[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 8 (Monday, February 25, 2002)]
[Pages 250-253]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the Republican Party of Alaska in Anchorage

February 16, 2002

    Thank you all. Thank you, Governor--I mean--[laughter]. Thank you 
all for coming. Listen, I've been in Alaska long enough to remember when 
Edith Holmes sang ``The Star Spangled Banner.'' [Laughter] God rest her 
soul. I actually met Edith when I was living in Fairbanks in 1974. I had 
the privilege of voting in the Republican primary in 1974. As you know, 
you've got a one-month residency requirement, and I met it. So I voted. 
I can't remember who I voted for, but I was a proud participant. I know 
I'm the only President ever to have voted in any kind of primary in 
Alaska. [Laughter]
    But I have such fond memories of Fairbanks and the Kenai Peninsula 
and Anchorage. And as you know, there was a period of time when you had 
kind of weak immigration laws and a lot of Texans came up here--
[laughter]--many of whom were my friends. But such a fabulous State. And 
thanks for such warm hospitality. And who said your three electoral 
votes didn't matter? [Laughter]
    I'm real thrilled to be traveling with Laura, obviously. The last 
time I went overseas, she didn't go. It was right after 9/11. I went to 
Shanghai for a quick meeting and came back. Now the people of the Far 
East are going to get to see a fabulous wife and a great mother and a 
great First Lady for the country.
    I do want to thank all those folks who put this on today, and I 
particularly want to thank the members of the Alaska congressional 
delegation: Senator Stevens, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Young. 
These are three very accomplished, capable, smart people who also have 
got a little bit of seniority, which helps. [Laughter]
    But Senator Stevens, I wish he were here because I would like for 
him to hear what I am going to say about him. He is a--he's a great 
legislator who loves America, and he is smart, and I really, really 
enjoyed working with him. He is a wonderful representative of the State 
of Alaska, obviously. But those of you who know Ted Stevens, you can't 
pigeonhole him just for one State. He really cares deeply about the 
Nation, as does Frank.
    And Don Young and I worked a lot of times together on this airport 
security bill. And it's a good piece of legislation, and he deserves a 
lot of credit for seizing a moment and getting some good legislation 
through. It was a period of time when it was so important for the 
country to see that the Government was actually doing something 
constructive at home to make--to kind of ease the nerves of the American 
people. And Don did a really good job of working that issue. And

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I was proud to sign the bill that he had a major hand in getting to my 
desk.
    And I also want to thank all the statehouse folks and the mayor, 
George W.--another George W.--[laughter]--there he is. But it's a thrill 
for us to be here.
    We're on our way, obviously, to Japan, South Korea, and China. It's 
an important trip, because we've got a lot in common with those nations. 
We've got trading interests. And as I mentioned in the speech over 
there, that one of the things I am going to continually remind these 
nations, that trade ought to be a two-way street, you know, that if we 
open up our market, they ought to open up theirs. And I will work hard 
to do that, because we have got a competitive advantage in a lot of 
important areas, and one of which is agriculture. I truly believe that 
it is in our Nation's interests and the world's interests that we tear 
down these barriers to trade, so that we can feed people who are hungry.
    I'm also going to talk about our values. The world obviously knows 
that we're willing to defend values, the values of freedom. And I'll 
explain to the leaders firsthand my absolute determination to do that.
    I told the country at different times right after September the 11th 
that the farther we got away from the date, it's likely that people 
would grow weary and tired of the efforts. Not me, nor my 
administration. History has called us into action, and action is where 
we'll be. We've laid out a pretty clear set of objectives early on in 
the war against terror but--all focused on defending freedom. And it's 
as simple as that. It's good versus evil, and freedom is under attack.
    My job, obviously, covers a lot of fronts, but there's nothing more 
important than the security of the American people and to prevent an 
attack. And as much as I wish I didn't have to say this, I still believe 
we are under attack. And I see threats every morning. Having said that, 
you can rest assured we're doing everything in our power to keep America 
safe. Everything possible, obviously, within the confines of the 
Constitution, we're doing.
    And I'm proud to report that the team is really working hard. You 
know, when I first came into office--or, not first came into office--
well, first came into office, and actually right around the September 
the 11th period--the FBI's function was really to run down spies or 
white-collar criminals. And there's nothing wrong with that; that's an 
important function of the FBI. But I can tell you with certainty they've 
got a new major focus, and that's preventing an attack. We've got over 
4,000 FBI agents around the country that are working hand in glove with 
State and local authorities, just to give--just to keep running down 
every lead and every hint and every opportunity to keep the country 
safe. And we are. And I'm pleased with the efforts being made.
    But I'm also a realistic fellow. And I know that in the long term, 
in order to keep America safe, we've got to keep this vast coalition 
we've put together and rout out terror wherever it hides and wherever it 
exists. And that's what we're going to do. That's what we're going to 
do.
    The amazing thing for me is that the country is so patient and so 
determined and so resolved. And I am very grateful for that, as I'm sure 
you can imagine. It is such a powerful feeling to know that I represent 
a great land that is united in our efforts to secure freedom.
    The other thing that I find interesting is that not only are we 
going to leave the world a safer and freer place, but I believe the 
culture is beginning to change. And one of the reasons I first ran for 
office in Texas and then eventually the Presidency was, I was concerned 
about a culture which, as I said in my State of the Union, said, ``If it 
feels good, do it.'' The second half of that is, ``If you've got a 
problem, blame somebody else.'' And my wish is, for the country, is that 
we usher in a period of personal responsibility.
    That means, if you're a mother or a father, that your most important 
job is to love your children with all your heart and all your soul. 
That's really what a period of personal responsibility means; we all 
rededicate ourselves to the parenting, if we're fortunate enough to have 
a child. Or it means that you'll love a neighbor like you'd like to be 
loved yourself. Or if you're corporate America, it means you will have 
full disclosure on

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all your assets and liabilities. [Laughter] Seriously, so that you don't 
mislead your shareholders or employees. There's certain responsibility 
that comes to those of us who have been entrusted with people's lives, 
in my case, or corporate America's lives, or individual lives, and we 
must seize that moment.
    And you know, I--probably the most meaningful moment for me was on 
Flight 93, when the guys get on the airplane, and they hear--they get 
the word that something's happening in Washington. The plane's hijacked. 
They tell their loved ones they love them; they say a prayer; and they 
drive the plane into the ground. It is kind of the epitome of taking 
responsibility to save somebody else's life. It's the ultimate 
sacrifice.
    I believe the country is asking, you know, how best to make 
ourselves better. And as I said in the speech in there, one way to do 
that, obviously, is to practice acts of kindness. And it's that--it's 
the compilation of these acts of decency and responsibility that will 
eventually define America and eventually win the war against terror.
    We've got some--besides the military, besides the budget items, 
there's obviously an issue that's relevant here to Alaska that I am 
passionate about, and that is energy. It is so important that our Nation 
be wise about our energy policy and be--first of all, we've got to 
conserve better, and we will. There's new technologies coming on that 
will enhance conservation, and that's important, no question about it. 
And the less energy we use and still are able to grow our economy, the 
less dependent we are on somebody else's energy.
    But we've also got to explore at home, and there is no better place 
to do so than in Alaska. There is a myth that somehow the environment 
cannot be protected if you find natural gas. As a matter of fact, 
natural gas will help protect the environment. [Laughter] And it is--
we've got to do everything in our power to send a clear message about 
reality, that nature and exploration can coexist in a positive way.
    I want to thank the Teamsters. Jerry Hood traveled with us today, 
and I've met with Jimmy Hoffa. He understands that this is more than 
just national security. We're also talking about people's jobs. This is 
a chance for people to get to work and to make a living and to put--and 
to help battle this recession that we face.
    So I am--I told Frank--I mean, I can assure you, this is not only 
important for our national security interests; it's right for America 
that we pursue this. And obviously you don't need to persuade your--any 
elected officials here. But if you happen to know somebody else in 
Congress that seems reluctant, tell them the truth; tell them how it 
works; tell them how important it is for the country.
    But we're having the time of our lives, and it's been an--as you can 
imagine, a fantastic experience in many ways, sad in many ways, very 
emotional for a period of time. But I've never been more optimistic 
about a country or a philosophy. I believe that philosophy that our 
party honors is one that heralds the individual, recognizes everybody 
has got potential, and that the job of the Government is to help people 
realize their potential. It's not to create wealth but an environment in 
which people are willing to take risks so that the entrepreneur can 
flourish, you can own your own business. We believe strongly in the 
freedoms that we adhere so closely to, that--we believe in private 
property rights and the rights of every citizen.
    And so it's a proud moment for me to be able to represent the 
Republican philosophy to the United States but, more importantly, show 
that it works. It works for people.
    And then so the tax cut that I campaigned on that we worked hard to 
get not only has made a huge difference in the lives of our citizens, 
but it came right at the right time. Just as the economy was, you know, 
declared stagnant and dead in the water, we got a tax cut going, which 
means people have got more money to spend, which means it's kind of a 
boost in the arm for our economy. And I wish I could say we're out of 
recession. I don't think we are. But there are some positive signs 
happening.
    So, all in all, I guess what I'm telling you is, one, I love being 
your President. I want to thank you for helping me get there. And I am 
incredibly optimistic, optimistic about the country, optimistic about 
peace, optimistic about our future. I just feel so strong, and it's 
great to be a President of a land of

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so many good people. And they don't even have to be Republican, as far 
as I'm concerned--[laughter]--people from all walks of life.
    So thanks for greeting Laura and me. Thanks for giving us a good 
sendoff as we go on to this important foreign policy trip. And may God 
bless you all. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 1:45 p.m. in The Gathering Place at the 
Alaskan Native Heritage Center. In his remarks, he referred to Alaskan 
gubernatorial candidate Senator Frank H. Murkowski, who introduced the 
President; Mayor George Wuerch of Anchorage; and James P. Hoffa, general 
president, and Jerry Hood, special assistant to the general president on 
energy policy, International Brotherhood of Teamsters.