    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [October 30, 2006]
    [Pages 1946-1953]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Georgia Victory 2006 Rally in Statesboro, Georgia
    October 30, 2006

        The President. Thank you all very much. Thank you for the warm
    welcome. It is great to be back in the State of Georgia. It is even
    better to be here with the next Congressman from this district, Max
    Burns.
        Max knows what it takes to be a United States
    Congressman because he's done it before. And when you turn out on
    November 7th, he's going to do it again.
        He understands Georgia values because he was
    born and raised in this district, and he still lives on a family farm
    outside Sylvania. I've been in Washington long enough to know that it
    makes sense to have people who live on a family farm, in the Halls of
    the United States Congress.
        I appreciate the fact that Max was a teacher.
    As a matter of fact, he taught right here at Georgia Southern. I hope he
    gave a few of the students A's. [Laughter] And for those of you who did
    get an A, you might as well vote for him. [Laughter] I appreciate the
    fact that when he was a Member of the United States Congress that

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    he passed key legislation that helped farmers, that helped seniors file
    their taxes, and helped our public schools recruit more math and science
    teachers. In other words, he has the record to run on. He's got
    something to say when he's out on the campaign stop, and he's also got a
    record to point to. There's no doubt in my mind that Max Burns is the
    right man to be the United States Congressman.
        You know who else agrees with that is Laura.
    She knows Max and Lora. She
    likes the Burnses. She likes a man of integrity, like Max Burns. She
    says, like I'm saying, work hard; turn out the vote; and send this good
    man back to the United States Congress.
        And by the way, when you're out there voting for Max, make sure you send a man who has done a fabulous job as
    your Governor back to the statehouse, and
    that's Sonny Perdue. Sonny has got him a pair of boots he can be proud
    of. By the way, it makes me feel comfortable to be a in a State where
    your Governor wears cowboy boots. And I know it makes you feel
    comfortable to live in a State where you got you a Governor who's
    accomplished and can get the job done.
        I'm really pleased that Congressman Charlie Norwood has come over from his United States congressional
    district to help his friend Max Burns run.
    Welcome, Charlie Norwood.
        And I want to thank the mayor.
    Mr. Mayor Bill Hatcher, thank you for welcoming us; thank you for being
    here. I appreciate Perry McGuire, who is the
    candidate for attorney general, joining us. I know you'll support Perry
    if you want good law enforcement in your State. And I want to thank Eric
    Johnson, who is the senate president pro tem.
    Mr. Senator, thanks for coming; good to see you again. I appreciate
    Jesse Tyler, president of Georgia Southern
    University College Republicans, for helping organize this event. I do
    want to thank the president of Georgia Southern
    for letting us come as well.
        We are 8 days away from the election, and you can bet one thing:
    We're going to sprint to the finish line. And we need your help. I
    appreciate you coming out because I know you know what I know: This
    election is far from over, although there are some people in Washington
    who already think they know the outcome of the election. Some of them
    are already picking out their new offices at the Capitol.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. You might remember that around this time in 2004,
    some of them were picking out their new offices in the West Wing.
    [Laughter] The movers never got the call. [Laughter] And this November
    7th, when our voters show up at the polls, we're going to elect people
    like Max Burns to the Congress, and we will keep
    control of the House and the Senate.
        We will win this election because Republicans understand the values
    and priorities of the American people. We will win this election because
    our priorities and our values do not shift with the latest political
    opinion poll or focus group. We will win this election because we got a
    good record to run on.
        For decades, our public school system failed too many American
    children, so we passed the No Child Left Behind Act and demanded that
    schools show results in return for Federal dollars. Test scores are
    rising. The achievement gap is beginning to close, and we are bringing
    America closer to the day when every single child gets a good education.
        For decades, America has been growing more dependent on foreign oil,
    and so we took the lead. We passed a good energy bill that supports
    conservation and expands domestic production and expands new monies on
    technology. See, here's what we want--Max Burns
    wants this, Sonny wants this, and so do I--we
    want Georgia farmers growing the fuel that will energize our automobiles
    in the future. When you start running your car on Georgia corn, we'll

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    become less dependent on foreign sources of oil.
        For decades, Medicare was an outdated program that wasn't serving
    our seniors as well as it could, so we passed landmark legislation that
    modernized the Medicare system. And today, more than 33 million seniors
    have more choices and access to affordable prescription drugs. And the
    days of our poor seniors having to choose between medicine and food are
    over.
        For decades, we haven't had complete control over our southern
    border, and illegal immigration has been on the rise. So I acted. I sent
    the National Guard troops to help our Border Patrol. We're adding
    thousands of new Border Patrol agents. We are modernizing our border. We
    will reform our immigration system, and we will uphold the immigration
    laws of the United States.
        For decades, activist judges have tried to redefine America by court
    order. Just this last week in New Jersey, another activist court issued
    a ruling that raises doubt about the institution of marriage. We believe
    that marriage is a union between a man and a woman and should be
    defended. And I believe I should 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've got a good record to run on. And with Max Burns back in the United States Congress, we will build on that
    record.
        Now, there are big differences in Washington between Republicans and
    Democrats. Perhaps the biggest difference are on the two biggest issues
    that we face: Which party is going to keep your taxes low and keep this
    economy growing, and which party will take the necessary steps to
    protect you from terrorist attack?
        Let me start with taxes. Max and I have a
    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 of
    your own money in your pocket to save, spend, or invest, the economy
    benefits. Democrats believe they can spend your money better than you
    can. So over the past 5 years, we have acted on our philosophy and
    passed the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was in the White
    House.
        In other words, we just didn't talk about philosophy--there's too
    many philosophers in Washington--we acted. We got the job done. We cut
    the taxes on everybody 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 promote
    investment and jobs. And to reward family businesses and farmers for a
    lifetime of hard work and savings, we put the death tax on the road to
    extinction.
        We had a ferocious debate over taxes in Washington. The Democrats in
    Washington predicted tax cuts wouldn't create jobs, wouldn't increase
    wages, and would cause the Federal deficit to explode. Well, the facts
    are in. The truth is, the tax cuts have led to a growing economy that's
    added 6.6 million new jobs since August of 2003. The truth is, real
    wages rose 2.2 percent over the past 12 months, and we have cut the
    deficit in half 3 years ahead of schedule.
        Now those Democrats in Washington are making another prediction.
    They're telling you they're going to win on election day. Well, if their
    electoral predictions are as reliable as their economic predictions,
    November 7th is going to be a good day for the Republican Party.
    [Laughter]
        Now, during this campaign, the Washington Democrats really don't
    want you to know their plans. As a matter of fact, the top Democrat
    leader in the House made an interesting
    declaration. She said, ``We love tax cuts.'' But given her record, she
    must be a secret admirer. [Laughter] She and her party voted against
    every single one of the tax cuts we passed. She voted against reducing
    the marriage penalty. She

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    voted against cutting taxes on small businesses. She and her party voted
    against lowering taxes for families with children. Time and time again,
    when she and the Democrat Party had an opportunity to show their love
    for tax cuts, they voted no. If that's the Democrats' idea of love, I
    sure wouldn't want to see what hate looks like. [Laughter]
        See, here's the way it's working in Washington: If we do not make
    the tax cuts permanent or if the tax cuts are not extended, you're going
    to get a tax increase. Recently they asked a man who wants to be head of the House Ways and Means
    Committee, if the Democrats win, what he thinks about extending the tax
    cuts. He said he couldn't think of one of the tax cuts he would extend.
    This is what the Washington Democrats are saying about your taxes. He
    couldn't think of one of the tax cuts we passed that he would leave in
    place.
        And so if you're a small-business person and pay taxes at the
    income--at the individual income tax rate, it means the Democrats will
    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. If you're a small-business owner who wants to pass your life's
    work to your children and grandchildren, the Democrats want to raise
    your taxes. If you're a small-business owner, my advice is, vote for Max
    Burns.
        Now, if you happen to have children, I want to just talk to you
    about what it means to not extend the tax cut, just like the man who is
    going to be running the tax committee said he's going to do, not extend
    the tax. You see, if the child credit doesn't get extended, it means the
    tax credit gets cut in half from $1,000 per child to $500 per child. So
    this evening when you're sitting around the table eating dinner and
    you've got children around your table, just count the number of children
    you have and multiply it by 500, and that's what the tax increase is
    going to be. So if you've got four children, four times 500 is 2,000.
    Your tax bill will go up if the Democrats take control of the House by
    $2,000. If you got three kids, it's $1,500. It's easy to calculate.
        I guess the $2,000 doesn't seem like a lot of money to the people in
    Washington, DC, but I know it's a lot of money for your family. I know
    the child tax credit has meant a lot for people working for a living.
    And therefore, if you want to keep that money in your pocket instead of
    sending it to Washington, DC, you vote for Republicans on election day.
        This election is taking place in an historic time for our country.
    Our children and grandchildren are going to look back on this period,
    one question will overwhelm all the rest: Did we do everything in our
    power to fight and win the war on terror? That's the question people
    will ask: Did this country do everything in our power to protect you?
        We face an enemy that is brutal. They kill innocent people to
    achieve ideological objectives. They're totalitarian in nature. They
    hate freedom. We love freedom, and that is why they view us as their
    enemy. You cannot negotiate with these people. You can't try to talk
    sense into these people. The best way to protect you is to bring them to
    justice before they hurt America again.
        I understand this is a different kind of war, and so do people in
    this congressional district need to know it's a different kind of war. I
    know we've got some vets here, and I want to thank you for serving. But
    in previous wars, particularly, say, World War II, it mattered how many
    airplanes you could shoot out of the sky or how much territory an army
    took. This is a different kind of war. This is a war where people plot
    and plan in secret and then launch lethal attacks, which means our
    professionals need to have all the tools necessary to protect you. You
    see, the challenge facing the United States is that we have to be right
    one time--I mean 100

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    percent of the time, and the enemy has to be right one time, in order to
    protect you.
        And so when I found out there was laws preventing the intelligence
    community from talking to the enforcement community, I asked Congress to
    pass the PATRIOT Act to tear down those walls so our folks had the tools
    necessary to protect you. I believe that if Al Qaida or an Al Qaida
    associate is making a phone call from outside the United States to
    inside the United States, we need to know why in order to be able to
    protect you.
        This is a different kind of war that requires us to get good
    intelligence in order to protect the American people. That's why I asked
    the CIA to develop a program that would question detainees that we
    picked up off the battlefield about what they know.
        Now let me give you an example. We captured a fellow named Khalid
    Sheikh Mohammed. The intelligence
    community believes he was the man who mastermind the September the 11th
    attacks. I thought it made sense--if our most important job is to
    protect you, it made sense to find out what Khalid Sheikh Mohammed knew.
    In other words, we've been giving the professionals the tools necessary
    to defend America in this new kind of war.
        And recently there were votes in the floor of the House of
    Representatives, in the floor of the United States Senate to provide
    these critical tools. In other words, Congress voted on these tools. And
    I want everybody in this district and in this State and around the
    country to understand those votes, because they were critical votes. And
    it shows the difference of attitude between the two parties and the
    leaders in the two parties about our responsibility to protect you.
        When it came time to renew the PATRIOT Act, more than 75 percent--75
    percent--of the House Democrats voted against it. When it came time to
    vote on whether or not the CIA continue its program to detain and
    question captured terrorists, almost 80 percent of the House Democrats
    voted against it. They just have a different point of view. They don't
    see it the way I see it or the way you see it. Otherwise, why wouldn't
    they give the professionals the tools necessary to protect you? When it
    came time to vote on whether the National Security Agency should
    continue to monitor terrorist communications, almost 90 percent of the
    House Democrats voted against it. In all these vital measures for
    fighting the war on terror, the Democrats just follow a simple
    philosophy: Just say no.
        When it comes to listening to the terrorists, what's the Democrats'
    answer? It's, just say no. When it comes to detaining terrorists, what
    is the Democrats' answer? Just say no. When it comes to questioning
    terrorists, what's the Democrats' answer?
        Audience members. Just say no!
        The President. When it comes to trying the terrorists, what's the
    Democrats' answer?
        Audience members. Just say no!
        The President. So when the Democrats ask for your vote, what's your
    answer?
        Audience members. Just say no!
        We're going to continue to make sure our professionals have the
    tools necessary to protect you, and you can count on Max Burns's vote.
        One of the lessons of September the 11th, 2001, is that when this
    country sees a threat, we must take those threats seriously before they
    come home to hurt us. I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. Members of both political parties in the United States
    Congress saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. The United Nations saw a threat
    in Saddam Hussein. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right decision,
    and the world is better off.
        And now Iraq is the central front in this global war against these
    ideologues who murder innocent people to achieve their objectives. You
    know, I think it's very important for the Commander in Chief, as well as
    our citizens, to listen to the words

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    of the enemy. You know, in Washington, you hear people say, ``Well, Iraq
    is just a distraction from the war on terror.'' I believe it is a
    central part of the war on terror. And so does Usama bin Laden. Usama bin Laden calls this fight the third world
    war. He says victory for the terrorists in Iraq will mean America's
    defeat and disgrace forever.
        They have made it clear they want to create as much carnage and
    death as possible to cause us to leave before the job is done. They have
    ambitions: They want to topple moderate governments; they want to
    control oil to blackmail the West; they want us to leave and dash the
    hopes and aspirations of millions of people who want to live in peace.
    And we have a different point of view.
        I want you to hear the words of a senior Democrat in the House of
    Representatives. She said, ``The President says
    fighting them there makes it less likely we will fight them here. The
    opposite is true,'' she said, ``Because we are fighting them there, it
    may become more likely that we have to fight them there.''
        Here's what this person and the leaders of the Democrat Party in
    Washington seem to not understand: Iraq is not the reason the terrorists
    are at war against us. I would remind the House Democrats, our troops
    were not in Iraq when the terrorists first attacked the World Trade
    Center in 1993. We were not in Iraq when they bombed the USS Cole or the
    Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. And we were not in Iraq when they
    killed nearly 3,000 people on September the 11th, 2001.
        You do not create terrorists by fighting the terrorists. The best
    way to protect you, the best way to protect the American people is to
    stay on the offense and defeat them overseas so we do not have to face
    them here at home.
        Our goal in Iraq is victory. Victory in Iraq will come when that
    young democracy can sustain itself and govern itself and defend itself
    and be a strong ally in the war against the terrorists. The fighting in
    Iraq is tough, and I understand it's tough, and you know it's tough, and
    so does the enemy. They have no conscience. They kill innocent men,
    women, and children. They film the atrocities. They broadcast them for
    the world to see. They offer no hopeful vision. The only thing they know
    is death and destruction, but they hope these violent images will cause
    us to lose our nerve.
        They make a big mistake. They do not understand the true strength of
    the United States of America. We don't run in the face of thugs and
    assassins. We will defend ourselves. We will defeat them. We will defeat
    them because our commanders on the ground have all the flexibility
    necessary to make sure that we constantly stay ahead of the enemy. We'll
    defeat them because we've got a fantastic United States military. And I
    know I can count on Max Burns. And I know you can
    count on Max Burns and I can count on Max Burns by making sure our
    troops have all that is necessary to do their job to defend the United
    States.
        We will succeed in Iraq because the Iraqis want to live in a
    peaceful society. Nearly 12 million defied car bombers and assassins and
    terrorists and went to vote. They held up their purple ink-stained
    fingers, saying to the world, ``We want to be free.'' And they got a
    unity Government that is working hard to repel the extremists who are
    preventing them. I believe strongly that with our help, they will be
    able to defend themselves. And I believe strongly that they'll become a
    government of the people and by the people and for the people. As a
    matter of fact, I believe the only way we cannot succeed is if we leave
    before the job is done.
        And when you listen to this debate--and it's raging across the
    country, this debate on Iraq--if you listen carefully for a Democrat
    plan for success, they don't have one. Iraq is the central front in the
    war on terror, yet they don't have a plan for victory.

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        Last week, a Senator, Democrat Senator explained her party's position this way. She said, ``We
    haven't coalesced around a single plan, but we're in general agreement
    on basic principles.'' She's right; the agreement--they are in agreement
    on one thing--they will leave before the job is done. That's what
    they're in agreement on. They've come up with a lot of creative ways to
    describe leaving Iraq before the job is done. Sometimes they say,
    immediate redeployment. Sometimes they say they wouldn't spend another
    dime on our troops. Sometimes they say, the idea that we're going to win
    this war is an idea that, unfortunately, is just plain wrong. However
    they put it, the Democrat approach in Iraq comes down to this: The
    terrorists win, and America loses.
        That's what's at stake in this election. The Democrat goal is to get
    out of Iraq. The Republican goal is to win in Iraq.
        I'm not saying these Democrats are unpatriotic; I'm just saying
    they're wrong. You cannot win a war unless you're willing to fight the
    war. Retreat from Iraq before the job is done would embolden the enemy
    and make us more vulnerable to attack. Retreat would allow the
    terrorists to gain a new safe haven from which to plot and plan, just
    like they had in Afghanistan. Retreat would enable the enemy to be more
    able to recruit. Retreat would say to people in the Middle East, you
    can't count on America. It would say to those folks desperate to live in
    freedom and peace, we no longer care or hear your cries. Defeat would
    dishonor the sacrifice of the men and women who wear the uniform of the
    United States of America. The consequences of retreat from Iraq will be
    felt for generations.
        I want the folks all throughout America to envision a Middle East
    where extremism are battling for power, moderate governments are
    toppled, oil is controlled to use for blackmail, and a country has a
    nuclear weapon. If that were to happen, people would look back at the
    year 2006 and ask, ``What happened to them? How come those folks
    couldn't see the threat? How come they couldn't see the danger for a
    generation of Americans who were growing up?'' I want you to know, I see
    the threat. I see the danger. That is why we will support our troops. We
    will fight, and we will win in Iraq.
        I want to share with you right quick a history lesson; at least, I
    see it as history; after all, we're on a college campus. [Laughter] It's
    the power of freedom. You know, recently I went to--with the former
    Prime Minister of Japan--he was sitting
    Prime Minister of Japan then--down to Elvis's place. Memphis,
    Tennessee--I don't know if you've ever been there or not, but--
    [applause]--yes, you have? Well, I liked going there. It was
    interesting. And he really wanted to go there because he liked Elvis.
    [Laughter]
        But I wanted to tell an interesting story. It's a story about a Navy
    fighter pilot who, at the age of 18,
    volunteered, and he said, ``I want to serve my country because the
    Japanese have just attacked us.'' You've got relatives who did the same
    thing. You've got a grandfather or a father, like I got, who said, ``I
    want to fight the Japanese.'' They were the sworn enemy. Thousands of
    people lost their lives. This country went to war against an enemy which
    attacked us.
        You know what's interesting? On the way down from Washington to
    Memphis, Tennessee, right there on Air Force One, Prime
    Minister Koizumi--the Prime Minister of
    the former enemy of the United States of America--and I discussed the
    peace. We talked about the fact that this country had 1,000 troops in
    Iraq to defend the young democracy. He knows what I know: We're in an
    ideological struggle between people who hate and people who have hope.
    We've been through ideological struggles before. Freedom wins every
    time, if we don't lose our nerve.

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        And that's the lesson I learned from my friend Prime Minister
    Koizumi. It's amazing what has happened
    between when 18-year-old fighter pilot George H.W. Bush fought this--fought the enemy, and his son is talking
    about keeping the peace with the same country. And the lesson is,
    liberty has got the capacity to change enemies into allies. And my
    citizens, liberty has got the capacity to turn regions of hate to
    regions of hope. Liberty has got the capacity to yield the peace we
    want.
        Someday an American President will be sitting down with duly elected
    leaders talking about the--duly elected leaders from the Middle East
    talking about the peace, and generation of Americans will be better off
    for it.
        And so these are the stakes in this election. It's an important
    election year. And I know Max Burns joins me in
    saying, thanks for coming out. Thanks for giving me a chance to share
    what's on my heart and where I want to lead this country. And I thank
    you for getting ready--for doing what you're fixing to do, which is to
    go out of this hall and find fellow Republicans and discerning Democrats
    and reasonable independents and remind them that if they want more money
    in their pocket, you vote Republican. And if you want this country to do
    everything we can to protect you from further attack and lay the
    foundations for peace, you vote Republican.
        I'm proud you've come today. May God bless you, and may God continue
    to bless the United States of America.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:07 a.m. at Georgia Southern University.
    In his remarks, he referred to Lora Burns, wife of Max Burns, candidate
    for Congress in Georgia's 12th Congressional District; Mayor William S.
    Hatcher II of Statesboro, GA; Bruce Grube, president, Georgia Southern
    University; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and Usama bin
    Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization.