[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

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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

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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

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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.