[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 44 (Monday, November 3, 2003)]
[Pages 1504-1508]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in San Antonio, Texas

October 30, 2003

    The President. Thanks for the warm welcome. It is really good to be 
home, and it's good to be with so many friends. It seems like old home 
week here. [Laughter] I want to thank you all very much for your 
friendship and your strong support. I want to thank you for your 
prayers. I want to thank you for being my friend before I became the 
President--[laughter]--and my friend after I become the President--
[laughter]--in 2009. No, no, we--[applause].
    This is a fantastic event tonight. It not only lifts my spirits to 
be with a lot of people with whom I've served in the past and a lot of 
friends, but we're laying the foundation for what is going to be a great 
national victory in 2004. I'm loosening up--[laughter]--and I'm getting 
ready. But politics will come in its own time, because I've got a job to 
do.
    Audience member. And you're doing a great one.
    The President. Well, thank you very much. [Laughter] I'm focused on 
the people's business. I'm doing what's right for this country. I will 
continue to work to make sure this country is strong and secure, 
prosperous, and free.
    I have a regret, and that is that the First Lady is not with me 
tonight. She's in Tyler. We're going to meet up in Crawford. She is a 
fabulous wife, a fabulous mother, and a great First Lady for America.
    I want to thank the Loefflers for their friendship and their hard 
work. It's a fantastically successful event. As I look around, I see 
folks who hold high office. The chief justice of the supreme court is 
here, Tom Phillips; the attorney general is here, Greg Abbott; the 
secretary of agriculture is here, Susan Combs; Albert Hawkins, the 
commissioner of health and human services; Diane Rath, the workforce 
commissioner. I see Wentworth is here, the State senator; State 
Representative Jones and Edmund Kuempel and Ken Mercer. Thank you all 
for coming. It's great to see you again. I miss my buddies in the 
statehouse. I've got such fond memories of working with people here in 
the great State of Texas. It was a fantastic experience.

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    I also want to thank my friend Mercer Reynolds from Cincinnati, 
Ohio, who is the national finance chairman for Bush-Cheney. He's doing a 
great job of----
    Audience member. Go Mercer!
    The President. ----laying the groundwork. Mercer brought his cousin. 
[Laughter] Most of all, I want to thank you all. Thanks a lot for 
coming.
    In the last 2\1/2\ years, our Nation has acted decisively to 
confront great challenges. I came to this office to solve problems 
instead of passing them on to future Presidents and future generations. 
I came to seize opportunities instead of letting them slip away. This 
administration is meeting the tests of our time.
    Terrorists declared war on the United States of America, and war is 
what they got. We've captured or killed many of the key leaders of the 
Al Qaida network, and the rest of them know we're on their trail. In 
Afghanistan and in Iraq, we gave ultimatums to terror regimes. Those 
regimes chose defiance. Those regimes are no more. Fifty million people 
in those two countries once lived under tyranny, and today 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. So we increased 
the defense budgets to meet 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. And 
then our country was attacked. And then we had some scandals in 
corporate America, and war. All those affected the people's confidence, 
but I acted. We passed tough new laws in Washington, DC, to hold the 
corporate criminals to account.
    And to get the economy going again, I have twice led the United 
States Congress to pass historic tax relief for the American people. 
When Americans have more take-home pay to spend, to save, or invest, the 
whole economy grows, and people are more likely to find a job. So we're 
returning more money to the people to help them raise their families. 
We're reducing taxes on dividends and capital gains to encourage 
investment. We're giving small businesses incentives to hire new people. 
With all these actions, this administration has laid the foundation for 
greater prosperity and more jobs across America so that every single one 
of our citizens can realize the American Dream.
    Two-and-a-half years ago, there was a lot of talk about education 
reform, but there wasn't much action. So I acted. I called for and the 
Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act. With a solid bipartisan 
majority, we delivered the most dramatic education reforms at the 
Federal level in a generation. In return for Federal money, we expect 
public schools to teach children how to read and write and add and 
subtract, because we believe every child can learn to read and write and 
add and subtract. This administration is challenging the soft bigotry of 
low expectations. The days of excuse-making are over. We expect results 
in every single classroom so that not one single child in America is 
left behind.
    We reorganized our Government and created the 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 Texas farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs. We passed much 
needed budget agreements to bring spending discipline to Washington, DC. 
On issue after issue, this administration has acted on principle, kept 
its word, and made progress for the American people.
    The Congress gets credit for these achievements. I've got a great 
relationship with Speaker Denny Hastert and Majority Leader Bill Frist. 
We're working hard to focus on results and to get rid of the needless 
politics that dominates the Nation's Capital. We're doing the work for 
the people. And those are the kind of people I've asked to join this 
administration. I put together a fantastic, diverse group of people to 
serve the American people. We've had no finer Vice President than Dick 
Cheney. Mother may have a second opinion. [Laughter]
    In 2\1/2\ years, we have done a lot. We have come far, but our work 
is only beginning. I've set great goals worthy of a great nation. First, 
America is committed to expanding the

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realm of freedom and peace for our own security and for the benefit of 
the world. And second, in our own country, we must work for a society of 
prosperity and compassion so that every single citizen, every citizen, 
has a chance to work and to succeed and realize the great promise of our 
land.
    It is clear that the future of freedom and peace depend on the 
actions of America. This Nation is freedom's home. We are freedom's 
defender. We welcome this charge of history, and we are keeping it.
    The war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom are not idle, 
and neither are we. This country will not rest. We will not tire. We 
will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed.
    We are confronting that danger in Iraq, where Saddam Hussein 
holdouts and foreign terrorists are desperately trying to throw Iraq 
into chaos by attacking coalition forces and international aid workers 
and innocent Iraqis. They know that the advance of freedom in Iraq would 
be a major defeat in the cause of terror. This collection of killers is 
trying to shake the will of America and the civilized world, and this 
country will not be intimidated.
    We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them 
there so we will not have to face them in our own country. We're calling 
other nations to help Iraq to build a free country, which will make the 
world more secure. We're standing with the Iraqi people as they assume 
more of their own defense and move toward self-government. These aren't 
easy tasks, but they're essential tasks. We will finish what we have 
begun, and we will win this essential victory in the war on terror.
    Our greatest security comes from the advance of human liberty, 
because free nations do not support terror, free nations do not attack 
their neighbors, 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 I believe that freedom is the right of every 
person, and I 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. 
This great, strong Nation is leading the world. On the continent of 
Africa, America is now committed to bringing the healing power of 
medicine to millions of men and women and children now suffering with 
AIDS. This great land is doing incredibly important work of human 
rescue.
    We've got challenges here at home as well, and our actions will 
prove that we're equal to the challenges. We had some good news today on 
the economy. But let me tell you this, so long as anybody who wants to 
work can't find a job, means that I must continue to create the 
conditions for economic vitality and growth, to make sure the great 
entrepreneurial spirit of America is alive and well in every corner of 
this country.
    We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by 
strengthening and modernizing Medicare. Congress has taken historic 
action to improve the lives of older Americans. For the first time since 
the creation of Medicare, the House and Senate passed reforms to 
increase the choices for seniors and provide coverage for prescription 
drugs. The next step is for both Houses to reconcile their differences 
and get a bill to my desk soon. We owe it to America's seniors, and we 
owe a modern Medicare system to those of us who are going to be 
America's seniors.
    For the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on the 
frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. I appreciate the 
reforms that Governor Perry and the legislature did here in Texas. We 
recognize that 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 a rich settlement. Because frivolous lawsuits drive up the 
cost of health care, they affect the Federal budget. Medical liability 
reform is a national issue which requires a national solution. We 
proposed good law to the House and Senate. The House of Representatives 
passed a good bill. The bill is stuck in the United States Senate. I'm 
proud to report, our two United States Senators, the Senators from 
Texas, are on the right side of the issue. Those who have held up this 
important piece of legislation in the

[[Page 1507]]

United States Senate must recognize that not one single person has ever 
been healed by a frivolous lawsuit.
    I have a responsibility as the 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 are trying to keep my nominees, 
people like Priscilla Owen, off the bench by blocking up-or-down votes. 
Every judicial nominee deserves a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote on 
the Senate floor. It is time for some of the Members of the United 
States Senate to stop playing politics with American justice.
    The Congress needs to complete work on a comprehensive energy plan. 
Two years ago, I submitted a plan to the United States Congress, a plan 
that will promote energy efficiency and conservation, that will develop 
new technologies, but will encourage exploration in an environmentally 
friendly way in our own country. For the sake of economic security and 
for the sake of national security, the Congress must act so we become 
less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    Our strong and prosperous Nation must be a compassionate nation. I 
will continue to advance our agenda of compassionate conservatism, which 
means we will apply the best and most innovative ideas to the task of 
helping our fellow citizens in need. There are still millions of men and 
women who want to end their dependence on the Government and become 
independent through hard 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 more 
Americans can serve their community and their country. And both Houses 
should reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative to support the 
armies of compassion that are mentoring children, that are caring for 
the homeless, that are offering hope to the addicted. People from all 
faiths--Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu--have heard a universal call. 
We must welcome that call. In order to heal the broken heart, this 
country must not fear faith. We must welcome faith in the essential 
delivery of need for people who hurt.
    A compassionate society must 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 people owning their own home. This Nation has a 
minority homeownership gap. I presented a plan to the United States 
Congress to close that gap. America must act. The Congress must act. We 
want more people to own and manage their own health care accounts. We 
want more people to own and manage their own retirement accounts. We 
want more people owning their own small business. We understand in this 
administration 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. The culture of America is 
changing from one that has said, ``If it feels good, do it,'' and ``If 
you've got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture in which each 
of us understands we are responsible for the decisions we make.
    If you're fortunate enough to be a mom or a dad, you're responsible 
for loving your child with all your heart. If you're worried about the 
quality of the education in the community in which you live, 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 the new responsibility society, each of us is responsible for 
loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourself. The culture 
of service and responsibility is strong here in America. I started 
what's called the USA Freedom Corps to encourage Americans to extend a 
compassionate hand to a neighbor in need, and the response has been 
great. Faith-based charities and charitable programs are strong and 
vibrant. And that's important, really important, to make sure the future 
of this country is alive and well for every citizen.
    Policemen and firefighters and people who wear our Nation's uniform 
are reminding us what it means to sacrifice for something

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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. 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 are 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 across our land. This is the work that history has set 
before us. We welcome it and know that for our country, the best days 
lie ahead.
    God bless. Thank you all. Thank you all very much.

Note: The President spoke at 6:48 p.m. at the Marriott Rivercenter. In 
his remarks, he referred to Tom and Nancy Loeffler, event cohosts; 
Thomas R. Phillips, chief justice, Texas Supreme Court; Greg Abbott, 
Texas attorney general; Susan Combs, Texas agriculture commissioner; 
Albert Hawkins, Texas health and human services commissioner; Diane D. 
Rath, chair and commissioner, Texas Workforce Commission; State Senator 
Jeff Wentworth and State Representatives Elizabeth Ames Jones, Edmund 
Kuempel, and Ken Mercer of Texas; Gov. Rick Perry of Texas; and 
Priscilla Owen, nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit.