[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 35 (Monday, September 1, 2003)]
[Pages 1115-1119]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Dinner for Senator Christopher S. ``Kit'' Bond of Missouri 
in St. Louis

August 26, 2003

    Thanks for the warm welcome. It's such an honor to be here in the 
great State of Missouri. I am here because I believe Kit Bond is the 
right man for the United States Senate.
    And I want to thank you for his--for your strong support for this 
fine Senator. Looks like you've got a few friends here in Missouri, 
Senator. [Laughter] Actually, I wasn't his first choice to come tonight. 
[Laughter] Laura is stuck on the ranch. [Laughter] But she sends her 
very best to Kit and to Linda.
    Just as a kind of step back, I am really fortunate that Laura Bush 
said yes when I asked her to marry me. She is a great First Lady and a 
fabulous wife. I appreciate--you know, Senator Bond and I both married 
above ourselves. [Laughter] And it's great to see Linda. She's done a 
lot for him. She shortened his speeches and shortened his waistline. 
[Laughter] He's getting in fighting form for the '04 elections.
    I'm also honored to be here with former Senator Jack Danforth. What 
a distinguished citizen of your State he is. He's working hard to bring 
peace to the Sudan. It's about as tough as an assignment as somebody can 
be given. But because of his steady demeanor and patience and his faith 
in freedom and peace, I think we'll achieve peace in the

[[Page 1116]]

Sudan, and Jack Danforth will deserve a lot of credit.
    I'm also honored to be here with the junior Senator from the great 
State of Missouri, a man who's doing a fabulous job on your behalf, 
Senator Jim Talent.
    Speaking about Missouri citizens doing a fine job, John Ashcroft is 
a very good Attorney General. I am proud of the job he is doing. You 
trained him well. [Laughter]
    Also traveling with me today is another member of my Cabinet, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a friend of the veterans, Tony Principi. 
Thank you for coming, Mr. Secretary. He and I were at the American 
Legion Convention today and had a chance to talk about our foreign 
policy. And I'll speak a little bit about that later on.
    I appreciate Congressman Todd Akin and Congressman Kenny Hulshof as 
well from the mighty delegation from the State of Missouri. These are 
two strong allies and good friends, and I appreciate their service.
    I know that Secretary of State Matt Blunt is with us, and his wife, 
Melanie. I know that Catherine Hanaway, the speaker of the house, is 
with us, and I know that State Senator Peter Kinder are here. And I 
appreciate the members of the State delegation from Missouri for coming 
as well.
    Ann Wagner is the cochair of the Republican National Committee, and 
I'm really proud of her service to the Republican Party not only here in 
Missouri but across the Nation. Annie, thank you very much for your hard 
work.
    And finally, I want to thank the State chairman for Bush-Cheney 
2004. Everybody's got to have a good uncle--[laughter]--and I've got a 
great uncle.
    The reason I'm here is because Kit Bond understands the challenges 
which face our Nation, and he's willing to join in constructive ways to 
do something about it. I think the best types of people who go to 
Washington are those who can recognize a problem and then have the 
courage and will to do something about it. And that's what I appreciate 
about Kit Bond. He and I share this value, that the future of freedom 
and peace depends upon the actions of America. We believe that this 
Nation is freedom's home and freedom's defender. We believe that 
everybody yearns for freedom and that every nation should be free.
    This is--history has given this country a charge to keep, and we're 
keeping it. You know, this Nation was pretty secure for a while, secure 
that oceans could protect us. And then 9/11, 2001, came upon us. It was 
an historic moment because we realized that we weren't safe from an 
enemy which hates what we stand for. Because we love freedom and human 
dignity, because we love the fact that people can worship freely and 
speak freely, there's an enemy in the world which hates us. And since 
we're not going to change, in order to do our jobs, we must find them 
before they hurt America again.
    Kit Bond understands that the best way to secure the homeland of 
America is to find the enemies of freedom one by one and bring them to 
justice. And I appreciate his support in making this world more free, 
making America more secure, and making the world more peaceful.
    We're after Al Qaida. Slowly but surely, we're dismantling the 
terrorist network which has hijacked a great religion, which murders in 
the name of Islam. One by one, we're bringing them to justice. We've 
captured or killed over two-thirds of the Al Qaida operative network. 
Just a while ago, we got this guy Hambali, who we think was the 
instigator of the bombing in Bali. One by one, Al Qaida is meeting its 
demise. It doesn't matter where they hide, it doesn't matter where they 
cringe, the United States of America will find them and bring them to 
justice.
    Part of the war on terror is to prevent hostile regimes from teaming 
up with terrorist networks. And that's why we went into Afghanistan. I 
sent a clear message: If you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a 
terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist. And the Taliban in 
Afghanistan understand exactly what we mean.
    And I appreciate Senator Bond's understanding of the need for the 
United States to uphold doctrine. When we say something in this country, 
we better do it, for the credibility of the world.
    We've got a lot of work to do in Afghanistan, and we're doing it. 
We're training an

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Afghan army so they can best protect themselves. NATO is now involved in 
Afghanistan. And I want to thank our German friends for taking an active 
role in making Afghanistan more secure. We're building roads; we're 
opening up hospitals; and many young girls go to school for the first 
time, thanks to the United States of America.
    We gave a clear ultimatum to Saddam Hussein that he must disarm. He 
chose defiance, and Saddam Hussein is no more. He will not be able to 
threaten anybody with weapons of mass destruction. He will not be able 
to provide money for suicide bombers that were killing Israelis. Saddam 
Hussein will no longer have torture chambers. He is a man who is not in 
power, thanks to the United States of America and our friends and 
allies.
    And we've got a lot of work to do in Iraq. You see, terrorists can't 
stand the thought of a free society in the Middle East. People who hate 
freedom are revolted at the fact that there may be a society that honors 
human rights and dignity, that treats men and women equally. Terrorists 
can't stand the thought of success in Iraq.
    We're at a crucial point in history in Iraq. And I look forward to 
working with Senator Bond and Senator Talent and Members of the House to 
provide the resources necessary to make sure that Iraq is not only 
secure but that Iraq is free and peaceful. A peaceful Iraq is in the 
long-term interest of the United States of America.
    And we're making progress there. You see, if you've been tortured--
and remember, this is a country where we discovered thousands of people 
who had been executed and placed in mass graves, men, women, and 
children executed by Saddam Hussein. It's a country which had been 
terrorized and brutalized. It's a country which couldn't comprehend 
freedom. So it's going to take awhile for people to develop the habits 
necessary for a free society to emerge. But I'm absolutely confident, 
when we stay the course, a strong ally of the United States and any 
country which loves freedom will emerge. And that will have a positive 
effect on Israel and a Palestinian state. It will have a positive effect 
in a region which is--harbored and educated and grew terrorists.
    The long-term interests of the United States of America depend on 
this country doing what's right. And I'm proud to have Senators who 
understand that and are willing to stand with this administration to 
make sure we keep our word to the people of Iraq, that we hear the 
ambitions of those who love freedom in Iran, that we stand strong 
against the terrorists who would like to destroy the Middle East peace 
process. This country is leading the world to freedom and peace. It's 
inherent in our values. We understand that freedom is not America's gift 
to the world; freedom is God's gift to every individual in the world.
    I appreciate Senator Bond's support of a policy which says that when 
this country sees hopelessness and despair around the world, we will not 
turn our back. I'm proud to be leading a nation which is leading the 
world in the fight against AIDS on the continent of Africa.
    I recently traveled to Africa. I'll never forget going to Uganda, a 
country which is beginning to show what is possible in arresting that 
terrible pandemic. We went to a clinic, and we saw young mothers 
ravished by AIDS, the desperate look in their eyes. I could tell when 
they looked at the President of the United States, they saw hope. I 
remember seeing the children's choir--these are children of orphans--who 
sang hymns to us. It's a sad moment for me because I realized their moms 
and dads were gone. It was a joyous moment, though, to realize that 
people of faith had come to surround them with love. They too look at 
the United States for hope.
    I want to thank Senator Bond for his support on the AIDS initiative. 
The United States is leading the world in an incredibly important work 
of human rescue.
    I believe our foreign policy is compassionate when it needs to be 
compassionate and tough when it needs to be tough. But it's based upon a 
strong belief that freedom is universal and the strong knowledge that 
free societies will be peaceful societies.
    When I came to Washington, DC, our military was underfunded, and 
morale was beginning to suffer. I proposed defense budgets to prepare 
our military for threats

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of a new era. Senator Bond was a strong supporter of those defense 
budgets, and no one in the world today can question the skill, the 
honor, the sacrifice, the utility of the United States military.
    When we came into office, the country was in recession. And we 
started getting better. The economy was getting a little better; then 
the enemy hit us. And then we had some corporate scandals; we had some 
people in our society who forgot what it means to be a responsible 
citizen. They didn't tell the truth to their shareholders and their 
employees, and that affected the people's confidence. And then on your 
TV screens you saw the words ``March to War,'' which is not a very 
conducive phrase for economic development. But we acted. We passed tough 
laws to hold corporate criminals to account, and I want to thank Senator 
Bond's support on that.
    And in order to get our economy growing, I called upon the Congress. 
Senator Bond and Senator Talent and others were strong supporters of 
historic tax relief. We understand that when people have more money in 
their pocket, they will save, spend, invest, and when they do so, 
somebody is more likely to find a job.
    I appreciate Senator Bond's willingness to join the administration 
and insisting that Congress hold the line on spending. We understand 
whose money we spend in Washington. It is not the Government's money; it 
is the people's money. And he is a good steward of the people's money.
    When Congress returns, we'll be debating a crucial issue, and that 
is Medicare. For the first time since the creation of Medicare, we have 
a chance to reform the system that needs to be reformed. Inherent in 
both plans out of the House and the Senate is the idea that we will 
trust seniors to make the choices that they need in order to develop 
their health care plans and health care needs. And inherent in both 
plans is the knowledge and understanding that we need to have 
prescription drug coverage for our seniors. I want to thank Senator Bond 
for his willingness to stand up and join us in modernizing Medicare. We 
owe our seniors a modern Medicare system.
    There are a lot of issues that relate to health that will be before 
our Congress. A significant issue is the issue of frivolous lawsuits. 
Frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of health care. Frivolous and junk 
lawsuits drive up the cost of Medicare, Medicaid, veterans health 
benefits. Medical liability reform, therefore, is a national issue which 
requires a national solution.
    We got a good bill out of the House of Representatives. It is stuck 
in the United States Senate. Kit Bond is one of the Senators, if it does 
get unstuck, will be responsible for passing good medical liability 
reform out of the United States Senate.
    This country needs an energy bill. We need to have a national energy 
strategy. The blackouts on the east coast should make it clear to the 
skeptics in Congress that we need to modernize the electricity grid. We 
need mandatory reliability law. We need to encourage more investment 
into the transmission of electricity. We need to conserve more. We need 
more efficiency. But for the sake of economic security and for the sake 
of energy security and national security, we need to become less 
dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    I appreciate working with Senator Bond on commonsense environmental 
policy. We both disagree with the judge's decision about the waterflows 
into the Missouri River. And we both agree that we must do a better job 
of preserving one of the most important assets we have in America, which 
is our national forests. We need a commonsense, reasonable forest policy 
to prevent the raging forest fires from destroying this incredibly 
valuable asset.
    I have an obligation to fill the judiciary with capable, honest, 
decent people. I have fulfilled that obligation. I have nominated superb 
women and men to the Federal bench, people who will interpret the law, 
not use the bench from which to legislate. And Senator Bond has been a 
strong supporter of my judicial nominees. But we have a problem in the 
United States Senate. There are some Senators who refuse to give my 
nominees an up-or-down vote. It is time for some of those Senators to 
stop playing politics with American justice.

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    I have an obligation to set great goals for this country. One of the 
goals I've set is to spread peace and freedom. Another great goal is to 
spread compassion throughout our land. I want our society to be an 
ownership society. See, I believe if you own something, you have a vital 
stake in the future. I believe if you own something in America, it helps 
with dignity and independence of life. We want more people owning their 
home. We have a minority homeownership gap in America. I look forward to 
working with Senator Bond to help narrow that gap.
    We want people owning and managing their own health care plans. We 
want people owning and managing their own retirement plans. Kit Bond is 
a strong believer in the small-business owner of Missouri and America. 
We want more people owning their own small business. I look forward to 
working with Senator Bond to promote the ownership society of America.
    Finally, I look forward to working with Senator Bond to get a faith-
based initiative out of the United States Senate. I believe strongly 
that this Government should not fear faith but should welcome faith-
based givers, neighborhood healers and helpers, when we see somebody who 
hurts. We all asked a question in Washington, DC: ``Is the program 
effective that's helping save life? Is the Christian program or the 
Jewish program or the Muslim program effective at changing lives and 
saving lives?''
    That's the question we ought to be asking in Washington. The truth 
of the matter is, the great strength of America lies in the hearts and 
souls of the American people. We have people who hurt in our country. We 
have children who need to be mentored. We've got people who are 
hopelessly addicted to drugs. We need to welcome the armies of 
compassion, no matter what their faith, into the compassionate delivery 
of help and succor to those of our citizens who hurt.
    Kit Bond will be a valuable ally in the passage of a much needed 
faith-based initiative that allows for faith-based programs to access 
Federal money, all in the aim of loving a neighbor just like we'd like 
to be loved ourself.
    You just heard some of the reasons you need to send him back up 
there. Perhaps the greatest reason is he believes like I do, that both 
of us are fortunate to represent great people, that we're fortunate to 
be in positions of responsibility to represent the greatest nation on 
the face of the Earth.
    I want to thank you for helping this good man. May God bless you 
all, and may God continue to bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 6:40 p.m. at the Renaissance Grand Hotel. 
In his remarks, he referred to former Senator John Danforth, Special 
Envoy for Peace in the Sudan; Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt and 
his wife, Melanie; Catherine Hanaway, speaker, Missouri State house of 
representatives; Missouri State Senator Peter Kinder; Ann Wagner, 
cochairman, Republican National Committee, and chairman, Missouri 
Republican Party; William H.T. ``Bucky'' Bush, Missouri State chairman, 
Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (known as Hambali), Al 
Qaida's chief operational planner in Southeast Asia; and former 
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.