[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 24 (Monday, June 17, 2002)]
[Pages 993-998]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Dinner for Senatorial Candidate James M. Talent in
Kansas City

June 11, 2002

    Thank you all. Thank you very much. Well, thanks for that most 
generous welcome. It's an honor to be here, back to the great State of 
Missouri. I'm here tonight for one reason: I urge the good folks of 
Missouri to send this good man to the United States Senate.

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    I want to thank all of you all for making this evening, I'm told, an 
historic evening. It's incredibly successful. I want to thank the good 
folks at the head table, who worked hard to send a clear message to 
others in the State of Missouri that Jim Talent's got great support all 
across the State. I particularly want to thank those who man the phones 
and stuff the envelopes, the grassroots workers that make an incredible 
difference on every election day.
    I understand this is the height of barbecue season. [Laughter] I 
know a little something about barbecue. [Laughter] We kind of think 
Texas barbecue is pretty good. [Laughter] But we had a barbecue recently 
on the lawn there at the White House. It was a magnificent event. We 
were able to invite Republicans and Democrats from the United States 
Congress, but one person was missing. So the next time I give a 
barbecue, we might just decide to have barbecue from this part of the 
world, as we eat barbecue with the next United States Senator, Jim 
Talent.
    I want to thank Brenda Talent for joining her husband in this great 
journey to serve the people of Missouri. I know what it's like to marry 
somebody above myself. [Laughter] I regret that Laura is not here today. 
She is out in the western part of our country. She was in Idaho and then 
Utah, going to go out to California later on today. And then she and I 
are going to team up or meet back up in Crawford, Texas, for the 
weekend. I've got to get some culture here one of these days, so I'm 
going back to Crawford. [Laughter]
    But you know, when I asked Laura to marry me, she was a public 
school librarian, and the truth of the matter is, she didn't 
particularly care for politics or politicians. [Laughter] But the people 
of this country are beginning to understand why I asked her to marry me. 
She's a class act. A lot of people are still scratching their heads 
wondering why she said, yes. [Laughter] But we're doing great. A lot of 
you out there have prayed for my family. I want to thank you for the 
precious gift of the prayers of the people, and we feel strong and 
confident.
    I traveled here today with some fine folks in my administration: 
Governor Tom Ridge, who is Director of the Homeland Security; former 
Governor of the State of New Jersey, who's now the Administrator of the 
EPA, Christie Todd Whitman, is with us.
    Christie made a really good suggestion for our family right before 
the end of the campaign in 2000. She suggested that I buy Laura a 
birthday present. It's a pretty good suggestion, actually. [Laughter] I 
had forgotten. [Laughter] And it turned out that the gift was Barney, 
the Scottish terrier. Little Barney is a fabulous little guy. He's the 
son I never had. [Laughter] In that he's only 1\1/2\, he really doesn't 
spend much time in the Oval Office. After all, we've got a new rug in 
there. [Laughter] But it's the chance for me publicly to thank Governor 
Whitman for her fine suggestion and a great addition to our family.
    Our family is also complete when we talk about Spot the dog. Spot 
was born at the White House when Mother and Dad were there, and Spot 
gets to come in the Oval Office on a regular basis.
    It is such an honor to walk into the Oval Office, dog or no dog. 
[Laughter] And I want to thank you all for giving me the chance to serve 
this great country.
    I particularly want to thank Ann Wagner for her good work for the 
Republican Party in Missouri as well as the national committee.
    I want to thank you all for raising a man who is doing a fantastic 
job for the country, and that is the Attorney General of the United 
States, John Ashcroft. I appreciate so very much your senior Senator, 
Kit Bond, who is traveling with me today. I want to thank you, Senator, 
for your leadership. Sam Graves, and Kenny Hulshof of the State of 
Missouri is with us as well, and I thank you all for being here. If you 
see them leaving after my speech, it's because they want a free ride. 
[Laughter] It's not a bad way to travel, I might add. [Laughter]
    We've also got a Congressman from the great State of California with 
us. He's the chairman of the Rules Committee, a close friend. He's doing 
a fine job for America, David Dreier. Thank you for coming, David.
    And then, of course, there's the Governor of Kansas. I'm surprised 
you all let him across the State line. [Laughter] But he's a good 
friend. He's done a fabulous job. He's

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brought a lot of dignity to the Governor's office in the State of 
Kansas. And that's Bill Graves.
    And finally, I'm proud of your secretary of state of Missouri, Matt 
Blunt. Matt was a Naval Reserve officer who just returned from Operation 
Enduring Freedom. And I want to thank you for your service, Matt.
    Jim Talent's an easy man to support. I like his values. I like the 
fact that he makes his family a priority. I like the fact that he loves 
his country more than himself. I like the fact that he's an experienced 
man. He served in the United States Congress, and when he served in the 
Congress, he served with distinction. You all may remember he was on the 
House Armed Services Committee. He believed we needed a strong military 
prior to September the 11th.
    I also appreciate the fact that he understands the significant role 
small business plays in our society. It's really important that our 
small-business sector be vibrant and strong, that there be less 
regulations on the small-business person, there be less taxation on the 
small business-person, and that we think aggressively about how to make 
sure small businesses can take care of their own, can help their 
employees. That's why his support of the association health plans makes 
so much sense. It's so logical. We need a logical mind, a can-do fellow 
in the United States Senate representing that junior seat.
    I want to thank Jim as well for understanding the role of Government 
is not to create wealth. The role of Government is to create an 
environment in which the entrepreneur and small-business owner can 
flourish. And that is why it was vitally important that we cut the taxes 
on the working people in America.
    Occasionally you hear the voices up there in Washington saying, 
``Oh, the tax cut didn't mean anything.'' The tax cut meant a lot. When 
you let people keep more of their own money, it increases demand. And 
when you increase demand for goods and services, somebody is going to 
provide the goods and services. And when somebody provides the goods and 
services, it means somebody can find work. This tax cut came at the 
right time for America, and we need to make it permanent. And Jim Talent 
will be a vote I can count on when it comes to cutting the taxes on the 
American people.
    He understands that if you're good at something, you ought to 
promote it. We're good at agriculture in America. We're good at high 
tech in America. And we ought to be selling our products not only at 
home but overseas. I need trade promotion authority, and I need a vote 
in the United States Congress that will give me trade promotion 
authority, for the good of American workers.
    One of the debates we're going to have in Washington right now, and 
it may spill over when he's the Senator, is welfare reform. The 1996 law 
that Jim was integrally a part of has made a significant difference in 
the lives of millions of Americans. It has freed people from dependency 
upon Government. It has encouraged people to find dignity in their lives 
through work. And whatever we do, for the good of the American people, 
we must not--we must not--water down any welfare reform reauthorization. 
We must insist upon work and family, for the good of the American 
people.
    The next logical step for welfare reform is to unleash the great 
compassion of America, is to encourage faith-based and community 
programs to be an integral part of helping people help themselves. Jim 
Talent understands that Government should not discriminate against 
programs based in religious institutions. We ought to welcome those 
programs, for the good of people whose lives we're trying to save and 
whose lives need additional hope.
    So I look forward to having him in the United States Congress, and I 
look forward to working with him to help us do our most important job, 
which is to secure our homeland, which is to do everything we can to 
protect the American people.
    I was telling you, I took Spot there in the Oval Office. I sit at 
the desk, by the way, where the Roosevelts sat. Since I'm a President, I 
can--Ted and Franklin--[laughter]--Kennedy sat, Reagan sat. I go in this 
magnificent office, which is really a shrine to the great democratic 
traditions of our country, and I read an assessment from our 
intelligence services about the plans of the enemy. And it reminds me 
every day of two things: One, that we face nothing but a bunch

[[Page 996]]

of coldblooded killers, is the best way I can describe them; and that 
all of us must work together to protect the innocent people of America.
    And that's why last week I proposed a reorganization of agencies all 
throughout our Government into one Cabinet, called the Department of 
Homeland Security. My intention, of course, is not to create more 
Government. As a matter of fact, I ran--I said, ``Give me a chance. I 
won't create more Government.'' My intention is to make Government work.
    There are over 100 different agencies involved with protecting our 
homeland, agencies scattered throughout the Federal bureaucracy, which 
means it's kind of hard to determine who's responsible, who is 
accountable for the protection of the American people. And so, for the 
good of our country, I've called upon Congress to reorganize Government 
in a way that allows us all to more effectively deal with the true 
threats that face America.
    This agency will be charged with enforcing our border. Listen, we 
need to know who's coming into the country. We need to how long they 
intend to stay. We need to know whether or not they've left like they 
said they were going to do.
    We need to make sure that we can respond to any bioterrorist attack, 
we need to be wise about what can happen and, if it does happen, what to 
do about it. We need to reorganize so that we've got the capacity to 
deal effectively with local governments, particularly our first-
responders, the brave police and fire and EMS crews that serve the 
public with such distinction.
    And we need to make sure that any intelligence gathered is analyzed 
properly so that we can anticipate threats, so we get a better feel for 
what may be happening in America and then devise a plan to deal with it.
    People say, ``Well, gosh, that sounds pretty simple to get done.'' 
The problem is, we're dealing with some in Congress who guard what they 
call ``turf.'' They don't like the thought of losing jurisdiction over 
one of the 100 groups. They don't like the idea of perhaps the 
appropriations process being taken away from them. But for the good of 
the country, the United States Congress needs to put political 
partisanship aside. They need to put turf battles aside and do what's 
right to secure the homeland.
    Let me share a couple of examples about what I'm talking about. The 
Coast Guard is an incredibly important part of our--of securing our 
border. The Coast Guard is--and they do a great job, by the way, and 
they've got a lot of tasks. But there's nothing more important than 
border security. And yet the Coast Guard reports to the Transportation 
Department. The Transportation Department's primary function is 
railroads and airplanes and highways, not the security of the United 
States. The Customs Department needs to be an integral part of enforcing 
our border, and yet the Customs Department reports to the Secretary of 
Treasury. His job isn't homeland security; his job is fiscal policy in 
the United States.
    For the good of the American people, we need to align the 
responsibilities, align authority and responsibility so that I can hold 
somebody to account, because I can assure you, the American people are 
going to hold me to account.
    I know you hear about all these threats, but you need to know we're 
doing everything we can possibly do to prevent the enemy from hitting 
us. Prior to September the 11th, the FBI, for example, was focused on 
law enforcement, and that's good. We want them to be focused on law 
enforcement. But the culture is changed. We've made--a lady came before 
it the other day and brought some pretty good evidence, evidence that we 
needed to look at to make sure that if there's any gaps, we deal with 
them.
    And now Director Mueller, who was on the job one week prior to 
September the 11th, by the way, comes to my office every morning, 
reporting in to me about what the FBI is doing to prevent attack. The 
culture is shifting in Washington, DC, and that's incredibly positive 
for the American people. We've got a lot of work to do--we've got a lot 
of work to do, but we're making good progress.
    But you need to know how I think. The best way to secure the 
homeland of our country is to hunt the killers down one by one and bring 
them to justice. And that's precisely what the United States is going to 
do.

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    I submitted a budget that prioritizes our national defense. It's the 
largest increase in defense spending since Ronald Reagan was the 
President of the United States. I did so for two reasons: One, any time 
we put our young into harm's way, they deserve the best training, the 
best equipment, the best pay possible; and two, it's a signal to the 
American people, our allies, and as importantly, to the enemy, that the 
United States of America is in this war for the long pull. There is not 
a calendar on my desk that says, by such and such a moment, you're going 
to quit. That's not what somebody does when it comes to defending that 
which we hold dear, and this country loves freedom.
    I can't imagine what was going through the minds of the enemy when 
they attacked us. They must have said, ``Well, you know, these people in 
America are soft; they're so materialistic and so self-absorbed and so 
basically weak that all the great country might do is file a couple of 
lawsuits.'' [Laughter] They were wrong. If anybody attacks our freedom, 
if anybody thinks the United States of America will blink in the face of 
terrorist activity, they have significantly, significantly 
underestimated the will of the American people.
    This is a war unlike any we've ever had. There's not great columns 
of equipment moving across a country. There's not vast industrial 
complexes manufacturing weapons to be used in these armies. We fight a 
shadowy group of killers who like to hide in caves and send youngsters 
to their suicide. They think they can hide from our country and our 
coalition, but because we're patient and steadfast and brave and 
determined, there is no cave deep enough for people who want to harm 
America and take away our freedoms.
    The enemy has suffered a significant defeat in the first battle in 
the first war of the 21st century, and that was in Afghanistan. It is 
important for you all to tell the young ones in America, when you have a 
chance, that this great country of ours does not seek revenge. America 
seeks justice. And I ask you to point out to the young ones that when we 
went into Afghanistan, we arrived not as conquerors but as liberators. 
As a result of the United States and our friends and allies, young girls 
go to school for the first time in Afghanistan. By freeing the Afghan 
people from the clutches of the most barbaric regime in modern history, 
we have liberated people, for the good of the people of Afghanistan.
    Sometimes the American people will see progress on their TV screens, 
and sometimes you won't. In my speech the other night, I informed the 
American people that we've--we and our friends have arrested and 
detained over 2,400 terrorists. As you read in the newspaper, we now 
need to make that 2,401.
    We're upholding the doctrine that says either you are with us, or 
you are with the terrorists. Either you love freedom, or you stand 
against the United States of America. No matter where these killers 
light, the United States and our friends and allies will bring them to 
justice, no matter how long it takes, because history has called us into 
action. History has given us the opportunity to defend freedom, and 
that's precisely what we're going to do.
    And freedom is not only at risk as a result of one terrorist 
network; freedom's at risk because of terrorist networks around the 
world. And freedom is at risk with the thought that Al Qaida or an Al-
Qaida-type organization could mate up or team up with one of these 
nations which develops weapons of mass destruction.
    That's a nightmare scenario to think about. Think about the fact 
that people hate our freedoms, hate the fact that we are tolerant of 
religion, hate the fact that we speak our minds freely, and they develop 
the capacity to deliver a horrible weapon via ballistic missiles that 
could change the dynamic of the ability for us to keep peace. It could 
cause people to blanch, to blink in the face of such a threat. I'm a 
patient man. I'll use all the tools at our disposal. But we will not let 
the world's worst leaders hold America and our friends and allies 
hostage with the world's worst weapons.
    Ann mentioned I'm an optimistic fellow, and I am. I believe that out 
of the evil done to America will come some incredible good. You also 
need to tell people that we fight for peace. That's what we fight for. I 
long for a peaceful world. And I believe that if

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America continues to lead with steadfast purpose and strong resolve, 
that we not only can achieve peace for the American people, but we can 
achieve peace in places around the world that have seemingly no hope for 
peace. It's important for us to keep peace in mind.
    And at home, I believe that we're a better country as a result of 
the evil done to us, because I believe Americans have heard the call 
that if you want to join the fight against evil, do some good; love your 
neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. I'm asked all the 
time, ``What can I do to help?'' My answer is, mentor a child. If you 
want to fight evil, tell somebody you love them. Show somebody your 
compassion. Join your church or synagogue and mosque's programs to feed 
the hungry.
    It is important in this Nation for us to recognize there are pockets 
of despair and hopelessness. And I believe that through compassion and 
love, we can save those people and show them America is meant for them. 
I recognize one person can't do everything, but I want you to know, one 
person can do something. One person can be a part of saving America, one 
soul, one conscience, one heart at a time. The American people are 
responding, because our people are deeply kind and compassionate people. 
People all across the country are taking responsibility for their lives.
    I believe out of the evil done to America, there's a good chance 
we'll change our culture from one which has said, ``If it feels good, 
just go ahead and do it, and if you've got a problem, blame somebody 
else,'' to a new culture which says, ``Each of us are responsible for 
the decisions we make in life.'' If you're a mom and a dad, you're 
responsible for loving your child with all your heart and with all your 
soul. If you're a responsible citizen of Kansas City, you have the 
responsibility to help somebody in need. If you run a company in 
corporate America, you have a responsibility to disclose all your assets 
and all your liabilities. You have a responsibility to your employees, 
and you have a responsibility to your shareholders.
    And the reason I believe this is happening, because I believe 
Americans realize serving something greater than yourself in life helps 
complete life. Serving something greater than your own self-interests is 
part of what a full life is all about. And it's happening across 
America; it is.
    I think perhaps the most significant moment after 9/11, or during 9/
11, was Flight 93. We had people on an airplane, flying across our 
country. They thought they were on a business trip, or traveling--
thought it was a normal day. They were told on their cell phones that 
the enemy was using airplanes as a weapon. They realized that the 
hijacked plane they were on was going to be used to kill, and they 
decided to serve something greater than themselves. In this case, they 
served their country. They said a prayer, they told their loved ones 
they loved them, and they drove a plane into the ground. It is a sign to 
me that the great courage and heart of America is alive and strong.
    And all of us must use that example of serving something greater 
than themselves as we join this war against evil. And by so doing, out 
of the evil will come incredible good for America. People will realize 
the greatness of our country. People will realize there's hope where 
there is no hope, light where there seems to be darkness. And it's going 
to happen in this country, no doubt in my mind, because this is the 
greatest nation on the face of the Earth. And it is a huge honor to be 
the President of the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.
    Thank you for coming. May God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 6:30 p.m. in the Imperial Ballroom at the 
Marriott Kansas City Downtown. In his remarks, he referred to Ann 
Wagner, chairman, Missouri Republican Party, and cochairman, Republican 
National Committee; and Gov. Bill Graves of Kansas.