[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[June 16, 2006]
[Pages 1157-1162]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Reception for Congressional Candidate Heather 
Wilson in Albuquerque, New Mexico
June 16, 2006

    Thank you very much. Thanks for coming. It's great to be back in New 
Mexico again. It just seemed like I was here the other day. [Laughter] 
This time I've come because I cannot tell you how important it is to 
reelect Heather Wilson to the United States Congress.
    I have spent enough time in Washington, DC, to be able to 
distinguish between the real, genuine person and those who are

[[Page 1158]]

just up there to mark time. Heather Wilson is honest; she is capable. 
She has gone to Washington, DC, to do a job on behalf of the citizens of 
New Mexico, and she deserves to be reelected to the United States 
Congress.
    And I thank you for helping her. This has been a successful event. 
So I want to thank the organizers and the phone callers and the people 
that encouraged you to come, and then I want to thank you for being 
here. When you find somebody who is a decent soul willing to sacrifice 
time with her family, willing to travel the long distances between New 
Mexico and Washington, DC, willing to do the hard work on behalf of the 
citizens of Albuquerque and the surrounding area, you need to support 
her. And I want to thank you for supporting her.
    When Heather tells you something, she means it. And you don't have 
to worry about her disgracing the office of the United States Congress. 
You know, I like strong women. [Laughter] I was raised by one; I married one; and I hope 
we're raising two. 
[Laughter] And sometimes a strong woman--sometimes they--they all 
listen, and sometimes they do what you ask them to do, and sometimes 
they don't. [Laughter] See, Heather Wilson is an independent soul. 
That's what you want from a person from this district. You want somebody 
who is strong in her beliefs, strong in her convictions, but strong, 
first and foremost, to the people of this district. The way I like to 
describe her is: She's compassionate; she's smart; she's independent-
minded; and she can get the job done. And that's why she needs to go 
back to the United States Congress.
    Laura sends her best. In the photo line, the 
guy said, ``Where's Laura?'' It didn't hurt my feelings, you know. 
[Laughter] Kind of like, you know, ``How come you're here and she's 
not?'' [Laughter] But Laura knows talent and strength of character when 
she sees it; Heather Wilson is one of her favorite people in Washington, 
DC. And she sends her love to Heather and sends her thanks to you all 
for helping this fine lady get reelected to the United States Congress.
    By the way, I lucked out when she said yes. 
[Laughter] We were raised, as you know, right across the border, so I 
have a pretty good feeling about the values and the thinking of the 
people of New Mexico. And so does Laura. And there's no doubt in her 
mind and my mind that Heather Wilson is the right person to represent 
you in the United States Congress. And again, I want to thank you. I 
forgot to ask you to do one thing, though, and that is thanks for giving 
of your hard-earned money; make sure that you turn out the vote coming 
down the stretch.
    She's going to win. No doubt in my mind, she's going to win. I want 
to thank her family, Jay, Joshua, and Caitlin. I was telling 
Joshua and Caitlin coming over--I spent some quality time with Heather 
on Air Force One; it's amazing what people do to get on Air Force One, 
by the way. [Laughter] I said to Joshua and Caitlin, ``I know a lot 
about you.'' They kind of looked at me like, you know, ``Huh?'' 
[Laughter] I said, ``That's all your mother talked about for half the 
leg.'' [Laughter] I love a person who values her family, who places her 
family at the center of her life. We need people in the United States 
Congress who understand the importance of family in our society. Heather 
Wilson not only talks about family, she acts on her love of her family. 
And I want to thank Jay and Josh and Caitlin for being here today. And 
thank you for supporting your mom and your wife for her hard work doing 
the job.
    I want to thank Allen Weh--[applause]--yes, 
he's a good fellow. I want to thank the grassroots activists who are 
here. I want to thank those of you who, a lot of time, don't get credit 
for making phone calls--there's one right there--[laughter]--and people 
who put up the signs and go to the rallies and stuff the envelopes, the 
people who really turn out to be the wind

[[Page 1159]]

at the candidate's back. And you're going to make the difference coming 
down the stretch for Heather. So thank you in advance for what you're 
fixing to do.
    We're dealing with some big issues. We really are. These are 
historic times. And one of the reasons I feel so strongly that Heather 
needs to be reelected is, she understands the stakes of the world in 
which we live. See, we need people who see the world the way it is, not 
the way we would hope it would be. And the world we live in is a 
dangerous world because there's still enemies that would like to strike 
the United States of America.
    We need clear-eyed realists in Washington, DC. Heather Wilson is a 
clear-eyed realist. She brings a lot of experience to the job. By the 
way, she's on the Intelligence Committee; I'm probably not supposed to 
talk about it. [Laughter] The reason she's on it is because she's a 
clear-eyed realist. It's a very, very important job. She helps make sure 
this country has the best intelligence possible. And the reason that's 
important is because our most important job, the most important priority 
of the President and the Congress, is to protect the American people. 
And the best way to protect the American people is to stay on the 
offense and bring the killers to justice so they don't hurt the American 
people again.
    And in order to stay on the offense, we've got to have good 
intelligence, and we've got to have smart, capable people helping this 
Government find these terrorists. In order to protect the American 
people, I need people in the United States Congress who understand the 
importance of supporting the men and women who wear the uniform of the 
United States of America, and Heather Wilson understands that.
    We're fighting a global war on terror. Now, I know most of the 
attention is focused on Iraq, but I want to remind you, that is just a 
battlefield in the global war on terror. It's a part of the war on 
terror. I need people in the United States Congress like Heather, who 
understands that the war on terror is not just Iraq but it's 
Afghanistan, and it's places where people plan and plot their attacks on 
the United States of America.
    I just came back from Baghdad. It's a remarkable experience to, 
first and foremost, meet the leaders of a new Government, people that 
are in office because 12 million people are able to vote because we 
threw out a tyrant that was so brutal and so 
ruthless that--not only to kill his own people by the thousands, that he 
invaded his neighbors, that he threatened the United States of America, 
that he harbored terrorists. And now they have a chance to vote, and 
they did, and now there's a Government formed under one of the most 
modern constitutions ever written in the Middle East. And it was 
refreshing to see these people that are anxious to fulfill the will of 
the people of Iraq.
    And it's hard work. But I went to take the measure of the 
person. I went to say this to him: ``It's up 
to you; here's your chance; here's your chance to succeed; here's your 
chance to liberate people; here's your chance to make history; here's 
your chance to spread the peace; here's your chance to help us fight 
those who want to destroy your hopes and aspirations.'' And I also told 
him this, that ``When the United States of America gives a commitment, 
we will keep our word. We will not cut and run.'' It's important to have 
people in the United States Congress who understand the stakes of the 
fight in Iraq and complete the mission. And Heather Wilson is such a 
person.
    We're going to succeed in Iraq. We will succeed. And when we do, 
they will be an ally in the war on terror, and they'll be an example for 
others to see. You see, I base a lot of my decisions upon this belief: 
There is an Almighty, and one of the great gifts of the Almighty to men 
and women from all faiths and all walks of life is freedom. Freedom is 
universal. Freedom

[[Page 1160]]

is not owned just by people in the United States of America, it's 
universal; all people desire to be free. And free societies turn out to 
be peaceful societies. Free societies figure out ways to keep the peace. 
And so, in our fight against the terrorists, not only will we bring them 
to justice and stay on the hunt to protect the American people, but at 
the same time, we will act on the universal principle of freedom and 
help others become free.
    People say, ``What do you mean by that, Mr. President?'' Well, I'll 
give you an example. Two weeks from today, I'll be meeting with the 
Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minister 
Koizumi. He's coming. We'll have a visit in Washington, DC. It turns out 
he's an Elvis fan, so he and I are then going to go to Graceland. 
[Laughter] Think about that, though. Think about the American President 
traveling to Graceland--[laughter]--with the Prime Minister of Japan. 
Let me ask you something--60 years ago, would you have thought that 
would be possible? [Laughter] Think about it.
    See, my dad and, I bet, your relatives 
too--some of you had relatives who fought the Japanese. They were the 
sworn enemy of the United States of America in a bloody, bloody 
conflict. And 60 years later, I'll be sitting down at the table with the 
Prime Minister talking about North Korea, 
how to keep the peace there. I'll be talking about the fact that their 
country has contributed 1,000 troops to help this young democracy in the 
heart of the Middle East. He understands that freedom can help change a 
neighborhood that's been full of hatred.
    What happened? What happened was Japan adopted a Japanese-style 
democracy. They had a different form of government. They became--they 
adopted a different style of governing themselves. Democracies have the 
capacity to convert enemies into allies. And what's happening today is 
we're after the terrorists not only by staying on the hunt, but we're 
after them with an ideology of hope, an ideology of light, an ideology 
that recognizes human rights and human dignity. And one of these days, 
somebody is going to be sitting down--a duly-elected leader from Iraq 
sitting down at the table with a future U.S. President talking about how 
to keep the peace. We're laying the foundation of peace for generations 
to come, and Heather Wilson understands the stakes.
    Our economy is strong. And one of the reasons it's strong is because 
we put policies in place that recognize that if you have more money in 
your pocket to save, invest, or spend, this economy is going to grow. 
See, there's a philosophical debate in Washington, DC: Who best can 
spend your money? [Laughter] We like--Heather and I like for you to 
spend your own money. We believe if you have more money in your pocket, 
the economy--[applause]. We believe if you're a small-business owner and 
you got more money in your treasury, your more likely to hire somebody. 
That's what we believe.
    The other crowd believes they need to run up your taxes, because 
they think they can spend your money better than you can. You might 
remember, we've had some tough economic times in this country. We had a 
recession, a stock market correction, corporate scandals, an attack on 
the United States of America, two wars to defend ourselves, major 
natural disasters, and high energy prices--and yet this economy is going 
strong. And we intend to keep it strong. [Applause]
    And the reason it's strong is because we cut the taxes. We let you 
keep more of your own money. Now, you'll hear them in Washington say, 
``Well, what we need to do is balance the budget by raising the taxes.'' 
That's not the way Washington works; it's just not the way. It may sound 
attractive to some here in Albuquerque, ``Oh, we'll just tax a certain 
number of people, and we'll balance the budget that way.'' No, the way 
Washington works is, they will raise your taxes, and they will figure 
out

[[Page 1161]]

new ways to spend your money. The best way to balance the budget is to 
set priorities when it comes to spending the people's money, to be 
strong on those priorities, and to keep progrowth economic policies in 
place so we get more tax revenues coming into the Treasury because this 
economy is growing. That's how you balance the budget.
    Make no mistake about it, if the other bunch gets in control of the 
Congress, you'll be paying higher taxes. And that's why we're going to 
win this November. People understand they're taxed enough. What they 
want is fiscal sanity in Washington, DC. That's what they want.
    You know something? One of the things that we're going to run on as 
a party and Heather can really run on is, she's delivered. Take 
Medicare, for example. That's a program--it's an important program. It 
was signed by Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1965. It's really an important 
deal. The Federal Government has made a commitment to help our elderly 
when it comes to health care. And our attitude is, if you make a 
commitment, you want to make sure you have a modern health care system. 
There's no need to make a commitment and have a lousy health care 
system. And Medicare had done a lot of good work, but it was getting 
old, and it needed to be reformed. Medicine was changing, but Medicare 
wasn't.
    And so we got together and decided we're going to do something on 
behalf of the seniors. We're going to fulfill our promise to the seniors 
of the United States of America. The other bunch had been talking about 
it, year after year. We did--we got something done. What we did is, we 
provided prescription drugs as an integral part of Medicare.
    People say, why was that important? Well, I'll give you one reason. 
Medicare would pay for heart surgery but would not pay one dime for the 
prescription drugs that could prevent the heart surgery from being 
needed in the first place. Medicine had been modernizing; Medicare had 
not. And thanks to the leadership of Heather Wilson, I was able to sign 
a modern Medicare bill. And if you're a poor senior in Albuquerque, New 
Mexico, this Government is going to help you with your prescription 
drugs. And the days of you having to choose between medicine and food 
are over, thanks to Heather Wilson.
    I could keep talking all day long about her--[laughter]--but I might 
miss my dinner with Laura. [Laughter] But I do 
want to talk about her love of the young people. You might remember, she 
served in the cabinet here as the Secretary of Children, Youth, and 
Family. She was--she said, ``Look, I want to serve my State by helping 
young people, helping the disadvantaged.'' In other words, she's got a 
good heart.
    And she took that heart to Washington and helped us pass the No 
Child Left Behind Act. Let me tell you something about the No Child Left 
Behind Act. It said, we're going to increase money, particularly for 
poor students. I think that's a good use of money. I really do. But 
instead of just accepting mediocrity in our schools, we said, ``We're 
going to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations.'' Here's the 
truth. In some schools, it's just as easy to pass somebody who looks 
hard to educate along. ``If you're at such-and-such an age, you're 
supposed to be here; we'll just move you there.''
    See, Heather and I believe every child can learn, no matter if 
you're--how you were raised, no matter your heritage. We believe you can 
learn to read. You know, if your mom and dad don't speak English as 
their primary language, we still believe you can learn. And not only we 
believe you can learn, we expect the school to teach you to learn. 
That's what we want. We expect the schools to teach you how to read and 
write and add and subtract.
    And so we worked to raise the standards and said to States, ``You 
measure, because we want to know.'' We want to know early,

[[Page 1162]]

before it's too late. The No Child Left Behind Act that Heather was a 
strong supporter of has helped change America for the better. It says, 
if we find a child struggling with reading early, we're going to make 
sure there's extra money to help that child, because we don't want one 
child left behind in America.
    There is an achievement gap in America. There really is. When you 
look at the fourth grade results, there's a--the Anglo students are 
here, and Latino students are here, and the African American--that's not 
right. That's not what this country is all about. This country is about 
equal opportunity. This country is about making sure every child, no 
matter what her--his or her background is, gets a great education. And 
the No Child Left Behind Act is challenging mediocrity, and it's 
challenging failure, and that achievement gap is closing. And Heather 
Wilson gets credit for being a strong supporter of good schools in New 
Mexico.
    You know, there's a lot of problems that rise--rise up for a State 
like New Mexico. You've got very important labs, and these labs make a 
difference for the United States of America. But it's not a given the 
labs will be there. You need people in the Congress that understand how 
to get things done.
    It seems like to me the people of this district would want somebody 
to be able to pick up the phone and call the President of the United 
States and have the President of the United States answer the phone. I'm 
close to Heather, you know. As I told you, she's independent. But that 
doesn't mean I don't hold her in the highest--highest regard and deep 
respect, which I do. I love her integrity. And when she calls me on the 
phone, I answer. And guess what--guess what she's generally talking 
about? The people of this congressional district. She loves of the 
people of this district. She's serving the people of this district. And 
I urge the people of this district, for their own sake, for their own 
good, and for the good of the United States of America, to send Heather 
Wilson back to the United States Congress.
    Thanks for coming. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 4:40 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque. 
In his remarks, he referred to Allen Weh, chairman, Republican Party of 
New Mexico; Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and former President Saddam 
Hussein of Iraq; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.