[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[October 23, 2004]
[Pages 2679-2685]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in Melbourne, Florida
October 23, 2004

    The President. Thanks for coming today.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming today. We're getting 
close to voting time--actually, you already are voting here. We're 
traveling your State not only asking for the vote, I'm here to ask for 
your help. I'm asking you to get your friends and neighbors and remind 
them they have a duty to vote in a democracy. And as you're getting 
people to do their duty, don't overlook discerning Democrats, people 
like Senator Zell Miller from Georgia. Remind 
people that if they want a safer America, a stronger America, and a 
better America, put me and Dick Cheney back in 
office.
    I really enjoy campaigning. I like to be out with the people. I like 
to tell people why I'm running and what I intend to do as your President 
for 4 more years. Perhaps the most important reason of all for you to 
put me back into office is so that Laura will be 
the First Lady for 4 more years.
    Audience members. Laura! Laura! Laura!
    The President. Listen, some of you all may appreciate this--I think 
some of you will appreciate this. When I asked Laura to marry me--well, we'd been to the seventh grade 
together at San Jacinto Junior High in Midland, Texas. We became 
reacquainted later on. She was a public school librarian at the time. 
And when I asked her to marry me, she said, ``Fine, but make me a 
promise.'' I said, ``What is it?'' She said, ``Promise me that I'll 
never have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you 
got a deal.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. 
[Laughter] She is giving a lot of speeches, and when she does, the 
American people see a compassionate, warm, strong First Lady.
    I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. I 
fully admit it, he doesn't have the most hair in the race. [Laughter] 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.
    And I'm proud of brother Jeb. The thing I like 
about him is you know where he stands. He's not one of these people that 
takes a poll or a focus group to kind of find his way. And not only 
that, when times were tough here in the State of Florida, I saw 
firsthand his steady leadership. Though I came and tried to remind the 
people of this State the Federal Government would do everything we can 
to help the people, the truth of the matter is, Florida's great strength 
is not only your Governor but the fact that neighbor loved neighbor, 
neighbor helped neighbor. Florida showed great character during these 
times of testing.
    I'm honored to call Buzz Aldrin friend. I appreciate him being here today. He's one of 
the great pioneers of America. I appreciate you, Buzz, coming. I want to 
thank you for the example you have set for future pioneers.
    I want to thank Congressman Dave Weldon for 
his service to the great State of Florida. I appreciate you being here, 
Dave. When you go to the polls, make sure you vote for Mel 
Martinez. He'll make a great United States 
Senator. I want to thank all the State and local officials who are here. 
I want to thank my friends in Little Texas for having played for you all 
today.
    Most of all, I want to thank the grassroots activists who are 
putting up the signs and making the phone calls, who have worked so hard 
to make this rally such a fantastic rally. I want to thank you for what 
you have done and what you're going to do, and that is turn out the 
vote. And with your help, we'll carry Florida again

[[Page 2680]]

and win a great victory on November the 2d.
    We have just 10 days to go in this election, and voters have a clear 
choice between two very different candidates and dramatically different 
approaches and records. You know where I stand, and sometimes, you even 
know where my opponent stands. [Laughter] We 
both have records. I am proudly running on my record. And the Senator is 
running from his, and there is a reason why. There is a mainstream in 
American politics, and my opponent sits on the far left bank. I'm a 
compassionate conservative and proudly so. At a time when our country 
has much to accomplish and much more to do, I offer a record of reform 
and results.
    This election comes down to five clear choices for America's 
families, five choices on issues of great consequence: your family's 
security; your family's budget; your quality of life; your retirement; 
and the bedrock values that are so critical to our families and to our 
future.
    The first clear choice is the most important because it concerns the 
security of your family. All our 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 unlike any we have faced before. 
Terrorists who killed thousands are still dangerous. They are determined 
to strike us again. The outcome of this election will set the direction 
of the war against terror. 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.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Since that terrible morning of September the 11th, 
2001, we have 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've strengthened protections for our homeland. 
We're reforming and strengthening our intelligence services. We're 
transforming our military. We will not have a draft. We will have an 
all-volunteer army. We're staying on the offensive. We are resolute, and 
we are determined to protect the people.
    And we're succeeding. 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.
    My opponent has a very different approach. 
He says that September the 11th, quote, ``didn't change me much at 
all''----
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. ----end quote. And that's pretty clear. He considers the war on terror primarily a law 
enforcement and intelligence gathering operation.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. His top policy 
adviser has questioned whether it is 
even a war at all, saying that, ``It's just a metaphor, like the war on 
poverty.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Anyone who thinks we're fighting a metaphor does not 
understand the enemy we face. You cannot win a war if you are not 
convinced we are even in one.
    Senator Kerry also misunderstands our 
battle against insurgents and terrorists in Iraq. After voting to 
authorize force against Saddam Hussein, after 
calling it the right decision when I sent troops into Iraq, the Senator 
now calls it the ``wrong war.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. The Senator used to 
recognize that Saddam Hussein was a gathering 
threat who hated America. After all, the Senator said so. He used to 
recognize that Saddam was a state sponsor of terror with a history of 
pursuing and even using weapons of mass destruction. After all, the 
Senator said so. He used to understand that Saddam was a major source of 
instability in the Middle East. After all, the Senator

[[Page 2681]]

said so. And when he voted to authorize force, the Senator must have 
recognized the nightmare scenario that terrorists might somehow access 
weapons of mass destruction. Senator Kerry seems to have forgotten all 
that as his position has evolved over the course of this campaign. You 
might call it election amnesia.
    I knew it then, and I know it now, that America and the world are 
safer with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison 
cell.
    Senator Kerry now calls Iraq a 
``diversion.'' But the case of just one terrorist shows how wrong his 
thinking is. A man named Zarqawi is 
responsible for planting car bombs and beheading Americans in Iraq. He 
ran a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan--until we arrived. And then 
he fled to Baghdad, where he plotted and planned and where he's fighting 
us today. He publicly announced his allegiance to Usama bin Laden. See, if Zarqawi and his associates were not busy 
fighting American and Iraqi forces in Iraq, what does my opponent think 
they'd be doing? Peaceful small-business men? [Laughter] Working for 
benevolent societies? Our troops will defeat the likes of Zarqawi so we 
do not have to face him in our own cities.
    The choice in this election could not be clearer. You cannot lead 
our Nation to the decisive victory on which the security of every 
American family depends if you do not see the true dangers of the post-
September the 11th era. My opponent has a 
September 10th point of view. At his convention, he declared his 
strategy would be to respond to attacks after America is hit. And that 
would be too late. America--in our debates, he said we can defend 
America only if we pass a ``global test.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I'm not making that up. He 
was standing about this far from me when he said it. Listen, I'll work 
with our friends and allies. We'll build strong coalitions. But I will 
never turn over America's national security decisions to leaders of 
other countries.
    I want to thank those who wear the uniform who are here today. Thank 
you for your service. I want to thank the veterans who are here for 
having set such a great example for those who wear the uniform. I want 
to thank the military families who are here.
    And I assure you, we will continue to support our troops in harm's 
way. That is why I went to the United States Congress and proposed $87 
billion in supplemental funding, to make sure our troops had that which 
they need to complete their missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
    We received great bipartisan support for that funding. As you gather 
the vote, I want you to remind your friends and neighbors of this 
startling statistic: Only 4 Members of the United States Senate--4 out 
of 100--voted to authorize the use of force and then voted against 
providing the funding necessary to supporting our troops in harm's way, 
and 2 of those 4 were my opponent and his 
runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. So they asked him, ``Why 
did you make the vote?'' And you might remember the most famous quote of 
the 2004 campaign, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, right 
before I voted against it.'' They kept pressing him, and he finally 
said, ``The whole thing was a complicated matter.'' There is nothing 
complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
    We will continue to protect America by spreading freedom and 
liberty. I believe in the transformational power of liberty. Free 
nations do not breed resentment and export terror. Free nations become 
allies against these ideologues of hate.
    Think about what's happened in Afghanistan. Because we acted to 
defend ourselves, that society has gone from darkness to light. Three-
and-a-half years ago, young girls couldn't go to school. Their mothers 
were taken to the public square and whipped if they did not toe the line 
of the barbarians who ran that country. Because we

[[Page 2682]]

acted, millions voted in a Presidential election. The first voter in the 
Afghan Presidential election was a 19-year-old woman. Freedom is on the march.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Iraq has a strong Prime Minister. They'll be holding Presidential elections in January. 
Think how far that society has come from the days of torture chambers 
and mass graves. I believe people in the Middle East want 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.
    The second clear choice in this election concerns your family 
budget, your wallet. When I ran for President 4 years ago, I pledged to 
lower taxes for American families. I kept my word. We doubled the child 
credit to $1,000 to help our moms and dads. We reduced the marriage 
penalty. We believe the Tax Code ought to encourage marriage, not 
penalize marriage. We dropped the lowest tax bracket to 10 percent to 
help our working families. We reduced taxes on everybody who paid taxes. 
As a result of these good policies, real after-tax income--that's the 
money you have left in your pocket--is about--is up about 10 percent 
since I've been your President.
    When you're out gathering up the vote, remind the people what we 
have been through in this country. Six months prior to my arrival, the 
stock market was in serious decline--6 months before getting there. That 
foretold a recession. Then we had some corporate scandals. Then those 
attacks on our country cost us about a million jobs in the 3 months 
after September the 11th.
    But our economic policies are working. This economy is growing. 
We're growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. We've added 
1.9 million* new jobs since August of 2003. The unemployment rate is 5.4 
percent. That's lower than the average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and 
the 1990s. Farm income is up. The homeownership rate in America is at an 
alltime high. And your unemployment rate in the great State of Florida 
is 4.5 percent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    *White House correction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    My opponent has very different plans for 
your family's budget. He intends to take a bigger chunk out of it.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He voted against the higher 
child tax credit. He voted against the marriage penalty relief. He voted 
against lower taxes. If he had had his way, an average middle-class 
family would be paying 2,000 more dollars a year to the Federal 
Government.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. It's part of a pattern. See, he's voted 10 times to raise taxes on gasoline. All told, 
during his 20 years as a United States Senator, my opponent has voted 98 
times to raise taxes.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. That's about five times a year. When a Senator does something that often, he must really enjoy it. 
[Laughter] During this campaign, he's also made a lot of big, expensive 
promises. He's promised about $2.2 trillion of new Federal spending. 
That's with a ``T''--trillion with a ``T.'' That's a lot even for a 
Senator from Massachusetts. [Laughter]
    So they said, ``How are you going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Well, oh, don't worry. We'll just tax the rich.'' 
You've heard that before, haven't you? See, there's a gap. When he says 
``tax the rich,'' he can raise about 600 to 800 billion dollars. So 
there's a gap between what he has promised and what he can raise, and 
guess who usually gets to fill that gap?
    Audience members. We do!
    The President. We're not going to let him 
tax you; we're going to carry Florida and win a great victory in 
November.
    The third choice in this election involves the quality of life for 
our families. A good

[[Page 2683]]

education and quality health care are important to successful life. When 
I ran for President 4 years ago, I promised to end the soft bigotry of 
low expectations by reforming our public schools. I kept my word. We 
passed education reforms to bring high standards to our classrooms and 
to make schools accountable to our parents. We're seeing progress. Math 
and reading scores are rising. We're closing an achievement gap amongst 
minority students. We'll build on these reforms and extend them to our 
high schools so that no child is left behind in America.
    We'll continue to improve our lives--lives for our families, by 
making health care more affordable and accessible. We'll expand health 
savings accounts so small businesses can cover their workers and more 
families are able to get health care accounts they own and manage 
themselves. We'll create association health plans so small businesses 
can join together and buy insurance at the same discounts that big 
companies are able to do. We will help families in need by expanding 
community health centers. We'll make sure every eligible child is 
enrolled in our Government's low-income health insurance program to make 
sure health care is available and affordable to you.
    We will do something about these junk lawsuits that are running up 
the cost of medicine and driving good doctors out of practice. I've met 
too many ob-gyns who are being driven out of practice because of these 
lawsuits. And I've met too many women who are worried about whether 
they're going to get the quality health care they need to bring their 
baby into life. We have a national problem with health care and these 
lawsuits. You cannot be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-personal-
injury-lawyer at the same time. You have to choose. My opponent has 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 patients. I am for medical liability reform--now.
    Senator Kerry has a different point of 
view on our schools. He voted for the No Child Left Behind Act but now 
wants to weaken the accountability standards. He's proposed including 
measures like teacher attendance to judge whether students can read and 
write and add and subtract. He voted against health savings accounts. He 
opposes association health plans. He voted 10 times against medical 
liability reform. He can run from his record, but he cannot hide.
    Now he's proposing a big-Government health 
care plan that would cause 8 million families to lose the private 
coverage they get at work, put them on the health--the Government plan. 
Eighty percent of the people who would get coverage under his proposal 
would be enrolled in a Government program.
    In one of our debates, he tried to tell 
Americans, when it comes to his health care plan, and I'd like to quote 
him, ``Government has nothing to do with it.'' I could barely contain 
myself. My opponent's plan would move America down the road to Federal 
control of health care, and that is the wrong road for America's 
families. He can run--he can run in camo, but he cannot hide.
    In all we do to improve health care, we will make sure the decisions 
are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in Washington, DC.
    The fourth clear choice in this election involves your retirement. 
Our Nation has made a solemn commitment to America's 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 drug 
coverage. I kept my word. Leaders in both political parties have talked 
about strengthening Medicare for years. We got the job done. Seniors are 
now getting discounts on medicine with drug discount cards. Our

[[Page 2684]]

low-income seniors are getting $600 this year and another $600 next year 
to help pay for their prescriptions. And beginning in 2006, all seniors 
will be able to get prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
    My opponent voted against the Medicare 
bill that included prescription drug coverage, even though it was 
supported by AARP and other seniors groups. Campaigning, he said, ``If I 
am the President, I am going to repeal that phony bill.'' Then a little 
later on, he said, ``No, I don't want to repeal it.'' That sounds 
familiar.
    As your President for the next 4 years, I will defend the reforms we 
worked so hard to pass, and we will keep the promise of Medicare for 
America's seniors. And we will keep the promise of Social Security for 
our seniors. And we will strengthen Social Security for a younger 
generation.
    Every election, desperate politicians try to scare seniors about 
Social Security. You might remember the campaign in 2000. They were 
saying, ``If George W. gets elected, our seniors will not get their 
checks.'' Remind your friends and neighbors that George W. got elected 
and our seniors got their checks. You will continue to get your checks. 
Baby boomers like me are in good shape when it comes to the Social 
Security trust.
    But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren. We 
need to make sure Social Security will be there when they need it. And 
that is why I believe younger workers ought to be able to take some of 
their own money and put it in a personal savings account, a personal 
savings account they call their own, that the Government cannot take 
away.
    My opponent takes a different approach 
about Social Security. He talks about protecting Social Security. But 
he's the only candidate in this race who voted eight times for higher 
taxes on Social Security benefits. That's his record. He can run from 
it, but he cannot hide.
    And when it comes to the next generation, he's offered nothing. American families have a clear choice. My 
opponent wants to scare the seniors of today and do nothing to secure 
the system for the seniors of tomorrow. I will keep the promise of 
Social Security and Medicare and strengthen these great systems for our 
children and our grandchildren.
    The fifth clear choice in this election is on the values that are so 
crucial to keeping our families strong. And here, my opponent and I are miles apart. I believe marriage is a sacred 
commitment, a pillar of our civilization, and I will defend it. This 
isn't a partisan issue. You know, when Congress passed the Defense of 
Marriage Act, defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, the 
vast majority of Democrats supported it and my predecessor, Bill 
Clinton, signed the bill into law. 
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. I believe that reasonable people can find common 
ground on difficult issues. Republicans and Democrats and many citizens 
on both sides of the life issue came together and agreed we should ban 
the brutal practice of partial-birth abortions. I proudly signed that 
bill. But Senator Kerry was part of an out-of-
the-mainstream minority that voted against the ban.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He voted against parental 
notification laws.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He voted against the Unborn 
Victims of Violence Act.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I'll continue to reach out to Americans of every 
belief and move this goodhearted Nation toward a culture of life.
    In the course of this campaign, my opponent has said that the heart and soul of America can be found 
in Hollywood.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Most American families don't look to Hollywood as the 
source for

[[Page 2685]]

values. The heart and soul of America is found in communities like 
Melbourne, Florida.
    All of these choices make this one of the most important elections 
in our history. The security and prosperity of our country, the health 
and education of our families, the retirement of our seniors, and the 
direction of our culture are all at stake. The decision is in the best 
hands, because the decision belongs to the American people.
    I see a great day for America. One of my favorite quotes was written 
by a Texan named Tom Lea. He said, ``Sarah and 
I live on the east side of the mountain. It's the sunrise side, not the 
sunset side. It's the side that sees the day that is coming, not to see 
the day that is gone.'' You know, my opponent 
has spent much of this campaign talking about the day that is gone. I 
see the day that is coming.
    We've been through a lot together over the last 3\3/4\ years. 
Because we've done the hard work of climbing the mountain, we see the 
valley below. We'll protect our families and build on their prosperity. 
We'll defend the deepest values of our country. We will spread freedom 
and the peace we all want. We'll do everything I can to make America 
safer.
    Four years ago when I traveled this great State, I made this pledge, 
that if I was honored with the office, I would uphold the honor and the 
dignity of that office. With your help, I will do so for 4 more years.
    Thanks for coming. God bless. On to victory. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 1:39 p.m. at the Space Coast Stadium. In 
his remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the 
keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; Gov. Jeb 
Bush of Florida; Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin ``Buzz'' Aldrin; Mel R. 
Martinez, senatorial candidate in Florida; entertainers Little Texas; 
Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; and 
Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government.