    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 32 (Monday, August 12, 2002)]
    [Pages 1309-1315]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at a Luncheon for Gubernatorial Candidate Mike Fisher in
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    August 5, 2002

        Well, thanks, ``Governor.'' [Laughter] I'm glad you had me back. I
    know that your election and Jane's election will be best for the people
    of Pennsylvania. And I want to thank you all for joining in his effort.
        I want to thank the sitting Governor, Mark Schweiker. I, too, want
    to commend you for your leadership. I appreciate your steady calm and
    your deep compassion for your fellow citizens during crisis. A lot of
    people got to see what you're made out of. And as Mike said, a lot of
    people got to see what the people of Pennsylvania are made out of as a
    result of that incident. And I thank you, Mark, very much. You did a
    fine job.
        I want to thank the two United States Senators from the great State
    of Pennsylvania for being here. We've got Arlen Specter. Thank you for
    coming, Senator Specter. And Rick Santorum, we appreciate Rick Santorum.
    He's got such a good seat only because he's never on time. But it's good
    to see you. [Laughter] But both are doing a fine job. And I also
    appreciate Congresswoman Melissa Hart, from this area, for being here,
    as well. Melissa, where are you? Thank you for coming.
        I was pleased to meet your mother. I had breakfast with mine today.
    She's still telling me what to do. [Laughter] And I'm still listening--
    about half the time. [Laughter]
        I appreciate so very much Carol Fisher, the future first lady of the
    State of Pennsylvania. I want to thank you for standing by your man and
    getting ready to campaign with him all across this State.
        There's nothing like marrying well. [Laughter] I know. I married
    really well. And Laura sends her best and her love to a lot of our
    friends here in the State of Pennsylvania. I'm really proud of the job
    she's doing as the First Lady of the United States. She brings kind of a
    calm, steady demeanor to a pressure cooker of a life, and I'm a better
    President because I married so well. And the country is better off to
    have her as First Lady.
        I appreciate very much the next Lieutenant Governor, Jane Earll.
    It's an honor to meet her husband and her family here. And I want to
    thank you for your sacrifice, Jane. It shows what kind of Governor
    Mike's going to be. The fact that he picked Jane shows that he's going
    to be a inclusive person, somebody who wants to make sure that he
    represents every single person in the State of Pennsylvania. You made a
    great pick, Mike, in seeing Jane, and you're going to make a great team
    when you become elected to Governor and Lieutenant Governor of this

    [[Page 1310]]

    State. And, Jane, it's great to see you again. Thanks for your service.
        I want to thank--I think Tim Murphy is here. There he is.
    Congressman, good to see you. I appreciate you running, Tim, and I wish
    you all the best. I look forward to working with you next year. I also
    look--I want to thank all the leadership of the Republican Party--
    Christine Toretti, who is my friend, who is the national committeewoman,
    is here.
        But--and so are a lot of the grassroots activists. I know this is
    what they call a fundraiser, but there's a lot of people here who are
    going to do a lot more than fund-raise. They're going to go out and put
    the signs up and organize the rallies and make the phone calls, mail the
    mailers. And I want to thank you for your efforts, and I want to thank
    you for the work that you have done, and as importantly, for the work
    you're going to do, to make sure that these two good people get elected.
        I like Mike. I like what he's made out of. I like his character. I
    like the fact that he worked in the steel mills. And I like the fact
    that he knows how to get votes. See, I thought I ran a pretty good
    campaign here in the State of Pennsylvania. [Laughter] I didn't
    particularly care about coming in second, but nevertheless, I worked
    hard. And he told me the first time I met him, he said, ``Well, you ran
    a pretty good campaign, but I beat you, by about''--[laughter]--``by
    about 600,000 votes.'' [Laughter]
        Here's a man who knows how to get votes. He's a man who knows how to
    work with both Republicans and Democrats. He's not afraid of taking his
    message into neighborhoods that might not be called what we call
    ``Republican'' neighborhoods, because, see, his message is bigger than
    just a party. He's got a great compassion for the people of
    Pennsylvania, starting with--well, he wants to make sure every child
    gets educated. See, he understands the most important priority for a
    Governor is to promote an education system that is the best in the
    country. That's part of the legacy of Tom Ridge, who, by the way, is
    doing a fabulous job as the Director of Homeland Security.
        Mark understands that, and you're fixing to elect a Governor who
    shares the same passion. He believes what I believe, that every child in
    Pennsylvania and in America can learn. See, there must be some in this
    State and around the country who don't believe that. They've set such
    low standards and low expectations that the systems just shuffle people
    through. For the sake of Pennsylvania's future, for the sake of your
    citizens, you must elect a Governor who believes in the highest of high
    standards and who is willing to hold people accountable to make sure
    those standards are achieved for every single child in this State.
        Some in this State are willing to accept the status quo, even though
    the status quo is failing. What Pennsylvania needs is a Governor who has
    got high hopes and high expectations, a Governor who is willing to
    insist upon accountability, and then a Governor who is willing to do
    something about it when he encounters failure. We must not allow the
    children of Pennsylvania or anywhere else in America be trapped in
    schools that will not teach and will not change. I firmly believe that
    Mike Fisher is the right man to make sure that no child is left behind
    in the State of Pennsylvania.
        I also appreciate a man who understands that in order to make sure
    the public school system works, you've got to teach the children how to
    read. Kind of like me, he's a first-things-first fellow, a practical
    person. And I kind of get tired of all the theorists who talk education
    and forget to teach people how to read. We passed a significant piece of
    educational reform out of Washington. It says we're going to trust the
    Governors and local folks to chart the path to excellence when it comes
    to education. But it also says that we're going to insist upon
    curriculum that works, particularly when it comes to reading. We've got
    a Reading First Initiative.
        I'm comfortable in saying that this man will implement a good
    reading program all across the State of Pennsylvania, to make sure your
    children learn to read. And when they do, they'll learn. They'll learn
    science, and they'll learn math, and they'll learn self-esteem. Reading
    is the gateway to freedom. Reading is the new civil right. And you'll
    have a Governor who understands that in the State of Pennsylvania.

    [[Page 1311]]

        As the attorney general, Mike has had a record of making sure
    schools are safe. It's hard to learn, it's hard to learn to read, it's
    hard to learn anything in schools that aren't safe. It's important to
    have a Governor who's willing to blow the whistle on academic failure,
    and a Governor who is willing to insist that the classrooms be safe--
    safe on behalf of the children and safe on behalf of the parents and
    safe on behalf of the teachers who are trying to impart knowledge. Mike
    has got a good record. He's got a good, solid record when it comes to
    enforcing the law, and he's got a good heart when it comes to insisting
    that every child get educated in the State of Pennsylvania.
        I also appreciate his attitude about small business and the
    entrepreneurial spirit. He knows what I know: The role of Government is
    not to create wealth but an environment in which people can realize
    their dreams, in which small businesses can grow to be big businesses,
    in which the entrepreneurial spirit is strong in the great State of
    Pennsylvania. He knows that I know that most small--small businesses
    create more jobs in America than big business; that if you're interested
    in finding employment for the people of Pennsylvania, you've got to
    stimulate the growth of small businesses, which means you've got to have
    good tax policy. If you overtax your small businesses in the State of
    Pennsylvania, or in the country, for that matter, it's going to mean
    there's no capital for expansion; there's no extra money for job
    creation.
        Pennsylvania must have a Governor like Mike who knows that the
    economic environment conducive for the growth of small business is vital
    for job creation. Mike's got a record--I was impressed by the fact that
    when he was a State senator, he understood that Pennsylvania workers'
    compensation laws needed to be more fair and less burdensome on the
    businesses of the State of Pennsylvania, and by changing the law it not
    only helped worker; it helped set a tone for the State of Pennsylvania
    so people felt comfortable about employing people in this State. This
    man is a job creator, and that's what the State of Pennsylvania needs as
    its Governor.
        As you know, I, too, am worried about jobs here in America. If
    anybody wants to work and they can't find a job, we've got a problem, as
    far as I'm concerned. If somebody is looking for work and work is not
    available, we need to do something about it by focusing on job creation.
    Part of that is to make sure there's confidence in the private sector.
        I was pleased the other day to sign a bill, a corporate
    responsibility bill that says, if you're in charge of a business, you
    have the responsibility to your shareholders and your employees to tell
    the truth, and if you don't, you will be held accountable. And Mike has
    done just that as the attorney general of this State. He has got a
    record, a clear record of enforcing laws and coming down hard on
    corporate fraud and saying that we expect the highest of high standards
    throughout all our society, that no one is exempt from the laws of our
    land.
        No, I am confident this man is going to make a fabulous Governor for
    the State of Pennsylvania. I strongly believe he's going to win, and I
    appreciate you supporting him.
        I also want to talk about the national challenges we face. I believe
    that--I'm an optimist. I'm an optimist about our economy. And I should
    be. The fundamentals are strong. Interest rates are low. Monetary policy
    is sound. I can assure you I will work with Congress to control
    excessive Federal spending. One reason they give the President the veto
    power is to make sure the Congress doesn't overspend. Overspending could
    serve as an anchor on economic vitality and growth.
        I've mentioned we signed a corporate fraud bill. I also am the first
    Governor--President in a long period of time to have what they call
    trade promotion authority. It means that we're going to open up markets
    for U.S. products, markets for the products of Pennsylvania farmers,
    markets of the products of Pennsylvania high-tech companies. A confident
    nation is a nation willing to trade. And this Nation, as a result of the
    bill I just got and am signing tomorrow, will be a free trading nation.
        No, I've got confidence in the economic vitality of this country,
    because I've got confidence in the American people. I've got confidence
    in our workers. Productivity is up. I've got confidence in our
    entrepreneurs. People are still imagining new ways to bring new
    products. I've got confidence in our tax

    [[Page 1312]]

    policy. See, I come from the school of thought that says, if you let
    people keep more of their own money, they will demand a good or a
    service. And if somebody demands a good or a service, somebody will
    produce the good and service. And when somebody produces the good and
    service, somebody is going to find work. We passed tax relief at exactly
    the right time, and Congress needs to make the tax cuts permanent.
        The foundation for growth is strong in America. And we'll continue
    to work to promote ways to foster economic vitality. And one crucial way
    is, when Congress gets home, gets back from heading out to their
    districts and their States, they need to pass a terrorism insurance bill
    so that large construction projects which are now on the books will move
    forward, so that our construction workers will have work. There are too
    many construction projects that are put on hold for fear of a--for lack
    of terrorism insurance. People can't insure their projects, and so
    they're not moving forward. Congress needs to act, and when they act,
    they've got to remember, the workers are more important than the trial
    lawyers in America.
        We're making progress on securing the homeland. As I told you, Tom
    Ridge is doing a fine job. But I took a look at the agencies involved
    with our homeland security and realized that there's over 100 of them--
    100 different agencies--over 100 agencies involved with securing the
    homeland. And they're scattered all over our Nation's Capital. It's
    awfully hard to hold anybody to account if there's over 100 agencies
    involved with a single mission. So I sat down with Tom and others in my
    administration, and we came up with a plan. We decided to create a
    Department--Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, so I can say
    to the American people that we have organized ourselves to better
    protect us from an attack by one of these killers.
        And we're making progress on the creation of an Office of Homeland
    Security. We need an Office of Homeland Security to make sure that the
    number one priority of our Government is reflected in the agencies. And
    that is your protection. That's the number one priority right now. And
    we've got to have an Office of Homeland Security so that we can say to
    these agency heads, you may have other missions, but your most important
    mission is to protect the homeland. We've got to have a culture that
    becomes a part of this new Department that says, protecting the homeland
    is your most important job.
        The House of Representatives passed a good bill; the Senate will
    take it up when they get home. One of the things you'll hear about the
    Senate debate is, they're all worried about their turf and special
    interests and politics. For the sake of the American people, the Senate
    needs to pass a homeland security bill that provides me with the tools
    necessary to protect the homeland.
        You need to know there's a lot of people working a lot of hours to
    protect us, a lot of good folks that work in the Federal Government and
    the State government and local governments, doing everything they can to
    chase down every possible lead, every hint that somebody might be fixing
    to do something to the American people.
        And they're out there. The killers are out there. And that's all
    they are, by the way. They are nothing but a bunch of coldblooded
    killers who hate America because we love freedom. They hate us because
    we love the values of freedom of religion, freedom to speak, freedom to
    campaign the way you want to, freedom to assemble. They can't stand
    that. And so they're going to--they think they're going to hit us again.
    And we're doing a lot to protect the homeland. We really are. I am
    grateful for those who spend hours upon hours protecting America. But
    the best way to protect the homeland is to hunt the killers down, one by
    one, and bring them to justice, which is precisely what this country is
    going to do.
        I appreciate the House passing the defense appropriations bill. I
    appreciate the Senate passing the defense appropriations bill. And I
    want to thank the Members here for voting for both. Now it's time for
    them to get together, reconcile the differences between the two
    appropriations bill for our national defense, and get the bill to my
    desk in early September. We're at war, and I expect the appropriations
    bill on my desk--the appropriations bill necessary to fund this war--on
    my desk as soon as possible. It ought to be

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    the number one priority of the appropriators when they get back from
    their August recess.
        And in that bill you'll see it's the largest increase in defense
    spending since Ronald Reagan. And the reason why is, anytime we send our
    troops into harm's way, they deserve the best pay, the best training,
    the best equipment possible. And the increase in defense spending sends
    a message--it sends a message to our friends and allies who are part of
    our vast coalition. It sends a message to the enemy, we're in this for
    the long pull. This country isn't going to quit until we secure our
    freedom. This country is not faint-hearted. We're a determined country.
    We're strong, and we're united. When it comes to defending our freedoms,
    we understand the price of freedom is high, but we're willing to pay the
    price. That's the message we're sending to the enemy and to our friends.
    And that's an important message to send.
        And we're making good progress in the war against terror. We've
    hauled in over a couple of thousand of them. I say ``hauled them in''--
    that means ``arrest'' or ``incarcerate'' or however you want to put it.
    But those--not only the United States have done this, but so have our
    friends and allies. And just about the like number haven't been quite as
    lucky. So we're making good progress.
        And this is a different kind of war, though, as you noticed.
    Sometimes you'll see the progress on your TV screens, and sometimes you
    won't. Sometimes one of these killers will get plucked off the streets
    of a foreign nation, and you'll never hear about it. Sometimes it will
    make big news. But in either case, we're making progress, one by one.
        The old war used to be, they'd see these infantry brigades marching
    across some plain or scurrying through hedgerows. That's not the kind of
    war we're in. We're in a kind of war now where they've got the
    commanders, the so-called commanders of the enemy hiding in a cave,
    telling youngsters to go kill themselves. They send young kids to their
    suicide, in the name of a great religion, and they, themselves, cower,
    cowards hiding.
        But there's no cave deep enough for the United States. There's no
    cave dark enough for our troops and our friends and allies. In order to
    secure freedom and defend the American people, we're going to hunt them
    down. And we owe it to our children to do so. And we also owe it to our
    children to enforce these doctrines: If you harbor a terrorist, if you
    feed a terrorist, if you close--clothe a terrorist, you're just as
    guilty as those who killed the people of America on 9/11.
        And the doctrine--and this doctrine still pertains: Either you're
    with the United States and those of us who love freedom, or you're with
    the enemy. You see, the strategy is pretty clear. We've disrupted the
    Taliban. And I want the youngsters here, and those of you who have got
    little ones at home to go home and tell your kids that we went to
    Afghanistan not as conquerors but as liberators. We freed people from
    the clutches of a barbaric regime. And now, thanks to the United States
    and our friends and allies, young girls get to go to school for the
    first time--many of them for the first time in their life. And our
    friends understand the message.
        So the other day I was pleased to see that Gloria Arroyo, the
    President of the Philippines, went ahead and unleashed her troops and
    got after Abu Sayyaf, * which is an Al-Qaida-type network which had
    captured some Americans, amongst others. And she hears loud and clear,
    ``Either you're with us, or you're with the enemy.''
        So the coalition is knitted up, and we're active. We're cutting off
    their money. We're sharing information. We're fighting the first war of
    the 21st century. I say ``the first war''--there's no telling how many
    wars it will take to secure freedom in the homeland. But I know this: We
    will not and we must not allow the world's worst leaders to blackmail
    the United States and our friends and allies with the world's worst
    weapons.
        * White House correction.
        I'm a patient man--I'm a patient man. We've got a lot of tools at
    our disposal--diplomatic tools, intelligence tools, military tools.
    We've got a lot of tools. We've got a lot of friends as well. And I'm
    going to take our time to make sure we get the policy right, no matter
    what part of the world we're in. But I understand that freedom has
    called us into action--I mean, history has called us into action to
    defend freedom. I understand where we stand now in history. We have an

    [[Page 1314]]

    obligation to the future. And this great country will not shirk its
    obligation.
        Out of the evil done to America can come some incredible good, and
    part of that good is peace. Oh, I know the rhetoric can be tough. I
    understand all that. But you just need to know that I believe we can
    achieve peace, and that's my dream. I want there to be peace here in
    America. I want us to be able to live the life we love and embrace the
    freedoms that we cherish and not worry about some killer coming to take
    out their problems on us because we love freedom.
        And I believe we can achieve peace by being strong and determined in
    parts of the world where peace seems to be far away. I believe we can
    achieve peace in the Middle East. I believe we can achieve peace in
    South Asia. I believe this great Nation, by being strong and determined
    and standing on principles and adhering to our universal values, can
    help the world achieve peace.
        And at home, I know that out of the evil done to America can come
    some great good. Listen, I understand, and you know, that in the midst
    of our plenty, there are pockets of despair, there are pockets of
    addiction. There are children who say, ``What is the American Dream?
    It's not meant for me. What is this American Dream business? I don't
    belong to that dream.'' You see, what we must understand is that we've
    got individuals, too many individuals whose vision of the country is dim
    by the circumstances. But I believe, and I know, we can save those
    children, one heart--or those people, one heart and one soul, one
    conscience at a time. Government can hand out money, but it cannot put
    hope in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. That's
    why I'm such a believer in faith-based programs, charitable programs,
    all of which exist because somebody has heard the universal call to love
    a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself.
        I landed at the Pittsburgh airport today, and I met six college kids
    from a program called Jumpstart. One went to Penn State, who has already
    graduated; five are now undergraduates at the University of Pittsburgh.
    These are children who mentor 5-year-old kids, so that when they get to
    elementary school, they've got a chance to learn to read. These are
    children who understand that you can save America, one person at a time.
    They understand one person can't do everything, but one person can do
    something to be a good citizen. So here they are, college kids, and
    they've got a lot of other things to do, but part of their life as a
    college student is to love a child, is to make a difference in a child's
    life.
        People say, ``What can I do to help?'' What you can do is, love a
    neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. What you can do is to be
    a full citizen of the country by helping to serve others. And that's
    happening all across this country. You just need to know that. Out of
    the evil done to America can come some incredible good. Our society is
    becoming a more compassionate society, because there's a lot of people
    who have taken a step back and said, ``What is my life worth? What is it
    all about?''
        One of the reasons I entered politics in the first place in the
    State of Texas is because I was concerned about a culture which had
    clearly said, ``If it feels good, do it; and if you've got a problem,
    blame somebody else.'' My hope was to be a part of a cultural shift
    which says that we must usher in a era of personal responsibility if we
    want our country to realize its full potential. I believe it's
    happening.
        I believe the notion of serving something greater than yourself,
    which is at the core of being a personally responsible citizen, has
    taken hold in America, probably best defined not far from here, where
    Flight 93 hit the ground, citizens aboard an aircraft who heard their
    plane was going to be used as a weapon. They told their loved ones they
    loved them. They said a prayer. One guy said, ``Let's roll.'' And they
    served something greater than themselves in life. No, out of the evil
    done to America is going to come some incredible good, because this is a
    nation that is so good and decent and compassionate.
        I want to thank you all for coming to help Mike. May God bless you
    all, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:15 p.m. in Ballroom 2 at the Hilton
    Pittsburgh. In his remarks, he referred to Jack Daneri, husband of
    candidate for Lieutenant Governor Jane M. Earll; Pennsyl-

    [[Page 1315]]

    vania State Senator Tim Murphy; Christine J. Toretti, national
    committeewoman and co-finance chair, Pennsylvania Republican Party; and
    President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines.