[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[June 18, 2008]
[Pages 846-850]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at the President's Dinner
June 18, 2008
Thank you very much. Thank you for the warm welcome. Good evening. I
appreciate that kind introduction, Jeb, and I
thank you for bringing Melissa too.
It's my honor to be with you. I can't thank you enough for coming to
support our candidates running for the United States House, the United
States Senate, and for the White House.
I appreciate my friends from the Congress who are here. I especially
want to pay tribute to Senator Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican leader; Congressman John
Boehner, House Republican leader; Senator
John Ensign, the chairman of the
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NRSC, who, by the way, brought his son Michael; Congressman Tom Cole, chairman
of the NRCC, a man who deserves a lot of credit, along with
Jeb, for tonight's success; my friend from
the State of Utah, Senator Orrin Hatch. I
thank the RNC chairman, Mike Duncan; all those here at the head table for their
leadership in making this an incredibly successful event.
Most of all I want to thank you all for coming, for giving of your
time and your money to help us achieve a big victory in November of
2008.
This is my eighth President's Dinner, also known as my last dinner
before mandatory retirement. [Laughter] I can't say for sure what I'm
going to be doing next year. I suspect I'll be in Crawford, watching the
Rangers on TV. But I know what you'll be doing. You'll be holding this
dinner in honor of a new guest: President John McCain.
I know John McCain well. I have worked with
him, and I have run against him. Take it from me: It's better to have
him on your side. [Laughter]
The stakes in this election are high. I know the pressures of the
Oval Office: the daily intelligence briefings, the unexpected
challenges, and the tough decisions that can only be made at the
President's desk. In trying times, America needs a President who has
been tested and will not flinch. We need a President who has the
experience and judgment to do what is right, even when it is not easy.
We need a President who knows what it takes to defeat our enemies. And
this year, there is only one man who has shown those qualities of
leadership, and that man is John McCain.
Sending John to the White House is a great
goal, but it's not our only goal. As President, he's going to need
strong conservative allies on Capitol Hill. And that means we need to
put the House and the Senate back where they belong, into Republican
hands. And I appreciate you coming tonight to see that is exactly what
happens.
You know, this election season is just beginning. The real campaign
will be in the fall. And the American people will take the measure of
the candidates running and their vision for the future. And when they
do, they're going to find some big differences between our parties.
On issues that matter the most, from taxes and spending to
confirming good judges and building a culture of life to protecting our
people and winning the war on terror, the American people will have a
clear choice. And after the speeches and the debates and when the
American people focus on what matters to their future, they're going to
send Republican candidates to the House, Republican candidates to the
Senate, and John McCain to the White House.
This November, the American people are going to have a clear choice
when it comes to taxes and spending. Republicans believe American
families can spend their money far better than the Federal Government
can. We've restrained spending in Washington. We delivered the largest
tax cuts since Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States. We
cut taxes for married couples. We cut taxes for families with children.
We cut taxes for small businesses. We cut taxes on dividends and capital
gains. We put the death tax on the road to extinction. We eliminated
income taxes for nearly 5 million families in the lowest tax bracket.
And as a result, the American people have more money in their pocket,
and that is the way it should be.
Our opponents take a different view. The Democratically controlled
Congress refuses to make the tax relief permanent. And when tax relief
expires, every income tax rate in America will go up. The marriage
penalty will return in full force. The child tax credit will be cut in
half. Taxes on capital gains and dividends will increase significantly.
The death tax will return to life. A typical family of four with an
income
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of $40,000 will face a tax increase of more than $2,000.
At a time when the American people are struggling with high food
[prices], * high gas prices, and economic uncertainty, the absolute last
thing they need is a tax increase. And in order to make sure that
doesn't happen, the American people need to elect a Congress and a
President that will make the tax relief permanent.
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* White House correction.
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Now, there's a reason why the Democrats want to raise taxes. They
need more money to pay for all the new spending they have in mind. When
the Democrats campaigned in 2006, they promised fiscal responsibility.
But when they took control of the Congress, they tried to go on a
spending spree and stick the American people with the tab. Over the past
17 months, Democrats in Congress have routinely filed legislation with
excessive spending. But there was an important thing that stood between
them and the American people paying more in taxes, and it's called a
veto pen.
You know, when it comes to taxes and spending, our opponents offer a
lot of soothing words. But keep this in mind: While their talk may be
cheap, their agenda isn't. And here's the bottom line: If you want a
bigger tax bill and bigger government, put the Democrats in charge of
both the White House and Capitol Hill. But if you want to keep your
taxes low and stop wasteful spending, elect John McCain and a Republican Congress.
This November, the American people will have a clear choice when it
comes to confirming good judges and building a culture of life.
Republicans aspire to build a society where every human being is
welcomed in life and protected in law. We've funded crisis pregnancy
programs and supported parental notification laws. We outlawed the cruel
practice of partial birth abortion. We defended this good law all the
way to the Supreme Court, and we won.
This victory shows how important it is to put good judges on the
bench. Republicans have a clear view of the role of the courts in our
democracy. We believe that unelected judges should strictly interpret
the law and not legislate from the bench. I've nominated and Congress
has confirmed good judges, including the two newest members of the
Supreme Court, Justice Sam Alito and
Chief Justice John Roberts.
And our opponents have a different view. There's no clearer
illustration of their differences in our judicial philosophies than
this: John McCain voted to confirm these
eminently qualified Supreme Court Justices; his opponent voted against them.
We received a fresh reminder of the importance of the courts last
week. A bare majority of five
Supreme Court Justices
overturned a bipartisan law that the
United States Congress passed, and I signed, to deliver justice to
detainees at Guantanamo Bay. With this decision, hardened terrorists--
hardened foreign terrorists now enjoy certain legal rights previously
reserved for American citizens. This is precisely the kind of judicial
activism that frustrates the American people. And the best way to change
it is to put Republicans in charge in the Senate and John McCain in the White House.
This November, the American people will have a clear choice when it
comes to protecting our country and winning the war on terror.
Republicans believe that our most solemn duty is to protect the American
people. Since September the 11th, 2001, we have worked day and night to
stop another attack on our homeland.
Here at home, we've strengthened our defenses, reformed our
intelligence community, and launched a new program to monitor terrorist
communications. Around the world, we have gone on the offense against
the terrorists. We've advanced freedom as the great alternative to the
ideology of hatred and violence. In a time of war,
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we need a President who understands that we must defeat the enemy
overseas so we do not have to face them here at home, and that man is
John McCain.
In Afghanistan, we destroyed Al Qaida training camps and removed the
Taliban from power. And today, we're helping a democratic society take
root, ensuring that Afghanistan will never again be a safe haven for the
terrorists planning an attack on America.
And in Iraq, we removed the dangerous regime of Saddam Hussein.
Removing Saddam Hussein was the right decision at the time, and it is
the right decision today. Early last year, when the situation in Iraq
was deteriorating, we launched what's called the surge. And since the
surge, violence in Iraq has dropped. Civilian deaths and sectarian
killings are down, and political and economic progress is taking place.
A democracy is taking root where the tyrant once ruled.
In Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world, our men and women in
uniform are performing with skill and honor. And our country needs a
Commander in Chief who will respect and fully support the United States
military, and that man is John McCain.
The war on terror is the great challenge of our time. And on this
vital issue, the Democratic Party has repeatedly shown it would take
America down the wrong path. Democratic leaders in Congress have yet to
renew a surveillance law that our intelligence professionals say is
critical to protecting America. They tried to shut down a CIA program
for questioning terrorists, a program that has saved American lives.
They've repeatedly delayed funding for our troops in the field.
On Iraq, the Democrats declared the surge a failure before it began.
And now that the surge has turned the situation around, they still call
for retreat. The other side talks a lot about hope, and that sums up
their Iraq policy pretty well. They want to retreat from Iraq, and hope
nothing bad happens. But wishful thinking is no way to fight a war and
to protect the American people. Leaving Iraq before the job is done
would embolden our enemies and endanger our citizens. The only path to
victory is to support the Iraqi people, support our commanders, support
our troops, support Republicans for Congress, and elect John
McCain as the next Commander in Chief.
Over the next few months of this campaign, you're going to hear a
lot of talk about change. Democrats say they're the party of change.
There was a time when they believed that low taxes were the path to
growth and opportunity, but they've changed. There was a time when they
believed in commonsense American values, but they have changed. There
was a time when they believed that America should pay any price and bear
any burden in the defense of liberty, but they have changed. These days,
if you want to know how a Democrat in Congress is going to vote
tomorrow, just visit the web site of MoveOn.org today.
This is change all right, but it's not the kind of change the
American people want. Americans want change that makes their life better
and our country safer, and that requires changing the party in control
of the United States Congress. So with your efforts and with your hard
work, I am confident that the American people will send Republicans to
Congress--and to send our friend John McCain to
the White House.
This is the final time I'm going to speak to this event. And when I
ran for President 8 years ago, as Jeb
mentioned, I promised to uphold the dignity and honor of this office.
And to the best of my ability, I have tried to live up to that promise.
Next January, I will leave with confidence in our country's course and
the proud work we have done together.
We've worked together to make our country safer and to spread
prosperity throughout our land. I've been strengthened by your support
and lifted up by your prayers. I've also been blessed to share
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these years with a strong and loving family, including a fabulous woman
named Laura Bush. I believe she's the finest
First Lady in our Nation's history. Just don't tell mother. [Laughter]
And in this job, I have had no finer example of character, decency, and
integrity than the first man to be called President George Bush.
This isn't a farewell speech, because we've got a lot to do this
year. I want you to know my energy is up, my spirits are high, and I am
going to finish this job strong. So with confidence in our vision,
strong belief in our philosophy, faith in our values, let us go forward,
reclaim the Congress, and elect John McCain as
President in 2008.
God bless you, and God bless America.
Note: The President spoke at 7:29 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center. In his remarks, he referred to Rep. Jeb Hensarling,
chairman, 2008 President's Dinner, and his wife Melissa.