    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [October 4, 2006]
    [Pages 1765-1772]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Breakfast for Congressional Candidate Richard G.
    Renzi in Scottsdale, Arizona
    October 4, 2006

        Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Please be seated. I'm honored to
    be here. Thanks for a warm Arizona welcome. You know, there's nothing
    like waking up in Arizona with a fantastic sunrise. What a great way to
    brighten the spirit. And thank you for coming. It brightens my spirits,
    as well, to know that there are a lot of good folks from northern
    Arizona and other parts of this State who are willing to stand up and
    support a good man, Rick Renzi, in his quest to be reelected to the
    United States Congress. So thank you for coming. Both of us are really
    glad you're here. I remember campaigning for Rick in Flagstaff in a rain
    storm. That didn't dampen our spirits, nor did it dampen my enthusiasm
    in saying as clearly as I could, I'm confident he will make a great
    Congressman. And he has proven me right. He deserves to be reelected to
    the United States Congress, and I thank you for helping him.
        I say he deserves it because he's got a record. And I'm going to
    talk a little bit about what we have done together to make Arizona and
    the country a better place. But one thing about Renzi, he stands strong
    on principle. He's got his priorities straight. He prioritizes his
    faith. He loves his family, all of them. [Laughter] Three of his boys
    are here, Rob, Ron, and
    Rick. Listen, when you got 12
    kids, it's good to have their names start with the same letter; that way
    you don't forget them. [Laughter] But I want to thank the Renzi boys for
    being here. Thanks for supporting your dad.
        I'm sorry mama is not here; Roberta is
    taking care of the kids. I understand that. But one of the good things
    about Rick is his family stands squarely with him, and

    [[Page 1766]]

    it's important when you're in public service, when you're serving the
    people, that your family is with you. And that ought to give people in
    northern Arizona comfort, to know that they got a Congressman who not
    only works hard on their behalf in Washington and when he's back in the
    district, but he's got good priorities. I'm proud to support Rick Renzi
    in his reelection effort, and I thank you for coming.
        I've got somebody else here who is running for reelection, and he's
    a man who has brought a lot of dignity to the office of United States
    Senator. He's solid; he is strong; he is influential, and that is
    Senator Jon Kyl. And I appreciate you coming,
    Senator--he brought Caryll along.
        I appreciate Congressman J.D. Hayworth, who's up for reelection, and I urge you to vote for J.D.
    Thanks for coming, J.D. J.D. has got him a race, and I hope the people
    of his district are wise enough to send him back to Washington, DC.
        I'm proud to be here with another Congressman, and that would be
    U.S. Congressman Trent Franks, who brought his
    wife, Josie, with him. Trent, thanks for
    coming--and sweet Josie.
        Last night when I got here at the airport, I was greeted by a young
    person running for Governor, an attractive man--
    [laughter]--a family man, an honest man, and that's Len Munsil. I
    appreciate you coming, Governor. I'm glad you're here, and I wish you
    all the very best.
        I know Renzi well enough to know that he can be a plain-spoken
    fellow, and he said to me, ``I want you to know, you weren't my first
    choice for this breakfast.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Well, thanks for
    having me fly all the way out here,'' you know. [Laughter] I said, ``Who
    might that have been?'' He said, ``Well, I really wanted Laura to come.'' [Laughter] Another reason to put him back in
    Congress is because he's got good judgment. [Laughter]
        Laura sends her best. She's proud of your
    service. She says hello to all our friends here in the great State of
    Arizona. I'm a lucky man that Laura Bush said yes when I asked her to
    marry me.
        We're getting ready for--we're coming down the stretch in these
    campaigns. I'm looking forward to traveling the country, making it
    clear, there are substantial differences in the philosophy we adhere to
    and the philosophy advocated by the Democrats. I like campaigns. It's a
    good opportunity to explain to the American people why we make the
    decisions we make. It's a good chance to explain the philosophy of the
    two different parties.
        I'd like to start with talking about our economic philosophy. Rick
    and I believe that the way to grow an economy is to let you keep more of
    your own money so you can save, spend, or invest. We strongly believe
    that the more money you have in your pocket, the more likely it is
    somebody is going to be able to find work. That is not only our
    philosophy; that is a practice that we adhere to.
        See, you might remember--and when you're out there campaigning--I
    know Rick says, look what we have been through. In other words, we're
    not just talkers; we're doers. We've been through a recession. We had
    corporate scandals. We had a significant stock market correction. We had
    to suffer a terrorist attack on the United States of America, which hurt
    our economy. I made the decision to defend this country, and we have
    been in two theaters in this war on terror with troops. We had
    hurricanes, high energy prices, and yet the American economy is the envy
    of the industrialized world.
        It's one thing to go out and advocate a philosophy; it's another
    thing to put it into effect. Progrowth economic policies work. We cut
    the taxes on people who were paying taxes. Small businesses are growing.
    The entrepreneurial spirit is strong. Productivity is up. Our farmers
    and ranchers are doing well. The progrowth economic policies of the
    Republican Party have made

    [[Page 1767]]

    a significant difference to the working people in the United States.
        And if the other bunch gets elected, they're going to raise your
    taxes. Make no mistake about it, we have a different philosophy. See,
    they think they can spend your money better than you can. They want more
    of your money to enhance their vision of bigger government. Oh, I know
    that words get couched in different ways or--the reason we campaign is,
    we help clarify Washington-speak. You'll hear people say, ``Well, all
    we're going to do is just let the tax cuts expire''--those would be tax
    cuts on people who have got children, small businesses, those who are
    married--``Oh, we'll just let them expire.'' What that means is, they're
    going to raise your taxes. See, if those tax cuts expire, your taxes are
    going up. It's like an employer saying to somebody, I'm going to give
    you a raise, and a couple of weeks later, I'm going to take it away, but
    I hope you still think you got the raise. [Laughter]
        Rick and I strongly believe that the best way to keep this economy
    growing, the best way to keep America to be entrepreneurial heaven is to
    make the tax cuts we passed permanent. Oh, you'll hear them say in
    Washington, ``Oh, we just need to raise some of the people's taxes in
    order to balance the budget.'' You know, I've been there long enough to
    tell you, that's not how it works. Yeah, they'll raise your taxes, all
    right, but they will figure out new ways to spend your money. The best
    way to balance the budget is to keep taxes low so we grow the economy
    and to prioritize how we spend your money. You know, I said we can cut
    the deficit in half by 2009; because of progrowth economic policies and
    strong fiscal policy out of the House of Representatives, because of
    votes like Rick Renzi, this deficit is going to be cut in half by 2008.
    The worst way to treat the budget is to run up your taxes, slow down
    economic growth, and expand Federal Government. And we're not going to
    let them do it. We're going to win the election because we're progrowth
    and wise about the money.
        It's really important that Congress prioritize, set priorities. If
    you try to be all things to all people, we're going to spend foolishly.
    And I've set some priorities. And I want the people of Arizona to
    understand that the number-one priority for this Government is to defend
    this country and to make sure our troops have all that is necessary to
    do their job for the sake of security. And I thank Congressman Renzi and
    the other Congressmen here in this audience and Senator Kyl for standing strong for those brave men and women who put
    on the uniform of the United States of America. What an honor it is to
    be the Commander in Chief of such a fine group of people.
        I appreciate the fact that Rick joins me in what I call cooperative
    conservation. That means we're going to work with local folks, local
    stakeholders, and States to conserve our environment. You know, there is
    a mindset in Washington that says, we'll tell the folks in Arizona how
    to do it. That's not my view. See, I'm from Texas; I believe that Texans
    can manage the environment in Texas plenty fine. And I believe the same
    thing in Arizona.
        I worked with Rick to pass what's called the Healthy Forest
    Initiative. See, his district has got a lot of important forests. It
    means that we can work together with local folks to thin out those
    forests so they're not full of combustionable fuel, to be able to help
    deal with the catastrophic fires that have plagued this State and other
    States. It is a wise use of government resources to plan and affect good
    environmental policy by working with the local folks. Rick understands
    that. People in northern Arizona must feel confident that their
    Representative, Rick Renzi, trusts their judgment and is willing to work
    on behalf of them in Washington, DC, in a cooperative way.

    [[Page 1768]]

        Rick and I firmly believe that it's really important that we
    diversify away from foreign sources of oil. Look, we're all applauding
    the fact that gasoline prices are going down. I'm sure it pleases you if
    you drive a car. I know it helps our small-business owners and our
    families who are concerned about whether or not they'll have enough
    money to save for their child's education, for example. Declining
    gasoline prices are good for the economy, but they should not cause us
    to forget that dependence upon foreign oil is a national security
    problem. It's a national security concern. And therefore, I look forward
    to continuing to work with the Arizona delegation and Congressman Renzi
    to provide research and development money to enable us to fuel our
    automobiles in different ways.
        I can't wait for the day when we can continue to say, ``Corn is up,
    and therefore, dependence upon oil is down.'' I can't wait that we
    develop new ways to develop ethanol, like from wood chips, so that
    people in northern Arizona become significant producers of energy that
    will enable this country to diversify away from reliance on foreign
    crude oil. One day we'll have hybrid vehicles with new batteries, plug-
    in hybrids, and you'll be able to drive the first 40 miles on
    electricity, and your car won't have to look like a golf cart.
    [Laughter] When these kids are learning to drive, they'll be having
    hydrogen-powered automobiles at their disposal. In other words, we're on
    a massive effort to diversify away from foreign sources of oil.
        And in the meantime, we need to be exploring for natural gas and oil
    in our own hemisphere in environmentally friendly ways. We've got a
    comprehensive plan to help this Nation's national security and economic
    security by having a comprehensive energy bill, and I want to thank
    Congressman Renzi for working on that.
        Oh, there's going to be a lot of domestic issues we'll work on, but
    there's no issue more important than protecting the American people.
    It's the calling of the 21st century. The most important job for the
    Federal Government is to protect you. After 9/11, I vowed that we would
    do everything in our power to prevent a further attack. We're at war
    with an enemy that would like to hurt us again. I know some would hope
    that the President wouldn't say that, but that's the reality of the
    world in which live. I live it every day. I think about the importance
    of defending this country every single day of my Presidency.
        It's important to have Members of Congress who see the world the way
    it is and who understand the nature of the enemy. These are evil people
    who have taken the tenets of a great religion and used it to their ends
    to achieve objectives. These are ideologues. These are people bound by
    an ideology of hate. Their ideology is opposite of what we believe. We
    believe that anybody can worship any way they want and be an equal
    citizen of the United States of America. We believe Jew, Muslim,
    Christian, atheist, agnostic are all equally American. We believe in the
    great right of an individual to choose how to worship as they see fit.
    The enemy says, ``If you don't worship the way we worship, you're
    guilty.''
        We believe in dissent in the public square. Oh, sometimes it gets a
    little loud, but nevertheless, we welcome dissent. We welcome the fact
    that in our country, people can express themselves any way they want. If
    you express dissent with these ideologues, they will hold you to
    account. They have a dark vision of the world. It stands in stark
    contrast with those of us who believe in liberty, who love freedom. And
    they'll do anything they can to drive us out of parts of the world so
    they can achieve their ambitions. They will murder innocent lives in the
    hopes that the United States of America will lose its will to confront
    them.
        After 9/11, I vowed that in order to protect the United States of
    America, we must stay on the offense. We must defeat the enemy overseas
    so we don't have to face

    [[Page 1769]]

    them here. We must bring them to justice before they hurt Americans
    again. And that's what we're doing. We're on the offense every single
    day. It's hard to plot, plan, and kill when you're running or when
    you're hiding in a cave. We've got fantastic people working on your
    behalf, unbelievably brave men and women in our intelligence services or
    in the United States military who are pressing this enemy every single
    day.
        And now we're involved in a great conflict in the war on terror in
    Iraq. And there's a debate in Washington, DC, and the debate is whether
    or not Iraq is a part of the war on terror. You'll hear the Democrats
    say, ``Well, it's a distraction on the war on terror.'' I strongly
    disagree. I fully understand the nature of this enemy. I fully
    understand their intent is to drive us out of the Middle East so they
    can topple moderate governments and get a hold of oil resources, develop
    weapons of mass destruction and safe havens from which to attack the
    United States again.
        If you don't believe me, listen to the words of Usama bin Laden and the number two of Al Qaida,
    Zawahiri. They have made their intentions
    clear. They have made it clear that Iraq is a central front in this war
    on terror. They have made their intentions known, out loud--well, they
    probably didn't want us to hear it, but nevertheless, we did--that they
    want to drive us out of Iraq. It's just a matter of time, in their mind.
    They believe that the lessons of Somalia will apply to Iraq. They think
    that with enough carnage and bloodshed and death and the murder of the
    innocent, the United States will let them have their way.
        They're wrong. The United States understands that the security of
    the United States of America, for our children, depends upon victory in
    Iraq. We will stand with the 12 million brave citizens who demanded
    their freedom. We will help the new unity Government succeed. We will
    train Iraqis so they can take the fight to the enemy. In the meantime,
    we will stay in the battlefield and achieve the victory for a generation
    of Americans to come.
        Right after 9/11, I said to the American people, we'll make sure
    that those on the frontline of defending this country have the tools
    necessary to do so. The reason I said that is because I understand the
    nature of this war. See, it's a different kind of battle. The old World
    War II vets here--and I thank you for your service--will remember--or
    the Korean war vets--will remember the days that you could measure
    success against an enemy based upon the number of ships sunk or aircraft
    shot out of the air. This is a different kind of war. It's a war that
    depends upon our capacity to find individuals and bring them to justice
    before they strike again. And therefore, it requires intelligence and
    tools that we didn't need in other wars.
        And so I vowed--and the reason I know this is because, you see,
    we've got to be right 100 percent of the time to protect you. And the
    enemy has got to be right one time. And therefore, I worked with people
    like Rick Renzi and other Members of Congress to make sure those on the
    frontline of terror had what it needed--had what they needed to defend
    you.
        That's why I proposed and worked hard to pass the PATRIOT Act. See,
    the PATRIOT Act--prior to the PATRIOT Act, intelligence and law
    enforcement could not communicate. I know that's hard for you to
    believe, but matter--somebody whose job it is to collect intelligence on
    what might be happening in the United States, and because of walls that
    had grown up over the years, it was impossible for them to share that
    intelligence with law enforcement. You cannot protect the United States
    if our--those responsible for protecting you cannot communicate.
        And so I said to Congress, ``This is ridiculous. Let's tear down the
    walls that prevented good people from talking.'' And they agreed. The
    House passed a bill; right after 2001, the Senate did, 98 to 1. But I
    want you all to remember, when the bill came

    [[Page 1770]]

    up again for renewal in 2005, Democrat Senators filibustered the bill.
    Evidently, their attitude changed. Filibuster is Washington-speak for,
    like, try to talk it to death. I promise I'm not going to filibuster you
    here today. [Laughter] As a matter of fact, during that period--I think
    it is illustrative for people to hear the words of the Senator minority
    leader. He bragged, ``We killed the PATRIOT
    Act.'' That's what he said. And then when pressed by the press, he
    said--they said, ``Are you sure this is the right thing to do, to
    celebrate killing the PATRIOT''--he said, ``Of course it is.''
        See, we just have a different attitude about the war on terror. My
    attitude is, we've got to give people the tools necessary to protect you
    and not wait for another attack. You know, they filibustered the PATRIOT
    Act and then--after they had voted for it--kind of sounds familiar.
    [Laughter] That old refrain from 2004--[laughter]--appears to be coming
    back to--coming back into the political dialog.
        The reason I bring this up is, in an election year, I want the
    American people and the people of Arizona to understand, there is a
    clear difference of opinion about how to protect this country. Oh, they
    can talk good talk. But when it came time to vote, the American people
    can see exactly where the Democrat Party stands in protecting this
    country.
        You might remember that I instituted a program through the National
    Security Agency to establish what's called the terrorist surveillance
    program. I felt it was very important for those of us whose job it is to
    protect you to understand the nature of the enemy. And if somebody from
    Al Qaida is calling into the United States, in order to protect you, we
    need to know why and what they're planning and what they're thinking.
    See, this is a different kind of war, and we need to know the intention
    of the enemy now in order to protect you from attack.
        This bill came up--the idea of providing additional authority for
    the terrorist surveillance program came to the House floor recently. And
    there was a vote, and people got to stand up and declare whether or not
    this program was important: 177 Democrats voted against listening in on
    terrorist communications; 177 of the opposition party said, ``You know,
    we don't think we ought to be listening to the conversations of
    terrorists.''
        If the people of Arizona, if the people of the United States don't
    think we ought to be listening in on the conversations of people who
    could do harm to the United States, then go ahead and vote for the
    Democrats. If you want to make sure those on the frontline of protecting
    you have the tools necessary to do so, you vote Republican, for the
    safety of the United States of America.
        After the 9/11 attacks, I established a CIA program to detain and
    question key terrorist operatives and leaders who we captured on the
    battlefield. I did so because I believed that those who were
    responsible--we think were responsible for planning attacks, such as the
    9/11 attack, might be able to tell us some information about how the
    enemy operates, where they operate, and what they intend. I understand
    this is a different kind of war and our most solemn duty is to protect
    you. And I felt--I know it's vital to get this kind of information. For
    5 years, really fine professional people at the CIA have worked
    tirelessly to get information from these captured terrorists.
        It's important for people of Arizona and the Nation to understand
    what this program has meant to our security. Information from the
    terrorists questioned by the CIA helped break up a cell of Southeast
    Asian extremists and terrorist operatives who had been groomed for
    attacks inside the United States of America. The program helped stop an
    Al Qaida cell from developing anthrax for attacks against the United
    States. Information that we gained helped to stop a planned strike on a
    Marine base in Djibouti and helped prevent an attack on

    [[Page 1771]]

    the U.S. consulate in Karachi and helped foil a plot to hijack passenger
    planes and fly them into Heathrow and London's Canary Wharf.
        The reason I bring--I declassified this information because I wanted
    the American people to understand the stakes of the debate on the
    detainee program, and I wanted them to understand with clarity that this
    program is essential to help get information to protect you. Were it not
    for information gained from the terrorists questioned by the CIA, our
    intelligence community believes that Al Qaida and its allies would have
    succeeded in launching another attack against the United States of
    America. And these are the facts.
        And the Congress held a vote on the future of this CIA program, and
    the choice between every Member of Congress was clear: Should this
    program continue or not? Congress, fortunately, continued the program.
    I'm going to sign it into law, and I thank them for their leadership.
        But I want you to understand what happened during this vote. In the
    House of Representatives, 160 Democrats, including the entire Democrat
    leadership, voted against continuing the program. I want you to
    understand that I would never question a person's patriotism; I don't.
    They just have a different point of view about the war on terror, and
    it's a point of view that the American people must understand.
        Think about that vote. Think about what it says between different
    philosophies. Think about the difference of how we view the world.
    Eighty percent of the House Democrats--nearly 80 percent want to stop
    the program that has provided invaluable intelligence that saved lives,
    that saved lives of the United States of America. In the Senate, 32
    Democrats, including every member of their Senate leadership save one,
    voted to kill the vital program. This means that nearly three-quarters
    of the Democrats in the United States Senate voted to stop the men and
    women of the CIA from continuing a program to get information from
    extremists and terrorists like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed about planned attacks on the United States of America.
        We just think differently. And it's important, during a campaign,
    for the American people to understand the facts. There is a difference
    between rhetoric and action in Washington, DC. And the votes of the
    Democrats to deny the tools necessary to protect you speak loud and
    clear about their vision of the world in which we live.
        We've got a clear record. We believe strongly that we must take
    action to prevent attacks from happening in the first place. They view
    this election--they view the threats we face like law enforcement, and
    that is, we respond after we're attacked. And it's a fundamental
    difference, and I will travel this country for the next 5 weeks making
    it clear the difference of opinion.
        You know, the House Democrat leader summed
    up her party's approach to the midterm elections this way. She said,
    ``This election should not be about national security.'' I strongly
    disagree. There's an enemy that wants to hurt the American people. The
    most solemn responsibility of the President and those of us who have
    been honored to serve you is to do what is necessary to protect the
    American people, and we will continue to do so.
        I'm optimistic we will prevail in the great ideological struggle of
    the 21st century. You are witnessing historic times, and this is an
    historic election. You're witnessing a struggle between moderation and
    extremists, tyranny and freedom. You're witnessing a struggle between
    those who would impose their dark vision on others and people who just
    want to live in peace. These are historic times, and it's going to
    require strong U.S. leadership to help win this ideological struggle.
        But I have got great faith. I believe in the universality of
    freedom. I believe all souls want to be free, and if given a chance,
    they will help us yield the peace we want. I believe the hard work that
    we're doing

    [[Page 1772]]

    to protect you is also laying the foundation of peace for generations to
    come. I want it to be said when people look back at this moment of
    history that the United States of America had confidence in the values
    that caused our founding to begin in the first place; that we believed
    strongly in an obligation to help others realize the blessings and
    benefits of liberty. We did our duty; we did what we were called to do.
    And that's going to happen.
        I want to thank you for your interest. I thank you for supporting
    good, solid people who share my vision of peace. May God bless you all,
    and may God continue to bless the United States.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:32 a.m. at the Camelback Inn. In his
    remarks, he referred to Caryll Kyl, wife of Sen. Jon Kyl; Usama bin
    Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; and Khalid Sheikh
    Mohammed, senior Al Qaida leader responsible for planning the September
    11, 2001, terrorist attacks, who was captured in Pakistan on March 1,
    2003.