    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [March 15, 2007]
    [Pages 317-321]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the National Republican Congressional Committee Dinner
    March 15, 2007

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Thanks for the warm welcome. I had
    the honor of representing our great country over the past week in five
    different countries in our neighborhood, but I must tell you, it sure is
    good to be home. And it sure is good to be with you all. I'm proud to be
    standing with strong leaders like John Boehner and Roy Blunt. I thank you all for
    recognizing that it's in the best interest of the United States of
    America that John Boehner become the next Speaker of the House of
    Representatives.
        Some of you may not know about my early political career: I ran for
    the United States Congress in 1978 in west Texas. I came in second place
    in a two-man race. [Laughter] The campaign obviously didn't turn out the
    way I hoped it would, but things worked out okay in the end. The key is
    to learn from every election and to come back stronger. And with your
    help, that's exactly what we're going to do in 2008.
        I appreciate the character of the men and women on the Republican
    side of the United States House of Representatives. I've gotten to know
    them well over the last 6-plus years. But tonight I think it's
    appropriate we remember the life of a good man and a devoted public
    servant, Congressman Charlie Norwood. He fought lung cancer, he's in our
    thoughts and prayers, and we send our very best to Gloria and their family.
        I appreciate the fact that you invited Laura,
    John. It's a smart move to invite her;
    actually, she was Boehner's first choice. [Laughter] She is still
    traveling, but she sends her love and her respect. I know I'm not very
    objective, but I firmly believe Laura, in all due respect to my
    mother, is the finest First Lady our country
    has ever had. Well, mom was pretty good too--mom was pretty good too.
    She's still telling me what to do, for all you mothers out there.
        I want to thank Congressman Tom Cole, who is
    the chairman of the NRCC. I've known Tom a long time. He comes from
    right north of Texas. The NRCC has got one competent, smart, able person
    in Tom Cole, and I appreciate you serving, Tom. I really thank Devin
    Nunes, from California, for his leadership in
    this dinner tonight. Devin, it's good to see you; thank you for being
    here. I know I mentioned his name once; I'm going to mention it again--
    the House Republican whip, Roy Blunt from
    Missouri, is doing a fine job. I appreciate you, Roy. I'm proud to be
    with Cantor, Putnam,
    Granger, McCotter, Carter, and all the rest of the
    Members of the House of Representatives. Thanks for coming; appreciate
    you being here.
        But most of all, thank you all for supporting this good group of
    folks. Obviously, it takes support like yours to get us back in the
    majority, but it also takes good ideas and takes people who are willing
    to stand

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    on principle, people not driven by polls or focus groups, but people who
    stand for what they believe, no matter what the critics may say. We
    believe in a strong national defense. We believe in less government and
    lower taxes. And we believe that government ought to trust the American
    people to make the best decisions for their lives.
        Ours is an optimistic agenda, and ours is a realistic agenda. And by
    pushing good ideas and standing strong for what's right, I believe that
    we can retake the Senate and the House and hold the White House in 2008.
        The biggest challenge we face is to protect the American people from
    harm. You know, I recognize that after September the 11th, it would be
    easy for our Nation to let down its guard. I knew that the farther we
    got away from that tragic event, more likely--the more likely scenario
    would be that people would say, ``Well, maybe the enemy is not there.''
    And frankly, that's okay. It's not okay, however, if your Federal
    Government forgets their responsibility. And I just want you to know
    that every day, I think about and my administration thinks about our
    most important task, and that is to defend you. And the best way to do
    so is to stay on the offense and defeat the enemy overseas so we do not
    have to face them here at home.
        We are chasing down the enemy by using good intelligence and by
    deploying some of the finest citizens our country has ever produced. And
    we will defeat the enemy in the long term by defeating their hateful
    ideology with an ideology of hope, based upon the universal concept of
    liberty.
        This war on terror is fought on many fronts: in Afghanistan, in
    places like the Philippines, and around the globe. But the central front
    in this war--the central front, and our need to protect the American
    people, is being fought in Iraq. We're pursuing a new strategy in Iraq:
    a plan that demands more from Iraq's Government; a plan that brings
    security to Baghdad, as our top priority; and a plan that gives our
    troops the reinforcements they need to carry out their mission.
        In Washington, we also have important decisions to make on Iraq. And
    the most pivotal question is whether the United States Congress will
    stand behind our new commander, General David Petraeus, and give our commanders the flexibility they need to do
    their jobs and our troops the support they need to carry out their
    mission.
        Next week, the House will begin debate on an emergency war spending
    bill. And some in the Congress are using this bill as an opportunity to
    micromanage our military commanders or to force a precipitous withdrawal
    in Iraq or threaten vital funding for Iraqi security forces and fund
    projects that have nothing to do with the war on terror. I believe the
    Members of Congress are sincere when they support our troops. And now is
    the time for them to show that support. Our men and women in uniform are
    risking their lives, and they need the firm support of the United States
    Congress.
        Today the United States Senate wisely rejected a resolution that
    would have placed an artificial timetable on our mission in Iraq. And I
    thank the Republicans and Democrats who voted down that resolution. Many
    of those Members know what I know, that if American forces were to step
    back from Baghdad now, before the capital city is more secure, the scale
    and scope of attacks would increase and intensify; a contagion of
    violence could spill out across the entire country and, in time, the
    entire region. The enemy would emerge from the chaos emboldened, with
    new safe havens and new recruits and new resources and an even greater
    determination to harm the United States of America. If we were to leave
    Iraq before the job is done, the enemy would follow us to the United
    States of America, and we're not going to let it happen.

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        We've got work to do to make sure this economy continues to stay
    strong. Our principle is that if we trust you with your money, if the
    American people have more of their own money to save and spend and
    invest, the economy flourishes. And so we cut the taxes for the--on the
    American people. We cut taxes for everybody who pays taxes in America.
    And our plan is working; this economy of the United States is strong.
        America--not government, but America--has created more than 7.5
    million jobs in the past 3\1/2\ years. Unemployment is low; inflation is
    low; wages are rising. This economy is on the move, and the best way to
    keep it moving is to make the tax cuts we passed permanent.
        Oh, I know you'll hear the argument here that you've got to raise
    taxes to balance the budget, but we're proving them wrong. I set a goal
    that we would cut the deficit in half in 5 years. We completed that goal
    years ahead of schedule. Why? Because when the economy grows, tax
    revenues increase. And the other reason why is because I worked with
    Republican leaders to bring fiscal sanity to the United States Congress.
    The best way to balance the budget is to grow the economy and not
    overspend the people's money. So I'm looking forward to working with
    John and Roy and the
    other Members of the House to pass a budget that can eliminate the
    Federal deficit within the next 5 years without raising taxes on the
    American people.
        We need to come together to solve hard problems. One of the hardest
    problems in Washington is to reform Social Security and Medicare. There
    are a lot of baby boomers, like me, getting ready to retire. As a matter
    of fact, my retirement age of 62 is right around the corner, which will
    be a convenient time. [Laughter] And there are a lot of people like me.
    There are a lot of baby boomers who have been promised greater benefits
    than the previous generation, but the problem is, there are fewer people
    paying into the system and the system cannot be sustained.
        My attitude: now is the time for Republicans and Democrats to come
    together, to put their ideas on the table, to reform Social Security and
    Medicare to save a future generation from onerous taxes. Now is the time
    to act; now is the time to put politics aside; and now is the time to do
    the hard work the people of the United States of America expect us to
    do.
        We believe strongly that this country needs to remain competitive so
    that we can remain the economic leader in the world. And one of the best
    ways to remain competitive is to make sure our youngsters get a good,
    sound education. I believe strongly in local control of schools, but I
    also believe in raising standards and holding schools accountable for
    achieving results.
        I don't see how you can solve a problem unless you diagnose a
    problem. And that's precisely the spirit behind the No Child Left Behind
    Act. Because we're measuring and because we're holding people to
    standards, test scores are rising all across the United States of
    America. We're getting better test scores in reading and math, and, most
    importantly of all, our minority students are beginning to close the
    achievement gap. The No Child Left Behind Act is working, and the United
    States Congress needs to reauthorize that good piece of legislation.
        We believe that dependency on oil from overseas is a national
    security and economic security risk. You see, when you import a lot of
    oil from parts of the world that may not care for the United States of
    America, that's a national security risk. Or when you import a lot of
    oil from parts of the world where supply could be disrupted by a
    terrorist attack, that is a national security risk. We live in a global
    world, and as demand for crude oil rises in emerging economies like
    China and India, it causes the price of crude oil to go up, which raises
    the price of gasoline for you. And therefore, reliance upon oil

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    is an economic security risk. And therefore, I look forward to
    continuing to work with the United States Congress to diversify our way
    out of dependency on oil.
        And we're making good progress. We have got a comprehensive policy
    to do so. We believe in nuclear power. We believe in clean coal
    technology. We believe in solar and wind energy. And we believe in
    spending taxpayers' money to develop technologies that will change the
    way we--change how we power automobiles. We're spending a lot of your
    money to develop new batteries so that within a short period of time,
    there will be plug-in hybrid batteries--which means if you're living in
    a city, you can drive the first 20 miles on electricity and not on
    gasoline. And I also strongly believe that it makes sense to empower our
    farmers to grow crops that can be converted into energy, like ethanol
    and biodiesel.
        We're on the verge of important technological breakthroughs here in
    America, technological breakthroughs that will enable a future President
    and future Congresses to say: ``We have done our duty for national
    security reasons, for economic security reasons; all of which, as well,
    will enable us to be better stewards of our environment.''
        We have got an issue with health care in the United States of
    America. If you're running a small business, you understand the
    pressures you feel as a result of growing health care costs. But I
    caution you in this debate to remember, there is a philosophical divide
    in Washington between those who believe that government is the best
    provider of health care and those of us who believe that the best
    decisionmakers for health care are the providers and the patients.
        Government has got a responsibility to the poor, and we're meeting
    that responsibility. We've got a responsibility to the elderly. And
    thanks to the leadership of people like John Boehner and Roy Blunt, we modernized
    Medicare by doing something unusual in medicine: we actually interjected
    marketplace forces; we included the marketplace. We said, our seniors
    should be allowed to make choices about what's best for them. Costs
    projected for Medicare are lower than expected. The market works. And
    the reforms we passed for Medicare are good, solid reforms for America's
    seniors.
        We've got a strong record to run on, and we're going to make it
    stronger by passing association health plans. If you're a small
    business, you should be allowed to pool risk across jurisdictional
    boundaries so you can buy insurance at the same discount that larger
    companies are able to buy insurance.
        We believe strongly in health savings accounts, which empowers
    consumers to shop in the marketplace for--to meet their health care
    needs. But we also understand that there must be transparency in health
    care for pricing and quality. We strongly believe in interjecting
    information technologies into health care, all aimed to hold down the
    cost of health care without inviting more government into your lives.
        And finally, if you're interested in controlling health care costs
    and if you want to make sure health care is available, elect people who
    will vote for medical liability reform. There is too many lawsuits
    running too many good doctors out of practice in America.
        I'm looking forward to working with the United States Congress on an
    idea that we put forward that will make private health insurance more
    affordable and more accessible to more of our citizens, and that is to
    change the Tax Code. I believe strongly that we ought to create a
    standard tax deduction for health insurance like the standard tax
    deduction for dependents. A family with health insurance would get a
    $15,000 deduction from incoming payroll taxes, whether they buy coverage
    on their own or get it from their employer. If you're single, you get a
    $7,500 deduction. The whole purpose of the plan is to level the

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    playing field to give those who buy insurance on their own the same tax
    advantage as those who get insurance through their jobs.
        I know I'm not talking to Senators here--[laughter]--but I do want
    to assure you all that I will continue to fulfill my obligation to put
    people on our benches who will strictly interpret the law and not
    legislate from the bench.
        We've got a full agenda, and we're working well together. Ours is an
    agenda based upon solid philosophy that we don't need more government,
    but we need more trust in the American people. Ours is an agenda that
    says, if you have more of your own money, the country benefits. And ours
    is an agenda that recognizes our primary responsibility is to stay
    steady and focused and defeat the enemy of the United States of America
    and leave behind a more secure America for generations to come.
        The greatest honor of being the President is to represent a group of
    decent, honorable folks. And those are the people of the United States.
    I cannot tell you what a joy it is to travel our country and to meet
    quiet, compassionate people who, on a daily basis, love their neighbor
    just like they'd like to be loved themselves.
        Oftentimes, I'm asked to define the strength of the country--and,
    sure, our military is strong, and we're going to keep it that way. And,
    yes, our wallets are fat, and hopefully, they get fatter for all of us.
    But the great strength of the United States of America, the true
    strength of this country, is the fact that there are millions of fellow
    citizens who, on a daily basis, reach out to somebody in need; they
    reach out to say: ``How can I help you, brother? What can I do to make
    your life better?'' People who say: ``If you need a little love in your
    life, you can count on me.'' This country is changing one heart and one
    soul and one body at a time because we've got millions of our fellow
    citizens who love our country and love their neighbors.
        I'm optimistic about this country. You've got to know something
    about your President: I am some kind of optimistic about where we're
    headed. We're a great nation, and we intend to keep it that way. And I
    thank you for your help.
        May God bless you. May God bless your families. And may God bless
    the United States of America.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:39 p.m. at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
    In his remarks, he referred to Gloria Norwood, wife of former Rep.
    Charles W. Norwood, Jr.; and Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA, commanding
    general, Multi-National Force--Iraq.