    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [November 3, 2006]
    [Pages 1985-1993]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Missouri Victory 2006 Rally in Springfield, Missouri
    November 3, 2006

        The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Thank you for the
    warm welcome. It's good to be back here in southwest Missouri. This
    isn't my first time here. It's not going to be my last time here,
    either. The reason why is, I like the people from this part of the
    world. Good, down-to-earth, commonsense people live in southwest
    Missouri. And that's the kind of Senator you need in Washington, DC,
    from this State--good and decent, down-to-earth and talented.
        I appreciate you coming, giving me a chance to share with you some
    of my thoughts about Jim Talent. I've gotten
    to know him. He's effective. He's a leader. He does not need to take a
    political opinion poll to tell him where to stand. I want to thank you
    for supporting him, and I urge you to turn out the vote for Jim Talent.
    Jim's election will be good for Missouri, and it will be good for the
    United States of America.
        I not only feel that way in my family; so does Laura. She sends her love to our friends here in Missouri. She
    sends her support to the Talents, and she, like me, urges you to get out
    and vote on November the 7th.
        I'm proud to be here with Brenda Talent
    and their daughter, Chrissy. I don't know if
    you know much about the Talent family, but this man puts his family first. He just doesn't talk family values;
    he lives family values. And that's the kind of Senator you need from the
    State of Missouri.
        I'm proud to be here with the Governor, this
    boy's son--that boy's son. Where is the Governor?
    Blunt--how you doing, Blunt? Governor Matt Blunt. It looks like it's--
    [applause]. People from this part of the world know how to find and
    elect and nourish good public servants. You not only nourished one
    Blunt; you nourished another Blunt. I'm proud to be up here with the
    majority whip of the United States Congress, Congressman Roy Blunt.

    [[Page 1986]]

        I want to thank an effective Senator for joining us today. He's the senior Senator from
    Missouri. He doesn't like me to emphasize the senior part. He is--
    [laughter]--he likes--he, like Jim Talent,
    every time I'm around him, talk about one thing, what's good for
    Missouri--and that's Senator Kit Bond.
        I want to thank the Lieutenant Governor, Peter Kinder, for joining us. I appreciate all the elected officials. I
    want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. Grassroots
    activists are those who put up the signs, those who make the phone
    calls, those who turn out the vote. When Jim Talent wins, it's going to be because he's a man of character,
    because he's got good ideas, and because you're going to help turn out
    the vote to get him elected on November the 7th.
        We're going to sprint to the finish line. We got 4 days to go.
    What's interesting, however, is in Washington, DC, the pundits have
    already decided who's going to win.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. They forgot the people of Missouri hadn't voted yet.
    Oh, that's not the first time they've been forecasting elections. You
    might remember, in 2004, some of the folks in Washington listened to the
    prognosticators, and they started picking out their offices in the West
    Wing. And then it turned out the people went to the polls, and the
    movers weren't needed.
        With your hard work for the next 4 days, you'll elect Jim
    Talent to the United States Senate. We'll
    keep control of the House, and we'll keep control of the Senate. And the
    reason why I believe we're going to win around this country is because
    Republicans understand the values and the priorities of the American
    people. We're going to win this election because we got a record to run
    on. We've done some things that have made this country a better place.
        Let me start off with Jim Talent's
    record. He and I have worked closely to achieve a great national
    objective, and that is to become less dependent on foreign oil. He has
    delivered for Missouri farmers. Let me say, if the farm economy is good,
    the national economy is good. The farmers and ranchers in Missouri need
    to send this man back to the United States Senate. But we're working on
    new technologies so that the automobiles you drive will be powered by
    crops grown right here in Missouri. And Jim Talent is the leader in this
    effort. If you want to become less dependent on foreign oil, you need to
    send him back to the United States Senate.
        Jim Talent is a friend of the small-
    business owner. You see, small businesses are important to our economic
    vitality. Small businesses are important to a hopeful America. And he
    understands that insurance costs are making it difficult for small-
    business owners. And so that's why he has proposed and passed, when he
    was in the House of Representatives, what's called association health
    plans. These plans enable small businesses to bind together so they can
    buy insurance at the same discount that big businesses get to buy
    insurance. If you're a small-business owner in the State of Missouri,
    Jim Talent is the right man to represent you in the Senate.
        If you're somebody who is worried about methamphetamines in your
    State, Jim Talent is the right man to
    represent you. He's introduced and passed tough anti-meth legislation
    that gives law enforcement new tools to defeat this deadly drug and to
    shut down meth labs not only here in Missouri but around the country.
    He's a leader. He's getting the job done.
        And I want to talk about one other vital issue, and that is the
    nature of our judiciary. See, my job is to pick judges who will strictly
    interpret the law and not legislate from the bench. And so when people
    go to the polls here in Missouri, you're not only voting for the United
    States Senator; you're voting to determine what kind of judges will sit
    on the bench. And here's why. If the Democrats were to control the
    Senate--which they're not--but they would prevent judges like Sam
    Alito and John

    [[Page 1987]]

    Roberts from ever making it to the
    Supreme Court of the United States.
        I want to thank Jim Talent for being a
    strong voice for judicial restraint, a strong voice for talented judges,
    and a strong advocate for Judge Roberts
    and Judge Alito. This country is better
    off by having those two men on the Supreme Court.
        There's a lot of issues where there are differences between how we
    think and how the Democrats think. But there's no two more clear issues
    than what's going to happen to your taxes and whether or not this
    country will do everything in our power to protect you.
        First, let me start with taxes. We have a clear philosophy: We
    believe you can spend your money better than the Federal Government can.
    And the Democrats want to raise your taxes because they think they can
    spend your money better than you can.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. We believe that when you have more of your own money
    in your pocket to save, invest, or spend, the economy benefits. Over the
    past 5 years, we have done more than just philosophize. You don't want
    philosophers representing you; you want doers representing you. And so
    we passed the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was the President
    of the United States. We did more than just talk; we acted. We cut the
    taxes on every American who pays income taxes. We doubled the child tax
    credit. We reduced taxes on small businesses. We reduced the marriage--
    the tax on the marriage penalty. We cut taxes on capital gains and
    dividends. And to reward family businesses and farmers here in the State
    of Missouri, we put the death tax on the road to extinction.
        Oh, you might remember the debate that took place in Washington. The
    Democrats predicted the tax cuts would not create jobs, they predicted
    the tax cuts would not increase wages, and they predicted that the tax
    cuts would cause the deficit to explode. Well, the facts are in. The tax
    cuts have led to a strong and growing economy, and this morning we got
    more proof of that. The national unemployment rate has dropped to 4.4
    percent. That is the lowest rate in 5\1/2\ years. Our economy added
    92,000 jobs in the month of October, and over the past 3 months, America
    has added 470,000 new jobs. Real wages rose 2.4 percent over the past
    year, which means an extra $1,327 for the typical family of four with
    two wage earners. And finally, thanks to our growing economy and fiscal
    restraint, we cut the deficit in half 3 years ahead of schedule.
        All those forecasts by the Democrats turned out to be wrong. And now
    they're forecasting they're going to win the elections. Well, if their
    election forecasts are as good as their economic forecasts, we're going
    to have a great day on November the 7th.
        The Democrats don't want you to know where they stand on taxes. You
    know, it's interesting, the top Democrat leader in the House made this declaration: She said, ``We love tax cuts.''
    Well, given her record, she must be a secret admirer. [Laughter] See,
    when you all round up the vote, I want you to remind undecided citizens
    in this State that she and her party voted against reducing the marriage
    penalty, voted against cutting taxes on small businesses, voted against
    lowering the taxes for family with children, voted against reducing
    taxes on capital gains and dividends, and voting against cutting the
    death tax. That's their record. Time and time again, when she and the
    Democrats had a chance to show their love for tax cuts, they voted no.
    If that's their definition of love, I'd sure hate to see what hate looks
    like.
        You see, their plan is to let the tax cuts we passed expire. If we
    don't make the tax cuts permanent or extend the tax cuts, you get a tax
    increase. And they've asked leading Democrats, do they have any plans to
    keep the tax cuts in place? And they don't, because they want to raise
    your taxes. A big issue in this campaign is whether

    [[Page 1988]]

    or not we're going to have low taxes or higher taxes.
        If those tax cuts expire--just like the man who aspires to be the head of the Ways and Means Committee
    in the House has said is going to happen--I want you to think about
    this: If you've got a child and those tax cuts expire, your taxes just
    went up by $500. The child tax credit is 1,000. If the tax cuts are not
    extended or made permanent, the child tax credit drops to $500 a child.
    So when you're at dinner this evening, you count the number of children
    you've got around the table. [Laughter] And then you multiply it by $500
    per child. So if you're a family--have got four children, just go, one,
    two, three, four times 500--that's $2,000. That's a $2,000 tax increase
    if the Democrats take over. That may not seem like a lot to the
    Democrats in Washington, DC, but it seems like a lot to me, and it seems
    like a lot to Roy, and it seems like a lot to
    Senator Talent. Therefore, send him to the
    Senate, and we'll keep your taxes low.
        This election is taking place in an historic time for our country.
    And when our children and grandchildren look back at 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 is the fundamental question
    facing this generation. I wish I could report to you that we were not at
    war, but we are. We face an enemy that is brutal, an enemy that is
    determined to inflict damage on America because of what we stand for.
        See, they have an ideology. Their ideology is the opposite of our
    ideology. They don't believe in basic freedoms. They don't believe in
    the freedom to worship; we do. They don't believe in the freedom of
    dissent, the freedom of speech. They don't believe in the basic freedoms
    that have helped define the societies of those of us who embrace
    liberty. And they want to impose their view on the world. They believe
    that they should establish a caliphate, a governing body, a governing
    organization, based upon their ideology of hate that extends, initially,
    from Indonesia to Spain. That is their declared intentions.
        The best way to protect you from these enemies is to stay on the
    offense and to bring them to justice before they can hurt you again.
    Part of our strategy is to do just that, and we're doing that. The other
    part of our strategy is to protect this homeland. The enemy has to be
    right one time in order to attack us; we've got to be right 100 percent
    of the time in order to protect you. And that is why I made sure, as did
    these two gentlemen, that our professionals on the frontline of
    protecting you have the tools necessary to do so.
        For example, there were walls that prevented our intelligence
    services from sharing information with our law enforcement. Now, I
    understand that--you probably say, ``Well, how did that happen?'' Well,
    it just happened. You cannot fight and win this war and protect the
    American people unless our intelligence folks can share the information
    they have gotten with those who are responsible for protecting you. And
    that's why we designed the PATRIOT Act, to make sure our professionals
    have the tools, and at the same time, protect civil liberties.
        When it came time to renew the PATRIOT Act, the Senate Democrats
    voted against it. As a matter of fact, the Senate minority leader, the Democrat leader in the Senate, bragged, ``Well, we
    killed the PATRIOT Act.'' Fortunately, we had Senators like Jim
    Talent who understand our most important
    responsibility is to protect you in this new war.
        This is a different kind of war that requires a strategy that says
    we're going to find out what the enemy is thinking in order to protect
    you. And that's why I authorized a program that said if Al Qaida or an
    Al Qaida affiliate is making a phone call into the United States of
    America, we want to know why. We want to understand their intentions.
    When this bill came for a vote in the House of Representatives,

    [[Page 1989]]

    the overwhelming number of House Democrats voted against giving our
    professionals the tools necessary to protect you.
        See, there's a different mindset in Washington. There's an attitude
    that says, ``It's okay to wait,'' and, ``We'll respond after we're
    attacked.'' Our attitude is, we're going to prevent the attacks from
    happening in the first place.
        When we pick an enemy up on the battlefield, we need to be able to
    question that person. So I authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to
    question people we have picked up on the battlefield. Let me explain
    why. We picked up Khalid Sheikh
    Mohammed; our intelligence folks thinks he was the person that
    masterminded the September the 11th attacks. So you can imagine why I
    wanted to know what he knew. If he knew one attack, he might know
    another attack. If my job is to protect you, we better give the
    professionals the tools necessary to do so. And yet, when this program
    came up on the floor of the United States Senate and the United States
    House of Representatives, the overwhelming number of Democrats voted
    against it.
        Audience members. Boo!
        The President. We need people in the Congress who understand the
    stakes of this war. We need people in the Senate and the Congress who
    understand our most important job is to protect you. We need to make
    sure our professionals have the tools necessary to do so. That's why
    you've got to send Jim Talent to the United
    States Senate.
        We're on the offense. Every day, this country is on the offense
    against those who would do you harm. You cannot plot and plan if you're
    on the run. It is hard to organize a strike on America if you're hiding.
    So you just got to know, there's a lot of really brave people on the
    hunt.
        One of the lessons of September the 11th is that when we see a
    threat, we have got to take that threat seriously before it
    materializes. It's an essential lesson in this new war. I saw a threat
    in Saddam Hussein; Members of the United
    States Congress, both political parties, saw the same threat; the United
    Nations saw the threat. Removing Saddam Hussein was the right decision,
    and the world is better off for it.
        We're in a global war against these terrorists, and we're fighting
    on a variety of fronts. The most important front is Iraq. I've heard all
    the language out of Washington--I'm sure you have as well--that said,
    Iraq is a distraction in the war on terror. That's what the Democrats
    say. I believe Iraq is central to the war on terror. But don't take my
    word for it. Don't take my word for it; listen to Usama bin Laden. He has called Iraq--the fight in Iraq the third
    world war. He understands the stakes. He says that victory for the
    terrorists in Iraq will mean America's defeat and disgrace forever.
    That's what the enemy says.
        Now I want you to listen to the words of a leading senior
    Democrat in Washington, DC, about Iraq. She
    said, ``The President says fighting them there makes it less likely we
    will have to fight them here.'' That's what I have said, and that's what
    I'm going to continue to say, because it's the truth. [Applause] Hold on
    for a minute. She went on to say, ``The opposite is true: Because we are
    fighting them there, it may become more likely we'll have to fight them
    here.''
        Audience members. Noo!
        The President. Iraq is not the reason why the terrorists are at war
    against us. When you're out rounding up the vote, you remind people that
    we were not in Iraq when they 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 on September the 11th, 2001, when they killed nearly
    3,000 of our citizens. You do not create terrorists by fighting the
    terrorists. The best way to protect you is to stay on the offense and
    defeat them overseas

    [[Page 1990]]

    so we do not have to face them here at home.
        Our goal in Iraq is victory. Victory in Iraq will mean a country
    which can sustain itself, govern itself, and defend itself and serve as
    an ally in the war on terror. And there's no question, the fighting is
    tough, because the enemy understands the stakes of what a free society
    will mean to their ambitions to spread their dark vision throughout the
    Middle East and then the world. See, they understand the stakes, and we
    must understand the stakes. The enemy kills innocent people in order to
    shake the will of the Iraqis, in order to create concern amongst the
    American people. They have got a weapon, and that is their willingness
    to take innocent life. Americans value life. We appreciate life. But I
    want the enemy to understand this country. We will not run in the face
    of thugs and assassins.
        We have a plan for victory that gives our commanders all the
    flexibility they need to stay ahead of the enemy. And we've got some
    unbelievably brave and courageous people wearing the uniform of the
    United States of America. Our troops understand the stakes in Iraq. They
    understand this is a central front in the war on terror. And that is why
    I am pleased to tell you that there's no doubt in my mind, when it comes
    time to making sure our troops have all that is necessary to do the jobs
    I have asked them to do, Senator Talent is
    strong for the military.
        Something else we've got going for us to achieve our goal, and those
    are the Iraqis. They've suffered unspeakable violence. Yet, you might
    remember, nearly 12 million of them said, ``We want to be free.'' I was
    pleased, but not surprised, that people said, ``We want to be free.'' I
    believe a gift from the Almighty to every soul on the face of the Earth
    is the desire to be free. I believe in the universality of freedom, and
    I believe it is in our interest that we help people who desire to be
    free to be so.
        And therefore, we'll help this young Government politically. We will
    help them economically, to realize their vast potential. We will
    continue to train their military so they get to take the fight, so
    they're the ones who win, so they're the ones who defeat the extremists.
    And I believe that one day, Iraq will be a government of and by and for
    the people, unless we leave before the job is done. The only way we can
    lose is if we leave before the job is done. And that's a central part of
    the debate in this campaign.
        You listen to the debate, and try to listen carefully for the
    Democrat plan for success. Don't listen too long because they don't have
    one. They don't have a plan to win this important front in the war on
    terror. Oh, some of the leading Democrats in Washington argue we should
    pull out right now. Then you got other voices saying we should withdraw
    on a specific date, even though the job hasn't been completed. You
    actually had a Member of the House recommend moving troops to an island
    5,000 miles away, as part of their plan. Nineteen House Democrats
    introduced legislation that would cut off funds for our troops in Iraq.
        One of Jim Talent's colleagues, a
    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.'' Well, she's right.
    They're in agreement about one thing: They will leave before the job is
    done. I'm not saying these people are unpatriotic; I'm just saying
    they're wrong.
        On this vital issue, on the issue that will determine the security
    of this country, the Democrats have taken a calculated gamble. They
    believe that the only way they can win this election is to criticize us
    and offer no specific plan of their own. Here's how one Democrat
    senior describes their strategy: ``The election
    is about them,'' this person said. So far, the Democrats have refused to
    tell us their plan on how they're going to secure the United States.
    There's

    [[Page 1991]]

    still 4 days left before the election, and there's still time for the
    Democrats to tell the American people their plan to prevail in this war
    on terror.
        So if you happen to bump into a Democrat candidate, you might want
    to ask this simple question: What's your plan? If they say they want to
    protect the homeland but oppose the PATRIOT Act, ask them this question:
    What's your plan? [Laughter] If they say they want to uncover terrorist
    plots but oppose listening in on terrorist conversations, ask them this
    question: What's your plan? If they say they want to stop new attacks on
    our country but oppose letting the CIA detain and question the
    terrorists who might know what those plots are, ask them this question:
    What's your plan? If they say they want to win the war on terror but
    call for America to pull out from what Al Qaida says is the central
    front in this war, ask them this question: What's your plan?
        Audience members. What's your plan?
        The President. The truth is, the Democrats can't answer that
    question. Harsh criticism is not a plan for victory. Second-guessing is
    not a strategy. We have a plan for victory. We have a plan to secure
    this country, and part of our plan is to send Jim Talent back to the
    United States Senate.
        Victory is vital for the future of this country. Retreat from Iraq
    before the job is done would embolden the enemy. It would make our
    country more vulnerable to attacks.
        This is a different kind of war. I know I keep saying that, but it's
    important for you to understand how different it is. Unlike other wars,
    if we were to leave Iraq before the job is done, the enemy would follow
    us here. Victory--defeat in Iraq, leaving before the job is done, would
    give the enemy a new safe haven, just like they had in Afghanistan, from
    which to plan and plot further attacks. It would enable the enemy to
    recruit. It would strengthen the hand of the radicals and extremists. It
    would dash the hopes of millions of people in the Middle East who want
    to live in peace. And it would dishonor the sacrifice of the men and
    women who have worn the uniform of the United States of America.
        The consequences of retreat would be felt for generations. I see a
    lot of young folks here today. My job is to think not only how to
    protect you today but how to create the conditions for peace in the long
    run. Retreating from the Middle East because of the unspeakable violence
    that the enemy inflicts on others as well as their own troops would
    create a dangerous world for you to grow up in. You see, the enemy has
    made it clear that they expect us to lose our nerve. They have made it
    clear that they don't believe America has what it takes to defend
    ourselves. They want to topple moderate governments. They want to be
    able to use energy as a tool to blackmail the United States.
        Imagine the radicals and extremists taking over a country, and they
    were able to pull millions of barrels of oil off the market, driving the
    price up to 3 or $400 a barrel, whatever it would be, and saying,
    ``Okay, we'll reduce the price, all you've got to do is surrender. All
    you've got to do is abandon your alliance with Israel, and we'll lower
    the price. All you've got to do is retreat.'' And couple that with a
    country which doesn't like us, with a nuclear weapon, and a generation
    of Americans will say, ``What happened to them in 2006? How come they
    couldn't see the impending danger? What was it that clouded their
    vision?''
        Well, I want to assure you, I clearly see the threats facing a
    generation of Americans. I see the problems we face, and that is why we
    will stay in Iraq. And that is why we will fight in Iraq. And that is
    why we will win in Iraq. Victory will be a blow to the terrorists, a
    blow to the plans of the extremists and radicals. Victory will help
    moderates--moderate people, people who want to bring their children up
    in a peaceful world, to have the boldness to

    [[Page 1992]]

    help us marginalize those radicals. Victory will say to reformers and
    women who long for freedom, America will not abandon you. Victory will
    say to those who believe they can impose their tyrannical vision on
    others, liberty is powerful.
        I want to share a story with you about the power of liberty. You
    might remember, recently Laura and I took Prime
    Minister Koizumi, who was then sitting as
    the Prime Minister of Japan, to Elvis's place. It was in Memphis,
    Tennessee. You been there probably. See, I had never been there. Laura
    said, ``It's about time we took a family vacation; take me down to
    Elvis's place.'' [Laughter] We also went because Prime Minister Koizumi,
    the Prime Minister of Japan, loved Elvis. [Laughter] But I also wanted
    to tell a story, and I want you all to listen to this story, because
    it's a powerful story about liberty.
        See, after Japan attacked America--where, by the way, we lost fewer
    people in Pearl Harbor than we did on September the 11th--a lot of young
    Americans volunteered to defend our Nation, one of whom was my
    dad, and I'm certain some of your relatives
    did the same thing. Thousands of Americans volunteered to fight the
    enemy in a bloody war in which thousands and thousands of citizens on
    both sides of this war lost their lives.
        And here I am, on Air Force One, flying down to Elvis's place with
    the Prime Minister of the former enemy,
    talking about the peace, talking about working together to secure peace.
    Isn't that interesting? Something happened between World War II and
    2006, when I'm on the airplane talking about how we can work together to
    send a clear message to the leader in North Korea, no nuclear weapons; or how we can work together to fight
    the scourge and the pandemic of HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa; or
    how we can work together to feed the hungry.
        I thanked him for the 1,000 Japanese troops in Iraq, because
    he understands what I know: In this
    ideological struggle, when we find young democracies that are willing to
    stand strong against the extremists and radicals, those of us who live
    in liberty have a duty to help these young democracies succeed for the
    sake of peace. Isn't it interesting? My dad
    fought the Japanese, and his son is talking about keeping the peace.
    Something happened: Japan adopted a Japanese-style democracy.
        The lesson for all to hear is that liberty has got the capacity to
    transform an enemy into an ally. Liberty has got the capacity to
    transform a region of frustration and resentment into a region of hope.
    Someday American leaders will be sitting down with duly elected leaders
    from the Middle East talking about keeping the peace, and a generation
    of Americans will be better off for it.
        And so these are the stakes in this election. These are historic
    times, and you can make a significant difference in how our country
    responds. When you leave the hall, go find your fellow Republicans,
    discerning Democrats--[laughter]--and openminded independents, and
    remind them of the stark differences in this campaign. And the message
    is this: If you want low taxes and a correspondingly strong economy,
    vote Republican and send Jim Talent back to
    the United States Senate. If you want this country of ours to give the
    professionals they need--the tools they need to protect you and if you
    want the United States of America doing everything we can to defeat an
    enemy and lay the foundation for peace, vote Republican and send Jim
    Talent back to the United States Senate.
        I am honored you're here. I'm grateful for your time. I appreciate
    your enthusiasm. God bless you, and God bless the United States.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:16 a.m. at the Springfield Exposition
    Center. In his remarks, he referred to former President Saddam Hussein
    of Iraq; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization;
    and Chairman Kim Jong Il of North Korea.

    [[Page 1993]]