[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 4 (Monday, January 28, 2002)]
[Pages 117-121]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at Southern Maine Technical College in Portland, Maine

January 25, 2002

    Thank you all very much for coming. It's nice to be back in--I guess 
my second home. I was telling your fine Governor, Angus King--and thank 
you for being here, Angus. I'm so honored you're here. He said, ``Are 
you going to come back next summer?'' I said, ``I knew I should have 
made my bed last time I was here.'' [Laughter] I'm not so sure my mother 
is going to invite me back, but I hope she does. [Laughter] Maine's a 
fabulous State, and as the Governor knows, it's full of such decent 
people. And thank you for coming out for such a warm greeting. I've got 
some things on my mind, and I want to share them with the good people of 
Maine.
    First, I want to tell you, I've got a great Cabinet. I'm so proud of 
the way our team has responded. A leader is only good as his team. I 
brought two members of my Cabinet with me: Secretary Mineta, and when I 
picked him out of the ranks, he was a--he served the previous 
administration as the Commerce Secretary. He's a proud Democrat, but he 
showed America really what he is: He's a proud American, and he's done a 
fabulous job. And I knew I needed somebody who knew something about 
local government to run the Homeland Security Office, somebody who had 
been an administrator, a chief executive officer, and somebody who could

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organize a massive task. And I picked the right man when it came to the 
former Governor of Pennsylvania, my very close friend, Tom Ridge. And 
one thing the world is learning, something I already knew, we've got a 
fabulous military run by fine people. Admiral Loy, thank you for your 
leadership. I appreciate it.
    I was supposed to bring two other folks with me today. I think 
you've heard of them: Snowe and Collins. They missed the flight--
[laughter]--for good reason. They were working on behalf of the people 
of Maine. They had some votes to cast. But I will tell you, these two 
fine ladies are good to work with, strong for the support of the State 
of Maine and great patriots. I'm proud of their service to our country, 
and I want to thank you for sending them to Washington, DC. And I know a 
Congressman--one of the two Congressmen from your State, John Baldacci, 
is here. John, where are you? Thank you for coming. I appreciate you 
being here, as well.
    First, I want to talk about the Coast Guard. Now, you probably think 
I've had a sweet spot in my heart for the Coast Guard because when I 
spend the night at 41's house down the coast, I wake up and see the 
cutter sitting out there. [Laughter] Well, has some good reason why I 
support the Coast Guard so strong. But I saw how the Coast Guard has 
responded after 9/11, and I know how important the Coast Guard is for 
the safety and security and the well-being of our American citizens.
    This is a fine group of people who don't get nearly as much 
appreciation from the American people as they should. And I'm here today 
to say thanks, on behalf of all the citizens who appreciate the long 
hours you put in, the daring rescues you accomplish, and the fine 
service you provide to our country. Oh, yes, we're on guard in America.
    But the Coast Guard has got more missions than that. Admiral Loy 
told me that right off the coast of my State of Texas, the Coast Guard 
enacted one of the largest marijuana busts in history just the other 
day--right off the east coast. The Coast Guard chopper, the Coast Guard 
crew from Air Station Cape Cod--coast guardsmen who I had a chance to 
thank personally today--rescued five fishermen from a 74-foot fishing 
vessel called the Covered Wagon, that sank in heavy seas. Five human 
souls returned back to land because of the bravery of people who wear 
the Coast Guard uniform.
    Such bravery is not an isolated event. After all, this story was 
repeated 4,000 times last year. The Coast Guard, the men and women who 
accomplish the mission, seized over 60 tons of cocaine last year. They 
responded to over 11,000 oil spills. They're working around the globe 
with the Department of Defense. Today, the Coast Guard is conducting 
maritime intercept operations in the Persian Gulf and providing 
waterside security in Guantanamo Bay.
    Earlier today I had the pleasure of going on board the Tahoma, the 
Coast Guard vessel that was the command vessel on site in New York 
Harbor the day the enemy hit us. They stayed there for 40 days, on alert 
24 hours a day, making sure that not only did traffic flow smoothly but 
the people were safe.
    When it comes to securing our homeland and helping people along the 
coast, the Coast Guard has got a vital and significant mission. And 
therefore, the budget that I send to the United States Congress will 
have the largest increase in spending for the Coast Guard in our 
Nation's history. We must make sure that our Coast Guard has got a 
modern fleet of vessels. We must make sure that port security is as 
strong as possible. We must make sure there's additional operating money 
available for the extended missions of the Coast Guard. And we must make 
sure those who wear our uniforms are well paid.
    I'll have other priorities in my budget. One of the biggest 
priorities, of course, is to make sure the homeland is secure. You know, 
none of us ever dreamt that we'd have a two-front war to fight, one 
overseas and one at home. But we do. That's reality, and as a result, we 
must respond and continue to respond and stay on alert and help defend 
America. The biggest chore I have, my biggest job, is to make sure our 
homeland is secure.
    Every morning I go into the Oval Office--and what a thrill it is to 
walk into that grand office--and I sit at the desk that other Presidents 
have sat at, Roosevelt, Reagan. And I look at the--I look at a threat 
assessment.

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The enemy still wants to hit us, and therefore this Nation must do 
everything in our power to prevent it. And so when I speak to the 
Congress next Tuesday night and I submit my budget, one of the top 
priorities will be the security of the homeland. I've asked for a 
doubling of homeland security funds, to $38 billion a year, money that 
will be spent to make sure that the Federal Government and the State 
Government and the local governments--and I know some mayors are here--
work in a cooperative way to make sure that our first-responders--the 
police, the fire, the emergency medical teams--have the best equipment, 
the best training, the best ability to communicate with each other to 
protect the American people.
    In this budget, we will make sure that our health systems are more 
modern and more responsive, that we stockpile needed medicines so that 
they'll be easily accessible at the call of a Governor or the call of a 
mayor, that we've got money in the budget for research and development, 
to stay ahead of what the enemy may try to use, that our public health 
systems have got the best communications possible and the ability to 
respond quickly.
    In this budget, under Norm Mineta's leadership, we are securing our 
airports, we're modernizing the equipment, we're sending more people 
into our airports to make sure that travelers get the best service and 
the most safe flight humanly possible.
    And under this budget, we're spending $11 billion for controlling of 
our borders. It is so important for our Nation to work with our friends 
to the north, Canada, and our friend to the south, Mexico, on border 
initiatives--that, one, doesn't tie up commerce but, on the other hand, 
prevents illegal drugs, terrorists, arms from flowing across our border.
    Tom Ridge went up to Canada--and I know the Governor will appreciate 
this, since you've got such a huge border with Canada--he went up with 
Canada and were talking about a new border initiative with our friends. 
We're analyzing every aspect of the border and making sure that the 
effort is seamless, the communication is real, that the enforcement is 
strong.
    And so, to this end, I've got a 29 percent increase in the budget of 
the INS, to make sure we modernize our reporting data, to know who comes 
in our country and who leaves our country. Forty percent--40 percent--
the INS estimates that 40 percent of the people who are here illegally 
have overstayed their visa. Forty percent of the people who are here 
illegally came because of the generosity of America--were given a period 
of time in which they could stay, and then they didn't leave. And one of 
the things we want to make sure of is we find the 40 percent to make 
sure they're not part of some Al Qaida network that wants to hit the 
United States.
    And so we're looking; we're listening; we're following every single 
lead. I'm proud of our FBI. We've got a fine man running the FBI, named 
Robert Mueller. When Mueller first came in, the main task of the FBI was 
running down crime, which is great--white-collar crime or watching for 
spies. And those are all important missions. But I'm proud to report to 
you now the number one mission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is 
to prevent another attack on America. We're going to add agents onto the 
payroll. We're going to add agents on our payroll, all aimed to making 
sure that not only do we find leads, but when we find a lead, we chase 
them down as quickly as possible.
    There is nothing more important for me and the Federal Government to 
do everything within the Constitution of the United States--and I 
emphasize we will not let the terrorists tear down our Constitution--we 
will do everything within the Constitution to protect the innocent 
Americans, the innocent moms and dads, the people who yearn for freedom 
and normalcy in their life. We're working overtime, and I'm proud of the 
American people, and I'm proud of the people who are working to protect 
the American people. We're going to beef-up Customs. We're on alert.
    But I want to assure you, I know this: that the best way to secure 
freedom in America, the best way to make sure we're a peaceful nation, 
the best way to ensure that our children can grow up in a world that a 
lot of us older folks grew up in--one that was pretty calm, pretty 
peaceful at home, one that was secure--the best way to accomplish this

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dream and mission is to find the enemy where they hide, to rout them 
out, and to bring them to justice. And that's exactly what our Nation is 
going to do.
    It wasn't all that long ago that I asked the military to perform a 
vital function. We've been at this for about 4\1/2\ months. Oh, for some 
people it may seem like a long time, but it's not very long when you 
think about the magnitude of the task. But in 4\1/2\ months, we've 
accomplished a lot--we really have--because we've got such a fabulous 
military. We routed out the Taliban. You see, I told the world--I told 
the world that if you harbor a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, if 
you feed a terrorist, you're a terrorist, and you're going to pay a 
price.
    Our men and women in uniform are brave, and they're skilled, and 
they must have all our support. So the budget I asked for to the United 
States Congress has got the most significant increase in military 
spending in the last 20 years. The price of victory is well worth it.
    And you know what makes me so proud of America? In the process of 
holding the Taliban accountable, in the process of defending freedom, 
our troops became liberators. We liberated women and children from the 
clutches of one of the most repressive regimes in the history of 
mankind. We rid women and children of the evils of the Taliban regime.
    But I want to explain to the American people that we must be 
patient. We've just started, and there's a lot to do. We've entered into 
a dangerous phase of the first theater in the war against terror. And 
that is, we're now hunting them down. We've got teams on the ground that 
are going cave to cave. You see, this enemy is one that's willing to 
send their young on suicide missions, while they, themselves, hide in 
caves. But there's no cave deep enough for the reach of the American 
military. We're patient; we're deliberate; and we're going to bring them 
to justice, one person at a time.
    I want to remind you all that our mission is not one person, our 
mission is terror wherever it exists. I'm proud we've got a strong 
coalition, a coalition that our country leads, a coalition bound up to 
protect freedom, a coalition that I hope will take every step necessary 
to find terrorists where they live and help us bring them to justice.
    You know, when the enemy hit us, they must have not known what they 
were doing. I like to tell people, ``They must have been watching too 
much TV, because they didn't understand America.'' [Laughter] They were 
watching some of those shows, that one can get the wrong impression 
about how materialistic we might be, how selfish we might be as a 
people. But that's not the way we are. Not only are we patient and 
determined and resolute to defend values we love, starting with the 
value of freedom, this good Nation understands that in order to fight 
evil, you do so with acts of kindness and goodness.
    People say to me, ``What can I do, Mr. President, to help?'' And my 
answer is, if you want to fight evil, do something good in your 
neighborhood. If you want to fight evil, be a part of the goodness of 
the country, by loving a child who may have lost a parent, by walking 
across the street to a shut-in and say, ``Somebody cares about you.'' If 
you want to be a part of the war against terror, go to your church or 
synagogue and mosque and ask the question, how can we love a neighbor in 
need, and then feed somebody. If you want to be a part of the war on 
terror, help a teacher, get involved with your public education, mentor 
a child.
    You see, the great strength of America is not only our military. The 
true strength of America is the million acts of kindness and decency and 
compassion that define the soul and character of our country on a daily 
basis.
    No, when the enemy struck us, little did they realize that out of 
the terrible evil would come such good. Our job is not only to win the 
war overseas; our job is not only to protect the homeland, to make sure 
we can live peacefully; our job is to fight evil on a daily basis, by 
loving a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. And that's 
what's happening all across the country, and for those of you who do 
that, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I want to 
thank you for giving me a chance to be the President of the greatest 
nation on the face of the Earth.
    God bless.

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Note: The President spoke at 1:15 p.m. in the Hutchinson Union Building.