[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 45 (Monday, November 11, 2002)]
[Pages 1984-1990]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Bentonville, Arkansas

November 4, 2002

    The President. Thank you all very much for coming today. Thanks for 
coming.
    Audience members. We love you, 43! [Laughter]
    The President. Well, first of all, we're working our way back to 
Texas because tomorrow is voting day. And I intend to cast my ballot in 
Crawford, and Laura is going to cast hers in Crawford, and we're not 
undecided. And I'm not undecided about what's best for Arkansas. The 
best thing that can happen to Arkansas, and the best thing that can 
happen to America is to put Tim Hutchinson back in the U.S. Senate.
    And I know something about being a Governor, and you've got a good 
one. You not only have a good one, you've got a great one. The best 
thing for Arkansas, the best thing for the taxpayers of Arkansas, the 
best thing for the schoolchildren of Arkansas is to reelect Mike 
Huckabee.
    You know, the spirit of America is really strong. The American 
spirit, that's that spirit that says, no matter what the cost, we'll 
defend our country. It's that spirit that says we love freedom. But part 
of loving freedom means you have a responsibility. You've got a 
responsibility to vote. You've got a responsibility to go to the polls.
    I'm here in Arkansas asking all the good citizens of this State, 
Republicans and Democrats, independents, people who don't give a hoot 
about politics, to do your duty as Americans. You have an obligation. 
But when you get in that voting booth I do have some suggestions--
[laughter]--Hutchinson and Huckabee.
    No, I'm proud to call Mike Huckabee friend. I knew him--known him 
for a long while. We were both Governors together,

[[Page 1985]]

and I've watched his passion when it comes to education. See, education 
is to a State what national defense is to the Federal Government. It's 
the most important responsibility of the State Government, I think. And 
Mike shares that point of view.
    I was here a while ago to talk about advanced reading programs, 
States which had changed their curriculum to make sure that every child 
could learn to read. One of the first States that I came to was one of 
the first States that responded. This State of Arkansas, led by your 
Governor, stepped up to the plate to make sure that every child can 
learn how to read.
    No, he's got a heart. He cares deeply about everybody in this State. 
See, the thing I like about Mike, he's not one of the fellows that 
travels around the State saying, ``Well, I'll try to help these folks 
only because they agree with me politically.'' Mike Huckabee cares for 
everybody in Arkansas. And that's why, coming Tuesday, this good State 
is going to send this good man, with overwhelming numbers, back to the 
statehouse.
    Make sure you don't forget about Win Rockefeller either. He's done a 
fine job. I want to thank all the candidates who are up here with us, 
people who have tossed their hat in the ring, are out seeking the vote, 
working hard to elevate the process. I hope you give them your help, as 
well.
    I'm honored to be here with John Boozman, a fine United States 
Congressman from Arkansas. I'm proud to call John friend; I'm proud to 
call him ally. One of the things I like about a Congressman like John is 
he's an independent thinker, but when it comes down to doing the right 
thing for America, I don't have to worry about his vote.
    I appreciate the Gatlin Boys being here. I've known them for a long 
time. They're good buddies of mine. And we've got a couple extra seats 
on Air Force One, and we're heading down home, if you want a ride. 
[Laughter] My problem is you in--the one in the yellow tie, I'm not sure 
you can pass the security clearance. [Laughter] It's great to see you.
    I'm also, obviously, thrilled to be traveling with Laura today. 
Thanks for singing ``Happy Birthday'' to her. That's one of the prices 
you pay when you marry somebody in the political process and your 
birthday is on election day; you have to spend it on the road. You know, 
when I asked her to marry me, she was a public school librarian. The 
truth is, she didn't like politics in those days and didn't care for 
politicians. [Laughter] Thankfully, she said yes when I asked her to 
marry me, and she has made a great First Lady for America.
    No, we're enjoying ourselves traveling around our country. And what 
a magnificent country we have. It's a joy to travel America and to talk 
to our fellow Americans. One of the things that I'm urging you all to do 
is the same thing that your Governor just said: Round people up to vote. 
You see, not only do you have an obligation to vote yourself, but you 
can make a difference in this election. A lot of those political 
pundits, the big talkers have said to the world, Hutchinson can't win. 
Let's prove them wrong on Tuesday.
    Sometimes that's where you want your opponent, half asleep. 
[Laughter] You can make a difference. Find good people. In this part of 
the world, don't be afraid to haul some of those Democrats to the polls. 
They care about a good United States Senator. They want somebody who's 
wise about their taxpayers' money. Independent voters care about Tim 
Hutchinson's point of view. Just tell them, Tim Hutchinson agrees with 
us. He thinks like the citizens of Arkansas think. And so does Mike 
Huckabee.
    I'm here to thank you for what you've done in the past. I know how 
hard you worked for Laura and me and Dick Cheney. And I want to urge 
you, over the next--how many hours, Governor--24, 8 hours, or whatever 
it is--to get out the vote. Work hard, and you'll be surprised at what's 
going to happen come Tuesday. And I'm going to be proud of what you do 
on behalf of these good candidates.
    Let me see if I can put it as plainly as I can: I need Tim 
Hutchinson in the United States Senate. Besides the fact he's a good 
fellow, and I like being around him, I need his help. See, we've got 
some problems in the country. We've got some hurdles we've got to cross. 
It's going to be good to have an ally from Arkansas up there with whom I 
can work in the Senate.

[[Page 1986]]

    One of the problems we have is that enough people can't find work in 
America. We've got some people looking, and they can't find work. And 
that is a problem. My attitude is, anytime anybody wants to put food on 
the table and can't find work to do so says we've got to worry about 
creating more jobs in America. We've got to expand the job base.
    But here's what Tim and I believe, how to do it--see, there's a 
debate in Washington about how to do it. I believe if you let a person 
keep more of their own money they're likely to demand an additional good 
or a service. And when they demand an additional good or a service, 
somebody is likely to produce that good or a service. And when somebody 
produces a good or a service, somebody is more likely to find work. The 
tax relief plan that Senator Hutchinson strongly supported came at the 
right time. And we need to have a Senator from Arkansas who will join 
me, for the sake of job creation, for the sake of the entrepreneurial 
spirit, for the sake of small-business owners, to make the tax cut 
permanent.
    I've seen Tim at work, and you're going to see the products of his 
work in a good education bill. He worked hard on the education reform, 
the most meaningful piece of education reform in a long, long time out 
of the Federal Government. A lot of times people hear, ``Well, reform 
out of the Federal Government may not be the kind of reform I like.'' 
But let me describe to you what I'm talking about.
    First of all, this bill says every child can learn. The premise of 
the bill is, is that everybody has got the capacity to learn; therefore, 
we must set high standards and high expectations. The way I like to put 
it is, we're going to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. 
That means when you lower the bar, you tend to get lousy results. And 
that's not good enough for America. Tim knows that, Governor Huckabee 
knows that, and I know that.
    In the bill we also are passing power out of Washington because we 
strongly believe in local control of schools. This year we're sending a 
record amount of money out of Washington back to the Arkansas school 
system, $440 million. And Tim Hutchinson--you need to tell your friends 
and neighbors, Tim Hutchinson had a lot to do with that money coming 
back to Arkansas. See, he's working hard on behalf of the citizens of 
Arkansas.
    But in return for that money, we're now asking this question, are 
you getting results? In return for the money, we're asking the question, 
can the children read and write and add and subtract? If you believe 
every child can do that, it's a legitimate question then to ask the 
question. And when we find out if the children are, I can assure you, 
George W. and Governor Huckabee and Senator Hutchinson will praise the 
teachers and principals and parents who have worked hard to make it 
happen. But if we find children trapped in schools which will not teach, 
trapped in schools which will not change, for the sake of a better 
tomorrow, we are going to challenge the status quo, because no child 
should be left behind in the State of Arkansas.
    I look forward to working with Senator Hutchinson to make the 
Medicare system work better. We made that promise to our seniors, and 
it's a promise that we're going to have to work together to keep. 
Senator Hutchinson in the U.S. Senate will be easier to work with to get 
the job done. See, Medicare is stuck in the past. Medicine is changing. 
Medicine is becoming modern through technologies and new discoveries. 
Yet Medicare has been used as a political football and is just stuck. We 
need to modernize Medicare, which means prescription drugs for every 
senior, and the best way to do that is to send Senator Hutchinson back 
to the United States Senate.
    No, it's a lot of issues we're going to work on. But let me tell you 
a cutting-edge issue, and that is the issue of judges.
    Audience members. Yeah!
    The President. We have a got a--too many vacancies on our Federal 
bench, in spite of the fact that I have sent a lot of names to the 
United States Senate. The bunch running the Senate up there has done a 
lousy job with my nominees.
    Audience members. Yeah!
    The President. And I want to tell you something; the kind of judges 
I'm nominating are the kind of judges that you would expect

[[Page 1987]]

me to nominate and want me to nominate. These are good and honorable 
people who have got good records, whose records sometimes are being 
distorted in the Senate, and sometimes can't even get a hearing because 
they're playing petty politics. These are good, honorable people who 
will use the bench not to legislate from but to interpret the 
Constitution of the United States of America.
    And this should be clear to the citizens--let me--I hope to make it 
clear to the citizens of this State that if you're interested in a solid 
judiciary, if you're interested in a judiciary that represents the 
majority opinion in Arkansas, put Tim Hutchinson back in the United 
States Senate.
    There are a lot of issues we're going to work on, but there's no 
bigger issue than protecting you from attack. That's the biggest issue 
we've got. That's because there's still an enemy lurking around out 
there, an enemy which hates America because of what we love. And we love 
our freedoms. We love the freedom to worship any way you see fit. We 
love the freedom of our campaigns. We love the freedom of our press. We 
love every aspect about freedom, and we're not going to change.
    And so long as we hold strong to what we believe in and so long as 
that enemy is moving around out there, we've got a job to do, and that's 
to protect you. There's a lot of good folks working hard and long hours 
to protect the American people--there just are. See, we've been warned. 
We're now aware that they're out there. We're aware of how mean they 
are. See, we've discovered that they don't value life like we do in 
America. We say, ``Every life matters. Everybody is precious. Everybody 
counts.'' This bunch of killers are willing to take innocent life in the 
name of a hijacked religion.
    And so we've got to do everything we can, and we are. Anytime we get 
any kind of hint that somebody is thinking about doing something to 
America, we're moving on them; we're disrupting; we're denying. We're 
fulfilling the obligation that you expect us to do, which is to protect 
you.
    And that's why I went to Congress to figure out if we couldn't do it 
even better. So I've proposed a Department of Homeland Security. It says 
that we're going to take the agencies involved with protecting America 
and better coordinate them, make sure that the good folks up there get 
the message that this is our top priority and, if need be, change 
cultures, so that people are all working in concert to face the new 
threats of the 21st century.
    And the House of Representatives passed the bill, and I want to 
thank John for his vote. But it's stuck in the Senate, not because of 
Tim Hutchinson, I might add, but it's stuck there because some Senators 
want to take away the power that every President since John Kennedy has 
had. And that power is the ability to suspend collective bargaining 
rules, in any Department of the Federal Government, when the national 
security is at stake. In other words, if there are certain work rules 
that prevent me from putting the right people at the right place at the 
right time to protect you, I have had, up to now--and if the Senate, 
some Senators get their way, I won't have--the ability to suspend those 
rules. That's what you want. You want me to be able to move quickly and 
to defend America.
    I'm not going to accept a lousy bill from the Senate. There is no 
question in my mind and there should be no question in the voters of 
Arkansas mind, that the man who understands this issue the best, the guy 
who's got the best vision for homeland security in this race is Senator 
Tim Hutchinson.
    The best way to secure this homeland, short term and long term, is 
to find those killers one at a time and bring them to justice. See, this 
is a different kind of war. It's a kind of war instead of trying to 
knock down airplanes and sink ships, we're looking in caves. We're 
putting the spotlight on some of the dark corners of the world.
    Their leaders kind of hide, and then they send youngsters to their 
suicidal deaths. That's the way they do it. The only way to treat them 
is what they are, international killers. And the only way to find them 
is to be patient and steadfast and hunt them down, and the United States 
of America is doing just that.
    I sent a defense bill up to the Congress and Senator Hutchinson and 
Congressman Boozman were strong supporters of this defense bill. It's 
the largest increase in defense

[[Page 1988]]

spending since Ronald Reagan was the President. The message is twofold. 
Anytime we put our troops into harm's way, they deserve the best pay, 
the best training and the best possible equipment. Senator Hutchinson 
knows that. He also knows what I'm about to tell you. The size of this 
defense bill sends a clear message to friend and foe alike: We're in 
this deal for the long haul.
    It doesn't matter how long it takes to defend the freedom of the 
United States. We received the call. We know what our obligations are. 
There's no calendar on my desk in the Oval Office that says by such-and-
such a date we're hauling them home. That's not how we think in America. 
That's not how Americans want their Government to act. Freedom is 
essential. Security of America is essential, and it does not matter how 
long it takes. And that defense bill sent that message loud and clear.
    So we're after them. Sometimes you'll see it on your TV screens, and 
sometimes you won't. But just know we're after them, and we're after 
them with one of the finest United States militaries ever assembled.
    No, it's important for us in Washington to be clear-eyed about the 
threats we face in America. See, after September the 11th, the world 
changed when it came to the threats to our country. In the old days--the 
old days not all that long ago, I might add--oceans protected us. It's 
not all that long ago that we could kind of settle back and say, ``Well, 
there's a gathering threat over here, but we don't have to worry about 
it at home because of our geography. Oceans can protect us.'' There may 
be a potential conflict, and we could pick and choose whether we wanted 
to be involved in it. But we didn't have to be involved in it, 
necessarily, because our own people at home weren't threatened. That 
changed. The battlefield is here. And that's why it's important for us 
to evaluate every single threat that we find and deal with them 
appropriately.
    And that's why I started the dialog on Saddam Hussein. He's a threat 
to America. He's a true threat to our country. This is a man who told 
the world he wouldn't have weapons of mass destruction, promised he 
wouldn't have them. He's got them. When they had the inspectors go in 
there a while ago, he was--some estimated--very close to having a 
nuclear weapon. Imagine this guy having a nuclear weapon. Imagine what 
it would mean to America and our friends. He said he wouldn't have 
chemical weapons. He's got them. And not only does he have them, this is 
a man who used them. And he used them not only on people in his 
neighborhood; he used them on his own citizens. This is the kind of guy 
we're dealing with.
    This is a man who hates America. He hates our friends. He can't 
stand what we believe in. He's had contacts with Al Qaida. Imagine a 
scenario where an Al Qaida-type organization uses Iraq as an arsenal, a 
place to get weapons, a place to be trained to use the weapons. Saddam 
Hussein could use surrogates to come and attack people he hates.
    No, he's a threat, and that's why I went to the United Nations. I 
went to the United Nations because I want that august body to work to 
keep the peace. I want that august body to show whether it's got the 
backbone necessary to hold Mr. Saddam Hussein to account. See, after 
all, for 11 years, they've passed resolution after resolution after 
resolution. Sixteen times they've passed resolutions holding this man to 
account, and 16 times he ignored them.
    My message to that body is, ``For the sake of peace, we hope you're 
effective. We hope you've become an effective United Nations, not the 
League of Nations.'' Their choice to make--their choice to make.
    And Saddam Hussein has got a choice to make. It's his choice to 
make. He told the world that he would disarm. We're going to hold him to 
his word. We expect him to disarm. But for the sake of freedom, and for 
the sake of peace, if Saddam Hussein won't disarm and if the United 
Nations is incapable of doing its duty, the United States will lead a 
coalition and disarm Saddam Hussein.
    And I want to thank Senator Hutchinson and Congressman Boozman for 
their strong support on that resolution that came out of the halls of 
the United States Congress that allows America to speak with one voice 
on this very important subject of peace.
    I say speaking ``with one voice'' because I believe that if we 
remain strong and tough when we have to be tough, we can achieve peace. 
That's what I believe. That's what I

[[Page 1989]]

want you to tell your children or your grandchildren, that amongst the 
talk that they're hearing, that the drive and the aim and the vision is 
for peace, for the world to be a peaceful world.
    No, we can achieve peace. We can achieve peace if we stay the 
course, and we can achieve peace if we remember our values and remember 
that freedom is not an American gift to the world; freedom is God's gift 
to the world.
    I can't imagine what was going through the mind of the enemy. I just 
can't imagine. They must have thought our religion was materialism and 
that we were so self-absorbed and selfish that after 9/11/2001, we would 
take a step back and maybe file a lawsuit or two. [Laughter] That must 
have what they thought.
    But they're learning different about America. They understand when 
we love something, we love it to the core, and we love freedom. And they 
could have never imagined what I'm about to tell you, that out of the 
evil done to America is going to come some good. Out of the evil done to 
this country, because of our nature and the fact that the American 
spirit is strong, is going to come a peaceful world. You mark my words: 
We're going to have peace at home. But we'll be able to achieve peace in 
parts of the world where people have quit on peace. We have a chance, 
and this country is going to seize that opportunity to keep the peace.
    And here at home, we can be a better tomorrow--better America, too, 
and that's important to realize. We have an opportunity to bring some 
good out of the evil. We have a chance to work together to eradicate 
pockets of despair and loneliness and hopelessness that exist right here 
in this country. Amongst our plenty, there are people who hurt. And so 
long as some of us hurt, we all hurt.
    But we've got a chance to change that, by starting with 
understanding the limitations of Government. No, Senator Hutchinson and 
Governor Huckabee and Congressman Boozman will all work to pass laws 
that will help. But we've got to remember that Government, while it can 
pass out money, it can never put hope into people's hearts or a sense of 
purpose in people's lives.
    The solid truth of the matter is, when you find--if you want to help 
heal the hurt, if you want to hurt people and help people in pain, the 
best way to do so is to call upon the great strength of the country, 
which is the compassion of our fellow Americans. The best way to help 
fight evil is to do some good by putting your arm around somebody who 
hurts, and say, ``I love you. What can I do to help you? How can I help 
make your life a better, hopeful place?''
    No, a lot of good folks in this country took a step back after 
September the 11th, and took an inventory of that which is important. 
That's why I can tell you the American spirit is strong and alive, 
because people are beginning to understand that part of being a patriot 
is somebody willing to serve something greater than yourself in life. 
And you can do so all kinds of ways. You can do so by mentoring a child. 
You can do so by feeding the hungry, providing shelter to the homeless. 
You can do so by running a Boy Scouts troop or a Girl Scout troop.
    Today I met Cynthia Coughlin. She helped initiate the Boys and Girls 
Club of Benton County. She's worked for Rebuilding Together, with 
Christmas in April. That's a program to rehabilitate homes for people 
who hurt. There's all kinds of ways we can help. There's all kinds of 
ways to change America one conscience, one soul, one person at a time. 
And that's happening in this country; it just is. No, the American 
spirit is alive and well.
    I want the youngsters to remember that story of Flight 93. It helps 
define what I'm talking about, about a spirit of sacrifice. Remember, 
those are the people flying across the plane that day--flying across the 
country that day on the plane. They learned that the plane was going to 
be a weapon. They told their loved ones goodbye. They said a prayer. One 
guy said, ``Let's roll.'' They took the plane into the ground to serve 
something greater than themselves in life. They saved lives because of 
their courage and their heroism.
    No, our country is strong, and our country is great, which allows me 
to boldly predict that the evil done to America is going to yield a more 
peaceful world and a more hopeful country, because this is the greatest 
nation,

[[Page 1990]]

full of the finest, most caring, most compassionate people on the face 
of the Earth.
    Thank you for coming. May God bless you all, and may God bless 
America.

Note: The President spoke at 3:37 p.m. at the Northwest Arkansas 
Regional Airport. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Mike Huckabee and 
Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller of Arkansas; country and western entertainers 
the Gatlin Brothers; and President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.