    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [October 19, 2006]
    [Pages 1872-1878]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Reception for Congressional Candidate Don
    Sherwood and the Pennsylvania Victory Committee
    in La Plume, Pennsylvania
    October 19, 2006

        Thank you all very much. Please be seated. I'm glad to be back
    again. Thanks for welcoming me. I am pleased to be here with Don
    Sherwood. He is the right man to represent the people of the Tenth
    Congressional District from the State of Pennsylvania.
        He has got a record of accomplishment. He has been a strong
    supporter of those brave men and women who wear our Nation's uniform. He
    has been a supporter of the Tobyhanna Army Depot. He's a strong
    supporter of Pennsylvania's dairy farmers. When it came time to make
    sure highway money was available for Pennsylvania, he did his job that
    you expect him to do. He's a person who has been working hard to
    increase jobs here in this part of the world. He's worked to cut taxes
    on the working people. He understands it's important to keep the people
    of the district safe. I strongly believe the people in this part of
    Pennsylvania need to send Don Sherwood back to the United States
    Congress.
        And I'm glad Carol is here with us today.
    I read Carol Sherwood's letter to the citizens of this congressional
    district. I was deeply moved by her words. Carol's letter shows what a
    caring and courageous woman she is. I'm delighted to be here with Carol
    and their daughter Maria. Thanks for coming.
        I am not Sherwood's first choice to be here at the fundraiser.
    [Laughter] Both he and Carol wanted
    Laura to come. [Laughter] But she sends her very
    best to the Sherwoods, and she, like me, strongly believes Don Sherwood
    ought to be reelected to the United States Congress.
        I want to thank Dr. Ned Boehm, the
    president of Keystone College--and Regina.
    Regina told me she broke her foot playing golf. [Laughter] In 2\1/2\
    years, I'm going to try that out myself. [Laughter] But thank you very
    much for letting us use this facility on this beautiful campus, and
    thanks very much for being involved in higher education. I appreciate
    your leadership, and I know the people of this part of the world do as
    well.
        I thank very much Rob Gleason,
    who's the chairman of the Republican State Committee for Pennsylvania,
    and Bob Asher, who is the national
    committeeman. The reason I bring up these folks is that a lot of
    politics depends upon the capacity of the grassroots to do their job. So
    first, I want to thank you very much for raising the money, filling the
    hat. It's important for Don Sherwood's campaign to be able to advertise,
    and he will continue to do so. But in order for him to win, we got to
    turn out the vote. And so for those of you who are involved with
    grassroots politics, I want to thank you in advance for what you're
    going to do to get people to the polls come November.
        I also want to thank my friend Bill Scranton, who's with us today. Bill and Maryla are fine citizens
    of this part of the world, and I'm proud to call him friend. And I
    really want to thank you for being here. Thanks for coming.
        It's a big campaign coming up, and I like being out on the campaign
    trail because I like sharing with the people what I believe. And I'm
    looking forward to working with Congressman Sherwood the next time
    Congress convenes in--not in a lameduck session. We got a lot to do. One
    thing we got to do is make sure we become less dependent on foreign
    sources of oil. You know, I understand the price of gasoline is
    dropping, but that should not obscure the fact that we have a national
    security problem when it comes to relying upon

    [[Page 1873]]

    oil from parts of the world that don't like us.
        And so I want to continue to work with Congressman Sherwood to make
    sure we promote new technologies, new ways to power our automobiles. I
    envision a day when ethanol becomes more widespread, where Pennsylvania
    farmers are actually providing the fuel necessary to run our cars. For
    the sake of economic security and for the sake of national security, we
    must continue to diversify away from foreign sources of crude oil.
        No, we'll work together on issues like health care. I appreciate the
    fact that he was a strong supporter of Medicare modernization. For the
    seniors who are on prescription drugs here in this part of the district,
    they understand that this new Medicare bill is a good bill. No longer do
    poor seniors have to choose between medicine and food, thanks to people
    like Congressman Don Sherwood.
        But as this campaign gets closer to the stretch, you will hear a lot
    of rhetoric and a lot of partisan charges coming from the other side.
    Their goal is to distract you from the two main issues in this campaign,
    and they are these: Which party will keep your taxes low, and which
    party will take the steps necessary to defend the United States of
    America?
        My administration, our party, and Don Sherwood have clear records on
    both these issues. Let me first start with taxes. Republicans have a
    clear philosophy. We believe that the people who know best how to spend
    your money are the people that earn that money, and that is you. The
    Democrats believe that they can spend your money better than you can. So
    we worked hard to ensure that the working families in this district and
    all around the country kept more of their paychecks when we enacted the
    largest tax cuts since Ronald Reagan was President of the United States.
        Our record is clear, and so is the record of the Democrats in
    Washington, DC. When we cut taxes for everybody who pays income taxes,
    the Democrats voted against it. When we reduced the marriage penalty,
    Democrats voted against it. When we cut taxes on small businesses,
    Democrats voted against it. When we lowered taxes for families with
    children, the Democrats voted against it. We put the death tax on the
    road to extinction; the Democrats voted against it time and time again.
    When the Democrats had a chance to deliver tax relief for the American
    people, they voted no. This is a party that is genetically hostile to
    tax relief. [Laughter]
        With every vote they have cast, they make clear to the American
    people, higher taxes are part of the congressional Democrats' DNA. When
    we passed tax relief over the Democrat objections in 2003, the minority
    leader in the House called it a tragedy and predicted it would not
    create jobs or grow our economy.
        And here are the actual facts: The tax cuts we passed put more than
    a trillion dollars in the hands of American workers and families and
    small businesses and farmers, and the American people have used that
    money to fuel a strong and growing economy. The United States economy is
    the envy of the industrialized world.
        Since overcoming the recession, the terrorist attacks, war,
    hurricanes, corporate scandals, this economy has had 37 straight months
    of job growth, since August of 2003. And since that day, we've added 6.6
    million new jobs. The national unemployment rate is low. The progrowth
    economic policies that Don Sherwood supported have made this economy
    strong, and we intend to keep it growing.
        As well, because of growing our economy, which increases tax
    revenues into the Federal Treasury, and being wise about how we spend
    your money, we met our goal of reducing our Federal deficit in half 3
    years ahead of schedule. Democrats may call this a tragedy; we call it
    success.
        And now you're going to hear that same old, tired rhetoric,
    Washington Democrats talking about how they're going to raise

    [[Page 1874]]

    taxes only on the rich. You know, they say they're for fairness and
    they're for tax relief for the middle class. But we've heard this
    before, and the American people shouldn't be fooled by this kind of
    rhetoric.
        You might remember, back in 1992, the Democrats campaigned on a tax
    cut for the middle class. They won, but when they took office, the
    middle class tax cut they promised turned out to be the largest tax
    increase in American history. The moral of the story is that when you
    hear Democrats talk about fairness, there's a pretty good chance they're
    going to try to get in your pocket and raise your taxes.
        There is no doubt in my mind that the key issue in this campaign, as
    far as domestic politics is concerned, is: Who is going to keep your
    taxes low, and who will raise your taxes? The Republican Party and Don
    Sherwood will make sure the working people have more money in their
    pocket.
        Our most important job is to protect America. The most important job
    of the Federal Government is to use all our assets to protect the
    American people from an attack. We are still under threat. I wish I
    could report otherwise. I wish I could tell you everything was fine in
    the world and the enemy wasn't around that would come and try to harm us
    again. But I wouldn't be doing my job if I reported that. An enemy still
    plots and plans to attack the American people. These people are nothing
    but coldblooded killers. They're not religious people. I don't believe
    religious people kill innocent men and women and children. I believe the
    President must call these people by what they are: They are evil. And
    our most important job is to protect the American people from further
    attack.
        You can't negotiate with these people. You can't hope to have a
    treaty with these people. The best way to defend America from an attack
    is to defeat them overseas so we do not have to face them here at home.
        There are major differences between the political parties on the
    issue of how best to protect the American people. You know, the enemy
    has got to be right once, and we've got to be right 100 percent of the
    time to protect you.
        And that's why I thought it was very important to institute a
    program that would enable our professionals at the Central Intelligence
    Agency to question people that we captured on the battlefield in order
    to be able to gain information necessary to do our most important job,
    which is to protect the American people.
        And recently we had a vote on a program in the House of
    Representatives. When it came time to stand up and be counted, Don
    Sherwood voted to support the professionals at the CIA. And that cannot
    be said for most of his Democrat colleagues in the House. The American
    people must understand that nearly 80 percent of the House Democrats
    voted to take away this vital tool, which is necessary to protect the
    American people from further attack.
        The other clear example is the PATRIOT Act. This good bill tore down
    the wall that made it impossible for law enforcement and intelligence to
    share information. I know that's hard for you to believe, that when
    intelligence had information, they couldn't share it with those who were
    responsible for protecting you. But that's what happened. Over time,
    there was a wall. And so I called for the Congress to pass the PATRIOT
    Act that enabled us to share information so we could break up terrorist
    cells, which we have--in California, in Texas, in New Jersey and
    Illinois and North Carolina, Ohio, New York, Virginia, and Florida. The
    tools inherent in the PATRIOT Act have been vital and necessary to
    enable us to do our job, which is to protect the American people from
    further attack. When this important piece of legislation came up for
    reauthorization, Congressman Don Sherwood supported this vital law, but
    more than 75 percent of the House Democrats voted to block it.

    [[Page 1875]]

        There's a fundamental difference of opinion all across the Nation
    about which party understands the stakes in this war on terror. After 9/
    11, I decided it was essential that if Al Qaida or an Al Qaida affiliate
    was making a phone call into the United States of America, we needed to
    know why in order to be able to do our job and protect you. Recently
    this bill came up for a vote in the United States Congress. The United
    States Congressman from the Tenth Congressional District of Pennsylvania
    voted to support our professionals who are doing everything we can to
    protect you, but almost 90 percent of the House Democrats voted against
    it.
        Rarely has a single series of votes summed up the difference between
    the two parties so clearly. If the House Democrats had their way, the
    PATRIOT Act would have expired; the CIA interrogation program would have
    been shut down; the terrorist surveillance program would have been
    discontinued. And that is the record the Democrats have to run on, and
    it is no record to be proud of in a time of war. We Republicans
    understand that we must give our professionals all the tools necessary
    to protect the American people.
        Iraq is an important issue in this campaign. I strongly believe that
    Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. Oh, I know some of them in
    Washington are saying Iraq is a diversion from the war on terror. That's
    not what Usama bin Laden thinks. That's not
    what the number-two man in Al Qaida thinks, Mr. Zawahiri. It's important to listen to the words of the enemy.
    Both of those men have said that it's just a matter of time for America
    to lose her nerve and to leave Iraq. And that's what they want to do, so
    they can have a safe haven from which to plot and plan and to attack
    America again.
        These extremists are bound by a common ideology of hate, and their
    objective is to establish that ideology throughout the Middle East.
    Their objective is to topple moderate government. Their objective is to
    use energy as a resource to bring the West to its knees. And Iraq is a
    central part of this war against them.
        On this question, the Democrats have been all over the place. Most
    leading Democrats argue we should pull our troops out of Iraq, some,
    ``Right away,'' others, ``In just a few months,'' even if the terrorists
    have not yet been defeated. Others recommend moving our troops to an
    island some 5,000 miles away. Nineteen House Democrats introduced
    legislation that would cut off all funds for our troops in Iraq. All
    these proposals have one thing in common: They would have our country
    quit in Iraq before the job is done. For the sake of the security of the
    United States of America, we must defeat the enemy in Iraq. For the sake
    of world peace, for the sake of peace for our children, we must not let
    the extremists have their way in this vital front in the war on terror.
    So America will stay, we will fight, and we will win in Iraq. [Applause]
    Thank you.
        This summer, we saw what happens when a Democrat rejects his party's
    doctrine of cut-and-run. Senator Joe Lieberman, a three-term Democrat from Connecticut, supports
    completing the mission in Iraq, supports victory in Iraq. And for taking
    this stand, he was purged from his party. Think about what that means.
    Six years ago, the Democrats thought Joe Lieberman was good enough to
    run for Vice President of the United States. Now, because he supports
    victory in Iraq, they don't think he's fit to be in their party. There's
    only one position in the Democrat Party that everybody seems to agree
    on: If you want to be a Democrat these days, you can be for almost
    anything, but victory in Iraq is not an option.
        The stakes in this war couldn't be higher. The security of the
    United States is at stake, and we have no illusions--it's tough. The
    fighting is tough, because an enemy understands what a defeat in Iraq
    would mean for their ambitions. We are a nation

    [[Page 1876]]

    at war, and we must do everything in our power to win that war.
        Our goal in Iraq is clear and unchanging: Our goal is victory. What
    is changing are the tactics we use to pursue that goal and defeat our
    enemies. In Iraq, we face adversaries who are brutal, and they are
    sophisticated. Our commanders on the ground are constantly adjusting to
    stay ahead of the enemy. We have a strategy that allows us to be
    flexible and to adapt to changing circumstances. We will continue to
    make the changes necessary to support our troops, and to support those
    12 million people in Iraq who want to be free, and to support the new
    democracy in Iraq that represents the unity of that country. There is
    one thing we will not do: We will not pull out our troops from Iraq
    before the terrorists are defeated. We will not pull out before Iraq can
    govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself.
        I'm going to make it clear to the American people what a policy of
    retreat would mean. Retreating from Iraq would allow the terrorists to
    gain a new state--new safe haven to replace the one they lost in
    Afghanistan. Retreating from Iraq would dishonor the service of our
    brave men and women who have sacrificed in that country and have given
    their lives in that country, which would mean their sacrifice would be
    in vain. Retreating from Iraq would crush the hopes of the millions of
    people who just simply want to live in peace, if America were to
    retreat. Retreating from Iraq would embolden the terrorists and make our
    country more vulnerable to new attacks. If we were to leave Iraq before
    the job is done, the enemy would follow us here to America.
        We know this because that's what the terrorists tell us. Usama bin
    Laden states that early American withdrawal
    from places like Beirut and Somalia are proof that the United States
    does not have the stomach to stay in this fight. The terrorists are
    trying to wait us out. They're hoping we will lose our nerve and retreat
    in disgrace. If we were to follow the Democrat's prescriptions and
    withdraw from Iraq, we would be fulfilling Usama bin Laden's highest
    aspirations. There can be legitimate disagreements on the best way to
    win this war, and there are. But we should at least be able to agree
    that the path to victory is not to do precisely what the terrorists
    want.
        The stakes in this war are high, and so are the stakes in this
    election. I want to tell you--I want you to imagine what the House of
    Representatives would look like if the Democrats get their way this
    November. The chairman of the House Ways and Means would be a
    Congressman who suggested cutting off
    funding for our troops in Iraq. The Speaker of the House, the official
    third in line for the Presidency, would be a Congresswoman who voted against renewing the PATRIOT Act, against
    creating the Department of Homeland Security, against removing Saddam
    Hussein from power, against continuing the
    terrorist surveillance program, and against questioning terrorists in
    the CIA program. The Speaker would be a Congresswoman who has called
    liberating 25 million Iraqis a grotesque mistake. The Speaker would be a
    Congresswoman who said catching Usama bin Laden would not make America
    any safer. No wonder she says this election should not be about national
    security. [Laughter]
        Given the Democrats' record on national security, I understand why
    they want to change the subject. I don't want to change the subject. I'm
    going to keep talking about this subject until election day. The most
    important job of the government is to protect you.
        We'll win. We will protect the American people by staying on the
    offense. There's just a different attitude in Washington, if you really
    listen carefully to the debate. Some believe that we should respond
    after attack. I understand the consequences of attack, and so do you. We
    must take threats seriously before they fully materialize.

    [[Page 1877]]

        We got a fantastic group of men and women who wear our uniform. They
    are motivated, they are skilled, and Don Sherwood and I will make sure
    they have all the tools necessary to protect the American people.
        And we have one other asset at our disposal to protect the American
    people, and that is the power of liberty. You know, there's an
    interesting debate in the world about whether or not liberty is
    universal or not. I believe it is. I believe there's an Almighty, and I
    believe a gift of the Almighty to each man and woman and child in this
    world is the desire to be free. That's what I believe. I'm not surprised
    when 12 million people defied car bombers and said, ``We want to live in
    a land of liberty.''
        You know, I was amazed that they defied the car bombers, but I'm not
    surprised, because I believe everybody wants to be free. I believe
    people have a deep desire to live in peace, and I know that liberty can
    help yield the peace we want for generations to come. We're in an
    ideological struggle between those of us who love liberty and extremists
    who can't stand the thought of liberty. And it's the call of our
    generation. It's the challenge of our time. But I have great confidence
    that our generation will rise and meet the challenge like previous
    generations of Americans.
        You know, I was reminded of that, and one of my favorite stories to
    share with our fellow citizens is my trip down to Memphis, Tennessee, to
    Elvis's place, with former Prime Minister Koizumi. He was sitting Prime Minister at the time. People
    say, ``Why did you go down there?'' I say, ``Well, I had never been to
    Elvis's place, and I thought it would be kind of fun to go down there.''
    Koizumi wanted to go to Elvis's place because he's an Elvis fan. But I
    also wanted to tell an interesting story about the power of liberty to
    our fellow citizens.
        See, I find it very interesting that an 18-year-old George H.W.
    Bush volunteered to fight the Japanese.
    After all, they were the sworn enemy of the United States of America.
    And then his son is on an airplane, Air Force One, flying down to
    Memphis, Tennessee, talking about the peace; talking about how we can
    work together to convince the leader in North Korea to give up his nuclear weapons ambitions; talking about
    why it was important for Japan to have a thousand troops helping that
    young democracy in the heart of the Middle East.
        See, Koizumi understands what I know,
    that democracy will be a defeat to an ideology of hatred in the long
    run. I found it interesting that my dad
    fought the Japanese and his son is talking about the peace with the
    Prime Minister of the former enemy. Something happened, and what
    happened was, Japan adopted a Japanese-style democracy. Democracies
    yield the peace we all want. Someday an American President will be
    sitting down talking about the peace with duly elected leaders in the
    Middle East, and generations of Americans will be better off. That's the
    stake in the election. These are the stakes in this election.
        I want to thank you for supporting Don Sherwood. I want to thank you
    for being involved in the process. Now go out and turn out the vote, and
    he's going to win.
        May God bless you, and may God bless our country.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:04 p.m. at Keystone College. In his
    remarks, he referred to Regina Boehm, wife of Edward G. Boehm, Jr.,
    president, Keystone College; Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Bill
    Scranton, and his wife, Maryla; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida
    terrorist organization; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; former
    Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and Chairman Kim Jong Il of
    North Korea.

    [[Page 1878]]