[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
[November 3, 2006]
[Pages 1993-2000]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at a Missouri Victory 2006 Rally in Joplin, Missouri
November 3, 2006
The President. Thanks for the warm welcome. It's good to be here in
Joplin.
Audience members. Welcome to Missouri, George W. Bush! Welcome to
Missouri, George W. Bush!
The President. As I was saying--[laughter]--it's good to be back
here in southwest Missouri. I like coming here. You've got pretty
countryside, and you've got hard-working, commonsense people. And that's
what you need in the United States Senate, someone with common sense,
someone who brings good, sound Missouri values to the United States
Senate, someone who has got the right priorities, starting with his
family, in the United States Senate. And that someone is Jim
Talent.
I appreciate you coming. I appreciate your interest in this
campaign, and I urge you to do your duty as a citizen and vote. And when
you vote, your vote is not only going to be good for Missouri; it's
going to be good for the United States when you send Jim Talent back to the Senate.
There's unanimity in my family about who ought to be your Senator
from Missouri; Laura believes that Jim
Talent ought to be the Senator from Missouri
as well. She's not with me today; she's campaigning elsewhere. Tomorrow
evening, however, I'm going to celebrate with her her 60th birthday
party. But don't tell anybody. [Laughter] I want it to be a surprise.
[Laughter] She sends her love. She sends her thanks. She knows what I
know: Jim Talent is about as fine a United States Senator as you'll ever
have.
I'm proud to be with your Governor. I was a
Governor one time, but I didn't look as young as he looks. [Laughter]
But he's doing a fine job, and you did a smart thing by sending him to
the statehouse. I'm proud to be with the Governor's father, Majority Whip Roy Blunt, and Majority Whip Roy Blunt's
son Charlie, and today
happens to be his second birthday. And from the looks of things, he's
trying to figure it out. [Laughter]
I want to thank Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder for joining us today. Your mayor, Jon Tupper, is joining us today. Mr. Mayor, thanks for coming. Party
Chairman Doug Russell, all the grassroots
activists, I thank you for coming. Grassroots activists are those who
put up the signs, make the phone calls, put the envelopes in the mail.
In other words, you're the ones who are going to join Jim Talent in
working hard until election day and turn out the vote. Thank you for
doing what you're doing.
I want to thank the Pierce Arrow Band. I'm sorry I wasn't here to
hear them. [Laughter] But from all accounts, they did a fabulous job.
Election is four days away, and I'm sprinting to the finish line,
and Talent is sprinting to the finish line,
and we're asking you to join us as we sprint to the finish line.
You probably heard all the reports from the punditry--[laughter]--in
Washington, DC. Some of them are already measuring for new drapes.
That's not the first time, by the way, people have said the election's
over before the people vote. You might remember 2004. Some of the crowd
up there was picking out their offices in the West Wing. [Laughter] Then
the people of Missouri and people from around the country voted, and the
movers were not needed.
And the same thing is going to happen on November the 7th, 2006.
With your help, we'll send Jim back to the
United States Senate, and we're going to keep control of the House and
the Senate. And there's a reason why: Because our party understands the
values and the priorities of the American people. We don't need to take
an opinion poll to tell us what to think, and we've delivered.
[[Page 1994]]
First, let me talk about some of the work that Jim Talent has done in Washington. See, I've seen him up close.
I know he cares a lot about the people of Missouri, and he understands
that this Nation is at risk if we remain dependent on foreign oil.
When you get oil from parts of the world where people don't like
you, it's a national security problem. And that's why I have worked
closely with Jim to advance new technologies
that will enable us to use Missouri farm products to power our
automobiles. We understand, by the way, that when the farmers and
ranchers are doing well, the American economy does well. And if you're a
Missouri farmer or a Missouri rancher, it makes economic sense to send
Jim Talent back to the United States Senate.
Jim understands small businesses. If
you're a small-business owner, he understands you. See, he understands
small businesses are having trouble getting insurance, and so he's
proposed a plan called associated health plans, which enable small
businesses to join together to pool risk so they can buy health
insurance at the same discounts big companies get to do. If you're a
small-business owner in the State of Missouri, it's in your interest to
send Jim Talent back to the United States Senate.
Jim understands that this Nation must
have a focus on eliminating methamphetamines. He's done something about
it. He passed good law that gives law enforcement new tools to defeat
this deadly drug and to shut down meth labs in Missouri and around the
United States. If you're concerned about what meth does to your fellow
citizens, send Jim Talent back to the United States Senate.
I want to talk about another issue that's important, and that is the
nature of the judiciary. A lot of people in Missouri understand what
Jim and I know, that in order to have a
good, sound judiciary, we need judges who strictly interpret the law and
not legislate from the bench. The people of this State have got to
understand, when you cast your vote on Tuesday, you're electing more
than just a United States Senator. Your vote will determine what kind of
judges we have.
You know, I named two really solid judges for the Supreme Court,
smart and capable men who share our judicial philosophy. Thankfully, we
had Senators like Senator Talent and Senator
Bond from Missouri who worked
hard to get these men confirmed. However, if the Democrats had control
of the Senate, they wouldn't be sitting on the Supreme Court. You tell
your friends and neighbors who are still undecided in this race that if
you want a judiciary full of judges who will strictly interpret the law
and not legislate, send Jim Talent back to the United States Senate.
There are big differences between what we think and what the other
bunch thinks. Perhaps the two biggest issues can--two differences can be
seen on two issues. One, what's going to happen to your taxes, and which
party will take the necessary steps to defend you.
Let me start with taxes. We have a philosophy: We believe you can
spend your money far better than the Federal Government can. Democrats
want to raise your taxes because they believe they can spend your money
better than you can.
Audience members. Boo!
The President. We believe that when you have more money to save,
spend, or invest, the whole economy benefits.
We're not just people who philosophize. We're people who act. Thanks
to Senators like Jim Talent and Congressmen
like Roy Blunt, I signed the largest tax decreases
since Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States. Remind
people of our record: 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; and we put the death tax on the road to extinction.
[[Page 1995]]
If you're a farmer here in Missouri, you need to remember which
Senator--or which candidate strongly supports making sure that death tax
stays dead. We don't think it's right you pay taxes while you're alive
and then you pay taxes after you die.
You might remember the debate. All the Democrats in Washington
predicted the tax cuts would not create jobs. They predicted they would
not increase wages, and they predicted the tax cuts would cause the
Federal deficit to explode. Well, the results are in. The tax cuts have
led to a strong and growing economy.
Just this morning, we got additional good news. The unemployment
rate around the United States has dropped to 4.4 percent. That's 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. People are working in the United States. The tax cuts have worked.
Real wages went up 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, you might remember all the forecasts, but we have cut
the deficit in half 3 years ahead of schedule. If the Democrats'
election predictions are as good as their economic predictions--
[laughter]--we're going to have a good day on November the 7th.
Now in this campaign, whether it's here in Missouri or anywhere else
across the country, the Democrats don't want you to know their tax
plans. Listen to the words of the top Democrat leader in the
House, when she said, ``We love tax cuts.''
Well, given her record, she must be a secret admirer. [Laughter] She and
her party voted against reducing the marriage penalty, against cutting
taxes on small businesses, against lowering taxes for families with
children, against reducing taxes on capital gains and dividends, and
against cutting the death tax. I mean, time and time again, when they
had their chance to show their love for tax cuts, they voted no. Now, if
this is their definition of love, I'd sure hate to see what hate looks
like.
Now there's a difference of opinion in Washington, DC, about what to
do with your money. If these tax cuts are not extended or made
permanent, your taxes are going up. You see, if the tax cuts are not
made permanent, you can bet the Federal Government is going to be in
your wallet.
And that's precisely what the Democrats want to do. They asked the
man who would be the chairman of the Ways
and Means--that's the tax-writing committee in Washington--could he
think of any tax cuts he would extend. And he said, ``Not a one.'' Not a
tax cut. Make no mistake about it, they may not be admitting it on the
campaign trail, but they're going to raise your taxes.
If the tax cuts aren't extended, think about what that does to the
child tax credit. Right now the tax credit is $1,000 per child. If those
tax cuts are not extended, those tax credits go down to $500 a child,
which means you've got yourself a $500 tax increase per child. So
tonight, when you're sitting around the dinner table, just count the
heads. [Laughter] If you've got two children, you can count on a $1,000
tax increase. If you got three little heads there, you can count on a
$1,500 tax increase. I know some people here in Joplin may have four
children. Yes, there you are--the man right there has got four children,
so when you're having dinner this evening, just go, one, two, three,
four times 500; that's a $2,000 tax increase, if the Democrats win.
That may not sound like a lot of money to Washington Democrats, but
it's a lot of money to me, and it's a lot of money to Talent. It's a lot
of money to you. So my strong advice is, if you're a small-business
owner, if you've got children, if you pay income taxes, you're a farmer
and you want to keep the money that you've worked hard to earn, vote for
Jim Talent for the United States Senate.
[[Page 1996]]
This election is taking place in an historic time for our country.
And when our children and grandchildren look back on this period, one
question will overwhelm the rest: Did we do everything in our power to
fight and win the war against the terrorists? That is the question which
faces this generation.
I wish I could report to you here in Joplin that we were not at war,
but we are. We face a determined enemy. They have no conscience. They
kill the innocent in order to achieve objectives. These people are
totalitarian, and they share an ideology that is the exact opposite of
what we believe. We believe in the right of every person to worship
freely; they don't. We believe in the freedom to dissent, freedom to
speak. We believe every life is precious. We believe in human dignity.
Their totalitarian point of view is dark and dismal, and yet they
have objectives, and they want to spread that point of view. And they
want to create enough chaos and havoc to cause people to withdraw so
they can spread their attitude. The best way to protect you is to stay
on the offense and bring these people to justice before they hurt
America again.
You can't negotiate with these people. You can't try to talk sense
in these people.
Audience members. Noo!
The President. You must be firm and determined to protect you. At
the same time, here at home, we've got to do enough to be able to say,
we're doing our duty. See, my most important job and the important job
of people elected to Washington is to protect the American people.
That's the call of this generation.
The enemy has to be right one time when it comes time to attacking
us again. We have to be right 100 percent of the time to protect you.
And therefore, I made sure that our professionals had the tools
necessary to protect you. There was a wall that separated the
intelligence community from sharing information with the law enforcement
folks.
It's hard to rationalize that that happened, but that is what
happened prior to September the 11th. In other words, you had--somebody
had some intelligence about somebody who might be coming our way, and he
couldn't share that information with somebody whose job it was to stop
them. I know it doesn't make sense, but it's the reality of what we
faced.
So I asked the Congress to pass the PATRIOT Act, which brought down
that wall. The Senate Democrats tried to filibuster that reauthorization
of that important bill. As a matter of fact, the Senate minority
leader, the head Democrat in the Senate, bragged,
``We killed the PATRIOT Act.'' See, there's a different mindset. If our
most important job is to protect you, we've got to make sure our
professionals have the tools necessary to do so.
I guess, maybe if--I'm just trying to guess the mentality, but they
must not think there's an enemy that wants to hit us again. It's the
only justification I can give you for not making sure those
professionals had the tools.
I decided to institute another program. If Al Qaida or an Al Qaida
affiliate is making a phone call into the United States from outside the
United States, it seems like it makes sense to know why. They hadn't
voted on this bill in the Senate, but they did in the House, and by far,
the overwhelming majority of House Democrats voted against the program.
Audience members. Boo!
The President. We have got to understand what the enemy is thinking,
in order to be able to protect you. And that's why I authorized the
program through the Central Intelligence Agency that would allow us to
detain and question people we picked up off the battlefield.
And let me give you a reason why. See, we captured Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed; our intelligence
services think he's the person that ordered and masterminded the
September the 11th attacks. And so when I heard we captured him, I
thought it made
[[Page 1997]]
sense, common sense, to say to our professionals, ``If he knew the first
attack, he might have information on another attack, and why don't you
see if you can find out if he does.''
Seventy percent of the Senate Democrats voted against that bill.
Audience members. Boo!
The President. We're at war. It's a different kind of war, but is,
in fact, a war. That war came home on September the 11th, 2001. You
should expect people in Washington, DC, to give our professionals the
tools necessary to protect you. It's a big difference in this campaign,
between what Republicans think and what Democrats think. I'm going to
tell you something: You can't wait to respond after we're attacked. We
must take the necessary measures to make sure we're not attacked in the
first place.
That's why I feel so strongly about a person like Jim
Talent. He understands the stakes. He also
understands what I know: When we see a threat overseas, we must take
that threat seriously. That's one of the lessons of September the 11th.
It's important never to forget lessons. That lesson is a clear lesson to
me. I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein; members
of both political parties in the Congress saw the same threat; the
United Nations saw the threat in Saddam Hussein. The decision to get rid
of Saddam Hussein was the right decision, and the world is better off
for it.
We're in a global war that's being fought on a variety of fronts,
and Iraq is the central front of that war. Now I understand you hear the
voices out of Washington, they say, ``Well, Iraq is a distraction in the
war on terror.'' To me, that's a dangerous point of view, but
nevertheless, that's what they say. Well, the doubters about Iraq ought
to listen to Usama bin Laden before they
make up their mind as to whether Iraq is the central front.
See, Usama bin Laden calls the fight
we're in in Iraq the third world war. He says that victory for the
terrorists in Iraq will mean America's defeat and disgrace forever. Now
there's a difference of opinion. I want you to listen to the words of a
senior Democrat in Washington who--she said
this: ``The President says that fighting them there makes it less likely
we will fight them here.'' Yes, that's precisely what I said, and I
strongly believe it's right. [Applause] She went on to say--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 that we will have to
fight them here.''
Audience members. Boo!
The President. See, that's the kind of mentality that you're voting
on on November the 7th. You do not create terrorists by fighting the
terrorists.
Iraq is not the reason the terrorists are at war against us. We
weren't in Iraq when the terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in
1993. We were not in Iraq when they bombed our Embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania. We weren't in Iraq when they bombed the USS Cole, and we
weren't in Iraq when they attacked us on September the 11th, 2001.
The best way to protect you is to bring the terrorists to justice
wherever we find them. And they are fighting us in Iraq because they
can't stand the thought of a democracy in their midst. And so they're
fighting with brutality, the likes of which we haven't seen in a long
time. See, they'll kill innocent people.
Our goal in Iraq is victory. Our goal in Iraq is an Iraq that can
sustain itself, an Iraq that can govern itself, Iraq that can defend
itself, an Iraq that will be an ally against these extremists and
radicals. But this enemy, which understands the stakes, also understands
that their violence, their unspeakable violence against innocent life
gets on our television screens. And they are trying to shake our will
because they think our will is shakable.
Audience members. Noo!
The President. They don't think we have the stomach necessary to
defend ourselves
[[Page 1998]]
in the long run, but they don't understand this administration and many
in our country. We will not run from thugs and assassins.
We are constantly adjusting our tactics to meet the enemy. The enemy
adjusts; we adjust. I've given our commanders the flexibility necessary
and whatever they need to win this war. And we've got a lot going for
us. We got a strategy that helps us achieve victory, and we got a
military that is the finest military any country has ever assembled.
And whether or not our citizens agree with my decision to fight the
enemy in Iraq, all citizens owe a debt of gratitude to those who wear
our uniform. And those of us in Washington owe it to our troops and
their families to make sure they have the full support, all they need in
order to do the jobs I've asked them to do.
Our troops have got no finer supporter than Senator Jim
Talent, another reason to send him back to
Washington. We've also got something else going for us, and that is
brave Iraqis. Listen, these people have suffered unspeakable violence,
and yet they still want to live under a free society. I was pleased at
the outcome of the elections when the Iraqis voted, but I wasn't
surprised. I believe freedom is universal. I believe there's an
Almighty, and a great gift of the Almighty to each man and woman and
child on the face of the Earth is the desire to be free.
I'm not surprised when 12 million people say, ``I want to be free.''
It's in our interests we help this young democracy. It's in our
interests we defeat the enemy where we find them. It's in interests we
help people realize the blessings of liberty. And that's why our
strategy is to help the politics of Iraq succeed, to help their economy
grow, and to train Iraqi troops so they can take the fight. One day Iraq
will be a government of, by, and for the people--unless we quit.
If I didn't think we'd win, I wouldn't have our troops there. If I
didn't know this mission is noble and important, I wouldn't have our
troops there.
You know, the debate is interesting about this vital part of
protecting the country. If you listen carefully to what the Democrats
say about Iraq, you think about what they're saying about their plan for
success, there isn't one. This is a major political party that has no
plan for success in Iraq. As a matter of fact, their only plan is to
leave before the job is done. Oh, you listen to some of them--they say
we pull out the troops now. And then they got a bunch of them saying,
``Let's have a fixed date,'' and we'll leave on that fixed date,
regardless of whether the job is done. They've actually got a Member of
the House of Representatives who has recommended moving our troops 5,000
miles away on another island--on an island. Nineteen House Democrats
introduced legislation that would cut off funds for our troops in Iraq.
Here we are in the middle of a national campaign that will determine
our future, and one of Jim Talent's Democrat
colleagues put it this way--she said,
``We haven't coalesced around a single plan, but we're in general
agreement on the basic principles.'' She's right. The principle they
agree on is, get out before the job is done.
Audience members. Boo!
The President. Look, I'm not saying these people are unpatriotic;
I'm just saying they're wrong.
On this important issue of Iraq and the global war on terror, the
Democrats have taken a calculated gamble. They believe that the only way
they can win this election is to criticize and offer no plan of their
own. Here's how one senior Democrat describes
their strategy: ``The election is about them,'' talking about me and us.
So far, they've refused to tell how they plan to secure this country;
but there's still 4 days left. [Laughter] There's still time. There's
still time for them to tell us how they intend to prevail.
Listen, if you happen to bump into a Democrat candidate, you might
want to ask
[[Page 1999]]
this simple question: What is your plan? [Laughter] If they say they
want to protect the homeland but opposed the PATRIOT Act, ask them this
question: What is your plan? If they say they want to uncover terrorist
plots but oppose listening in on terrorist conversation, ask them the
question: What's your plan? You know, if they say they want to stop new
attacks on our country but opposed letting the CIA detain and question
the terrorists who might know what the plots are, ask them the question:
What's your plan?
Audience members. What's your plan?
The President. If they say they want to win the war on terror but
called for America to pull out from what Al Qaida says is the central
front in that war, ask them this question----
Audience members. What's your plan?
The President. They're not going to be able to answer that question.
They have no plan. When you're rounding up the vote, remind people,
harsh criticism is not a plan for victory. Second-guessing is not a
strategy. You cannot win the war on terror if you don't have a plan to
win the war.
The most important duty we have is to protect you. We have a plan, a
strategy that we're implementing every single day, and part of our plan
to make sure that America does everything we can to protect you is to
send Jim Talent back to the United States
Senate.
Retreat from Iraq before the job is done would embolden the enemy,
make our country more vulnerable to attacks. This is a different kind of
war. It's unlike any other war we have fought. If we retreat from Iraq
before the job is done, the enemy will follow us here. Leaving before
the job is done would enable these extremists and radicals to recruit
better. Leaving before the job is done would dash the hopes of millions
of people who reject the ideology of hate and who want to live a simple
life that is a peaceful life. Retreating before the job is done would
dishonor the sacrifice of the men and women who have worn the uniform of
the United States of America. Retreating before the job is done would be
felt for generations to come.
The enemy has said they expect us to retreat, and they want us to
retreat. This is their words, not mine. In a time of war, you must take
the words of the enemy very seriously. They would like to have another
safe haven from which to plot and plan attacks, similar to the safe
haven they had in Afghanistan before we removed that safe haven. The
enemy would like to be in a position to topple moderate governments.
They would use any means necessary to do so. Can you imagine what the
world would look like if they were able to get ahold of oil resources
which they would then use to extract economic blackmail against those of
us who want--need to protect ourselves, and, two, to help freedom
expand.
See, imagine what would happen if they were able to control enough
energy, if they pulled enough off the market to run the price of oil up,
and then said, ``Fine, we'll let the price back down unless you give up
your alliance with Israel,'' or, ``until you withdraw,'' so that they
could establish their--what they've declared they want to do, which is a
caliphate.
And in the midst, put a country that doesn't like us with a nuclear
weapon. And what's going to happen 30 years from now is, people will
say, ``What happened to those folks in 2006? How come they couldn't see
the impending danger? What clouded their vision?''
I want to tell you all, my vision is clear. I see the threat. I
understand the consequences of the world in which we live. America must
lead. We will support our troops in Iraq. We will fight in Iraq, and we
will win in Iraq.
If you got a second, I'd like to share one other story about the
power of liberty.
Audience member. [Inaudible]
The President. Thank you. [Laughter] Recently Laura and I took our friend, who was then the Prime Minister
of Japan, to
[[Page 2000]]
Elvis's place. You might remember that. Oh, they said, ``Why did you go
to Elvis's place?'' Well, I had never been there. [Laughter] Prime
Minister Koizumi wanted to go there--he was an Elvis fan. I also wanted
to tell a story. It's important for all people to understand this story,
but particularly for people who are trying to figure out the world in
which we live and the power of liberty.
See, after the Japanese attacked our country, a lot of young
Americans signed up. You've got relatives who signed up to fight the
sworn enemy, the Japanese. So did I: my dad. And then he, like thousands, went through a bloody
battle. We lost a lot of Americans, and the Japanese lost a lot--it was
a brutal war, brutal war. And yet it's amazing, isn't it, that years
later his son is on the airplane with the Prime Minister of the former enemy flying to Elvis's place. And
guess what we talked about? Keeping the peace. Isn't that interesting?
We talked about working together to convince the North Korean
leader to give up his nuclear weapons. We talked
about the fact that Japan has 1,000--had 1,000 troops in Iraq. The Prime
Minister and I understand that when you
find a young democracy in this ideological struggle against reason
versus extremists, you got to help those young democracies. It's in our
long-term interests that we help people realize the blessings of
liberty. We talked about the need to help fight the pandemic of HIV/AIDS
on the continent of Africa, which the United States is doing. We talked
about feeding the hungry. We talked about keeping the peace.
My dad fought the Japanese; his son is
talking about keeping the peace with the Japanese. Liberty--the lesson
is this: Liberty has got the capacity to change an enemy into an ally,
and liberty has got the capacity to change a region of despair and
hopelessness into a region of light and hope. Liberty is the best way to
defeat the enemies of freedom in the long run.
Someday an American President 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.
These are the stakes in this election, and I'm asking you to go from
the hall and find fellow Republicans, discerning Democrats, and
openminded independents, and remind them about the stakes in this
election. If you want your taxes low so you can have more money to spend
and this economy continues to be strong, vote for Jim Talent. If you want the United States to do everything that
we can to protect you and to lay the foundation of peace for generations
to come, vote for Jim Talent.
It's such an honor to be with you. I thank you for your time. May
God bless you, and may God continue to bless the United States.
Note: The President spoke at 11:55 a.m. at Missouri Southern State
University. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Matt Blunt of Missouri;
former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Usama bin Laden, leader of the
Al Qaida terrorist organization; former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
of Japan; and Chairman Kim Jong Il of North Korea.