[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[November 1, 2004]
[Pages 2912-2918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in Des Moines, Iowa
November 1, 2004

    The President. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all. Senator, 
what I have learned is every day is a good day to be in Iowa. And I've 
really enjoyed campaigning in your State in 2000, now in 2004. And I'm 
here one more time to ask for your vote and ask for your help. I'm 
asking for you to go to your friends and neighbors and tell them we have 
a duty in our country to vote. Go to our fellow Republicans, wise 
independents, and discerning Democrats. And tell them, if they want a 
stronger America, a safer America, and a better America, to put me and 
Dick Cheney back in office.
    Perhaps the most important reason why people should put me back in 
is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more 
years. I'm sorry she's not with me right now. She's working--
[laughter]--thankfully, for

[[Page 2913]]

me. [Laughter] She gives a lot of speeches, and when she speaks, the 
American people see a warm, compassionate, strong First Lady.
    And I'm really proud of Barbara and 
Jenna. I want to thank them for joining up. I 
can't think of a better way to complete the last day of this campaign 
than to be campaigning with two girls I love. And guess who surprised me 
today? My sister, Dorothy, is with us. 
Thank you, Doro. I'm a lucky man. I've got a great family, and I love my 
family. I'm looking forward to working with them as we complete this 
campaign.
    I've got a great Vice President too. I'm real proud of Dick 
Cheney. I don't want to offend anyone here who 
is follically challenged, but I readily concede the Vice President 
doesn't have the waviest hair in the race. But I know the people of Des 
Moines, Iowa, will be pleased to hear that I didn't pick him because of 
his hairdo. I picked him because of his judgment, and I picked him 
because of his experience. And he's getting the job done for the 
American people.
    I can't tell you how proud I am to be able to work with your United 
States Senator Chuck Grassley. He's an 
accomplished, effective Senator for Iowa. He is really good at what he 
does. I know you're going to put him back into office. He is so good at 
what he does, I've got a job for him on the South Lawn of the White 
House--got a lot of grass. [Laughter] And we love Barbara 
Grassley too. Chuck's wife is a fine, fine 
woman.
    I want to thank my friend Congressman Jim Nussle, the chairman of the Budget Committee in the House of 
Representatives, for coming today.
    I want to thank the State auditor here. I 
want to thank the majority leader. I want to thank the Urbandale 
mayor. I want to thank all the State and local 
officials. I want to thank some candidates who are here. I want to thank 
Stan Thompson, who's running for the United 
States Congress. He's the right man for the job.
    I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. I want to 
thank those of you who have been putting up the signs and making the 
phone calls. I want to thank you for all the work you've done over the 
past year to get ready for tomorrow. I want to thank Dave 
Roederer. I want to thank my friend Becky 
Beach.
    I want to thank the--John Stone is with us. 
Thank you for coming, John. I'm proud you're here. How about Cael 
Sanderson, gold medalist--what a great 
ambassador for Iowa, a great ambassador for the United States.
    I want to thank you for all you've done and what you're going to do 
over the next 24 hours. With your help, with your hard work, by turning 
out this vote, there is no doubt in my mind we will carry Iowa and win a 
great victory on Tuesday.
    Tomorrow the people of this good State and the people of America go 
to the polls. I'm excited about Election Day. I'm looking forward to it, 
and I'm also optimistic about the future of this country. I see a 
brighter day and a more hopeful day. One of my favorite quotes was said 
by a fellow Texan named Tom Lea. He said, ``Sarah and I live on the east 
side of the mountain. It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It's 
the side to see the day that is coming, not to see the day that is 
gone.'' During the course of this campaign, my opponent has spent much of it talking about the day that is gone. 
I'm talking about the day that's coming.
    I see a day where prosperity reaches every corner of this country. I 
see a day where every child is able to read and write and add and 
subtract. I see a day in which this world becomes more peaceful, where 
we achieve the peace we want for our children and our grandchildren. 
Tomorrow the people of this country have a chance to bring that better 
day by voting for strong and principled and optimistic leadership by 
voting for Bush-Cheney.

[[Page 2914]]

    The American President must lead with clarity and purpose. The role 
of the President is not to follow the path of the latest polls. The role 
of the President is to lead based upon principle and conviction and 
conscience. During these 4 years, I have learned that whatever your 
strengths are, you're going to need them, and whatever your shortcomings 
are, people will notice them. [Laughter] Sometimes I'm a little too 
blunt. I get that from my mother. [Laughter] 
Sometimes I mangle the English language. [Laughter] I get that from my 
father. [Laughter] But at all times, 
whether you agree with me or not, you know where I stand, what I 
believe, and where I intend to lead.
    This election comes down to five clear choices for America's 
families. The first clear choice concerns your family's budget. When I 
ran for President 4 years ago, I pledged to lower taxes for American 
families. I have kept my word. We doubled the child credit to help moms 
and dads. We reduced the marriage penalty. We believe the Tax Code ought 
to encourage, not penalize marriage. We reduced the taxes on everybody 
who pays taxes.
    As a result of these good policies, our economy is growing at rates 
as fast as any in nearly 20 years. Real after-tax income is up 10 
percent since I've been the President. Homeownership in America is at an 
alltime high. More minority families own their home than ever before in 
our Nation's history. Small businesses are flourishing. We've added 1.9 
million new jobs since September of 2003. 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, the 1980s, and the 1990s. Farm 
income in Iowa is up, and the unemployment rate in this State is 4.7 
percent. This economy of ours is strong, and it is getting stronger.
    I have a message for the people of Iowa. We're going to open up 
foreign markets for Iowa corn and other products. We'll promote 
renewables like ethanol and biodiesel. We will keep this farm economy 
strong, and the people of Iowa can count on me to keep my word.
    My opponent has an economic plan. I want 
you to remember he voted 98 times to increase taxes, in 20 years in the 
Senate. That is five times a year.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. That is a predictable pattern. [Laughter] That's a 
leading indicator. [Laughter] There's not enough to pay for all his 
promises. He's proposing $2.2 trillion, and he 
said he's only going to raise the top two brackets. See, that raises 
about 600, 800 billion, but that's far short of the 2.2 trillion he's 
promised. There is a tax gap. And given his past history, guess who is 
going to have to fill the tax gap?
    Audience members. We are!
    The President. The middle-income families of the America. The good 
news is, he's not going to be able to tax you; 
we're going to carry Iowa and win a great victory.
    The second clear choice in this election involves the quality of 
life for our Nation's families. I believe every child can learn and 
every school must teach. I went to Washington to challenge the soft 
bigotry of low expectations and reform our public schools. I kept my 
word. We passed education reforms that bring high standards to the 
classrooms. Math and reading scores are now on the rise. We are closing 
the achievement gap by helping minority children. My vision for a new 
term is to build on these reforms and extend them to our high schools so 
no child is left behind in America.
    We'll continue to improve life for our families by making health 
care more affordable and available. We'll expand health savings 
accounts. We'll allow small businesses to join together so they can buy 
insurance at the same discounts big companies are able to do. We'll help 
families in need, and we will do something about these junk lawsuits 
that are running up the cost of medicine and driving good docs--we're 
driving good docs out of practice.

[[Page 2915]]

    My opponent and I disagree on this medical 
liability issue. I see it as a national problem that requires a national 
solution. He's voted against medical liability reform 10 times, and he 
put a personal-injury trial lawyer on the 
ticket.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I'm standing with the doctors of Iowa. I'm standing 
with the patients of Iowa. I am for medical liability reform--now. In 
all we do to improve health care, we'll make sure the medical decisions 
are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in Washington, DC.
    My opponent has a different approach. He 
voted for education reform but now wants to weaken the accountability 
standards. He's proposing a big-Government health care plan. You might 
remember one of the debates, when they asked him about his health care 
plan, he looked in the camera and said, ``The Government doesn't have 
anything to do with it.'' I could barely contain myself. [Laughter] The 
Government has got a lot to do with it. Eighty percent of the people end 
up on a Government health care plan under his vision. And that is the 
wrong prescription for American families.
    The third 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. With the help of Senator Grassley and with the help of Congressman Nussle, I kept my word. We have modernized Medicare for our 
seniors. And beginning in 2006, all seniors will be able to get 
prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
    When you're out rounding up the votes here in Iowa, I want you to 
remember what that Medicare did for Iowa's rural hospitals. You might 
remember that issue about how the rural hospitals in this State were not 
being treated fairly. Because of the law I signed, because of the hard 
work of this Senator and this 
Congressman, Iowa's hospitals are now being 
treated fairly under Medicare.
    My opponent voted against that Medicare 
bill that helped Iowa's hospitals and provided prescription drug 
coverage for our seniors. He's also said that he's going to do something 
to protect Social Security, except what he forgot to tell you is that he 
voted eight times to raise taxes on Social Security benefits.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He can run from that 
record, but he cannot hide.
    I know they're trying to scare some seniors, this being election 
time, about Social Security. But I have kept the promise of Social 
Security for our seniors. I will always keep the promise of Social 
Security for our seniors. And the Social Security trust is in pretty 
good shape for baby boomers like me and some others out there I see. 
[Laughter]
    But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren. We 
need to worry about whether the Social Security system will be there for 
them when they retire. That's why I believe younger workers ought to be 
allowed to take some of their payroll taxes and set up a personal 
savings account, an account that earns a better rate of return than the 
trust, an account they call their own and the Government cannot take 
away.
    The fourth clear choice in this election is on the values that are 
so crucial to keeping our families strong. I stand for marriage and 
family, which are the foundation of our society. I stand for a culture 
of life in which every person matters and every being counts. I was 
proud to sign the bill that banned partial-birth abortions. I stand for 
the appointment of Federal judges who know the difference between 
personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
    On these issues, my opponent and I are 
miles apart. He was part of an extreme minority that voted against the 
Defense of

[[Page 2916]]

Marriage Act and voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. There is a mainstream in American politics, and John 
Kerry sits on the far left bank. He can run 
from that record, but he cannot hide.
    The final choice in this election is the most important of all 
because it concerns the security of your family. All progress on every 
other issue depends on the safety of our citizens. The most solemn duty 
of the American President is to protect the American people. If this 
country shows weakness or uncertainty during these troubled times, the 
world will drift toward tragedy. This isn't going to happen on my watch.
    Our strategy is clear. We've strengthened protections for the 
homeland. We are reforming and strengthening our intelligence gathering 
capabilities. We are transforming our military. There will be no draft. 
We'll keep the All-Volunteer Army an all-volunteer army. We are 
relentless. We are determined to protect this country. We're staying on 
the offensive. We will fight the terrorists abroad so we do not have to 
face them here at home.
    We're succeeding. Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror. 
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are making raids and capturing terrorist 
leaders. Libya is dismantling its weapons programs. The army of a free 
Iraq is defending freedom. And Al Qaida no longer controls Afghanistan. 
We've shut down camps there, and we are systematically destroying the Al 
Qaida network across the world.
    And we're able to do so because we have a great United States 
military, and I want to thank those who wear our Nation's uniform. I 
want to thank the loved ones of those who wear our Nation's uniform, and 
I want to thank the veterans who are here, who have set such a great 
example to those who wear our Nation's uniform. And I want to assure 
you, we will keep our commitments to make sure our troops have all they 
need to complete their missions.
    That is why I went to the Congress in September of 2003, and asked 
for $87 billion in supplemental funding. It was a very important 
request. At first, my opponent said, ``It 
would be irresponsible to vote against the funding for the troops.'' 
Then his poll numbers began to decline, and he voted against the funding 
for our troops.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. And then he entered the 
flip-flop hall of fame. [Laughter] And as he entered, as he entered, he 
said this: ``I actually did vote for the 87 billion, right before I 
voted against it.'' [Laughter] He's given several explanations on that 
vote since then, but I think the most revealing is when he said, ``The 
whole thing is a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] My fellow Americans, 
there's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
    It is important for our fellow citizens to know the facts. See, the 
problems with Senator Kerry's record on 
national security are deeper than election-year reversals. For 20 years, 
on the largest national security issues, he's been consistently wrong. 
During the cold war, Senator Kerry voted against critical weapons 
systems and opposed President Ronald Reagan's policy of peace through 
strength. History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and President 
Ronald Reagan was right.
    When former President Bush assembled an 
international coalition to drive Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, Senator Kerry 
voted against the use of force to liberate Kuwait. History has shown 
that Senator Kerry was wrong and former President Bush was right.
    Only a year after the first bombing of the World Trade Center, the 
Senator proposed massive cuts in America's 
intelligence, cuts so extreme that even his fellow Senator from 
Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, would not 
support them. History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and--

[[Page 2917]]

we have got to be fair--Senator Kennedy was right. [Laughter]
    We have differences of opinion as to how to protect the American 
people. My opponent believes that 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 heard him say it--[laughter]--in the debate. As far as I can 
tell, my opponent's ``global test'' means that America must get 
permission in order to defend ourselves. I will work with our allies, 
and I will strengthen our alliances, but I will never turn over 
America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
    We have a difference of opinion as to better--how to better protect 
America. My opponent has said September the 
11th didn't change him much at all. Well, it changed me. I'll never 
forget the day I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers, September the 
14th, 2001. There were workers in hardhats there yelling at me at the 
top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember the man who came 
out of the rubble, and he grabbed me by the arm, and he looked me in the 
eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Ever since that day, I've 
gotten up every morning thinking about how to better protect our 
country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
    For the next 4 years, we'll use every asset at our disposal to 
protect the American people. The strongest asset we have is to spread 
freedom. Free nations do not breed resentments and export terror. Free 
nations become allies in the war on terror. Free nations will help us 
keep the peace that we want for our children and our grandchildren. I 
believe in the power of liberty to transform society.
    Think about what's happened in a brief period of time in 
Afghanistan. It wasn't all that long ago that that country was the home 
base of Al Qaida, and young girls were not allowed to go to school 
because the Taliban were so backward and so dark in their vision. And if 
their mothers did not toe the line, they were taken in the public square 
and whipped and sometimes shot in a sports stadium. But because we acted 
to protect ourselves, because we upheld a doctrine that I laid out for 
the world that ``If you harbor at terrorist, you're equally as guilty as 
the terrorist,'' millions of people went to the polls to vote for the 
President of Afghanistan. And the first voter was a 19-year-old 
woman. Think about that. Freedom is a 
powerful force to transform society.
    Iraq is dangerous. It is dangerous because democracy is advancing. 
But think of how far that country has come from the days of torture 
chambers and mass graves and the brutal reign of a tyrant who hated America. They will be having Presidential 
elections in January. Freedom is on the march, and we're more secure for 
it. I believe everybody yearns to be free.
    I believe that moms and dads around the world want to raise their 
children in free societies. I understand freedom is not America's gift 
to the world, but I do understand freedom is the Almighty God's gift to 
each man and woman in this world.
    My fellow citizens, these are historic times, and a lot is at stake 
in this election. The future safety and prosperity are on the ballot. 
Ultimately, though, this election comes down to, who do you trust? Who 
do you trust to protect you?
    Audience members. You!
    The President. Who do you trust to spread prosperity?
    Audience members. You!
    The President. If you believe that taxes should stay low so families 
can pay the bills and small businesses can create jobs, I ask you to 
come stand with me.
    If you believe in high standards for our public schools, I ask you 
to come stand with me.
    If you believe patients and doctors should be in charge of health 
care, I ask you to come stand with me.

[[Page 2918]]

    If you believe this Nation must honor the commitment of Medicare and 
strengthen Social Security for generations to come, I ask you to stand 
with me.
    If you believe that this Nation should honor marriage and family and 
make a place for the weak and the vulnerable, I ask you, come stand with 
me.
    If you believe America should fight the war on terror with all our 
might and lead with unwavering confidence in our ideals, I ask you to 
come stand with me.
    If you are a Democrat who believes your party has turned too far to 
the left this year, I ask you to come stand with me.
    If you are a minority citizen and you believe in free enterprise and 
good schools and the enduring values of family and faith, and if you are 
tired of your vote being taken for granted, I ask you to come stand with 
me.
    And if you are a voter who believes that the President of the United 
States should say what he means and do what he says and keep his word, I 
ask you to come stand with me.
    Four years ago, when I traveled your great State asking for the 
vote, I made this pledge, that if elected, I would uphold the honor and 
the dignity of the office. With your help, with your hard work, we will 
carry Iowa, and I will do so for next 4 years.
    Thank you all for coming. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 2 p.m. at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. In 
his remarks, he referred to Auditor of State David A. Vaudt of Iowa; 
Chuck Gipp, majority leader, Iowa State House of Representatives; Mayor 
Brad Zaun of Urbandale, IA; Stan Thompson, candidate in Iowa's Third 
Congressional District; David Roederer, Iowa State chairman, and Becky 
Beach, Iowa State steering designee, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; entertainer 
John Stone; Cael Sanderson, 2004 Olympic gold medalist, freestyle 
wrestling; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.