[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 27 (Monday, July 7, 2003)]
[Pages 845-849]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Tampa, Florida

June 30, 2003

    Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming out. I appreciate the 
warm welcome on a warm day. [Laughter] I'm so honored to be here with my 
brother. You know, he and I share the same political consultant--
[laughter]--our mother. [Laughter] She doesn't charge very much for her 
advice, but she gives plenty of it, I can assure you. [Laughter] But I 
appreciate Jeb--talk about swamping somebody--he knows the definition of 
``swamp'' when it comes to political campaigns.
    I want to thank you all so very much for your help today. We're 
laying the groundwork for a national campaign--a national campaign that 
I believe will result in a great victory in November 2004.
    I'm going to count on you not only for help such as the help you've 
given tonight, but I'm going to count on you to energize the grassroots, 
to talk to your neighbors, talk to people who are making up their minds, 
to put the signs in the yard, and to help spread

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our message, which is a message that's optimistic and hopeful, a message 
that speaks to all Americans.
    There's plenty of time for politics, and I'm loosening up, and I'm 
getting ready. But in the meantime, I'm focused on the people's business 
in Washington, DC. I've got a job to do.
    I will do my job, and I will continue to work, work hard, to earn 
the confidence of our fellow citizens by keeping this Nation secure and 
strong and prosperous and free.
    I regret that Laura didn't travel from Crawford to Florida today. 
She had some business in Washington, DC. But if she were here, I 
probably wouldn't be able to lavish the praise on her that I feel like 
lavishing tonight. She is a fabulous First Lady, a great wife. I love 
her dearly.
    I appreciate all the folks that have shown up, the elected 
officials. I'm glad the Lieutenant Governor, Toni Jennings, is with us 
today. I appreciate a man I call ``Red''; that's Congressman Adam 
Putnam. He's done a heck of a good job for the folks here in Florida. I 
want to thank your attorney general, Charlie Crist, for coming. Charlie, 
it's good to see you. Tom Gallagher, the chief financial officer for the 
State of Florida, is here.
    I want to thank the cochairmen of the finance campaign for the State 
of Florida, Zach Zachariah and Tom Petway from Jacksonville, Florida. I 
want to thank my friend Al Hoffman for his hard work and thank my friend 
Al Austin from right here in Tampa. I want to thank all the cochairmen 
who've worked hard.
    And I'm really here to thank you all. I appreciate your confidence. 
I appreciate your care, and I appreciate your concern about the future 
of this country.
    In the last 2\1/2\ years, this Nation has acted decisively to 
confront great challenges. I came to office to solve problems, not to 
pass them on to future Presidents and future generations. I came to 
seize opportunities instead of letting them slip away. We are meeting 
the tests of our time.
    Terrorists declared war on the United States of America, and war is 
what they got. We have captured or killed many key Al Qaida leaders, and 
the rest of them know we're hot on their trail. In Afghanistan and in 
Iraq, we gave ultimatums to terror regimes. Those regimes chose 
defiance, and those regimes are no more. Fifty million people in those 
two countries once lived under tyranny, and now they live in freedom.
    Two-and-a-half years ago, our military was not receiving the 
resources it needed, and morale was beginning to suffer. We increased 
the defense budget to prepare for the threats of a new era. And today, 
no one in the world can question the skill and the strength and the 
spirit of the United States military.
    Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. Then 
the attacks came on our country, and scandals in corporate America and 
war affected the people's confidence. But we acted. We passed tough new 
laws to hold corporate criminals to account. And to get the economy 
going again, we have twice led the United States Congress to pass 
historic tax relief for the American people.
    We know that when Americans have more take-home pay to spend, save, 
or invest, the whole economy grows, and people are more likely to find 
work. We understand whose money we spend in Washington. It is not the 
Government's money. It is the people's money. And so money is being 
returned to hard-working families. We're reducing the taxes on dividends 
and capital gains to encourage investment. We're giving small businesses 
proper incentives to expand and to hire new people. With all these 
actions, we are laying the foundation for greater prosperity so that 
every single person in our country can realize the American Dream.
    Two-and-a-half years ago, there was a lot of talk about education 
reform in Washington, but there wasn't much action, so I called for and 
Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act. With a solid bipartisan 
majority, we delivered the most dramatic education reforms in a 
generation. We're bringing high standards and strong accountability 
measures to every public school in America. We believe every child can 
learn the basics of reading and math. And we expect every school to 
teach the basics of reading and math. We are challenging the soft 
bigotry of low expectations. The days of excuse-making are over. And now 
we expect results in every classroom so that not one child is left 
behind.

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    We reorganized the Government and created a Department of Homeland 
Security to better safeguard our borders and ports and to protect the 
American people. We passed trade promotion authority to open up new 
markets for America's farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs. We passed 
a budget agreement to help maintain spending discipline in Washington, 
DC. On issue after issue, this administration acts on principle, keeps 
its word, and makes progress on behalf of the American people.
    The United States Congress shares in these great achievements, and I 
appreciate their hard work. And we will continue to work together to 
change the tone in Washington, DC, and to focus on results on behalf of 
all the American people. And that's the nature of the folks I've asked 
to serve in my administration. I have put together a great team on 
behalf of America. We got a fine group of folks who work on behalf of 
the American people. We've had no finer Vice President in the Nation's 
history than Dick Cheney--although Mother may have a different opinion. 
[Laughter]
    In 2\1/2\ years, we have come far, but our work is only beginning. I 
set great goals worthy of this great Nation. First, America is committed 
to expanding the realm of freedom and peace, not only for our own 
security but for the benefit of the entire world. And second, in our own 
country, we must work for a society of prosperity and compassion so that 
every citizen has a chance to work and succeed and realize the great 
promise of our country.
    It is clear that the future of freedom and peace depend on the 
actions of America. This Nation is freedom's home and freedom's 
defender. We welcome this charge of history, and we're keeping it.
    Our war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom are not idle, 
and neither are we. This country will not rest; we will not tire; and we 
will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed. Yet, our 
national interest involves more than eliminating aggressive threats to 
our safety. Our greatest security comes from the advance of human 
liberty, because free nations do not support terror; free nations do not 
attack their neighbors; and free nations do not threaten the world with 
weapons of mass terror. Americans believe that freedom is the deepest 
need and hope of every human heart. And we believe that freedom is the 
right of every person. And we believe that freedom is the future of 
every nation.
    America also understands that unprecedented influence brings 
tremendous responsibilities. We have duties in the world, and when we 
see disease and starvation and hopeless poverty, we will not turn away. 
On the continent of Africa, which Laura and I will be visiting next 
week, America is now committed to bringing the healing power of medicine 
to millions of men and women and children who are now suffering with 
AIDS. This great land is leading the world in this incredibly important 
work of human rescue.
    We face challenges abroad, and we face them at home. And our actions 
prove that we're equal to those challenges as well. I will continue to 
work on our economy until everybody who wants to work and is not working 
today can find a job.
    And we have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by 
strengthening and modernizing Medicare. Last week, the United States 
Congress took historic action to improve the lives of older Americans. 
For the first time since the creation of Medicare, the House and Senate 
have passed reforms to increase choices to our seniors and to provide 
coverage for prescription drugs. The next step is for both Houses to 
come together, to iron out details, and get a bill to my desk. The 
sooner they finish the job, the sooner America's seniors will get the 
health care they need.
    And for the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on 
the frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. People who 
have been harmed by a bad doc deserve their day in court. Yet, the 
system should not reward lawyers who are simply fishing for rich 
settlements. Because frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of health 
care, they affect the Federal budget. And therefore, medical liability 
reform is a national issue which requires a national solution. I ask you 
to contact your United States Senators to make your voices heard. No one 
has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. This Nation needs

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medical liability reform now, and so does the State of Florida.
    I have a responsibility as President to make sure the judicial 
system runs well. And I have met that duty. I have nominated superb men 
and women for the Federal courts, people who will interpret the law, not 
legislate from the bench. Some Members of the United States Senate are 
trying to keep my nominees off the bench by blocking up-or-down votes. 
Every judicial nominee deserves a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote on 
the floor of the Senate. It is time for Members of the United States 
Senate to stop playing politics with American justice.
    Congress needs to pass a comprehensive energy plan. Our Nation must 
promote energy efficiency, new conservation techniques and develop 
technologies that will make exploration for natural gas more safe and 
more green. But for the sake of economic security and for the sake of 
national security, we need to be less dependent on foreign sources of 
energy.
    Our strong and prosperous Nation must be a compassionate nation. 
We'll continue to advance our agenda of compassionate conservatism, 
applying the best and most innovative ideas to the task of helping our 
fellow citizens in need. There's still millions of men and women who 
want to end their dependence on Government and become independent 
through work. We must build on the success of welfare reform to bring 
work and dignity into the lives of more of our fellow citizens. Congress 
should complete the ``Citizen Service Act'' so that more Americans can 
serve their communities and their country. Both Houses should reach an 
agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative to support the armies of 
compassion that are mentoring children or caring for the homeless and 
offering hope to the addicted.
    A compassionate society must also promote opportunity for all, 
including the independence and dignity that come from ownership. This 
administration will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in 
America. We want more of our citizens owning their own home. We want 
people to own and manage their own health care plan. We want people to 
own and manage their own retirement accounts. We want more small-
business owners in America. We understand that when a person owns 
something, he or she has a vital stake in the future of our country.
    In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take 
responsibility for the decisions they make in life. We're changing the 
culture of America from one that said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead 
and do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a 
culture in which each of us understands that we are responsible for the 
decisions we make in life.
    If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or father, you're 
responsible for loving your child with all your heart. If you're 
concerned about the quality of education in your community, you're 
responsible for doing something about it. If you're a CEO in corporate 
America, you're responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders 
and your employees. And in a responsibility society, each of us is 
responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved 
ourselves.
    We can see the culture of service and responsibility growing around 
us. I started what we call the USA Freedom Corps to encourage Americans 
to extend a compassionate hand to neighbors in need. And the response 
has been strong. All across our country, the faith-based institutions 
and charities are vibrant, bringing hope to people who suffer. And 
policemen and firefighters and people who wear our Nation's uniform are 
reminding us what it means to sacrifice for something greater than 
yourself. Once again, the children of America believe in heroes because 
they see them every day.
    In these challenging times, the world has seen the resolve and the 
courage of America. And I've been privileged to see the compassion and 
the character of the American people. All the tests of the last 2\1/2\ 
years have come to the right nation. We're a strong country, and we use 
that strength to defend the peace. We're an optimistic country, 
confident in ourselves and in ideals bigger than ourselves.
    Abroad, we seek to lift whole nations by spreading freedom. At home, 
we seek to lift up lives by spreading opportunity to every corner of our 
country. This is the work that history has set before us. We welcome it. 
And

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we know that for our country and for our cause, the best days lie ahead.
    May God bless you, and may God continue to bless America. Thank you 
all very much.

Note: The President spoke at 6:04 p.m. in the Audubon Ballroom at the 
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. In his remarks, he referred to Zach Zachariah and 
Tom Petway III, Florida State finance cochairmen, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; 
Al Hoffman, finance chairman, Republican National Committee; and Al 
Austin, finance chairman, Republican Party of Florida.