[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[October 19, 2004]
[Pages 2577-2585]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in St. Petersburg, Florida
October 19, 2004

    The President. Thank you all for coming. Nothing like spending a 
Tuesday morning at the ballpark. I can't thank you enough for coming. It 
lifts our spirits to see so many people here.
    It's close to voting time, and I'm here to ask for your vote. We're 
going to travel your State today, and we'll be back quite often, asking 
the people of Florida for their vote. I'm also here to ask for your 
help. See, you can vote now in Florida. So get your friends and 
neighbors to do their duty. We have a duty in this country to vote. And 
remind them when you get them headed to the polls, if they want a safer 
America, a stronger America, and a better America, to put me and Dick 
Cheney back in office.
    As I travel your State giving people a reason why they ought to put 
me back in office, perhaps the most important one of all is so that 
Laura is the First Lady for 4 more years. I'm 
really proud of her. I love her a lot. She is a warm, compassionate, 
great First Lady for this country.
    And I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. He does not have the waviest hair in this race. 
[Laughter] I didn't pick him because of his hairdo. [Laughter] I picked 
him because of his experience, his judgment, his ability to get the job 
done for the American people.
    And I'm proud of my brother Jeb. In this time 
of need, he has risen to the occasion. I have seen him comfort those who 
have been hurt because of these hurricanes. I've seen him put his arms 
around those who worry about their future. We're doing everything we can 
to help this State get back on its feet. The Governor of your State is 
providing strong and necessary leadership to help.
    And I know there are some here who are worried about the flu season. 
I want to assure them that our Government is doing everything possible 
to help older Americans and children get their shots, despite the major 
manufacturing defect that caused this problem. We have millions of 
vaccine doses on hand for the most vulnerable Americans, and millions 
more will be shipped in the coming weeks. We're stockpiling more than 4 
million doses of flu vaccine for children. We're working closely

[[Page 2578]]

with State and local officials to make sure we distribute vaccines to 
the most vulnerable Americans throughout our country.
    I am grateful to the healthy Americans who are deciding a flu shot--
who are declining a flu shot this year so that the most vulnerable of 
our citizens will get the vaccine. Here in Florida and across the 
Nation, we will continue to do everything possible to help our citizens.
    I want to thank Lance Corporal Taylor Pancake for introducing Jeb and being on 
the stage. I want to thank him for his service to our country.
    By the way, our brother Marvin is with us 
today. I appreciate you coming, big Marv. There he is, right there. See, 
we love our family. We've got a great family. There's nothing like being 
on the campaign trail with a brother you love. I've been looking forward 
to this day. Not only do I have one brother I love, I've got two 
brothers I love traveling the great State of Florida.
    I'm proud to be able to work with Congressman Bill Young, the great Congressman from Florida. Your attorney 
general, Charlie Crist, is with us today. 
Thanks for coming, General. Our Government is working with Charlie to 
make sure anybody who tries to gouge the seniors of this State when it 
comes to the flu vaccines is going to be held to account.
    I'm honored that the mayor took time to come by and say hello. Mr. 
Mayor, Rick Baker, is with us today. Thank you 
for coming, Mayor, proud you're here. I want to thank all the State and 
local officials. I'm proud to be on the stage with the next United 
States Senator from Florida, Mel Martinez. I 
know him well. He's the right man for the right State at the right time 
for the United States Senate. Kitty is here 
too, Kitty Martinez. She's going to make a great First Senator's wife. 
Thanks for coming, Kitty, great to see you.
    I want to thank my friend Lee Greenwood, 
who's here. I want to thank all the grassroots activists for what you're 
going to do today and for the next 2 weeks to turn out the vote. There 
is no doubt in my mind, with your help, we'll carry Florida again and 
win a great victory in November.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. In the last few years, the American people have 
gotten to know me. They know my blunt way of speaking. I get that from 
Mother. They know I sometimes mangle the 
English language. [Laughter] I get that from Dad. [Laughter] They also know I tell you exactly what I'm 
going to do, and I keep my word.
    You know, our debates highlighted the stark differences between 
Senator Kerry's views and mine. We have 
different records. We have different plans for the future. My record is 
one of reforming education, of lowering taxes, of providing prescription 
drug coverage for our seniors, for improving homeland protections, and 
for waging an aggressive war against the ideologues of hate.
    My opponent's record is 20 years of out-
of-the-mainstream votes.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Instead of articulating a vision or positive agenda 
for the future, the Senator is relying on a 
litany of complaints and old-style scare tactics.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. As proven by his record and a series of 
contradictions in this campaign, my opponent 
will say anything he thinks that will benefit him politically at the 
time. I will do what I've said I will do. We will keep the promise of 
Social Security for all our seniors. We will not have a draft. We'll 
keep the All-Volunteer Army. With your help on November 2d, the people 
of America will reject the politics of fear and vote for an agenda of 
hope and opportunity and security for all Americans.
    When I came into office, the stock market had been in serious 
decline for 6 months, and the American economy was sliding into a 
recession. To help families

[[Page 2579]]

and to get this economy growing again, I pledged to reduce taxes, and I 
kept my word. And we have gotten results for the American people. The 
recession was one of the shallowest in American history.
    Over the last 3 years, our economy has grown at the fastest rate of 
any major industrialized nation. The homeownership rate in America is at 
an alltime high. Farm and ranch income is up. In the past 13 months 
we've added more than 1.9 million new jobs. The unemployment rate in 
America is 5.4 percent, lower than the average rate of the 1970s, 1980s, 
and 1990s. The unemployment rate in Florida is 4.5 percent. This economy 
is moving forward, and we're not going to go back to the days of tax and 
spend.
    To make sure jobs are here in America, to make sure we continue to 
be a place where people can realize their dreams, America must be the 
best place in the world to do business. We need to reduce the burden of 
regulations on our job creators. We need to do something about the junk 
lawsuits that are threatening the small-business job creators.
    To create jobs here in America, Congress needs to pass my energy 
plan. It's a plan that encourages the use of renewables like ethanol and 
biodiesel. It's a plan that encourages conservation. It encourages new 
technologies like clean coal technologies. It encourages increased 
domestic production in environmentally friendly ways. We will not drill 
off the coast of Florida. To keep jobs here, we must become less 
dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    To create jobs here, we need to reject economic isolationism. See, 
we open up our markets for products from overseas, and that's good for 
you. If you have 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. Rather than shutting down our market, we're working to 
convince others to open up theirs. I'm saying to China, ``You treat us 
the way we treat you.'' We can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere, 
so long as the rules are fair.
    To make sure this economy grows, we've got to be wise about how we 
spend your money and keep your taxes low. Now, my opponent has his own history on the economy.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. In 20 years as a Senator from Massachusetts, 
he has built a record of a Senator from 
Massachusetts. [Laughter] He's voted to raise taxes 98 times.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Think about that. He's been 
there 20 years. That's a vote for a tax increase about five times every 
year.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I would call it a pattern. He can run from his record, but he cannot hide.
    Now, the Senator is promising not to raise 
taxes for anyone who earns less than $200,000 a year. He said that with 
a straight face. The problem is, to keep that promise, he would have to 
break almost all of his other ones. See, he has promised more than $2.2 
trillion of new Federal spending. That's trillion, with a ``T.'' And to 
pay for it he said, aw, he's just going to tax the rich. You know, we've 
heard that before. You can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to 
pay for $2.2 trillion of new spending, so there's a gap--a gap between 
the promise and a gap between what he can deliver. And guess who usually 
has to fill that gap?
    Audience members. We do!
    The President. Yes. I'll tell you what else is wrong with taxing the 
rich. The rich hire lawyers and accountants for reason: to slip the bill 
and pass it on to you. We're not going to let him tax you; we're going to carry Florida and win a great 
victory in November.
    When I came into office, our public schools had been waiting decades 
for hopeful reform. Fortunately, you had a Governor 
that did not allow the wait. See, he knows what I know, that too many of

[[Page 2580]]

our children were being shuffled through, grade after grade, year after 
year, without learning the basics. I pledged to restore accountability 
to our schools and end the soft bigotry of low expectations, and I kept 
my word. Our children are making sustained gains in reading and math. 
We're closing an achievement gap for minority students. We're making 
progress in our schools, and we're not going to go back to the old days 
of mediocrity and low standards.
    We have a changing world, and most new jobs are filled by people 
with at least 2 years of a college education. Yet, only one in four of 
our students gets there. That's why we will fund early intervention 
programs at our high schools to help at-risk students. That's why we'll 
place a new focus on math and science. Over time, we'll require a 
rigorous exam before graduation. By raising performance in our high 
schools, by increasing and expanding Pell grants for low- and middle-
income families, we will help more Americans start their career with a 
college diploma.
    When I came into office, we had a problem with Medicare. Medicine 
was changing, but Medicare was not. Let me give you an example. Medicare 
would pay tens of thousands of dollars for heart surgery but would not 
pay a dime for the prescription drugs that could prevent the heart 
surgery from being needed in the first place. That wasn't fair to our 
seniors. It certainly was not fair to the taxpayers. I pledged to bring 
Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen and modernize Medicare 
for our seniors, and I kept my word. Seniors and--getting discounts on 
medicine. And beginning in 2006, all seniors will be able to get 
prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
    We're moving forward on health care, and there's more to do. We need 
to make sure health care is available and affordable for our people. We 
need a safety net for those with the greatest needs. I believe in 
community health centers, places where the poor and the indigent can get 
health care. In a new term, we'll make sure every poor county in America 
has a community health center. We'll do more to make sure poor children 
are fully subscribed in our programs for low-income families.
    We'll do more to make sure health care is affordable. Listen, most 
of the uninsured are employees of small businesses. Small businesses are 
having trouble affording health care. To help workers get the health 
care they need, we should allow small businesses to join together so 
they can buy insurance at the same discount that big businesses get to 
do. We will expand health savings accounts so workers and small 
businesses are able to pay lower premiums and people can save tax-free 
in an account they call their own.
    To make sure health care is available and affordable, we will do 
something about the junk lawsuits that are running up the cost of health 
care and running good docs out of practice. By forcing doctors to 
practice defensive medicine, medical lawsuits cost the Government about 
$28 billion a year.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. When we say ``cost the Government,'' that means 
they're costing you, the taxpayer.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. These lawsuits drive up insurance premiums, which 
drive good doctors out of practice. I've met ob-gyns that are--say, ``I 
can't practice. I can't practice medicine anymore.'' I met the patients 
of ob-gyns, anxious women who drive miles to meet a doc. The system is 
not working. There's a big difference in this campaign. My 
opponent has voted against medical liability 
reform. I am for medical liability reform--now. And I will work with 
Senator Mel Martinez to get it done.
    My opponent has a health care proposal of 
his own, a plan for bigger and more intrusive Government.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Now, the other day in the debate he said, when it 
comes to his health

[[Page 2581]]

care plan, and I quote, ``The Government has nothing to do with it.'' I 
could barely contain myself. [Laughter] The facts are that 8 out of 10 
people who get health care under Senator Kerry's plan would be placed on a Government program.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He said the plan would help 
small businesses. Yet a small-business group studied the plan and 
concluded it was an overpriced albatross that would saddle small 
businesses with 225 new mandates. I want to help small businesses; I 
don't want to saddle them with Government mandates.
    Listen, the choice is clear when it comes to health care. My 
opponent wants to move in the direction of 
Government-run health care. I believe the health decisions ought to be 
made by patients and doctors, not by officials in Washington, DC. He can 
run, but he cannot hide.
    I've set out policies that move America toward an optimistic vision. 
I believe our country can and must become an ownership society. There's 
an old saying, no one ever washes a rental car. [Laughter] You see, when 
you own something, you care about it. When you own something, you have a 
vital stake in the future of our country.
    That's why we're encouraging entrepreneurship. Every time a small 
business is started, someone is achieving the American Dream. We're 
encouraging health savings accounts so people have the security of 
managing and owning their own health care account. We will continue to 
encourage homeownership. I love the idea that more and more Americans 
from all walks of life are opening up the door where they live and 
saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of property.''
    In a new term, we'll take the next, great step to build an ownership 
society by strengthening Social Security. In the 2000 campaign, you 
might remember the ads that were saying, ``If George W. gets in, the 
seniors will not get their checks.'' The seniors got their checks, and 
our seniors will continue to get their checks. Baby boomers are in 
pretty good shape when it comes to Social Security. We're okay.
    But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren. 
People are understandably worried about whether Social Security will be 
around when our children and grandchildren need it. We must think 
differently. To strengthen Social Security, we must allow younger 
workers to save some of their payroll taxes in a personal savings 
account, a personal savings account they call their own.
    I believe it is the President's problem to solve problems--the 
President's job to solve problems, not to pass them on to future 
generations. My opponent has a different point 
of view. He wants to maintain the status quo when it comes to Social 
Security.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He's against the reforms 
we're talking about when it comes to Social Security, and he's against 
just about every other reform that gives more authority and control to 
the individual. On issue after issue, from Medicare without choices to 
schools with less accountability to higher taxes, he takes the side of 
more government control.
    There's a label for that. There's a word for that. It's called 
liberalism. That's what it's called. He 
doesn't like that label. He dismisses it as just a word. He must have 
seen it differently when he told a newspaper, ``I am a liberal and proud 
of it.'' See, he's the kind of--got a voting record that makes Ted 
Kennedy look like the senior--the 
conservative Senator from Massachusetts. He can run, but he cannot hide.
    I have a different record and a different philosophy. I do not 
believe in big government, and I do not believe that government should 
be indifferent. I'm a compassionate conservative. I believe in policies 
that empower people to improve their lives, not try to run their lives. 
I believe we ought to help men and women find the skills and

[[Page 2582]]

tools necessary to prosper in a time of change. So we're helping all 
Americans to have a future of dignity and independence, and that is how 
I will continue to lead our country for 4 more years.
    In a time of change, some things do not change, the values we try to 
live by, courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. In times of 
change, we must support institutions that give our lives direction and 
purpose, our families, our schools, our religious congregations. We 
stand for 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.
    My opponent's words on these issues are a 
little muddy, but his record is plenty clear. He says he supports the 
institution of marriage but voted against the Defense of Marriage Act.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He voted against the ban on 
the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He described the Reagan 
years as a time of moral darkness.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. There is a mainstream in American politics, and my 
opponent sits on the far left bank. He can 
run, but he cannot hide.
    This election will also determine how America responds to the 
continuing threat of terrorism. The most solemn duty of the American 
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.
    Since that terrible morning of September the 11th, 2001, we 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 capabilities. We're transforming our military. I repeat, 
the All-Volunteer Army will remain an all-volunteer army. We are staying 
on the offensive. We will strike the terrorists abroad so we do not have 
to face them here at home. We will spread freedom and liberty. And we 
will prevail.
    Our strategy is succeeding. Think about the world as it was some 
3\1/2\ years ago. 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 dangerous place and a gathering threat. And Al Qaida 
was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks.
    Because we acted, because the United States of America led, 
Afghanistan is a free nation and an ally in the war against terror; 
Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is making raids 
and 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's key members and associates have been brought to justice.
    We are standing with the peoples of a free Afghanistan and Iraq. 
It's amazing to say the words ``free Afghanistan'' and a ``free Iraq.'' 
I want you to remind your children and grandchildren what has taken 
place in Afghanistan in the 3\1/2\ short years. It wasn't all that long 
ago that young girls couldn't go to school in Afghanistan, or their 
mothers were taken into the public square and whipped because they 
wouldn't toe the line of the ideologues of hate. And yet, because we 
acted in our self-interest, because we acted to secure our country, the 
people of Afghanistan are liberated, and by the millions, showed up to 
vote in a Presidential election. The first voter in the Presidential 
election in Afghanistan was a 19-year-old woman. Freedom is on the march. Freedom is taking hold in a 
part of the world that no one ever dreamed

[[Page 2583]]

would be free, and that makes America more secure.
    There will be elections in Iraq this January. Think how far that 
country has come from the days of torture chambers and mass graves and 
the brutal dictates of a brutal tyrant. You see, it's important that we 
continue to spread freedom, because free societies will help us keep the 
peace. Free societies will no longer feed resentments and breed violence 
for export. Free governments in the Middle East will fight the 
terrorists instead of harboring them, and that will help us keep the 
peace and make America more secure.
    And so our mission is clear. We will help these countries train 
armies and police so the people of Afghanistan and Iraq can do the hard 
work of defending their freedom. We will help them get on the path to 
stability and democracy as quickly as possible, and then our troops will 
come home with the honor they have earned.
    We have a great United States military. It is great because of the 
dedication and the character of those who wear the uniform. I want to 
thank the veterans who are here today for having set such a great 
example to those who wear the uniform. I want to thank the military 
families who are here today for their sacrifices. You can be certain of 
this: Your loved ones are answering one of the great calls of American 
history. They're defending our country against ruthless enemies. They're 
spreading freedom and hope. They are winning the war on terror.
    And our Nation is keeping our commitments to those who serve and to 
their families. We have increased basic pay in the military by 21 
percent since I've been the Commander in Chief. We've increased health 
benefits and Federal support for schools on bases across the country. 
We've reduced out-of-pocket expense for off-base housing to zero for our 
military families. We are supporting our Guard and our Reserve troops 
and families. We're spending 14 billion for construction and maintenance 
on Guard and Reserve facilities. We're extending military health 
benefits to those in the Guard and Reserves. We're increasing--we will 
increase monthly education benefits for those in the Guard and Reserves.
    Our single most important responsibility is to make sure our 
military families are well-treated and our military has all the tools 
necessary to do their missions. And that's why in September of 2003, I 
went to the United States Congress and asked for $87 billion of 
supplemental funding to support our troops in harm's way. This was 
essential funding. Most Members of the United States Congress understood 
how important the funding was. As a matter of fact, only 12 Members of 
the United States Senate voted against the funding for our troops----
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. ----two of whom are my opponent and his runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. When you're out rounding up the vote, remind people 
of this startling statistic: Only 4 Members of the Senate--4 out of 
100--voted to authorize the use of force and then voted against 
providing funding for our troops.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. And two of those four were my opponent and his runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. You might remember my opponents famous quote. When they asked him about his vote, he said, 
``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, right before I voted against 
it.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He's given a lot of 
explanations for that vote since. One of the most interesting ones of 
all, he said, ``Well, the whole thing was a complicated matter.'' 
There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in harm's way.
    Last Sunday was the one-year anniversary of Senator Kerry's vote against funding for

[[Page 2584]]

our troops. My opponent's many and conflicting positions on this issue 
are a case study into why his contradictions call into question his 
credibility and ability to lead our Nation.
    In September 2003, as the $87 billion funding package was being 
debated, Senator Kerry said this on national 
TV: ``It would be irresponsible to abandon our troops by voting against 
it.'' That is, against the $87 billion. And then, of course, just one 
month later, he did exactly the opposite. You know, it's important for 
our fellow citizens to wonder what changed his mind in one short month. 
Well, his opponent in the Democrat primary, Howard Dean, was gaining ground as an antiwar candidate, just about 
the time he changed his mind. See, apparently, my opponent decided 
supporting the troops, even while in harm's way, was not as important as 
shoring up his political position.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. At a time of great threat to our country, at a time 
of great challenge in the world, the Commander in Chief must stand on 
principle, not on the shifting sands of political convenience.
    Senator Kerry's vote against supporting 
our troops in combat is part of a pattern. He has consistently opposed 
the weapons our troops are using to win the war on terror. He opposed 
the B-1 bomber. He opposed the B-2 stealth bomber. He opposed the 
modernized F-14D. He opposed the Apache helicopter. He opposed the 
antimissile launchers that we've been using, the Patriot missile system. 
He has a 20-year history of weakness. He can run from his record, but he 
cannot hide.
    Let me just give you one more piece of evidence about why my 
opponent is not prepared and equipped to be 
the Commander in Chief. He believes that America should pass a ``global 
test'' before we defend ourselves.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. That's what he said. See, the problem with a ``global 
test'' is the Senator can never pass it. In 
1990, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution supporting 
action to remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. 
The international community was united. Countries throughout the world 
joined our coalition. Yet, even after United Nations approval, Senator 
Kerry voted against the authorization for the use of force.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. You might remember during the debates in the campaign 
he said it was a mistake to remove Saddam 
Hussein. He would have done it differently. 
He would have passed another United Nations Security Council 
resolution----
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. ----as if the first 16 or 17, you know, had an 
effect. [Laughter]
    See, we'll continue to build strong alliances. We'll work with 
friends. But I will never turn over America's national security 
decisions to leaders of other countries.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. In this time of uncertainty and challenge, the 
Commander in Chief must be steadied and principled and must use every 
asset at our disposal to protect the American people.
    I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I'll tell you 
what I mean by that. One of our friends, Laura 
and my friends in the international community is Prime Minister 
Koizumi of Japan. That probably doesn't 
seem like much of a big deal to you, except for the fact that 60 years 
ago, Japan was a sworn enemy of the United States of America. We were at 
war with the Japanese. My dad--our dad 
fought against the Japanese. Your dads and granddads did as well. It was 
a brutal war.
    And after the war was over, Harry S. Truman, President of the United 
States, believed that liberty could transform an enemy into an ally. 
There were a lot of skeptics during that time, and you can imagine why. 
Japan was the enemy. Many

[[Page 2585]]

families had been turned upside down because of death in World War II. 
But there was this belief in the country that if we helped Japan become 
a democracy, the world would be better off for it. Today, because people 
held that belief, I sit at the table with the Prime Minister of a former enemy, talking about how to keep the 
peace we all want.
    Someday, someday, an American President will be sitting down with 
the duly elected leader from Iraq, talking about the peace, and our 
children and our grandchildren will be better off for it.
    I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence for 
their freedom. I believe women in the Middle East want to live in a free 
society. I believe mothers and dads want to raise their children in a 
free world. I believe all these things because freedom is not America's 
gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and 
woman in this world.
    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. This is a time 
that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the values 
that makes this a great nation.
    None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another 
began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin 
Towers. It's a day I will never forget. There were workers in hardhats 
yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I 
remember the fellow who grabbed me by the arm. He looked me straight in 
the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Ever since that day, I 
wake up every morning thinking about how to better protect America. I 
will never relent in defending our country, whatever it takes.
    Four years ago, when I traveled your great State, I made a pledge 
that if you gave me the chance to serve, I would uphold the honor and 
the dignity of the office to which I had been elected. With your help, I 
will do so for 4 more years.
    Thanks for coming. God bless. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 9:15 a.m. at Al Lang Field at the Progress 
Energy Park. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; 
Florida State Attorney General Charlie Crist; Mayor Rick Baker of St. 
Petersburg, FL; Kitty Martinez, wife of Florida senatorial candidate Mel 
R. Martinez; entertainer Lee Greenwood; and Prime Minister Junichiro 
Koizumi of Japan.