    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [February 25, 2008]
    [Pages 265-269]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Republican Governors Association Gala
    February 25, 2008

        Thank you all. Please be seated--unless, of course, you don't have a
    seat.
        Governor, thank you very much for your
    kind introduction. Thank you all for coming, and thanks for supporting
    our Republican Governors. If you want to raise money, if you want to get
    a job done, call on the Texas Governor--and this Governor has delivered.
        I appreciate all the other Governors who are here. I particularly
    want to thank Matt Blunt and Mark
    Sanford, who are leading the RGA, and
    all the other Governors that have--on the stage today. I have--I can't
    thank you enough for your service to the country.
        I also want to recognize Laura. She's
    starring in a new movie: ``Mother of the Bride.'' [Laughter] I'm not
    very objective when I say this, but Laura is a fabulous First Lady. I
    appreciate the members of the Cabinet who are here.
        Republican Governors are smart, capable people. I'd like to read the
    roster of former Governors who worked in the Bush administration:
    Thompson, Ashcroft, Ridge, Whitman, Cellucci,
    Johanns, Leavitt, Kempthorne, and
    Schafer. Three people that worked in the
    Bush administration went on to be Governors: Daniels, Huntsman, and
    Jindal. I'm smart enough to hire
    Republican Governors, and so are the people in the States that these men
    are from.
        I don't know about you, but I'm confident we'll hold the White House
    in 2008. And I don't want the next Republican President to be lonely.
    [Laughter] And that is why we got to take the House, retake the Senate,
    and make sure our States are governed by Republican Governors.
        Our ideas are those embraced by the American people. American people
    want strong national defense, and they want the Government to protect
    the people from further attack, and that's precisely what Republicans
    will give them. Americans want lower taxes and less government, and it's
    precisely what Republicans will give them. Americans want strong,
    principled leadership, and that is precisely what Republicans will give
    them.
        And so when I say I'm confident, I am so because I understand the
    mentality of the American people, and I understand the mentality of our
    candidates. And there's no question in my mind, with your help, 2008 is
    going to be a great year.
        I want to talk about two issues that will affect the upcoming
    elections. The first is, is that we must elect candidates who understand
    that this Nation is involved with an ideological struggle against
    coldblooded killers who would like to do us harm again,

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    and that we better be strong and resolute in the face of this enemy.
        Our philosophy is that the best way to defend America is to defeat
    the enemy overseas so we do not have to face them here at home. And
    that's precisely what the United States of America is doing.
        There are two major fronts in this war: One is in Afghanistan, and
    one is in Iraq. And I want to spend a little time on Iraq. First of all,
    the decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision for world
    peace and for the security of the American people.
        One year ago, extremists, coldblooded killers, people who kill
    innocent men, women, and children to achieve their ideological
    objectives were succeeding in their efforts to plunge Iraq into chaos.
    So I had a choice to make. Do I suffer the consequences of defeat by
    withdrawing our troops, or do I listen to my commanders, the considered
    judgment of military experts, and do what it takes to secure victory in
    Iraq? I chose the latter. Rather than retreating, we sent 30,000 new
    troops into Iraq, and the surge is succeeding.
        High-profile attacks are down. Civilian deaths are down. Sectarian
    killings are down. U.S. and Iraqi forces, who are becoming more capable
    by the day, have captured or killed thousands of extremists in Iraq,
    including hundreds of key Al Qaida leaders, the very same people that
    would like to hurt America once again.
        The progress in Iraq is tough, the progress in Iraq is tangible, and
    the progress in Iraq is enabling this young democracy to begin to make
    progress under the most modern Constitution written in the Middle East.
        I can promise you this: For the next 10 months, I will make the
    necessary decisions to make sure that we succeed in Iraq. And I believe
    the American people understand that a success in Iraq is necessary for
    the long-term security of the American people. And we will elect someone
    in the White House who will keep up the fight to make sure Iraq is
    secure and free.
        One of the principles by which I have been operating is this: I
    believe in an Almighty, and I believe a gift of that Almighty to every
    man, woman, and child is freedom. And I believe it is in the interests
    of the United States of America to free people from disease and hunger
    and want and tyranny. It is in our interests to make sure that we defeat
    the ideologues of hate with an ideology that has worked throughout the
    centuries. I believe 50 years from now, people will look back at this
    period of time and say, thank God the United States of America did not
    lose its faith in the transformative power of liberty to bring the peace
    we want for our children and our grandchildren.
        And we've got to do everything we can to stop attacks on the
    homeland. There are thousands of people who are working day and night to
    do the job that the American people expect them to do, and that's to
    protect you from further attack. Make no mistake about it: There is an
    enemy that lurks and plots and plans, an enemy that would like to do us
    harm again.
        And therefore, it is incumbent, it is essential that the
    professionals who are working hard to protect you have the tools they
    need to be able to do the job we expect them. And one such tool is the
    ability to listen to the phone conversations or the trafficking of the
    enemy. We need to know what they're thinking, who they're talking to,
    and what they're planning in order to do the job the American people
    expect us to do.
        And that is why we worked with the United States Congress last
    summer to pass the Protect America Act. And the Congress passed the act,
    giving our professionals the tools they need. The problem is, the act
    expired recently, and yet to--the threat to America has not expired. And
    so now we're in a debate about whether or not we ought to pass a good
    piece of legislation necessary to protect the American people.

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        And here's the crux of the problem: Companies that were believed to
    have helped us protect America from attack are now being sued for
    billions of dollars. That's wrong, it's a mistake, and the United States
    Congress needs to give those companies liability protection. And let me
    tell you why.
        First, it is not fair to treat these companies this way. Our
    Government told them that their participation was necessary in order to
    protect us from further attack. And we asked them--and when we asked
    them to make those protections, we told them it was legal to do so. And
    I firmly believe it is legal for them to help us protect the American
    people. And now they're getting sued. What's more important? Lawyers or
    protecting the United States of America from further attack?
        Secondly, these lawsuits would require disclosure of information
    which would make it harder to protect the country. If these trials--if
    these cases go to trial, these companies will have to defend themselves.
    And they'll be asked all kinds of questions about the tactics they have
    used to help protect our country. It makes no sense to reveal our
    secrets to the enemy.
        Thirdly, and finally, these--without law, without liability
    protection for a job that we asked them to do in service to the United
    States of America, it will make it harder to convince companies to
    participate in the future. If you've done something that you think is
    perfectly legal and all of a sudden you're facing billions of dollars of
    lawsuits, it is going to be hard to provide--with credibility--
    assurances that you can go forward.
        And that's the crux of the problem. People say, ``Well, you know,
    it's a--there's a bunch of folks that just don't see it that way.''
    Well, I want to remind you that a good, bipartisan bill came out of the
    United States Senate. And there's enough votes in the House of
    Representatives to pass this piece of legislation. It is time the
    leadership in the House stops worrying about lawyers and starts worrying
    more about protecting the United States of America from further attack.
        And one thing the American people can be assured of: Our Republican
    candidates understand the threats facing us, and our Republican
    candidates will make sure that our professionals have the tools
    necessary to protect the American people.
        Our domestic agenda is based upon this simple principle: We trust
    the American people, and we will empower them to make the right
    decisions for their families. We trust in the collective wisdom of the
    American citizenry.
        On health, we trust patients to make their own decisions. And we
    empower them with HSAs and AHPs, all aimed at making sure health care
    decisions are made between patients and doctors, not by bureaucrats here
    in Washington, DC.
        We trust parents when it comes to education and empower them with
    strong accountability. We believe in an ownership society for Americans
    from all walks of life. When it comes to the economy, this is the basis
    for our views. We trust America's consumers and farmers and ranchers and
    producers and small-business people, and we empower them by allowing
    them to keep more of their own money.
        Now, I want you to understand and remind you of the history of our
    economy, recent history. We've been through a lot. In 7 years, we've
    been through a recession and attacks on the United States of America and
    corporate scandals and war and natural disasters and high oil prices.
    But instead of increasing the size of government, we cut taxes on
    everybody who pays taxes in the United States of America and had 52
    months of uninterrupted job growth, the longest in the history of the
    American economy.
        And at the same time, we were fiscally responsible with your money.
    Now, I admit, we increased spending in certain areas, and I'm going to
    continue to increase spending in this important area. We will make sure

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    that our troops have all that is necessary to do the job the United
    States of America has asked them to do. And you can bet our Republican
    candidates will do the exact same thing.
        On nonsecurity discretionary spending, we reduced it lower than the
    rate of inflation and have submitted to the United States Congress a
    budget which will be in balance by 2012.
        Now our economy is facing uncertainty again, and the fundamental
    question is, what do we do? Some in Washington want to increase
    spending. Fortunately, enough realize that the best way to deal with
    this economic uncertainty is to empower our consumers and our
    businesses, both large and small, to make investments that will affect
    job growth this year.
        And so I was pleased to sign a $157 billion progrowth economic
    package, which should help us deal with these economic uncertainties.
    People say, ``What else should we do?'' Well, unless Congress acts, most
    of the tax reliefs we delivered over the past 7 years will be taken
    away. We cut taxes on families with children. We cut taxes on small
    businesses. We cut taxes on capital gains. We cut taxes on dividends.
    We've put the death tax on the road to extinction. We cut taxes on
    everybody who paid taxes, and unless the Congress acts, those tax cuts
    will end.
        Some Democrats argue that letting tax relief expire is not a tax
    increase. Well, they're going to have to explain that to 116 million
    American taxpayers who would see their taxes rise by an average of
    $1,800. That may not seem like a lot of people, in Washington, DC, but
    it's sure a lot of people who are trying to make their mortgages and
    send their kids to college.
        In times of uncertainty, we don't need uncertainty in our Tax Code.
    And the United States Congress must make the tax relief we passed
    permanent. And the American people can be assured that our candidates
    will not be running up taxes.
        Those are the two big issues facing us: who best to protect America
    and who best to keep taxes low. I'm looking forward to this campaign.
    I'm excited about taking our message to the American people. With your
    help and hard work, there's no doubt in my mind--no doubt--that we'll
    win.
        And I'm looking forward to finishing my term in office. I want to
    tell you this: I'm going to finish strong. My vision is clear. My energy
    is high. My enthusiasm for the United States of America has never waned
    since I've had the high honor of serving you as President.
        I thank you for your prayers. I thank you for your support. God
    bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:56 p.m. at the National Building Museum.
    In his remarks, he referred to Gov. J. Richard Perry of Texas, chairman,
    Republican Governors Association, who introduced the President; Gov.
    Matthew R. Blunt of Missouri, vice chairman, and Gov. Mark C. Sanford,
    Jr., of South Carolina, dinner chairman, Republican Governors
    Association; former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G.
    Thompson; former Attorney General John Ashcroft; former Secretary of
    Homeland Security Thomas J. Ridge; former Administrator of the
    Environmental Protection Agency Christine Todd Whitman; former U.S.
    Ambassador to Canada Argeo Paul Cellucci; former Secretary of
    Agriculture Michael O. Johanns; Secretary of Health and Human Services
    Michael O. Leavitt; Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne; Secretary
    of Agriculture Edward T. Schafer; Gov. Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., of
    Indiana; Gov. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., of Utah; and Gov. Piyush ``Bobby''
    Jindal of Louisiana.

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