    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [October 28, 2006]
    [Pages 1936-1943]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at an Indiana Victory 2006 Rally in Sellersburg, Indiana
    October 28, 2006

        The President. Thank you all. Thank you for your warm welcome. I
    appreciate being here. You know, recently the First Lady was here. She told me there's no finer day to spend a
    Saturday than in southern Indiana. She also told me there's no finer
    Congressman for the people of this district than Mike Sodrel. As usual, Laura is right. Mike Sodrel needs to be
    sent back to the United States Congress.
        As a member of the Indiana National Guard, he has served our country in uniform, and as a Congressman,
    he is a strong supporter of the United States military. Mike Sodrel
    supports the veterans.
        I think it's good to have a man representing you who knows what it
    means to build a company from the bottom up, somebody who knows what it
    means to meet a payroll, somebody who brings fiscal discipline to the
    Nation's Capital. As a father and a grandfather, Mike Sodrel understands Indiana values, and he's standing up
    for those values in Washington, DC.
        The stakes are high in this election. Your vote will have an impact
    not only on your lives here but a impact that will help determine the
    course of this Nation. I want to thank you for supporting this good
    man. The election of Mike Sodrel is
    important for the United States of America.
        Laura sends her love. Sodrel told me coming over, he said, ``The event with Laura was
    so great, we felt like asking you to stay at home and bring her back.''
    [Laughter] I appreciate being with Keta--Keta Sodrel. I appreciate being with all the Sodrel children and the
    grandchildren. These are people who put family first, and that's
    important.
        I want to thank all the statewide elected officials who are here
    today. Thank you for coming.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are
    here today. I thank you for putting up the signs. I thank you for making
    the phone calls. I thank you do the work--I thank you for, in advance,
    what you're going to do in the next week, and that's send this good man
    back to the United States Congress.
        Election day is 10 days away, and we're going to sprint to the
    finish line. I understand you've probably been paying attention

    [[Page 1937]]

    to the pundits in Washington, DC. They think the election is already
    over. As a matter of fact, some of them in Washington are already
    measuring the drapes for their new offices.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. In other words, they're taking your vote for granted.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. This isn't the first time that's happened. You might
    remember, back in 2004, they were picking out new offices in the West
    Wing. [Laughter] Things turned out a little differently on election day.
    The movers never got the phone call. This November 7th, voters are going
    to defy all the pundits in Washington, DC, and send this good
    man back to the United States Congress. We
    will control the House of Representatives, and we will control the
    United States Senate. We will win this election because we've got good,
    strong candidates like Mike Sodrel, and we will win this election
    because we got a record to run on.
        For decades, our public schools failed too many students. We passed
    the No Child Left Behind Act. We demanded high standards and strong
    accountability, and we are bringing America closer to the day when every
    single child in this country gets a good education.
        For decades, we've been growing dependent on foreign oil. So we took
    the lead. We passed an energy bill that supports conservation and
    expands domestic production. But we're also spending money to make sure
    that Indiana farmers produce the fuel for our cars in the future.
    Mike and I understand this: When the
    agricultural economy is strong, that's good for the United States of
    America.
        For decades, Medicare was outdated. It wasn't serving our seniors as
    well as it could. So we passed landmark legislation to modernize the
    Medicare system. Now 33 million seniors have more choices and access to
    affordable goods, and the days of our poor seniors having to choose
    between food and medicine are over.
        For decades, we have not had complete control over our southern
    border, and illegal immigration has been on the rise. So we have acted.
    I sent National Guard troops down there to help our Border Patrol. We're
    adding thousands of new Border Patrol. We will reform our immigration
    system, and we will uphold the immigration laws of the United States.
        Activist judges try to define America by court order. Just this week
    in New Jersey----
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. ----another activist court issued a ruling that
    raises doubt about the institution of marriage. We believe that marriage
    is the union between a man and a woman, and should be defended. I will
    continue to appoint judges who strictly interpret the law and not
    legislate from the bench. America is better off because John
    Roberts and Sam Alito are serving on the Supreme Court of the United States.
        We have a record to run on. And I appreciate Mike Sodrel's support on these important issues. There are big
    differences in Washington, DC, between Republicans and Democrats, and
    when it comes--and perhaps the biggest differences can be seen in two
    issues: Which party will keep your taxes low and keep this economy
    growing, and which party will take the necessary steps to protect you
    from the terrorists?
        Let me start with taxes. We have a clear philosophy. We believe that
    you know how to spend your money far better than the Federal Government
    does. We believe that when you have more money in your pocket to save,
    invest, or spend, the economy benefits. The Democrats believe they
    should raise your taxes so they can spend your money.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. We not only have a philosophy, we acted on that
    philosophy. We passed the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was the
    President of the United

    [[Page 1938]]

    States. We cut the taxes on everyone who pays income taxes. We doubled
    the child tax credit. We reduced the marriage penalty. We cut taxes on
    small businesses. We cut taxes on capital gains and dividends to
    encourage investment. And to reward hard work and small-business owners
    and farmers for a lifetime of work, we put the death tax on the road to
    extinction.
        You might remember the debate. The Democrats in Washington predicted
    the tax cuts wouldn't create jobs, would not create wages, and would
    cause the Federal deficit to explode. Truth is, the facts are in. The
    tax cuts have led to a growing economy that has added 6.6 million new
    jobs since August of 2003. Real wages have risen 2.2 percent over the
    past 12 months. We have cut the deficit in half 3 years ahead of
    schedule.
        And now the Democrats in Washington have another prediction--they're
    telling you they're going win on election day. If their electoral
    predictions are as reliable as their economic predictions, November 7th
    is going to be a great day for the Republican Party.
        They don't really want you to know their position when it comes to
    taxes. They really don't want you to know that they're going to raise up
    your taxes. As a matter of fact, the Member from California, the ranking leader, the minority leader in the House,
    who wants to be the Speaker----
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. Here's what she said the
    other day. She said, ``We love tax cuts.'' That's what she said. Given
    her record, she must be a secret admirer. [Laughter] She and her party
    voted against reducing the marriage penalty, voted against cutting taxes
    on small businesses, voting against lowering taxes on families with
    children, voted against getting rid of the death tax. Time and time
    again, when she and the Democrat Party had an opportunity to show their
    love for tax cuts, they voted no. If this is the Democrats' idea of
    love, I wouldn't want to see what hate looks like. [Laughter]
        See, here's the way it's going to work. If we don't make permanent
    the tax cuts or if the tax cuts are not extended, you're going to get a
    tax increase. And so they asked the man
    who would be head of the Ways and Means Committee if we don't win--we
    will win--he said he can't think of one of the tax cuts he would extend.
    See, in other words, he's going to let them all expire. Now, think about
    what that means if you are a small-business owner--and we've got a lot
    of small-business owners here in southern Indiana. If you're a small-
    business owner who pays taxes at the individual rate, the Democrats are
    going to raise your taxes. If you're a small-business owner who wants to
    expand and invest in new equipment, the Democrats are going to raise
    your taxes.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. If you're a small-business owner who wants to pass on
    your life's work to your children and grandchildren, the Democrats want
    to raise your taxes. If you're a small-business owner, you better vote
    for Mike Sodrel to make sure your taxes
    stay low.
        When a Democrat can't--say they can't think of one of the tax cuts
    they would extend, I want you to think about what it means for our
    families. The child tax credit would be cut in half from $1,000 to $500.
    So when you're sitting around the dinner table this evening, and if
    you've got one child sitting there, you can rest assured that your
    taxes, if the Democrats take over, will go up by 500. If you happen to
    have two children, that's $1,000 tax increase. If you have four
    children, that's a $2,000 tax increase. That may not seem like a lot to
    the Democrats in Washington, DC, but we understand it's a lot for you,
    and we're going to keep your taxes low.
        They want to get in your pocketbook, and we're not going to let
    them. A big

    [[Page 1939]]

    issue in this campaign is taxes. The Democrats will raise your taxes,
    and the Republicans will keep your taxes low.
        This election is taking place in an historic time for our country.
    When people look back at this period of time, the question will be, did
    we do everything in our power to protect the American people and win the
    war on terror? And we are in a war. It came to our shores on September
    the 11th, 2001. And on that day, I vowed to use every element of
    national power to defend the American people and to defeat the
    terrorists.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. We face an enemy that--which is brutal. There is no
    negotiation with these people. These are ideologues who have a backward
    and hateful vision of the world. They do not believe in freedom. They
    hate America because we do believe in freedom. For those who say,
    ``Bring them at the table to discuss our differences,'' they do not
    understand the nature of these people. The best way to protect the
    American people is to bring them to justice before they hurt us again.
        We have been implementing a strategy to protect you. You know, the
    enemy can be right one time, and we must be right 100 percent of the
    time to protect the American people. And that is why I said that we must
    break down walls that prevent the intelligence community and enforcement
    community from sharing information. And so, working with Members in
    Congress like Mike Sodrel, we passed the
    PATRIOT Act.
        I understand this is a different kind of war. For you World War II
    vets here, this is not a war that can be determined by how many
    airplanes we shoot down or what kind of territory we take. It's a
    different kind of war. And it means good intelligence. In order to be
    able to protect you, we must know what the enemy is thinking and getting
    ready to do. That's why when Al Qaida or an Al Qaida affiliate is making
    a phone call from outside the United States to inside the United States,
    we want to know why.
        In this new kind of war, we must be willing to question the enemy
    when we pick them up on the battlefield. We have captured people like
    Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who our
    intelligence community thinks was the mastermind of the September the
    11th attacks. When we captured him, I said to the Central Intelligence
    Agency, ``Why don't we find out what he knows in order to be able to
    protect America from another attack.''
        In the past year, Congress has voted on each of these critical tools
    in the fight against terror, and these votes have revealed a clear
    pattern and a clear difference of opinion. When it came time to renew
    the PATRIOT Act, more than 75 percent of the House Democrats voted
    against it.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. When it came time on whether to allow the Central
    Intelligence Agency to continue to detain and question terrorists,
    almost 80 percent of the House Democrats voted against it.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. When it came time to vote on whether the NSA should
    continue to monitor terrorist communications through the terrorist
    surveillance program, almost 90 percent of House Democrats voted against
    it.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. In all these vital measures for fighting the war on
    terror, the Democrats in Washington follow a simple philosophy: Just say
    no. When it comes to listening in on the terrorists, what's the
    Democratic answer? Just say no. When it comes to detaining terrorists,
    what's the Democrat answer?
        Audience members. Just say no!
        The President. When it comes to questioning terrorists, what's the
    Democrat answer?
        Audience members. Just say no!

    [[Page 1940]]

        The President. When it comes to trying terrorists, what's the
    Democrats' answer?
        Audience members. Just say no!
        The President. So when the Democrats ask for your vote on November
    the 7th, what are you going to say?
        Audience members. Just say no!
        The President. Here are some questions we're asking all around the
    country: Do you want your Government to listen in on the terrorists?
        Audience members. Yes!
        The President. Do you want your Government to detain the terrorists?
        Audience members. Yes!
        The President. Do you want your Government to question the
    terrorists?
        Audience members. Yes!
        The President. Do you want your Government to do whatever it takes
    to bring justice to the terrorists?
        Audience members. Yes!
        The President. And so when Republicans ask for your vote on November
    7, what's your answer?
        Audience members. Yes!
        The President. We will continue to make sure our professionals have
    the tools necessary to protect you. And I want to thank Mike
    Sodrel for his strong support for our
    professionals on the frontline of protecting the American people. But
    the best way to protect you is to go on the offense and defeat the enemy
    overseas so we do not have to face them here.
        One of the lessons of September the 11th is that when we see a
    threat, we must take it seriously before that threat comes home to hurt
    us. I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein; members
    of both political parties in Congress saw a threat in Saddam Hussein;
    the United Nations saw the threat in Saddam Hussein. Getting rid of
    Saddam Hussein was the right policy; the world is better off for it.
        And now Iraq is a central front in this war against the terrorists.
    You know, in Washington, DC----
        Audience member. You're the man, George!
        The President. I want you to listen to the words of a senior
    Democrat in the House of Representatives. The
    person went on to say, ``The President says that fighting them there
    makes it less likely we will have to fight them here. The opposite is
    true''--the person went on to say--``Because we're fighting them there,
    it may become more likely we will have to fight them here.''
        Here's what that person does not understand: You do not create
    terrorism by fighting the terrorists, and Iraq is not the reason the
    terrorists are at war against us. I would remind that Democrat that our
    troops were not in Iraq when the terrorists first attacked the World
    Trade Center in 1993. We were not in Iraq when they blew up our
    Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. We were not in Iraq when they blew up
    the USS Cole. And we were not in Iraq when they killed nearly 3,000 of
    our citizens on September the 11th.
        Five years after September the 11th, too many Democrats still do not
    get it. The best way to protect this homeland is to find the enemy and
    defeat them overseas. Oh, I know you've heard all the discussion about
    Iraq. They say--in Washington, the Democrats say, it's not a part of the
    war against the terrorists; it's a distraction. Well, don't take my word
    for it, listen to Usama bin Laden. He has
    made it clear that Iraq is a central part of this war on terror. He and
    his number-two man, Zawahiri, have made
    it abundantly clear that their goal is to inflict enough damage on
    innocent life and damage on our own troops so that we leave before the
    job is done. And why do they want to do that? They want to establish
    safe haven, like the safe haven they had in Afghanistan, from which to
    launch further attacks on the United States of America. They want to
    have a base from which to topple moderate governments.
        Imagine a world in which violent radicals have seized power in the
    Middle East and they've toppled moderate governments and

    [[Page 1941]]

    they use oil to extract blackmail from the West. And couple that with an
    armed, nuclear Iran, and 30 years from now people are going to look back
    and say, ``What happened to them in 2006? How come they couldn't see the
    danger?'' And that is why we will defeat the enemy in Iraq.
        We have a plan for victory. Our goal is a country that can sustain
    itself, govern itself, and defend itself and will be an ally in the war
    on terror. The enemy's goal is to get us to retreat before the job is
    done. I'm in close contact with our commanders. I tell them, ``Whatever
    it takes to achieve victory, I support.'' They tell me that they're
    constantly adjusting their tactics to meet an enemy which is changing
    its tactics. Oh, the fighting is tough; I understand that. And it is
    brutal. The enemy has an advantage because they're willing to kill
    innocent people, and that gets on our TV screens. It's hard to measure
    the progress of a new hospital or new schools or people willing to be
    brave and tough. The enemy understands that it's a matter of time, in
    their mind, before we retreat. But they don't understand the American
    people, and they don't understand this administration. We will put a
    plan in place.
        I can't tell you how proud I am to be the Commander in Chief of such
    incredibly brave men and women who have volunteered to wear the uniform
    of the United States.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. And when it comes time--and when they send those
    bills up there to support our men and women in uniform, I don't have any
    doubt where Mike Sodrel is going to land.
    He is a strong supporter of the military. He knows what I know: Any time
    you have an American in harm's way, he or she deserves the full support
    of the American Government.
        We've got a strong asset in our military. We've got something else
    going for us in Iraq, brave Iraqis. They have suffered unbelievable
    violence. But they remember the 12 million people that voted. They want
    to succeed. We've got a security track so that these Iraqis can defend
    themselves. We've got a political track so that the Government is of and
    by and for the people. We've got an economic track to help them realize
    the vast potential of that country. We'll succeed. The only way we will
    not succeed is if we leave before the job is done.
        And all the people listening here, I want you to think about the
    Democrat plan for success: There isn't one. [Laughter] Iraq is the
    central front in this war, and yet leading Democrats argue we should
    pull out right now.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. Others suggest we should draw--withdraw on a specific
    date, even if we have not accomplished the mission.
        Audience members. Noo!
        The President. Others recommend moving our troops to an island some
    5,000 miles away.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. Nineteen House Democrats introduced legislation that
    would cut off funds for our troops in Iraq.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. This week, one Democrat Senator explained her party's position this way: ``We haven't
    coalesced around a single plan, but we're in general agreement on the
    basic principles.'' She's right. They are in agreement on one thing:
    They will leave before the job is done. And we will not let them.
        I'm not saying these people are unpatriotic; I'm saying they're
    wrong. You cannot win a war if you're unwilling to fight the war.
    Retreat before the job was done would embolden the enemy. It would
    provide new safe haven. It would enable the enemy to recruit. It would
    dash the hope of millions who want to simply live in peace. It would
    dishonor the sacrifice of the men and women who have worn the uniform of
    the United States of America.

    [[Page 1942]]

        This is a different kind of war, and it's important for Republicans
    and Democrats and independents to understand this fact: If we were to
    leave before the job was done, the enemy would follow us to the United
    States. And that is why victory is our goal, and that is why we will
    achieve victory. A victory will be a blow to the terrorists. A victory
    will say to those in the Middle East--``Do you believe in freedom?''--
    that we do. A victory will make Iraq an ally on the war on terror. A
    victory in Iraq will make generations of young Americans more secure.
    And that is why we will stay, we will fight, and we will win.
        I want to share a story with you. I want to share--if you can stand
    it, I want to share a story with you. I want to talk about something
    really powerful that we've got at our disposal. It's called liberty. I
    don't know if you remember, but recently I flew down to Elvis's place
    with the then-sitting Prime Minister of Japan. People said, ``Why did you go down there?'' And I
    said, ``Well, one, I've never been there.'' [Laughter] Secondly, he
    wanted to go there. [Laughter]
        But I also want to tell a story about the power of liberty, and here
    it is. In the late 1940s, we got attacked. And by the way, more people
    died on September the 11th than died at Pearl Harbor. And a lot of young
    Americans--many of them probably your relatives--volunteered to fight
    the sworn enemy, the Japanese. One of them was Navy fighter pilot George
    H.W. Bush, who at the age--[applause]. And
    he fought them with all he had, just like a lot of other brave
    Americans. Thousands and thousands didn't come home from that war.
        And yet on Air Force One was the Prime Minister of the former enemy and this Navy fighter
    pilot's son talking about peace. We were
    talking about the fact that 1,000 Japanese troops were in Iraq helping
    this young democracy. See, the Prime Minister knows what I know: that
    the radicals and extremists want to overturn democracy; they want to
    spread their vision across what's called a caliphate, a vision opposite
    of what we believe. That's their ambitions. That's their goals. And yet
    when we find young democracies, those of us who live in freedom have a
    duty to support that democracy because democracies yield the peace.
        We talked about North Korea, how we could work together to convince
    the leader of North Korea to give up his nuclear
    weapons ambitions. We talked about HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa,
    and how ``to whom much is given, much is required'' ought to apply to
    the United States and Japan, and how we must end the suffering of those
    poor people on the continent of Africa. We talked about a lot of big
    issues.
        But I find it interesting that my dad
    fought the Japanese, and his son is talking about the peace with the
    Japanese. Something happened, and what happened is, Japan adopted a
    Japanese-style democracy. And the lesson for our fellow citizens is,
    liberty has got the capacity to transform enemies into allies. Liberty
    has got the capacity to transform regions of hate to regions of hope. I
    firmly believe that someday an American President will be sitting down
    with duly elected leaders in the Middle East talking about the peace,
    and a generation of Americans will be better off.
        These are historic times. These are challenging times. It is such an
    honor to represent the United States of America during these historic
    times. I ask you to go from here and to call up your friends and
    neighbors, find our fellow Republicans, discerning Democrats--
    [laughter]--intelligence independents--[laughter]--and remind them of
    the stakes, remind them that the outcome of this election will determine
    how much money you have in your pocket. And remind them the outcome of
    this election will determine whether this Government does its most
    fundamental job, and that is to protect the American people.

    [[Page 1943]]

        No doubt in my mind, with your help, we will win. Thanks for coming.
    God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 1 p.m. at Silver Creek High School. In his
    remarks, he referred to Keta Sodrel, wife of Rep. Michael E. Sodrel;
    former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Usama bin Laden, leader of the
    Al Qaida terrorist organization; Ayman Al-Zawahiri, founder of the
    Egyptian Islamic Jihad and senior Al Qaida associate; former Prime
    Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and Chairman Kim Jong Il of North
    Korea.