[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[May 30, 2007]
[Pages 642-648]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a New Jersey Republican Committee Reception in Edison, New 
Jersey
May 30, 2007

    The President. Thank you all. Yes, it's good to be back in Jersey. 
Thank you for the warm welcome. I appreciate you all coming. Mr. 
Chairman, thank you for your kind remarks.
    Audience members. We love you, Mr. President! We love you!
    The President. Yes, well, last time I was in Jersey, there was a lot 
of heckling as well. [Laughter] Good heckling. [Laughter] I love you 
too. Thank you. Thanks for coming. Thank you for your enthusiasm. Thank 
you for supporting the Republican Party.
    Mr. Chairman, I am glad to come and help you 
raise money so that you can

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achieve big things, first of all, taking those New Jersey houses in the 
November '07 election and laying the groundwork for an important 
election in '08. It is important that a Republican succeed me as 
President of the United States, and I thank you for supporting those 
efforts.
    I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. One 
grassroots activist I've known for a long time is the senior chairman of 
the county chairmen here in the State of New Jersey: George 
Gilmore. He happens to be the chairman of the 
Ocean County Republican Party. And I want to thank all the other county 
chairmen who are here. And I want to thank all the people who put up the 
signs and make the phone calls and do all the hard work so that our 
candidates know that they're supported when they're out there seeking 
the vote.
    I really appreciate you coming. I'm proud to be here with my friend, 
Lew Eisenberg, former Republican National 
committeeman from New Jersey, and his wife Judy. I thank Larry Bathgate, former finance chairman for the Republican National 
Committee. I want to say thank you to State Minority Leader Leonard 
Lance and Alex DeCroce of the State senate for serving--or actually, DeCroce is 
in the statehouse, and Lance is in the senate. And I appreciate them 
serving. And our job is to help you all become the majority leaders. And 
I think we've got a good chance to do it. The experts tell me that with 
hard work, there's a good chance that the statehouse and the State 
senate become Republican. And I'm glad to be a part of helping, and I 
want to thank you all for helping as well.
    I want to thank you all for recognizing the fact that you've got the 
B-team in the Bush family. The A-team is across the river in New York 
City. Yes, that's Laura. She sends her love. I 
will tell you this: I'm a lucky man--when I asked her to marry me, and 
she said, ``Yes.'' A lot of her friends aren't so sure she's so lucky. 
[Laughter] But I am pleased to report she's doing well. She's a great 
First Lady, a great wife, and a great mom.
    I believe you win elections by telling the people what you believe, 
not necessarily what they want to hear. And here are the things that we 
believe: We believe that the number-one priority of this country is to 
protect the people of the United States from further attack. And that's 
why we believe in a strong national defense. We believe in supporting 
those who are in the homeland defending this country, and we believe 
those who are defending it overseas.
    We believe that we ought to trust people to make the decisions on 
how they run their lives, not trust the government. And the classic case 
of whether we trust people or not is when it comes to cutting taxes. If 
you believe in cutting taxes, it means you trust you to spend your money 
better than the government can.
    We believe you've got to trust in the values of our citizens. We 
believe the role of government is to unleash the great compassion of 
America to help solve many of the problems that can only be solved 
through love and decency and care; that's what we believe. We believe 
that there is a role for government, but we believe the primary role for 
government is to empower our citizens to realize their God-given 
potential. And if we campaign on that message, and if we stick to those 
principles, and if we govern for what's right, not based upon the latest 
Gallup Poll, we will continue to lead this country.
    I want to talk about our security and our economy. We are a nation 
at war. I wish I didn't have to say that, but that's the reality of the 
world in which we live. Now, I understand there's some good, decent 
people who disagree with that assessment. We're a country where people 
are free to express their views. Some people don't believe we're in war; 
I'm just not one of them. I believe that the role of

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the United States Government is to do everything we can to protect you 
from further attack.
    You were affected by the September the 11th attacks a lot, and so 
was I. I vowed on that day that I would use all U.S. assets to do what 
was necessary to protect the American people. We're fighting an enemy 
that is cruel, an enemy that murders the innocent to achieve objectives. 
These folks just aren't isolated, angry people, these are ideologues. 
These are people that have got a set of beliefs. I would suggest that 
people, if they're trying to figure out what these people believe and 
their vision of the world, is just remember what life was like under the 
Taliban in Afghanistan--particularly if you were a woman or a young 
girl--you had no rights, no freedoms. If you expressed your belief, it 
was contrary to their view, you would be, at minimum, whipped in the 
public square. These people are brutal. They have no conscience.
    They do want to spread their vision as far and wide as possible. 
They have a vision of establishing a caliphate. They hate the United 
States of America and what we stand for. They hate many of our friends, 
including Israel. The only way to deal with these people is to stay on 
the offense, fight them overseas so we don't have to fight them here at 
home.
    And that's exactly what we've done. I vowed that this Nation 
wouldn't tire. I vowed that I would do everything I could to lead this 
Nation, to protect you. And since that fateful day that killed nearly 
3,000 people, innocent people, this country has been on the offense. If 
we find them overseas, we'll bring them to justice. We're using 
everything in our power to get good intelligence. We've reformed 
homeland security. We're supporting those on the frontline of securing 
this country.
    Oh, I know there's a big debate about how to deal with these folks. 
I will just tell you my view. You can't ration with them. You can't 
compromise with them. You can't hope for the best with them. You must 
treat them as they are--coldblooded killers--and bring them to justice 
before they hurt again.
    One of the lessons of September the 11th is, we must confront 
threats before they come home to hurt us; that when we see a threat, we 
must deal with it--not always with the military, necessarily, but we've 
got to take threats seriously. We just can't hope that oceans will 
protect us from these people. They have strategies to impose their will. 
They want to cause enough harm to cause us to retreat in order for them 
to be able to impose their vision. These folks found safe haven and got 
help in Afghanistan. We gave them a chance to--the Government to turn 
them over. They refused, and so we removed the Taliban from power and 
thereby removed the ability for Al Qaida to plot and plan and attack 
again.
    In Iraq, we faced a threat. He was an enemy of America, a person who 
had used weapons of mass destruction, and a person who was paying 
Palestinian--the family--Palestinian families of suicide bombers, a 
person who had harbored terrorists. I went to the United Nations, right 
across the river here. I said to the world, ``We face a common threat.'' 
The United Nations Security Council agreed. We told Saddam Hussein with 
one voice, international voice: ``Disarm, or face serious 
consequences.'' It was his choice to make. He defied the demands of the 
free world. I made the decision that we would liberate the people of 
Iraq. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein made the world a better place.
    And now the question is, will our country help these two struggling 
democracies succeed? See, the short-run strategy is to bring people to 
justice, is to keep the pressure on. The long-term strategy is to defeat 
their ideology with a more hopeful ideology, and that's the ideology 
based upon liberty. Free societies are societies that best answer the 
hopes and dreams of people. In the short term, we'll keep the pressure 
on the enemy. In the long term, we must confront

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the circumstances by which 19 people decided to get on airplanes and 
kill nearly 3,000 people on a brutal attack on the United States of 
America. And the stakes are high.
    You know, I know that many of you people are deeply concerned about 
Iraq, and so am I. You see the carnage on your TV screens, and you 
wonder whether or not success is possible. I want to remind you that 
there has been pretty startling progress made in Iraq. After all, 12 
million people went to the polls and supported a modern-day constitution 
and voted for a free government, which stands in stark contrast to life 
under a brutal tyrant who killed thousands of his own people.
    And a knowing enemy realized there was being progress--progress was 
being made, and they want to stop it. Isn't it interesting, to determine 
the mindset of people who would want to stop the advance of a free 
society? Those are people we need to take seriously in this world.
    Many of the spectacular bombings you see are inspired and done by Al 
Qaida. As General Petraeus said, public 
enemy number one in Iraq is Al Qaida. Public enemy number one in the 
United States of America is Al Qaida. We must defeat Al Qaida there so 
we don't have to face them here.
    As you know, last fall, I made a decision about how we should 
conduct our affairs in Iraq. I had to choose between allowing the 
sectarian violence that was beginning to get out of hand to continue to 
foster, or whether or not to put in more U.S. troops to try to quell 
that sectarian violence, to give this young democracy and its leaders a 
chance to make the decisions necessary for its society to move forward.
    Now, I want to tell you--I want to share why I made the decision I 
made. I believe that if we allowed the sectarian violence to rage in 
that young democracy, it could create chaos, not only in the capital but 
throughout the country. I was deeply concerned that chaos would create a 
security vacuum into which radical and extremist elements would flow, 
many of which would have been fueled by outside forces. I was concerned 
that the chaos could spill out into other countries and destabilize 
governments. I was concerned that the message it would send to a country 
like Iran was that the United States of America couldn't be counted on. 
I was concerned that moderate people all throughout the Middle East 
would say, the United States doesn't keep its word. I was concerned that 
the enemy that wants to strike us again would be emboldened and would 
find more recruits. I was concerned that the chaos would be exactly what 
the enemy wants. And so I made a decision to put more troops in, as 
opposed to retreat.
    And I believe this: No matter what the opinions of people in 
Washington may be, when we've got our troops in harm's way, they need 
all the support; they need all the support they can get from the U.S. 
Government.
    This is hard work, but it is necessary work for the security of this 
country. What happens in Iraq matters to the security here at home. And 
I understand how hard it is. But I'll tell you what, this is an amazing 
country, when we produce men and women who fully understand the stakes 
of serving in the United States military in a time of danger. I am 
constantly amazed that people raise their right hand to wear the uniform 
of America, to do what is necessary to protect us. And I am proud to be 
their Commander in Chief.
    You know, I tell people that one of the startling aspects of my 
Presidency has been that one of my really best friends as President was 
the Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minister Koizumi. I find it interesting--he was such a good friend. 
Remember, we went down to Elvis's place--[laughter]--in Memphis, and we 
had a wonderful trip. And by the way, his replacement, Prime Minister 
Abe, is a good friend too.

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    Isn't it amazing that my dad and many 
of your relatives fought the Japanese as a sworn enemy?
    Audience member. This gentleman right here--[inaudible].
    The President. Right there is one. Isn't that interesting that 
George H.W. Bush, young Navy fighter pilot, 
put his life on the line, along with a lot of other good folks, to fight 
the Japanese in a really bloody conflict? And some 60 years later, his 
son sits at the table with the Prime Minister of 
the former enemy, talking about helping this young democracy in Iraq 
survive, talking about making sure the leader of North Korea doesn't get 
a nuclear weapon, talking about keeping the peace.
    Liberty has got the capacity to transform troubled regions into 
peaceful regions. It has got the capacity to help enemies become allies. 
In order to defeat the ideologues that murder the innocent to achieve 
their objectives, there must be an alternative ideology available. And 
we've got one for the world, and it's called freedom.
    I firmly believe we'll succeed in doing the hard work if we do not 
lose our nerve. I believe--I firmly believe that the decisions I have 
made not only will help secure this country from further attack but will 
lay the foundation of peace for generations to come. I don't want it to 
be said, when the chaos were to spill out and the nuclear arms race may 
occur in the Middle East, that people will look back and say, ``What 
happened to them in the year 2007? How come they couldn't see the 
impending danger?'' I'm prepared to continue to lead this Nation and 
will lead this Nation for the next 20 months to make sure that we do the 
hard work necessary to secure this country from attack.
    Our foreign policy, though, is much more than just military action 
and kinetic action in dealing with an enemy. Our foreign policy is one 
based upon the premise and the principle, to whom much is given, much is 
required. Today in the Rose Garden, I talked about the great compassion 
of our American citizens when I announced that we were going to double 
our program to deal with HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa. You ask, 
``Why would you do that, Mr. President?'' And the reason why it matters 
to help ease the suffering around the world is, what happens overseas 
matters to the security of the United States of America. Where you find 
disease and hunger and poverty, you find despair. And the danger is that 
despair could turn into extremism, radicalism, to the point where people 
would be willing to come and kill to achieve political objectives.
    I am so proud of the United States of America. I don't know if you 
know this or not, but 3 years ago, 50,000 people were receiving 
antiretroviral drugs on the continent of Africa. Thousands were dying, 
and a generation was in the process of being wiped out. And today, 
because of your generosity, 1.1 million people receive antiretroviral 
drugs, and we intend to double that number. The soul of America is 
enriched when we help those who need help. Whether it be feeding the 
hungry or fighting malaria or dealing with HIV/AIDS, the United States 
of America is in the lead.
    And we're also the leader in the industrialized world when it comes 
to economic growth. This economy of the United States of America is 
strong. The unemployment rate is low; it's low in a State like New 
Jersey. We're adding new jobs. Inflation is down. The entrepreneurial 
spirit is strong. People are investing. People are making a living in 
this country.
    You know, it wouldn't necessarily have been that way--you might 
remember the short-term economic history of the United States. A 
recession set in, in 2001. We had those terrorist attacks, which, of 
course, you remember here in New Jersey, vividly remember, which 
affected our economy. We had corporate scandals. We had a lot of hurdles 
in the way of economic vitality. But I think I made a decision that 
affected the

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economic future of the country when I worked with the United States 
Congress to cut the taxes on everybody who paid taxes in the United 
States.
    The best way to keep this economy strong is to let you keep more of 
your own money in your pocket. If you're interested in small-business 
growth, you let our small businesses keep money--more of the money they 
earn. If you want investment, you incent investment by cutting the taxes 
on investment. If you want a family to do well, you keep the child 
credit high. If you want to make sure you get--if you want marriage, you 
get rid of the marriage penalty. In other words, if you want the 
American people to do better, you cut the taxes, is what you do.
    And that's exactly what we did. And now guess what's happening? The 
rhetoric in Washington is beginning to shift, as you know, and the 
Congress changed hands. And they submitted a budget up there.
    Audience members. Boo!
    The President. They submitted a new budget, and it's a throwback to 
the old days. They said, ``We need more of your money, and therefore, 
oh, we're just going to tax a few of you.'' But that's not the way it 
works in Washington, DC. You can't sate their appetite for spending your 
money. The bunch in power in Congress now wants to raise your taxes as 
much as they possibly can because they think they can spend your money 
better than you can.
    Audience members. Boo!
    The President. And that is why it's important for us to make sure 
those tax cuts we passed are permanent.
    Oh, I know, look, you'll hear the same tired rhetoric. Listen, ``We 
got to balance the budget by raising your taxes.'' But we've shown it is 
possible to balance the budget by keeping taxes low, keeping our economy 
strong, and being wise about how we spend your money.
    You might remember, a while ago, I said, ``We're going to cut the 
deficit in half over a period of time.'' Well, we did so quicker than 
anticipated, 3 years quicker. And now we've submitted a new budget that 
shows how you can balance the budget by keeping taxes low, within 5 
years. And here's the logic, and here's the reason behind such a 
philosophy: Low taxes encourage economic growth. Economic growth, it 
turns out, causes there to be more tax revenues coming into the 
Treasury. More tax revenues in the Treasury means you have more money to 
offset spending.
    And so when you're wise about spending and you keep taxes low--
growing the economy so we've got the revenues to spend--you end up 
balancing the budget. We've got plenty of money in Washington, DC. We 
need more money in your pockets so this economy continues to grow.
    And I believe that if our candidates run on strong national defense 
and strong security, and I believe if our candidates say, we trust you 
to make your health care decisions, or we trust you to make rational 
decisions for your family, and we trust you with your own money, we'll 
keep the White House in 2008, that we can retake the statehouses across 
the country, and we can retake the Congress. Our philosophy is hopeful. 
Our philosophy is optimistic. And we have shown over this last 6 years, 
our philosophy works for the good of the American people.
    So that's what I've come to share with you. I hope out of this talk, 
you get a sense for my optimism about America's future. I believe there 
is no problem we can't solve when we put our mind to it. I believe that 
we are a country of determined, fine people, who are willing to do the 
hard work necessary to grow this economy and, at the same time, protect 
our country. I believe there are better days ahead for the American 
people.
    I am proud to lead you. I am proud you're here. May God bless you 
all.

Note: The President spoke at 6:09 p.m. at the New Jersey Convention and 
Exposition Center. In his remarks, he referred to Tom

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Wilson, chairman, New Jersey Republican State Committee; Gen. David H. 
Petraeus, USA, commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; and 
Chairman Kim Jong Il of North Korea.