[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[October 26, 2004]
[Pages 2741-2748]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in Cuba City, Wisconsin
October 26, 2004

    The President. Thank you all for coming. I am honored you're here. 
Thanks for coming today. You know, Cuba City is known as the City of the 
Presidents. Kind of makes sense that a President stops in to say hello, 
doesn't it? A few months ago, I was the first sitting President to pass 
through Cuba City. Today I'm the first sitting President to stop in and 
give a speech. And I'm looking forward to signing my name to the shield 
of the 43d President.

[[Page 2742]]

    As I'm traveling your beautiful State asking for the vote and I'm 
asking for your help, I'd like to encourage you to get your friends and 
neighbors to go to the polls. We have a duty in this democracy to vote. 
We have an obligation. When you get them headed to the polls, don't 
overlook discerning Democrats--[laughter]--people like Zell 
Miller, the Senator from Georgia who is strongly 
for my candidacy. Remind people if they want a safer America, a stronger 
America, and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
    Listen, I'm going to give you--I've been traveling Wisconsin a lot, 
giving people reasons to put me back into office. But perhaps the most 
important one of all is so that Laura is the 
First Lady for 4 more years. When I asked her to marry me, she said, 
``Fine, just make me a promise.'' I said, ``What is it?'' She said, 
``Promise me I'll never have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I 
said, ``Fine, you know, you've got a deal.'' Fortunately, she didn't 
hold me to the deal. [Laughter] She is giving a lot of speeches. And 
when she does, the American people see what I know, that she is 
compassionate; she is warm; she is a strong, great First Lady.
    I asked Tommy to take on a tough job in Washington, DC, and he's 
done a heck of a job. I'm proud of Tommy Thompson. My only problem with being around Tommy, all he wants to 
do is talk about Wisconsin football. And of course he did have to bring 
up the Packers-Cowboy game as well, played right there at Lambeau Field. 
[Laughter]
    I want to thank Steve Freese for his 
introduction. I appreciate his service to your community in the 
statehouse. I want to thank my friend Mark Green, 
Congressman Mark Green, who's traveling with us. Thanks for coming, 
Mark.
    I want to thank the mayor, Dick Davis. 
Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for being here. It's kind for you to come. I want 
to thank the members of the City of Presidents Committee--right there. 
Thank you all.
    I'm traveling with a fine man and his wife, Tim and Barbara Michels. He is 
going to make a great United States Senator. I appreciate him coming. 
And I want to thank my friend Dale Schultz, who will also make a great 
Congressman in the Third Congressional District.
    I want to thank Sam McGrew, the 
superintendent of schools. Appreciate you being here, Mr. 
Superintendent. I want to remind you, Mr. Superintendent, when it came 
time to pick a Secretary of Education, I picked a superintendent of 
schools. And the reason why I did is 
because I understand local control of schools is important, and I 
understand a superintendent of a school district understands education 
firsthand. And I appreciate your service.
    And I want to thank Tim Hazen, the principal 
of the Cuba City High School. Thank you, sir. [Applause] That's a good 
sign, when the students are cheering for you. [Laughter] I want to thank 
the--Danielle Wallenhorst, the student 
council president. Madam President, thank you for greeting me. Oh, there 
she is. Yes, there she is, good. Listen, I understand the football team 
has got a game tonight. I wish you all the best. Good luck to you. And 
as Tommy pointed out, the volleyball team 
here is really good too. I appreciate you being here.
    Listen, thanks for coming. We're coming down the stretch in this 
campaign. And there are different candidates running with different 
points of view. You know where I stand, and sometimes, you even know 
where my opponent stands. [Laughter]
    Now, we both have records. I'm running on mine. He's running from his, and there's a reason why. There is a 
mainstream in American politics. The fellow I'm running against sits on 
the far left bank. I'm a compassionate conservative and proudly so.
    I have a positive and optimistic vision for our future, a 
comprehensive strategy for victory in Iraq and for victory in the wider 
war against terror, a plan to make sure our economy continues to grow so 
that

[[Page 2743]]

hope spreads its wings in every corner of America. My opponent has no plan, no vision, just a long list of 
complaints. But a Monday morning quarterback has never led any team to 
victory.
    This election comes down to five clear choices for your families, 
for America's families: your family's security; your family budget; your 
quality of life; your retirement; and the bedrock values that makes this 
a great country.
    The first clear choice is the most important one because it concerns 
the security of your family. All progress on every other issue depends 
on the safety of our citizens. This will be the first Presidential 
election since September the 11th, 2001. Americans will go to the polls 
in a time of war and ongoing threats. The terrorists who killed 
thousands of innocent people are still dangerous, and they're 
determined. The outcome of this election will set the direction of the 
war on terror. The most solemn duty of the American President is to 
protect the American people. If America shows weakness or uncertainty in 
this decade, this world of ours will drift toward tragedy. That's not 
going to happen on my watch.
    Our strategy is clear. We've strengthened the protections of our 
homeland. We're reforming our intelligence capabilities. We're 
transforming our military. There will be no draft. The All-Volunteer 
Army will remain the All-Volunteer Army. We are relentless. We are 
determined. We're staying on the offensive. We're defeating the 
terrorists overseas so we do not have to face them here in our own 
country. And we're making progress. More than three-quarters of Al 
Qaida's key members and associates have been brought to justice, and the 
rest of them can be certain of this: We're on their trail.
    A President has to lead with consistency and strength. In war, your 
tactics change but never your principles. Americans have seen how I do 
my job. Even when you don't agree with me, you know what I believe, 
where I stand, and what I intend to do. On the good days and on the bad 
days, when the polls are up or the polls are down, I am determined to 
win this war on terror, and I will always support the men and women who 
wear our Nation's uniform.
    My opponent in this campaign has taken a 
different approach. It's fair to say that consistency has not been his 
strong point. [Laughter] Senator Kerry says we're better off with Saddam 
Hussein out of power, except when he declares 
that removing Saddam makes us less safe. In our second debate, he said 
he always believed that Saddam was a threat, except a few questions 
later when he said Saddam 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 he's saying he knew where bin 
Laden was in the fall of 2001 and that our 
military passed up a chance to get him at Tora Bora. Let me talk about 
that for a minute. That's unjustified criticism of our military 
commanders in the field. This is the worst kind of Monday morning 
quarterbacking. In fact, our commander in Afghanistan, General Tommy 
Franks, recently wrote this about Tora Bora: 
``The Senator's understanding of events does not square with reality.'' 
The general says that American Special Forces were actively involved in 
the search for the terrorists in Tora Bora, and the 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 our actions in Tora Bora 
differently. In the fall of 2001, on national TV, he said this about 
Tora Bora: ``I think we have been doing this pretty effectively, and we 
should continue to do it that way.'' At the time, the Senator said this 
about Tora Bora: ``I think we've been smart. I think the administration 
leadership has done it well, and we are on the right track.'' All I can 
say to

[[Page 2744]]

that is, I am George W. Bush, and I approve of that message. [Laughter]
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. I want to thank those who wear the Nation's uniform 
that have joined us today. I appreciate your service. I want to thank 
the veterans who are here, who have set such a great example for those 
who wear the uniform. And I want to thank the military families who are 
with us today as well.
    And I made a pledge to our troops and their families that they would 
have all they need to do their jobs and to complete their missions. 
That's why I went to the United States Congress and proposed $87 billion 
of supplemental funding to support our troops in harm's way. It was 
necessary funding. It was really important and so important that we got 
great bipartisan support for the vote--on the vote to fund the money. As 
a matter of fact, it was so strong that only 12 Members of the United 
States Senate voted against it. As you're out rounding up the vote, I 
want you to remind the people of this important part of the State of 
this startling statistic: 4 Members of the United States Senate, 4 out 
of 100, voted to authorize the use of force and then voted against 
supporting our troops in harm's way--only 4, 2 of whom are my 
opponent and his runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. They asked him, they said, 
``Well, how could you have made that vote?'' And he said perhaps the 
most famous quote of the 2004 campaign--[laughter]--``I actually did 
vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] Now, 
look, I didn't spend any time in the coffee shops around Cuba City, but 
I suspect you're not going to find many people who talk that way here. 
[Laughter]
    He's given several explanations--you can't 
be calibrating the polls when it comes time to be supporting our troops. 
They said, well, when did he start changing his mind? Well, he started 
changing his mind about his position when it looked like he was losing 
to Howard Dean in the Democrat primary, right 
about the time this vote came up. See, earlier on TV, prior to the vote, 
he said it would be irresponsible not to support our troops in combat. 
And sure enough, he took a look at the polls and decided not to support 
our troops in combat. A President must be consistent. A President must 
be willing to stand for what he believes.
    In the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge--now remember, my 
opponent opposed President Ronald Reagan's 
doctrine of peace through strength. He didn't support removing Saddam 
Hussein from Kuwait, even though the 
international community united in concert. In moments of challenge and 
decision, he has chosen the path of weakness and inaction. Now, look, 
his record not only stands in opposition to me but in opposition to the 
great tradition of the Democrat Party of America. The party of Franklin 
Roosevelt and Harry Truman and John Kennedy is rightly remembered for 
confidence and resolve in times 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.''
    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'd 
be honored to have your support, and I'm asking for your vote.
    We have big differences--we have differences in this campaign about 
how to keep you secure, and the differences are clear. Senator 
Kerry says that September the 11th did not 
change him much at all. Those are his words. And the policies make it 
clear. He said that the war on terror is primarily a law enforcement and 
intelligence gathering operation. Well, I want to tell you something. My 
outlook changed on September the 11th. I understand the stakes. I 
understand the consequences of

[[Page 2745]]

inaction. I understand the consequence of sending mixed signals.
    I remember standing in the ruins of the Twin Towers on September the 
14th, 2001. It's a day I will never forget. I will never forget the 
sights and the sounds. I will never forget the hardhats yelling at me at 
the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember the guy 
looking at me straight in the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' 
Ever since that day, I wake up every morning trying to figure out how to 
better protect our country. I will never relent in defending our 
security, whatever it takes.
    The second clear choice involves your budget. When I ran for 
President 4 years ago, I pledged to lower taxes for American families, 
and I kept my word. And remember what we have been through as an 
economy. Six months prior to my arrival, the stock market was in serious 
decline. And then we had a recession and corporate scandals and the 
attack on America, which cost us about a million jobs in the 3 months 
after September the 11th.
    But we acted. I led the Congress to reduce your taxes, and our 
economic policies have led us back to growth. Think about these 
statistics and remind your friends and neighbors about these statistics. 
We've created 1.9 million jobs in the last 13 months. Farm incomes are 
up all across America. The farmers are making a good living. 
Homeownership rate is at an alltime high. The entrepreneurial spirit is 
strong in America. Small businesses are flourishing. The national 
unemployment rate is 5.4 percent. Let me put that in perspective for 
you: That's lower than the average rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. 
The unemployment rate in Wisconsin is 5 percent.
    And one of the reasons Wisconsin is doing so well is because your 
small businesses are flourishing and because the farmers are making a 
living. In 4 years, we'll--the next 4 years, we'll continue to help our 
dairy farmers. I support the MILC program to help the dairy farmers here 
in Wisconsin. We will make sure--we'll continue to open up markets for 
Wisconsin's farmers. I understand a good farm economy is necessary for a 
good national economy.
    Look, we have a different point of view when it comes to taxes. My 
opponent has a different economic plan. It 
starts with the fact that he said he's going to raise taxes. And that's 
a promise most politicians keep. [Laughter] He's promised to spend $2.2 
trillion in new money--spending. That's trillion with a ``T.'' That's a 
lot even for a Senator from Massachusetts. [Laughter] And they asked 
him, ``How you going to pay for all that new spending?'' And he said, 
``Oh, we're just going to tax the rich.'' You've heard that before, 
haven't you? See, there's a difference between what he's promised and 
how much he can raise. He's promised 2.2 trillion, but by running up the 
top two brackets, he only raises about 600 to 800 billion dollars. 
There's a gap. Guess who usually fills the gap? The good news is, we're 
not going to let him tax you because we're going to carry Wisconsin and 
win a great victory on November the 2d.
    A third issue about the quality of our families and the life of our 
families is education and health care. When I ran for President 4 years 
ago, I promised to end the soft bigotry of low expectations in our 
schools. And I kept my word. The No Child Left Behind Act is a good, 
solid piece of legislation. It says in return for extra Federal money, 
schools must measure to show us whether or not our children are learning 
to read and write and add and subtract. You can't solve a problem until 
you diagnose the problem. And so by measuring early, we're correcting 
problems before they become too acute, before it is too late. And an 
achievement gap in America is closing all over America. People are 
learning to read and write and add and subtract, and we're not going to 
go back to the old days of mediocrity and low expectations in our 
schoolhouses.

[[Page 2746]]

    And I've got a commonsense way to help on health care. Most of the 
uninsured work for small businesses. Small businesses ought to be 
allowed to pool together to extend risk so they can buy insurance at the 
same discounts big companies get to do. I believe we ought to expand 
health savings accounts, low-premium, high-deductible, tax-free policies 
that enable people to manage and control their own health care. I know 
we're going to help the poor and the needy through community health 
centers and rural health centers. We're going to help sign up people for 
our low-income children's programs.
    But also to make sure health care is available and affordable to 
you, we've got to do something about these junk lawsuits that are 
running good doctors out of practice and running up the cost of 
medicine. I've met too many ob-gyns around our country that are quitting 
the practice of medicine because these lawsuits are running their 
premiums up too high on their insurance policy. They just can't 
practice. I met too many women who are wondering whether or not they're 
going to get the quality health care for themselves and their baby 
because ob-gyns are being run out of practice. This isn't right for 
America. You cannot be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-plaintiff-
attorney at the same time. You've got to make a choice. My 
opponent made his choice, and he put a 
personal-injury trial lawyer on the ticket.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I have made my choice. I'm standing with the doctors 
and the patients and the hospitals and the small-business owners. I am 
for medical liability reform--now.
    You know, in one of our debates, my opponent looked right in the camera and said his health care plan--
about his health care plan, ``The Federal Government has nothing to do 
with it.'' You know, I could barely contain myself. [Laughter] See, I 
understand his plan. The Federal Government has got a lot to do with it. 
Eight out of ten people will be signed up on a Federal program. When you 
make it easier to get on Medicaid, small businesses will drop insurance 
for their employees because the Government will pay for it, and that 
will cause about 7 or 8 million people to get on Medicaid. And when the 
Government starts writing the checks, the Government starts writing the 
rules. And then when the Government starts writing the rules, the 
Government starts making decisions for you. They start rationing health 
care. They decide what doctor you can go see. To me, that is the wrong 
prescription for health care in America.
    Here's what I believe. I believe when it comes to health care, the 
decisions ought to be between patients and doctors, not by officials in 
Washington, DC.
    The fourth clear choice involves your retirement. Our Nation has 
made a solemn commitment to our seniors on Social Security and Medicare. 
When I ran for President 4 years ago, I promised to keep that commitment 
and improve Medicare by adding prescription drugs. I kept my word. And I 
want to thank Tommy Thompson for his help. 
You know, you've heard this issue debated for years. Matter of fact, it 
became such a political hot potato they called Medicare, ``Medi-scare.'' 
But Tommy and I ignored all that, and we decided to do what was right 
for our seniors. Seniors are now getting discounts on medicines with 
drug discount cards. Low-income seniors are getting $600 this year to 
help them on their cards and $600 next year. And beginning in 2006, all 
seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
    Let me talk about Social Security. You all might remember the 2000 
campaign here in Wisconsin, the ads that said, ``If George W. gets 
elected, our seniors are not going to get their checks.'' That's the 
old-style scare tactics. When you're out there talking to your friends 
and neighbors, remind them, George W. did get elected, and our seniors 
got their checks. And our

[[Page 2747]]

seniors will continue to get their checks. And baby boomers like me, 
we're in pretty good shape when it comes to the Social Security trust.
    But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren when 
it comes to Social Security. When the baby boomers retire, it's going to 
be hard for the next generation to support us and then have a retirement 
system for their own. That's why we need a President to think 
differently about Social Security. I think younger workers ought to be 
allowed to take some of their own money and set up a personal savings 
account, an account that earns better interest, an account they call 
their own, an account the Government cannot take away.
    You know, we have a difference of opinion on Social Security. My 
opponent said he's going to protect Social 
Security, but what he forgot to tell you is he's voted eight times for 
higher taxes on Social Security benefits. That's part of that record. 
See, that's just--see, he doesn't want you to know the record. He can 
run, but he cannot hide. That's what I say. He can run from it, but he 
can't hide from it.
    And then he said, when it comes to Social 
Security, things are okay for the next generation. I think the job of a 
President* is to confront problems, not to pass them on to future 
Presidents and future generations. You've got to expect from your 
President somebody who is willing to take on the tough issue, not have 
their finger stuck in the wind trying to figure out which way the winds 
are blowing but somebody who is going to do what is right. And what is 
right is to protect Social Security for our seniors and make it viable 
for the younger citizens of this country.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    *White House correction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    And finally, the final clear choice in this election is on the 
values that are crucial to keeping our families strong. And here my 
opponent and I are miles apart. I stand for 
the appointment of Federal judges who know the difference between 
personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law. I believe 
marriage is a sacred commitment, a pillar of our civilization. I don't 
believe this is a partisan issue. As a matter of fact, when Congress 
passed the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage as the union 
between a man and a woman, the vast majority of Democrats supported it, 
and President Bill Clinton signed it into 
law. But Senator Kerry was part of an out-of-the-mainstream minority 
that voted against the Defense of Marriage Act.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Listen, reasonable people can find common ground on 
the most difficult of issues. Republicans and Democrats came together 
and agreed we should ban the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion. 
I proudly signed that bill. But my opponent 
was part of an out-of-the-mainstream minority that voted against the 
ban.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. See, we just have a difference of opinion, a big 
difference of opinion. I'll continue to reach out to Americans of every 
belief and move this goodhearted Nation toward a culture of life.
    My opponent said the heart and soul of 
America can be found in Hollywood. [Laughter] Most American families 
don't look to Hollywood as a source of values. [Laughter] The heart and 
soul of America is found in communities like Cuba City, Wisconsin.
    You know, one of my favorite quotes that I hope tells you what I 
believe and how I lead is by a fellow Texan named Tom Lea, and here's what he said. He said, ``Sarah and I live on 
the east side of the mountain. It is the sunrise side, not the sunset 
side. It is the side to see the day that is coming, not to see the day 
that has gone.'' That's how I feel about this country, optimistic and 
hopeful. I know we can achieve anything we set our mind to. You know, in 
the last 4--nearly 4 years, we've come through a lot together. Because 
we've done the hard work of climbing the

[[Page 2748]]

mountain, we see the valley below. And that valley is a valley full of 
prosperity and hope, a valley where people in this country feel 
comfortable about owning something, a valley where the entrepreneurial 
spirit is strong, where our families are strong. We're going to continue 
to spread freedom and liberty so we can achieve the peace that we all 
want for generations to come.
    Four years ago, when I traveled your State asking for the vote, I 
made you this pledge: I said I would restore the integrity to the Oval 
Office. With your help and with your hard work, I will do so for 4 more 
years.
    Thanks for coming. God bless. I appreciate it. Now I'm going to sign 
this shield.

Note: The President spoke at 2:43 p.m. at Cuba City High School. In his 
remarks, he referred to Wisconsin State Representative Stephen J. 
Freese; Mayor Richard Davis of Cuba City, WI; Samuel McGrew, district 
administrator, School District of Cuba City; former President Saddam 
Hussein of Iraq; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist 
organization; and Gen. Tommy R. Franks, USA (Ret.), former combatant 
commander, U.S. Central Command.