[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[October 13, 2004]
[Pages 2503-2504]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Presidential Debate Watch Party in Phoenix, Arizona
October 13, 2004

    The President. Thank you all.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Thank you all very much. I've been to a lot of 
ballparks in my day, but I've never been to a ballpark filled with so 
many people who are going to go out and work the vote and make sure we 
can win in November.
    I am so honored you came out tonight. I cannot thank you enough for 
greeting me and Laura and Barbara and Jenna. It warms our heart and 
lifts our spirit to be here with so many great American citizens. Thanks 
for coming. You know, when I got here, Laura said, ``Stand up straight. 
Don't scowl, and keep your speech short.'' [Laughter]
    I meant what I said about Laura. I love her 
dearly. She's a great First Lady. Tonight I tried to give the people a 
reason to put me back in for 4 more years, but perhaps the most 
important reason of all is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more 
years. I'm proud to be here with Barbara and 
Jenna. I told them, I said, ``Get you some sleep 
tonight, and get back out on the campaign trail.'' [Laughter]
    But thank you all for coming. I love my family. I love my country. I 
love working with John McCain. I'm so proud to 
be standing with him here today. He is--he and I are going to go to 
Nevada tomorrow. We're going to Las Vegas. We're going to Reno. We're 
going to Oregon. We're going to travel this country with a message 
that's hopeful and optimistic, and we're going to win.
    I want to thank Cindy McCain as well for 
being here. I want to thank my friend Senator Jon Kyl and Caryll Kyl for being here as 
well. I want to thank the Members of Congress who are here.
    I want to thank my friend Aaron Tippin for 
providing some--[applause]--yes. I want to thank the Arizona 
Diamondbacks for opening up this fantastic facility for us here today. I 
want to thank the players who are here.

    I want to thank the grassroots activists, the people who are going 
to put up the signs and make the phone calls and turn out the people to 
vote.

    I know you know this, but you can now cast your ballot for Dick 
Cheney and me. Make sure you do so, and get your 
friends and neighbors to do so. We need your help. We need your vote. 
We're going to win in November.

    I enjoyed the debate tonight. It gave me a chance to tell the 
American people where I want to lead for the next 4 years. We'll 
continue to create jobs. We'll continue to make sure our schools work. 
We'll work on health care. We'll make sure that America is safe and 
secure by staying on the offensive. We'll defeat the terrorists overseas 
so we do not face them here at home.

    And finally, we will never forget the values of this country, our 
faith, our families. We will make sure that we continue to hold true to 
our beliefs that liberty can transform the world. We long for peace. We 
will spread the peace by spreading freedom.

    I'm honored that you're here. Thank you for coming. May God bless 
you, and may God bless America.

[[Page 2504]]

Note: The President spoke at 8:12 p.m. at the Bank One Ballpark. In his 
remarks, he referred to Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain; 
Caryll Kyl, wife of Senator Jon L. Kyl; and entertainer Aaron Tippin.