[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[November 1, 2004]
[Pages 2918-2924]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in Sioux City, Iowa
November 1, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Thank you all for coming. We are 
honored to be in Sioux land. Thanks for coming. It's good to be in a 
part of the world where the cowboy hats outnumber the ties. Senator 
Grassley is right. Laura and I feel right at home with folks like you all, and 
thanks for coming out to lift our spirits. We're coming down the 
stretch. I'm here to ask for your vote, I'm here to ask for your help.
    I'd like you to get your friends and neighbors to go to the polls 
tomorrow. Turn out our fellow Republicans, wise independents, and 
discerning Democrats. And when you get them headed to the polls, remind 
them, if they want a safer America and a stronger America and a better 
America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in 
office.

    Perhaps the most important reason of all that I should be reelected 
is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more 
years. And there's nothing better than coming down the stretch in a 
Presidential campaign with two women I love, our daughters Barbara and Jenna.

    I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. I 
don't want to offend anybody here who is follically challenged, but I 
readily concede that Vice President Cheney does not have the waviest 
hair in the race. [Laughter] But I'm confident that you'll appreciate 
the fact I didn't pick him because of his hairdo. I picked him because 
of his

[[Page 2919]]

judgment. I picked him because of his experience.
    I'm proud to call Chuck Grassley 
friend. I know you're proud to call him United States Senator. He's a 
really fine Senator, and we have done a lot of work together. I--it's 
important that he remain the chairman of the Finance Committee, and one 
way to make sure he remains the chairman of the Finance Committee is for 
the people of South Dakota to elect John Thune to the United States 
Senate. I know John Thune, and there's no 
doubt in my mind that he will make a great United States Senator for the 
people of South Dakota. I want to thank Congressman Steve King from the great State of Iowa for being here.
    I want to thank Sioux City Mayor Dave Ferris 
for being here today. I know the mayor didn't ask me for any advice, but 
I'm going to give him some. Fill the potholes. [Laughter] Mr. Mayor, 
thank you for your service. Mr. Mayor, I appreciate it.
    I want to thank the speaker of the house, Christopher Rants. I want to thank all the State and local 
officials. I want to thank my friend Ricky Skaggs for being here, and his band. But most of all, I want 
to thank you all. Thanks for coming. Thanks for what you have done and 
thanks for what you're going to do as we come down the stretch, putting 
up the signs and making the phone calls and turning out the votes. No 
doubt in my mind, we'll carry Iowa and win a great victory in November.
    I am excited about this election, and I am optimistic about the 
future of our country. I see a brighter day and a more hopeful America. 
One of my favorite sayings comes from 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 is 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 the 
time talking about the day that is gone. I'm talking about the day 
that's coming.
    I see a great day coming for America. I see a day where prosperity 
reaches every corner of our 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. And tomorrow, the people of America have 
a chance to bring that better day by voting for strong, confident, 
optimistic leadership by voting for Bush-Cheney.
    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, conviction, and 
conscience.
    During the last 4 years, I've learned that whatever your strengths 
are, you are going to need them, and whatever your shortcomings are, the 
people are going to notice them. [Laughter] Sometimes I'm a little too 
blunt. I get that from my mother. [Laughter] 
Sometimes I mangle the English language. I get that from my 
father. [Laughter] But all the time, no 
matter whether you agree with me or not, you know where I stand, what I 
believe, and where I'm going to lead this country.
    This election comes down to five clear choices for America's 
families. The first clear choice concerns your family budget. When I ran 
for President 4 years ago, I pledged to lower taxes for American 
families, and I have kept my word. We doubled the child credit to help 
moms and dads all across America. We reduced the marriage penalty. We 
believe the Tax Code ought to encourage, not penalize marriage. We 
reduced taxes on everybody who pays taxes. And as a result of these good 
policies, our economy is growing as fast--at rates as any--as fast in 
nearly 20 years. Real after-tax income--that's money in your pocket--is 
up 10 percent since I have been the President. Our farmers and ranchers 
are making a good living all across America.

[[Page 2920]]

    Homeownership rate is at an alltime high. More minority owns--more 
minority families own a house than ever before in our Nation's history. 
The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in America. Our small businesses 
all across the Nation are doing well. We've added 1.9 million new jobs 
in the last 13 months. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent. 
That's lower than the average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 
1990s. In the great State of Iowa, the unemployment rate is 4.7 percent. 
This economy is strong, and it is getting stronger.
    I've a message for the farmers and ranchers of Iowa and South Dakota 
and Nebraska. We will continue to open up foreign markets for your 
products. We'll promote renewables like ethanol and biodiesel. We will 
keep our farm economy strong, and you can count on me to keep my word.
    My opponent has an economic plan. I want 
you to remember he has voted to increase taxes 98 times in 20 years as a 
United States Senator.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. That is five times a year. You might say that is a 
predictable pattern, a leading indicator. In this campaign the 
Senator has pledged to raise taxes on the top 
two brackets. But that's not enough to pay for his priorities. See, he's 
promised $2.2 trillion in new Federal spending. That is trillion with a 
``T.'' That's a lot even for a Senator from Massachusetts.
    But raising those top two brackets, that penalizes your small-
business owner, and at the same time, it doesn't even come close to 
paying for his promises. There's a tax gap. 
That's a gap between what he has promised and what he can deliver. And 
you know who usually fills that tax gap? Middle-class families do. We're 
not going to let him tax you; we're going to win on Tuesday.
    The second clear choice in this election involves the quality of 
life for our Nation's families. I believe every child can learn and that 
every school must teach. I went to Washington to challenge the soft 
bigotry of low expectations and to reform our public schools. I have 
kept my word. We passed education reforms to bring high standards to the 
classrooms. Math and reading scores are on the rise. We're closing the 
achievement gap by helping minority students all across America. In a 
new term, we will build on these reforms, extend them to our high 
schools so that 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 will expand health savings 
accounts. We will allow small businesses to join together so they can 
buy insurance at the same discounts available to big companies.
    We will help families in need, and we will help our patients and 
doctors all across America by doing something about these junk lawsuits 
that are running up the cost of medicine. I have met too many ob-gyns 
across our country that are having to stop practicing medicine because 
these lawsuits are running up their premiums. And I have met too many 
expectant moms who are desperately concerned about their health and the 
health of their little one because they have to drive miles to find a 
doctor. We have a national problem when it comes to these frivolous 
lawsuits.
    My opponent voted 10 times against medical 
liability reform, 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 America. I'm 
standing with the patients of America. I am for real medical liability 
reform. In all we do to improve health care, we will make sure that the 
medical decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in 
Washington, DC.
    My opponent has got his ideas on health 
care. You might remember one of the debates when they asked him about 
his health care plan. He looked right in the camera, and he said, ``The 
Government doesn't have

[[Page 2921]]

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 plan under his vision. Federalizing health care is 
the wrong prescription for American families.
    The third clear choice in this campaign 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 drug 
coverage. I have kept my word.
    I remember campaigning in 2002 in Iowa with Senator 
Grassley. I remember all those newspaper 
editorials saying that Iowa hospitals, rural hospitals were being 
treated unfairly under Medicare. So I worked with the Senator. Now, 
Iowa's hospitals are being treated fairly under Medicare because of the 
work we have done. So are the rural hospitals in Nebraska and South 
Dakota. And beginning in 2006, all seniors will be able to get 
prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
    My opponent has a record. He voted against 
the Medicare bill that included prescription drug coverage. He also 
tries to scare seniors about Social Security. But he forgets to tell you 
that he's the one who voted eight times to tax Social Security benefits. 
He can run from his record, but he cannot hide.
    I have kept the promise for Social Security, and I will always keep 
the promise for Social Security for our seniors. And baby boomers like 
me and some other ones out there that I'm looking at are 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. We need to worry about whether or not the 
Social Security system will be there when they need it. And that is why 
I think younger workers ought to be allowed to take some of their own 
payroll taxes and set up a personal savings account, an account that 
earns a better rate of return, an account they call their own.
    The fourth clear choice in this election is on the values that are 
crucial to keeping our families strong. I stand for marriage and family, 
which are the foundations of our society. I stand for a culture of life 
in which every person matters and every being counts. And I proudly 
signed the ban on partial-birth abortion. 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 Marriage Act, and he voted against the ban on partial-birth 
abortion.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. There is a mainstream in American politics, and 
Senator John Kerry sits on the far left bank. 
He ran run from his liberal 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 America 
shows uncertainty or weakness in these troubled times, the world will 
drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
    Our strategy is clear. We have strengthened the protections for our 
homeland. We are reforming and strengthening our intelligence 
capabilities. We are transforming our All-Volunteer Army. There will be 
no draft. We are relentless. We are steadfast. We are determined to 
protect the American people. We're staying on the offensive. We're 
fighting the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at 
home.
    We are succeeding. Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror. 
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are making arrests and capturing terrorist 
leaders. Libya is dismantling its weapons programs. The army of a free 
Iraq

[[Page 2922]]

is defending freedom. Al Qaida no longer controls Afghanistan. We have 
shut down its camps. We are systematically destroying the Al Qaida 
network. More than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and 
associates have been brought to justice, and the rest of them know that 
we're on their trail.
    One reason we're succeeding is because we have a great United States 
military. I want to thank those who are here who wear our Nation's 
uniform. I want to thank the military families who are with us today, 
and I want to thank all the veterans here who have set such a great 
example for our military.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. I have made a commitment to our military and to the 
families of our military that our troops will have all that is necessary 
to complete their missions. That is why in September of 2003, I proposed 
$87 billion in funding for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was 
vital funding. Most of the people in Washington supported that funding. 
My opponent, on national TV, initially said, 
``It would be irresponsible to vote against the funding for the 
troops.'' And then his poll numbers went down, 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. And he entered the flip-flop hall of fame by 
saying this: ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, right before I 
voted against it.'' [Laughter] I haven't spent much time in the coffee 
shops around here, but I feel pretty comfortable in predicting that not 
many people talk like that in Sioux land.
    He's given several explanations of that 
vote since then. But perhaps the most revealing of all is when he said, 
``The whole thing is just a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] My fellow 
Americans, there is nothing complicated about supporting our troops in 
combat.
    The problem with Senator Kerry's record on 
national security are deeper than election-year reversals. For 20 years, 
on the largest national security issues of our time, he has 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 Massachusetts 
Senator, Ted Kennedy, would not support 
them. History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong--and we have got to 
be fair about it--Senator Kennedy was right.
    We have a difference of opinion as to how to protect America. My 
opponent says that America must submit to what 
he has called a ``global test'' before we take action to defend 
ourselves.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I'm not making that up. [Laughter] I heard it during 
one of the debates. As far as I can tell, my opponent's ``global test'' means America must get permission to 
defend our country. I'll work with allies and I'll work with our 
friends, but I will never turn over America's national security 
decisions to leaders of other countries.
    Senator Kerry said recently that September 
the 11th did not change him much at all. Well, it changed the way I look 
at the world. I'll never forget going to the ruins of the Twin Towers on 
September the 14th, 2001. There were workers in hardhats there yelling 
at me at the top of

[[Page 2923]]

their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember the fellow coming 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 wake up 
every morning trying to figure out how to better protect the American 
people. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
    Over the next 4 years, we'll use every asset at our disposal to 
protect the American people. And one of the most--one of the strongest 
assets we have is freedom. Free nations do not breed resentments and 
export terror. Free nations become allies in the war on terror. By 
spreading freedom, it helps us to achieve the peace we all want. I 
believe in the power of liberty to transform society.
    Just think about what's happened in Afghanistan in just 3 short 
years. That country used to be the home base of Al Qaida and its 
training camps. Little girls were not allowed to go to school because of 
the barbaric vision of the Taliban. And if their mothers did not toe 
their line, their ideological line, they were taken into the public 
squares and whipped and sometimes shot in a sports stadium. Because we 
acted to protect our country, because we upheld the doctrine that I laid 
out that said, ``If you harbor a terrorist, you're equally as guilty as 
the terrorist,'' millions of people went to the polls to vote for a 
President of Afghanistan. And the first voter was a 19-year-old 
woman.
    It's an amazing story about the power of liberty to transform a 
society. Iraq is still very dangerous, and the reason it is, is because 
democracy is emerging, is because the society is becoming free and 
freedom scares these terrorists. They can't stand the thought of a free 
society in their midst. But think how far Iraq has come from the days of 
torture chambers and mass graves and the brutal reign of a barbaric 
tyrant.
    I believe every soul in the world yearns to be free. I believe 
mothers and dads want to raise their children in a free world. I believe 
all these things not because freedom is America's gift to the world; I 
believe it because 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 of America are on the 
ballot. But ultimately, this election comes down to who can you trust--
who can you trust to protect your family? Who can you trust to put plans 
in place to make sure prosperity spreads its wings?
    If you believe that taxes should stay low so families can pay the 
bills and small businesses can create new jobs, I ask you to come stand 
with me.
    If you believe in high standards for our public schools, I ask you, 
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.
    If you believe that this Nation must honor the commitments of 
Medicare and strengthen Social Security for generations to come, I ask 
you to come 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 to 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

[[Page 2924]]

and keep his word, I ask you to come stand with me.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Four years ago, when I traveled throughout Sioux land 
asking for the vote, I made this pledge: If elected, I would uphold the 
honor and the dignity of the office. With your help, with your hard 
work, I will do so for 4 more years.
    God bless and thanks for coming. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 4:41 p.m. at the Tysons Event Center. In 
his remarks, he referred to Christopher Rants, speaker, Iowa State House 
of Representatives; entertainer Ricky Skaggs and his band, Kentucky 
Thunder; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.