as 
possible, and then our troops will return home with the honor they have 
earned.
    My opponent has a different view.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. The Senator calls America's 
missions in Iraq a ``mistake,'' a ``diversion,'' a ``colossal error.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. And then he says he's the 
right man to win the war?
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. You cannot win a war you do not believe in fighting.
    On Iraq, my opponent has a strategy of 
pessimism and retreat.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He's talked about 
artificial timetables to pull our troops out. He has sent the signal 
that America's overriding goal in Iraq would be to leave, even if the 
job is not done.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. That sends the wrong message. It sends the wrong 
message to Iraqis who need to know that America will not cut and run. 
That sends the wrong message to the troops of our coalition who

[[Page 2702]]

need to know that we will honor their sacrifice by completing the 
mission. My opponent has the wrong strategy 
for the wrong country at the wrong time.
    On this vital front of the war on terror, protest is not a policy, 
retreat is not a strategy, and failure is not an option. As long as I'm 
the Commander in Chief, America will never retreat in the face of the 
terrorists.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Third, American leadership is indispensable to 
winning the war on terror. Ever since September the 11th, 2001, America 
has sounded a certain trumpet. We've stated clearly the challenge to 
civilization. We've rallied many nations to oppose it. More than 90 
nations are actively engaged in the war on terror. All 26 nations of 
NATO have personnel in either Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. NATO has taken 
leadership of an international force in Afghanistan, the first out-of-
area deployment in the history of our Alliance. Japan has deployed 
forces in Iraq, the first overseas mission in the history of their 
democracy. Forces from South Korea are there. America has led. Many have 
joined. And America and the world are safer.
    My opponent takes a different approach.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He believes that instead of 
leading with confidence, America must submit to what he calls a ``global 
test.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I'm not making that up. [Laughter] I was standing 
right here when he said it. As far as I can 
tell, that means our country must get permission from foreign capitals 
before we act in our own defense.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. As President, I will always work with other 
countries. I will seek their advice. But there is a world of difference 
between working with good allies and giving a few reluctant nations veto 
power over our national security. I will never, never submit our 
national security decisions to veto of a foreign government.
    In addition to a ``global test,'' my opponent promises what 
he calls a ``golden age'' of diplomacy, to 
charm critical governments all over the world.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I don't see much diplomatic skill in Senator 
Kerry's habit of insulting America's closest 
friends. He's called the countries serving alongside us in Iraq, quote, 
``a trumped up coalition of the bribed, the coerced, the bought, and the 
extorted.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Even last week, my opponent 
said that we have, quote, ``hardly anyone with us in Iraq.'' That is a 
deeply offensive way to treat some 30 nations that are in Iraq, and 
especially the 14 nations that have lost forces in our cause. How can 
Senator Kerry denigrate the contributions led by the likes of Tony 
Blair of Great Britain, John Howard of Australia, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland, and then expect other leaders to stand 
with America in the future? You cannot expand an alliance by showing 
contempt for those already in it. In this time of challenge to 
civilization, America has found strong and responsible allies, and they 
deserve the respect of all Americans, not the scorn of a politician.
    Fourth, I believe that America will gain long-term security by 
promoting freedom and hope and democracy in the broader Middle East. Our 
country needs to look ahead. And 20 years from now, if the Middle East 
is dominated by dictators and mullahs who build weapons of mass 
destruction and harbor terrorists, our children and grandchildren will 
live in a nightmare world of danger. That doesn't have to happen.
    By taking the side of reformers and democrats in the Middle East, 
we'll gain allies in the war on terror and isolate the ideology of 
murder and help defeat the despair and hopelessness that feeds terror. 
By

[[Page 2703]]

spreading freedom, by spreading liberty, the world will become a much 
safer place for future generations. Progress in the broader Middle East 
toward freedom will not come easily. Yet, that progress is coming faster 
than many would have said possible. Across a troubled region, we're 
seeing a movement toward elections, greater rights for women, and open 
discussion of peaceful reform. The election in Afghanistan this month 
and the election in Iraq next January will be counted as landmark events 
in the history of liberty.
    My opponent looks at things differently.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He's not only skeptical of 
democracy in Iraq; he has not made democracy a priority for his foreign 
policy. But what is his long-term answer to the threat of terror? Is he 
content to watch and wait as anger and resentment grow for more decades? 
Is he content to wait as more and more people are angry and hostile and 
turn to terrorism? Is he content to wait until radicals without 
conscience gain the weapons to kill without limit? Ignoring the root 
causes of terror, turning a blind eye to the oppression and despair of 
millions may be easier in the short run, but we learned on September the 
11th, if violence and fanaticism are not opposed at their source, they 
will find us where we live.
    Instead of offering his own agenda for 
freedom, my opponent complains that we are trying to, quote, ``impose 
democracy on the people of the broader Middle East.'' Is that what he 
sees in Afghanistan, unwilling people having democracy forced upon them? 
We did remove the Taliban by force, but democracy is rising in that 
country because the Afghan people, like people everywhere, want to live 
in freedom. No one forced them to register by the millions or to stand 
in long lines waiting to vote. For many people, that historic election 
was a day they will never forget. One man in western Kabul arrived to 
vote at 7 a.m. He said, ``I don't want''--he said, ``I didn't sleep all 
night. I wanted to be the first in my polling station.'' My fellow 
citizens, freedom is on the march, and it is changing the world.
    We are witnessing big and hopeful events. Yet, my opponent refuses to see them. I believe that people across the 
Middle East are weary of poverty and oppression. I believe everybody 
wants 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.
    Our fifth great difference concerns the role of the Presidency. A 
President has to lead with consistency and strength. In a war, sometimes 
your tactics will change, but not your principles. Americans have seen 
how I do my job. Even when you might not agree with me, you know what I 
believe, where I stand, and what I intend to do. On good days and on bad 
days, whether the polls are up or down, I am determined to win the war 
on terror, and I will always support the men and women who do the 
fighting.
    My opponent has taken a different 
approach.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. It's fair to say that consistency has not been 
his strong point. [Laughter] Senator Kerry 
says that we are better off with Saddam Hussein out of power, except when he declares that removing 
Saddam made us less safe.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Senator Kerry stated in our 
second debate that he always believed that Saddam Hussein was a threat, except a few questions later, when he 
said Saddam Hussein was not a threat. [Laughter] He says he was right 
when he voted to authorize the use of force against Saddam Hussein, but 
that I was wrong to use force against Saddam Hussein. [Laughter] Now my 
opponent is throwing out the wild claim that he knows where bin 
Laden was in the fall of 2001--[laughter]--
and that our military had a chance to get him in Tora

[[Page 2704]]

Bora. This is an unjustified and harsh criticism of our military 
commanders in the field. This is the worst kind of Monday morning 
quarterbacking, and it is what we've come to expect from Senator Kerry.
    In fact, our Commander in Afghanistan, General Tommy Franks recently wrote, quote, ``The Senator's understanding of events do not square with reality.'' He 
was talking about Tora Bora. The General says that American Special 
Forces were actively involved in the search of terrorists in Tora Bora 
and that intelligence reports at the time placed bin Laden in any of several countries.
    Before Senator Kerry got into political 
difficulty and revised his views, he saw Tora Bora differently. In the 
fall of 2001, on national TV, Senator Kerry said, quote, ``I think we 
have been doing this pretty effectively, and we should continue to do it 
that way.'' At the time, Senator Kerry said about Tora Bora, ``I think 
we've been smart. I think administration leadership has done well, and 
we are on the right track,'' end quote. All I can say is that I am 
George W. Bush, and I approve of that message.
    Yet, Senator Kerry's record on national 
security has a far deeper problem than election-year flip-flopping. On 
the largest national security issues of our time, he has been 
consistently and dangerously wrong. When Ronald Reagan was confronting 
the Soviet Union at the height of the cold war, Senator Kerry said that 
President Reagan's policy of peace through strength was making America 
less safe.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. And he voted against many 
of the weapons systems critical to our defense buildup. History has 
shown that Senator Kerry was wrong, and President Reagan was right.
    When former President Bush led a 
coalition against Saddam Hussein in 1991, 
Senator Kerry voted against the use of force 
to liberate Kuwait.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. If his view had prevailed, 
Saddam Hussein today would dominate the 
Middle East and possess the world's most dangerous weapons. History has 
shown that Senator Kerry was wrong, and former President Bush was right.
    In 1994, just one year after the first bombing of the World Trade 
Center, Senator Kerry proposed massive cuts in 
America's intelligence budget----
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. ----so massive that even his Massachusetts colleague, 
Ted Kennedy, opposed them. [Laughter] 
History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong 
and--we've got to be fair--[laughter]--Senator Kennedy was right.
    Just last year, American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan needed $87 
billion for body armor, hazard pay, vehicles, weapons, and bullets. 
First, Senator Kerry said, ``It would 
irresponsible to vote against the troops.'' Then he voted against the 
troops.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Then he said, ``I actually 
did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] 
History has shown that Senator Kerry was right, then wrong--[laughter]--
then briefly right--[laughter]--then wrong again. [Laughter]
    Since then, the Senator has said the whole 
matter about the $87 billion is a complicated matter. There's nothing 
complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
    During the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge and decision 
for America, Senator Kerry has chosen the 
position of weakness and inaction. With that record, he stands in 
opposition not just to me but to the great tradition of the Democratic 
Party. The party of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and John Kennedy 
is rightly remembered for confidence and resolve in times of war and in 
hours of crisis. Senator Kerry has turned his back on ``pay any price'' 
and ``bear any burden.'' And he has replaced those commitments with 
``wait and see'' and ``cut and run.''

[[Page 2705]]

    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Many Democrats in this country do not recognize their 
party anymore. Today I want to speak to every one of them: If you 
believe that America should lead with strength and purpose and 
confidence in our ideals, I would be honored to have your support, and I 
ask for your vote.
    All the differences I outlined today add up to one big difference: 
Senator Kerry says that September the 11th did 
not change him much at all.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. And his policies make that clear. He says the war on terror is primarily a law enforcement and 
intelligence gathering operation. His top foreign policy adviser says, 
``The war is just a metaphor, like the war on poverty.'' The Senator's 
goal is to go back to the mindset of the 1990s, when terrorism was seen 
as a nuisance, and we fought with subpoenas and a few cruise missiles.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. There is a major problem with that. The era of calm 
he longs for was only a shallow illusion of 
peace. We know that throughout the 1990s, the terrorists were training 
and plotting against us. They saw our complacency as weakness. And so 
their plans became more ambitious and their attacks more deadly, until, 
finally, the Twin Towers became Ground Zero and the Pentagon was in 
flames. My outlook was changed on September the 11th.
    A few days after the attacks, I stood with Rudy where the buildings fell. He'll never forget that day, and 
neither will I. I'll never forget the evil of the enemy and the 
suffering of our people. I know we're not fighting a metaphor. And I 
remember the hard--workers in hardhats there yelling at the top of their 
lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' A fellow grabbed me by the arm, and he 
said, ``Do not let me down.'' From that day forward, I have gotten up 
every morning thinking about how to better protect our country. I will 
never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
    In a new term, we will finish the work we have started. We will 
stand against terror. We will stand for freedom and peace. And on 
November 2d, my fellow Americans, I ask you stand with me.
    God bless. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:14 a.m. at the Island Grove Regional 
Park Community Events Center. In his remarks, he referred to former 
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York City, and his wife, Judith; Gov. 
Bill Owens and Lt. Gov. Jane Bergman Norton of Colorado; Marilyn Coors, 
wife of Colorado senatorial candidate Pete Coors; Steven E. Musgrave, 
husband of Representative Marilyn N. Musgrave; former Representative Bob 
Schaffer, senatorial candidate in Colorado; professional baseball player 
Todd Helton and his wife, Christy; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the 
United Kingdom; Prime Minister John Howard of Australia; Prime Minister 
Silvio Berlusconi of Italy; President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland; 
Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; and Gen. 
Tommy R. Franks, USA (Ret.), former combatant commander, U.S. Central 
Command.