[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 45 (Monday, November 11, 2002)]
[Pages 1927-1932]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Louisville, Kentucky

November 1, 2002

    The President. Thank you all. Thank you all very much for coming 
tonight. I'm here to talk about the American spirit, and I'm here to 
remind the good folks of this part of the State of Kentucky that if 
you're interested in good Government, if you're interested in sending 
somebody to Congress who will represent all the people of the district, 
if you want somebody who can do the job, send Anne Northup back to the 
United States Congress.
    I love traveling America because it gives me a chance to see 
firsthand and to feel the fact that the American spirit is alive and 
well. That's the spirit that says, no matter what the cost, we'll defend 
our freedom. It's the spirit--the American spirit says to me that we'll 
serve something greater than ourselves here in this country. The 
American spirit means that we love freedom. And if you love freedom, you 
have a duty to participate in the democratic process.
    I'm here to urge all the people of the great State of Kentucky to 
vote, Republican, Democrat, people who don't care about any kind of 
political party. You need to do your duty. But when you get in that 
poll, I've got a suggestion for you: Anne Northup is the right choice.
    I wasn't Anne's first choice tonight. [Laughter] She wanted Laura. I 
saw on TV that Laura was campaigning with Elizabeth Dole. She got the 
long straw; you got the short straw. But she sends her love. She sends 
her best. She's as strong for Anne as I am.
    I want to tell you how proud I am of Laura. When I married her, she 
was a public school librarian. [Applause] I didn't realize there were so 
many public school librarians here in Louisville.
    Audience member. [Inaudible]
    The President. That's good. When I said, ``Would you marry me,'' her 
state of mind was this: She didn't like politics, and she didn't care 
for politicians. [Laughter] And now she's doing a fabulous job as our 
First Lady.
    I appreciate Anne's family. I appreciate Woody and all of their 
kids. Heck, if they just get the kids to vote, it would be a landslide. 
[Laughter]
    I'm proud to be up here as well with a fine Kentucky couple, 
starting with a United States Senator who has done a fabulous job for 
the people of Kentucky, and that's Mitch McConnell. Like me, he married 
well--so well I put Elaine in the Cabinet. [Laughter] She's doing a 
really good job on behalf of the American people. I'm proud of Elaine.
    I'm also honored to be up here with another great Senator from 
Kentucky, Jim Bunning. We need to make sure Mitch goes back to the 
Senate. We need him there for a lot of reasons. Some of the reasons I'll 
talk about later, but one of the key reasons why Senators McConnell and 
Bunning are important to our future is because they know what I know: 
We've got a problem on our Federal judiciary. There's too many 
vacancies. And there's too many vacancies because the current leadership 
in the Senate has done a lousy job on letting my people have a fair 
hearing when I nominate them. They don't like the kind of judges I 
nominate. I put good, honest, honorable people who understand their job 
is to interpret the Constitution, not use the bench from which to 
legislate. We don't need any more legislators. We need good, honorable 
judges on the bench.
    I appreciate so very much Ernie Fletcher. Congressman Ernie Fletcher 
is with us today--he's one of the fine Members of the United States 
Congress--and Ron Lewis of the United States Congress, from Kentucky as 
well. These are two solid Members, Members with whom I can work for the 
good of everybody.

[[Page 1928]]

    Also on the stage today we've got Geoff Davis, who's a candidate for 
the United States Congress. And if you're living in Geoff's district, 
give him your vote and give him your word. And Mike Sodrel is here. 
[Applause] Sounds like old Mike's got something going. We want both 
these good men in the Congress. We've got a lot to do to work together.
    I'm here to thank the grassroots activists as well. I want to thank 
you for what you have done. I want to thank you for what you're fixing 
to do over the next couple of days. You need to go to your coffee shops 
and your houses of worship and your community centers and tell the 
people they need to go and vote, and tell the people that we've got some 
fine candidates. Tell the people that Anne Northup is as good as it gets 
in the United States Congress. Urge them to vote, and don't be afraid to 
talk about good, discerning Democrats--to talk to good, discerning 
Democrats and wise independents. These people want good Government as 
well, just like we do. And the best person to represent good Government 
is Anne Northup.
    I know Anne well. I know her well. I respect her a lot. I value her 
advice. I appreciate the way she works hard in Washington to change the 
tone of politics. People who know Anne well know what I'm about to say. 
She's got a big heart. She cares for those who suffer. She doesn't need 
a poll or a focus group to tell her what to think. She bases her 
decisions on a deep-seated philosophy. She's decency; she's great. She 
needs to be back in the Congress. She's an effective person. She can get 
things done.
    She secured funding for the Ohio River bridges project. She worked 
hard to make sure transportation was effective in this part of the 
world. She worked closely with me on making sure that we could get a 
Faith-Based Initiative out of the United States Congress. Anne feels 
passionately about that because, as a Congresswoman, she has reached 
across the community divides to bring people together. She knows what I 
know, that there are people who hurt and people who suffer. And one of 
the ways to heal the broken heart is to unleash the great faith and 
compassion of the American people.
    I've worked closely with Anne on issues like adoption. She and Woody 
are adoptive parents, which in my view is one of the greatest 
expressions of love. No, Anne Northup can get things done. She cares 
deeply about the citizens of this district. And she knows that we've got 
some hurdles to cross here in America, and I look forward to having her 
in Congress to work on--working to cross those hurdles.
    One of the biggest problems we've got is our economy. It's just 
bumping along. It's not going like it should. There are too many people 
in America who want to work and cannot find a job. And so long as 
somebody is looking for work, that means we've got a problem. And I need 
people in the United States Congress who will join me in job creation.
    But we understand the role of Government. It is not to create 
wealth; it's to create an environment in which the entrepreneurial 
spirit can flourish. It is to create an environment in which the small 
business can grow to be a big business. Anne and I understand that 70 
percent of new jobs are created by small-business owners.
    If you're worried about job creation like we are, then you must put 
forth policy that encourages small-business growth. Most small 
businesses pay taxes at the individual income tax level. Most small 
businesses are sole proprietorships or limited partnerships. So when you 
open up your tax forms and see the individual rates, you've got to think 
of the fact that most small businesses pay those rates. And therefore, 
the tax relief plan that we passed was the best antidote to a slowing 
economy.
    If you're interested in creating jobs, you let small businesses as 
well as consumers keep more of their own money. You see, when people 
have more money in their pocket, they're more likely to demand a good or 
a service. And in the marketplace, when they demand a good or a service, 
somebody is likely to produce the good or a service. And when somebody 
produces the good or a service, somebody is more likely to find work. 
The tax relief we plan came at--passed came at the right time, and we 
need people in the United States Congress to make the tax cuts 
permanent.

[[Page 1929]]

    I look forward to working with Anne and other Members of the 
Congress and working with Mitch to see if we can't get us a terrorism 
insurance bill, to get construction programs started, projects started, 
and get the hardhats working. We want our good hardhats in America 
building those buildings and building those projects which are stalled 
because people can't find insurance because of the terrorist attacks. 
But we'd better get us a bill that rewards the hardhats, not the trial 
lawyers here in America.
    And we're going to work together to increase jobs so people can find 
work. I'm optimistic about our future when it comes to the economy. 
We've got--interest rates are low; inflation is low; productivity is 
high. We're the best workers, best farmers, best ranchers, best 
entrepreneurs in the world. There's a lot going right, but we are not 
going to rest until people can find a job.
    And we're not going to rest until every child gets educated in this 
country, either. I worked closely with Anne. Anne Northup was a solid 
backer, strong advocate of the no child should be left behind 
legislation. To give you a sense of her perspective, let me tell you 
what that bill says. It says every child can learn in America. Everybody 
can learn. And therefore, we must set high standards.
    If you have low expectations and low standards, you're going to get 
lousy results. Anne understands that we must challenge what I call the 
soft bigotry of low expectations, must raise the bar.
    But at the same time, we've got to trust the people of Kentucky to 
chart the path for excellence for every child in Kentucky. We believe in 
local control of schools. Thanks to Anne's hard work and Mitch's and 
Jim's hard work and other Members of Congress' hard work, the great 
State of Kentucky is going to receive $650 million in Federal monies for 
schools this year. Those monies will be used to help disadvantaged 
children. Those monies will be applied to make sure every child can 
learn.
    But for the first time in our history, we've asked the question, is 
the money being well spent? Show us whether or not the children can read 
and write and add and subtract. If you believe every child can learn, 
then it makes sense to ask that question. Are we teaching our children? 
And if we are, we'll praise the teachers. But if we find children 
trapped in schools which will not teach and will not change, we will 
demand something different, because no child should be left behind in 
the State of Kentucky.
    I look forward to working with Anne to make sure our medical system 
works, to make sure that health care is available and affordable. We've 
got too many lawsuits here in America today, too many frivolous and junk 
lawsuits that are running up the cost of medicine and making it harder 
for our docs to practice medicine. We need medical liability reform, 
once and for all, so that medicine is affordable for the American 
consumers.
    I look forward to working with Anne and the other Members of 
Congress up here to fulfill our promises to our seniors. We're going to 
make sure Social Security system works. And we're also going to make 
sure Medicare fulfills its promise. Medicine has changed. Medicare 
hasn't. Medicine is modern because of technologies and innovation. 
Medicare is stuck in the past. I'm going to work with Anne to make sure 
Medicare is modern, and that means prescription drug benefits for our 
seniors.
    No, there's a lot we can do to work together on behalf of all of the 
citizens of Kentucky and all of the citizens of America. But the biggest 
challenge we have, our most important responsibility, is to protect the 
homeland from further attack. That's our biggest job, because there's 
still an enemy out there that lurks, an enemy out there which hates 
America because of what we love. We love freedom. We love the fact that 
people can worship freely in America. We worship the fact that we have 
free elections. We love the fact we have a free press. We love 
everything about freedom, and we're not going to change.
    And it's our fervent love of freedom, and the fact that we're not 
going to change, which really irritates the enemy. See, they don't like 
us. And there's something else that differentiates us between them, and 
that is, we value life. Everybody counts. Everybody is precious. Every 
life matters. And these people

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are nothing but a bunch of coldblooded killers who have hijacked a great 
religion and could care less about taking innocent life.
    We've been warned. We've been warned. And now our most important job 
is to protect you. And there's a lot of good people doing this. We've 
got people at the Federal level and at the State level and the local 
level doing everything they can to disrupt and deny the enemy. I'm 
telling you, anytime we get any whisper, any hint, any idea that 
somebody is thinking about doing something to America, we're acting. 
We're going to do everything in our power to prevent the enemy from 
hitting us again.
    And that's why I went to the United States Congress and asked them 
to join with me in the creation of a Department of Homeland Security. 
There's over 100 agencies in Washington involved with protecting you. It 
seemed like, to me, it made sense to put them under one Department so 
that we could set clear priority, so that if need be, we could change 
cultures so that our Government was functioning in concert to do 
everything we could to protect the homeland.
    And the House of Representatives passed a good bill, and I'm honored 
that Anne and the other Members of the Congress supported that good 
bill. But it's stuck in the Senate. It couldn't get out of the Senate, 
because the Senate wanted to take powers away from the President of the 
United States.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. And here's what they wanted to do. For 40 years, 
since John Kennedy was the President, Presidents have had the capacity, 
the ability to suspend collective bargaining rules in the name of 
national security. In other words, if there were certain rules which 
prevented the homeland security council department from doing its job, I 
couldn't suspend those rules. If the Senate had its way--not Senator 
McConnell or Senator Bunning but other Senators--if they had their way, 
I would have the capacity, the right to suspend certain rules at the 
Department of Agriculture but not at the Department of Homeland 
Security. I would have the flexibility necessary to do everything I 
could for the sake of national security at Agriculture, but not to 
protect you through the Department of Homeland Security.
    I need the capacity to be able to move the right people at the right 
time to the right place to protect the American people. Mitch McConnell 
understands that, and so does Jim Bunning, and so does Anne Northup. 
They understand that.
    They also understand what I'm about to tell you, that the best way 
to secure America, the best way to protect you, is to chase the killers 
down, one at a time, and bring them to justice. It's not an easy task. 
It's not an easy task, because this is a different kind of army that we 
face, a different kind of enemy. In the old days--I see some guys who 
were probably involved with World War II or the Korean war. In the old 
days, if you knocked out a couple of tanks or knocked some airplanes out 
of the air or sunk a ship, you'd be able to determine whether or not you 
were making progress against the enemy. Those were the old days. Today, 
we're facing coldblooded killers who hide in caves and send youngsters 
to their suicidal deaths, and there is no cave deep enough for America.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. It's important to see the world the way it is, not to 
see the way that we hope it is. It's important to be cold-eyed realists 
about the threats we face.
    And we're making progress on this war against terror. We've hauled 
in over a couple thousand of them, and a couple thousand weren't quite 
as lucky. Slowly but surely, we're protecting the American people and 
defending our freedom by dismantling the terrorist network that came and 
unmercifully murdered American citizens. And so long as I'm the 
President of the United States, we're going to continue to hunt them 
down. We owe that to our children. We owe that to our children's 
children. History has called us into action, and this great Nation is 
going to stay steady and resolute and determined.
    I asked the Congress to pass the largest increase in defense 
spending since Ronald Reagan was President. And they did, and I want to 
thank the Members up here who voted with us on that bill. I did so for 
two reasons, two important reasons. One, anytime we send our troops into 
harm's way, they deserve the best pay, the best training,

[[Page 1931]]

and the best possible equipment. And secondly, we just sent a signal to 
the world, to friend and foe alike, we're in this deal for the long 
haul. It doesn't matter how long it takes. It doesn't matter how long it 
costs. The United States of America will go after those terrorists and 
bring them to justice.
    No, it's important to be open-eyed about the threats we face. After 
all, oceans no longer protect us. See, that's what's important for 
Americans to understand, that after September the 11th, the stakes 
changed. See, prior to September the 11th, we used to think that, if 
there was a conflict or a threat somewhere else in the world, we could 
pick and choose whether or not we wanted to deal with it, because oceans 
protected us. The homeland was secure by geography.
    We learned a tough lesson on September the 11th, which means that, 
as we see threats, we must be prepared to deal with them. And I see a 
significant threat to the security of the United States in Iraq.
    Saddam Hussein is a man who told the world he would not have weapons 
of mass destruction, but he does. He not only has them; he's used them. 
He has used them against his neighbors, and incredibly enough, he's used 
them against his own people. This is a man who was close to having a 
nuclear weapon a decade ago. No telling how close he is now.
    I viewed him as a threat, not only to the American people, because 
he could become an arsenal to one of these shadow terrorist networks. He 
could use them as surrogates and not leave any fingerprints behind.
    No, he's a threat. He's not only a threat to us. He's a threat to 
our close friends in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein is a man who has 
defied the United Nations not once, not twice, not 3 times, but 16 times 
they passed resolutions. So I went to that august body, and I said, 
``The time has come for you to show the world whether or not you've got 
the capacity to keep the peace, to defend freedom. The time has come for 
you to show whether or not your resolutions mean anything.''
    And I sent the same message to Saddam Hussein. ``You said you would 
disarm. Disarm. For the sake of peace, disarm.''
    I took the debate to the United States Congress and, thanks to the 
Members on this stage and many others, the United States now speaks with 
one voice. And here it is: Either the United Nations will do its job, 
either the United Nations will show it is not the League of Nations, but 
a body with the capacity to keep the peace, and Saddam Hussein will 
disarm, or for the sake of peace, for the sake of freedom, the United 
States will lead a mighty coalition to disarm Saddam Hussein.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. I can't imagine what was going through the mind of 
the enemy when they hit us. They must have thought the national religion 
of the United States was materialism, that we were so selfish, so self-
absorbed, so shallow, that after September the 11th, 2001, we'd take a 
step back and maybe file a lawsuit or two. [Laughter] That's probably 
what they thought. But they found out they are dealing with a different 
bunch, that we love our freedom, that we care deeply about our future, 
that we love peace.
    The evil done to America has given this great nation to show the 
world that out of evil can come great good. I believe this. I believe 
that if we stay the course, if we're strong, if we fight terror, if we 
lead a coalition of freedom-loving countries, we can achieve peace.
    I believe we can achieve peace if we remember that freedom is not 
bestowed on the world by the United States, but freedom is God-given for 
everybody. I believe that if we're strong and resolute, with a clear 
vision, that we see reality the way it is, that we can achieve peace not 
only for America, but because we value all life--everybody is precious--
that we can achieve peace in parts of the world who have quit on peace. 
I believe we can achieve peace in the Middle East. I believe we can 
achieve peace in South Asia.
    No, out of the evil done to America is going to come some incredible 
good, not only abroad but incredible good here at home. See, I believe 
that the evildoers renew the American spirit, that sense of serving 
something greater than yourself in life. Government can help. We'll 
work--Members of Congress will work with the administration

[[Page 1932]]

to pass laws that will help people help themselves and improve lives. 
But you've got to remember that while Government can pass out money, it 
can't put hope in people's hearts. It can't put a sense of purpose in 
people's lives.
    And at the same time, we've got to remember, amongst all the plenty 
here in America, there are people who hurt. There's loneliness and 
addiction and despair. And so long as any of us hurts, we all hurt. And 
the best way to solve many of the seemingly intractable problems here in 
America is for a fellow American to put their arm around somebody who's 
lonely, and somebody who suffers, and say, ``I love you. What can I do 
to help you?''
    No, the true strength of America lies in the hearts and the souls of 
our fellow citizens. All across this country there are fine and decent 
people who are helping America change, one heart, one conscience, one 
soul at a time. And it's happening.
    They woke the great compassion of America when they attacked us. 
Perhaps the spirit is best reflected in small ways and large ways--small 
ways like Ray Probus, who I met. He was at the airport today. He works 
with the Jefferson County police department's Volunteers in Police 
Service program. That's one way people can help. I'm sure there's 
mentors here. I know there are people who worry about feeding the 
hungry, who worry about the homeless and do something about it. I know 
there's people involved in Boy Scouts and Girl Scout troops that are 
sending values to our children. I know there are people involved in 
schools here to make sure every child can learn. All of us can help make 
America a hopeful place.
    Perhaps the biggest lesson of all of what I'm talking about, that 
great spirit of America, took place on Flight 93 that fateful day. We 
had people flying across the country. They heard the plane they were on 
was going to be used as a weapon to kill Americans. They said goodbye to 
their loved ones. They said a prayer. One guy said, ``Let's roll.'' And 
they took the plane into the ground to serve something greater than 
themselves. To me, that epitomized the greatest of the American spirit, 
which is alive and well in America.
    No, the enemy hit us--the enemy hit us. They didn't know who they 
were hitting. Out of the evil done to America is going to come peace. 
And out of the evil done to America is going to come a more hopeful 
tomorrow. I predict this. I know it's going to happen, because America 
is the greatest nation, full of the finest, most compassionate people on 
the face of the Earth.
    Thank you all for coming. May God bless. May God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 5:51 p.m. at the Kentucky International 
Convention Center. In his remarks, he referred to Representative Anne 
Northup and her husband, Robert Wood ``Woody'' Northup; senatorial 
candidate Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina; Geoff Davis, candidate for 
Kentucky's Fourth Congressional District; Mike Sodrel, candidate for 
Indiana's Ninth Congressional District; and President Saddam Hussein of 
Iraq. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.