[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

[[Page 1947]]

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.